Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A04816
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The burthen of a loaden conscience: or the miserie of sinne set forth by the confession of a miserable sinner.
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Kilby, Richard, d. 1617.
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1608
(1608)
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STC 14950; ESTC S100262
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42,020
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107
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THE BVRTHEN OF a loaden conscience OR THE MISERIE OF SINNE Set forth by the confession of a miserable sinner Printed by CANTRELL LEGGE Printer to the Vniversitie of Cambridge 1608. To all Christened people I Knowing the great honor which Almightie God hath graciously giuen vnto you for you are his children his holy Ghost is in you doe therfore acknowledge my bounden dutie next after God vnto you and accordingly with humble reuerence dedicate this my Confession first to God then to you his deerely beloued children I wrote it in deadly disease of bodie and in dolefull trouble of minde my purpose was to glorifie God and to shew vnto all people the horrible bondage of sinne that they might plainly see it truly feare it and timely preuent it Herein if any shall thinke me ouer-harsh and too too plaine I beseech them to weigh in their conscience what it is to be at the doore of death and the gate of hell terrified with the sight of Gods wrathfull iudgement and in continuall danger of sudden death This is no time to couer or to colour my sinnes but to lay them open that it may please God mercifully to couer them To this ende I doe humbly craue your Christian furtherance in earnest praier to God for my confession and for me For my confession that it may prosper against sinne for my selfe that I may be deliuered out of hell and receiued into your heauenly companie I aske no more but to be the very lowest of all people that shal be saued Which if it shall please the blessed God through your praiers in Iesus Christ to vouchsafe vnto me most vnworthie then shall I be in good hope to liue and set forth an Hallelu-ia that you may praise God for his mercie his maruelous mercie towards you and me Then shall you know the poore sinners name that nowe beggeth the benefite of your praiers Hallowed be the name of God and his blessing be vpon Christened people men women and children for euermore Amen Thus I humbly take my leaue Iune 13. 1608. To the Printer IF any thing which I haue written doe seeme vnto godly learned men not likely to worke well for the destruction of sinne I desire that they will take the paines to amend it so as they will answer their doings therein vnto the Lord Iesus Christ when all purposes and causes shall be brought to light I protest before God that nothing be mitigated concerning me by turning I am into I was c. It is very needefull for a man to know what he is I know none but my selfe I iudge none but my selfe I intreat others to giue me leaue to iudge my selfe because I feare the iudgement of God and would perswade people to feare God that they may escape his iudgement and obtaine his mercie Amen Amen O good Lord Iesu for thy holy names sake say thou Amen The burthen of a loaden conscience ALl Christened people men women and children I sinfull sinner hauing by long and wofull experience found the miseries of sinne am desirous to confesse the same that others may see and speedily turne away from it Therefore I humbly beseech you that for Christs sake you will charitably read or heare this my confession VVHen I was a child and first began to vnderstand and speake then was the foundation laide of all my miserie Because I was not by and by entered into the faith and feare of God but the Deuill had leisure to take full possession of my heart Who so deepely seasoned me with sinne that I haue continued sinnefull euer since yea I am so hardened in wickednesse that although I feele death comming vpon me and may looke euerie houre when I shall suddenly die and be cast into hell fire yet I haue no power to turne vnto God Wherefore I beseech all people to take warning by me let it be your first and chiefest care to liue in the faith and feare of God Beleeue verily for it is most true you are alwaies in the sight of God Hee searcheth out your thoughts and affections he hearkneth to your words he vieweth your behauiour and writeth vp all in a booke with purpose to iudge you according to the practise of your life Beare this continually in minde and be afraide to displease God who shineth ouer your head with such a glorious brightnesse that if it were his pleasure to shewe himselfe openly to the world the sunne that shineth in the skie should be vtterly darkened and no earthly creature could remaine aliue by reason of the terrible sight of his almightie maiestie Blessed are you if ye haue the feare of God before your eies But you are in woefull case if you feare him not O all ye parents and bringers vp of children great is the account which you must make vnto God Therefore so soone as your children be able to vnderstand and speake accustome them to know and feare God Take good heede least the deuill get the first possession of your childrē for he knowing that is little ones are seasoned in the beginning so they are likely to sauour euer after will loose no time nor let passe any occasion to sowe his cursed seede in them This many parents and tutors of children doe little thinke of and therefore giue the deuill leaue to worke his will But doe you minde it and in the name of Christ kindely perswade your children to beleeue in God and to feare him oftentimes telling them what is good and what is naught and that the good commeth of God and naught frō the deuill and therefore if they will loue and practise goodnesse God will loue them and keepe them safe from the Deuill but if they loue and practise naughtinesse God will forsake them and leaue them to the Deuill Why doe so many teach little children to say and to doe that which angreth almightie God the silly children seeing their parents others so much delighted with euill 〈◊〉 setled in beleefe that it is good Thus the deuill is furthered in working the destruction of children But some sa◠that vnlesse children be framed to mirthfull wantonnesse they will not prooue wittie To which I answere the children of God are wittie to saie and doe good the children of the deuill are wittie to say and doe euill nowe consider to whom you doe liken your children to God or to the deuill for like will to like Children giue great heede to that which they see or heare especially in their parents and gouernours therefore all people as you will answer to God be careful what you say or doe before children for they will thinke that they may safely say as you say and doe as you doe Let not childrē be much among seruants for many seruants loue to teach children that which is naught O ye godfathers and godmothers remember that you are bound vnto God for the good bringing vp of your god-children In the beginning of Christian religion people were
