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
A93240	Divine cordials: delivered in ten sermons, upon part of the ninth and tenth chapters of Ezra, in a time of visitation. By that godly and faithfull preacher of Gods Word, Iosiah Shute, B.D. and late rector of Mary Woolnoths in Lumbard-Street London. Published by authority.	Shute, Josias, 1588-1643.; Reynoldes, William.	1644 (1644)	Wing S3714; Thomason E38_7; ESTC R7756	101,687	190

bee called thy sonne It was not his penury and misery which now lay heavy upon him that grieved him so much as the sinne against his Father and therefore he goes over it again saying Father I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight Luke 15.18.21 St. Paul speaking of true Repentance Luk. 15.18.21 which ever hath sorrow for its companion 2 Cor. 7.9 in the tenth verse hee comes to speak of worldly sorrow and it is possible for a Cain 2 Cor. 7.9 10. an Esau a Saul to be sorry after a worldly manner which kind of sorrow is poenitentia poenitenda a repentance to be repented of but there is a godly sorrow never to be sorrowed for I deny not but shame and feare may make way for this as the needle makes way for the thread but yet at last Gods child comes to this that he grieves above all for that he hath grieved God and if there were no hell he would not willingly sin against God any more his heart-breaking is that he hath so much abused his bounty who hath been his best friend Let us above all things labour to mourn for sinning against God no doubt an unsound heart may sorrow for sin thus did Judas I am perswaded he was so sorry that he had betrayed his Mr. that if he had had all the world he would have given it to undoe what he had done and so I may sorrow for my sins but yet if I finde in my selfe such a disposition to the same sins that if occasion were offered and men saw me not and that I were sure to escape Gods judgements then I would commit them againe this is the Spirit of bondage and not the Spirit of adoption but on the contrary if I finde that I grieve above all things for offending God this is not so much a feare to burne with the devill as to displease my God and this is a true filiall feare But I tender weak consciences and therefore I will endeavour to give them satisfaction Objection O say they we feare to sin but it is for feare of shame and hell to whom I answer Solution this is not to be disliked altogether for when I am prone to sin I wish that the consideration of hell may deter me from sinning and to such a soule I say God may work in it a hatred to sin when as he discovers it not Secondly such a soule must labour to grieve and abstaine from and for sin because it displeaseth God But saith the poore soule how shall I attain to this First by earnest and constant prayer to God Secondly by considering the nature of sin which is a filthy thing and very displeasing to God a childe that loves his Father will forbeare to doe what may displease him and I make no doubt but God will so work in his children that they shall abstaine from sin and weep for it not onely for feare of hell but because thereby his holy Majesty is dishonoured Thirdly I would have such to consider the mercies of God which he hath bestowed upon themselves and this land which if they doe they will grieve and be severe against themselves for neglecting so great expressions of bounty such a one wil say What hath God made me hath he redeemed me hath he spared me hitherto and shall I displease him I could not subsist one hour without him therefore let me mourn and grieve for offending so good a God and so gracious a Father Sermon VIII EZRA 10. The latter part of the second Verse and forwards Yet now there is hope in Israch concerning this thing Now therefore let us make a Covenant with our God WEE descend now to another fruit of Ezra his humiliation Shecaniah confesseth the sinne of the people which was of the first magnitude to wit their joyning themselves in marriage with Heathens yet hee despaires not of forgivenesse from God but saith Yet there is hope in Israel concerning this thing From whence I ground this Observation The greatnesse of a sin if there be repentance Doctr. is no impediment to the forgivenesse of it So saith Shecaniah here though wee have committed a great trespasse against our God by taking heathenish women to be our wives yet there is hope in Israel even concerning this I will take some paines in proving this point because it may be of speciall use for tender consciences Reason 1 First it may appeare to be true by the charge that God gives men to repent Isa 1.16 as in Isaiah 1.16 Wash you make you cleane put away the evill of your doings from before mine eyes cease to doe evill So Jerem. Jer. 3.12 3.12 Returne thou back-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you The like wee see in the new Testament Matth. Matth. 