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

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A73600	The beginning of the doctrine of Christ. Or A catalogue of sinnes shewing how a Christian may finde out the euils, hee must take notice of in his repentance. With rules, that shew a course, how any Christian may be deliuered from the guilt and power of all his sinnes. By N. Bifield preacher of Gods Word, at Isleworth in Middlesex.	Byfield, Nicholas, 1579-1622.	1619 (1619)	STC 4209.5; ESTC S124660	29,521	189

of Chap. 13. Hosh 14. 3. 4. 5. 6. Math. 5. 6. 1. Cor. 11. 31. 32. Iam. 4. 9. Now when thou hast written out these Promises and dost vnderstand the How these promises are to be vsed meaning of them then carrie them into Gods presence as thou diddest the Catalogue of sinnes and now beseech God for Iesus Christs sake to incline thy heart to beleeue these promises of Grace and to this end pray vnto God from time to time till the Lord be pleased to let thee feele life in the Promises or a cleere perswasion withal beseech God by the Spirit of Promise from Heauen to seale vp thy interest heerein and if thou feele the ioyes of the holy Ghost fall vpon thee in any of these Promises O happy man that euer thou wast born to such a rich estate I say the same of this sensible life in the promises that I did before of godly sorrow It may be the Lord will heare thee at the first if not persist thou to beg this grace till thou obtainest it Thou seest forgiuenesse of all thy sins which thou hast confessed is promised thee vrge the Lord with most humble deprecation to heare thee for the pardon and forgiuenesse of them for the mediation sake of Iesus Christ and his merits that sits at his right hand to make request for poor sinners that seek mercy Now when thou hast felt the Promises to be any of them spirit life to thee then hast thou done this most glorious exercise and thou hast cause to praise GOD all the daies of thy life what thou shouldest afterward doe the Treatises following will shew thee but for thy more cleare satisfaction I will answer a question Qu. Thou wilt say I could take comfort in this course hauing done these things but that I doubt whether my confession or sorrow be right or no. For I finde that wicked men in Scripture haue confessed their sinnes and mourned too An. Thou maist euidently try thy confession and sorrow by these signes of difference 1. Wicked men haue confessed their sins and sorrowed but both were compelled whereas thine is voluntarily and so a free-will offering 2. Caine and Iudas confessed sinne but it was not all sorts of sinnes but onely the capitall crimes known by them by which they had shamed and vndone themselues 3. The sorrowes of wicked men were more for the punishment then for the sinne No wicked man can bee sorry for sinne as it is sinne nor did they sorrow for all sorts of sinnes but for the sinnes before described 4. Their confession and sorrowes were not ioyned with an vnfeigned desire to forsake sin wheras this is an infallible signe of true repentāce when a man can as hartily desire that hee might neuer commit sinne as heartily I say desire it as he would that God shuld neuer impute it When a man can say before the Lord that there is no sinne but he doth as vnfeignedly desire God to giue him strength to leaue it and forsake it as he doth desire that God should forgiue him and not plague him for it I say this is such a signe as was neuer found in a wicked man in any age of the world 5. The confession sorrowes of the wicked were not ioyned with any perswasion of Gods goodnesse or any constant desire to find mercy with GOD in Iesus Christ Thus haue I shewed thee the directions which concerne this first and most weighty businesse that can concerne thee There are three sorts of This direction concernes 3. sorts of men men whom this direction concernes 1. Such as neuer repented 2. Such as though they haue repented yet haue not the comfort and assurance of their repentance who by following these directions may make all out of doubt 3. Such as after calling fall into grosse sinnes These haue neede to recouer themselues by the helpe of these directions The Catalogue following may serue for other vses besides Other vses of the Catalogue this of a mans practise in his repentance at his first conuersion or after Apostacie For 1. As in a small Map a man may heere see the sorts of sin and so may get knowledge quickly what euils to auoide which hitherto hee hath not taken notice of 2. It may