Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	know_v	lord_n	see_v	4,769	5	3.3966	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80426	Higayon selah. Ierusalem fatall to her assailants. Discovered in a sermon before the Honorable House of commons August 29. 1649. At Margarets Westminster, upon their solemne day of thanksgiving for that signall victory over the Lord Ormond, in routing his whole army, and raising the seige of Dublin in Ireland, by the garrison thereof under the command of lieutenant Generall Jones. / By William Cooper M.A. minister of the gospel at Olaves Southwark.	Cooper, William, minister at St. Olave's Southwark.	1649 (1649)	Wing C6064; Thomason E572_4; ESTC R206160	37,133	45

verse Behold I will make Ierusalem a cup of trembling c. I thus armed thus resolved will now shew my glory at this great undertaking come and see a famous spectacle your God engaging for Ierusalem when the Lord once engageth eminently for Ierusalem to defend and deliver it Note he summons all to be spectatour and observers of it Before he shewed his power what he could doe here he declares his will what he is resolved to doe Behold I will make c. a solemne summons This is worth noting God looks to be observed and admired in his great workings for a distressed people he cals for it aloud Revel 6. When the Lamb opened the first seale John saith he heard a noise as of thunder one of the foure beasts saying Come and see and when he had opened the second seale I heard the second beast say Come and see And when he had opened the third seale I heard the voyce of the third beast say Come and see And when he had opened the fourth seale I heard the fourth beast Come and see Alloquitur Ioannem sustinentem personam fidelis populi qui similiter per vocem ministrorum excitarentur ad observandos hos mirabiles eventus Exod. 14.13 Moses told trembling Israel Feare not stand still and see the salvation of God which he will shew you this day The Lord shall fight for you and yee shall hold your peace yea that 's a glorious sight to see indeed to see God taking a Pharaoh in hand of whom wee said For this cause have I raised thee up to shew in thee my power and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth This is one main end why the Lord fats and heightens an adversary that he may try misteries with him and spend his arrows on him and all this to be observed and admired the more Psal 111 2. The works of the Lord are great sought out of all that have pleasure therein his work is honourable and glorious he hath made his wonderfull works to be remembred that 's their end the Lord would never appear upon the stage if he had not some strange act to present he would never call inspectatours if he would not provide somwhat worth seeing This hath made the Saints in all ages curious in observing Gods works Abraham rejoyced in seeing Christs day Iacob waited for Gods salvation Moses said I beseech thee shew me thy glory he had seen much of God before all that did but whet his appetite he was still greedy after more Daniel was a man of desires in this sense as you heard it glossed but now and had a large prospect yet would fain have crowded to see more Right honourable You set us to display God in his grandour this day you stand upon advantageous ground and you see farre and quick into Gods works for you have declared your sense of this and former mercies yet you will yeeld you have not seen all and that its worth reading and turning over and over this marvellous discovery and dispensation of God Say then with Moses when the bush burned and was not consumed when the Church was in a flame and yet flourished in the fire I will now turn about and see what this great sight meaneth Exod. 3.3 The Lord wonders and is very angry at the senlesnesse and blindenesse of men that will not see his hand lifted up men that are quick witted and sharp sighted in other things they can discern the face of the skyes but will not know the signes of the times when they are visible but let the wicked doe wickedly for none of them shall understand but the wise shall understand the scripture makes tother a matter of folly and brutishnesse but these providentiall acts upon wicked men in their ruffe and when they flourish and are presumptuous then to pull them down this is too deep for wicked men yet are wee solemnly called to observe it See Dan. 12.10 Hos 14. ult Psal 92 5 6 7. Psal 107.40 41 42 43. Behold I will make Ierusalem a cup of trembling to all the people round about when they shall be in the siege both against Iudah and Ierusalem Note Ierusalem may be besieged by her enemies the place and people of God may be encompassed and distressed by their Adversaries a truth so clear both of litterall and mysticall Ierusalem that it is but time waste to prove it It s observable that our three grand enemies are encompassing enemies and grow dangerous For an enemy to encompasse argues a fourfold danger First It argues neernesse Secondly Superiority in power else he neither could or durst advance so close Thirdly Superiority in numbers else he could not surround and encompasse for he that is without hath the largest Line Fourthly A distresse and straitning from escape all this is implyed in a siege 1. The Devill Iob 1.7 Iob 2.2 He compasseth the earth 1 Pet. 5.8 He is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to walk about and to devour