3.2 3.2 Repent yee for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand Acts 17.30 So in Acts 17.30 God now commandeth all men every where to repent Now I reason thus if God commands that men should repent of their sinnes then surely there is pardon to be obtained upon repentance for the foulest sins but God commands the greatest sinners to repent therefore upon their repentance they shall be pardoned Nay we shall finde in Scripture that the Lord threatens to plague those that repent not and saith Tertullian God would never threaten the man that repents not if hee meant not to pardon him upon his repentance Nay to adde more weight to that reason we may observe the incouragements which God affords sinners thereby to move them to repent which are so many arguments to assure them that there is pardon for the greatest sinnes as that in Isaiah 1.18 Isa 2.13 Though your sinnes be as-Scarlet they shall he as white as Snow The word there for Scarlet in the original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in the Latin is iterare a thing twice dipt The Lords meaning is this though your sinnes be of a deep dye and tincture yet my mercy shall expunge them if yee repent Mi● 7.19 and in Micah 7.9 it is said He will cast all their sinnes into the depths of the sea Now yee know the sea is of that vastnesse that it will swallow up not onely Mole-hills but the greatest mountaines and so it is with the mercy of God it is so infinite and bottomlesse that it shall pardon the grossest sinners if they repent Reason 2 The second Reason is drawne from the examples of those great sinners on whom God hath shewed mercy our first Parents committed a most grievous sinne by which they overthrew all their posterity and though some wanton wits question their salvation yet we say God had mercy on them Aaron committed a notorious sinne against God in making a golden Calse for the Israelites to worship when their comming out of Egypt was not above a moneth old and when his brother Moses was gone up into the Mount to

receive the Law of God for them it was a sinne of a horrid representation yet for that he found mercy and forgivenesse They were foule sinnes in which David was ingaged and sometimes they put him shrewdly to it causing him to complain and say They were a burthen too heavie for him yet God be thanked he had remission of them A fouler sinner cannot be imagined than Manasseh was who was an Idolater a shedder of innocent bloud in great abundance one that made his sonne passe through the fire and dealt with familiar spirits yet there was hope in Israel for him for upon his repentance hee was received to mercy Look upon Matthew and Zaccheus they were Publicans and Publicans in those dayes were notorious sinners for in the Gospell yee shall finde Publicans and sinners rankt together yet two maine ones of these were converted Shall I tell you of Peter who denyed nay forswore his Lord and Master yet hee obtained mercy Or shall I tell you of the woman which was a sinner in the City out of whom was cast seven devills yet Christ had mercy upon her and forgave her Shall I tell you of Paul who with his owne tongue confesseth that he was a persecuter a blasphemer nay the chief of sinners yet he obtained mercy pardon And when God would extend mercy to such a finner as hee what doth he but proclaime to the world that none should despaire Againe shall I tell you of the incestuous Corinthian who was a notable sinner yet upon his repentance hee was absolved Or shall I tell you of the Corinthians themselves of whom some had been Idolaters Adulterers Covetous Drunkards yet they were washed sanctified and justified when they had truely repented Let us therefore be perswaded and assured that every sinne is remissible if we can but repent Reason 3 The third Reason is drawne from the attributes of God First from his power there is no sinne whatsoever but hee can forgive it therefore the Prophet Micah saith Micah 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee Mi●● 7.18 that pardoneth iniquity hee is not as man who can pardon a few offences but hee can pardon all sinnes as well the great as the small Secondly wee may reason from the justice of God saith the beloved Disciple 1 Joh. 1.9 1. John 1.9 If we confesse our sinnes hee is faith full and just to forgive us our sinnes and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse Thirdly we may reason from the mercy of God that bottomlesse Ocean which can never be exhausted and drawne dry O the depth the breadth the length the height of the mercy of God! the depth of it is such as it cannot be imagined for it is infinite and such is the breadth of it that it reacheth over all the earth and for the length of it it is of a large extension for it is everlasting Psal 117.2 Psal 117.2 and for the height of it it is of such an altitude that it reacheth above the clouds Psal 108.4 Again Psal 108.4 if ye speak of the greatest gift that ever God bestowed on the world it was this he gave his Sonne Jesus Christ to die for sinners and when our Saviour came into the World he did converse with sinners at which though the Scribes and Pharisees snuffed saying He was a companion of Publicans and sinners yet we must know that hee no more contracted pollution from them then the Sunne doth when it shines on a stinking dunghill and yet some of those went into heaven before those learned Rabbies And for the death of our Blessed Lord which was the end of his comming the efficacy of it was such that it was not onely of force to forgive pence but talents and it is the unanimous consent of all the holy Fathers that no sinne is unpardonable if men doe but repent Tertullian saith hee that threatens sinne grants pardon to men upon