Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	hand_n	let_v	lord_n	8,430	5	4.2823	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94049	Immanuel, or The church triumphing in God with us. A sermon preached before the right honorable House of Lords, in the Abbey of Westminster; at their publique thanksgiving, November 5th 1644. By John Strickland, B.D. Pastor of the church at St Edmunds in Nevv Sarum. A member of the Assembly of Divines.	Strickland, John, 1600 or 1601-1670.	1644 (1644)	Wing S5971; Thomason E19_15; ESTC R12729	27,641	46

prize those mercies that he hath bestowed upon us but we should strive to prize more the having of God then the having of all our mercies and to set up his Name farre above all blessing and praise 3. We should strive to give God perpetuall praises by perpetuating his praises unto posteritie a laying up a stock and seed of praise that may bring forth a plentiful crop in the generations to come when they shall heare and see what great things the Lord hath wrought for his Church in this age which hath been and still is in birth with many glorious things that much will concern future times I doubt not but some faithfull Pennes have privately filled their common-place-books in treasuring up and making records of Gods wonderful providence towards this Church and Kingdome in our times which being transmitted to posteritie in a much desired Chronologie would publickly set up lasting Monuments of Gods praise and provide for a succession of thankfulnesse from generation to generation Such a providence we find the faithfull had in former times Psal 44.1 Psal 44.1 We have heard with our ears our fathers have told us what work thou diddest in their dayes in the times of old They did by tradition ingage us to give God the honour of his marvellous works as also by stones and pillars and altars erected in memoriall of severall acts of remarkable providence toward them Quest But in these sad times many make the same question which Gideon made to the Angel Quest Judg. 6.13 Judg. 6.13 If the Lord be with us why then is all this befallen us Why are we not delivered from the hands of the Midianites Answ God being with his Church is not presently a Supersedeas to afflictions Answ Christ may be in the Ship as he was Mat. 8.24 25. and yet she may be covered with waves so that the Disciples may be in great feare of perishing by the storme So though God be in the middest of the Church so that she shall not be moved Ps 46.5 yet she may be tryed as silver is tryed in the sire she may be brought into the net For what purposes God suffers his church to be afflicted while he takes her part and affliction may be layd upon her loynes Psal 66.10 11. God may give Jacob to the spoile and Israel to the robbers yea the dearly beloved of Iris soule into the hands of her enemies and that for many holy and excellent purposes 1. That God may more clearly have the glory of his help when he affords it unto the Church sense of danger and feeling of smart makes deliverance welcome and the hand of the deliverer more observed David was much taken with God in that he own'd him in adversitie Psal 31.7 Psal 31.7 Though the preventing of affliction be a great mercy in it selfe yet corrupt nature is usually more sensible of and so more thankfull for deliverance out of affliction and therefore the Lord lets the Church feel affliction though he take her part that she may better prize her helper and his help 2. To separate between the precious and the vile as the winde carries away the chaff from the wheat and as the furnace divides between the gold and the drosse which could not well be severed otherwise many are carried with the Church when she flowes in a full streame that will forsake her at an ebbe like the stony-ground in the Parable in time of prosperitie they received the seed with joy but in the time of temptation they fall away afflictions therefore are as necessary in the Church as heresies to discover the false-hearted and that onely the approved may stand 3. To humble and so to prepare the Church for help and deliverance shee is not alwayes in case for such mercies no more then Israel was fit to enter into the Land of Promise till the Lord had carried him through a long and tedious Wildernesse to humble him and to prove him Deut. 8.2 to see what was in his heart Deut. 8.2 As God is full of love bowells toward his Church like a father toward his child whereby he is afflicted in all her afflictions and very ready to her help and succour so is he full of wisdome also in his dispensations to the Church like a Physician to his Patient and therefore will not administer cordialls to her being full of corruptions till he have purged her and brought her low it may be even by letting bloud 4. To set faith and the Spirit of prayer on work in the Church whereby God delights to be overcome of his people which may actuate all the promises that God hath made unto them Now these are best put to it in extremitie and affliction we doe not so make out after God by faith and prayer in times of peace as we doe in times of trouble Ephraim was carelesse of looking after God till affliction had almost devoured him and therefore God withdraws himselfe till affliction brings Ephraim in unto him by prayer Hos 5.15 Hos 5.15 Vse 2 2. Seeing we have tasted the sweetnesse of Gods being with us both by ancient and modern experience we should be the more carefull to keep him on our side in these times of common trouble and danger that his presence may give us rest as he promised Israel Exod. 33.14 which made Moses so earnest with God for it as being not only the signall of his love to them Exod. 33.14 15 16. but also as being a means of their securitie against all the Nations that would look upon them by his being with them as Gods onely people separated from all the people upon the face of the earth And surely the continuance of his presence with us will be much according as we carry our selves toward him as the Prophet Azariah said to King Asa 2 Chro 15.2 2 Chron. 