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
A11603	Sermons experimentall: on Psalmes CXVI. & CXVII. Very vsefull for a vvounded spirit. By William Sclater D.D. sometimes rector of Limsham, and vicar of Pitmister, in Summerset-shire. Published by his son William Sclater Mr. of Arts, late fellow of Kings Colledge in Cambridge, now a priest, and preacher of the Gospel in the city of Exeter, in Devon-shire.	Sclater, William, 1575-1626.; Sclater, William, 1609-1661.	1638 (1638)	STC 21844; ESTC S116824	112,358	217

disturb the sweet peace of our souls they may have their motions their stirrings in us but when they grow tumultuous check curb controule correct them How to judge of passions inordinate Thus learn to know when they are faulty First Do they exceed their measure Grow they unreasonable So that if thou shouldest ask thy soul as Rahel Why am I thus as David Why art thou so disquieted within me And canst thou give no reason when permitted to such measure Then think thy otherwise lawfull are turned to be sinfull passions Secondly Do they disturb reason and understanding stupifie and benumbe it that it cannot stirre it self to meditate or do they command in the soul Then know they are immoderate Thirdly Do they hinder performance of holy and necessary duties invocation meditation c. or but cast dulnesse upon the soul in the performance of these duties Then know they are grown immoderate I say not but to such measure they may arise in the wisest and most sanctified yet when they do rise to this height they have in them what deserves our check Now the remedy or means to work it in us is to consider Gods bountifull dealing with us see Psal 42.5 11. and 43.5 and but the expressions of Gods favour in that kinde nothing can settle the disquiet of the soul Vse Let us be exhorted in prudence to direct our meditations from our pressures to the bounty of God which in other particulars many and many we enjoy there was never childe of God so followed with Gods storms but he had left him some pledges of favor to support him had he had wisdome to meditate on them under Gods hand The cunning of the tempter is this To keepe the minde wholly musing on our evills diverting us from the mercy God remembers in the midst of judgement Hab. 3.2 See I beseech you see the enumeration of favours that David hath Psal 103.3 who forgiveth all thy sinnes healeth all thy diseases redeemeth thy life from destruction crowneth with loving kindnesse and tender mercies who satisfieth thy mouth with good things which executeth judgement for the oppressed which makes known his wayes to his children and which toucheth the point in hand Vers 9 10. He neither keeps his anger for ever nor deals with us according to our sinnes punishing ever Citra condignum rewarding Vltra condignum Oh that this people were wise to consider how favourable how bountifull God is in the sharpest of his corrections How would it silence passion How well should we hereby provide for the rest of our souls VERSE VIII For thou hast delivered my soul from death mine eyes from tears and my feet from falling IN this Verse David gives us the evidence of Gods bounty to him in the enumeration of particular favours conferred on him wherein are First The severall favours Secondly The result or issue of them Vers 9. The favour in generall is deliverance From what if you will know First From misery painfull from death yea from tears for the sentence riseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Secondly From misery sinfull My feet from falling For the sense Thou hast delivered that is rescued as Psal 6.4 even when he was at the pits brink he rescued My soul That Tropically put sometimes for the Person as Exod. 1.5 Act. 27.37 sometimes for life as Hest 7.3 Gen. 9.5 Iob 2.4 6. whether sense you take you erre not they are co-incident Me or my life Else thus The soul hath a twofold consideration First As a naturall form of a body so organized so it lives in the body Secondly As a spirituall substance or subsistence having in it a power to subsist and exist in it self without the body Death for the time deprives it of the life that it hath in the body not of that life or being it hath in it self But this not all the benefit Not onely so set me out of deadly perill but which yet more amplifies his bounty Mine eyes from tears The meaning is From all sorrow or evidence of sorrow or cause of sorrow in respect of outward perill as Apoc. 21.4 When God is said to wipe all tears from the eyes of his Saints The meaning is He takes from them all sorrow and crying and pain as the Spirit explicates himself And my feet from falling That is Me from falling Synechdoche Metaleptica But so see we the nature of a heart truly thankful to God there is not a blessing nor degree of a blessing nor circumstance of a blessing but it takes notice of and publisheth My soul from death my feet from falling Rescued me when falling that the circumstance Mine eyes from tears the degree Psal 103.2 Forget not all that is not any one of his benefits so also Ephe. 1. From Verse the third to the fourteenth Paul for his own particular 1 Tim. 1.12 13 14. generally for us all Rom. 5. from vers 6. to the 11. see also Psal 107.8 To praise is not simply to say him a thank but to commend and amplifie the riches of his grace and mercy towards us Lord that we had Davids spirit Vse that our