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
A93062	The sinfulnesse of evil thoughts: or, a discourse, wherein, the chambers of imagery are unlocked: the cabinet of the heart opened. The secrets of the inner-man disclosed. In the particular discovery of the numerous evil thoughts, to be found in the most of men, with their various, and severall kinds, sinful causes, sad effects, and proper remedies or cures. Together with directions how to observe and keep the heart; the highest, hardest, nad most necessary work of him that would be a real Christian. / By Jo. Sheffeild Pastor of Swithins London.	Sheffeild, John, d. 1680.	1650 (1650)	Wing S3064A; Thomason E1863_1	165,696	337

the least sins when matters are small or doubtfull 1 Sam. 24. 5. much more for foul and manifest sins 2 Sam. 24. 10. Thus it was with David in both those places 3. It feares to partake of other mens sins Num. 16. 4. 4. Flies appearances and shewes of evil 1 Thes 5. 22. Num. 32. 6. Et sequ Josh 22. 16. 2. The heart must be keep in humility Wines are kept best in lowest Cellars the heart in lowest temper An horse may be kept too low but all the danger of the heart is keeping it too high Esa 57. 15. The lowest heart is the fittest habitation for the most High God God is called Deus optimus maximus but Jesus Christ in respect of his humility was Optimus minimus Three things should keep our hearts humble 1. Gods Excellency Esa 6. 2 3 5. Job 42. 6. 2. His many and undeserved mercies Gen. 32. 10. 2 Sam. 7. 18. Nothing doth so kindly humble a gracious heart as Mercies nothing so unkindly puffs up an ungracious heart 3. Thy own great sins Thus it was with Paul 1 Cor. 15. 9. 1 Tim. 1. 13. Never was there a viler sinner then I never more grace shewed from God 3. The heart must be kept up also in due height 2 Chron. 17. 6. Jehoshaphats heart was lifted up in the wayes of God Three things help to lift up the heart and shew it well lifted up 1. When we strive to walk worthy of God Cal. 1. 10. 2. To walk worthy of the Gospel Phil. 1. 27. 3. To walk worthy of heaven and the expectation of it 1 Thes 2. 12. 4. The heart must be kept clean and pure Psal 24. 4. and 73. 1. Mat. 5. 8. We may be too choice of our clothes and houses to keep them clean but cannot be of the heart Three things help to keep the heart clean 1. Oft washing some say Caput nunquam pedes raro manus saepe but Cor saepius saepissinie Jer. 4. 14. Wash thy heart that vain thoughts lodge not Say to them as we say to nasty and slovenly beggers here is no lodging for you 2. Often searching 2 Cor. 13. 5. 3. Frequent and fervent prayer Jam. 4. 7 8. Cleanse your hearts and draw nigh to God joyned Prayer is as Thunder and Wind they purge the ayre this the heart 5. The heart is to be kept in Faith Heb. 10. 22. Habak 2. 4. Three things help to keep the heart in Faith 1. To eye Gods promise this Faiths food and the life of the life of Faith 2. To eye and remember Gods past providences and our Experiences 2 Cor. 1. 10. He hath delivered and doth and will deliver 3. To study Gods alsufficiency Rom. 4. 21. What he promiseth he is able to perform 6. The heart is also to be kept in due fear The Child is well kept when kept in awe so is the heart This is the great heart-keeper and Covenant keeping grace Jer. 32. 40. Three things help to keep the heart in holy fear 1. A due sense of Gods dreadfull Name and Majesty Deut. 28. 48. 2. A due sense of Gods goodness Hosea 3. 5. 3. A continuall sense of our own weaknesse Prov. 28. 14. The child that fears a fall escapes a fall Vis in timore esse securus in securitate time as Bern. Fear in time of security makes secure in time of fear 7. In readinesse and willingnesse 1 Chron. 28. 9. Exod. 35. 2. Gods people are a ready and willing people And as it is a commendation to a man or woman to be handy and ready to be able to take our work and leave it so it is here Three things help to make us more ready and willing 1. Frequency and familiarity with duties Use makes perfectnesse By praying thou wilt learn to pray An instrument daily used is soon fit to play upon long disused asks much time to tune it How unfit must they needs be for prayer that pray not from sabbath to sabbath 2. To consider that God accepts a willing mind for the best deed 2 Cor. 8. 12. 3. All other service is unacceptable to God 1 Chron. 28. 9 10. Unprofitable for us 1 Cor. 9. 17. 8. In steadinesse Psal 108. 1. Act. 11. 23. Cleave to God with full purpose of heart Three times when we should look to keep the heart steady 1. In state of fullnesse The full vessel evenly carried tries the steady hand and head Phil. 4. 12. I can abound and not be proud be lifted up yet not be lifted up A hard lesson 2. In time of straits Psal 112. 