Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	let_v	lord_n	love_n	5,328	5	5.4187	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64275	The young man's guide in his journey to heaven, or, Travelling spiritualized	S. T., 17th cent.	1700 (1700)	Wing T60; ESTC R24165	54,625	129

of the Plague of the Heart Well then be perswaded to set out for Eccl. 12. 1. Heaven in the Morning of thy Days sacrifice the first Fruits of thy Time to God Remember thy Creator in the Days of thy Youth Say not with Austin before his Conversion Da Domine Poenitentiam sed non ad huc Lord give me Repentance but not yet But rather cry out as he did after Conversion Lord why not now why not now Plutarch reports of one who in the midst of his Feasting and Jollity received a Letter which gave him notice that his Life was in present Danger he put up the Letter in his Pocket saying Seria Cras I will think of serious Matters to Morrow do not thou say after him least it cost thee the Life of thy Soul as it did him the Life of his Body for he was poyson'd at that Dinner but do thou labour to say as another once did Cur avi in Juventut● ut benè viverem in Senectute ut benè moriar I took care in my Youth to liv● well and in Old-age to die well And learn this Lesson of the Wise Traveller He that sets out most Early will fin● his Journey most Easie CHAP. V. He that hath Loitered or Deferred setting out his Journey in the Forenoon must double his Pace in the Afternoon I Have endeavoured in the Application of the foregoing Observation to give thee serious Advice to set out in thy Journey towards Heaven in the Morning of thine Age and certainly this would make thy Journey much more easie and comfortable and would free thee from many Fears and Doubts and prevent much Sorrow and Grief of Heart but if this Counsel come too late and thou hast loitered and deferred to begin thy Journey in the Forenoon of thy Day then learn this Lesson of the ●arthly Traveller to make all the speed thou canst in the Afternoon since thou hast set out late make the more haste now thou art on thy Way Run like Ahimaaz who though he did set out after Cushi yet over-ran him 2 Sam. 18. 23. and got before him labour to overtake those who were in Christ before thee give double Diligence to make thy Calling 2 Pet. 1. 10. and Election sure labour to redeem the Time and to abound in the Work of the 1 Cor. 15. 58. Phil. 2. 12. Lord to make thy Religion thy business and to Work out thy own Salvation with Fear and Trembling And what Advice I give to thee herein I desire to give it to my own Soul For I must acknowledge and I desire to do it with shame and sorrow that in the Days of my Youth I walked after the Fashion of this World and after the Lusts of mine own Heart and have even wearied my self in ways of Wickedness but as for the pleasant Ways and peaceful Paths of God my corrupt Heart accounted them too strict and did wholly decline them● Oh that my Head were Water and mine Eyes a Fountain of Tears that I might weep Day and Night for my great Folly and Madness How can I sufficiently bewail it if it were with Tears of Blood that I should so miserably mispend the Prime of mine Age and put my self so much behind-Hand in my Journey towards Everlasting Happiness that while my Understanding Memory Affections and all the Faculties of my Soul were lively and vigorous and fit for ●he Service of my God I should serve ●ivers Lusts and Pleasures and that while I enjoyed Youth and Health and ●trength I should not take one step in Heavens-way How did Pride and ●assion and Wantonness and Volup●uousness devour my precious Time and ●y Heart too How often have I spent ●he whole Day in Hunting or Bowling ●nd a great part of the Night in Dan●ing and Carding sure this was not the ●ay to Heaven Oh the Infinite Mercy ●nd Patience of my God that had not ●hen cut me off and made me to reap ●he Fruit of mine own Ways But O my Soul how canst thou sufficiently admire the free Grace and infinite Good●ess of my Blessed God! who stopped ●hee in thy Carrear towards Hell and ●urned thy Feet into the Way of Peace Consider now what thou hast to do Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that Psal 103. 