Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	great_a	let_v	sinner_n	1,997	5	7.5506	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85485	The progresse of divine providence, set out in a sermon preached in the Abbey Church of Westminster before the house of Peers, on the 24th of September, 1645. being the day of their monethly fast. / By William Gouge, one of the members of the Assembly.	Gouge, William, 1578-1653.	1645 (1645)	Wing G1393; Thomason E302_25; ESTC R200284	30,328	48

they watch for your soules To shew that this kinde of Government doth not intrench upon the authority of the civill Magistrate let the difference betwixt them be well observed and that in these three particulars 1. Civill Magistrates command in their owne name or in the name of a superiour civill Magistrate thus I charge you in the name of the King But Church-Governours in the name of Christ 2. Civill Magistrates require obedience to themselves Church-Governours to Christ 3. Civill Magistrates presse on their subjects their own Lawes as Statutes and Ordinances made by themselves Church-Governours the Ordinances of Christ 4 The progresse of Gods Providence to the better is a great aggravation of the ungracious and ungratefull disposition of many people if not of most whom God hath reserved to these later times God hath graciously done better for them and they deale worse with God Such are 1. They who remaine blinde and ignorant under the cleare light of the Gospel A wonder it is that there should be so little knowledge where there is so plentifull means of knowledge Note an Apostles doom of such If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost whose eyes the God of the world hath blinded 2. They who are unstable and carryed about with every winde of doctrine notwithstanding the evident demonstration of the truth now made known unto us The Apostle resembles them to children whereas for the time we ought to be as grown strong men 3. Such as are ever weak in faith full of doubts and fears Oft doth Christ check his Disciples for this Such come farre short in strength of faith of those who lived before these better times Witnesse that catalogue of believers which the Apostle maketh Heb. 11. 4. Such as take advantage from the abundance of Gods mercy to exceed in sinne In the Apostles time upon this gracious extent of grace to great sinners Where sin abounded grace did much more abound some made this impious and unjust inference let us continue in sinne that grace may abound These make sinne the proper procuring cause of Gods grace which is every way free only God takes occasion from the misery whereinto sin implungeth man to extend mercy unto him and that abundance of sinne may not hinder the current of his grace he causeth it to abound Besides they who inferre the fore-said unjust consequence apply that to sins future which is spoken of sins past and extend that to obstinate and impenitent sinners which is intended to such as groan under the burden of their sins 5. Such as from the comfortable Doctrine of Election to life inferre that they shall assuredly be saved though they live never so lewdly not considering that they who are ordained to the end are ordained to the means that bring to that end 6. Such as from Gods wisdom in bringing good out of evil take occasion to do evil upon this pretence that good may come The Apostle most justly makes this inference upon theirs whose damnation is just implying thereby that damnation is their due and that most justly 7. Such as upon Gods pardoning a sinner whensoever he repents put off their repentance not considering that men have not power to repent when they will so as such may never repent and never be pardoned 8. Such as from that liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free imagine that they are freed from all obedience to the morall Law whereas that liberty is only from the rigour of the Law which bindes to a perfect fullfilling thereof in every part point and degree of it and from the curse thereof 9. Such as deny the morality of the Christian Sabbath and profane it with all manner of sports because the ancient day is changed by vertue of Christs resurrection All these and other like them turn the grace of God into lasciviousnesse that is into all kinde of licentious living An Apostle gives this verdict of them They were of old ordained to condemnation 10. All that having escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ are again entangled therein and overcome and willfully sinne after they have received the knowledge of the truth In a word all apostates from the true faith deal most ungraciously and ungratefully with God I may well use Moses his exprobration against them Do yee thus requite the Lord O foolish people and unwise The fore-mentioned Gospel-sins and others like unto them doe much grieve the good Spirit of God and they that commit them go far in treading under foot the Sonne of God and counting the blood of the Covenant wherewith they were sanctified an unholy thing By the means of grace they are exalted unto heaven but by their abuse thereof they are brought down unto hell So as the woe denounced against those among whom Christ much conversed may be applied to these The inference which the Apostle maketh upon Gospel-sinners cannot but terrifie such as heed it it is this He that despised Moses Law died without mercy Of how much sorer punishment suppose yee shall he be thought worthy who hath treden under foot the Sonne of God c. But from these Uses of errour and terrour I proceed to Uses of another kinde 5. Much consolation may be gathered by faithfull ones from the continuall encrease of Gods providence in such sad doubtfull dangerous daies as these our daies are For we may with confidence expect better things The daies wherein the Prophet first uttered this prophecy were worse daies then ours are and to comfort the faithfull that then lived and such others as should from age to age live after them he revealed this promise There are more particular promises concerning a future glory of the Christian Church set down by the Prophets in the old Testament and by Christ and his Apostles in the new especially in the book of the Revelation then we have either heard of or seen in our daies to be accomplished The glorious City described Revel. 21. 10 c. is by many judicious Divines taken for a type of a spirituall glorious estate of the Church of Christ under the Gospel yet to come and that before his last comming to judgement I passe by all conceits of our later Chiliasts or Millenaries whom in English we may call Thousandaries who imagine that Christ shall personally come down from heaven in that nature in which after his resurrection he ascended into heaven and raign here a thousand years with his Saints The certainty of this I leave to be proved by them who are the broachers thereof But this is most certain that there are yet better things to come then have been since the first calling of the Gentiles Among other better things to come the recalling of the Jews is most clearly and plentifully fore told

