Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n
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A50328
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The bruised reed, or, A sermon preach'd at the cathedral church of St. Asaph, for the support of weak Christians by D. Maurice, D.D., sometime chaplain in New Colledge, Oxon.
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Maurice, David.
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1700
(1700)
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Wing M1357A; ESTC R43437
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22,707
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31
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Jaws of the roaring Lyon when he was ready to devour them by reclaiming them by some seasonable Providence when they were ready to commit some horrid abomination that would have dishonour'd God and made his enemies to blaspheme and have wounded their Profession their Consciences and good Names for ever a passage to this purpose I have read in the Life of a reverend and godly Divine of this Kingdom which is so remarkable that I cannot omit it This reverend Minister being at his house very late in a winter night ready to go to his rest when all his Family were asleep a sudden thought took him that he must go to such a Man's house that liv'd a pretty distance from him at first he strugled against those motions and endeavour'd to stifle them as being unreasonable enthusiastical impressions that should move him to go to such a house without any occasion apparent to him and that in an unseasonable time of the night and for ought he knew the suggestions might be satanical But he could have no rest in his Spirit 'till he took a Candle and Lantern and went and so knock'd at the Man's door a while before any Body answer'd at length the Man of the house comes and opens the door This Minister told him of the strange and strong impulse that mov'd him to come thither and that he had no business Nay then says the poor Man with tears in his eyes I see the wonderful mercy of God in sending you hither to rescue my Soul and Body from the Devil for just now was I when I had got all my houshold to their rest fully purposing with this cord to dispatch my self away and now blessed be God for his gracious providence in preventing it by your coming Here was a seasonable help when the smoking flax was even quenching the Lord stept in wonderfully with relief so careful and tender is he of the weakest Christian 4. By preserving them from false Teachers and Seducers 'till they have their senses to discern between Good and Evil between Truth and Falshood therefore a strict charge is given by him Cant. 2.15 Take us the foxes the little foxes that spoil the vines for our vines have tender grapes especially care is to be had of weak Believers which are as tender grapes lest the foxes and little foxes that is Hereticks and Schismaticks seduce them and here St. Bernard observes touching the Pronouns US and OUR Poterat dicere capite mihi sed maluit dicere nobis consortio delectatus and he so unites our welfare with his own that he takes as great care of us as of himself and of the whole Church together and every particular Member thereof from the greatest to the least IV. The Fourth Particular to be consider'd in the handling of this Text is to shew the Reasons why Christ is so tender of weak Christians and those are these 1. Because Grace may be hinder'd in it's Growth by such things as the Believer cannot prevent as for instance A Believer may be living in a wicked Family where there is no fear of God and there he has much ado to keep his Sparkle alive 1 Kings 14.13 The Lord takes notice of that little goodness that was in Abijah in the house of Jeroboam a little Grace in such a Family went far Even so doth the Holy Ghost commend that small measure of Piety that was in Lot which surely was but a Sparkle in a sea of Corruption as we may see by tracing his Conversation for first out of a sinful fear of the filthy Sodomites he proffers them his two Daughters for to commit Uncleanness with them his Drunkenness and Incest recorded in Scriptures are as a Scylla and Charybdis for all Christians to beware and fear to come near them the latter being such a sin as the Apostle says 1 Cor. 5.1 as is not so much as nam d among the unbelieving Gentiles much less practis'd by them and one would think that the commission of one such sin of Incest might terrify the weakest Believer in the World that had any fear of God before his eyes from ever committing the like again and not only so but would make him go mourning all his days but we find that the sin of Drunkenness that opens every door in the Soul to the spiritual enemy le ts in this abomination again and that suddenly too for the next night he lay with his other Daughter from both which incestuous mixtures proceeded the cursed Brood of Moabites and Ammonites that were the greatest scourge of the people of God in all the World yet for all these gross miscarriages carriages and great sins he was still a smoking flax and therefore the Lord in mercy passeth by his enormities and considering the place of his abode gives him a grain of allowance for being so good among a people so bad 2 Pet. 2.7 8. He has the Epithets of just and righteous and godly because he was vex'd that they were so ungodly So doth the Lord exercise the same indulgence towards the Church of Pergamus because she dwelt in the very confines of Hell Rev. 2.13 I know thy works and where thou dwellest even where Satan's seat is and where was that where Godliness was persecuted and Idolatry was practis'd together with the community of Wives maintain'd which was the doctrine of the Nicolaitans Now to hold fast the Christian Profession and not to deny the Faith in the Devil's quarters was an Argument of a Heaven-born Nature and therefore God will dispense with other Weaknesses Only when a Christian's lot is cast into such a wicked place where Satan dwelleth either for false Doctrine and Worship or Sodomitical Practices 't is his duty to bewail it with the Prophet David Psalm 120.5 6. Wo is me that I sojourn in Mesech that I dwell in the tents of Kedar my Soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace he longed to be away from them and so did the Prophet Isaiah mourn because he dwelt among a people of unclean lips Isa 6.5 2. Grace may be hinder'd in it's growth by reason of a Believer's constitution of Body for the philosophical Axiom holds true in Grace as it doth in Morality mores animi sequuntur temperamentum corporis for we find cholerick Bodys very apt to fall into immoderate Anger and unbridled Passion upon the least provocation and are often to seek for that excellent Grace of Patience and those that are phlegmatick are not so active and zealous in the service of God as others that are but of an equal stature in Grace so the melancholick cannot rejoyce in God and be so chearful in holy duties as others and those that are sanguine cannot be so serious and the weak crazy Bodies cannot spend so much time and strength in Watching Fasting and Prayer as those that are of a stronger constitution for without controversy tho' Grace do's not depend upon the temper of the Body quoad esse causam in