There 's not a soul of a righteous man but he layes siege making assaults and battery to that soule as for the hearts of wicked men he is possessed of them already and they are fortified by him against God his Word and judgements 2. Sin is an encreasing evill it s called sin that doth easily beset 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hebr. 12. Psal 49.5 David speaks of the iniquity of his heels compassing him about 3. The world none will doubt but that 's an encompassing enemy Therefore the poor Church is not only called a lilly among thorns a speckled Bird amongst the Birds Lambs among Wolves but expresly a besieged City the Daughter of Sion is left as a Cottage in a Vineyard as a Lodge in a Garden of Cucumbers as a besieged City Isaiah 1.8 Solitary and surrounded and not only invested at large but closely streightned and distressed so as with Jehosaphat they know not what to do only their eyes are upward towards God restat iter coelo tantum The ground of this from God is partly to give check restraint to the extravagancies of his people and we know sometimes it is but need the best and most retired soul hath his wanton flings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it s very hard to keep it from leering and hankering after some vanity to cure this the Lord will hedge us in with thornes Chrysost Hos 2. that we shall not find our lovers We are apt to turn our liberty into licenciousnes and the grace of God into wantonnes and to surfit upon mercy to growe fat and ranck to begin to gone and kick and break fence the Lord sees good to pinch us for this to reduce us to our measure and compasse by driving us into corners Sic deus cohibet fraenat suos ne diffluant Calvin thus the Lord will hamper his own he will banck and bound them into their right Channels least they overflow their bancks but

his life for feare of which he threw himselfe into a pit and was never found Gallus and Valusian treading in his steps were both destroyed by Emilian a Captain In those dayes God plagued the Empire with an Epidemicall pestilence and many other heavy calamities which the Heathens laid to the Christians charge But Cyprian writeth a confutation of that and clearly proves it was their contempt of the Gospel and persecuting of the Saints caused those evils These judgements fell also upon Valerian who raised an eighth persecution against Gods people He was taken by Sapores King of Persia who made a captive of him and his body a foot-stoole treading on his neck when he went on horse-back A righteous judgement upon him who had trampled the truth and professors of it under his feet Aurelian the ninth persecuting Emperour was terrified by a Thunder-bolt from heaven and afterward slain though he seemed somewhat to relent of his cruelty Dioclesian and Maximilian raised the tenth persecution both which quitted their imperiall dignity and the latter of them slaine by the command of Constantine Maximinus was smitten of God with rottennesse and vermine as Herod was for wasting the body of Jesus Christ Famous is the death of Julian the Apostate who first subtilly then openly persecuted the Gospel he asked counsell of the heathen Oracle which was destroyed by fire from heaven to small powder he encouraged the Jewes to rebuild the Temple which was destroyed by an Earthquake fire and a mighty wind at last he was wounded and died crying out Thou Iesus of Galilee thou art too hard for me Many such instances may be added of the fatall ends of Arrian and Eutychean Persecutors But that of Phocas is very remarkable who was the first that set up Antichrist visibly by making the Bishop of Rome Universall Bishop and the Church of Rome head of all other Churches This Emperour was beheaded dismembred and his body given to the Souldiers to be burnt with fire Notable is the example of Minerius who being sent to destroy the poore Christians called Waldenses which he did by fire and sword felt the just vengeance of heaven by fire in his body was consumed with rottennesse and voided blood in stead of urine and died with great torments Charles the fifth a famous Emperour for wisdome and valour yet dashed against this rock of endevouring to destroy Protestants was himselfe driven out of his Empire that endevored to drive out the Gospel thence To step but on the other side we shall finde Henry the second and Francis the second of France taken away by death who began persecutions there Likewise the Duke of Guise a cruell persecutor dying gave breath to the poore afflicted Saints And Charles the ninth a most perfidious and bloody Prince dyed with great effusion of blood from sundry parts of his body Anno 1574. Thus will the Lord have blood for blood not sparing the effusion of Royall blood to avenge the blood Royall of his children whom he hath made Kings and Priests to himselfe through Christ Jesus Rev. 1.8 and which cost the bloud of his deare son I cannot passe by Henry the third of France who was killed by a Iacobine Munke in that very chamber where the King had been chiefe in concluding the massacre of Paris which massacre was so bloody and barbarous that the very Spaniards at the treaty of Munster told the States of the Low Countries that the Spanish Nation had never done such a Butchery against those of the Religion but abhorred such acts and that it was sufficient to declare the genius of the French I will not come down