Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	hear_v	lord_n	pray_v	6,088	5	6.6801	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77813	A few sighs from hell, or, The groans of a damned soul. Or, An exposition of those words in the sixteenth of Luke, concerning the rich man and the beggar : wherein is discovered the lamentable state of the damned : their cries, their desires in their distresses, with the determination of God upon them. A good warning word to sinners, both old and young, to take into consideration betimes, and to seek by faith in Jesus Christ to avoid, lest they come into the same place of torment. Also a brief discourse touching the profitableness of the Scriptures for our instruction in the way of righteousness, according to the tendancy of the said parable. / By that poor and contemptible servant of Jesus Christ, John Bunyan.	Bunyan, John, 1628-1688.	1658 (1658)	Wing B5516; Thomason E1927_2; ESTC R210338	119,232	307

it setteth on fire the whole frame of nature and is set on fire of hell The tongue how much mischief will it stir up in a very little time How many blows and wounds doth it cause How many times doth it as James saith curse man How oft is the tongue made the conveyer of that hellish poyson that is in the heart both to the dishonour of God the hurt of its neighbours and the utter ruine of its own soul And do you think that the Lord will sit still as I may say and let thy tongue run as it lists Verse 25. and yet never bring you to an account for the same No stay the Lord will not alwayes keep silence Psal 50.21 but will reprove thee and set thy sinnes in order before thine eyes O sinner Yea and thy tongue together with the rest of thy members shall be tormented for sinning And I say I am very confident that though this be made light of now yet the time is coming when many poor souls will rue the day that ever they did speak with a tongue will one say that I should so disregard my tongue O that I when I said so and so had before bitten off my tongue that I had been born without a tongue my tongue my tongue a little water to cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame even that flame that my tongue together with the rest of my members by sinning have brought me to Poor souls now will let their tongues say any thing for a little profit for two pence or three-pence gain But O what a grief will this be at that day when they together with their tongue must smart for that which they by their tongues have done while they were in this world Then you that love your souls look to your tongues lest you bind your selves down so fast to hell with the sins of your tongues that you will never be able to get loose again to all eternity Jam. 1.26 For by thy words thou shalt be condemned if thou have not a care of thy tongue Verse 25. But Abraham said Son remember that thou in thy life time hadst thy good things and likewise Lazarus evill things now he is comforted and thou art tormented THese words are a discovery of the answer to the request of the damned such as did or shall depart this life unconverted The verse before as I told you is a discovery of the desires they have after they depart this world Here is the answer Son Remember c. The answer signifies thus much that in stead of having any relief or ease they are hereby the more tormented and that by fresh recollections or by bringing afresh their former ill spent life while in the world into their remembrance Son Remember thou hadst good things in thy life time as much as if he had said Verse 24. thou art now sensible what it is to lose thy soul thou art now sensible what it is to put off repentance thou art now sensible that thou hast befooled thy self in that thou didst spend that time in seeking after outward momentary earthly things which thou shouldest have spent in seeking to make Jesus Christ sure to thy soul and now through thy anguish of spirit in the pains of hell thou wouldest enjoy that which in former time thou didst make light of but alas thou art here beguiled and altogether disappointed thy crying will now avail thee nothing at all This is not the acceptable time 2 Cor. 6.2 This is not a time to answer the desires of damned reprobates If thou hadst cryed out in good earnest while grace was offered much might have been but then thou wert careless and didst turne the forbearance and goodness of God into wantonness wert thou not told that these who would not hear the Lord when he did call should not be heard if they turned away from him when they did call Prov. 1.24 to 28. But contrariwise he would laugh at their calamity and mock when their fear did come Now therefore instead of expecting the least drop of mercy and favour call into thy mind how thou didst spend those dayes which God did permit thee to live I say remember that in thy life time thou didst behave thy self rebelliously against the Lord in that thou wert careless of his word and ordinances yea and of the welfare of thine own soul also therefore now I say in stead of expecting or hoping for any relief thou must be forced to call to remembrance thy filthy wayes and feed upon them to thine everlasting astonishment and consusion From these words therefore which say Remember that thou in thy life time hadst