their repentance and saith Cyprian It is impossible that the whole burnt offering of a contrite spirit should be repelled and Saint Bernard saith The plaister is bigger then the soare and where sin abounded grace hath much more abounded Enough then hath been said for the proof of the point I will onely answer one Objection and so I will come to apply it Will some man say Objection Is the greatnesse of the sin no impediment to the forgivenesse of it What say ye then to the sinne against the holy Ghost those that commit that are never like to obtaine pardon I answer Solution this is no impeachment to the truth which I have delivered for I said and say again If men doe repent though their sins were never so grear they shall be pardoned but the sin against the holy Ghost admits of no repentance therefore if ever thou didst sigh for sinne that was not the sinne against the holy Ghost for such as are guilty of chat transgression are without all sorrow remorse and that sin is not irremissible because God cannot pardon it but because that wicked man cannot performe the condition which God requires of him and that is Repentance as it is with a Patient who spits in the Physicians face and throwes away all good potions prescribed him for his recovery of such a one we say hee is incurable so we say of the sinne against the holy Spirit he that commits it because hee despights the Spirit of God and because hee repells grace being offered him therefore he becomes so obdurated in sinne that hee cannot repent So that notwithstanding this Objection the truth of the point remaines unshaken that the greatnesse of a sinne if there be repentance is no impediment to the remission of it Vse 1 It meets with the old and false position of the Novatian Hereticks who said That men falling into sinne after conversion there was no place for their repentance Cyprian calls the author of that Heresy the enemy of Gods Mercy and the slayer of repentance but they held not constant to this for afterwards they said There was no place for Repentance to him that sinned after Baptisme and not long after they came to mollifie this also saying That a man might repent of small sinnes after Baptisme but if hee fell into great transgressions then there was a falling away utterly but the Fathers of the Church did all fight against these affirming That although men committed great sinnes after Conversion yet Repentance was ut tabula post naufragium as a planck to carry men to land after they had suffered shipwrack Will yee heare some of their arguments First they bring that place in Hebr. 6.4 Hebr. 6.4 where it is said It is impossible for those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift if they shall fall away to renew them again to repentance This place hath much troubled the learned and for resolving it some have said impossible impossible is no more than difficile hard or difficult others say

that such persons could not repent after this life which indeed is impossible but the best exposition is that the place is meant of the sinne against the Holy Ghost now whosoever commits that despights the Spirit of grace and so it comes about that it is impossible hee should be renewed againe by repentance The second Argument they bring is this If God should forgive men grosse sins upon the breach of their Covenant hee should be mutable Not so for it is peremptory with God that men should repent and be pardoned when therefore God pardons a great sinner upon his repentance hee changes not neither is there the least shadow of change in him but the sinner is changed by repentance and amendment Thirdly say they the recovery of great sinners is very questionable in Scripture ●●od 32. as Exod. 32. It is a matter very doubtfull whether God forgave the Israelites their sinne of making a Calf So Jonah 3.9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent ●●nah ● and turn from his fierce anger that we perish not and Peter saith to Simon Magus Acts 8 22. Acts 8.22 Repent therefore of thy wickednesse and pray God if perhaps the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee To which I answer That which is chiefly meant in those places is corporall judgements Secondly all those places tend to the aggravation of their sinnes and not to shut the doore of repentance upon them the last place they urge Hebr. 12.17 is Hebr. 12.17 For yee know that afterward when hee would have inherited the blessing he was rejected for he found no place of repentance though he sought it carefully with tears the meaning of that place is easie it is meant of Isaacs Repentance that he could never be perswaded to alter what he had done when once he had blessed Jacob notwithstanding Esau sought it with tears But secondly suppose it is meant of Esaus repentance yet it would not make for them because it was no true repentance for at the same time he resolved to kill his brother Jacob his repentance was for somewhat he had lost not for what he had done Vse 2 In the second place let it be for the cheering of all drooping spirits and distressed consciences it is the voice of too many in the world what we finde some saying Jerem. 18.12 There is no hope Jerem. 