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	son_n	6,467	5	5.9464	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43584	A narrative of the holy life, and happy death of that reverend, faithful and zealous man of God, and minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Mr. John Angier, many years Pastor of the Church of Christ at Denton, near Manchester in Lancashire wherein are related many passages that concern his birth, education, his entrance into the ministry, discharge of his trust therein, and his death.	Heywood, Oliver, 1629-1702.	1683 (1683)	Wing H1772; ESTC R177987	61,863	136

20 Who am I O Lord God and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto it would have done ones heart good to hear him an hour together reckoning up the mercies of God in Infancy Childhood Youth riper Age in all Estates Relations Conditions Afflictions and then magnifying the free grace of God in giving his Son for us his Spirit to us promises priviledges Gospel-ordinances c. and then the great kindness of God to his particular congregation in publick liberty for which he kept many days of thanksgiving and for national mercies yea there was not any of his Relations or in his Congregation under any Affliction Temptation but as he prayed for them so he gave God thanks for their deliverance he knit his Breast to every ones heart and case he mourned with such as mourned rejoyced with such as rejoyced God had given him a sympathizing heart 2 Cor. 11.29 he might say Who is Weak and I am not weak But especially he was deeply concerned for the Church of God both at home and abroad he gave God no rest but was the Lords dayly remembrancer standing betwixt the living and the dead in the breach that sin had made to hold off wrath He had great interest at the Throne of Grace and notably improved it by a believing prayer and filling his mouth with Arguments he had skill and will for his work often was he in the Mount and conversed with God as a Man with his Friend he had an excellent Art in humble expostulation with God surely the Church-militant parted with a Friend when he was translated to Glory it appeared in the congregation that God had set him over what weight he bore up by the dreadful consequences attending his death for thereby the people lost their priviledges for from the day of his Funeral to this day never did Non-Conformist preach in his Pulpit so that it appears for whose sake the liberty was maintained Denton hath found the smart it s well if England feel not the fatal fruits of the removal of such Pillars Methusalem dyed that year the deluge overspread the World Hippo was sacked by the Vandals immediately after Augustines death there Heedleberg taken after Pareus's death Luther dyed a little before the Wars in Germany Lord prevent temporal evils threatned that the prediction may not be accomplshed that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come Isa 57.1 this Worthy fallen in Israel speaks heavy things to England Mr. Earnestness ●n prayer Angier was very solemn and grave in all his addresses to God or in his delivering messages from God it was his usual manner before he spoke a word in prayer to pause a considerable while looking upwards composed his thoughts possessing his heart with awful apprehensions of the Divine Majesty and by mental ejaculations imploring Gods quickning presence and after a season he arrived gradually to a great degree of zeal and warmth in prayer agonizing in the duty with sweat and tears which rendered his speaking at some seasons both painful and difficult yet was he not only made up of zeal and affection but had proper and pertinent matter exact method and apt expressions Mr Harrison was wont to call him a ponderous man for every word had its weight and emphasis he had no waste words either in prayer or preaching but as his affections were Boiling so his Words were few and well weighed He did not use to be long in prayer except upon extraordinary occasions and then not tedious because variety of matter and patheticalness in the manner rendered his prayers acceptable to the joyners he propounded this Question Whether the spirit of God did ordinarily dictate matter of prayer he did conceive it might from Rom. 8 26. the spirit helpeth for we know not what we should pray for Yet he was far from Enthusiasm nor was he altogether against forms of prayer nor joyning in publick with the Liturgy though he judged that inconvenient modes of worship must be our affliction but may not be our sin when we are not in a capacity to remedy nor did he think that meer presence doth signify consent or approbation of every thing we hear As for the Lords prayer his judgment was that it was delivered chiefly by our Saviour as a pattern or platform of prayer to which as to several heads all our prayers must be referred He seldom insisted long upon a Text except when he took a Scripture before him because as he used to say a Minister may have frequent occasion in the course of his Pertinence in Preaching Ministry to return again to the same subject therefore he needs not to say all that can be said upon it at once but extract the marrow of the Text and pick out what at present he judgeth proper to the principal occasion for which he chose it and drive that Naile home yea tho a Minister should say all that he can find out upon such a Text or