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
A80630	The powring out of the seven vials: or An exposition, of the 16. chapter of the Revelation, with an application of it to our times. Wherein is revealed Gods powring out the full vials of his fierce wrath. 1. Upon the lowest and basest sort of Catholicks. 2. Their worship and religion. 3. Their priests and ministers. 4. The house of Austria, and the Popes supremacy. 5. Episcopall government. 6. Their Euphrates, or the streame of their supportments. 7. Their grosse ignorance, and blind superstitions. Very fit and necessary for this present age. Preached iu [sic] sundry sermons at Boston in New-England: by the learned and reverend Iohn Cotton BB. of Divinity, and teacher to the church there	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.	1642 (1642)	Wing C6449; Thomason E145_1; ESTC R22938	145,386	230

write such things as these openly we speak of the generality of Prelates not of some to whom God hath given a better spirit then the spirit of the throne they sit upon Reason The first ground hereof is taken from the nature of all these judgements they are the last plague Rev. 15.11 The very dreggs and sediments of the wrath of God and there is no grace of Repentance laid up in them for the wrath of God is come upon them to the uttermost wonder not therefore if you doe not heare of many Bishops or Pariters repentance though God may bring some of them to Repentance yet the body and state of them is not like to repent but to belch out blasphemings against the Lord. Rea. 2 Secondly the reason is taken from the cause that moveth God to give men up to such delusions Because they received not the love of the trueth that they might be saved therefore doth God give them up to the efficacy of delusions that they should beleive a lye that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse those that preached the truth and Doctrines of Repentance and reformation they branded them with the name of Puritans they hated them with a perfect hatred they loved not blessing therefore it is far from them it is the nature and common fashion of superstition to leave men besotted in their owne Religion This may teach us to looke at it as a ground of Faith that the Vse 1 Lord will goe on to destroy the throne of the Beast for when God taketh a sword into his hand it is not his manner to put it into his sheath againe according to that which Amos saith Chap. 3.5 Shall one take up a snare from the Earth and have taken nothing at all noe the Lord will either subdue their spirits to unfeigned Repentance or else he will goe on insnaring to insnare them till he have swept them like doung from the face of the Earth For when Israel turneth not to him that smiteth him then is not his anger turned away but his hand is stretched out still Isai 9.12.13 Therefore men cannot more dishonour nor oppose the Lord then by seeking to underprop this sandy building The Second one of this point may be to teach us all in the feare Vse 2 of God what to doe whensoever we feele but drops of wrath powred upons us you see to whom it belongeth to be impenitent to whom it belongeth to blaspheme the name of the Lord even to those that sit upon the throne of the Beast it is an Episcopall sinne an● Hierarc●icall wickednesse a beastly frame of spirit for men whiles they are under Gods Hand to grow more froward and discontented and filled with indignation If therefore the Lord afflict the whole state of the Country with any drops of his displeasure let us not cry out upon the Lord and his dealing nor upon the Churches but let our unthankfull hearts for his mercies beare the burden and learne we to repent of our deeds that know not how to keepe our selves close to the ordinances of God when we grow not thankfull nor fruitfull under light and liberties received THE SIXTH VIALL REVEL 16.12 13 14 15 16. And the sixth Angell powred out his Viall upon the great River Euphrates and the water thereof was dryed up that the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared c. IN these verses the powring out of the Viall of the sixth Angel is described First by the subject upon which it is powred the River Euphrates which is amplifyed by the adjunct of greatnesse The great River Euphrates Secondly by the effects of it which are two 1. First the water thereof was dryed up and that is amplifyed by the end which God aimed at in it That the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared 2. Secondly the warrelike preparations unto a great battell and those are described 1. By the principall commanders in that preparation and war which are said to be three The Devill the Beast and the false Prophet 2. By the instruments and Ministers of it who are certaine spirits and they are described many wayes as 1. By their nature and quality Vncleane spirits 2. By their number three 3. By by their resemblance Like Froggs 4. By their originall descent which is threefold They come out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the Beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet And that descent is amplifyed by the Cause of it for they are the spirits of Devills 5. They are described by their effects which are three-fold 1. They worke miracles 2. They goe forth to the Kings of the Earth and of the world to gather them to the battell of that great Day of God Almighty Ver. 14. 