15.2 The Lord is with you while you be with him and if you seek him he will be found of you but if you forsake him he will forsake you God loves his people first before they love him but he never forsakes them till first they have forsaken him yea God looks much upon the carriage of great men either to be angry or pleas'd with to withdraw or continue his presence with a people if the great men had been good though the communaltie was naught in Jerusalem the Lord would have pardoned it but when these also that should have known the way of the Lord have broken the yoake burst the bonds a Lion out of the Forest shall slay them and a Wolf of the evening shall spoile them Jer. 5.5 6. saith God Jer. 5.5 6. How affectionately is Deborah taken up with praise when she saw the Governors of Israel willing to doe God service Judg. 5.9 Judg. 5.9 She heartily honoured them My heart is toward the Governours of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people praise yee the Lord Let

with him in behalf of the Church and thereupon he should be invincible Josh 1.5 Josh 1.5 There shall not any man he able to stand before thee all the dayes of thy life as I was with Moses so will I be with thee By vertue of this presence the instruments of the Churches help are instruments in Gods hand which puts upon them such a majestie and furnisheth them with such a power as that nothing dare or can stand in their way When God will use the poorest creature as an instrument in his hand either of mercy or justice it is exceedingly set up in esteem though otherwise in it self it be but contemptible and by making them so dreadfull the Lord powres out a spirit of feare and amazement upon the enemies of the Church who when they see the presence of God in and with his servants cannot stand before them Which made the Psalmist so earnest with the Lord by prayer to arise and shew himself Psal 68.1 2. Psal 68.1 2. Let God arise let his enemies be scattered let them also that hate him flee before him As smoak is driven away so drive them away as wax melteth before the sire so let the wicked perish at the presence of God So it was with the Aegyptians when once they perceived Gods presence with Israel they were presently routed and took it their best course to flee Exod. 14.25 Exod. 14.25 Let us flee from the face of Israel for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians So it was also with the enemies of the Church that ver 6. of this Psalme rose up in rage against her the Lord did no sooner declare himselfe to be for the Church by uttering his voyce but as wax melteth before the fire they melted the earth melted Vse 1 1. Hence they must needs be concluded enemies to the Church of England that would have bereaved her of such a precious priviledge in driving away Gods presence from her such a generation of men there were among us that by compliances with Idols and Idolatry went about to drive God away and yet bore up themselves as the onely friends and patrons of the Church of England What consistence can there be between the Ark and Dagon What concord between God and Idols By their cursed innovations the glory was even departing from our Israel and the Church of England made even like Jerusalem when the glory of the Lord was upon the threshold to depart Ezek. 9.3 Ezek. 9.3 The glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the Cherub whereupon he was to the threshold of the house a sad praeludium saith Calvin of his departure indeed for though it returned from the threshold of the house and stood over the Cherubims againe Ezek. 10.18 as loth to depart Ezek. 11.23 yet Ezek. 11.23 at length the glory of the Lord went not onely to the threshold of the house but unto the middest of the Citie and from the middest of the city to the tops of the mountains How far the state of our Church hath run parallel to those tragical dispensations in Jerusalem I leave to your wise observations but sure I am Gods presence both of grace in his Ordinances and of providence in our State-affaires which hath been heretofore the glory of our Land was not long since in a departing posture upon the threshold with us God was weary of our new Moons and Sabbaths and the calling of our Assemblies he could not smell in our solemn feasts our sacrifices were an abomination to him through the noysomness of those corruptions which Hophni and Phinehas superstitious and wicked men in the Priesthood mingled with them yea look what made the Lord forsake the Tabernacle of Shilo where he had placed his Named Psa 78.58 60. Psal 78.58 60. the same was found in the middest of us They provoked God to anger with