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	name_n	9,327	5	5.7485	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13530	Christs combate and conquest: or, The lyon of the tribe of Iudah vanquishing the roaring lyon, assaulting him in three most fierce and hellish temptations. Expounded, and now (at the request of sundry persons) published for the common good, by Tho. Taylor, preacher of the word of God, at Reeding in Barkeshire; Christs combate and conquest.	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.	1618 (1618)	STC 23822; ESTC S105331	393,043	443

for the faith Iud. 3. and Gods pure worship stand for God be at warre with thy sinne keepe an inward conflict and combate for not to be tempted of Satan is to be possessed by him Luk. 11.21 When the strong man keeps the hold all is at peace VERS 10. But Iesus answered and said Auoide Satan for it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue NOW we come by Gods assistance to the answer of our Lord to the deuills third dart In which consider three things 1. the deniall and resistance But Iesus answered and said 2. the manner of it Auoide Satan 3. the reason For it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God c. First our Sauiour would not yeeld to Sathans temptations 2. nay he repels it with great vehemence 3. he hath iust reason so to doe I. Christ would not yeeld to the temptation no not for a world Quest. Why what hurt had been in it Answ. 1. He had taken the honour of God and giuen it to Sathan whereas the Lord hath said I will giue mine honour to none other 2. He had consented to a lie viz. that the world was Sathans in possession and disposition 3. He had partaked and abetted all that iniustice and wrong which Satan would offer to all the inhabitants of the earth if hee had yeelded or accepted any thing from him 4. He had impeached his owne right and present possession of all things whereof he was right heire already inuested by his Father 5. Although the worship required was externall yet it was diuine and so in giuing it to Satan it had bin idolatrous which had intangled the Sonne of God in sinne and vnfitted him to the redemption of mankind So as in respect of God of Christ of vs and the whole Church it had been euery way wofull and dangerous as Satan yea our Lord well knew Hence we learne from the example of our Sauiour Christ to esteeme and preferre Gods glory aboue all the world Christ could not be corrupted with gold nor siluer nor kingdomes nor glory but as a good Physitian sees all diseases and eye-sores without contracting hurt to himselfe the glory of his Father in his eie is an antidote to preserue him without infection And no maruell seeing he had formerly preferred the glorie of his Fathers mercie in mans saluatiō aboue the glorie of heauen it selfe which he left and became a man of sorrowes and was numbred among the wicked to that purpose Here is an example for vs which we cannot attaine but must looke on a farre off for our imitation to come as neare it as infirmity of flesh will affoard vs. Moses that man of God so preferred the glorie of God before the world that he made a strange choise viz. to suffer with Gods people rather then to enioy the treasures and honours of Egypt Heb. 11.24 25. Nay he was so set for Gods glorie as he preferred it before his owne part in the booke of life Exod. 32.32 Rather then thou shouldest not glorifie thy mercy in thy people and rather then thou shalt giue the enemie cause to blaspheme rather blot my name out of thy booke let me haue no part in heauen The Apostles also following the steps of our Lord for Gods glorie and the Gospels cause did glorie in the worlds contempt and reioyced that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ Act. 5.41 Paul bare in his body the markes of Christ Gal. 6. ver 17. and was a prisoner Eph. 3.1 1. Gods glory is the cheife good and the vtmost extent of all his owne counsells and actions wherein he manifesteth his mercie or iustice Rom. 9.22.23 and so it ought to be of ours 1. Cor. 10.30 whatsoeuer ye eate or drinke or whatsoeuer ye doe do all to the glory of God An earthly child honours his father when he imitats him in good so doe we honour our heauenly Father in this imitation The first thing in Gods intention must bee the first in ours 2. The practise of this dutie is a fruit of faith and a support of faith Heb. 11.24 By faith Moses refused to bee called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter The consideration of Gods faithfulnesse in promising and performing better things makes these inferiour things small in our eye as Moses therefore preferred the rebukes of Christ before the treasures of Egypt because hee looked at the recompense of reward And that the sight of Gods glory worthy to be set aboue all things takes the part of faith to foile temptations is apparant in our text by the practise of our holy Sauiour 3. In the Lords prayer the first petition is that Gods name may bee hallowed set before the desire of daily bread yea before remission of sinnes because all these are but meanes tending and seruing to the maine end of all which is Gods glory All our good spirituall and temporall are or ought to be means tending to that end 4. Gods glory is the dearest of all things to himselfe of which he is most iealous