Subject yet he will be forced to leave some gleanings that he may return again to gather up and those as pertinent and useful as he pressed as at his first Vintage-reaping so true is that of Tertullian Adora scriptura plenitudinem I adore the fulness of the Scriptures He had a notable observation from Heb. 11.32 For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon hence he observed That a Minister must have respect not only to what he is to say but to the time he is to speak or write it in all things cannot be spoken at one time Christ taught as people were able to hear people yea the best people have but a measure of attention memory or affection good old Mr. Horrocks was wont to say I would rather leave my hearers longing than loathing And as Mr. His Catichising Angier constantly preached so he carefully Catechized the youth of his Congregation according to the Assemblies Shorter Catechism and explained it opening the principles of Religion in a plain and ●amiliar way sometimes taking an account of their proficiency and if he heard of the breakings out of sin in any of his hearers he faithfully admonished them privately and sometimes publickly sometimes sending for the persons and pleading with them with much gravity humility and Bowels of compassion Ordinarily when strangers came to settle under his Ministry ●e sent for them discoursed with them counselled instructed exhorted them thus he dealt with new Married Persons and indeed God brought several from other places to fix themselves under his Ministry for the benefit of the Ordinances His usual saying was His self-denial in receiving If God will help me to take care of my duty I will leave him to take care of my comfort his main design was to bring Glory to God in the conversion of sinners and edification of Saints the attaining of these ends was his reward when any sent him tokens of their respects he lookt at God in it and was

twice every Lords day most part of his time travelling and preaching many exercises abroad on Week-days his monthly attendance in the Classical Presbytery requent travels to the Provincial Assembly ●onstant assisting in the Ordination of Ministers observing many private fasts amongst his own People and abroad yea extraordinary fasts in publick especially the monthly fasts kept for Ireland at that time ●e ordinarily kept the fast himself wherein he spent six or seven hours in wrestling with God in prayer or preaching the word ●e was wonderfully enlarged and had a great measure of the Spirit poured upon him as to the assistance of his Spirit and his body was much supported for he ●aid private fasts spent his natural strength more than his sabbath-days work for he still ●ept the posture of kneeling and did affectionately joyn with others that were exercised or he put others on to prayer and himself losed up the day with a short but warm melting prayer being short towards the ●tter end of his days His observing fasts with his people was 〈◊〉 evidence that his delight was in that ●ind of work for he hath oft said that one great thing that tyed and indear● him to that poor people was that when ever they had occasion they appointed fast and did joyn together in prayer and also in praise and he had a particular honour to his worthy friend Col. Richard Holland on that very account that st● he said when he had been in troubles 〈◊〉 did constantly call good people to pray 〈◊〉 God with him He was so constant in his Ministerial wo● and diligent in his studies and preaching● his own people that though Mr. Harrison of Ashton his intimate and intire friend and he lived near together for twenty year yet never did they exchange places for o● day in that time to ease themselves M● Herle told him he had a weak body yet Venice Glass well look'd to would last considerable time and notwithstanding 〈◊〉 excessive labours God maintained in him considerable measure of health possibly mo●● than he enjoyed in his younger years a● next to Divine Providence much may 〈◊〉 ascribed to his severe temperance observance of diet composedness of mind a● care of himself according to his experimen● of what he had found helpful or hurtful 〈◊〉 him and though he was of a far weak● constitution than Mr. Harrison and Eld● by several years yet survived him 〈◊〉 whom he hath sometimes said Mr. Harrison you think you can do any thing but your body will fail you and indeed it did for tho that learned gracious zealous man of God had a very strong healthful robust body yet by his excessive Studies and assiduous labours and watchings and sitting so close without fire in cold Winter-Nights that his nerves were so contracted and his body so weakened that some years before he died he could not stir Hand nor Foot yet was h●arty and would often say if I were in the Pulpit I should be well But to return to Mr. Angier he was a man much in prayer and mighty it may be said of him as of David Psal 119.164 That he prayed or praised God seven times in a day at least twice I think thrice with his Wife twice alone and twice with his Family in his Family-work he was very profitable every one got a verse or more out of the Chapter read at prayers he gathered some useful instructions short but substantial and accommodated to the condition of the Family Eight of the Clock in the Morning and betwixt five and six at Night before Supper were the ordinary seasons for