their high places and moved him to jealousie with their graven Images whereby they have caused the Lord so far to forsake us that as the Prophet speaketh Here is a great forsaking in the midst of the land and the Church as a man in deliquio Isa 6.12 by the conflicts of truth and error is brought to that passe Ut nec morbum ferre potest nec remedium shee faints under our hands while you the Physicians of Church and State are about the cure and the spring of our present miseries in the Church was the late corruption and tyrannie of those in the Ministery that lorded it over Gods heritage their Popish setting up the power of nature and depressing the grace of God in matters of salvation formerly hath begotten a sleighting of all inherent sanctification and a scorning of all duties of obedience to the Law in these dayes under pretext of setting up the free grace of God their pressing men with such rigour to conformity hath begotten an humour of separation from all order and uniformity in our Church I might shew the like in other evills of errours and divisions now among us whereby confusion is threatned both to the Church and State and which and many mischieves of another kind have been occasioned by them Vse 2 2. Let us learn to improve this truth to the best advantage of our Church and State both by labouring to get God an interest of presence in our counsels and in our armies surely it will both secure us in time of danger and make the Church for ever invincible If God be with us saith the Apostle Rom. 8.31 who can be against us the danger of our times the malice of our enemies How the consideration of Gods presence with the Church may be improved at present to a fourfold advantage of our Church and the distractions of our selves call upon us earnestly to such indeavour and also by taking the advantage and opportunity of Gods presence with us to carry on the publike work of Church and Stage-reformation against all opposition with more life and cheerfulnesse for which purpose wee may make a fourfold advantage of Gods presence with us 1. It may incourage men to stand up and heighten their spirits in standing for the Churches cause that Gods presence with the Church makes her so impregnable if the Lord in former times did but lift up an ensign if he did but hisse the nations from far and they from the ends of the earth would come with speed swiftly to the work of the Lord Isa 5.26 how much more should a people that are not strangers Isa 5.29 be incouraged to come with speed swiftly to the work of the Lord when hee hath not only lift up an Ensign and given a Eanner to them that feare him that it might be displayed because of the truth Psal 60.4 but also hee himselfe stands up and having girded his sword upon his thigh Psal 60.4 with his glory and with his majesty will goe before them therein to be with to fight for them Gideon

Die Mercurii 6. Novemb. 1644. IT is this day Ordered by the Lords in Parliament Assembled That this House doth hereby returne thanks to Mr. Strickland for his great paines taken in the Sermon preached by him yesterday being the fift of November in the Abbey Church Westminster before their Lordships who is desired to print and publish the same And it is farther Ordered that none shall Print or reprint the said Sermon unlesse he be authorized under the hand of the said Mr. Strickland Jo Browne Cler Parliament I doe Authorize Mr Henry Overton to print this Sermon JOHN STRICKLAND IMMANVEL OR THE CHURCH TRIUMPHING IN GOD WITH US A Sermon preached before the Right Honorable House of LORDS in the Abbey of Westminster at their publique Thanksgiving November 5th 1644. By JOHN STRICKLAND B. D. Pastor of the Church at St EDMUNDS in NEVV SARUM A Member of the Assembly of Divines PSAL. 23.4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will feare no evill for thou art with me LONDON Printed by Matthew Simmons for Henry Overton at his Shop in Popes-head-Alley 1644. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THE LORDS NOW ASSEMBLED IN PARLIAMENT AT WESTMINSTER MY LORDS BEsides your Appointment which carries the sacred authoritie of a command with me there are three things somewhat incline me to yeeld this Sermon to the Presse notwithstanding the just sense I have of mine own weaknesse and its unworthinesse First The birth-day of it allowed not sufficient time for a full delivery your Lordships great occasions after the Morning Sermon so straitned the time of your Evening-Sacrifice that by your late coming together I was compelled wholly to lay aside some parts and to deliver the rest by pieces Raptim as I could in such haste Now the Presse hath given me leave a little better to gather the materialls which then I scattered and to couple all into some better proportion by the sinewes of coherence that I may present you with the intire though yet unpolished body of my Meditations intended for you Secondly The matter which was suited to a day of Praises before your Loraships may be very usefull if not necessary at all times Even now * A Fast observed by both Houses of Parliament when You are putting on Your mourning-garments and when the whole Kingdome seems to be in a more sad posture then it was Novemb. 