lower to instance in later times they are so infinite and so fresh your own memories I hope are stored with them as so many Courts of Records and your meditations often read them over If it be not so give me leave as your remembrancer to tell you that you ought never to forget the judgments of God written in blood legible to all the world that he will never let a wickednesse goe unpuished which is acted against his people Vse 3 Let us see the greatnesse of the mercy which we commemorate this day how God hath made Dublin a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone to her enemies in the siege The greatnesse of the mercy may be seen in these two particulars There was very much of God in it and little of man whether you regard numbers the enemy had that advantage whether his confidence whether his successes before In a word if you look on the besieged as the last that were left to be eaten that their adversaries had it in consultation to bind them back to back and throw them into the Sea that their succours were delayed and many disheartning emissaries to perswade the beleagred that no reliefe would come to them at all that therefore they should secure the Governour and deliver the Citie that then the Lord should deliver the Citie from the enemy arming a few beyond their own intentions to destroy a huge Host let the Governours of Judah say for this say the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of Hosts Consider the latitude and extent of this mercy look not upon it as within the circumference of one single Citie Nahum 3.12 divers other Forts and strong Holds followed and come on still dropping as ripe Figs into the mouth of the eater Many daughters attend the mother or Metropolis this great mercy is but the first fruits and the earnest of that which followes Look on this mercy as that which reacheth three Nations and all the true Israel of God and the Generations to come let us look on this mercy as one deadly wound to the Beast and the false Prophet a mercy though in comparison of many great ones not so great yet super-added to the quotient and catalogue addes very much to the bulk of them and to Gods glory yet let me tell you this victory and deliverance singly shines in its owne lustre without borrowing and is able to speak its own greatnesse abstracted from others Ask the broken enemy their frustrated hopes their slaughtered carcasses their great losse speakes it our great gain Ask the trembling Citizens that were even in the paws of danger and plunder and death and were delivered they will say 't is a great mercy Psalm 107.1 2. the redeemed of the Lord say so That his mercy endureth for ever What need I say more your selves that stand upon advantagious and higher ground that see further and clearer then us that know the times what Israel ought to doe that weigh circumstances and consequences in a right ballance you have declared your sense of it so high that not a greater mercy on this side Egypt hath been declared to Gods people This mercy hath made such an impression upon some of your enemies as was upon Saul when he told David Blessed be thou my son David for thou shalt

this is chiefly to role on a proud enemy to presumption that while he thinks to try experiments and do exploits upon Jerusalem the Lord will lay snares and ambushes for him the Lord will lead him on and make his work seem facile and feisable to him he will give him some advantages he shall begin to grow fat with some successes hee 'l present him faire hopes of carrying the day and glutting himself with spoyles hee 'l suffer the Lyon to get his prey into his Chambers and between his teeth playing with it securely and gaping to devoure now all this is but to get Pharaoh beyond retreat and when I have him but in my net then saith God I l'e draw now is my time to stir and work now I l'e look thorough the Cloud and pillar of fire upon the Aegyptians and trouble them and there Pharaoh flies but 't is too late stretch out thy hand Moses and let the waters cover Pharaoh and all his Host let him sink and be buried in the mighty waves the Lord will reduce his people beyond humane hopes of relief and then he will be glorified let Lazarus be sick and let him die and let him be buried and let him stinck now saith Christ my houre is come I l'e go to Bethany and rayse Lazarus the Lord delivers a people out of the mouth of danger 1 Sam. 17.34 c. 2 Sam. 21.16.17 as David rescued the Lamb and Kid out of the mouth of the Lyon and Beare or as Abishai succoured David when IshbiBenob a son of the Gyant lift up his sword to have slain David then Abishai flew him or as when Saul had compassed David round that there was but a stop between him death and a Messenger came and diverted Saul thus will the Lord judge his people when he seeth their strength is gone Deut. 32.36 when there is none shut up or left when his people are full of mis-giving dis-maying feares when their Anchor breaks and their Faith failes when every countenance is cast down and every corner is full of murmurings when Ziglag is burnt and all taken and David weeps till there be no more strength and his men talk of stoning of him too at that instant shall he march and God before him 1 Sam. 30.31 cap. to recover what 's lost and spoyle the spoyler and moreover then Saul his capital enemy is destroyed Who so is wise will ponder this c. And was it not thus with