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A15991 Three partes of Salomon his Song of Songs, expounded The first part printed before: but now re-printed and enlarged. The second and third partes neuer printed before. All which parts are here expounded and applied for the readers good. By Henoch Clapham.; Bible. O.T. Song of Solomon. English. Clapham. Clapham, Henoch. 1603 (1603) STC 2772; ESTC S116334 255,503 332

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it is naturall irrationall creatures desire both these for by the● they labour the conseruation of Nature but to couet so to eate and so to rest after meate as the Church doth heere it is not naturall but spirituall not an act of Nature but of Grace from aboue not from the earth For the first she coueteth to know where Christ feedeth What where he feeds himselfe alone Nay where hee feedeth with his little flocke opposed to his companions flockes after yet she speaketh of him so singularly as if he were alone because HE and the sheepe of his Pasture are One to be distinguished not seuered For God and Man in Christ are vnited and made one and therefore euery member of this body desirous to feed with this Head where this carcase Christ-crucified is thither these Eagles resort Math. 24.28 Yea to the ende they may finde this foode for themselues and their yoong-ones they make their abode vpon the toppe of the Rocke though in the earth their cogitation is aboue and from high discerne and thence repaire for soules nuriture Iob. 39.30.31 c. Besides by introducing him as a shepheard and her selfe as a sheepe an allusion ancient and in scripture frequent psal 23.1 95 7. Ezek 34.31 c. she thereby would testifie not only her place of subiection but also her readines euen euery soules readines to aberre to wander out of the way without this great shepheards direction Moses was no sooner in the mount for a few daies resiant but Israel staied in the Wildernesse Christ was no sooner brought before the Rulers but Peter looseth him himselfe and had not the Lorde by his vnder-shepheard Nathan sought vppe Dauid Dauid had starued in the pit O Lord for thy Sons sake leaue not the sheepe of thy English pasture to their owne heartes for then we should wander and loose ourselues for euer But let thy sauing grace preuent vs in our euils and glorifie thy mercies vpon vs. For Rest after soules repast she vttereth that in the next branch coueting to know where he caused his flocke to couch in the heat of the day Teaching hereby first that after the soule hath beene well fedde specially in the blessed word and sacraments it coueteth a place of rest wherein it may ruminate and chaw the cud by spirituall meditation Such Animals as vnder the Lawe did chaw the Cudde and did part the hoose Leuiticus 11.3 c. they were counted cleane but if they only chawed the cudde not parting the hoofe or parting the hoofe chawed not the cudde these were accounted pollution and vnholy As for the she●pe he lacked neither This was a resemblance of the Gentiles soule-pollution till Messiah tooke away the partition wall and cleansed them by the faith of the Gospel Act. 11.4 5 6 c. with 15.7 8 9. And such is the state of euery soule as first ruminates not on spirituall gifts or ruminating thereon doe not after that parte the foote that is put a difference betweene spirit and spirite doctrine and doctrine one action and another For not to part the things which God hath parted is but to mingle and confound Christ with Belial to ioyne yron and clay togither which can neuer bee made one and yet vaine-men how many now be there among vs that sweat and fret for concluding such mongrell religion bastardly deuotion As the Lords minister would be well accepted of GOD hee must take the precious from the vile Ierem. 5.19 and as euery soule would be taken for a sheepe of Christes Pasture he must try the Spirits and trying al things by the touchstone of iudgement diuine he must retaine that is good and flie that is euill 1. Iohn 4.1.1 Thess. 