Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	jesus_n	sin_n	sinner_n	3,659	5	7.4408	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55567	A sanctuary for the tempted: being a discourse on Christ's friendly admonition to Peter Wherein the fall and rising of Peter, is at large considered: the craft, potency, and malice of Satan (that arch-enemy of our salvation) discovered: his various wiles. stratagems and machinations invalidated: several choice and excellent Gospel-truths handled, and cleared (from the calumnies and objections of gainsayers.) ... Delivered in sundry sermons, at first; and now, published for the benefit of God's church in general. To which is added, four sermons, preach'd upon sacramental occasions. By Thomas Powel, preacher of the Gospel, and one, whom Satan hath winnowed.	Powell, Thomas.	1679 (1679)	Wing P3075; ESTC R30536	152,491	435

things ●…ither with Means without Means or ●…ontrary to Means and against all Op●…osition what-so-ever And do you think there is any Existing so Almighty Why is it then that the Interest of God which you call it is so opposed in the World as it is Answ. To which the Soul may Answer That God is Almighty I do firmly Believe and that he can do Things either with Means without or contrary to Means is a Verity that 〈◊〉 do not at all question And tha●… God's Interest in the World is oftentimes opposed is not but that he ca●… Advance his own Interest witho●… Opposition but he permits it to be opposed that the Glory of his Omnipotency and Wisdom in effecting such and such things notwithstanding Opposition may shine forth more Perspicuously And thus I have give●… you a Sight of the Wiles of Satan especially those that he makes use o●… in Tempting to Atheism abusing 1. The Invisibility of God 2. The Trinity of Persons in One Diuine Essence 3. Several of his Incommunicable Attributes SECT V. I have already shew'd something of Satan's Subtilty in Tempting unto Atheism I now come to speak of Satan's Subtilty in his Temptations un●…o Security being such as follow Temptation I. One way that Satan hath to make ●…oor Souls Secure is by presenting God unto them as a God only of Mercy O! saith the Devil why ●…rt thou so concern'd about thy Salva●…ion Dost thou think God that Made ●…hee will be so Cruel to Damn thee ●…nd He who Form'd thee will not Save ●…hee Alas God is more ready to Pardon than to Punish Mercy is his ●…areling Attribute but Judgement is his Strange Work And thus Satan doth to make Souls Careless and Fearless Careless of their Salvation and Fearless of their Damnation Reply To Repel this Temptation must be by considering that as God is Merciful so he is Just Just in himself and so will Punish all Sin Merciful in the Face of Christ and so will Punish no Sin he having in our stead born the Punishment A Just God towards an hard-Hearted Sinner a Merciful God towards an Humble Sinner God is not all Mercy and no Justice nor all Justice and no Mercy Submit to him his Mercy embraceth thee Resist him his Justice pursues thee Do not the Devils themselves and all the Howling Reprobates in Hell shew that God is ‖ Just Is not Hell and Sodom a Monument of God's Iustice And are not all the Crosses Losses Sicknesses and Diseases that be in the World Tokens of God's Displeasures Besides Doth not the pouring-out of his Wrath upon Iesus Christ his dearly Beloved Son shew that our God is a Just Iudge More-over to argue from Grace to Sin from Love to Lust from Mercy to Iniquity from Immunity to Impiety is the Dialect of Hell and the Sophistry of the Prince of Darkness To sin I say because Grace abounds is the Devil's Logick and who-so-ever useth such kind of Language you may write THIS SOUL IS LOST In fine The Apostle Rom. 12. 1. and the Saints all a-long have made God's Mercy the greatest Motive to Repentance Temptation II. Another way that the Devil maketh use of to make poor Souls Secure is by telling them That all the World are Sinners as well as them and they may make as good a Shift as the rest What if you do go to Hell You shall not go alone you shall have others with you Reply Here is Audacity and Absurdity One would think that the Devil should be ashamed to argue thus considering what a Scholar he is in Logick Philosophy and School-Divinity and yet by Raciocination of this kind doth he prevail upon dark Souls Such kind of Reason if it may be called Reason in effect is thus much Some have Cut their Throats I must do it also because in it I shall do no more than