remnant of Judah which was left in Judaea They both prophesied the same things for substance though they were far distant in place and so ratified each others prophecies As other Prophets so this our Prophet had to doe with two sorts of people impious and pious The impious were openly prophane and impenitently obstinate or covertly hypocriticall and deceitfull The pious were righteous upright and humble In which respect his prophecies were of a mixed kinde In regard of the former sort he had such a spirit as was given to Boanerges sonnes of thunder to denounce Gods terrible judgements against them in regard of the later he had such a spirit as was given to Barnabas a sonne of consolation to pronounce sweet promises Hereby the obstinate were the more terrified and kept down the humble and penitent were supported The spirit of consolation did sweetly breathe forth in this Chapter out of which I have taken my text It is full of very comfortable promises In the beginning of it he pointeth at the insultations of enemies against the Church of God in their troubles with which weak spirits use much to be perplexed The Lord therefore to keep their spirits from fainting by this his Prophet maketh known before hand the good which he intended unto them Many particular promises are set down both before and after my text but the summe of them all is couched in these words I will doe better unto you then at your beginnings The Hebrew is so excellent in compounding words as it compriseth the ten words of my text in two which are these {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} word for word I will doe good above your beginnings The first word compriseth under it all the blessings which God intended for his Church not of Jews only but of Gentiles also and that from time to time even from their return out of captivity till the comming of Christ not in the flesh only but in glory also The later word noting out a comparison between times and times hath relation to all the former ages of the Church even unto those very times of their great troubles The main scope of all is to set out The Progresse of Divine Providence This is done by five particulars 1. The Authour or fountain He is not expressed in the text but clearly intimated for the verb is of the first person besides the copulative particle and doth intend the same person that is mentioned before thus I will multiply I will settle and will doe that is and I will doe In the seventh verse the person intended is plainly expressed to be the Lord God And in the next clause after my text the Lord Jehovah is expressed For where this word LORD is set down in four Capitall letters it sets out Jehovah 2. The Act whereby the foresaid providence is exercised Doe good The word is in the third active conjugation of the Hebrew tongue called Hiphil which signifieth an efficiency 3. The encrease of that providence in this note of comparison {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} above or more then Our English compriseth the act and the encrease thereof under this word better for better sets out more good or greater good 4. The parties to whom that good is intended Vnto you I must confesse that the parties are not expressed in the Originall but yet implied under this copulative particle And which sheweth that this promise is made to the same parties to whom the former were made and they are thus expressed I will multiply upon you and I will settle you so here I will doe better unto you Besides the affix after the later word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} your sheweth what parties are here intended They are in one word stiled Israel under which is comprised the Church of God 5. The times which are the later times for this promise is made in opposition to former times expressed under this word beginnings These five points afford five usefull instructions 1. The Lord is the fountain of all good I may well say all for the indefinite particle good intendeth as much Besides all the particular good things promised before and after my text are applied to this Authour the LORD So other good things also in other places Pertinently to this purpose saith an Apostle Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and commeth down from the Father of lights 2. God causeth his goodnesse to flow forth He is not only a full fountain but an open and over-flowing fountain David speaking to the Lord of his goodnesse thus saith Thou art good and doest good 3. Gods goodnesse ever increaseth It 's like the waters that came down from the Lords Sanctuary and increased from ankle-deep to knee deep from knee-deep to middle-deep from middle-deep to an impassible river In this respect this word of comparison better useth to be added to the good things which God provideth in later ages I intend to exemplifie this in sundry particulars hereafter 4. The Church is the proper object of Gods goodnesse Israel to whom this promise was made is put for the Church of God This is further evidenced by that great difference which is made between Jacob and Esau thus expressed I loved Jacob and I hated Esau This the Apostle applieth to Gods chosen children on the one side and all the other on the otherside Thus there is an especially put upon Gods mercy in relation to the members of the Church for he is said to be the Saviour of all men especially of those that believe 5. The best things are reserved for the last times The beginnings here mentioned comprising all former ages and times the great encrease of goodnesse here intended must needs be referred to the later times This a Prophet thus expresseth It shall come to passe in the last daies that the mountain of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hils c. Time will not suffer me distinctly and fully to handle all these points neither indeed is it needfull for the last compriseth all the other under it which will the better appear if we do somewhat more largely expresse it thus The Lord hath provided his better things for the later times of his Church Here have we 1. The Person that is the fountain of goodnes expressed the Lord 2. The Act of goodnes flowing from him in this word provided 3. This comparison better things declareth the Increase of his goodnesse 4. The mention of his Church sheweth the proper Object or parties to whom his goodnes is extended 5. The times are here expresly set down in these words later times Thus in handling this Doctrine God hath provided his better things for the later times of his Church all the former will be handled and the proofs alleadged for this will prove all