3. They are efficacious and successefull herein they doe gather them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon Ve. 16. 3. These warlike preparations are described by the watchword which the God of Israel giveth unto his owne troopes and that is a word of watchfulnesse behold I come as a thiefe blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments least he walke naked and they see his shame Thus standeth the Text. Now for the meaning of it It is the more darke because it is though not altogether yet in a great part to come and such as shall seriously consider what is the meaning shal happily find it no small difficulty to satisfy themselves and much more to satisfy others yet by the helpe of God let us endeavour to open some such part of the words as we may be likely to finish at this time First what is meant by the river Euphrates Secondly who are the Angels that powre out this Viall upon this river Thirdly what is the drying up of this river Fourthly who are these Kings of the East These things containe the principall difficulties in the partes of this Viall other things may more easily be opened if these things be premised and cleared 1. What is meant by the great river Euphrates Some of our host interpreters to whom God hath given most light in these spirituall mysteries doe understand it properly for the river that did run along by the walles of old Babylon in Chaldea which made the City impregnable and yet by the stratagem of Cyrus was dryed up by turning the Course of the streames to runne in other channels whereby the channell before the City was dryed up and the reedes burnt by the Souldiers and the City sacked when as Belshazzar was quaffing in the vessels of the Temple this was foretold by Jeremy Chap 50.38 A drought is upon her waters and they shall be dried up for it is the Land of graven Images and they are mad upon their Idolls And Ier. 51.31 32. One poste shall run to meete another and one messenger to meete another to shew the King of Babylon that his

moneyes Brethren do you think it is not a judgement of God Is not the silver and gold his and hath he it not for this state as well as for others if we had not some wayes provoked him Did he not take it away from them in Hagge when they neglected Temple work And did not he say The silver and gold is mine 1 Hag. 6. and 2 Hag. 6.7 8 Hath not the Lord blasted us because we grew cold hearted and formall in Church-fellowship and confident and warme and bold-hearted in matters pertaining to our selves and to the world and in matters that tended onely to tumult What then In such a case marvell not if the Lord send forth a Vial of his wrath upon us and curse our blessings that that which within these 4 or 5 years was but a drug and men would not labour for money they would have corne and be glad of it they would have provisions Now provisions are a drug Beef and Butter it is not currant now men will give no money for it they will not part with it Is it not a Vial of his wrath or at least a twig of his rod And is it not meet now to repent and give him glory that hath power over this plague that we be not senslesse and obdurate And doth not the Lord say he will curse our blessings he saith so to Ministers and will any be free Will any prosper when they lay not Gods hand to heart but make a trifling businesse of it but make account the Lord calls men to serious consideration of it To make an end Let this be the last Use Vse 4 To teach you what the nature and practise of Repentance is What is the nature and practise of it It is lively set forth in the Text I might be large herein they repented not to give God glory So there is the proper act of repentance when it runnes right in a right chanell it gives God glory What glory doth it give God First it gives him the glory of his Soveraignty the Text is plain as They gave not glory to God that hath power over these plagues they are Gods plagues and he hath power to send them and we see his hand in them his plagues they are and that is the first thing in repentance to see it is the hand of God in this kind and that kind in any kind that may befall us Give God the glory of his soveraignty who hath sent these plagues and this will help us to repentance 2. Give him the glory of his Justice that hath sent them most justly for his part and on our part most deservedly Neh. 9.33 The faithfull in Israel say Thou art just in all that is come up n us we have dealt wickedly and thou hast done righteously Thus repentance gives God the glory of his Justice as well as of his Soveraignty we have provoked God to plague us in this or that kind whether I speak to publick States or private persons if any evill lyes upon us it is the hand of God whether it come for one end or other and beleeve it it is for us to give him the glory of his