and so ought to be to all his children as we professe our selues to be And what can more reioyce the heart of a gracious and ingenuous child then the honour and high respect of his parent 5. According to our estimation of God himselfe is our respect of his glory and so much as we esteeme his glory so much we esteeme himselfe It is true that Gods glory is eternall and so abides in it selfe not capable of our addition or detraction and God will be euer most glorious though we neuer had been neither need he our help to make him glorious The sunne would shine in his brightnesse and glory if all creatures were blind and no eye saw it But yet he will trie how much glory wee will ascribe vnto him and how we prize it and how industrious we are to magnifie and exalt it not that he can get any good by it but we our selues reape the fruit euen as the fire is not hoter because we stand by it but we are hoter so while we glorifie God not God but our selues are become better more glorious God loueth his glory as he loueth himselfe and we as we loue himselfe so we loue his glory 6. This is the perfection of Christianity and grace here and of our glory and immortality hereafter to preferre his glory aboue all the world The Spous● Cant. 2.18 calleth Christ her best beloued which he could not be if she loued any thing better then him And our Sauiour cashiereth him as vnworthy to be his follower that doth not at least in affection and full purpose forsake father and mother and wife and children and goods and lands for his sake This perfection of grace the holy Martyrs atteined who rather then they would dishonour God in yeelding the least show of idolatry refused the whole world yea their liues And the perfection of glory in the

euery mans command they did sweare and will sweare they were drunke and will be drunke and to iustifie any thing that they haue wretchedly done they will repeate it And doe we not in all this see the expresse image of the deuill of hell in these earthly deuills that are as restlesse and vnweariable in mischeife as he and as farre from laying aside their wickednesse euen when they cannot compasse it as he Let vs learne a good lesson from the deuill and his imps they will hardly be repelled from mischeiuous attempts no not by Christ himselfe so we on the contrary must as hardly be driuen from good purposes and practises Which is the rather to be learned because we haue that within vs which will make vs easily danted in good things as Peter himselfe after he had been long with Christ was so daunted with the voice of a damosell as he easily forsware his Master All Satans instance in euill is to bring vs from instance in good against whom we must euery way fortifie our selues First in the subduing of any sinne or corruption how will nature recoyle how stirring will Satan be to keep his holds how many baits and obiects will he present vnto thee how many feares and losses and crosses as rubs will he cast in thy way and all to driue thee from the field against thy sinne But now is a time to make vse of this doctrine Are wicked men so constant to the deuill at his instance and must not I be constant for God at the instance of his blessed Spirit I will hold out by Gods grace and if I be foiled once and againe as the Israelites in a good cause against Beniamin I will renew the battell the third time I shall at length carrie away the victory this sinne is one of Satans band like the captaine and I will not bee driuen out of the field by such a crauen that will flie if he be resisted Secondly the graces of God are as so many precious iewells locked vp in the closet of a godly heart the deuill is instant to robbe and bereaue vs of these we must be as hardly perswaded to giue vp these as to be spoyled of our earthly treasure and riches 1. Our faith were a sweet morsell to Satan but we must resist him stedfast in the faith Iob will hold his faith in spight of the deuill let him loose his goods his health his friends his children he will hold his faith and professe if the Lord kill him too hee will still trust in his mercie 2. He would steale away our loue of the Saints and with it the life of our faith and therefore he sets before vs many infirmities of theirs and suspitions of our owne and some feare from others but notwithstanding our delight must be in the Saints that excell in vertue Ionathan will not bee beaten off the loue to Dauid though in all outward respects he had little cause only because he saw God was with him 3. He layeth siege to our sobriety and temperance layeth many baits but Ioseph will not yeild to the many assaults of his Mistris 4. He would make vs weary of prayer which is our strength and if God delay he tells vs he heares vs not we loose our labour But wee must wrastle by prayer as Iaacob till we obtaine and as the woman of Canaan begge once and againe till Christ heare vs if he call vs dogges so as we cannot sit at table let vs begge the crummes as whelps that fall vnder the table 5. He would make vs weary of our profession is vncessant in setting the malice of the world vpon vs yea great ones multitudes and all But the Disciples by no whips mockes threats or persecutions could be daunted but reioyced in them and went on more chearefully 6. He would haue vs weary of well doing and beginning in