serue before the Communion for such as would make a generall suruey of their sinnes in discharge of that examination which the Apostle mentioneth 1. Cor. 11. For howsoeuer this large Catalogue be not of necessity requisite to that examination yet vnto such as haue leisure and fitnesse it is profitable for their more aboundant satisfaction The misery of such as will not be aduised to take a sound course about their sinnes To conclude if any man that reades these presents and is guilty to himselfe that hee hath hitherto taken no sound course about his sinnes and yet will not bee perswaded to practise these directions Let him consider that so long as his sinnes bee vnrepented on his part and vnremitted on Gods part the pollution of all the sinnes hee euer committed still cleaues vnto him so as he may iustly with the Leper cry Vncleane vncleane yea all his sinnes are written as it were with a penne of iron in Gods Booke of remembrance that hee is a meere stranger from all Gods promises and liues without God and without Christ in the world and that all hee doth euen his best workes are abhominable to God and that seas of wrath hang ouer his head and vnspeakeable woe will be to him in the appearing of Iesus Christ if he preuent it not by sound and speedy repentance CHAP. III. The diuision of Sinnes and the Catalogue of Sinne against the whole Law ALl the sinnes mentioned and condemned in the Bible may bee cast into 4. rankes For they are 1. Eyther sins against the whole Law that is such as may be committed against any of the Commandements 2. Or sinnes against the first table of the Law 3. Or sinnes against the second table of the Law 4. Or sinnes against the Gospell 1. The first sort of sinnes are sins against the whole Law and thus he sinneth That is conceiued in sin Originall sinne Psal 51. 5. That allowes not the good he doth Rom. 7. 15. That doth the euill hee hates vers 15. That hath not goodnesse dwelling in him ver 18. That doth not the good he would ver 19. That hath euill present when he would do good vers 21. That hath a Law in his members rebelling against the law of his minde ver 23. That hath not knowledge Ignorāce to do good Ier. 4. 22. Hos 4 6. Isaiah 1. 3. This is aggrauated 1. If thou refuse knowledge and wilt not vnderstand Iob 21. 14. Ps 36. 4. 2. If thou walke not in the light whilest thou hast the light Iohn 12. 3. If thou hate him that instructeth thee Amos 3. 10. 4. If thou detaine the truth for the loue thou bearest to wickednesse Rom. 1.

THE BEGINNING OF THE DOCTRINE of CHRIST OR A Catalogue of sinnes shewing how a Christian may finde out the euils hee must take notice of in his Repentance With Rules that shew a course how any Christian may be deliuered from the guilt and power of all his sinnes By N. BIFIELD Preacher of Gods Word at Isleworth in Middlesex LAM 3. 40. Let vs search and try our wayes and turne againe vnto the Lord. LONDON Printed by G. P. for R. Rounthwaite and are to be sold at his Shop in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Flower de-luce and Crowne 1619. TO THE MVCH Honoured Ladies the Lady ANNE GLEERE and the Ladie ANNE FINCH and the Ladie IONE HERICK N. Bifield wisheth all increase of the true grace of Christ and the blessed fruition of the glory of God in Heauen Worthy Ladies LAmentable are the ruines into which the natures of men are generally fallen by their sinnes which appeares especially by the waies men take in the businesse of their soule The most men are cleane out of the way to heauen and walke in by-waies of their owne which are called in Scripture the wayes of the wicked the wayes of their owne hearts Peruerse wayes Darke and slipperie wayes The way of iniquitie All meeting in that broad way that leadeth to destruction being wholly ignorant of the way of life and peace yea the most of them speake euill of the good way of God and persecute it Some there are that are so farre inlightned as not to like the common roade-way of the multitude and after some inquiry haue found them out wayes that seeme good in their owne eyes and they are wonderfully well pleased with their course but the issues of these wayes are death too as well as the former and the more is this danger increased vpon men because the way of life is but one and it is a narrow way and hard to finde and may bee sought by many and yet not found Yet this hope is left vnto forlorne men that there is a way to heauen and happinesse A way of righteousnesse and peace a way of mercy and truth of wisedome A