justice as well as of his soveraignty We have given him just cause by our worldly mindednesse by our estrangement from the Lord and spirituall work and falling short of our spirituall aimes and ends we cut short our growth in Christianity and the Lord cuts short our outward estate Doe you think a Christians outward estate shall prosper when his inward estate growes leaner and leaner And as you give him the glory of his justice and soveraignty So 3. Give him the glory of his truth which these wicked persons would not give him the glory of To acknowledge their religion was a dead sea like Mare mortuum to acknowledge the bloud-thirstinesse of their Priests and Jesuits they shall drink bloud therefore they would not acknowledge reformation but blasphemed it as hereticall innovation and therefore the Lord had poured a vial upon their great lights in Church and Common-wealth and will doe it more and more till they be consumed they give not God the glory of his truth As Ioshuah said to Achan Iosh 7.19 My son give glory to God and tell me truly what thou hast done And he told him truly there was some hope of some seed of repentance and it is not possible a man should truly repent before God in confessing what hath been wickedly done if he denyes any thing that his conscience tels him is truth Nay some give God the glory and tell me now what thou hast done If a man hide it under his tongue it is not possible hee should repent why for he cannot give God glory he gives him not the glory of his truth and then there is no repentance And 4. What doth repentance give God the glory of as of his soveraignty and justice and truth in making humble confession of it where we are called if we have just occasion so the Lord requires that we should give him the glory of his mercy and grace that we looke for all our pardon and mercy in the bloud of the Lord Jesus and in unfeigned seeking after fellowship with him beleeving on his grace confessing what is sinfull turning from our evill wayes laying hold of eternall life of every gift of the Spirit that might quicken us in every spirituall duty that we might depend upon his grace for pardon and healing of our bottomlesse depth of unbeleefe for the changing of our hearts and quickening of our spirits this gives God the glory of his grace thus repentance doth In the 130. Psal 3 4. If thou Lord shouldest marke iniquity who then should stand There they give him the glory of his justice but there is pardon with thee that thou maist be feared there they give him the glory of his pardoning mercy thus ought all to doe that unfaignedly desire to walk in the serious practise and use of repentance You never repent kindly whiles a spirit of bondage lyes upon you and makes you sensible of the wrath of God and hell that alone will never bring forth kindly repentance but when the Lord helps us to give him the glory of his power that he swayes and rules in all and that wee give him the glory of his justice that hath righteously plagued us and the glory of his truth to confesse truly what is done amisse and the glory of his grace to pardon sin and heale the soule this is repentance and without this there is no repentance It is a wonder to see when people provoke God and the Church how little able they are to give God glory but take glory to themselves still it was thus and thus and might have been interpreted thus and thus it is a wonder to see how little they give God the glory our own glory lyes so neere us And therefore it behoves us as we desire sincerity to repent so to make conscience of

bring a man to that estate wherein he was first made which is no gentile-like principle and the greatest preferents among them are of their Bookish men It may be some of the ten Tribes or buried among them yet it is not materiall to the Text though if it be true their Easterne situation will suit wel with the Text but however it be the truth is God doth by Covenant account the whole Nation to be a royall Nation and promiseth the Kingdomes of the World to be their Dominion and that all enemies God will sweepe them off from the face of the Earth as it is prophecied at large Rev. 19. Now then if these be the Kings of the East you will easily understand the evidence of other things in the Text for what is the great stumbling blocke that hindreth the Iewes from closing with Christianity They abhorre Images and the Iuggling of the Fryers and Monkes who are not so cunning to devise miracles as the Iew is cunning to search them out and to discover the legerdemaine of the Priests in them To worship Idols of Gold and Silver is an abomination to them and so are the rest of those five streames of wickednesse which uphold the Turkish state Let Christian Princes once arise and overthrow Images represse their murders remoove away their Fornications Thefts delusions which they put upon Christianity then shall there be a ready way prepared for their conversion no remaining impediment but their own corruption which God will mightily overpower if once Euphrates be dryed up down falls Popish and Turkish tyranny together and the Iewes