the Spirit to ende in the flesh But as Nehemiah in building the temple and wall said to his crafty counsellers should such a one as I flie so let euery Christian say Should I loose all my labour and that crowne of life that is promised to all them that are faithfull to death No I will not doe it The deuill tooke him vp into an exceeding high mountaine In this third temptation we are to consider two things 1. the assault 2. the repulse In the assault two things 1. the preparation ● the dart it selfe In the preparation 1. the place 2. the sight represented The dart consists of 1. a profer All these will I giue thee 2. a condition If thou wilt fall downe and worshippe mee 3. a reason for they are mine and to whomsoeuer I will I giue them First of the place and in it 1. what place it was 2. how Christ came thither 3. why Satan chose that place I. The place was the top of an exceeding high mountaine What this mountaine was we cannot define and the Scripture beeing silent in it we may be sure it is no article of faith Some thinke it was mount Ararat on which the Arke of Noah stood in the flood the highest mountaine in the world But without all reason for that was in Armenia another part of the world Gen. 8.4 And there were a number of great hills round about Ierusalem fit enough for this purpose As. 1. There was mount Moriah where Abraham offred to sacrifice his sonne Isaac where Salomon built his Temple and wherein Christ stood in the former temptation But the text is plaine he was carried from thence into an higher mountaine by farre 2. There was mount Ghion where Zadok and Nathan at Dauids appointment annointed Salomon King But this was too low 3. There was a mountaine ouer against Ierusalem called mo●s offensionis the mountaine of scandall where Salomon in his age deceiued by outlandish wiues built an high place for Chemosh and Molec the abhominations of the children of Ammon and Moab 1. King 11.7 which high places so hard it is to thrust downe superstition once set vp continued standing 363. yeares and were destroyed by Iosiah 4. There was mount Caluary where Christ suffred but that was not so high as this mount spoken of 5. There was mount Oliuet a famous mountaine about six furlongs from Ierusalem here Dauid wept flying before his sonne Absolom here Christ often watched and prayed and wept ouer Ierusalem for it was so high as that from the top of it as Iosephus reports one might discerne all the streets of Ierusalem and see a farre off to the dead sea 6. There was mount Sion higher then all these which was called the mountaine of the Lord for those that haue written concerning this city know that the foundation of it is among the holy mountaines and among them all mount Sion was farre the highest and therefore Dauid made a fort there called the citie of Dauid 7. There were besides these without Ierusalem mount Nebo from the top of which Moses stood and beheld

not himselfe in them as Pharaoh what a number of miracles saw he yet he was neuer the better he would not acknowledge God nor his seruants and in the wildernes they who saw miracles euery day and moment yet not beleeuing the word of God in them were neuer the better the arme of the Lord was not made bare vnto them Ignorant persons that knowe not Christ no● desire to knowe him are in a wofull estate beeing such as Christ counts vnworthy to reueale himselfe vnto and therefore he either keeps the means from them or leaues them without grace to make an holy vse of them In worse case are they that haue the meanes and yet no tast of them no reformation by them their couetousnes their pride their drunkennesse and vncleannesse will not be left as many that come to Church to heare the word and receiue the Sacraments and yet are no better then dogges and swine and altogether vnreformed in their liues and courses Some draw the word of God into question and would be taught by Angels or miracles as Satan here but Christ will not make himselfe knowne to them no more then to him so saith Abraham to Diues in hell when he denied his request They haue Moses and the Prophets if they will not beleeue them neither would they beleeue if one should rise from the dead Some are resolued to liue as they list let the Preachers say what they can whereas he that is in Christ to whom he reueales himselfe is a new creature for Christ speakes to the heart not to the eare onely Others say they are decreed to life or death and therefore doe what they can they cannot change Gods minde and hence neuer goe about to change themselues But had Christ shewed himselfe to these he would haue directed them to the meanes of sauing knowledge namely to the Scriptures which testifie of him Ioh. 5.29 and to faith which vnites to him and to the fruits of faith which testifie the truth of it to his glory and their comfort Others will be saued by faith alone and by a profession of the Gospell and so neglect the workes which iustifie it and the power of godlines whereas if Christ in the Ministry had reuealed himselfe to such he had quickned their faith and not left it as a carkase for faith without workes is dead Others poore simple people will be saued by mercy alone and neuer labour for knowledge faith or true feeling of their owne estate and care not how sinne abound that mercie may abound much more But had