way that men may securely and safely walke in a way in which Christ will guide them God the Father will keepe them and the holy Ghost leade them by the hand and direct them in all the passages thereof Onely it concerneth vs to aske the way with all importunity of God and to attend vnto the directions of the word of God and apply our hearts and suffer our selues to bee disposed aright that our eyes may see the saluation of God and in particular we must look to three things First that if the Lord shew vs that mercy to direct vs in the way wee must take heed that wee neglect not or despise not the care of walking in the way Secondly that with all diligence we auoide going about and make straight steps to our feet and thirdly with all feare watch our selues that wee fall not off with the errours of the wicked from the good way of God and so our latter end bee worse then our beginning I haue vndertaken by the assistance of God and the directions of his blessed Word to single out the choisest things I could finde in the Scriptures concerning the entrance into this way of God and those first pathes which are called holy The substance of these directions I haue digested into the Treatise following which I dedicate vnto your Ladiships as a testimony of my thankfulnesse for the respect you haue shewed vnto my Ministerie both in your constant resort vnto it in the weeke daies while you liued in a neighbour Parish and in that two of you are pleased to come to liue amongst vs and so are become a part of my charge as also to manifest to the world my obseruance of your Ladiships for the good report you haue amongst the godly for the grace of Iesus Christ and your vnfaigned loue of the truth Beseeching your Acceptation Perusall and Patronage of these I take my leaue and commend your Ladiships to the God of mercy and truth who guide comfort deliuer sanctifie and preserue you all vnto the Day of Iesus Christ Your Ladiships to bee commanded in Christ Iesus N. BIFIELD Febr. 12. 1619. The chiefest things contained in the first BOOKE CHAP. I. THE Contents of all the six Treatises briefly set downe pag. 1. to the 11 The persons whom those Treatises concerne pag. 11. 12 Incouragement to the study of those things p. 13. to 18 Generall directions by way of preparation p. 18. to 22 CHAP. II. THe rules that shew distinctly what men must doe about their sins p. 22 to 59 Motiues to perswade to the care of these rules pag. 23. 24 Three rules of preparation pag. 24. 25. 26 Foure things deliuer vs from all sinnes past p. 27 About the gathering of the Catalogue of sins p. 27. to 35 About the confession of our sinnes p. 35. to 38 About sorrow for our sinnes and how it may bee attained p. 38. to 43 About the application of the promises and how it may be done p. 43. 44. 45. to 51 The speciall promises made to such as haue confessed and sorrowed for their sinnes p. 46. 47. 48 How men may know whether their confession and sorrow for their sinnes bee right or no. p. 52. 53. 54 Three sorts of men may profite by these Directions p. 55 Other vses of the Catalogue of sinnes p. 56 The misery of such as will not be aduised to take a sound course about their sinnes p. 57 CHAP. III. THE sinnes against the whole Law where of originall sinne ignorance procrastination vaine-glory security hypocrisie selfe-loue inconstancy c. p. 59. to 67 CHAP. IIII. THE diuision of the sinnes against the first Table and the sorts of sinnes against Gods Nature Seuen monstrous offences pa. 68. 69 Of naturall Atheisme pag. 70. 71. and Epicurisme p. 72 Of the defects of grace and the mis-placing of our affections p. 7● 7● How many wayes men sinne against the mercy of God pag. 74. 75. and the feare of God pag. 78. 79. and the trust in God pag. 80 CHAP. V. HOw many wayes men offend against the meanes of Gods worship How many wayes men offend By not worshipping p. 83. 84 By will-worshipping p. 85. 86 By Idol worshipping p. 87. 88 CHAP. VI. HOw many wayes men sin against the manner of Gods worship Offences that may bee committed in the manner of doing any part of Gods seruice pag. 91 Sinnes in hearing p. 92 Sinnes in prayer p. 93 Sins about the Sacraments p. 94 Sinnes about an oath p. 95 CHAP. VII SInnes about the time of Gods worship The secret offences against the Sabbath p. 96 The open breaches of the Sabbath p. 97 CHAP. VIII THE diuisions of the sins against the second Table The sins Of wiues and husbands p. 101 Of children and parents p. 102. 103 Of seruants and Masters p. 105 106 Of Subiects and