thy good things There are these things to be taken notice of 1. They that by putting off repentance and living in their sins lose their souls shall instead of having the least measure of comfort when they come into hell have their ill spent life alwaies very fresh in their remembrance While they live here they can sin and forget it but when they depart they shall have their ill spent life before them they shall have a remembrance or their memory notably enlighrened and a clearer Verse 25. and a continual fight of all their wicked practices that they wrought and did while they were in the world Son remember saith he then you will be made to remember 1. How you were born in sin and brought up in the same 2. How thou hadst many a time the Gospel preached to thee for taking away of the same by him whom the Gospel doth hold forth 3. That out of love to thy sins and lusts thou didst turne thy back on the tenders of the same Gospel of good tidings and peace 4. Then thou shalt see clearly that the reason why thou didst lose thy soul was because thou didst not close in with free grace and the tenders of a loving and free-hearted Jesus Christ 5. Thou shalt remember how near thou wast to turning at such and such a time onely thou wast willing to give way to thy lusts when they wrought to drunkards when they called to pleasures when they proffered themselves to the cares and incumbrances of the world which like so many thornes did choak that or those convictions that were set on thy heart 6. How willing thou wast to satisfie thy self with an hypocrites hope and with a notion of the things of God without the real power and life of the same 7. Thou shalt remember how thou when thou wert admonished to turn didst put off turning and repenting till another time 8. How thou didst dissemble at such a time lie at such a time cheat thy neighbour at such a time mock flout scoff taunt hate persecute the people of God at such a time in such a place among such company 9. Thou shalt remember that while others were met together in the fear of the Lord to seek him thou wast met with a company of vain companions to

that they were sent to do is then to be done their souls Christ eternity was scarce thought on before but now when mercilesse death begins to gripe them then do they begin to bethink themselves of those things which they should have got in readiness before and that is the reason why we so often hear many that lie upon their death beds to cry out for a little longer time and no wonder for they have the salvation of their souls to seek Oh sad case to have their work to do when the night is come and a Christ to seek when death hath found them take therefore the counsel of the holy Ghost Heb. 3.7 To day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts Mark it is the Spirits counsel true the devil and thine own heart will tell thee another tale and be ready to whisper in thine ears thou mayest have time enough hereafter what need of so much haste another day may serve as well let thy soul be filled with pleasure a little longer and thy bags filled a little more thou mayest have time for this and that too Oh but this is the suggestion of an enemy that would cause thee to deferre so long that thy heart may grow too hard and thine ear too heavy to hear at all but certainly this being thy greatest business challengeth the first and greatest care Mat. 6.33 And let this be done then if thou shalt either have so much time to spare or a heart to do it take thy time for the other Sixthly this day of thy mercy and Christs importunity will not last long it is but a day and that a day of visitation indeed it is rich grace that there should be a day but dally not because it is but a day Jerusalem had her day but because therein she did not know the things of her peace a pitch night did overtake Luke 19.42.43 It is a day of patience and if thou despisest the riches of Gods goodness patience and long-suffering towards thee and art not thereby lead to repentance Rom. 2.5 A short time will make it a day of vengeance though now Christ calls because he is willing to save sinners yet he will not alwayes call see then that thou refuse not him that speaks from heaven in this Gospel-day Heb. 12.25 But seek him while he may be found and call upon him while he is near Isa 55.6 lest thou criest after him hereafter and he refuse thee It is not crying Lord Lord when the day of grace is past that will procure the least crumb of mercy Matth. 7.21 No if thou comest not when called but stayest while supper is ended thou shalt not taste thereof Luke 14.24 though a bit would save thy life thy soul if thou drinkest not of the fountain while it is opened thou shalt not when it is shut though thou beggest with tears of blood for one drop to cool thy scoarching flaming heart thou that mightest have had thy vessel full and wellcome shalt not now have so much as will hang on the tip of a finger Oh remember the axe is laid to the root of the tree Matth. 