Commandement then that which was written in tables of stone For that exacted an impossibility Rom. 8. 3. by reason of the weaknesse and corruption of our flesh But the New Commandement is written in the fleshly tables of our heart whereby ability is given unto us cherefully and acceptably to performe the same 5. A new way This is also called a living way which Christ by his flesh hath consecrated for us For Christ himselfe having with his own bloud entred into the most holy place hath thereby made full satisfaction for all our sins which causes the way to Heaven to be impassible and made the way easy for us to walke in Thus is he the way the truth and the life the only true way that leadeth us unto life 6. A new heart This is opposed to a mans naturall heart which is stiled an heart of stone in that it is so obdurate that it will sooner like a stone be broken all to pieces and utterly confounded with Gods judgements then yield to him and his word This new heart is not only freed from that obstinacy but also made flexible and pliable to the Word of God and worke of his spirit and thereupon called an heart of flesh 7. A new spirit This also is opposed to a mans naturall spirit which in all things resisteth the good Spirit of God Such a spirit the Jewes of old had of whom Stephen the first Martyr for Christ thus speaketh Ye do alwayes resist the holy Ghost as your fathers did so do ye But this new spirit readily and willingly yeeldeth to every good motion of the Spirit of God 8. A new song A song which shall sound forth as the Prophet expounds himselfe Gods praises from the end of the earth by reason of the Gospel whose sound as the sound of the heavens hath gone forth thorow all the earth The sum and substance of this new song was sung out by an heavenly quire at the birth of Christ It was this Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good will towards men Finally to insist on no more particulars there is a promise made of making all things new If any shall thinke that this is meant of the world to come let him consider how expressely the Apostle applyes it to the time of the Gospell saying of that time Behold all things are become new 2 Cor. 5. 17. Thus we see how this promise of Gods doing better for his Church in the later times is evidenced by sundry particulars of better and new things Yet further as if ordinary words and usuall comparisons were not sufficient to set forth the great increase of Gods providence the Prophets use very transcendent and hyperbolicall expressions to set it out the more to the life and that according to our capacity To which purpose this increase of Gods Providence is thus expressed For brasse I will bring gold and for iron I will bring silver and for wood brasse and for stones iron Hereby he sheweth that as wood is better then common stones and iron better then wood and brasse better then iron and silver better then brasse and gold better then silver so much better yea infinitely more are the good things of these later times better then the good things of former times Yet further is this increase thus heightened Isa. 30. 26. The light of the Moone shall be as the light of the Sun and the light of the Sun shall be seven fold as the light of seven dayes Who knowes not how great a difference there is between the two lights of the Moone and the Sun to make the light of the Moone as great as of the Sun must needs be a wonderfull great increase And because there can be no greater light then the light of the Sun he multiplieth that light to the number of perfection saying The light of the Sun shall be seven fold as the light of seven dayes And to shew that no comparisons are sufficient to set out the increase of Gods goodnes to the full it is further said The Sun shall be no more thy light by day neither for brightnes shall the Moone give light unto thee But the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light and thy God thy glory Isa. 60. 19. If we take a view of the increase of Gods good Providence generation after generation even from the beginning of the world to the end thereof it will yet more clearely appeare that as Gods goodnes hath ever increased more and more so the greatest increase thereof hath been in later times and so the better things reserved for us and others who have lived therein For the clearer exemplification hereof we will account the whole continuance of the world together with the world to come as one great week And distinguish the whole course thereof from the creation to the day of judgement into six long dayes the seventh being an eternall {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a keeping a Sabbath or rest after the day of judgement The six forementioned dayes may thus be distinguished The first from Adam to Noah Wherein besides Gods goodnes in creating the world was manifested that great evidence of mercy in promising a Redeemer to free man from his miserable bondage under Satan whereinto he had implunged himself the words of the promise are these It shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heele By this relative particle It the seed of the woman the Lord Jesus Christ is meant The words being spoken to Satan under the serpent by thy head is meant Satan and all his power by bruising an utter subduing of the same The next words Thou shalt bruise his heele set forth Satans attempts against the mysticall body of Christ and his annoying of the same in many respects But so as the heele only the externall condition of the foresaid body not the head the soule of it can be crushed This was a very gracious promise and a great good The second day lasted from Noah to Abraham wherein the Church had that memorable type of Gods preserving it out of that common deluge which destroyed the whole world besides This type was the Arke This the Apostle calls in relation to Baptisme a like figure For it did lively set forth to the Church such a preservation and deliverance from sinne and destruction as Baptisme doth In this respect a more expresse evidence of Gods goodnes was given in this day then in the former The third day was from Abraham to David wherein that precious and expresse promise of blessing all Nations in Abrahams seed was made wherein also Israel was brought out of the Egyptian bondage a type of the redemption of the Church from her spiritual bondage under sinne and Satan In this day the Tabernacle with the many other types of Christ his offices and benefits to his Church were first ordained and Israel