Christ met with them he would let them see their misery in the causes and effects and teach them to hunger after mercie in the meanes and hauing obtained it to goe and sinne no more least a worse thing follow Others disclaiming the doctrine of mortification and selfe-deniall therefore dislike the word as too straite a doctrine stripping them of their pleasures and profits and hence some hold on in their lusts some returne with the swine to their wallowing in the mire they cannot die to sinne they cannot liue without laughter mirth and sports Whereas had Christ reuealed himselfe vnto them hee would haue taught them that his yoke is an easier yoke then the yoke of sinne and that there is no sound comfort but in mortified affections and actions Whosoeuer would haue Christ reueale himselfe fully vnto him must labour to be thus qualified 1. He must be humble for he teacheth the humble in his wayes Psal. 25.9 but the proud he sends empty away as raine makes vallies fruitfull but falls off the mountaines which are therefore barren 2. He must long and desire to meet Christ in his ordinances for Christ is the scope of the word and Sacraments therfore desire to know nothing but Christ crucified goe to the tents of shepheards where he hath told thee thou shalt meet him And this desire if it be sincere will vent it selfe in earnest prayer to be taught of God Teach me thy statutes Oh open mine eyes that I may see the wonderfull things of thy law And it hath a promise to be answered Ioh. 14.21 I will loue him and shew my owne selfe to him 3. He must haue a conscionable indeauour and industrie to obey that part of Gods will which he reuealeth vnto him Ioh. 7.17 If any man will doe his will hee shall knowe whether the doctrine bee from God or no. The third part in the answer is the matter of it a testimony of Scripture It is written Christ might haue oppressed the deuill by his diuine power but beeing as man to be tempted he would as man ouercome 1. to magnifie mans nature 2. to torment Satan the more and 3. to teach vs how to ouercome him And by this his practise he giues to vnderstand that The word written is a chiefe part of our spirituall armour to foyle Satan by yea indeed the principall weapon of our spirituall warfare is the word of God 1. Eph. 6.17 Take vnto you the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God and therefore as a sword it serues 1. to defend vs 2. to wound Satan 3. to cut asunder all his temptations so it did serue Christ here Neither is it a carnall weapon but the sword of the Spirit that is a spirituall weapon as the fight is spirituall not made by man but tempered framed sharpned and put into our hands by the Spirit of God himselfe for whose word else 〈◊〉 it or whence hath it power but from Gods Spirit Reu. 1.16 It is called the two-edged sword which goeth out of the mouth of Christ because it is sharpe and piercing to wound all his enemies it pierceth to the very bones and marrow With this sword he slayes the wicked Isa. 11.4 with this he visites Leuiathan and slaies the dragon that is the mightiest enemies of his Church Isa. 27.1 with this sword he consumes Antichrist 2. Thess. 2.8 and with this sword he foiles the deuill here with the same he slaies corruptions and Satanicall temptations in the hearts of his owne children 2. This part of our armour was signified by the sheilds wherewith Salomons Temple was hanged Cant. 4.4 and by the smooth stones whereby Dauid smote the Philistim 1. Sam. 17.40 here the sonne of Dauid and Dauids Lord smites the Goliah of hell with a deadly wound Sauls armour is here refused worldly weapons wisedome and subtilty and one stone is taken from the fountaines of holy Scripture out of the bagge of his holy memory and by it Satan falls Yea it is the armory of the Church whence all other parts of Christian armour are to bee had 3. All the contention and fight of Satan is to fasten some error and falshood vpon vs now therefore the onely fence from error is to be girded with the girdle of truth now the title of truth is often giuen to the word of God Psal. 19.10 the iudgements of

I speake of that lewd and wicked dauncing of young men in the habit and gestures of women like Herodias which what an incentiue of lust it is may easily be conceiued in Herods example and the poyson of amatorie kissing of beautifull boyes is vnto lust as fire to flaxe or oyle to fire And least you should thinke I did wrong thē in calling these places the deuils schooles Cyprian doth no lesse accounting the Stage-player teaching boyes to bee effeminate by instructing them how to play the women and to expresse wanton gestures to bee the deuills Vsher. All these are places of certaine perill where no man can misse the Tempte● if he can draw men into these places he will not faile to fit them with temptation Let vs therefore make a couenant with our eyes not to behold such vanities and lustfull spectacles and with our feet not to wander into such by-paths and with our selues to auoid the very appearance of euill It will sort well with our weakenesse to auoid temptation to pray against it to watch our selues least we be ouercome rather then to follow and much lesse to goe before the Tempter But if we must needs come in such places as are fitted aboue others for temptation then must we fence our