of Grace differs only gradually from the greatest measure they are the same in kind and nature as the least drop of water is water and the least spark of fire is fire therefore Christ's care and love is not restrain'd to the degree of Grace but extends to the whole species of new creatures small and great weak and strong 2 Pet. 1.1 The Apostle writes to them that had obtain'd like pretious faith with us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was not equal in degree with his but being of the same nature and kind it was of equal price and value with God and therefore Christ will being exceeding careful to keep this heavenly treasure Little Grace is a little grain of mustard-seed which grows and spreads into a great tree and it is compar'd so for it's smallness at first as well as for it's growth at last And if thou hast but the least Grace I dare tell thee that God hath done more for thee in that than if he should in making that which is now so weak as perfect as the Saint's Grace is now in Heaven and that for two reasons 1. Because it was an act of greater power to work Grace out of no Grace than to add that Grace by perfectional Grace There is a greater gulf between no Grace and Grace than between weak Grace and strong between a Chaos and nothing than between a Chaos and the beautiful frame of this World The first day's work of both creations is the greatest and therefore God will by no means despise the day of these small things which as inconsiderable as we think them to be are the effect of the same almighty power as created the World 2. It is an act of greater mercy to give us the first Grace in conversion than to crown that Grace with Glory it is a greater favour and condescension in a Prince to marry a poor damsel than having married her to cloth her like a Princess he was free to do or not to do the former but now his relation to her obliges him to do the latter even so might God have chosen whether he would have given thee Grace or not at the first but having done this thy relation to him and his covenant also do oblige him to preserve that Grace and add more 'till he hath fitted thee as a bride for himself in Glory therefore let the weakest Christian never doubt of Crist's care and tenderness towards him for he that hath done the greater acts of power and mercy to him will certainly do the lesser he that gave him spiritual life equal to the best Saint in Heaven in quality and nature will surely give it nourishment and growth 'till it comes to perfection or as it is in my Text 'till he bring forth judgement unto victory 5. The covenant of Grace comprehends the weak as well as the strong Christian If children then heirs heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ Rom. 8.17 The promise there is not to children grown to this or that strength or stature if thou beest a child tho' in the cradle the promises are thy portion yea thou may'st plead for his care and maintenance 'till thou possess the inheritance in Heaven upon thy state and relation and not upon thy weaker or stronger Grace Some Believers have more Grace from Christ than others and so have more skill to improve these promises than their weaker Brethren whereby their present profits and incomes from the promises are greater but they have no more interest in Christ than the other and consequently the weak Christian's title is as true to the promise as that of the strong tho' the foot is the lowest member of the body yet it cannot say but that the tongue will speak for it and the head take care of it for the foot is in the body and so is the meanest Believer in the body of Christ therefore those do disfigure the promises that make them look asquint with an eye upon one Believer and not upon another whereas they equally belong to all He that believes on the Son hath everlasting life Jo. 3.36 and who is meant there is it he that believes above doubting surely no but we may be assur'd of this that he that commands us to receive the weak in faith will not himself reject them 6. Grace may be weak in one respect and yet strong in another a Christian may be weak in his active and strong and resolute in his passive obedience Rahab's Faith was but a grain of mustard seed yet it was of the right kind because she held out a professor in Jericho her godly courage and hope were strong in the Lord else she had never continu'd her obedience to the true God among such a number of Idolaters A Believer may be wanting in his zeal and activity in God's service and resisting temptations in mastering corruptions yet as a tree in winter he grows downward in humility self-abhorrence and his whole dependance is upon God through Christ in the sense of his wants and so being deeply rooted in these the Lord will sooner dispense with his outward infirmities 7. The number of weak Believers is far greater than that of the strong and therefore if Christ takes not special care to carry his lambs in his bosom his fold is like to be very empty There are more sparrows than Eagles more bruised reeds than Cedars and more babes in Christ than strong well grown Christians in God's Family therefore if he were not a very tender nursing Father to these those eternal mansions of Glory should be like to want inhabitants 8 and lastly Hereby God sheweth his strength and power and so more Glory redounds to Christ by this care in keeping alive a sparkle of Grace in an ocean of corruption 2 Cor. 12.9 My strength is made perfect in weakness that is not intrinsecally but declaratively not made so but manifested to the Sons of Men to be so This cuts the very comb of pride in all and leaves no room for self-exaltation when God is both the founder and finisher of their Grace And that which highly advanceth his Glory is that he alone holdeth as our Souls so our Grace in life This not only magnifies but omnifies his power and causeth the poor Christian to lay the crown of all his services upon the head of Christ and to cry out with St. Paul It is not I but the grace of God which was with me and when all is done and the race is run in glory to cast his crown with the elders before the throne of Christ saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory honour and power Rev. 4.10 11. Having thus done with the reasons I shall answer an objection that meets me in my way which is this If Christ be so tender of them why are they so full of fears and doubts and hard thoughts of themselves touching their spiritual and eternal condition as usually they are 1. I answer It is by reason