1. within me bless his Holy Name Who hath opened thy Eyes at last and hath given thee an Heart to forsake the Ways of Death and to chuse the Way of Life Be heartily humbled and bewail that thou hadst not set out sooner in so Good so Sweet and so Holy a way and that thou didst so linger in Sodom and wer 't Content to abide so long a● it were in the Suburbs of Hell an● now thou art in the Right Way wal● on chearfully in it lift up thy feebl● Knees and make straight Paths Thin● thou canst never do enough for tha● God who hath done so much for Thee● since he hath set thy Heart at Liberty do thou run the Ways of his Commandments since thou hast done 〈◊〉 much against him in the former pa●● of thy Life labour to do the more fo● him in the remaining Part that s● though thou didst set out late tho● maist with Safety and Comfort arrive 〈◊〉 thy Journeys end For shame do no● thou whose Feet were as Hinds Feet 〈◊〉 the Way of Sin creep on a Snails pac● in the Ways of God Now Christia● who readest these Lines if thou ha● obtained that special Grace and Favou● to be Converted and brought into th● Right Way in the Days of thy Yout● O Live in Admiration of the Ri●● Grace of God and shew thy thankfu●●ness by walking chearfully in his Way But thou art in my Condition if tho● hast neglected to seek the Kingdom 〈◊〉 God in the first Place and to walk 〈◊〉 the way of Holiness which leads 〈◊〉 that Kingdom as I have done Let us now set to it with our whole Heart Let us now forsake our wicked Ways and Isa 55. 7. unrighteous Thoughts and let us return to ●he Lord and he will have Mercy upon us and to our God and he will abundantly Pardon Let us who have brought forth ●one but bitter Fruits in our Youth bring ●orth the Fruit unto Holiness in our Old-Age and then our End shall be Ever●asting Life Let us learn this Lesson ●rom our Horse for the Lord sends us ●o School to the Bruit Creatures tho' ●e seem weary and tired yet when he ●nows he is come near his Journeys End ●e will mend his Pace and go with ●ew Mettle and Courage CHAP. VI. A Traveller is many times put out of his Way by false Directions A Christian had need be very Circumspect in his walking and or●er his Steps according to the Infallible Rule of God's Word for he will meet with many Seducers and Opposers who will endeavour to put him out of hi● way The three grand Seducers 〈◊〉 the Devil a Man 's own Lusts and th● World First The

Cephas these were excellent Preachers and as 1 Cor. 1. the Apostle saith in the end of the third Chapter they were all theirs and therefore they ought to have improved their several Gifts for their spiritual Benefit and Advantage and to have had them all in singular Love for their Works sake and not by preferring of one to forsake all the rest You may observe that they who admire and are addicted to one Teacher or one Party with undervaluing and slighting all others are seldom the most profiting or the most profitable but never the most peaceful Christians Fourthly I might add another ground of this Evil and that is the Itch of Disputing or that which the Apostle calls Vain Jangling of which as one ●aith 1 Tim. 1. 6. well Disputandi pruritus Ecclesiae Scabies The Itch of Disputing is the Churches Scab and I dare add that it is the bane of Holy Conference and the Spawn of Dissension The Apostle saith expresly that from this doting about Questions and 1 Tim. 6. 4. strife of Words cometh Envy Strife Railing Evil-surmisings But I shall say no more of this because I conceive those hot and eager Disputes which tend to Divisions arise either from Pride or Passion which I have spoken of before but modest sober and humble debating of Things neither ingender Strife nor break the Peace And now having discovered the Grounds and Causes of this Distemper what a Happiness would it be if we could prescribe a Remedy In order to this I shall adventure to give Christians one Direction and some few Considerations which may by the Blessing of God be helpful to this purpose The Direction is this That Christians would carefully shun and avoid those things before spoken of which are the chief Causes of Quarrels and Divisions among the People of God for sublata causa tollitur effectus Take away the Cause and you take away the Effect Take heed therefore of Pride and of an over-weaning Opinion of thine Abilities Take heed of a Passionate and of a froward Spirit Take heed of having Mens Persons in Admiration or of Idolizing a Party Take heed that thou delight not in wrangling and disputing if these things were carefully avoided there would be more Peace and sweet Agreement between true Christians But further to promote the cure of this Distemper I shall desire Christians in the fear of God seriously lay to Heart these following Considerations First Consider how highly it is displeasing to the Blessed God First To God the Father It is displeasing to an earthly Father to see his Children always brabbling and fighting each with other and it must needs be more displeasing to our Heavenly Father who is the Father of Mercies to see his Children unmerciful who is the God of Love and Peace to see his Children hating and quarrelling one with 2 Cor. 13. 