shall come forth marching to fight that great battell of the Lord God Almighty then shall they see him whom they have peirced and be zealous for God as ever they have beene outragious against him And hereby you shall clearely see the agreement betweene Romans 11.12.15 Where it is said If the casting away of them be the reconcilement of the World what shall the receiving of them be but life form the dead and 25. Where he saith blindnesse in part is happened unto Israel untill the fullnesse of the Gentiles be come in The reconcilement lyeth here The hardnesse of the Iewes lieth upon them untill the Christian Nations of the Gentiles that have with the Pope apostatifed from Christ be come in untill they have dried up this River Euphrates hardnesse lyeth upon the Iewes but then all Israel shall be saved and after that looke for the rest of the Gentiles that never yet received the Gospel to come in also then will God bring them home mightily and not till then Thus you see the meaning of these words wherein I have beene the more large because in such Scriptures the explication is as much to be attended as the application Let us shortly touch upon a note or two Doct. 1 That the dayes are comming wherein Christian Princes and States shall powre out the wrath of God upon Popish superstition and Idolatry and upon all the Fountaines and streames of Turkish Tyranny For this sixt Angell are those 10 Christian Kings spoken of Chap. 17.16 They shall powre out this wrath Therefore those Christian Kings went a wrong way to worke when they thought to have overcome the Turke and regayned the holy Land It is strange to see how the Turkes prospered against them and how much Christian bloud Christian Princes spent to no purpose in fighting against them The way had beene first to have dryed up all those streames of Superstition and Idolatry and to have throwne downe that man of Sinne that had beene the ready way to prevaile against the Turke but the season was not then come it is now comming and how soone it will come I know not the Lord knoweth but comming it is as appeareth by the Context of this Viall with the former yea they are in part fulfilled and like the speare of Ioshua they will not returne nor cease till all the Lords enemies be overcome The judgements of God upon their common Catholickes their worship and government their secular and regular Priests upon the Sunne the House of Austria and the Popes supremacy you have heretofore heard the judgements of God upon the throne of the Beast which is the Episcopacy is already begun as you lately heard darkned it hath beene by the going forth of the Scots and doubtlesse the Lord will not let it rest there untill it have gone over the Seas and come to the Gates of Rome yea to the Bishop of Rome himselfe for after the Lord hath beene pleased to scome the Churches from their Hierarchicall monarchy then the next newes you shall heare of will be that Christian Princes begin to see the lewdnesse that is found in their worship the wickednesse of their Murders Sorceries Fornications and Thefts whereby they robbed their soules as well as their bodies then will they dry up these streames and so Euphrates that did wash this Rome and the Turkish Empire also will be dryed up for this worke will goe on prospering to prosper and though it may now and then be interrupted yet when it beginneth it will also make an end for the Lord is Almighty when he beginneth he will goe on to perfect his worke and he will not leave unto old Eli roote or branch It is easy with the Lord to advance the worke a little higher and then the streames of their maintenance will be dryed up by the hatred wherewith they will hate the whore and make her desolate and naked for the time is approaching The reason why the Lord will thus dry up the streames of Euphrates Reason is that he may untwist his own judgements in the same way wherein himselfe did twist them wee have before heard how his judgements fell upon the Christian World by the sounding of the sixth Trumpet the foure Angels that were bound in the great river Euphrates were loosed and by this meanes the Turkish Tyranny was brought in Now by the powring out of the Viall of the sixth Angell the spirits of Christian Princes are stirred up to dry up the River Euphrates thereby to make way for the subversion of the Turke and Pope and to prepare a way for Gods ancient people to come in that there may be no more wrath upon the face of the Earth Vse 1 In the first place this may serve to provoke us all earnestly to call upon the Lord that he would stirre up the hearts of Princes to consider and open their Eyes to see how needfull their attempts are to rise up against the Pope and for that end that they may see that the jugglings of Popery are but Thefts and Murders and Superstitions For when once those things are throughly discovered the means of the maintenance of the man of sinne must needs be dryed up How much cause therefore have we to wrastle with God for such mercy and that our prayers may be so much the more effectuall strengthen wee our Faith in this that the Lord