Ireland how near was that whole Land lost but two places and those ready to give up the Ghost left two little flocks of kids and those pent up too while the enemy filled the Countrey when all was bent to revolting and intended succours not ready when wagers were laid and books out that Dublin was lost and Ireland lost and at the same time the people striving and chiding with Moses Now will I come forth and work saith God now will I appear most gloriously had I begun before it had been too soone and should I delay longer it would be too late the adversary is presumptuous and secure my people are low and distressed enough And how doth God work It followes I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling c. The spirit of God makes often use of this Metaphor of the cup in the case of affliction Mat. 26.29 punishment or judgment our Saviour himself dranck his Cup a very bitter one wherein no creature could pledge him i. e. in his measure although every Child of God hath a portion of the cup of affliction in conformity to our head not to expiate sin or satisfie divine justice yet oftentimes to prevent and purge sin The Saints have also another cup a delicious one given them of God the cup of blessing in the Eucharist that soul-refreshing nectar which the Lord Jesus hath broached out of his own side They have another delicious cup which the Lord gives them into their mouthes upon any great mercy and deliverance from their enemies which is the cup of Salvation this was used in their sacrifices and feasts and they were wont to lift it up Illyric and to pray and prayse God with it for victory and mercy and it was a signe of freedom This cup hath the Lord given us to drink wherein we tast and see how gracious he is to us this he fils us to the brim and makes it over-flow in the presence of our enemies Psal 23.5 But as for the wicked 't is not so with them the Lord hath tempered another kind of cup for them of which our text speakes of this mention is made in Ezek. Ezek. 23.33 where the Lord tells Aholibah i. e. Judah that because she walked after the way of her Sister Aholah i. e. Samaria therefore saith he I will give her cup into thy hands thus saith the Lord thou shalt drink of thy Sisters cup deep and large thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision it containeth much thou shalt be filled with drunkennes and sorrow with the cup of astonishment and desolation with the cup of thy Sister Samaria thou shalt drink it and suck it out thou shalt even break the sheards thereof and pluck off thy breasts i. e. shalt carry thy self as one that is mad drunck who breaks pots and glasses abusing himself as one distracted this is the sore cup of judgment and devastation The like we have Psal 75.8 Jer. 25.15.16 where the Lord tempered a cup of fury and makes Jeremie the modeperator to give every one his share they shall drinck and be moved and be mad because of the sword which I will send among them v. 27.28 and if you search the causes why these Nations were punisht comparing this with other Scriptures we shall see the quarrel to be that in the Text they had plotted or laid hands against Jerusalem and 't is for Jerusalems sake this cup is given him But what ground is there of this Metaphor and usage of the cup thus applyed 1. Some will have meant by cup portion or measure every one at their seasts was to take his dimensum or proportion according to these the phrase signifies but this every sin shall have his degrees and share in punnishment for cup signifies portion or lot in Scripture But this is too scanty for the question 2. Others will have it derived from witches and sorcerers which were wont to mingle intoxicating cups and to sophisticate their wines and the word in the text will bear it for it signifies poyson 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and hence the latine word venesica 3. Hierome and some others think it taken from a medicinal potion of strong Physick which is ill to look on and worse to swallow down being bitter loathsome and worse to some Patients then the disease causing them to feele heart-qualmes to stagger and even swound away 4. Besides all these there are who think it taken from condemned malefactors whose friends

doe great things and shalt still prevaile or as was upon Balaam when hired to curse Israel he blessed them and said they were invincible and should still doe valiantly or as was upon Hamans wife Zeresh who said If Mordecai was of the seed of the Iewes those that began to fall before him should fall irrecoverably This mercy to them is a owning by heaven of your paesent power your late changes and transactions which the world so much disowned and were startled at This mercy doth eclipse and drown fore-going mercies whereby the Lord doth not only keep on his course of mercy to his people but in a higher and more signall way keeping the best wine till last the most excellent Arts and Sciences till the conclusion When the Trumpets sounded louder and louder then God came down Exod. 19.19 When Joshua compassed Jerico 7. daies the Rams hornes sounding the last found had a shoot with it and then Jericho walls fell down Me thinks the Lord speaking louder every day his stroakes being still greater his discoveries being more glorious continually then before what can it bode but Babylons walls falling the Lord coming down neerer unto us even among us