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	sin_n	time_n	5,862	5	3.8981	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77440	A brief memorial wherein the present case of the antient leasees, the inward pawn sub-tenants, and the outward pawn present tenants, of the Royal exchange [is] ... stated. : As also some animadversions ... relating to the ... revenue of the said place ... / By an unfeigned welwisher to the flourishing estate of the city of London ...	T. P. (Theophilus Philalethes)	1674 (1674)	Wing B4604; ESTC R170805	39,573	61

admirable Effects unto all Creatures both Animal and Inanimal whatsoever upon the face of the whole Earth and the nearer and nearer it doth approach unto us within our Horizon the more vigour strength and power it doth still retain in order to the accomplishment of all those Noble Ends and Purposes for the which it was first created and by reason of his powerfull Influence over the whole Earth he doth never rest Day nor Night untill such time as he hath enriched the same with a plentifull Crop and all things therein contained with a Green thriving and flourishing Condition so that from hence by the wise Disposer of all things under the Sun we have the Spring and the Fall we have Summer and Winter Seed-time and Harvest and all things that may conduce unto our present and future Happiness whatsoever And this is a true Representation and Similitude of Life and Death as to things Temporal Mortality Resurrection and Immortality as to things Spiritual and Eternal And so in like manner in respect of the other most glorious and Nocturnal Light this vast Elementary moist and liquid Body of the Moon which as Astrologers do say is above three hundred times bigger than the whole Terrestrial Universe and hath so powerfull an Influence upon the vast Ocean so that as we see by daily Experience as she increases in Grandeur Neptune himself is also constrained to move forward and to give way and to increase also and so gradually till she comes to her full strength then the Surges and Billowes of the Sea do arise to that height as many times it overflowes the banks of the main Ocean and this is that which we call our Spring-tides So that we see this vast and liquid Body like as Fire doth produce Fire and Water by the help of an Engine doth draw up Water by its secret and attractive virtue infused thereinto by an Almighty power commands the very Ocean it self and likewise sets bounds and limits to the proud waves and surges thereof which many times are much higher than the Land by its most powerfull strength influence and operation And this is a more than probable Argument to be given for the Ebbing and Flowing of the Sea which hath startled and stumbled so many Persons who have been upon the Quest to find out the true Cause and Reason thereof And these two Instances alone together with the Rainbow being taken in which will make up a Trinity of Celestial Attestators are enough to confute those purblind and blear-ey'd Masters of Reason who can see no further than their dim-sighted corporeal Eyes will permit them the proudest and stoutest Atheist in the world And they may as well say that they made themselves and were the primary Cause of their own Beings as to say all these things and many more which would bee too tedious here to insert were first produced by the power strength and vigour onely of Natures Operation For how can these men tell that if Nature alone did produce them Nature might not some time or other reduce them again unto their first Principles or else into some other Form and Fashion for Nature sometimes hath its prodigious and monstrous Births And how could they tell that the Rainbow Gods established Covenant with Mankind should continue and appear in the Heavens for so many Generations But all these things are so fixed and determined by the most High that they cannot do otherwise than they are appointed and if the Sun stand still or go backwards at any time it is in Obedience to the Command of the Supreme Creator I pray pardon this small digression of mine in regard as I was entring thereupon some of the Atheistical notions did so boldly accost me that I could do no less then give them a broad side on purpose to send them back again into the Land of forgetfulness that so they might no more rise up in pride vain-glory and presumption in denying the good Providence and Wisdom of Almighty God in these and the like cases but to proceed as by way of similitude in these two instances as to those ends and purposes now mentioned so I say in like manner as to this most Famous and most renowned City of London so long as you have peace within your Walls Prosperity within your Borders Plenty within your Streets Health within your Pallaces no Forreign nor Domestique jarrs to obstruct your Trade at home nor your Negotiations abroad especially among your Merchants which are the great wheeles or springs in a Watch that sets all the little wheels in their orderly motions Mercy and Truth meeting together Righteousness and Peace embracing each other I say by the powerful influence of all these precedent circumstances being met and joyned together it is almost impossible but that your City of London unless our heaven provoking sins from time to time interveneing shall forbid the banes should continue in a thriving and flourishing condition and thereupon how many thousand pounds come flowing yearly like the overflowing of the River Nilus into the Chamber of London and at this insensible vast and most Noble revenue the Citizens of London and the Inhabitants thereof are not in the least measure offended but do rather rejoyce and wish you much joy thereof and much good may you do with it and they would be glad with all their hearts every Mothers child of them to arrive at the same pitch of honour as to come to be Lord Major Mr. Alderman Mr. Sheriff Mr. Common-Councel-Man and the like And now and then to open a vein in the body Politick for the preservation of the whole is as requisite and necessary as somtimes to open a vein in the body natural whereby to remove some impediment and obstruction in the circulation of the blood that so afterwards in its perambulation it may run with more strength and vigor and return again unto its former and regular proceedings And I may truly say of this antient and Renowned City of London and it reaches all cases persons and places whatsoever according to the Poet. Donec eris foelix multos numerabis amicos Tempora si fuerint nubila solus eris Ovid And thus have I done with my main and principal design which were my primary intentions and resolutions in the publication hereof And although this small piece is not adorned with all those goodly and excellent properties as might be expected from a person of more than ordinary and Scholastick improvement upon any matter or Subject whatsoever as he should undertake which are these viz. 1. To speak modestly and in the words of truth and Sobriety 2. To speak pertinent to the matter in hand without too many circumlocutions and florid expressions before he comes to the point and therein also to be very succinct 3. To back all his positions and assertions with the prevailing and powerfull arguments of solid and substantial reason that so all persons may be constrained to acquiesce in her