5.21 22. Such meditation such partition is in some measure in euery true Christian. By the first there is a partaking with the nature diuine by the second a declaration of diuine discretion and in both for the one can no more be without the other then faith without works there is pictured forth God sitting in that Conscience as a Pilote at the shippes helme steering all to the hauen of Heauen And that she couets this ruminating place in the time of daies heate it teacheth vs not only to expect affliction and persecution as an vnseparable companion with the Gospel 2. Tim. 3.12 Reue. 7.14 figured by the Sunnes heate in Math. 13.6 21. but also to deale with God before hand by prayer that wee may in such day of tentation in peace and patience possesse our soules howsoeuer the body be conuayed through fire to heauen as Elias by the burning Chariot Such rest of soule we must in the dayes of peace and plenty labour for pray for feruently and then no doubt our eyes shall see rest and our soules finde comfort vnder the shadow of the Highest But that she saith where thou causest to lie downe it putteth vs in minde of our Natures backewardnes for couching vnder Gods wing in the day of fiery trial Shadows of our owne seeme best and safest vnto vs as it was with Demas yea with Peter but such a shadow shelters onely the body not the soule and therefore Peter can in that finde no true rest out he must of that place and weepe bitterly for hauing not couched in the right place Vnwilling wee are to lie downe with Christ pray we therefore that he may cause vs to goe where hee woulde haue vs to goe that he may cause vs to lie downe where he himselfe lieth downe that as a shepheard he would direct vs with his eye make vs subiect to his voyce specially in the day of tentation to feede and comfort vs for I thinke a day of tentation is not farre off The Reason of this Petition followeth For why should I be as she that couertly turnes her selfe to the flocks of thy companions as if she should say There is no reason why Where shee might haue affirmed plainly that there was no cause why shee shoulde turne from her Beloued to other Riuals she rather chooseth to speake by Interrogation for the more patheticall expressement first of her Beloueds desert for he deserued all her loue secondly of her owne soules sinceritie towards him in that shee concludes it an vnreasonable thing to diuert from the Substance and Truth to shadowes and falshoode From whence we may further obserue first what the nature of a Schismaticall soule is secondly what larues and vniust titles all false Christs and pseudo-prophets doe assume to themselues for procuring them flocks For Schismatikes their nature it is this not to forsake Catholike vnitie without some pretext and colour as the Church speaketh here Couering themselues As they were before but hypocrites in the churches bosome so in their departure or as Iohn cals it going out they striue to hypocrise more that is to maske their faces to couer themselues with some such attire as they may not be deemed rending wolues but simple hearted sheepe Our Sauiour in Matth. 7.15
for speculating matters solely celestiall it further prooueth the veritie of his repentance Left hee was for a season left flesh should reioyce in Gods sight but recouered againe by repentance through God his free mercy wherof these three bookes are three infallible testimonies euen as Peters three-fold confession Lord thou knowest that I loue thee Lord thou knowest that I loue thee Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I loue thee It gaue forth a plaine euidence to his fellowe Disciples that hee had vnfainedly repented his threefold deniall This briefely touching the Penman Salomon Touching the scripture it self it is a Song A Song hath diuers names according to the manner and matters diuersitie If they containe matter of Gods praise they are termed Hymnes if it be soong by turnes of two Chorusses it is called Antiphona the Italique Responsories being much of like forme A Psalme containeth any sort of matter indifferently and is thought of som to deriue that name from the instrument termed Psaltery whereon they play with handes-motion as also specially to containe morall doctrine For the title Spirituall song it is either the generall to all diuine songs or rather A Song of exultation and spirituall reioycing specially respecting Hope of eternal blessednes Touching this Song of Salomon it containeth matter of diuine laud for the which it may be called an Hymne it containeth matter of Exultation in the hope of a better life for the which it may be called a Spirituall Song it containeth morall doctrine doctrine of all natures for the which it may be hight a Psalme As for the forme we find sundry parties singing and the one side answering to the other for which it may be nominated an Antiphonie or Responsorie And for these and like considerations it is of the holy ghost called A Song or the Song of Songs as not onely the most excellent song of all the 1005. which Salomon penned and therefore for Churches vse only reserued but also in respect of any other Song contained in diuine Canon others tending to som one particular end or few but this enwrapping in it