Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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B05844
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Divine breathings: or, A pious soul thirsting after Christ
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T. S. (Thomas Sherman); Perin, Christopher.
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1671
(1671)
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Wing S3388A; ESTC R184098
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42,078
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222
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of Faith one smile of Christ one glance of Heaven one grape of Canaan one glimpse of my Crown of Glory yields more sweetness comfort and content than all the pleasures and delights the World affords the very gleaning of spiritual joy is better than the vintage of carnal delights Let no man then stand off for want of pleasures for here he shall not lose them only change them LIV. Meditat. SOlomon tryed many Conclusions but not one took but the last the fear of God Oh my Soul thou mayest tire thy self with varieties of Objects but none satisfies but this the fruition of thy God he only is the plenary and primary goodness he only is the efficient and sufficient fulness As it was said of manna that it was the delight of every pallate so it may be said of Jesus Christ that he is satisfaction to every soul Taste therefore and see how sweet the Lord is What 's the reason we wander after such variety of Creatures Because we cannot find sufficiency in one were one herb as virtual or one flower as delectable as the Collection we would never trouble our selves to gather many Take up then thy rest Oh my Soul in the chiefest and choicest good which comprehends all other goods Those golden rayes of goodness which lye scattered in the Creature are only to be found conjunctively in God Those pure ingredients which goe in to make up the highest excellency largest goodness fullest perfection are onely to be found collectively in him Knowest thou any thing is profitable delectable or desirable in the Creature Thou mayest see it in thy God find it in thy Christ Art thou captivated He is thy Redeemer Art thou wounded he is thy good Samaritan Art thou broken-hearted Go unto Christ and he will bind it up Art thou sick He is thy Physician Art thou persecuted He is thy refuge Art thou hungry or thirsty He is the living bread and the flowing stream Art thou weary He is thy rest Art thou in want or poverty He is an inexhaustible treasury Art thou in disgrace or contempt Why he is thy honour Art thou dull and heavy He is a quickning Spirit Would'st thou have grace He is the fountain Would'st thou have Heaven He is the way he shall guide thee by his counsel and after receive thee into glory Let that mans name therefore be written in the dust that leaves the flowing Fountain to quench his thirst at a broken Cistern Why should I tire my self to gather drops of honey from so many dying flowers when I can satisfie my self with streams of sweetness in the living Christ Therefore Creatures in this you and I must part for Christ out-bids you all LV. Meditat. A Christian may raise another Paradise here below may make a lower Heaven on Earth for this is life eternal to know thee and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent To know Christ in the evidence of his love revealed to us and Christ revealed in us is the very entrance of Heaven for what is the perfection of grace but the fulness of this knowledge And what is the consummation of glory but the blessedness of this fulness Therefore Lord be every day adding to my knowledge that so at my last day I may be perfect LVI Meditat. GOdly Sorrow like weeping Mary seeks Christ Saving Faith like wrestling Jacob finds and holds Christ Heavenly Love like the affectionate Spouse dwells with Christ here it brings him into the chambers of the Queen and hereafter Christ brings the loving Soul into the chamber of the King so that it is an eternal grace alwayes lodging in the bosome of Christ Lord thou art the desire of my soul Oh that I could seek thee find and love thee that I may for ever enjoy thee LVII Meditat. THe stream of sorrow like waters ascends no higher than the spring from whence it came We know that sin gives two bloody stabs the first is at the soul of man the second is at the heart of Christ And if the first stab only grieve me if I mourn for sin as it only wounded my soul it is a sign this stream flows but from a natural heart because it ascends but to a natural heighth but if I weep for sin as it hath wounded Christ as it hath shed that blood that would save me as it hath pierced that heart that would love me then no question but the spring is in Heaven because it riseth to a super-natural ascent Lord that my sorrow may be sound pierce my heart for sin as it strikes through my soul and pierces Christ LVIII Meditat. MY life is sweet but my Christ must be sweeter to me than my life my soul is precious but Christ must be dearer to me than my soul my salvation is much but Christ must be more to me than my salvation Christ must be loved above all Nay were there no armes of mercy to receive me no Heaven of bliss to entertain me no weight of glory to crown me yet Christ must be loved above and without all these As it is a sign of a carnal love to follow Christ for the loaves so it is a sign of a base mercenary love to seek Christ for a reward that 's but an adulterate affection that affects the present more than the party loves the Ring more than her Beloved that choice cannot be cordial that aims only at a portion that love cannot he real that aims only at a benefit Lord thou art amiable in thy self Oh that I could love thee for thy self LIX Meditat. I Must not venture on a Duty unless I bring God to it nor rest satisfied unless I carry God from it Hear David's precept Oh seek the Lord and his strength seek his face for evermore Be sure thou rise not from duty before the countenance of God rise in mercy upon thy soul it must be Christ that must fit thee and it must be Christ that must meet thee or else it will be no Ordinance of comfort to thee What is the Chariot if thy Beloved be not in it Then here St. Bernard's practice Lord I never come to thee without thee I nerver goe from thee but with thee Oh blessed be that soul that never prayes hears or receives but carries Christ to all enjoyes Christ in all and brings Christ from all Lord in all my approaches to thee let me goe out in thy strength and return in thy presence LX. Meditat. OH my Soul Thou art alwayes striving yet sin alwayes stirring thou fearest the truth of grace because thou findest the working of sin but it will be alwayes thus thou canst not come out of Aegypt but Amalek will lay wait in the way the flesh will be sure to trouble thee although it be never able to conquer thee He therefore that sits down and is at rest in sin it is a sign that Satan is there the strong man because his Kingdom is in peace But where there 's any work with Christ there