mouthes might thus be filled with the praise of the Lord How should the Lord rejoyce over us and delight to do us good Wonderfull hath the Lord been in his mercy towards us in the many deliverances of our Nation from forraigne violence in our peace plenty liberty of the Gospel and plenty of his word purely preached whether we consider the blessings in themselves or measures of the blessings or circumstances of time persons behaviour c. And yet I know not how whether through continuance and long enjoying or whether through opinion that they come to us by ordinary course the greatest blessings have lost much of their price that it is to be feared the Lord means by lack of them to let us see their worth and learn better to esteem them The better to enlarge our hearts to the duty and to teach you how in meditating Gods favours to be holily Rhetoricall Let me minde you First of the misery that is in the want suppose it be in remission of sinnes in knowledge of God in peace of conscience in ministery of the word c. Secondly Our unworthinesse to obtain such blessings Gen. 32.10 I am lesse saith Iacob then all thy goodnesse and the good Centurio● Mat. 8.8 Lord I am not worthy which and much more we shall easily force our selves to confesse if we consider our behaviour before God unconverted full of obstinacie and of disobedience Tit. 3.3 1 Tim. 1.13 and with all our unthankfulnesse and neglect and abuse of his favours since our calling enjoyed see Ezra 9.8 13. Thirdly Our impotencie without grace of God to acquire or retain them Rom. 5.8 Fourthly The preferment God hath given us either in the blessings or in the measure of the blessings or in the circumstances see Psal 147.19 20. Fiftly Comparing our selves with others perhaps more righteous then our selves more

thou so regardest him The rather because it is a teaching peculiar to Gods children that though the generalls of Doctrine touching Gods Nature and Will and speciall love to his children be propounded to all mens mindes in the Church yet this experimentall teaching in things that concern life and godlinesse is the priveledge of the chosen Ioh. 6.45 They shall be all taught of God they onely in this manner no men but Gods Elect have that experience of what God hath made severall to his servants There are two kindes or degrees of knowledge One speculative the other practicall or experimentall The speculative standeth in contemplation this had Balaam Numb 23.10 thence grew his passionate wish Oh let my soul die the death of the righteous The all-sufficiencie of the merits of Christ to salvation wicked contemplate so of remission of sins c. but the experimentall knowledge of all these is the privelege of his chosen onely But note we how from particular experience he inferres a generall Rule Will it proceed God tenderly respects the life of David Is he therefore so to all his children Above in the handling of the fifth Verse we had an enquiry How farre generall inferences of duty might be made from particulars and the last Lords-day how farre the same might be made from example Now it is to be enquired How farre generall Doctrines of favour may be made from particular experiments Surely ye shall finde it common in Scriptures from particular actions of God in patience or mercy or power to inferre generall conclusions see 2 Pet. 2.9 He saved Lot Noah therefore knows how to deliver his He had mercy on me repenting therefore will save all penitent sinners 1 Tim. 1.16 With Jews receiving Sacraments he was not pleased 1 Cor. 10.5 therefore may not Christians presume of favour because they enjoy the Sacraments He plagued them for murmuring for idolatry fornication therefore take heed of like sinnes Rom. 11.20 He spared not naturall branches therefore not thee but fear also not being high-minded thine own cutting off likewise Cautions here are these First Be sure thy conclusion be delivered in the word of God then spare not to inferre according to the latitude thereof with God there is no respect of persons A conclusion in the word of God I perceive it saith Saint Peter Act. 10.34 All penitents shall be saved Ezek. 18. that 's confirmed from Saint Pauls experience 1 Tim. 1.16 Precious is the blood of Saints in Gods sight Psal 72.14 from experience David affirms it And this Rule well arms us against all Enthusiasmes and such like delusions wherein Anabaptists runne to the shipwrack of their souls Secondly Distinguish generall from personall priveleges for such ye shall read many in the word of God Num. 12. If there be a Prophet I will speak to him by dream or vision my servant Moses is not so To be instructed in all things thou mayest expect but to talk with God face to face or to be informed by dream or vision expect not To the Law and to the Testimony Isa 8. And Mal. 2. Priests lips shall preserve knowledge Thirdly Where the favour is generall yet the manner and mean of convayance may be personall for example to be fed in famine is a generall promise Psal 37. but to be fed as Elias by a Raven or as the widow of Sarephath by miraculous multiplying the meal and oyl was their personall privelege Fourthly As in the Modus and mean so in their measure there are that have prerogative in common favours as in knowledge Moses in faith Abraham in patience Iob in zeal David in revelations Paul A measure except according to the promise of God who gives to