18.12 But I say there is hope Hast thou been an Adulterer there is hope in Israel concerning this if thou repent and forsake that sinne Hast thou been a Covetous person a Drunkard a Swearer there is hope in Israel for these if thou from thy heart repent thee of them Hast thou been a fraudulent person and a deceiver of thy brother repent of this sinne and make him satisfaction and thou shalt be pardoned for there is hope in Israel even concerning this Beloved the Lord hath this day sent the greatest of sinners to tell you That there was never any perished for want of mercy Therefore doe your sinnes grieve you repent of them lie down at the foot of Gods Mercy-seat and sue for pardon in the Name and for the Merits of Jesus Christ In any kinde despaire not for yet there is hope of Mercy and to this purpose remember these things which I shall now tell thee First as it was a sinne in the Israelites to limit Gods Power so it is a sinne to limit his Mercy what sinne can be imagined or committed too great for God to pardon Cain did lie when he said his sinne was greater then could be forgiven I read of one that being told by the Devill That his sinnes were more then could be pardoned and that he could not be saved thinking thereby to make him despaire saith he thou unclean spirit thou art a lyer for if thou couldest repent thou mightest be pardoned Secondly think upon the infinite satisfaction which our blessed Saviour hath made for sinners and he came not onely to cure green and smaller wounds but great and inveterate soares some eight some twelve some thirty eight yeeres old Thirdly think upon what kinde of Persons God hath shewed mercy as Adam and Eve David Manasseh Zaccheus Mary Magdalene Paul and many others who found mercy Fourthly think of this that despaire is the greatest sinne in the world for that wrongeth God in the chiefest of his attributes to wit his mercy therefore the learned say that Cain and Jidas sinned more in despairing then the one did in killing his Brother or the other in betraying his Master Lastly remember this that if thou despairest and diest in that condition thou shuttest the doore of mercy upon thy selfe and thou maist be sure of Hell for thy portion therefore despaire not in any case but withall remember that all this is promised thee upon the condition of thy repentance be sure therefore to repent seriously and speedily First doe it seriously God doth not love that thou shouldest only hang down thy head for a time like a bull rush but thou must be rent within by having a broken and contrite spirit Secondly repent speedily it must not be to day for thee and to morrow for God I know God may and can pardon him that repents at the last houre but if men deferre their repentance out of hope of pardon let them know that hee that hath promised mercy to him that repents doth not say a man may repent when he will and you that have never felt these breakings of soul and horrours of conscience you will finde one day that there is a wide difference between the Devills tempting you to sinne and his afflicting you for sinne for when he tempts men to sin he tells them that the gate of mercy is ever open and that though their sins be never so great yet they may repent for them at pleasure but when a man is in affliction and anguish of soul then he multiplies his lashes and layes on load telling him That God wll shew mercy to none such as he is hee will tell him that his sinnes are more then can be forgiven and with Jobs wife hee will bid him curse God and die therefore think of this now in time for the Devill is never so sweet in his temptations to sin as he is bitter at last in putting men on to despaire for sinne Vse 3 In the third place is God so mercifull as to forgive men the greatest sins upon their repentance Let us then be mercifull to our brethren as our heavenly father is mercifull to us What offence can a man commit against another that the party offended should not forgive Let our displeasure be as just as may be yet there is no reason but wee should forgive our Brother because God is so proclive and ready to forgive us but there be some such who by no means will be reconciled to their Brother who harh offended them but I fear not to tell such that they are not sensible of Gods mercy

under a great judgement and wee hope thou our God dost not think it small but bee it what it will wee are sure thou art just in inflicting it upon us and because contraries doe best appeare when they are brought together yee shall see how contrary the wicked be to the godly in this Cain cryes out that his punishment is greater then he could beare hee complaines not of his sinne but of his punishment as if God punished him more then hee deserved and Saul takes it ill that Samuel should charge him with disobedience though it were grosse and palpable and yee shall finde in Scripture that God exposes his actions to scanning Ierem. 5.19 Ierem. 10.16 that it may appeare to all the world how just he is In Ierem. 