Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	heart_n	let_v	lord_n	11,278	5	4.0773	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17534	A general discourse against the damnable sect of vsurers grounded vppon the vvorde of God, and confirmed by the auctoritie of doctors both auncient, and newe; necessarie for all tymes, but most profitable for these later daies, in which, charitie being banished, couetousnes hath gotten the vpper hande. VVhereunto is annexed another godlie treatise concernyng the lawfull vse of ritches. Seene and allowed accordyng to her Maiesties iniunctions.; Doctrina de usura. English	Caesar, Philipp, d. 1585.; Hemmingsen, Neils, 1513-1600. Commentaria in omnes epistolas Apostolorum.; Rogers, Thomas, d. 1616.	1578 (1578)	STC 4342; ESTC S107129	86,650	150

mercifull Let euery one beare this in minde whiche thinketh God to bee his father ¶ The 15. Chapter The causes mouing to mercifulnes THE causes whiche may incense the godlie to pitt●c towardes the poore bee many especially these The firste is Christianitie it selfe or the profession of Christian religion For this doth require that wee excell in all good woorkes and that we make of and cherish one another as the members of one bodie whose head is Christe When this is doen through faith in Christ we studie for Christianitie in the feare of God that is to imitate the nature of God in deede For because God whom by our profession we are bound to imitate is ritche in mercy we imitatyng his mercie are said after à sorte to bee the imitaters of God himself But as many as are not exercised in this imitation they are Christians onelie in name Bastardes and no sonnes of god For none are the sonnes of God but sutch as imitate the vertues of their father Hetherto belongeth that saying of the Prophet If I be a father where is myne honour But the chefest parte of honour whiche children can doe to their Parentes is to imitate their vertues Whosoeuer desireth to be glorified with the honour of à Christian let him place beefore his eyes this cause of mercifulnes and liberalitie and take heede that he bee not carried awaie through examples of wicked men from this necessarie and due seruice of God. The second is the commaundement of God whereunto all creatures must be obedient Iesus the sonne of Sirach maketh mention of this cause saying Helpe the poore for the commaundemente sake and turne hym not awaie because of his pouertie And à little after Bestowe thy treasure accordyng to the commaundemente of the highest and it shall profit thee more than Golde All the testimonies of scripture which commende vnto vs the loue of our neighbour doe aboue all require liberality towardes the needie For this is the cheifest part of true charitie Hetherto belongeth that of the Lorde I commaunde thee that thou open thy hande vnto thy needie brother He which contemneth this commaundement how can he loue God how can he feare hym For so saieth Iohn whosoeuer hath the goodes of this world and seeth his needy brother and shutteth his compassion from hym how abideth the loue of God in hym And Iob Hee whiche taketh away compassion from his neighbour hath cast awaie the feare of the Lorde Whosoeuer therefore doth purpose from his harte to serue and feare God let him think that he oweth obedience to God commaunding Of the whiche Micheas spake after this manner I will shewe thee ô man what is good and what the Lorde requireth of thee namely to deale iustly and to loue mercie and to humble thy selfe to walke with thy God. The thirde maie bee the examples bothe of Christ and his men bers Christe became poore too make vs riche And then againe what doe we owe to the members of Christ especiallie when he doth witnes hymselfe that what soeuer is doen to the least of his members is doen to hymselfe The holie fathers delighted in nothing so muche as in cherishing the sainctes of god Abraham doth humblie entreate straungers to abide the better to extende forthe his liberalitie Lot inuiteth Angels supposing them to be poore traueilers Cornelius the Courtier is said to haue spente his tyme in praier and giuing of almes whiche ascended into the heauens as the Scripture witnesseth The fourth is the dignitie and account whiche God maketh of our almes deuoutly conferred Prouerb 21. To doe mercie and iudgement is more gratefull to the Lorde than sacrifice Christ hymselfe saieth I will mercie and not sacrifice The Apostle adhorteth that we forget not to be liberall and beneficiall for in sutch sacrifices he saieth God delighteth Sutch is the excellencie sutche is the account before God of almes godly bestowed It is preferred afore sacrifice God is said to be singularly delighted