what others have done before me A great Multitude of People are resolv'd to run into the River of Thames to see how they can tread Water and Dance upon it therefore I must do the like because with me I shall have Company though in the Close I shall lose my Life I 'le leave you to apply it Temptation III. The next thing that Satan doth to make poor Souls secure is by telling them That Christ is a Saviour and what though they do sin Christ has Dy'd and is Risen again for their Justification Reply It is true Christ is a Saviour but if He is not My Saviour may the Soul say what doth this argue for me Christ hath Dyed but if I cannot believe his Death and Sufferings will be of little Advantage unto me He is Offered but if I do not Receive Him I shall not be Sav'd There may be Vertue enough in a Plaister to Heal a Sore but if it be not Applyed it will not Heal my Sore So there is Vertue enough in Christ to Wash and Cleanse but if it be not Applyed to my Soul by Faith it won't Wash or Cleanse me Temptation IV. Surely saith Satan God loves thee or else he would not Bless thee in thy Outward Estate as in thy Corn Children Calling and Friends Reply Seriously consider O Soul that God's Love is Two-fold Common and Special God's Common Love I reckon is that which all partake of viz. Good Men and Bad Men. Now for any to have a great Estate and to Prosper therein together with his Wife and Children is that which is common to all some only excepted Now it is not Common Favour but Special Favour that must save thee and a Token or Evidence of it will Comfort thee but this thy Prosperity in the World is not being that which is more ordinary to those who go to Hell than such who go to Heaven And therefore let not the Children of God grudge and repine at the Wicked Man's Prosperity because all the Wicked shall have Misery enough Hereafter for the little present Pleasure that they enjoy Here. They that have their Heaven Here are in danger to lose it Here-after God seldom gives his Children Heaven and Earth too Nihil infelicius felicitate peccantium saith St. Augustine The Wicked Man's Felicity is great Infelicity Doubtless hence it was that David prayed Deliver me from the Wicked who have their Portion in this Life only Psal. 17. 14. Nothing is so great a Signe of God's Curse as the Prosperity of the Wicked The Lord will proportion Torment to all the Pleasure the Wicked have had Revel 18. 7. How much She hath lived Deliciously so much Torment and Sorrow give Her That Story of the Roman who was by the Court-Marshal Condemned to Dye for breaking his Rank to steal a Bunch of Grapes is pregnant to our purpose For as he was going to Execution some of the Souldiers envyed him that he had Grapes and they had none Saith he Do you envy me for my Grapes I must pay dear for them So Wicked Men

can read without a Commentary Time will not be long when God shall pull off thy Paint unmask thee and put thee in thy Proper Dress Though thou goest among Men for an Eminent Saint yet at the Day of Iudgement God shall show what a Devil Incarnate thou art what a Gilded Hypocrite thou hast been SECT VIII The Fifth thing that the Devil Tempts unto is a False Faith If thou art so much for Jesus Chrisi believe that he is able to save thee and so thou hast this Lively Faith which will justify thee live as thou wilt Reply Tell the Devil That Presumption is not Faith and that the Faith which will enable thee to lay hold on Christ will also enable thee to walk in Him And though Faith Justifies us not yet Works there must be to Justify our Faith SECT IX Thirdly Satan shews his exceeding great Subtilty in the Methods of Tempting As First He paints his Temptations with pleasing Colours and Plausible Pretences If Satan's Temptations were to appear like themselves the Heart of Man would not consent so soon as many times it doth but rather flee from the same Hence therefore it is that Satan very frequently Transforms himself into an Angel of Light 2 Cor. 11. 