8. His heart is established and doth not shrink and warp as unseasoned timber Job said I will not curse God is where he was I am where I was my faith where it was and my integrity I will not let go This another hard lesson 3. In earthly businesse to have the heart steady eying God I am in my calling God sees me This a high lesson The wicked his heart is steady and fixed on the world when at prayer he cant get the world out of his mind the godly have heavenly minds in earthly businesses 3. Wouldst thou be free from evil thoughts then get thy mind filled he which hath his chests his shop and his house filled but his mind empty is a poor man We must not do with our hearts as with our houses have the lower rooms furnisht and have nothing in the upper garrets but trash but have our upper roomes especially furnished Satan comes into the house that is empty swept and garnished But Jesus Christ chuseth to keep his feast in an upper room that is furnished Luke 22. 12. Take some good meditation promise Scripture read next thy heart to keep out wind every morning An empty addle heart is a fit bayt for Satan 4. Get a heart fixed as well as filled that thy spirit sit not loose about thee Keep thy loynes girt this bow continually bent arcum intentio frangit animum remissio It is too much looseness or unbending that breaks the mind as too much bending breaks the bow We love not a garment too big or shoes to slop about our feet We get our armes fixt get thy mind so and be ever and anon saying sursum corda The way of life is above to the wise that he may depart from hell beneath Prov. 15. 24. How safe was David when he could say O God my heart is fixed my heart is fixed Psal 108. 1. And the stable Psal 51. 12. spirit is that he prayes for as well as the right or new spirit The devil makes as good sport with an unfixt spirit as children do with light airy toyes the squibs bubbles and empty hoops which they drive before them or the paper Kite driven with the wind which though never so high mounted they can pull to them when they will these are taken captive by Satan at his will as the Apostle saith 2 Tim. 2. 26. 5. See the Lords eye still upon thee

see the Kings that were immured Josh 10. 22. the chief enemies of thy soul lurk here Here is the root of the matter of sin Here is the Cockatrices den here hells mouth here the devils forge Here are heapes upon heapes of wickednesse treasures of darknesse which the vultures eye of the wicked nor the Eagle eye of the Godly never yet saw open this pit and there steames out so much darknesse as thou shalt not see where thou art Actuall sins are many but sins in the thoughts many more for one act of adultery murder committed a thousand adulteries and murders in the heart Actuall sins are sometimes restrained but the restlesse thoughts are ever sinning The wells of Moab were all stop● by the Israelites 2 King 3. 25. it were well if all the Israelites and people of God in the world could stop up these wells But who can shut up the sea with doores when it breakes forth as if it issued out of the womb Cloudes are the garment of it and thick darknesse the swadling band of it The Job 38. 8 9. same may be said of the heart who can shut it with doores c. thick darknesse is the swadling band of it Know that Gods word is a Judge of thy thoughts and Gods eye is Heb. 4. 12. Psal 139. 1 Cor. 4. 6. Jer. 6. 19. upon the thoughts and Gods judgment day is for the arraigning and discovering of thy thoughts And thy reward will be according to the fruit of thy thoughts And that which will most accuse or excuse thee Condemne or quit thee in that day will be thy thoughts Ro. 2. 15. Oh what a sad thing it will be when the Lord shall lay open all thy thoughts and say thus thou didst and thus Psal 50. 21. thou thoughtest thy thought still worse then thy deed a professor in word an hypocrite in thy heart a Saint at Church a devil in thy thoughts charitable in word covetous in thy thoughts courteous in words false and treacherous in thy thoughts Item so many thousands of Atheisticall Impious hard thoughts of God Item as many Injurious malicious revengefull mischievous thought towards others Item as many more Unclean proud and vain thoughts besides that thy hear● was full off Item so many worldly plodding thoughts which all perisht with thee Psal 146. 4. When thou wouldest preserve them Item so many good thoughts which perisht in thee because thou wast so cruell to stifle and strangle them 3. To fly to the fountain opened for sin and uncleannesse These evil thoughts where other foul sins have not broke out shew us what an absolute universall continuall need all have to fly to Christ Jesus These fiery serpents should make us look up to this Brasen Num. 21. serpent for justifying sanctifying and healing mercies This Leprosie is onely to be healed by Jordan not by Abana and Pharpar waters The bloud and spirit of Christ are the onely meanes to cure this Leper as the bloud of the dead bird and water with the living bird cleansed the legall Leprosie And as the separation water mixed with the ashes of the slain heifer purified all uncleannesse Lev. 16. Num. 19. So it is onely the bloud of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered himself without spot to God which can purge our consciences from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. For as when we were in the flesh the motions of sin which were in the flesh did bring forth fruit unto death so being married and joyned unto Christ we shall bring forth fruit unto God Ro. 7. 