the inheritance they had rather take their portion in this life than to wait for an inheritance reserved in the Heavens Their unworthy spirits cry with Esau What profit will this birth-right do us We must have pleasure and we must have riches and therefore with Lysimacus they will sell their Kingdomes and themselves for a draught of water There are but few such elevated spirits as the Disciples had that can leave a possession to live upon a promise there are but few have such heroick spirits as Moses had that can despise the treasures of this present World out of respect unto the recompence of a future reward but there are many of such sordid spirits as Dives had that would enjoy their good things here but for my part Lord give not me my portion in this life I had rather live by faith XXXVIII Meditat. WHat Rebel under Proclamation of mercy stands out when he knows he shall be fetch'd in by the hand of Justice yet how many refractory sinners with those invited guests in the Gospel deride the messengers of Peace untill they are slain by the men of War Indeed hadst thou counsel wisdom and strength for the battel could thy heart endure or thy hands be strong in the day that God shall deal with thee this were much or could the Gods whom thou servest deliver thee out of the hands of Christ this were more but alas thou must one day be brought under his regal power either in favour or fury either in the praise of his Glory or to the magnifying of his Justice if thou hate his Throne thou shalt be made his footstool if thou wilt not have him to be thy head thou shalt be trod under his feet if he be not thy Jesus he will be thy Judge In a word if thou wilt not touch the golden Scepter of his Mercy thou shalt be crushed with the Rod of his Justice and remember this that this life is only the time of displaying the Flag of Mercy and the burning of the Taper of Peace if once the white Flag be folded up and the burning Taper burnt out then look for nothing but the sad flourishes of the black Flag As for those mine enemies that would not that I should reign over them bring them hither and slay them before me therefore now sit down and see thy weakness and while the King is yet a great way off send out the Ambassadours of thy prayers and tears and acquaint thy self now with God and be at peace For my part I had rather come in a Favourite than be brought in a Traytor XXXIX Meditat. SIn and Sorrow are two inseparable Companions thou canst not let in one and shut out the other If thy moment be spent in mirth thy eternity shall be spent in mourning if thou wilt not weep whil'st thou mayest have mercy to pardon thee thou shalt lament heareafter and yet have no eye to pity thee A bottle of tears may now quench the fire of Sin but a cloud of tears shall never quench the flames of Hell therefore while the wicked goe on laughing I desire to goe on mourning The Valley of Bochim will at length set me upon the Hill of Sion but the paths of rejoycing will at length bring into a hell of weeping for this is a truth that he that swims in sin shall sink in sorrow their laughter shall be turned into heaviness while my tears shall be wiped away I will therefore ever weep that I may not weep for ever XL. Meditat. THat way the Tree inclineth while it groweth that way it pitcheth when it falleth and there it lyes whether it be toward the North or South As we are in life for the most part we are in death so we lye down to eternity whether it be towards Heaven or Hell Being once fallen there is no removing For as in War an errour is death so in Death an errour is damnation therefore live as thou intendest to dye and dye as thou intendest to live O Lord Let the bent of my soul be alwayes towards thee that so I may fall to thee and ever rest with thee XLI Meditat. JOrdan that famous River no doubt runs through many a pleasant meadow by many a shady grove and flowery bank and yet at last is forc'd to empty it self into a dead Sea and not only so but those fresh Crystall streams that made those famous brooks lose both name and worth are turned into the dead Sea themselves Just so it is with a Weiked man here he walks through the meadows of Worldly pleasures and rests under the shades of earthly comforts and sports and wallows himself amongst the flowers of worldly delights but at last runs himself out into a dead Lake and is cast into Hell among the number of those that forget God and not only so but his very Heaven it self that made up all his hapiness is turn'd into hell his beauty is turn'd into horror his honour into shame his lusts into devils his pleasure into bitterness his scarlet into flames of fire and Brimstone so that that which was his fresh Stream here is his salt Sea there Lord Let me be a pure Stream that may end in Heaven I care not what stony veins I run through here on Earth so I may but there lose the name of weakness and corruption for glory and pefection XLII Meditat. WHat 's a day to an age And what 's an age to eternity And yet we know the shortest day is part of the longest time but the longest time is no part of eternity for where time ends there eternity begins Why are we then so foolish to heap up goods for mortality to lay up riches which at longest are but for many years perhaps not for many hours and yet to provide nothing for eternity And why are we so careful to humour and uphold a mouldering piece of clay a frail and mortal body which cannot stand above an age perhaps not above a day and yet neglect our precious souls that must endure for ever Do we all aim at a prosperous life Why then let us labour for a glorious eternity XLIII Meditat. ALL men would have happiness for their end but few would have holiness for their way all men would have the Kingdom of Heaven and the glory thereof but few seek the kingdom of Heaven and the righteousness thereof As that Noble man being asked what he thought of the course of precise Puritans as the World terms them or of the life of licentious Libertines Answered Cum ist is mallem vivere cum illis mori mallem I had rather live with those and dye with them So most men had rather live with Balaam but dye with Israel They would willingly have the Libertines ease but the godly mans end But this is certain no soul shall goe to God in death but onely that which draws near to God in life if the Kingdom of God be not first in us we shall