Family worship beginning with a Psalm by which the Family had notice to come together his constant course was to have a Chapter read after Dinner and Supper before they rose from the Table and before thanks was returned and he said he took up that usage of having a Chapter read at Meals from Mr. Rogers of D●dham worthy Mr. Samuel Hildersham had constantly two staves of a Psalm sung after Meals so had the first Christian Emperor Constantine the Great as Euseb●us tells us and I have known some use it And as Mr. Angier was much in prayer so he was mighty in prayer fervent as well as frequent he wept and made supplication Jacob like yea he was an Israelite a Prince with God he was by some called Weeping Angier for as he seldome rose off his knees without Tears so some have observed Tears at some seasons trickle down to his Band in great abundance Mr. Isaac Ambrose in his Diary Printed with his Media saith that upon a solemn day of fasting and prayer in Manchester Church Mr. A. concluding his prayer was so working that I believe it melted all hearts and for my own saith he it pleased the Lord so to soften and to break it that so far as I remember it was never in such a melting frame in any publick ordinance before and as it workt on mens hearts so it was prevalent and reacht Gods heart as the event did demonstrate thus the inwrought Prayer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of a righteous man availeth much certainly Mr. Angier had many remarkable returns of prayer whereof it may be something shall be added out of his own papers hereafter so great was the esteem of him generally that he was frequently sent for to pray with some Melancholly persons and some possessed as was supposed and sometimes they brought such persons to him from far and God was pleased in some cases to hear prayers but some particulars much tal●ed of I dare not relate what I have heard except I had clear and undoubted testimony of the truth thereof And as he was instant and prevalent in prayer Seriousness in thankfulness so he was excellent and ●und●● in praises he exceeded others in supplications and himself in thanksgiving frequent Ejaculations and expressions o● Gods grace and Mercy were in his mind and mouth they that conversed with him frequently heard Deo gratias thanks be to God from him But as he took more occasions than many others of keeping days of thanksgiving so God gave him still more occasions of thankfulness and its usual for God to put new songs of praise into thankful persons Mouths it was his frequent observation that when a day of thankfulness was appointed God sent in some fresh matter to increase joy in the Lord and sometimes the intervening providence merited such a day as much as the former so well doth God take an aspect towards that lovely duty that he incourageth to it And oh how inlarged was he in those Days and Duties he seemed to be transported into Extasies of Admiration yea he seemed to be elevated above the Earth amongst the Coelestial● inhabitants his heart and mouth were inlarged to an high strain in rehearsing the loving-kindness of the Lord he expatiated especially upon Spiritual mercies to the astonishment of those that joyned with him often using Davids holy Rhapsody 2 Sam. 7.18 19

of them and desired a Psalm to be sung and he said sing it chearfully Psal 45. It contains Christs love to the Church and the Churches love to Christ Then he appointed his Grandson to read a Chapter Jer. 23. it concerns saith he slothful Shepherds Gods Soul abhorred them and he will curse their labours they shall not profit the people they are fit for no use adding God will make a Besome and sweep all such out of his house no man said he will have a tenant that will not Till his land but let house and ground go to ruin God will take special care of his house Then he said John take counsel at your best friends they will give you good Counsel and set you good Example meddle not with wicked light and vain persons remember the words of your dying Grandfather then he desired the 14th of John to be read concerning Christs sending the Spirit Then he prayed earnestly for the Church that God would hear the Prayers of his people and return to these nations and set at liberty his Ministers and People Oh said he that God would magnify the riches of his Grace for his poor Church for the sake of Christ for we are an unworthy people but thy Son dyed to purchase the pardon of sin and reconciliation and is set at thy right hand pleading our cause Father hear him for us and be at peace with us Remember what hath been done and suffered for reformation and the precious Blood of thy Saints which hath been shed this is the seed of thy Church remember the prayers of such as are now with thee and of such as are yet alive in the behalf of their seed and the seed of thy Church and setch in such as are going astray from thee and put a stop to their course of sin rebuke that profane spirit that is gone out in the Nation revive the work of reformation of tenderness of conscience and brokenness of heart that sometimes thy people have ●ad remove the hardness of heart and that lukewarm frame of spirit that hath ●ized upon us return O Lord to the many thousands of those that are seeking thee in ●hese Nations how long Lord wilt thou ●e angry with thy people in these Nations ●nd deny to answer their prayers O Lord