5 6. I have read of some springs that change the colour of the cattle that drink of them into the colour of their own waters as Du Bartas sings Cerona Xanth and Cephisus do make The thirsty flocks that of their waters take Black red and white And neer the crimson deep The Arabian fountain maketh crimson sheep Jesus Christ is such a fountain in which whosoever bathes and of which whosoever drinkes shall be changed into the same likenesse and as he is pure so shall they be presented without spot before God through him CHAP. XXXIII An use of Examination with certaine notes to know whether the thoughts be good or bad I should now come to make an use of Examination but that is thy work not mine I am to examine my own heart and thoughts not anothers and thou art to examine thine And we should make many such uses of examination or else God will make one sad one for us All other uses of this doctrine are in vain if this be neglected Be thou daily in this counting house nec te qusr siveris extra If any be so impious as to say who made me my brothers keeper let none be so bruitish as to say who made me my own keeper send Amaziahs Gen. 4. 9. challenge to thy heart and say come let us see one another in the face let thee and I 2. Ch. 25. 17. commune together And if thy heart send thee Sanballats message in good earnest come let us meet together and have a personall Neh. 6. 2 3. and private treaty Say not I am about other businesse why should my work stand still Leave all worldly businesse to heare what this friend hath to say to thee This is to be daily practised to prevent that long examination at last and if we did thus Judge our selves we should not be judged of the Lord To this duty we are oft exhorted 1 Cor. 11. 28. 2 Cor. 13. 5. And I shall give a few notes whereby to try whether our thoughts be good or bad after I have answered one objection Ob. If the heart be as the thoughts be then I hope I have a good heart for I have good thoughts Ans All good thoughts argue not the heart good as we said all evil thoughts prove not the heart evil The most wicked man that lives may have some good thoughts 1. He hath one single good thought not many God is not in all his thoughts Psal 10. 4. yea in very few of them But one swallow makes not a spring 2. His thoughts are ordinarily and habitually evil he may have accidentally and occasionally some good thought at a Sermon c. as Agrippa Felix c. 3. Yet that good thought is transient not deliberate as a good mans bad thought is transient but good deliberate 4. And it is usually checkt and smothered when conceived or suggested as Satan injects evil to the Godly but he casts out so do the wicked when God injecteth good God casts in he casts out as fast at an other time a good motion is cast in he casts it our again They fall as sparkes upon dank tinder they take not They are like the summer fruits eaten up as soon as touched Esa 28. 4. 5. And likely thy good thoughts are impertinent and prepo●●erous the devil when thou art at Sermon or at prayer will

beleeveth there is a possibility that thou maiest beleeve though yet thou dost not or canst not Say I cannot beleeve if thou wilt Say not with Thomas I shall no● I will not beleeve yet didst thou so Jo. 20. 25. conclude thou mightest after come to cry out with highest rejoycings of assurance with him My Lord and my God Nay if Jo. 20. 28. thou art come to that to say there is no possibility in thee to be saved Are our impossibles impossible with God Our Saviour speaking of the difficulty of the salvation of some resolves and staies it upon Gods omnipotency With man this is impossible but with Mar. 10. 27. God all things are possible Hang therefore upon possibility to beget desires and on these desires till thou gettest hope on hope above or against hope till thou come to faith on faith till thou come to assurance Say I will look up to his holy temple I will Jonah 2. 4. look up to the mercy-seat and if I perish I will not perish with my hands in my bosome but I will repent mourn pray and when I have done my part the Lord do with me what he will I have read of one in despair whom Satan perswaded in was in vain to pray or serve God for he must certainly go to Hell who yet went to prayer and begged of God that if he must go to Hell when he died yet he would please to give him leave to serve him while he lived upon which his terrors vanished being clearly convinced none could pray that prayer that had sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost 5. Let me say to thee as Tamar to Amnon in another case This later evil in turning 2 Sam. 13. 