5 th Our praising God for his being with us in a thanksgiving-day may effectually admonish and prepare us to mourne after Gods presence in a day of humiliation with more affectionatenesse For as it is true Monendo laudat it is likewise true inverted Laudando monet Yea the paying of God his due tribute of praise for the great things he hath done is the way to ingage him to doe greater things for us in a future time of need if we doe it heartily it ministers courage and resolution in the cause and gives an unconquerable strength to our faith in expectation of a happy end Iehosaphat therefore made the praising of God a part of his preparation to battell when a dreadfull Army of enemies came against him 2 Chron. 20.21 2 Chron. 20.21 He appointed Singers unto the Lord that should praise the beautie of holinesse as they went out before the Army and to say Praise the Lord for his mercy indureth for ever And it was not in vaine their praising God prevailed as if it had been praying to him Ver. 22. for ver 22. When they began to Sing the Lord set Ambushments against the Children of Ammon and Moab and Mount-Seir and they were smitten Wee are behind with God in this above other duties Nature and self-love can prevaile with us to a kind of prayer in time of distresse because that is the ordinary knowne way to obtaine reliefe but praising God is a more refined and spirituall dutie above Nature and requires both puritie and strength of grace to be well performed 'T is not impossible but this plaine and home-spun Discourse may stirre up the endeavours of some in this neglected dutie one of ten to returne and give God praise and so contribute somewhat unto publique benefit Be not You guiltie of unthankfulnesse to God most Noble Peeres lest the Lord lose his end in bringing in publique mercies lest wee fare the worse and prevaile the lesse in a good cause yea lest you bring evill upon the Land as Hezekiah did by not rendring againe according to the benefit done unto him for therefore was wrath come upon him ● Chron. 32.25 and upon Iudah and Ierusalem 2 Chron. 32.25 Thirdly You are the Men my Lords with whom God will plead the Kingdomes cause and through whom in this great Controversie now on foot wee look for Gods presence with England by Gods being in your Counsells and by his blessing of your martiall affaires we all say The Lord of Hosts is with us It much concerns you it much concerns us all that You earnestly seek after and carefully keep God with you in your great imployments and that we all strive by prayer for Gods presence with You that God may stand and judge in the Assembly of our gods and therefore doe I thus humbly present this poore peice to Your Noble acceptance and patronage that it might happily put You in remembrance of your dutie if You cast your eye upon it or the people of theirs in praying for You that God may be with You in the great work of Church and State which is and shall be daily the prayer of The meanest of those that serve You in the Lord JOHN STRICKLAND IMMANUEL OR THE CHURCH TRIUMPHING IN GOD WITH US PSAL. 46.7 The Lord of Hosts is with us the God of Iacob is our refuge THE mention of the sonnes of Korah in the Title and of the earths removing and the mountaines shaking ver 2. 3. seems somewhat to countenance the opinion that the sonnes of Korah penned the Psalme upon their deliverance when the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up their father Numb 16.32 a Muscu●●s Others conceive it penned by David or some other upon a notable deliverance of the Church from the Ammonites Moabites and Syrians in the dayes of David recorded 2 Sam. 10. But most probably the miraculous b 〈…〉 deliverance of the Church from the Assyrians in the time of Hezekiah when the Lord by the hand of an Angel from heaven slew in one night 185000. of the enemy as the History makes it appeare 2 King 19.35 This I say was probably the occasion but whether David or some other was the Penman of this Psalme as it is not determined so is it not materiall to our purpose However it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Psalme of praise or triumphall Song wherein the Church rejoyceth in the Lord giving him not onely the praise of her experience for a deliverance received but also the praise of her hope and confidence for the future setting him up

nor we surfet in being lifted up by abundance of mercy It is reported of Philip King of Macedon when he heard so much good newes at once as namely that Parmenio his Generall had got the victory over his enemies that his Son Alexander was borne and that his Chariots won the prize at Olympus all in one day he called upon fortune to spice his joyes with some bitternesse lest he should surfeit of them and forget himselfe wee had need to joyne with this King in our feare and our care that we doe not forget our selves nor the Lord our God now that we have received so much at once Let us therefore spice our joyes in the fruition of these mercies with a fixed observation and acknowledgement of Gods own hand in bringing about all these great things for us Three Characters that our victories and deliverances have bin generally brought about by a speciall hand of God and that God hath taken our part therein which in the dispensation of them may by an intelligent observer be discerned by three things that have commonly been evident in all our deliverances and victories viz. 1. They have not usually been given us till the creatures