14. The Devil knows very well that unless he is Disguised he cannot prevail and have what he designes upon the Souls of Men and Women Many Vices there are that the Devil Tempts us unto and this he doth by giving them pretty Names and Titles As for Instance When he Tempts to Pride he presents it to the Soul under the Name and Notion of Neatness and Comliness Covetousness he calls Good Husbandry Drunkenness Good Fellowship Riotness Liberality and Wantonness a Trick of Youth Secondly He is Gradual in his Temptations a little now and a little then The Devil won't Tempt too much at first lest Suspicion gets ground He creeps into the Soul by degrees and that Step by Step until such times the Soul becomes his own Satan will first draw thee to Sit with the Drunkard and then to Sip with the Drunkard and at last to be Drunk with the Drunkard Thirdly He is in his Temptations full of Politick Retreats The Devil many times makes the Soul believe that he flies when it is only under a Pretence and with a Designe to over-come Pray take notice of this Satan is not alwayes over-come when he flies from you He sometimes draws back that the Christian by following him and going out of the Trenches may suddenly on the Plains be foyl'd Fourthly He doth in his Temptations reserve still fresh On-sets as occasion shall require Satan Commander-like hath more Assaults to bring on as others do decay When one Temptation is beat back he can soon come on with another Therefore Soul cry not Vici Vici when thou over-comest one Temptation or so but let this Rule be observed by thee scil When one Temptation is over-come expect another CHAP. V. I Have treated of Satan's Subtilty in Tempting unto a Sinful Licentiousness I shall now consider it in his Tempting Believers unto a Sinful Despair And Satan's Subtilty as in the former so in this it shews it self in Two things 1. In the Seasons of Temptations 2. In the Temptations themselves SECT I. First Satan shews his exceeding great Subtilty in choosing those Seasons for Tempting unto Despair that may proue most Advantageous unto him being such as followeth First Satan Tempts to Despair after great Manifestations of God's Favour and Love to the Soul When God smiles and opens himself a little Familiarly unto us we grow Wanton and thereupon God with-draws we sink in our Faith and Satan eyes us on to Despair by making of us to conclude That because God is withdrawn he will never come again There is not a larger and more pregnant Proof for this than Peter Had ever any a greater Testimony from Heaven than Peter Who making an Excellent Confession of his Faith Matth. 16. 17. Christ immediately pronounceth him Blessed puts a singular Honour upon him and makes him the Representative for all the Saints Now without doubt this Favour to Peter stirred up the Envious Spirit the sooner to Assail him No marvel it was that Satan did shew his Spite even when and where Christ loved most dearly Therefore soon after we find the Devil at Peter's Elbow making him his Instrument to Tempt Christ who soon espyed his Cloven Foot and therefore Rebukes Peter with a Get thee behind me Satan He that seem'd a Rock but just now is through Satan's Policy become a Stone of Offence for Christ to stumble at Secondly Satan Tempts to Despair at the Hour of Death and indeed his Assaults are usually sharpest then And the Reason why he is so busy with Christians when they come to Die is because he knows his time is then very short As our Extremity is God's Opportunity to help us so likewise it is the Devil's Opportunity in what he can to destroy us When Death approacheth we are Weak and our Strength beginning to decay Satan thereupon furiously Assails us yea he doth reserve his firiest Darts his deadliest Poyson and his sharpest Sting till he meets us on our Death-Bed SECT II. Secondly Satan shews his exceeding great Subtilty in the Temptations themselves which he works from the Consideration 1. Of our Sins 2. Of God's Anger 3. Of Eternal Election 4. Of our Unworthiness 5. Of the Weakness of our Faith 6. Of great Adversity 7. Of the Sharpness of Death And here I shall shew you how Satan from these things makes many to Despair with proper Remedies against the same Prescribed and that in these following Sections SECT III. First Satan Tempts to Despair by making Sin very Great and drawing up a Black Charge against the Soul Thy Sins saith Satan are very many and very great nay they are Infinite for as much as they have been against an Infinite God Thou knowest very well that thy Sins are of no Ordinary Dye and that the Wages of the least Sin is Death Sin Indefinitely whether great or small And therefore how canst thou saith Satan expect Mercy who art a Sinner Mercy from God whom thou hast offended and provoked to Wrath Surely if ever any shall be Damn'd thou shalt Thou especially because thou hast been more than an Ordinary Sinner Remedy Truly when Satan doth Assail us in this kind I know no other way to Foil him than by Answering him as the Sick Man who when he was Dying the Devil appeared and shew'd him a Parchment that was very long wherein was written on every side the Sins of the poor Sick Man Seest thou Behold thy Vertues saith Satan Unto which he Replyed It 's true Satan but thou hast not s●…t down all for thou should'st have added The Blood of Iesus Christ Cleanseth us from all Sins When Satan tells thee of thy Sins do thou tell him of Christ's Blood whose Blood is of a