3.10 And although three years time may be granted through the Vine-dressers importunity that will soon be expired and then the axe that is now laid shall cut up the tree by its roots if it bring not forth good fruit Seest thou not that many of late have been snatched away on each side of thee by that hand that hath been stretched out and is so still and though thou mayst escape a while yet hast thou no assurance that the destroying Angel will long pass by thy door Oh then neglect thy soul no longer but consider time is short and uncertain eternity long thy work great thy soul immortal this world vanishing Christ precious hell hot and heaven desirable And if thou beest a Christian to whom this may come that hast not onely had a price in thy hand but wisdom given thee from above to make use of it and art one who whilst others are seeking to make this world and hell together sure to themselves spendest thy time and makest it thy onely business to make sure of the one thing necessary and heaven to thy soul I shall lay two or three things before thy thoughts First walk with a fixed eye upon the world to come Look not at the things which are seen that are temporal but at the things which are not seen that are eternal 2 Cor. 4.18 A Christians eye should be upon his journeys end as our Lord Jesus who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross Heb. 12.2 When the stones fled about Stephens ears His eyes were lifted up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God Acts 7.55 56. What though thou at present mayest lie at the rich mans gates yet a few dayes will translate thee into Abrahams bosome Though Israel had a sharp voyage through the wilderness yet Caleb and Joshua men of excellent spirits had their eye upon the good Land they were going to though graceless souls are too dull fighted to see a far off 2 Pet. 1.9 yet thou that hast received the unction from above dost in some measure know what is the hope of thy calling and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints Secondly be satisfied with thy present condition though it be afflictive for it shall not last alwayes thy sorrows shall be short and thy joyes long roul thy self upon the Lord for there is a heaven will pay for all Christ first endured the cross before he wore the crown David before he was a King was a shepherd The poor man spoken of in this ensuing Treatise before he was carried into heaven had experiences of sorrow and sufferings on earth Let the flesh be silent in passing judgement on the dispensations of God towards thee and the men of this world in this present life David by prying too far herein with his own wisdom had almost caught a fall Psal 73. Though Gods judgements may be too deep for our reason to dive into yet are they alwayes righteous and his paths mercy and truth to those that keep his Covenants Psal 25.10 When Jeremiah would debate with the Lord concerning his judgements in the wickeds prosperity he would lay this down as an indubitable truth that his judgements were righteous Jer. 12.1 And his end was not to charge God but to learn understanding of him in the way of his judgements and although the wayes of his providence may be dark to his people that they cannot discern his footsteps yet are they alwayes consistent with his everlasting covenant and the results of the favour he bears to them If the wicked flourish like the grass it is that they should be destroyed for ever Psal 92.7 And if the godly have many a wave beating upon them yet will the Lord command his loving kindness

at And again tell me now if it be not better to leave sin and to close in with Christ Jesus notwithstanding that reproach thou shalt meet with for so doing then to live a little while in this world in pleasures and feeding thy lusts in neglecting the welfare of thy soul and refusing to be justified by Jesus and in a moment to drop down to hell and to cry O consider I say consider betimes and put not off the the tenders of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ lest you lift up your eyes in hell and cry for anguish of spirit And he cried and said Father Abraham have mercy upon me and send Lazarus c. These words do not onely hold forth the lamentable condition of the damned and their lamentable howling and crying out under their anguish of spirit but also they do signifie to us as I said before their too late repentance and also that they would very willingly if they might be set at liberty from that everlasting misery that by their sins they have plunged themselves into I say these words do hold forth a desire that the damned have to be delivered from those torments that they now are in O Father Abraham saith he have mercy upon me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame These words Father Abraham may have some difficulty in them It is possible that some may think them to be meant of Abraham and those or him that crieth out here to be the Jews Or it may be some may understand it to be God or Jesus Christ his Son which I rather suppose it may be that is here cried out unto because you finde the same cry to him as it were uttered by the ungodly in other places of the Scripture as in Luke 13. verse 25 26. Then shall they say Lord Lord we have eat and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets Nay more In thy Name have we cast out devils and in thy Name done many wonderfull works This was just at their rejection And again in Mat. 25.11 They cry again to him even to Jesus Lord Lord open to us And he there again gives them