if you doe God will surely lead you into all truth Of what side soeuer you be doe nothing against your conscience nor despise the practise of religion in them that are contrarie to your opinion But if you be sure that they are in a wrong way pitie them and praie heartily to God for them that he will mercifully inlighten their mindes and turne their hearts To which ende you must endeauour to serue vnder God with the holy Ghost that you may help to ouercome the enemies of Gods truth not with the weapons of this world as reprochful speaches and bloody practises but with the armour of God as charitie humblenesse meeknesse patience for these are the meanes to ouercome euill with goodnesse and turne mens mindes from false opinions to the true religion True Christianitie is an holy Priesthood to offer vp spirituall sacrifices wel-pleasing to God thorough Iesus Christ A true Christian doth faithfully intende to offer first himselfe and then others also vnto God In offering your selfe you must beginne with your heart for God saith Prov. 23 My sonne giue me thine heart Your heart must be wholly set vpon God alwaies desiring to enioy his grace and fauour Secondly your tongue must be sacrificed vnto God that it may be as the pen of a readie writer to glorifie and please God in euery word that commeth out of your mouth Thirdly your apparell gesture eating drinking buying selling borrowing lending labour pastime and all your behauiour must be sacrificed to God that in nothing you dishonour or displease him yea your bodie soule life all that you haue must be dedicated and giuen to the seruice of God A good subiect doth beare the minde to spende both life and goods in defence of his Prince and countrie therefore a true Christian ought much more to sacrifice all his power and possibilitie to vphold the kingdome of Iesus Christ first in maintaining the ministerie of his word and Sacraments 〈◊〉 4.18 which is an offering greatly accepted of God Secondly in succouring his poore with which kinde of sacrifices God is well pleased 〈◊〉 13.16 as it may appeare by that which the holy Ghost saith of a charitable man â—al â—12 â— He hath dispersed he hath giuen to the poore his righteousnesse endureth for euer Whatsoeuer mercie is shewed to a Christian in necessitie â—atth 25. is shewed to Christ himselfe and he that is any waie vnmercifull to a Christian is vnmercifull to Iesus Christ and so Christ will professe at the day of iudgement â—v 25.22 It is a singular sacrifice to doe good against euill kindly to succour your verie enimie in necessitie for thereby you doe your good will to offer your enemie vnto almightie God in turning him from enmitie and euill to peace and goodnesse Saint Iames saith Iam. 5 1â— he that turneth a sinner from going out of his waie shall saue a soule from death and shall couer a multitude of sinnes In what a fearefull case are they that sacrifice many to the deuill driuing them by enmitie or drawing them by euill allurements and naughtie examples as I haue done He that will offer the sweete sacrifice of turning others vnto God must first with all diligence turne himselfe from sinne that his life and conuersation may be holy and vnblameable for then others will beleeue that God is in him and therefore they will haue a good opinion of him All people by the light of naturall reason doe honour vertue and honestie But if your behauiour be faultie as mine is and euer hath beene you are vnfit to turne others beeing not turned your selfe Secondly if your conscience be cleere and your conuersation faultlesse you must not disdaine sinners Luk. 28 10 11. as the proud Pharisie did for then you marre all because pride is of the deuill and God resisteth the proude But you must pitie their case that doe euill and mourne for them as King Dauid did Psal 115 Thirdly you must pray deuoutly vnto God for them that he will mercifully ordaine some meanes to deliuer them out of the Deuills bondage and that it may please him to giue you the grace to be one of his workmen in so honourable a businesse Fourthly you must waite for any fit occasion that you may humblie and kindly intreate them to consider well in what a dangerous case they are displeasing God seruing the deuill and working their owne destruction If you see or heare that any vnder your gouernment doe sinne whether it be your childe or your seruant you are bound to breake them from their sinne by faire meanes if it may be els by correction and punishment But if you see any such sinners as are your betters in degree or such as you haue not the heart to rebuke you must so much the more earnestly pray vnto god for them and striue more painefully to shew them by the light of your conuersation what they ought to doe When you goe about to tell any one of his fault take God in your minde and humble your heart that you may doe it in the spirit of meekenesse gentlenesse peaceablenesse and patience carefully keeping out anger for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousnesse of God Hee that doth worthily receiue the holy sacrament of Christs bodie and bloode doth offer vnto God many sacrifices together for that sacrament is a representation setting forth of the sacrifice of Christ who vpon the crosse offered himselfe vnto God the father to pacifie his wrath and to purchase his grace for all people whereupon almightie God doth offer his gracious pardon and heauenly blessings to all that will worthily receiue them And if you will worthily receiue the bodie and bloode of Christ you must offer vnto God first a sorrowfull heart for your sinnes confessing them to his glorie and your shame Secondly you must offer vnto God the sacrifice of faith in Iesus Christ beleeuing verily that he is the onely sonne of God God and man and crying vnto God for mercie in his name beseeching God that for Christs sake he will forgiue you your sinnes and clense you from all sinnefulnesse Thirdly you must offer vnto God a charitable heart towards all people for God will not accept your heart if it be not in charitie yea setled to keepe the vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace Fourthly you must offer your selfe wholly vnto God to doe and to suffer his good pleasure Fiftly you must offer humble and heartie praise vnto God for all his gracious gifts giuen vnto mankinde specially for giuing his onely sonne Iesus Christ to be our Sauiour Sixtly you must offer of your goods a first fruites vnto God towards the supplying of breade and wine for the communion towards the reliefe of the minister and of the poore By baptisme ye are graffed into Iesus Christ as if branches of a wilde vine were graffed into a true vine and by worthie receiuing the holy communion