help and strength hath been brought to a non-plus at least we have seen the creature failing before God hath turned the day for us your Wisdomes observed how it was with us in the beginning of the day at Edg-hill at York to say no more Ut victoria qu●madmodum à se dāda erat it a a se etiam evidenter apparcret Peter Martyr in Judg. 7.2 the Lord in those days did by the hand of a few which all the army could not doe that it might more clearly appear that what was done was from God saith Peter Martyr even as Judg. 7.2 the Lord would rather give the Midianites into the hand of 300 men then Gideons whole Army Lest Israel vaunt themselves against me saith God saying Mine own hand hath saved me In middest of many humane helps God often loseth the honor of his help but when all others faile Gods help is glorious the Psalmist moves God to help his Church at a pinch when mans help could doe no good as being then the fittest time for God to do it Psal 60.11 Psal 60.11 Given us help in trouble for vaine is the help of man How clearly hath Gods hand been put forth in our victories when we were even upon the brink of an overthrow as Vaux of his giving fire Quantillum abfuit wee might say of our destructions from which GOD hath set us free 2. Our publick mercies have generally been brought us upon prayer and fasting duties that are sent out by the Church for Gods help power to her assistance and as we have held up in these more or lesse we have more or lesse prevailed against our enemies as Israel against Amalek Exod. 17.11 Exod. 17.11 while Moses held up his hands God hath broken the arrowes of the bow the shield the sword and the battell in our Churches as he did for his people in Salem Psal 76.2 3. Aelian Psal 76.2 3. because there we prevailed with God in wrestling as Jacob. The Tarentini had a feast which they called Jejunium in memoriall of that reliefe which the Rhegini spared upon every tenth dayes fast and sent them when they were besieged so though we sacrifice not nor ascribe to our fasting and prayers yet we might well set up a feast of thankfulness to God in memoriall of such publick favours as have evidently been the fruit of prayer and fasting And the rather because the honor of such mercies as come in that way is clearly cast upon God who hearing prayers doth whatsoever is done thereby in that prayer setteth God on work which was the ground of Luthers admirable confidence wherein he was wont to say when they had prayed together against the Churches enemies Vicimus we have overcome he knew God would not be wanting either to heare the prayers or by his power to fulfill the desires of the righteous 3. They have been given us in a way above humane probabilities and notwithstanding disadvantages when the enemy hath had the advantage of place and multitude At the former fight about Newbery in so much that they sometime triumphed over us before the victory whereby it hath appeared that victory was given us by him to whom nothing is difficult Thus Joshua reasons Josh 23.10 Josh 23.10 One of you shall chase a thousand because it is God that sighteth for you as he reasons from the cause to the effect we may all as well from the effect unto the cause thus it hath been with our armies therefore the Lord fought for us Yea so much have we seen of Gods going out with us alwayes into the field that the enemy was never yet knowne to prevaile against us but by our either treachery or negligence God hath never been wanting to us though we have been too much wanting to our selves Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and for his wonderfull works to the children of men this is a day wherein praises should waite for the Lord Psal 65.1 Tibi silet laus Psal 65.1 as Pagnine renders it Praise is silent to thee O God in Sion Such a throng of praises and so great that they were unutterable and therefore silent-praise as they say of cares Leves loquuntur ingentes stupent Our praises of God for our late publique mercies should have three speciall properties yet though our praises should be more then we can expresse yet we should this day endeavour to expresse our praises unto God as much as we can and endeavour also that our praises should have these three following qualifications viz. 1. We should see that they be self-denying-praises creature-praising is the way to breed creature-considence and we have had too much of that already let us frame our praises to the tune of the Psalmist Psal 115.1 Psal 115.1 Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give glory Not that any gallant Spirits should be deprived of the honor due unto them it is their honor that God will delight to use them as instruments for the good of his Church It was a notable custome among the Romans that when they had obtained a victory the Generall was wont to send Letters deckt with laurell to the Consulls to require them decernere supplicationes it seems they made account that they stood in need of prayers rather then of praises 2. Strive that our praises may be God-exalting praises we should boast of God as the Church doth Ps 44.7 8. Psal 44.7 8. Thou hast saved us from our enemies hast put them to shame that hated us in God we boast all the day long and will praise thy Name for ever We should not onely praise him with high praises with the best members that we have and highly