See how the enemy yea the earth trembles at his presence Shout therefore brethren his praises aloud many a poor soul prayed and cryed aloud for this deliverance and is heard by this return Let our praises sound as high you know who got the victory by praysing God aloud at which time the Lord set ambushes for his enemies 2 Chro. 20.21 22. and who knoweth what he is doing for us at this instant Add hereunto the nearnes of this mercy many will look on this mercy as a thing afar off because done in another Land but do we not know that our safety and interest was even bound up in theirs Is it not our out-works which taken will soone straighten us It s the making up of a great banck which broken will let in the enemy like a floud upon us Have we not felt inundations from thence already He turned the Sea into dry land they went through the stoud on foot there did we rejoyce in him Psal 66.6 VVas not that deliverance far from David both in time and place yet he saith there did we rejoyce Much more let us rejoyce now as more nearly interessed and related Were not our hearts tuned to the notes of this Harp in the dolefull tunes of it Let it be so now in the joyfull tydings that it brings us Again learn to trust thy God O Jerusalem he will defend thee in a siege and streight against all the world Never distrust a Lord of Hosts more upon any seeming dis-advantages whatsoever they are but lures and snares to catch a presumptuous dareing enemy Rev. 20.9.10 take an example yet to come after the thousand years Satan shall be loosed and shall go out to deceive all the Nations of the four Quarters of the Earth Gog and Magog to gather them together to battel whose number is as the sand of the Sea and they went up on the breadth of the earth and compassed the Camp of the Saints about and the beloved City never was there such a league before Jerusalem never did it sustain such a siege but mark the end fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured them and then the Devil is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone never look for war or sieges more after that time therefore trust God for ever and know if you will believe you shall see the glory of God yet daily but I may not inlarge Again learn we hence to wait on God notwithstanding some delayes though he tarry wait for him the adversary must have his houre of the power of darknes the waves must beat the ship and fill it too while Jesus sleepes yet know he doth but seem to sleep his providence ever waketh he that watcheth and keepeth Israel doth not slumber what if Jerusalem be besieged yet is it not therefore taken and destroyed How hard were the Inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead put to it by Naash 1. Sam. 11. almost to the putting out of their right eyes and losse of liberty yet they waited a little and were delivered how greatly was Samaria distressed even to a great famine so that the King said why shall I wait any longer yet had they speedy deliverance and plenty 2 King 6. ult and cap. 7.1 2 King chap. 18.19 How formidable was Zenacheribs numerous Host before Jerusalem of well nigh two hundred thousand that had conquerred and wasted all Countries round about and by the blasphemies of that great Rhodomont Rabshakeh all successours seemed hopeles yet Hezekiah waited and Jerusalem was delivered and Zenacheribs Army destroyed wait you on the Lord wait I say on the Lord. There is another consectary which the Text holds out to us in the 5. verse that the Inhabitants of Jerusalem under God are the strength of the Governours of Judah the people of God in any place are the strongest Bul-wark to that place why because the Lord of Hosts is their God O ye Governours of Judah think on this how great have been your contests about the Militia of this Nation now you have it there is as great a care to mannage it with safety and to its proper ends but know this Worthies you have a better Militia then the former even Gods own people among you this is your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say you in your hearts the Inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of Hosts their God marke the Interest they have in God is the Magazine and cittadel of their strength and safety Israel was called a Camp of Host as they came up from Aegypt and aske but Balaam what he thought of them when with an evil eye he took a prospect of them How godly are thy truths O Jacob the Lord is among them he hath as it were the strength of an Vnicorn the people shall rise up as a great Lyon and stir as a young Lyon he shall not lye down till he eat of the Prey and drink the blood of the slain Numb 23.21 22 23. marke that the Lord is among them that 's their strength they are among you there 's your strength these are your artillery 2 King 13.14 Rev. 11.5 6 your great Ordinance these are your Chariots and your Horsemen as he said of the Prophet If any shall hurt these fire goes out of their mouth and consumes their enemies as was said of the witnesses those have power to shut Heaven that it rain not in the dayes of their Prophesie and have power over waters to turn them to blood and to smite the earth with all Plagues as often as they will it was said of the Romans nemo impune lacessivit populum Romanum it s more truly applyed to Gods people none goes unpunished that sets himself against them Know therefore where your strength lies in