therewith This account whiche God maketh of our almes ought mutche to moue the ritche men of this world that they endeuour according to the counsaile of sainct Paule too bee ritche in good woorkes The fifte is our neighbour hymselfe Euerie man as well the wicked as the godly is my neighbour and that firste by reason of creation secondlie because of likenesse thirdlie in respecte of humane societie And although this triple bonde whereby all men are tied together is à greate cause why one should benefite an other yet is there a greater couplyng together of Christians For there is a common callyng of all Christians whereby we are called to the vnitie of the spirite in the bonde of peace Secondlie by the same Spirite of Christ wee are regenerate into the sonnes of God whereby wee haue all one Father whiche is God and therefore are all brethren Thirdlie wee are members of the same misticall bodie whose head is Christe Laste of all wee haue one and the same hope of euerlastyng life and are all heires of eternall happinesse in Christe our Lorde I saie nothyng of that bonde whereby all men in this worlde are debters one to an other If this cause of liberalitie and mercifulnesse were considered of many as it should bee thei would vse lesse cousenyng and vnlawfull gaine thei would not so muche spoyle the poore members of Christe but make of and cherishe their owne fleshe And therefore as often as wee see any through miserie crauyng our aide let vs I beseche you remember that saiyng of Esaie Despise not thyne owne fleshe The sixte cause is the sondrie punishementes for suche as bee harde harted The firste is the wrathe of God Turne not awaie thyne eyes from the poore because of displeasure The seconde is cursyng In the same chapter of Ecclesi it is thus written The praier of hym whi●h● curseth thee in the bitternesse of his barte shal bee heard and he will heare hym that made hym The third is to bee reiected when thou praiest beeyng in neede thy self He that stoppeth his eares at the crye of the poore shall crie hymself and not be heard● An horrible punishment truely as maie bee and no maruell though God heare not hym because hee heareth not the sunne of God criyng in his members The fourth is to leese that wherewith God hath blessed thee For it is written From hym whiche hath not shal be taken awaie euen that whiche he hath And he is said not to haue which vseth not his giftes and ritches to the glorie of God and reliefe of the poore Hetherto belongeth that saying He whiche despiseth the praier of the poore shall suffer pouertie The fifte is the beggerie whiche the children of the couetous come vnto or their filthie and wicked life whiche is more miserable than beggerie ¶ The 16. Chapter Of the minde of

the giuer and the manner of giuing almes I Haue spoken of the punishmente of them whiche are cruell towardes the poore and that not out of Philosophie whiche may erre but out of the woorde of God whiche can not deceiue Hee which shall contemne these shall fall ere long bee into the seuere iudgement of God Now are wee to speake of the affection or minde of hym which giueth almes and of the manner how he should bestowe the sa●●e A giuer of almes should auoyde two vices as Christ willeth Math. 6. and they are Hypocrisie and Vaine glory For these two vices like the Plague or poyson are verie infectious Where hypocrisie is there is no faithe where vainglorie is there can bee no loue or feare of god Therfore we should in giuing of almes carie with vs à loue of GOD charitie towardes our neighbour simplicitie and cherefulnes For these affections as it were with à celestial salte do make our almes to sauour most sweetelie before the Lorde Besides à mercifull man should not be destitute of faith whereby he knoweth that his almes doe please God and also perswadeth himselfe that the care of God is sutch ouer his chosen seruauntes that he will not suffer them to wante thinges necessarie for this life And because he requireth at our handes that we helpe others and hath promised â reward wee ought euen for Gods sake to doe good and againe to loke for helpe from God through faithe In the manner of giuing our almes wee should consider firste the quantitie accordyng to the counsaile of Tobias whiche saieth If thou haste muche giue plentifullie if thou hast little distribute cherefully Secondly Equalitie that thou of duetie bestow thy almes on the poore and that hee thankefully receiue the same with wishing well vnto thee Thirdly cherefulnesse of mind as it is in the 2. Cor. 8 If thou haste à willyng mynde it is accepted accordyng to that à man hath not accordyng to that he hath not Fourthlie à difference must be put betwene straungers