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	sin_n	15,720	5	5.7661	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51680	A Mystery of godlinesse and no cabala, or, A sincere account of the non-conformists conversation ... occasioned by a bitter and malitions [sic] paper called the Cabala.	Birkenhead, John, Sir, 1616-1679.	1663 (1663)	Wing M3184; ESTC R7629	26,519	43

Almighty will find a time to have mercy upon his poor Church and to clear up his countenance towards his chosen Ones wiping all tears from their eyes and all spots from their faces and answering the holy desires of their hearts in shewing them his Sion in her perfect beauty Could we but weep soundly he would smile upon us and comfortably shine upon his Sanctuary and make the place of his feet glorious even an eternal excellency the joy of many Generations Indeed for the present O our God thou hast removed our Souls far from peace thou hast most justly filled us with thine indignation for we have deserved that thou shouldst pour out iniquities upon us and shouldst bring upon us the fruits of our own thoughts and measure our works into our bosomes and cause us to drink at thy Hand the Cup of thy fury yea even to have the dregs of the Cup of trembling to be wrung out to us for we have walked every one after the imagination of his own evil heart our transgressions are with us and are multiplied before thee and though we have professed to be humbled under thy mighty hand we have not cried to thee in our hearts when we howled upon our beds neither have we loathed our selves in our own sight for the evils that we have committed so as we do now justly lie down in our shame and our confusion covereth us willingly acknowledging that our iniquities have most deservedly turned away thy blessings from us and drawn thy judgements upon our heads But O Lord hast thou so smitten us that there is no healing for us Have we put our selves utterly out of the reach of thy boundlesse mercies Art not thou the God that retainest not thine anger for ever because thou delightest in mercy Oh why shouldest thou then be to us as a mighty Man that cannot save O thou the hope of Israel and the Saviour thereof in time of trouble return return to thy people in the tender bowels of thine infinite pitty and compassion humble our Soules throughly under the sense of our many back slidings and grievous provocations of the Eyes of thy Glory Oh strike thou our heart with an unfeigned repentance of all our evil wayes and once again speak peace unto thy servants Was there ever a more stiffe-necked and rebellious people O Lord then thine Israel more eminent in abused mercies more notorious in all kinds of abominable wickednesses more exercised with variety of judgements Yet when they cryed to thee in their distresse thou were still ready to hear and deliver them and to renew thy so often forseited blessings upon them and wouldst not let loose thy vengeance upon them till there was no remedy Behold we are thy people though a sinful one a second Israel both for sins and mercies Now Lord since it is thy marvellous mercy that we are not yet consumed be still pleased to magnifie thy infinite goodnesse in thy gracious forbearances and our powerful conversion to thee And though we cannot but confesse that we are a sinful Nation a people laden with iniquity a seed of evil doers yet Lord thou knowest that thou hast thy secret ones amongst us a people that prayeth and trembleth at thy judgements and waiteth humbly at the door-posts of thy Sanctuary a people that defireth to walk close with thee their God and to be approved of thee in all their wayes a people that figheth and mourneth for the abominable sins of the Land of their Nativity Oh for their sakes be thou intreated to hold off thy revenging hand from this sinful Nation and even yet still provoke us by thy goodnesse to Repentance O thou the righteous and merciful Judge of the world who even for ten righteous persons wouldest have spared a Sodome and Gomorrah from their fiery execution be pleased tenderly to regard the cries of thy many hundred faithful and devout Soules that sue to thee for the stay and removal of thy deserved judgements Oh do thou look down from Heaven and behold from the habitations of thy holinesse and thy glory the unsaigned humiliation of thy servants who are prostrate before thee with fasting and weeping and mourning turn away thine heavy displeasure from us and pitty thy Sanctuary which is desolate so shall our mouthes be full of the praises of thy Name and thy Saints shall rejoyce and sing new Songs unto the God of our Salvation In the mean time we shall in silence and hope wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from Jacob and not cease to pour out our selves in Tears and Supplications to him that is mighty to save neither will we suffer our cheeks to be dry or our souls to receive comfort till we shall receive a gracious answer from Heaven and shall see that the Lord hath been pleased to shew mercy to his Sion In this condition we that are Sions Mourners shall not need to be distinguished as other Orders are wont by Colours Devises Abiliments Our qualifications will be easily discerned by our sad faces wet eyes deep sighs mortified carriage willing neglect of those vanities wherewith others are transported our holy retirednesse assiduous Devotions and strict professions of Godlinesse Carry your selves thus dear Brethren and God and his Angels shall gladly welcome you into that holy Society of Mourners which shall be marked out for preservation here and for eternal comfort hereafter Lastly let none of you discourage himself from entring into this sacred Fraternity out of the sense of his bodily infirmity or the urgent necessity of outward impediments There is many an holy Soul that dwells inconveniently in a crazy tottering ruinous Cottage ready to drop down daily upon his head not able to endure the substraction of one Meales support There are not a few well-affected Christians whom the necessary exigences at their Calling and Estate like so many hard Taskmasters hold close to their tale of Bricks not allowing them the leisure of our limited Devotion Let all these of both kinds know that they have no cause hereupon either to hold off or to think they shall in this case need the dispensation of any superiour power since their condition doth sufficiently dispense with it self Even the severest Casuists of the Roman Church who are wont to be the rigidest Exactors of the outward exercises of Mortification do in these Cases allow of a just relaxation My Brethren if ye cannot fast yet ye can pray if your Stomacks be weak yet your zeal may be strong ye can mourn though ye pine not and if ye cannot spare a day in seven yet ye may spare an hour in twelve and make up the rest in your frequent and servent Ejaculations shortly if you have truly mourning Souls they will be accepted in the necessary want of the strict termes of bodily exercises Farewell in the Lord. FINIS