11. another Secondly It must needs be displeasing to the Lord Jesus Christ to see those for whom he hath shed his Precious Blood to be ready to shed one anothers Blood to see the Members of his Body to rend and tear one another Thirdly It must needs grieve the Holy Spirit of God to see those whom he Eph. 4. 30. hath sanctified those whom he hath sealed for Heaven to be so like graceless Persons to fall out and quarrel by the Way Secondly Consider it is a great dishonour to our Holy Profession How did it Credit Religion and adorn the Gospel When the Multitude of them that Acts 4. 32. believed were of one Heart and of one Soul And when the Heathen could say Ecce quomodo Christiani mutuò se diligunt Behold how the Christians love one another On the other side what a dishonour and reproach is it to Religion when the Professors of it are quarrelling and contending one with the other What Sport doth this make for Prophane and Atheistical Men And how doth it cause the Enemy to blaspheme the Holy Ways of God Thirdly Consider How contrary this is to our Rule and to our Pattern A Christian should take Christ's Word for his Rule and Christ's Example for his Pattern Now First How contrary is this quarrelling Frame of Spirit to our Rule It is Christs new and great Command in the Gospel that his Disciples should John 13. 34. Chap. 15. 12. love one another And this is commanded over and over I know not how often times in the New Testament Be kindly affectioned one to another with Brotherly Rom. 12. 10. 1 Pet. 2. 17. 1 Pet. 1. 22. Heb. 13. 1. Gal. 5. 13. 1 Thes 4. 9. Mark 9. 50. Rom. 14. 19. Love in Honour preferring one to another Love the Brotherhood Love one another with a pure Heart fervently Let Brotherly Love continue By Love serve one another You are taught of God to Love one another And as our Rule injoyns us Love so Peace and Quietness Have Peace one with another Let us follow after those things which make for Peace and things wherewith one may Edifie one another The Apostle beseecheth them that they study to be quiet The Apostle Peter tells 1 Thes 4. 11. them That the Ornament of a meck and quiet Spirit is in the sight of God of great 1 Pet. 3. 4. Price So you see clearly how contrary it is to the Rules of the Gospel that Christians should be of a froward unquiet and contentious Spirit The Apostle saith If it be possible as much as in Rom. 12. 18. you lies live peaceably with all Men. And certainly then much more should we live peaceably with those of the Household of Faith Secondly How unlike doth a froward quarrelling Spirit make Christians to Christ Learn of me saith he for I am Mat. 11. 29. meek and lowly Christ was the greatest Pattern of Love and Meekness that ever was in the World he was mild and pitiful to his Enemies And shall we be harsh and severe to our Brethren He loved his Sheep so that he laid down his Life for them and shall his Sheep as if they were turned Dogs bait and bite one another Such a Member of such a Head make Rents and Divisions in his Body which is the Church of God should those who are the Subjects of the Prince of Peace make Wars and Feuds among themselves Pudet haec opprobria nobis Et dici potuisse non potuisse refelli What Shame is it that such disgrace should be imputed to us and that it cannot be refuted Fourthly Consider the danger of this unnatural quarrel If ye bite and devour Gal. 5. 15. one another take heed that ye be not consumed of one another Are not the Dissensions of those that profess Religion the ready way to betray both themselves and the Cause of God into the Hands of those who wait for their Destruction How justly may God give us up into the Hands of those that hate us if we hate one another Doth not a Father part his fighting