5.19 and in Chap. 10.16 the wicked are not ashamed to question God why hee punished them as if hee had done it without cause Ezek. 18.25 So in Ezek. 18.25 They say the Lords wayes were not equall as if he had punished the children for their Fathers sinnes when as the same sinnes were found in the children Mal. 3.8 So in Mal. 3.8 when God challengeth and plagueth them for their transgressions they reply What have wee done As if God punished them without desert and this humour of turning againe will not leave the wicked at the last day for when Christ shall say unto them on his left hand depart yee cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devill and his angels for I was an hungred and yee gave mee no meat I was thirsty and yee gave me no drink then shall they answer him saying Lord when saw we thee an hungred or a thirst Vse 1 This lets us see how the world failes in this particular when God layes his hand on men how apt are they to dispute with God and say why doth hee deale thus and thus with us and by this meanes they are so farre from mitigating that they encrease his hand upon them Nay there bee those presumptuous ones that in argumentation will aske why God elected some and reprobated others but take heed of this is it not enough to knock at the doore but wee must break it open Who art thou O man that repliest to thy Maker Vse 2 Secondly let us alwayes bee perswaded of the justice of God in all his proceedings for though wee see not the reason why hee doth this or that yet there is good reason for it Voluntas Dei secreta sit nunquam injusta the cause why God punisheth may bee hid but it is never unjust Therefore when thy tumultuous flesh shall say with Rebeckah Why am I thus know that it is for thy excesse thy Sabbath-breaking thy hypocrisie thy lewd conversation Therefore change thy note and say with the Church Mich. 7.9 Mich. 7.9 I will beare the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him I know it is a hard thing to suppresse the tumultuous thoughts which arise in men in times of trouble but these must bee laboured agaist with all our power for no man gets by contending with his Maker but multiplies his stroaks Wee proceed now to the reason which hee gives for justifying God for wee remaine yet escaped as it is this day As if hee had said thy goodnesse is demonstrate hee that runnes may read it thou hast been abundantly more mercifull to us then to thousands of our brethren who perished in the captivity for lo we remain even to this day That which I collect from hence is this In generall judgements which God brings upon the World there is still some escaping When God sent the Deluge upon the world Noah and his Family perished not in the fiery shower which God rained on Sodom and Gomorrah Lot and his Daughters perished not nay a whole City to wit Zoar is spared at Lots entreaty When Pharaoh commanded all the male children of the Iewes to bee drowned Moses was preserved and when Iericho was destroyed Rahab and her Family were spared and when for Davids pride seventy thousand were consumed by the Pestilence many thousands in Israel escaped and when the last great Plague was among us thousands and ten thousands had their life for a prey What is the ground of this Reason 1 First all Gods wayes are interveined with mercy Reason 2 Secondly God still spares some to bring them to repentance that they may turn out of the crooked into the straight path Vse 1 Let me advise them that have tasted of Gods mercy in this way never to forget it and for this let me stirre up my own soule to prayse God with you when my next neighbour was smitten dead why was not I smitten also it was only Gods mercy when some in the same house with us were infected and died of the plague why were wee spared it was of Gods meere mercy and it ought to bee marvellous in our eyes Vse 2 Secondly let us bee farre from censuring any that dyed in the last visitation as if they were greater sinners then others farre bee it from us to bee of this wicked humour for many a good soule went to Heaven then and many a Cham was spared Wee are bound to praise him for our selves for why did hee spare us was it not that wee should bee better Gods sparing men is either to harden them or to amend them therefore except wee repent wee shall likewise perish The reason which hee gives on their part is that though God had spared them yet they were before him in their trespasses as if hee had said O Lord thou hast to the full performed thy counterpart with us but wee are yet in our sinnes for wee are as bad or worse then wee were before Here take notice of thus much What a fearefull judgement it is not to profit by afflictions It is that for which God finds great fault with his people in Deut. 29.2.3.4 his hand had been heavie upon their Enemies in their sight and view Deut 29.2.3 4. yet they were never the better So in lsa 1.5 there the Lord saith to Israel Isa 1.5 why should yee bee stricken any more yee will revolt more and more Ierem. 12.13 The like also we see in Ierem. 12.13 They were sick and had no profit This was the sinne of Cain hee was stigmatised for a wretch yet hee was as wicked as hee was before It was also the sinne of Pharaoh Ahab and Ahaz they were all the worse for comming under the rod and are therefore branded by the spirit of God to all posterity There is a great deale of difference between Gods afflicting the godly and the wicked Isa 27.7 as may appeare Isa 27.7 Hath hee smitten them as hee smote those that smote him What is the reason the godly profit by affliction but the wicked are the worse for being afflicted Every thing works together for the best to Gods people but every thing turnes into sinne to the wicked according