thy poor people have been many ●ears pleading with thee for the Kings Ma●esty make him indeed a Josiah a Nursing Father to thy Church make him a terror to ●vil doers and an encouragement to them ●hat do well Father thy people are wait●ag on thee when wilt thou return to thy ●oor broken scattered flock Lord hum●le them for sin that hath provoked thee to ●is great heat of thy wrath thou hast ●ercy in store and waitest to be gracious ●t we are not fit for mercy But Lord ●ake thy people fit thou hast bid us ask ●at we will in thy sons name and thou wilt ●ve it Lord encrease our faith and work 〈◊〉 thy great Name and thy own Glory ●vance thy Sons Kingdom and bring down ●e Kingdom of Satan purge and purify thy Church but destroy it not thou ha● appeared for thy Church many times when it hath been very low and thy people have sinned grievously against thee as we have done and thereby brought themselves into straits yet thou hast heard their cryes and wrought for thy name that it should not be polluted Zion lyes in the dust thy Church is sore broken many of thy servants are gathered to thy self 〈◊〉 they are not to be seen or heard any more in the World their prayers are ceased tha● stood in the gap to turn away thy wrath from us Lord revive conversion-work le● not the Womb of thy Church be barre● and unfruitful is thy work quite done 〈◊〉 O Lord art thou resolved to leave this Nation hast not thou many elect Souls ye● to be brought in dear Father hear tho● the Prayers of Parents for their poor Chi●dren do not cast off the seed of th● Church let them not be as unfruit●●● Branches that are fit for no use but to bu● Lord prevent Popery and Idolatry let 〈◊〉 not leave our Children worse than our P●rents left us let there be pure Doctri●● Worship and discipline in thy house accor●ing to thy mind continue the priviled●● purchased with the blood of thy Son 〈◊〉 the use of thy Church which thy pe● stand in so much need of that we and our posterity may praise thee and future generations may set their hope in God and declare what thou hast done And for the Congregation he said Thine they were and thou hast committed them to me thy p●or servant for this 46 years I have been labouring among them according to my poor ability thou hast bestowed on me I have endeavoured to bring them over to thee now I am no more to be with them Father I commit them to thee again as I have done many a time take thou the charge of them see to them provide for them double thy spirit on thy servant bless his labours among them let many Souls be brought into thy Kingdom of Grace and made fit for the Kingdom of Glory let thy word abide with them Lord tarry with thy people here send down thy Spirit so freely so plainly so sully these last words he often repeated These were the workings of his gracious heart vented Godwards in Heavenly ejaculations and utter'd in such broken expressions ●he was restless and in several postures one said Sir are you not sore pained he said ●o blessed be God I feel no pain but the flesh will stir On Wednesday Night about two a clock Aug. 29. 1677 he begun to speak after this manner I commit my self into the hands of that God who gave me my being who hath been a good God and a loving Father to me and into the hands of Jesus Christ my Saviour who loved me and gave himself for me and bare the burden of my sins and into the hands of the Holy Spirit who hath sanctified me throughout in Soul Body and Spirit And for my Children that have been a great grief of heart to me that have been very sinful good Lord pardon their sins in the Blood of thy own Son For my Son that hath greatly played the Prodigal hedg up his way with thorns and make a stone-wall bring him into such straits that he may begin to bethink himself and say In my Fathers house is Bread enough That at last he may return For my Childrens Children Lord I commit them into thy hands and all my dear Friends and their Children And for my People whom I received from thy hands to take care of and instruct to Preach thy word unto and pray for Lord thou knowest in some measure of uprightness of heart I have done it and in some measure my life hath been according to my doctrine Lord forgive the sins of my life the sins of my ministry and the sins of my People I desire to

grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctifyed it was an excelent seasonable and pathetical discourse and well worthy to be annexed to this present relation if the worthy Author ●ad judged it fit however the solemnities of that day will not easily be forgot●en Thus the best must die Zech. 1 5. ●our Fathers where are they and the Prophets do they live for ever the holi●st men cannot plead for an exemption or expect Enochs priviledg of a Translation only to the godly deaths sting is pluckt ●ut this swelling Jordan is driven back the passage is rendred easy and safe to the heavenly Pilgrim God brought this ●aithful watchman through his long and boysterous sea to a safe harbour in a ●asonable time and if we imbark in the ●ame ship of the Church and have our Lord Jesus with us as our faithful and skilful pi●t though in storms and tempests he be as it were asleep yet believing prayer will awake him and he will rebuke 〈◊〉 Winds and Sea and there shall be calme and the Ship shall presently be at land and the passengers shall b●●afe I have now dispatched the History 〈◊〉 