a repulse as also in this Parable But however or whosoever Abraham is yet these truths may be observed from the words 1. That the damned when in an irrecoverable estate will seek for or desire deliverance from the wrath that they are and shall be in for eternity 2. That they will pray if I may so call it earnestly for deliverance from their miserable estate These two things are clear from the words For mark He not onely said Father Abraham have mercy upon me But he cried and said Father Abraham have mercy on me From whence take a third observation and that is There is a time comming wherein though men shall both cry and pray yet they are like to have no mercy at the hands of God for so was this man served as I shall further shew by and by when I come to it Some people are so deluded by the devil as to think that God is so merciful as to own or regard any thing for prayer they think any thing will go for currant and good satisfaction while they are here in this world through ignorance of the true nature of the mercy of God and the knowledge in what way God is satisfied for sinners Now I say through ignorance they think that if they do but mutter over some form of prayers though they know not what they say nor what they request yet God is satisfied yea very well satisfied with their doings when alas there is nothing lesse O friends I beseech you to look about you and seek in good earnest for the Spirit of Christ so to help you now to strive and pray and to enable you to lay hold of Christ that your souls may be saved lest the time come that though you cry and pray and wish also that you had laid hold on the Lord Jesus yet you must and shall be damned Then again you may see that though God be willing to save sinners at some time yet this time doth not alwayes last No he that can finde in his heart to turn his back upon Jesus Christ now shall have the back turned upon him hereafter when he may cry and pray for mercy and yet go without it God will have a time to meet with them that now do seek after him they shall have a time yea time enough hereafter to repent their folly and to befool themselves for turning their backs upon the Lord Jesus Christ Again this should admonish us to take time while it is profered lest we repent us of our unbelief and rebellion when we are deprived of it Ah friends time is precious an hours time to hear a sermon is precious I have sometimes thought thus with my self Set the case the Lord should send two or three of his servants the Ministers of the Gospel to hell among the damned with this Commission Go ye to Hell and preach my grace to those that are there let your Sermon be an hour long and hold forth the merits of my Sons birth righteousness death resurrection ascension and intercession with all my love in him and proffer it to them telling them that now once more and but once do I profer the means of reconciliation to them They who are now roaring being past hope would then leap at the least proffer of mercy Oh they that could spend whole dayes weeks nay years in rejecting the Son of God would now be glad of one tender of that mercy Father saith he have mercy on me Again from these words you may observe that mercy will be welcome when souls are under judgement now his soul is in the fire now he is under the wrath of God now he is in Hell there to be tormented now he is with the devills and damned spirits now he feels the vengeance of God now Oh now have mercy on me Here you may see again that mercy is prized by them that are in Hell they would be glad if they could have it Father have mercy on me For my poor souls sake send me a little mercy And send Lazarus that he may dip th● tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue These words do not onely hold forth that the ungodly have a desire of mercy but what those mercies are that these poor creatures would be glad of As first To have the company of a Lazarus granted to them Father Abraham have mercy upon me and send Lazarus Now Lazarus was he that was beloved of God and also he that was hated of him Therefore 2. Observe that those Saints that the world in their life-time could not indure now they are departed they would be glad to have society with them O now send Lazarus though the time was when I cared not for

the dead what need have they of such a thing Have they not Moses and the Prophets hath not Moses told them the danger of living in sin Deut. 27. from ver 15. to ver 26. And chap. 28.15 16 17 18 19 20. c. to the end of the chapter also ch 29.18 19 20 21. hath he not there told them what a sad state these persons are in that deceive themselves with the deceit of their hearts saying They shall have peace though they follow their sins in these words And when he heareth the words of this curse he bless himself in his heart saying I sh●ll have peace though I go on or walk in the imagination of my heart to adde drunkenness to thirst The Lord will not spare that man but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoak against him and all the curses that are written in this book shall lye upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven Ag●in did not Moses write of the Saviour that was to come afterwards into the world Deut. 18.18 Nay have not all the Prophets from