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	lord_n	way_n	4,954	5	4.7237	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28587	Man's great duty, or, A discourse of the care every man should take to make sure the salvation of his own Soul by Samuel Bold, rector of Styple in Dorsetshire.	Bold, S. (Samuel), 1649-1737.	1693 (1693)	Wing B3481; ESTC R34369	57,671	141

Danger That he hath brought me to consider before my condition is absolutely past remedy O what Trouble and Sorrow have I been heaping on my self How bitter and gnawing now are all the things I counted pleasant How vile and contemptible are all the things for which I ventured my precious Soul There is nothing now can relieve and do me good nothing I can account precious but an Interest in Jesus Christ and pardoning Love through him O the Confusion I am in But I wish not that it were with me as in times past That my vain Presumption stupidity and insensibleness might again return No but O that I had sooner seen my Danger and sooner began my Retreat Here I lye on the very brink of Hell Had I made one step further I might have been among the Damned and yet I scarce know which way to turn O the proficiency others have made in the way to Heaven who had no more time nor outward Calls and Means than I had O the peace and comfort they have the Sweets with which their Souls are feasted O that I might love the Lord Christ in sincerity have an interest in his Merits a right to his precious Promises and that I may dutifully acknowledge his Authority walk in his Laws and know by experience what joy is to be found in Believing Well by Divine Assistance I will up and be doing I will not loyter any longer I now cast away with abhorrence and lay aside every weight and the Sin that hath so easily beset me Lord do thou enlarge my Heart and I will run the way of thy Commandments May I ever have my eye fixed on Jesus the Author and Finisher of a Believer's Faith To thee holy Jesus I flee for Refuge Help me to lay hold on the Hope thou hast set before me Secondly Humble your selves deeply before the Lord and offer unto him fervent earnest Supplications and Prayers to commiserate and deliver you No help can come but from Heaven and it must be fetched thence by hearty affectionate Cries and Entreaties Lay your selves therefore low before the Lord acknowledge your Sins with Godly Sorrow and Grief Rehearse before him your sad Estate the aggravating Circumstances of your Guilt your Fears your Guilt the dreadful Curses which hang over you how sensible you are of his Displeasure against Sin that you are not able to bear his Wrath and that nothing but Free-Grace can save and preserve you Justifie God in all his Laws and in all his Threats and in his executing of them Confess heartily thou art a Monument Monument of his Patience Break forth into affectionate Admiration that he hath born with thee so long whereas he might have caused his Vengeance to have overtaken thee long ago And then with strong Cries and Tears too if thou canst beseech him for his Mercy sake his name sake the Son of his love sake to pity Pardon help and sanctifie thee Consider what encouragement thou hast from these and the like Scriptures Psal 145.18 19. Psal 32.5 6. Psal 50.15 Matt. 7.7 c. Lord thou art Great Holy Just and Powerful none can set himself against thee and Prosper Thy purity and holiness is such thou canst not behold the least Iniquity with Approbation Thou hast declared thy Wrath against every Sin And in particular hast revealed thy Indignation against this and that and the other Wickedness and that thou wilt terribly avenge thy self of such Adversaries as live impenitently in them Lord I am the vile Wretch who have been guilty of these Transgressions I have lived a great while in them and have often repeated these acts of Hostility against thee O my Misery my Guilt my Wretchedness Whither shall I go What shall I do I cannot flee from thy Presence Where ever I am thy Arm can reach me I cannot bear thy Frowns thy Terrors make me afraid Damnation and Hell are the least I have deserved O the Light the Love the Means I have sinned against I have nothing to say for my self who shall plead for me Methinks I am now sinking Hell appears ready to swallow me up Just and Righteous art thou O God! No punishments are too great for so wicked so ungrateful so vile and obstinate a Wretch as I am In the very midst of my Fears and Anguish I cannot but wonder that the Sentence of Condemnation is not already pronounced against and executed on me O what long-suffering goodness hast thou manifested towards me the worst and greatest of Sinners Blessed be thy Name for thy Long-suffering Patience towards me Whither shall I now turn Will the holy God have Mercy on such a desperate Sinner To whom shall I go in these Straits Creatures cannot help me My Lusts and Sins have brought all this Misery upon me All will fail me unless the Lord will be pleased to look down in Mercy upon me And it is the Lord I have offended How shall I go to a provoked God! Yet all my hope must be from him To the Lord I will go I will lie at his Feet I will throw my self wholly upon his Mercy Lord I have heard that thou art Gracious Long-suffering slow to Wrath and of great Goodness Thou hast said so of thy self Thou hast the words of eternal Life There is Forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared Thou hast contrived a way for the glorifying of thy Mercy in saving the greatest Sinners who truly repent and turn from the evil of their doings unto thee with all their Hearts Lord here behold a miserable mouring Sinner than whom none ever stood more in need of Mercy Extend thy wonderful Grace to me I come to thee in thy Son's Name I depend intirely on his Merits I plead with thee the only gracious Promises Sustain now a sinking Soul I loath and abhor my self O let thy Bowels ern over me Tho I stand on the brink of Hell let thy Grace prevent my falling into that Bottomless Pit Say unto this Soul Live May I who deserve to houl for ever under the dreadful testimonies of thy Displeasure be effectually delivered from Sin Guilt and Condemnation May I be Pardoned made Holy and sing forth the Praises of thy rich and abounding Grace to all Eternity Consider Isa 63.15 16. Thirdly If you take pains with your selves and faithfully perform what you have been advised to already you will easily perceive what is further necessary to be done by you to make secure the Salvation of your Souls and you will be disposed to urge upon your selves and improve such Counsel as shall be offered you and is manifestly pertinent to this purpose I will therefore propound the other Directions you are to observe altogether and only give you brief hints for your future Conduct leaving you to imprint them on your own Hearts by meditating on and expostulating with your selves about them till you feel they have their proper and due influence on your Souls and Lives You must then endeavour to