every one severally as he will 1 Cor. 12.11 Fiftly In application of the generall in other mens experiments to thy self be sure thou bring like qualification It is true God had mercy on Paul repenting therefore he will have mercy on all but repenting c. Slight not therefore thine own or other mens personall experiences they bring great good unto much confirmation to faith concerning the generalls in them we are grown me thinks too wavering That is a true Rule Gal. 6.18 Mercy shall be upon such as upon the Israel of God yet it is upon such as walk after the right Rule That 's a true Rule God will provide thee competencie according to thy state and person if thou keep his wayes precisely yet false weights and false measures we must use else how shall we live That God will finde us a hiding place in the day of his wrath is a true Rule Zeph. 2.3 most plentifully we have seen it experimented to Elias Elisha the Prophets under Iezabel Why doubt we Oh we of little faith and our selves have experimented in many particular perills and deliverances and preservations and provisions that God hath made for us And surely God is rich in mercy to all Rom. 10.12 and with him is no respect of persons His dealings are exemplary Rom. 4.24 1 Tim. 1.16 so we resemble in behaviour Follows now the matter of observation It is enunciated in one simple proposition tending to explicate the esteem God holds of the death of Saints which some interpret of his Saints in death Rather of the death of his Saints I could cloy you with interpretations but Quorsum The like phrase of speech we reade 2 Kings 1.13 14. Psal 72.14 Now whether he means their naturall or violent death inflicted by persecutours may be quaere'd Rather this latter as Psal 72.14 Their blood is precious to this circumstances of the Text invite us First Rarely doth God give way unto it for so finde we the word Precious put for Rare 1 Sam. 3.1 Never but upon speciall cause And this is that we have doctrinally Psal 72.14 He doth redeem their soul from deceit and violence that neither sword nor cruelty prevails to overthrow it Psal 37.32 Wicked watcheth Righteous seeketh to slay him Vers 33. The Lord will not leave him in his hand Plentifull instances we have in Scriptures I could begin with Iacob and so hold on to Eliah Elisha the Three Children Dan. 3. Fires action suspended and Dan. 5. Lions mouthes stopped Besides many extraordinary deliverances of others in latter times wherein the wisdome and power of God hath strangely shewed it self for their deliverance and preservation 2 Tim. 4.18 God delivered Saint Paul out of the mouth of the Lion Saint Peter destined to death by Herod miraculously delivered by an Angel Act. 12 c. Thus understand it First While God hath use of their service upon earth Ioh. 11.7 8 9. Are there not twelve hours in the day Luke 13.32 Go and tell Herod that Fox c. Ioh. 7.30 No man laid hands because his hour was not yet come and 8.20 Secondly Except by their death they may bring more glory to God then by their life Old Polycarpus having served Christ fourscore yeers in life if now to teeth of Lions he

for God and desire to do good to his Church willingly suffering the respit of their own glorious reward to the end they might though on hardest tearms bring glory to God and do him service in the land of the living Therefore this reason themselves give alwayes First For that they saw the one half then of them which also was made to be an instrument of Gods service to lie brute and senslesse in the grave Secondly For that they desired to benefit the generation then living and to propagate Gods praise to succeeding posterities Psal 71.18 Isa 38.19 20. See also Psal 30. and 88. and 6. and 115. Beloved Remarkable is Gods providence to me in casting me without any thought or choice of man upon a Text presenting to my memorie even according to the time this great mercy of God to my soul delivering my soul from the pit of corruption that I might yet live to do him service in the land of the living Worthy were my tongue to cleave to the roof of my mouth my right hand for ever to forget her cunning if I should now forget or passe over with silence the great love God hath shewen to my soul in delivering it from the pit of corruption O Lord enlarge my heart to praise thee At Bristoll Even upon this day according to the time of life this time twelve moneths was I in the jaws of death none that beheld me saw so much as the least hope of life my soul had not the least commerce with the body so farre as I know Much about this hour God was pleased graciously to look upon me to shew me some glimpse of his mercy some beginnings of life some hope that I should walk before him in the land of the living and hitherto by Gods mercy I live performing him weak but hearty service in his Church Lord what is man that thou so visitest him Who am I the least of all Saints the chief of all sinners on whom thou thus magnifiest thy mercie What is that service poor I have done What that service thou reservest me to do O Lord be pleased to reveal it unto me to make me worthy by thy grace chearfully to perform it Da quod jubes jube quod vis for thou hast redeemed my soul from hell my life from death thou hast continued abilities and opportunity to do thee service to walk before thee in the land of the living Blessed be thy glorious Name O Father of mercies and God