doctrine of all sorts and that in a most sweet and deepe kind of eloquence respecting the matter as also of elegancie respecting the syllables words and phrases And I take bicause that none should compare it only with his owne Songs nor yet onely with the other Songs of the Scripture the Holy-ghost hath lest the Hebrue phrase indefinited for as the word Which with vs is indifferent for gender and number masculine or feminine singular or plurall so is the Hebrue word Asher which as also the Verbe is altogether vnderstood And hereof it is that some reade a Song of Songs which is some which are Salomons but indeede for the former respects it can neither be tied to is or are was or were Yet I take the present tense more proper then the preterim perfect because wee say This is Paules Epistle this is Iohns Reuelation these are Moses Bookes c. rather then these were Moses bookes this was Paules Epistle c. Thus we see Salomon the peaceable and exceeding rich King of Israel to be the Holy-ghosts Poet and the thing that is penned to be Poësie of passing diuine nature both in respect of Maner and Matter and therefore in an Hebraisme termed A Song of Songs that is A most excellent Song Now from the Title I passe to the Song Lect. II. Verse 1. Let him kisse mee with the kisses of his mouth for thy loue is better than wine or thy loues are good better than Wine IN this Verse the church expresseth her affection towards her beloued first by offering vp prayer secondly by setting forth the excellencie of her beloueds Loue which may serue for a reason of her prayer Her prayer lying in the first clause it containeth her seruent desire after Messiahs presence wherin I obserue first the forme of her petition secondly the matter shee doeth petitionate The forme is Imperatiue or Optatiue If Imperatiue then she speaketh to some Riuals of her happinesse commaunding them to let her beloued come vnto her If Optatiue which I rather incline to then she offers vp properly Prayer and this must bee either to Messiah himselfe which I lesse conceiue or vnto his Father wherein I rather rest seeing the Father is said to send him foorth after the fulnesse of time and he the Sonne meane time in the glorious bosome of the Father And so her prayer Let him kisse mee it is as if she saide in moe words O Father of heauen vouchsafe to hasten the sending forth of Messiah who * hast appointed him to be a light to the Gentiles and a Glory to thy people Israel The Father so prayed vnto of the church it resteth to consider if this Church be only the faithfull of Ethnicks So manie haue vnderstood it That principally that people is intended here it may appeare by her forme of preoccupating the exceptions which Ierusalems Daughters might make in the fourth and fift verses next after but seeing Abraham and many of Iaacobs Kings Prophets did long to see Messiahs daie of appearance in the fles● hungring for that which they sawe a farre off we so cannot exclude the faithfull of Zions Sinagogue no nor debarre any belieuer from the beginning of the world I so vnderstand the whole bodie of Belieuers from the first Adam vnto Christ Iesus the second Adam all sending vp their prayers as multitude of sweete odours vnto God the Father The faithfull in holy Scripture doe pray for Christes comming but in a twofold sense respecting two sundry times Before his Incarnation they desire his appearance in our flesh for killing sinne in our flesh and so quickning it to vnfained sanctitie after his appearance they doe with Iohn desire he may come quickly namely in his glory for the glorification of his Saints and for this appeerance do the soules vnder the Altare thirst and hunger But in this place is specially and properly intended the churches feruent desire for his appearance in the flesh which vnion of his diuine nature with our humane nature I take to be signified at least in part by the terme Kisse And principally also I here vnderstand as before the chosen of the Nations desiring after vnion with him as no doubt the Gentile Queene Pharaohs daughter had no slender affection after communion with Salomon the glorious tipe of our Messiah A kisse vnfained such a Kisse as the Apostle calleth Holie and wherewith the Saints did sometimes salute one another it is as a sacrament of Soules vnitie and onenesse such as was in Ierushalems church touching which it is affirmed that al were of one accord in the Lord. But here the terme is in the second place plural Kisses as therby intimating besides other things an vnion of Messiah with her in soule and body sense affection and all actiue powers a full vnion of God and Man This