16. mercy out of doors is worse then the former in abusing it and forcing it to serve thy lusts Both are nought this worse The sin of Cain despairing was worse then the killing his brother there he wronged Justice here mercy thereby he violated the law hereby he disparaged the Gospel thereby he set light by the bloud of his brother hereby of the bloud of a Saviour which crieth louder for better things then the bloud of Abel for vengeance we say the like of Judas despair Heb. 12. 24. it was a greater sin then the betraying of his Master Lastly If thou must have examples to encourage thee who sayest none was ever such a one as my self and pardoned consider what is written in Scripture Manasses was a man given over to all wickednesse an Idelater 2 Chron. 33. 3 4 5 6 7. Corrupter of Gods worship a man of bloud a consulter with familiar spirits the greatest contemner of the Prophets and commands of God that could be yet found mercy when he was humbled And Paul who had been before a persecutor and a blasphemer and injurious in the highest degree 1 Tim. 1. 13 14 15. to make him the greatest of sinners yet found mercy We could instance in some others of our own knowledge having many gracious experiences of that truth Where sin hath abounded grace hath more then abounded super abounded And where sin hath reigned as a tyrant Ro. 5. 20. 21. unto death and condemnation grace hath reigned as a gracious King unto eternall life in acts of pardon and mercy through Jesus Christ But I shall content my selfe to give thee one as sad an example as you shall ordinarily meet with out of Aretius a Godly and eminent Author speaking of the sin against the Holy Ghost I saw saith he and knew the man my self and it is no fained story There was saith he a Merchant at Strasbourgh whose whole l●fe was abominable for whordome Usury drunkennesse contempt of Gods word he spent his lfe in gaming and whoring to his old age at Aret. in Mat. 12. 32. last he came to reflect on himself and be sensible of the dreadfull judgments of God hanging over his head Then did his conscience so affright and the Devil accuse and terrifie him that he fell into open and down right desperation he confessed and yeelded himselfe to the Devil as being his he said the mercy and grace of God could not be so great as to pardon sins so great as his Then what horrour was upon him gnashing of death weeping wayling yea he would challenge Satan and wish the Devill would fetch him away to his destined torments he threw himselfe all along upon the ground refused both meat and drink had you seen him you could never have forgot him wh●le you had lived you had seen the fullest pattern of a despairing person Yet saith after the many paines of Godly and learned men who came to him watched with him reasoned with him laid open the word and will of God and after many prayers publick and private put up for him at length he recovered and became truly penitent and having lived piously for certain years after he died peaceably Wherefore he concludeth it is not an easy matter to determine of any man sinning against the Holy Ghost and uncape●ble of mercy so long as he yet live● CHAP. XV. Of presumptuous thoughts BUT of the thoughts of presumption the world is more full It is that which first digged and opened the Pit of Hell now keepes it open at length will fill it up brim full This is Satans standard-bearer And of this we may safely say It was the first sin in the world The Original sin of the lapsing Angels who not content with their allotted station in so high glory thought it no robbery to be equal with God and having entertained such a presumptuous thought of a Dii erimus they aspired after it and were thrown into Hell with it so that their place is no more found in heaven nor any place for presumption there since But this their originall sin they soon propagated to mankind soon after falling Satan in the likenesse of a subtle serpent buzzing in their heads a Dii eritis ye shall be as Gods they Gen. 3. 5. neither regarding precept or threat to the contrary were soon tainted with it and were justly for their presumption cast out of Paradise But though it could find no place in Heaven or Paradise it hath overspread the whole world And this Dii eritis as one saith will never die but in every presumptuous sin or attempt or rising of heart there is a spice of it Dii sumus or Dii erimus we will be as Gods and as for the Lord every presumptuous sinner saith in his heart I know him not Ex. 5 3. Psal 12. 〈◊〉 Who shall be Lord over us And being bred in the flesh it will never be out of the bone as we say every one more or lesse tainted with it And there are presumptuous thoughts of two kinds we are subject unto Carnall and spirituall presumption 1. Carnall all are subject unto hence if we have an arm of flesh to trust in how apt Jer. 17. 5. are