of all consolation blessed be thy Name for ever and ever and let all thy people say Amen Secondly Correct that errour of your judgements wherein I know you please your selves many of you ignorantly as if it were a matter of grace more then ordinary to pray for death untimely in respect of the tearm of nature This hold for a Rule I dare say it is certain While God gives ability to do him service or opportunity or hath use of us in meanest service be it but as David to declare Gods righteousnesse to the generation present as Hezekiah the father to the childe to shew Gods truth Isa 38.19 so long ought we to desire to live we sinne in wishing our premature death And well weigh it and tell me whether such desires upon what ground soever argue not rather self-love more love of our selves then of our God when God hath use of our service on earth to wish our selves out of the world Who can shew me any Saint of God in old or new Testament who ever made prayer to God or approved himself in the desire of death when God had use of him here in the land of the living without apparant fault Elias * 1 Kings 19.4 14. he indeed in a passion prayes unto God for death and his reason mark which should have been a reason rather to move him to pray for preservation of life because now there was so great use of his service for the benefit of the Church That of Iob and Ier. 3. and Ier. 20. are apparantly passionate wishes of flesh and blood arising from discontent at their crosses which I think no gracious man allows in himself or another And make what pretences you will I dare undertake to evidence the prayers the desires are sinfull to wish death as long as there is ability or opportunity to do God any service upon earth or use of service upon earth First That of * Iob 6. Iob upon this ground I have not yet denied the words of the holy One seems fair neither can I blame his fear of his own infirmity but yet there was faithlesnesse in the wish for hath not God promised to support 1 Cor. 10.13 Secondly That of imperfection of grace and sinnes by defect in the service of God is as plausible as any thing to legitimate the desire yet it proceeds from a false ground It is false that the longer we live the more we sinne if we be Gods the longer we live the lesse we sinne sinne is mortified daily and we bring forth * Psal 92.14 more fruit in our age Thirdly That of evills to come from which to be taken away aforehand is promised as a favour Isa 58.1 and 2 Kings 22.20 yet warrants not the wish This let us be assured of First Simply if we speak Proroguing of life to the utmost tearm of nature is the blessing untimely death simply considered is the judgement That it turns to a blessing is by accident it is a blessing by accident Secondly I do not think but Iermi●hs blessing was in the fruit as great as Iosiahs for though Iosiah saw not the evill yet Ieremiah endured the evill with patience in the mean time did service to God in sustaining his Church I●siah went before Ieremiah to heaven Ieremiah had more glory in his time In a word Some God takes away from evills to come in mercy and favour they are such as he sees likely to be overcome of the evills in that respect he shews them favour others he reserves to taste the evills to give testimony to his truth To them this is a favour yea and simply the greater favour Is the question which is rather to be desired Answ Simply if we speak Prerogation of life for that is natively the blessing Secondly For the comparison it is to be me●sured by the quality and state of the persons Hath God use of their service upon earth First They ought to preferre Gods glory before their own salvation Secondly They shall be assured God will give issue with the temptation 1 Corinth 10.13 Thirdly Neither loose they ought in the measure of their reward as according to pleasures in sin so much torment so according to pains in this life is the measure of our glory If you will ask me how we shall know whether God hath use of our service upon earth Surely The question is obscure and curious to be measured onely by continuance of abilities opportunities or calling from God

* Matth. 5.20 Pharisees had yet must there be a righteousnesse greater to bring thee to God Suppose thou hadst * Matth. 7.22.23 Prophecy yet mayest thou be dismissed with ne scio vos I never knew you Suppose all those excellent endowments Heb. 6. without the knowledge of Gods mercy to thee in Christ What doth all this adde to thee except an aggravation to thy damnation Lord methinks therefore that I might enamore you of love towards this mercy of God in Christ Jesus and prevaile with you aright to esteeme it Saint Paul when he comes to speak of it never * 1 Cor. 2.9 satisfies himself in it desires to know nothing but Christ and him Crucified accounts all but Dung and * Psal 3.8 Drosse in comparison and again Eph. 3.19 it passeth knowledge This being enamord on it is if not an evidence of our sharing in it yet a step towards it Before ever we shall come to know the price of it Three things must be removed out of our hearts which are naturall to most men to all men one or other First Ignorance of our misery in Nature without Christ my meaning is That we either know not or consider not what punishment our sins have deserved or how strict the justice of God is against them For remedy whereof I would prescribe First Diligent examination