deeper Purple than thy Sins There is as much Vertue in the Blood of Christ as there can be Venom in thy Sins Tell the Devil O poor Soul That though thy Sins have been against an Infinite God yet there is Infinite Mercy to Answer thy Sins God can easily drown and swallow up all thy Sins in the Ocean of his Mercy When the Tempter Magnifies thy Sins do thou then Magnify thy Saviour and Physician That I am a Sinner it is true but who else doth Christ Save That I am Ungodly it is true but who else doth God Justify Pore not so much upon thy Sins as quite to forget thy Saviour The Devil tells thee of thy Disease do thou tell him of thy Remedy Thou art Miserable by reason of Sin but thou may'st be Happy and Restored again by the Grace of God There is no Misery on this side of Hell and the Grave but God out of his Infinite Free Grace hath appointed some Means proper for the same viz. Hearing and Reading the Word for the Unconverted Prayer and Receiving of the Sacrament for the Weak in Gifts and Graces and Christ unto all in general who will Receive Him by Faith Mat. 11. 28. Let thy Sins be never so great Confess them but Humbly and Brokenly and thou shalt find Mercy David used the Aggravations of his Sins as an Argument with God to Pardon them Pardon my Sins because they are very great SECT IV. Secondly Satan Tempts to Despair by causing the Soul to make a wrong Use of God's Anger God is Angry saith Satan and therefore what wilt thou do Behold how he Looks how he Chides and how he Strikes Dost thou think that he will ever be Reconciled Remedy The only way to give Satan the Fall in this Respect is by Answering him in this wise God may Chide bitterly Look sowerly and Strike heavily even when and where he Loves most dearly And moreover That God is not so Angry but while thy Soul is on this side of Eternity thou may'st Pacify him by what he hath appointed as the Means whereby those who have sin'd against him may now be Reconciled unto him viz. The Sufferings of the Lord Iesus which have satisfied Divine Iustice to the full God is Love and he writes not Injuries in Marble SECT V. Thirdly Satan Tempts to Despair by causing the Soul to study that which it should not viz. God's Secret Will Thou art not Elected sayes the Devil and therefore all thy Praying and Reading and taking Pains with thy Heart will be but in vain Remedy The only way to invalidate Satan's Arguings in this Respect is by considering that he hath no Skill in the Black Book of Reprobation Neither Good nor Evil Angels can look into the Book of God's Decrees Therefore thou canst not for thou needst not Hast thou not the Book of thy Heart look into it and see what is Written therein He that finds the Bible Copied out into his Heart his Nature Transform'd the Byass of his Will turned the Signature and Engravings of the HolyGhost upon him looks not like a Reprobate When you see the Fruits of the Earth spring up you conclude the Sun has been there 'T is hard to climb up into Election but if we find the Fruits of Holiness springing up in our Hearts we may conclude the Sun of Righteo●…sness hath Risen there By our Sanctification saith one we must Calculate our Election The Infa●…lible Signes of Election in my Opinion should satisfy any one touching his Election Why now Hast thou not the Saving Graces of Faith Love and Repentance What are these but the Infallible Signes of Election Being not unsensible of the Intricacy which attends this Subject of Election and how the Devil puzzles many poor Souls by some Nice Questions resulting there-from Something already I have said of it But I do find much thereof for Substance Elegantly treated by the Elegant Culverwel in his White-Stone the Reading of which did exceedingly refresh my Soul and therefore hoping that it may have the like Effect upon thee I shall here insert it knowing that I cannot mend it my self what-ever others may be able to do The Lines are these That Astrologer sayes he was deservedly Laught at that was so intensly gazing upon the Stars so admiring their Twinkling Beauties as that unawares he