and those of the household of faithe as the counsaile of Paule is While wee haue tyme let vs doe good vnto all but especially vnto them whiche are of the housholde of faithe that is to them whiche by faith are the seruauntes of God finally possession according to the saiyng of Salomon Let thy fountaines runne out but bee thou maister of them ¶ The 17. Chapter The endes and fruite of almesgiuyng THE laste thing that we promised too speake of in thys treatise of almes was concernyng the fruite and ends of seeyng to the poore And although both the ends and fruite of almes deuoutly cōferred may easely bee seen by those thyngs which haue been said yet the better to stirre vp the mindes of the well disposed readers to this necessarie good and holie woorke I will allege somewhat concerning the endes and fruites of sutch almes The endes are foure The first is to relieue our needy neighbour and to refreshe the members of christ The second to prouoke others to mercifulnes towardes the poore according to that of Paule your zeale hath prouoked manie The thirde to testifie our faith and feare of god For the workes of charitie are witnesses that wee feare God whose commaundement wee obeye The fourth to glorifie God. Diuers and manifolde is the fruite coming by liberalitie towardes the poore Paule witnesseth that it will come to passe that such as haue been liberall and releeued the poore shall prosper in euerie good woorke For so it pleaseth the Lorde to recompence obedience towards hym with newe graces And this it is whiche the Lorde saieth God will reward thee openly Dauid saith Blessed is he whiche considereth the poore and needie in the euill daie God shall deliuer hym Salomon saith He which hath mercie vpon the poore ▪ lendeth vnto the Lorde Paule saieth He whiche soweth pentifullie shall reape plentie Esaie saieth If thou poure out thy soule to the hongry and dost replenish the troubled spirit then shall thy light spring out in the darkenes and thy darkenes shal be as the noone daie The Preacher saieth Laye vp thine almes in the bosome of the poore and it shall deliuer thee from all affliction c. It shall fight for thee against thine enemies better than the shield of à Giant or Speare of the mightie All whiche places together with this my discourse as my selfe haue noted and I wish the discreete reader diligently to marke are to be vnderstoode of suche almes as procede from an vnfained faith in the merites of Christe otherwise it may be thought which is farthest from my mynde that I agree with the Papistes whiche make almes meritorious without Christe and without faith which is an errour ¶ The 18. Chapter Of Commodation COmmodation followeth which is à kinde of lending wherby a thing lent is not his owne properlie for euer that hath borrowed it but for à tyme and is afterwarde restored againe It is called Commodation because the thing borrowed doth bryng some commoditie vnto hym whiche borrowed the same This kinde of contract should bee without fraude as well in the lender as in the receiuer and should agree with the rule of charitie ¶ The 19. Chapter Of lettyng forth to hire THE contract of hiring and letting out for money should be ordered according to the custome of tyme and place but so that it swarue not from the lawe of charitie Hee therfore whiche letteth out the vse of his goods or his labour accordyng to the cūstome of the realme and other circumstances may lawfully aske à recompence of him which hireth it And he which wil not pay dealeth iniuriously Hethertoo mee thinketh belongeth that contracte whiche the Ciuilians call Implantation because they whiche hire barren fieldes are bounde too make them better by their labour and paye to the Lordes a certain yerely rent for them the title for all that remainyng to the letter of them out ¶ The 20. Chapter Of the contract of societie IN the contract which men call of societie that is where one laieth out mony onely another bestoweth onely his labour or one mony and labour another either money or labour or both put their labour and mony but not a like this foundation must bee diligentlie maintained Doe not that vnto another whiche thou wouldest another should not do vnto thee He whiche contrarie to this foundation will deceiue his partner is vniust and à breaker of the lawes of brotherhood Therefore to conclude the godly in this and in all other bargaines may safely followe this rule Euerie contract allowed by the lawfull magistrate whiche hath the chiefe auctoritie is to bee vsed of Christians if so bee it bee not contrarie to the lawe of nature or commaundementes of God. And therefore the godly may as well without any offence of God deale in them as they may