of our lives by the Law of God Lord how many fowle sins should the greatest Civilian in the world then perceive in himself Secondly The punishments threatned therein Gods * Deut. 28. Gal. 3.10 curse in body in soul in this life in the life to come Thirdly The exemplification of the curse and the execution upon the breakers of it extraordinary upon other men tainted with our vices insomuch that there is no grosse violation of any Law of God but we have seen exemplified on others might see them in our selves Fourthly The strictnesse of Gods justice which without satisfaction which indeed is satisfaction every way equivalent to the violation of Justice accepts none to mercy And this methinks should teach us how to esteem of Christ A second cause is Opinion of our owne possibility to make satisfaction to Gods justice wherewith the whole world of Pagans furnish them with Presidents thence grew sacrificings of Pagans of Sonnes and Daughters thence all those whippings c. in the Church of Rome thereby to satisfie the justice and wrath of God due to Sins the same point For Remedy let us see whether according to Reason or Scripture we can possible make amends for sinnes of our souls First The Majesty violated is Infinite Secondly What give we more then * 1 Chro. 29.14 God hath given us Thirdly What indebitum as Papists themselves confesse it must be Luk. 17.10 Fourthly What perfectum which is the point so that if God should enter into Judgement with us we had not need to pray for mercy in acceptance rather then dream of making him satisfaction Fifthly Who can tell how * Psal 19.12 oft he offendeth our Good-works for the matter of them are easily numbred our sinnes are past number that this we must let alone for ever thought of satisfying Gods justice without a Mediatour A third cause That we never yet were sensibly arraigned in our Consciences for our sinnes nor for misery in Nature nor disability to make amends for sinnes of our souls by own strength naturall or gracious thence is it that we know not aright to price the mercy of God to us in Jesus Christ Beloved Christians To sin is common to feel burthen of sinne is if not a speciall yet a rare benefit that though I say not Reprobates may feel it and so heavy that it presseth them to Hell as Cain and Iudas yet surely it is rare amongst the people of God so that I begin to be of opinion that those graces common to us with some Castawayes grow marvellous rare amongst the people of God Judge of it by these evidences First The ventrousnesse of some men into grossest sinnes for profit pleasure or honours sake Secondly The little or no griefe they worke when they are committed Thirdly The lesse care of making peace with God by Jesus Christ the * Heb. 10. ●● trampling of his Grace and mercy under our feet Fourthly That common abuse of it in the vulgar as if they thought his death had purchased an indulgence rather then a pardon for sin But oh that we could learn to prize it aright How might we hope it should stil continue amongst us but as the base esteem of it amongst Jews remooved it to Gentiles so è contrà may the base esteem thereof amongst the Gentiles remoove it back again to the Jews see Rom. 11.24 Consider what I say and the Lord give you a right understanding in all things VERSE II. And the trueth of the Lord endureth for ever praise ye the Lord. THere be Three sorts of Trueth First Metaphysicall whereby things are truely what they seem or are conceived or have the Trueth and Reality of that Essence which is conceived of them so God is the Living and * 1 Thes 1. ● true God And Idols false gods see 1 Cor. 8.4 Secondly A Logicall Trueth which is the conformity of the conceptions of the minde with the things as they are and of the words wherein those things are enunciated see Rom. 3.3 4. so God is true truely conceiving and enunciating things as they are Thirdly Ethicall Truth the congruence of all our words with the things and our conceptions and of our facts with our intentions and pretenses So here principally understand David signifies First That the Lord truely and according to the very trueth of things avoucheth whatsoever he avoucheth and that without all doubling Secondly Promissory which commonly we call the faithfulnesse of God and it stands in two things First The Concord of his Intention with his Promise Secondly The answerablenesse of the fact to the promise infallible and hereof speaks the Prophet And it is said To last for ever because to eternity and without alteration he is faithfull and true and unalterably in all times makes good whatsoever he hath promised If any shall say that after this life when all promises are performed there is no use of such Fidelity Answ Distinguish the vertue from the exercise Secondly To all eternity there is use of Gods fidelity for that his Saints Continue in their blessednesse is by vertue of his promise and fidelity wherefore Divines also have said There is some kinde of faith that lasts in heaven which they call fidem dependentiae Thus farre of explication Now that God is thus true and faithfull in performing all his purposes and promises according to his own intention Scriptures are plentifull see Deut. 7.9 Dan. 9.4 not a word goes out of his mouth but is exactly performed see Iosh 21.45 and 23.14 2 Chron. 6.14 15. 2 King 10.10 Circumstances exactly kept conferre Gen. 15.13 and Exod.