tumbled into the Water where-as before if he had been but pleased to look so low as the Water he might have seen the Stars there represented in that Crystal-Glass Such as will needs be prying into Stars that will Ascend up into Heaven and gaze upon Election they do but dazle thine Eyes and sometimes by this are over-whelm'd in the Depths of Satan where-as they might easily see the Stars in the Water they might see Election in Sanctification Now Vocation does plainly and easily appear by that great and eminent Alteration which it brings along with it It is a powerful Call 't is an audible and quick'ning Voice the Voice of the First Trumpet that awakens Men out of the Graves and makes them Happy by having their Part in the First Resurrection great and sudden Alterations they are very Discernable Now here 's a most notorious and signal Change made Old things are past away and all things are become New Here 's a Change from Death to Life from Darkness to Light and what more Discernable than this A Living Man may know that he is Alive and that without any further Proof or Demonstration what-ever the Scepticks Old or New would perswade us to the contrary Will you not allow a Man to be certain that he Lives till a Iury of Life and Death hath past upon him Could not the Blind Man in the Gospel think you perceive when his Eyes were opened Could he not easily tell that now he could see and discern Variety of Objects or must he only conjecture that he sees and guess at a Sun-Beam Must he still at Noon-day go groping in Uncertainties And is there not an easie and sure Difference between those thick Veils and Shadows of the Night between those Dark and AEthiopick Looks and the Virgin-Blushes of the Morning those Beautiful Eye-lids of the Day The Smilings and Flow'rings out of Light much more the Advancement of Light to its Zenith and Noon-day-Glory And why then cannot an Intellectual Eye discern as well that now it sees that now it looks upon God with an Eye of Love with an Eye of Faith with an Eye of Confidence and that now God looks upon him with an Eye of Tenderness and Compassion with an Eye of Grace and Favour with an Eye of Delight and Approbation Who but an Anaxagoras will go about to perswade a Man to disbelieve his Eyes And if a Corporal Eye deserve such Credit why may not a Spiritual Eye then expect as much Say not then in thine Heart Who shall Ascend into Heaven to bring down Assurance from Above Who shall Unclasp the Book of

would People but consider this Mercy and Goodness Bounty and Compassion would Flourish more than they do There would not be I say so many Cubboards Empty Purses Moneyless and Wounds not Cured or Bound up Motive 2. Secondly Consider That the Eyes of God of Christ of Angels of Devils of Sinners of Saints of Good and Bad are alwayes upon you Therefore let this Motive above all the rest be as a Spur to all Vertue and a Whet Stone to all Duty God takes Notice of all thy Actions Thy Tears in Secret he Bottles up thy Prayers in Secret he Registers and what thou givest to Pious Uses he writes down in thy Memorandum Book The Good Angels and Saints Honour thee for this The Devil and his Children see hereby thy Faithfulness to God-ward and thy Goodness to Man-ward Motive 3. Thirdly I know not of a Better than this whereby to induce you unto a Publick Spirit viz. You shall have your Reward If there be Degrees of Torments in Hell then doubtless there are Degrees of ●…lory in Heaven And whose Glory shall be Multiplied but such that have done most Good when they were on Earth All the Seeds of Liberality that you Sow on Earth shall turn to a Fruitful Crop in Heaven You shall be paid with Overplus For a VVedg of Gold which you have parted with you shall have a VVeight of Glory For a Cup of Cold Water you shall have Rivers of Pleasure The End of the Salve for Soul-Sores together with the Duty of Such whom God has dealt Bountifully with FINIS SEVERAL SERMONS Preached upon Sacramental OCCASIONS By THOMAS POWEL Minister of the GOSPEL LONDON Printed by T. Milbourn for Benjamin Harris at the Stationers-Arms in Sweetings-Rents near the Royal-Exchange in Cornhil 1679. SERMON I. PSAL. 42. Vers. 1. As the Hart Panteth after the Water-Brooks so Panteth my Soul after Thee O God Introduction THE Author of this Psalm was David is Concluded on all Hands as well as other Psalms of the like Nature which have not his Inscription upon them Penned by him at some sad Time and in some sad Condition viz. His Exilement from Home and the House of God upon the Occasion of Saul's Persecution who Pursued him from Place to Place and followed him as a Patridge upon the Mountains as himself Expresses it 1 Sam. 26. 