Mr. Angiers life as far as matters o● cur to our present observation a● have drawn it thus far on till this Thre● of his life be cut off and lets hi● drop into the Grave and so cuts o● the line of our Historical account 〈◊〉 him THere are yet two things behind which shew something of the breathings o● his gracious soul living and dying 1. The first is some observables gather● out of his own Diary under his own hand 2. His dying Speeches prayers counsel● and admonitions to those about him in 〈◊〉 last sickness Both these declare much of Gods Grace ●nd manifest the Holy exactness of his serious and savoury Spirit The first is a considerable paper respecting his frame of spirit in his younger days and reviewed and revsied in his elder years 〈◊〉 runs thus I do now seriously resolve between God and my own Soul to read his word diligently morning and evening before private prayer thereto adjoyned and do purpose to be constant in respect of time there●o to be allotted to wit in the morning before Chappel if it may be with convenience or otherwise without delay when return from the Chappel at Night between 5 and 6 of the Clock if extraordinary occasions hinder me not because my spirits being fresher than after supper I shall 〈◊〉 the fitter to do God acceptable service 〈◊〉 do likewise resolve to be diligent in my ●udy every day for the space of 6 hours ●t least no day to be overflipped without ●he full accomplishment of them I likewise promise faithfully to God and my own Soul ●o refrain as from the common sins of the ●me to wit Drunkenness Licenciousness 〈◊〉 the like so to strive against those sins 〈◊〉 am by nature most addicted to and for ●e prevention of the like faults to shun 〈◊〉 the occasions thereunto leading enticing or provoking as bad company l●scivious talk or excess in the use of th● Creature the which that I may perfor● according to Gods will and pleasure I d● dain all my own abilities and fly to his infinite mercy desiring his special help an● assistance his spirit to instruct me his spirit to direct me his spirit to sanctify me th● I may be kept blameless being without sp● till the day of his appearance my des● hath been is and shall be upon my bended knees for the furtherance of these motion begun and kindled by his holy spirit which I hope will cherish them till th● flame into an holy fire of Heavenly conversation the Life of Virtue the Glory 〈◊〉 Grace Written with my own hand April 6. 16●● John Angier Perused with comfort May 1. 165● July 19. 1657. I found a paper in 〈◊〉 study of May 9. 1626. A Bill for Phys● when I was in a Feaver in Cambridg abo●● 31 years since so long hath God lengthened out my life My going to New England was ve● forward Mr. Newman earnestly invited 〈◊〉 I received Letters from Bristol April 〈◊〉 1630. That I was expected there to ta● Shipping for N. E. this April and had m●● kindness offered me yet the Lord over-ruled it Upon the coming on of troubles I had comfort from Zeph. 2.3 It may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lords anger Josiahs mercy was not to see the evil Jeremiahs mercy was to be secured in the midst of sight My Wife dyed December 12th One Night after her death the Children were in the Parlour Praying together and hearing a noise I went to the door and heard my Son at Prayer with his Sister he acknowledged to God that they had despised Father and Mother contrary to Gods command and therefore God hath taken away their Mother he desired God that they might not provoke him by their sin to take away their Father also which did much affect me Upon a recovery from a sickness unexpectedly I was much affected with Isa 33. ult and in prayer the Lord brought to my mind Matt. 8.9 affliction is Gods servant if he bid it come it comes if he bid it go it goes At Bolton I was sent for to visit a godly man that was sick at Great-Leaver found him in a comfortable condition he told me he received his first comfort by my Ministry ●at Denton Preaching on 1 Cor. 5.7 Christ ●ur passover is sacrificed for us ten years ago Blessed be God who gave me this encouragement He notes in the margent The fruits of my labours manifested ten years after Nov. 30. 47. A day of thanksgiving was kept with some friends for the recovery of a Child that had been sick it should seem they were in the journey and had small hopes of recovery the very same day they prayed the Child revived at night and gathered strength in the journey sensibly● they were by the sickness of the Child detained against their own minds and the minds of the people but God had a special hand in it for God sent the Pestilence into the Family where they were ●o sojourn and had they gone at the time purposed they had gone into an infected house and had been shut up there June 18 71. God gave rest to our aged afflicted Mother about 3 in the afternoon it being Lords day it is observable that the day after God took away our Mother and that supply from her sailed God se● me notice of some supply out of my own estate as he had formerly done when the rent of my Land fell in Essex Phil● 4.19 Novem. 19. 72 Died good Bishop W●kins of the Stone a great loss he d●ed comfortably and rejoyced in his moderation whilst he was Bishop his deat● was much lamented in the City of Chester Aug. 22. 73. upon hearing that Mr. Case going from home 4 or 5 days they returning found themselves Robbed to a great value he