maxime for you will find it universally true viz. That all Cities Corporations Bodies politick Market-Towns and the like have all of them more or less their publique Places and Publick-Houses built such as Halls Courts of Judicature Market Houses Store-houses Exchanges and the like for the Honour State Benefit convenience Profit Advantage and Accommodation of the same and all these publick places built upon the publick charges have as certain and though to outward appearance somewhat insensible and constant revenue and allowance especially in great Cities belonging unto them in order to their defraying the said publick and necessary charges as any Landlord whatsoever that hath laid out 500 l. in Building of an house and thereupon doth receive some 30 40 or 50 pounds per annum as a yearly rent for the same This being premised I shall now bring it to the matter in hand by a particular instance viz. That this famous and most Magnificent structure of the Royal Exchange is one of the most necessary and most publick places that is built within your Metrapolitane City of London although there are several others as Guild-Hall The Chamber of London The Court of Aldermen your Market-Houses your Store-houses your Courts of Judicature the two Counters your Prison for Felons and the like which are of the same import and pray where is your visible and apparent revenue whereby to re-imburse you that you do receive for them and yet notwithstanding you have so ordered the matter as that all these places and that not without very good reason as being essentially necessary and requisite as to the flourishing Estate of your City for the future are already built And that you shall be as certainly and as surely reimbursed and that with a most considerable advantage for all your cost and charges so expended I shall make it clearly appear in manner and form as followeth viz. That it is as requisite and necessary but more especially in so famous and so renowned a City as the City of London that all such publick places should be built and kept constantly in repair at the publick charges in expectation of the future benefit and advantage which the whole body should receive thereby as it is requisite and necessary that a Shop keeper should lay out 500 l. in staple commodities whereby to furnish his shop in expectation of a future trade or for a Merchant to freight out a ship to Sea with the Manufactures of England upon his own accompt in expectation to receive a considerable advantage thereby at his safe speedy and happy return And now whereas you have built this place for the honour of His Majesty so you have likewise made it more especially and in particular for the accommodation of the Merchants and all others who have converse commerce and traffick with them for the advance of your Trade for the enriching of your members and still as they do thrive florish grow rich it is ten to one but you do find them out and call upon them for Aldermen and for Sheriffs and where one holds there is many goes off by the way of fines and here is that secret mistery and insensible revenue before intimated brought to light besides many other wayes and means you have to bring yearly great Sums into your Publick Treasury although you do not nor should not receive so much quarterly by the way of Rent yet you do constantly and surely receive as much if not more than the interest of your moneys so laid out by the way of Fines And pray what are all these Fines leavyed upon the Inhabitants and rich members of your City and in other Corporations and Bodies Politick but to defray all the Publick and necessary charges upon this very accompt and this will still hold and continue so long as your City remains and continues in the like good and flourishing condition which the Lord of his infinite mercy grant may be until time shall be no more Amen Come now let us reason together pray pardon this familiar though modest expression in regard I must confess I have that high value and respect for that which we call Reason that I am unwilling to move forward one step farther in any concern whatsoever than I am guided and directed by the light thereof I will now take it for granted that upon the precedent considerations you would have rebuilt the Royal Exchange if you had not had one Tenant to have inhabited within the walls thereof And if so I would only beg the favour to ask you these questions Viz. would you not have built it with Pillars would you not have covered it with Lead would you not have paved it with Marble would you not have built it with stone would you not have erected their Majesties Effigies in the front as also the Effigies of the first Founder would you not have made such a stately Tower as is now Erected and the like and these are the things which make such a noise in your building and in the report of the people and which do arise unto so vast a Sum in your books of Accompt Now I say put all these things here mentioned together and calculate the charge thereof as near as possibly you can charge all these unto the Publick Accompt and when this is done then compute the remaining charge which you have built for the accommodation of shop-keepers within the said place and then leavy their proportions to re-imburse you for the interest of your money so laid out and for the principal also in due time And now as to those walls of Brick wherein your Tenants are inclosed by some mens computation I must acknowledge my self no competent Judge therein as being neither Bricklayer Stone-cutter Mason nor Carpenter with all the incident charges appertaining thereunto and which you have made for the accomodation of your said Tenants could not cost you above 10000 pounds and as these stately and magnificent adjuncts before-mentioned and wherewith your Tenants are environed and surrounded is no part of the building at least no part thereof so far as to be charged to the Inhabitants accompts but to the account currant viz. the Publick Account And here by the way had one hundred of the present inhabitants during the time they were in Gresham Colledge but made application to Alderman Backwell and have taken that piece of ground just before your Royal Exchange although they had given 500 l. per Annum only for the ground Rent which would have been 5 l. a piece and after that had laid down fifty pounds a piece to be laid out in building which would have amounted to 5000 pounds what a stately place might they have built therewith the said money for their own accommodations I will assure you far beyond the Accommodation they have at present within your Territories and you have charged the place with at least 50000 pounds for the inhabitants to work out and to pay you the