of them whose warnings you can now slight whose Exhortations and Counsel you can now reject with Scorn and Contempt For then you will hear the Sentence of Condemnation from One the Glory of whose appearing you will not be able to endure whose Presence will grieve and terrifie you But your case is not yet quite Desperate If you will now concern your selves heartily for your Souls and apply your selves in good earnest to make their Salvation sure there is some ground for Hope Mercy may yet be had The Scepter of Grace is still held forth Your endless Misery may yet be prevented You may yet be made Holy and Gracious behold God's reconciled Face and inherit incomprehensible Glory and Blessedness Nothing will hinder but your wilfulness your resolved continuing unconcerned for these things What Mercy is it that God will yet be favourable notwithstanding thou hast at this time been unconcerned and stubborn in thy Enmity Will yet if thou turn sincerely pardon and blot out all is past Will receive and honor love and eternally glorifie thee Who would not seek reconciliation with all his might with such a gracious condescending patient and merciful God Who would go on to provoke such a God and Damn himself in opposition to such Love and Grace and Mercy What acceptance wouldst thou find with God What good wouldst thou do thy self What Happiness wouldst thou treasure up for thy self to all future Generations What Joy wouldst thou occasion in Heaven wouldst thou now be prevailed with to come out of thy miserable sinful State and to concern thy self as thou oughtest for thy Soul and its endless wellfare Peruse carefully these following Scriptures Luke 15.7 and 10 and 20 c. Isa 55.7 2 Cor. 6.2 Take heed you do not prevent all this to encourage your selves to continue in your unconcernedness for your Salvation For if instead of complying with Calls and Entreaties to accept of and close with the offers of Mercy God is pleased to make you you stubbornly refuse to hearken to yea abuse them to harden and embolden your selves in your Sins your condition will become exceeding Dreadful yea quite hopeless according to that account the holy Scriptures give of People under such Circumstances as you may evidently see if you please to turn to and read the following places in your Bibles Prov. 1.24 c. Prov. 29.1 Heb. 12.17 Luke 19.42 Yea remember this will render your State in Hell terrible and tormenting to the highest degree In what boisterous Waves of inflamed Wrath shall those Persons be roll'd and tost who affectedly persist in their Enmity against God and contempt of the riches of his Grace Why should you be curious to secure to your selves the utmost efforts of Divine Displeasure How sad must your estate be if after you have enjoyed the Gospel and been earnestly perswaded to concern your selves in good earnest for your Salvation you should perish and reap no advantage from all that Christ hath done suffered and purchased for repenting reforming Sinners What a terrible day will the day of Christ's appearing be to you if after all your coming to Church hearing Prayers and Sermons and partaking of Sacraments you remain stubborn and untractable sensual and worldly in your Minds loose carnal and vicious in your Lives Be entreated dearly Beloved to lay these seriously to Heart and forthwith to make a good improvement of them Please not your selves with purposes of taking them into consideration hereafter lest Satan prove too subtle for you and carry you away securely to his own Appartments full fraught with seemingly pious resolves What multitudes have cried out for Mercy when it hath been too late Mat 25.11.12 If you are now willing to do what it behoves you to do that you may secure the Salvation of your Souls observe and follow these few Directions First Set your selves to a serious thorough consideration of your present Estate Weigh and insist on this till you are fully convinced your present State is such you cannot with any safety continue in it and do firmly resolve to alter your Course press your danger and guilt upon your selves till your Souls and Consciences are mightily affected with your present Circumstances and you become in some measure sensible how much more desirable their Condition is than yours who have heartily concerned themselves to secure the Salvation of their Souls In other cases we think it a mighty blemish to give occasion for others to repute us inconsiderate and rash And sure nothing better deserves our best our most mature and vivid thoughts than this Matter because it doth so nearly concern us Can we expect prudently to avoid our Danger and amend our Mistakes whilst either ignorant of or unaffected with them Serious consideration is a proper if not the only preparatory expedient to bring us to a right Mind to furnish us with a just Notion and becoming Sense of those things which are of eminent Importance and to dispose us to rectifie past Errors and Defaults When the Prodigal came to himself and considered the evil and dangerous case he was in and how much better the very Servants in his Fathers Family were provided for than he was he presently resolves to go thither Luke 15.17 18. Psal 119.59 60. Set thy self as in God's Presence call thy self to account and revive the remembrance of thy past Carriages Call to mind how God hath expresly declared such or such Affections of Soul Speeche Actions to be detestable abominable Sins and hath declared from Heaven his Wrath against them in such or such places of his holy Word And then apply the same particularly and with all vehemency of affection and faithfulness to thy self till thou feelest the power and efficacy of them in thy own Spirit and Conscience Is this my Estate Doth the word of God speak nothing but Terror and Indignation against me whilst I continue in this condition Is the infinitely holy powerful just God my Enemy O wretched Creature that I am What shall I do Is this an Estate to be rested in What is all the World and all it can afford to me if God should pour forth the Vials of his Anger upon me If I must pass from the applause and favour of Men from Houses Lands and Friends to dwell with everlasting Burnings and be a Companion with Devils for ever O how happy are they who have been wise for their Souls who can look with comfort into the Holy Scriptures and read over all those Passages with Satisfaction which Terrifie me and are as so many Arrows sticking fast in my Soul What a Fool have I been all my time What Mercy and rich Grace must be discovered if ever I escape Damnation I cannot escape it if I continue in this Estate A great Change must be wrought in me I must be made a new Creature I must lead a new Life And by God's Grace so I will Blessed be the Lord that he hath given me any sight of my