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
A45417	Of conscience by H. Hammond.	Hammond, Henry, 1605-1660.	1645 (1645)	Wing H549; ESTC R25406	35,832	32

endeavouring to live honestly or to have honest conversation in all things From whence the onely thing which I desire to collect is this That the sincere resolution or endeavour to live honestly in all things which I remember one of our ancientest Church-writers Saint Cyrill of Jerusalem calls {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and opposes it to {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} works is the Scripture nomination of a good Conscience or the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that great treasure of confidence to all which have it that ground of mature perswasion for any that he hath or shall by God be allowed and acknowledged to have a good conscience 35 And if it be farther demanded what is necessarily required and how much will be sufficient to denominate a man Such what is the minimum quod sic of this sincere resolution or endeavour although that I confesse will be hard if not impossible to define in such a manner as shall come home to every particular the proportions of more or lesse knowledge or strength the inequality of the talents of illuminating and assisting grace still interposing and making a variation yet will it not be matter of much difficulty to give some generall advertisements and {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which will be acknowledged as soone as mentioned and being put together and by each man single applyed to his particular case by way of self examination will be able to tell him in some measure whether he hath a good conscience or no And the first of these will be That 36 Acts and habits of sinne in the former heathen or unregenerate part of the life of what nature and clothed with what aggravations soever if they are now retracted and renounced by repentance as that signifies not onely a sorrow but a thorow change are reconcileable with a good conscience The truth of which is cleare first because the Gospel allowes place for repentance and promises rest to the heavy laden so he come unto Christ and mercy to him that confesseth and forsaketh Secondly because the sincerity of resolution and endeavour now which is all that is required to a present good conscience is reconcileable with past sins even of the largest size Thirdly because Saint Paul himselfe which was once a Saul can yet say confidently that he hath a good conscience And fourthly because which I shal a little enlarge on the sinne against the holy Ghost which alone is by the Gospel made uncapable of remission is as I conceive no act no nor course of any speciall sinne but a state of final impenitence a continued persevering resistance of all those saving methods which are consequent to the descent and are part of the office of the holy Ghost 37 To which purpose I shall give you one hint which may perswade the preferring of this opinion before the contrary and it is by observing the occasion of Christs delivering those words concerning the irremissiblenesse of speaking against the holy Ghost Those words are delivered by Christ both in Saint Matthew and Saint Mark upon occasion of that speech of the Jewes that Christ cast out Devils by the Prince of Devils which was clearly a blaspheming or speaking contumeliously against Christ himselfe or the sonne of man and there is no passage in the Text which can conclude that that speech of theirs was by Christ called the blasphemy against the holy Ghost but rather the contrary that it was a blasphemy onely against the sonne of man for t is apparent that Christ Mat. 12. 15. for the space of six verses sets himselfe to convince them of the falsity of that speech which probably he would not have done if they to whom he spake had been in an irrecoverable irreversible estate of blasphemy For that he should take such paines onely to leave them unexcusable 1. there was no great need in this case they were so already 2. it is a mistake to think that Christ doth so at any time they are bowels of mercy and not designes of mischieving or accumulating their sinne and judgements which incline him to call and knock and labour to convince sinners and having done that doth both invite them to repentance by shewing them the possibility of pardon yet and give them an admonition able to shake them out of all impenitence by telling them the danger which attended if the only last method of working on them which was yet behind did not prosper with or work upon them This is the importance of that 31 and 32 verse concerning the speaking a word i. e. standing out against the sonne of man on one side and the Holy Ghost on the other the summe of which is this there shall be by the coming of the Holy Ghost a possibility of pardon and meanes of reformation for those that resist and hold out and even crucifie Christ as by the coming of Christ there was for those that should beleive on him though they had formerly lived disobedient unto God the Father resisted those methods of mercy used on them under the old Testament for them that speak a word i. e. by an Hebraisme doe an action of affront of injury of contumely against Christ yea that resist and beleive not on him but conceive and affirme him to cast out Divels by the power of Beelzebub which was as contumelious a thing as could be said of him but when Christ shall be taken from the earth and the Holy Ghost shall be sent down to convince the world of that great sinne of crucifying Christ and to settle in the Church of God such an orderly use of all Gospell-meanes that may tend to the bringing sinners to repentance the use both of the word and sacrament and censures and all other things necessary to that great end of working on the most contumacious that if this prevaile not there is little hope left of ever working on such perversenesse then it is to be resolved that those that thus stand out against all those saving methods of Gods last oeconomy shall be left uncapable of any good of any whether meanes of yet-farther working on them or of pardon either in the Church or in heaven there being no more persons in the God-head now behind unlesse we will change the christians Trinity into Pythagorasses {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} nor consequently meanes in the providence of God for the reducing of or obtaining mercy for such By this it will appeare that this blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is not any one act no nor habit of sin particularly not that speaking against Christ there which you will also guesse by Saint Luke who mentions not that speech of theirs concerning his casting-out Divels by the Prince of Divels and yet sets down this speech of Christ of the irremissibility of this blasphemy against the Holy Ghost Luke 12. 10. which argues that this hath no neare relation to that but a finall