selues more strongly against such temptations as the custome of the place offereth Quest. How may we doe so Answ. By obseruing these rules 1. In all places put we on our Christian armour without which Christian life cannot stand When a man goes among thornes and stubbes had he not need haue his shooes of the Gospel on if hee would not be pricked and peirced to the heart Or if a Christian want his sword how should he cut the bands of sinne in sunder How should a souldier stand in the houres of skirmish without his corslet and brest-plate or how should he quench or repell the fierie and furious darts of Satan and his instruments if he want the sheild of faith That man that puts on this armour of God shall ouercome all difficulties and stand where many haue fallen for he hath with him the victorie that ouercomes the world 2. In all places lay hold on all opportunities to doe good as Satan doth to doe euill He that hath goodnes in him shall come in no place but he may finde some fitnes to communicate it If in places of good resort men may and ought to make gaine of that occasion Can good men meet and not be better one for another whereas the wicked cannot meet but be worse Here a man may 1. obserue Gods graces in others to be a patterne to himselfe 2. draw out vnderstanding of them by godly and fruitfull questions or conference Pro. 20.5 3. stirre vp others to diligence in going forward and to greater loue Heb. 3.13 and inoffensiue walking Others may be ignorant and here is occasion for thee to pity them and open thy lips with wisedome to feed them Pro. 10.20 Others may be dull and slow in Gods wayes and these must be prouoked and encouraged Others by infirmity may be going astray and thou perhaps mayest be a meanes to turne him and winne a soule Others may need an exhortation an admonition a louing and brotherly reproofe or may neede comfort A wise man may now watch occasion not onely to preuent Satans baits who would keep Christians from doing the good they can but also to acquit himselfe in all places to the good of others and his owne comfort 3. In places of bad resort or scorners if our calling lead vs into them let vs take with vs the exhortation of the Apostle 2. Pet. 3.17 Take heed ye be not plucked away with the error of the wicked and fall from your owne steadfastnes And besides 1. let vs grieue that we are fallen into such company 2. let vs thinke of some good or speciall worke of Gods mercy or iudgement fresh in memory 3. if there be apparant euill either giue apparant token of dislike or in a wise and peaceable manner so speake as Gods honour be not by our silence troden downe 4. if there be no opportunitie or place for good depart with all speed Prou. 14. ver 7. and beware of falling into the like company againe Tooke him vp and set him on the pinacle The third circumstance in this preparation is the manner how Christ was conuaied to Ierusalem Then the deuill tooke him vp into the holy citie and set him on a pinacle of the Temple Some of great learning and pietie hold that Christs presence in the holy city and on the pinacle was onely in vision and not corporall Their reasons are these 1. Some of the Prophets thus are said in vision to goe from place to place as Ieremie must goe to the riuer Perath and backe againe c. 13.4 and Ezec. 11.24 The Spirit of God tooke me vp and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea and 8.3 And tooke me by an hairy locke of my head and the Spirit lift me vp betweene the earth and the heauen and brought me by a diuine vision to Ierusalem 2. Because the Euangelists say that the temptations were in the wildernesse and therefore could not be actually in the holy Citie or on a pinacle but in vision 3. Because Luke saith that the temptations beeing ended Christ returned into Galiley namely from the wildernesse But it seemes Christs beeing in Ierusalem and on the pinacle of the Temple was not in vision but in deed and truth and the reasons well considered are too weake to prooue the contrarie because 1. It ouerthrowes the end of the temptation which was to cast himselfe downe headlong for the Angels would keep him without hurt How could he hurt himselfe by an imaginarie fall or what needed he the Angels helpe Neither could he cast himselfe downe if he were still in the plaine of the wildernesse 2. It seemes not to stand with the holinesse of Christ seeing euery vision which is a worke of Satan intending by it to delude man is either a deceiuing of the outward senses whereby he makes a man thinke he sees heares or feeles something which indeed and truth he doth not as the witch of Endor made Saul beleeue he did heare and see Samuel when he did not 1. Sam. 28. And after the same manner if it were a vision supposing that Christ was awake hee must not see the ground of the wildernes where they say he was but vpon that ground the City Ierusalem the Temple and pinacle and himselfe standing on the top of it when indeed it was not there Or else a vision presented by Satan must be an illusion of the minde whereby he makes a man thinke that of himselfe which is not true which can farre lesse agree with the holines of Christ whose imagination could not be so farre abused as that he should thinke he was carried when he was not carried or to thinke himselfe to be there where he was