20. In the VVords of my Text the Prophet David intimateth his Ardent Affections towards God Illustrating the same by a Similitude of the Hart towards the Rivers of Water Wherein as in all other Similitudes besides there are Two Parts considerable The Proposition and the Reddition The Proposition we have in these VVords As the Hart Panteth after the Water-Brooks Now there is a Double Thirst in the Hart after the Water-Brooks The One is Natural arising from its Temper and Constitution and the Other is Occasional proceeding from the Different Case and Condition in which it is And even so it is in a Christian. The Reddition we have in these VVords My Soul Panteth c. In the Hebrew it is Brayeth More-over The Strength of the Psalmist's Desire is Exprest by another VVord in the Verse following the Text THIRSTETH We have here Represented by David the true Temper Frame and Character of a Christian Soul VVhat David sayes of Himself for his own Particular is true of all Believers in General The Doctrine from the VVords is this Doctrine The Soul of a Christian vehemently desires God In the Opening and Prosecution whereof Three Things will fall under our Consideration 1. The Object of a Christian's Desire and that is God 2. The Subject of a Christian's Desire and that is the Soul 3. The Exercise or Activity of a Christian's Desire and that is Pant●…h after First The Object of a Christian's Desire and that is God Himself Thee O God Other Texts of Scripture there are that fully declares this Psal. 84. 2. 86. 4. A Christian's Desire is 1. After God Chiefly 2. After God Simply First A Christian's Desire is after God Chiefly The Main and Principal Thing that he desires is God An Interest in God Union and Communion with ‖ God A Circle cannot fill a Triangle The whole World cannot fill the Heart of Man Nothing but God can satisfy the Desire of a Christian. God only is the Proper and most Adequate Object of it Nothing but the Water-Brooks can Satisfy the Thirsty Hart Nothing but Enjoyment and Fruition of God can Refresh the Gracious Soul wha●…ever comes short of this is Conde●…ned Whom have I in Heaven but Thee and there is none upon Earth that 〈◊〉 desire besides Thee Psal. 73. 25. These two Places Heaven and Earth do take in the whole Compass and Latitude of Things Desirable but Nothing in any of them less than God will content a Christian God chiefly Nothing but God and only God doth the Gracious Soul desire Nothing but God in the Ordinances and Nothing but God in the Creatures First Nothing but God in the Ordinances as Prayer Hearing and Receiving First T is God in Prayer that the Gracious Soul only desires He reckons Prayer not Prayer unless he me●…ts with God Therefore he Prayes that he might Converse with God Speak to God and Rest in God Vision of God Communion with God and Supplies from God is the End of Prayer No Climbing up to Heaven but by this Iacob's Ladder Secondly T is God in lest God in Judgment should say Sleep on If a Judg give a Charge all Listen if a King Speaks all give Attention When Samuel knew it was the Lord that spake to him he lent an Ear 2 Sam. 3. 5. Speak Lord thy Servant Heareth If God does not Speak to a Soul in a Sermon it Profiteth nothing God must come down in and by the Word upon a Sinner or else the Word will be only as Seed upon Thorny and Stony Ground But if God goes along Powerfully with the Word then it is Effectual even unto the Salvation of the Soul Thirdly 'T is God at a Sacrament that the Gracious Soul only desires He comes not to a Sacrament to Feed upon Bread only but to Feed upon God in Christ. If God be Absent at such a Time his Stomach is lost and he cannot Eat because the Founder of the Feast is not there to Invite and Help him God's Presence is the Heaven of Heaven's and every Ordinance of Divine Institution is a Heaven to the Soul because of the Enjoyment of God in and thereby Therefore God and Christ is the Sweetness of an Ordinance Finally All the Ordinances without God and Christ are but Dead and Lifeless Things very Shadows Secondly Nothing but God in the Creatures satisfies a Gracious Heart God Sweetens a Husband a Wife a Child God in these it is that makes a Believer in Love with them All Outward Comforts are but Skin and Shell without Enjoyment of God All Things to a Christian without God is Nothing