Samuel with all those that follow after prophesied and foretold these things therefore what need ●ave they that I should work such a miracle as to send one from the dead unto them They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them From whence observe again That God doth honour the writings of Moses and the Prophets as much nay more then if one should rise from the dead Should not a people seek unto their God what seek for seek for the living among the dead To the Law and to the testimonies saith ●od if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Isa 8 19 20. And let me tell you plainly I do believe that the devil knows this full well which makes him labour to beget in the hearts of his disciples and followers light thoughts of them and doth perswade them that even a motion from their own beguiled conscience or from his own wicked Spirit is to be observed and obeyed before them when the very Apostle of Jesus Christ though he heard a voice from the excellent glory saying This is my beloved Son c. Yet writing to the Churches and telling them he heard such a voice he commends the writings of the Prophets before it saying We have also a more sure word of the Prophets unto which ye do well to take heed c. 2 Pet. 1 17 18 19. Now if thou doubtest whether that place be meant the Scriptures the words of the Prophets or no read but the next verse where he addeth for a certain confirmation thereof these words Knowing this first that there is no prophecy of the Scriptures Mark it is the prophecy of the Scriptures There is no prophecy of the Scriptures of any private interpretation for prophecy came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost And therefore O what a sad thing is it with those that go about to disown the Scriptures I tell you however you may slight them now yet when they come into hell and in bitterness of soul cry out Oh that one might go to forewarn my companions of their folly lest they come into this place of torment God doth and will answer them with these words they have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them Again it is very observable who they are that are so tossed to and fro with the several winds of doctrine that have been broached in these dayes They are such for the most part as have had a light esteem of the Scriptures for the ground of errour as Christ saith is because they know not them Mark 12.24 And indeed it is just with God to give them over to follow their own dark blinded consciences to be led into errours that they might be damned into hell who did not believe that the things contained in the Scripture were the truth that they might be saved and go to heaven I cannot well tell how to have done speaking for and on the Scriptures side onely this I consider Verse 30. A word is enough to the wise and therefore I shall commit these things into the hands of them that are of God and as for the rest if they convert not to Jesus Christ I shall say to them rather then God will save them from hell with the breach of his holy word if they had a thousand souls a piece God would destroy them all for the Scriptures cannot be broken Joh. 10.35 Ver. 30. And he said nay Father Abraham but if one went unto them from the dead they would repent THe verse before you know as I told you it was part of an answer to such as lose their souls so it is a vindication of the Scriptures of Moses and the Prophets where he saith They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them as if he had said they should have closed in with the tenders of mercy held out by Moses Samuel David Isaiah Jeremiah together with the rest of the glorious certain truths that I moved them to utter and hold forth in their generation to the world and also which they have left on record both for the warning comfort and reproof of them who in after ages should come into the world both by holding forth the state of man by nature how miserable it was and by holding out the mercy and grace of God and how large that was and also how free God is and ever was to save them that did come the right way to him namely by Christ together with the lamentable and sad state that those were and are and shall be in that did turne their backs on what they did then speak and afterwards leave on record for the good of succeeding generations if they vvould or v ill be blessed that are yet alive let them ovvn them clo●e in vvith that vvhich is held forth by them namely the Mesias or Jesus that came from heaven to earth on purpose to lay dovvn his life for the rebellious as I said before Novv this verse is an ansvver to the former and such an one as hath in it a kind of reject●on of the former ansvver Nay Father Abraham Nay saith he do not say so do not put them off vvith this send one from the dead and then there vvill be some hopes 'T is true thou speakest of the Scriptures of Moses and the Prophets and sayest let them hear them but these things are not so vvell as I could vvish I had rather thou wouldst send one from the dead In these vvords therefore Nay Father Abraham there is a repulse given Nay let it not be so Nay I do not like of that ansvver Hear Moses and the Prophets nay The same expression is used by Christ Luk. 13.2 3. Think you that they upon whom the tower of