Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	judgement_n	sin_n	sinner_n	2,057	5	7.5058	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08768	A sermon preached at Gouldsbrough in Yorke-shire, before the right worshipfull Sir Richard Hutton knight, one of His Maiesties iustices of the Court of Common Pleas	Oxley, Robert.	1622 (1622)	STC 19052.8; ESTC S2836	13,684	28

matter is we may well feare that it is our rebellion against God that makes this commotion of the creatures against vs hath not the Lord of late time cast forth his ice like morsels It will be remembred whilst Chronicles can speake that within these few yeeres the earth was fast bound with a prodigious frost to Englands wonderment when Thames was paued for cart and carriage on one day able to support a waight of wonder and on the next dissolued into liquid waters at that time it pierced so deepe into the bowels of the earth that the effects thereof as yet are sensible Surely this should warne vs of our zeale to God-wards more cold then isicles on a winters day hanging at our doores strange it is that so many Sun-shines as haue beene since and showers of Gods mercies still powred vpon vs should not haue thawed our frozen hearts and bred an alteration of life in vs. But not to trouble you with recounting things past obserue but with me this iudgement that euen now hangs ouer you now is your haruest come at which time as the old saying is God openeth his barne doores and inuites your labours to gather your winter prouision but doth not he himselfe vse the blustring windes as his flaile to thresh the corne out of the eare before you can get it from off the earth Now hath God spread his table for so I may terme the earth and furnished it with daintie cates and viands with a rich store of corne and grasse but doth he not vse immoderate showers and vnmercifull flouds as a voider to take all away before you haue staid your stomacks Thinke not that this comes by chance nor fix your eies vpon the arrow that wounds you but vpon the hand that drew the bow looke higher then the clouds and you shall see the finger of God in the worke for the inter-course and change of weather is ordered by his prouidence Amos. 4.7 I saith the Lord haue with-holden the raine from you when there was yet three moneths to the haruest I caused it to raine vpon one citie and caused it not to raine vpon another citie And Job 38.28 Hath the raine a Father saith Iob and who hath begotten the drops of dew Ierem. 14.22 And Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause raine saith a Prophet or can the heauens giue showers art not thou only he ô Lord our God This granted scil that the clouds are Gods bottles and that he only emptieth them when where and in what measure he will it plainly appeares that this vnseasonable season is his messenger purposely sent either 1. To trie our patience or 2. To reclaime vs from our sinnes 1. If for the former end we ought to be so far from grudging and murmuring at it that contrarily wee should welcome it with a cheerefull heart When a man would buy an earthen vessell he will knocke vpon it with his hand and iudge of the soundnesse of it by the sound when God doth knocke vpon vs by any crosse if we sound cleerely and beare our selues cheerefully it is a hopefull signe that we are meet for his acceptance but if we returne an hoarse noise of murmuring and repining it is a fearfull token that we shall be reiected 2. But if this messenger be not sent so much to trie our patience as to reclaime vs from our sinnes if these immoderate showers tell vs that our sinnes haue kept no low water the tide of them hath euer beene swelling then let vs humble our selues before God by repentance lest he humble vs with greater afflictions and seeing that the waters of sinne haue descended downe into our soules let vs draw them vp againe with buckets of sighes and pumpe them out in riuers of teares let our eies gush forth with teares in passion for our selues in compassion for others because neither we nor they haue so kept the law of God as we ought this if we performe happily it may be a meanes to preuent Gods further iudgements and to reconcile vs againe to his fauour and euery one of vs ought to performe this because that though this iudgement be not alike shewed against our whole land but some part and therein some persons doe specially feele the smart of it yet tunc tua res agitur we should be so sensible one of anothers miseries that we should take these iudgements that befall others as warnings sent to admonish vs. Those vpon whom the tower of Siloan fell were they greater sinners then all the rest in Hierusalem I tell you no saith Christ but except you repent ye shall likewise perish In that any are spared it is of his mercie the Lord hath often heretofore and euen now hath found vs securely sleeping in our sins as Dauid found Saul sleeping in a caue cutting a peece of our garment touching a corner of our land with afflictions and though we haue all deserued to feele the scourge of his iudgement yet of his mercie hee leaues peace within our Walls plentie within our Palaces making good the prouerbe concerning the rainbow scil that Gods bowe is without a bolt he threatneth much and warneth often before he will suffer his whole displeasure to arise what then Shall we continue in sinne that grace may abound God forbid nay God hath forbidden it for that will inhance his wrath and improue his anger against vs rather let vs feare that the regions are not yet white for the haruest the sinnes of the land are not yet mellow for Gods iudgements but like a bottle cast into the water which whilst it is but partly full leaneth to the one side but when it is filled to the brim it sinketh directly to the bottome so we ought to feare that though in respect of Gods iudgements our land yet leaneth but to the one side yet when those waters of Mara those bitter waters are brim full when the sinne of the land the measure of iniquitie is filled there is then nothing to be looked for but an vtter ruine and downe-fall What shall I say then 1 Reg. 18.44 Arise quoth Elias to Ahab I heare a sound of abundance of raine prepare thy Chariot except thou passe quickly thou canst not passe Here the sound of the raine preuented the danger that might haue come by it O that it would be so with vs that being fore-warned we would be fore-armed that the sound fore-telling of the iudgement would be a meanes to preuent the execution thereof doubtlesse our sinnes haue iustly prouoked Gods iustice to proceed to the chastisement of sinners yet in his mercie he first puts the axe to the root of the tree to see if reformation of manners and amendment of life will preuent the cutting downe Let vs therefore make vse of Gods admonitions and be schooled by them lest if we continue in our sinnes we force the Lord to extend his wrath against vs to turne our