Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n
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A69024
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A replie to a relation, of the conference between William Laude and Mr. Fisher the Jesuite. By a witnesse of Jesus Christ
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Burton, Henry, 1578-1648.
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1640
(1640)
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STC 4154; ESTC S104828
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423,261
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458
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Incendiary For behold Lord what havock is made in the Land What superstitions in will-worship what oppression of the Gospell what persecution of thy Ministers what effusion of their innocent blood What dispersion of their poore families What prophanation of thy holy Sabbaths What erection and adoration of Antichristian Altars and Images What suspension of the doctrines of Grace and Salvation What usurped Tyrannicall Domination over thy Ministers and People What imposition of the intollerable yoake of Ceremonies upon their necks bringing them againe under Antichristian bondage whom Christ by the shedding of his precious blood hath made free And what urging and pressing with furious rage reaching up to heaven the observation of all humane Ordinances while yea and whereby thy divine Ordinances are cast out And what wilt thou now doe to thy great Name Thou hast of late by terrible signes from heaven as it were by sound of Trumpet summoned the whole Land threatning to destroy it Surely the provocations are great were not thy Patience greater But thou expectest Repentance with Reformation of all these abominations But little appearance as yet and as little hope while such Books as this are Patronized and Authorized What then Lord Wilt thou therfore proceed to judge the whole Land for these things Surely the whole Land is defiled and so the cause were just But yet remember Lord that thou hast a remnant yet left therein that have not bowed the knee to Baal And consider withall that they are a Faction principally of some few persons as the Prelates that have caused such confusions in the Land And wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked farre be that from thee Shall not the Iudge of all the world doe right And even now do not thy People lift up strong cryes unto thee against their Aegyptian Taskemasters and Babylonian Lords And behold Lord what a desperate Leader this Faction hath got even as Iudas was to the Rowt the Primate and Metropolitan of all England those Antichristian Titles he so much vaunteth of who because he walkes in Factious and lawlesse by-wayes therefore hath this Fox for his better defence gotten upon him the Lyons skin pretending the King for the Author and Patron of all his practises Now the Foundations being thus cast down what can the Righteous doe But thou art in the holy Temple Thy Throne is in heaven wherein and whence thou swayest all Scepters here below Thou art the King of Kings and in whose band the Kings heart is as the rivers of waters turning it which way it pleaseth thee And thou hast of late mercifully turned his heart to grant to his Scottish People their ancient Christian liberty both by freeing them from Ceremonies and from the High Commissions thereby cutting shorter at least the Hornes of the Beast in the exercise of Prelaticall Tyranny Now ô Lord be pleased to perfect this thy worke both in Scotland and England and throughout all Christendome by causing the Kings of the Earth that formerly were as hornes to the Beast and had given their power unto him to hate the Whore and strippe her naked and that by throwing down the Hierarchy the maine Pillar of the Antichristian Throne which is advanced above and against the glorious Kingdome and Throne of our Lord Iesus Christ. And for this cause ô Lord open the Kings eyes clearely to see the notorious hypocrisie of his Prelate who under a Colour of Peace and Truth goes about to overthrow all true Peace and Truth in his Kingdome Let him see ô Lord how dangerous it is to maintaine or countenance an Antichristian Faction within his Kingdome Let him see how naked his Kingdome lyes at this time exposed to all the stormes of heaven through so many crying Sins and desperate iniquities which the whole Land groaneth under ready to sinke to the bottome of hell Let him see and be rowsed up to a more watchfull Care and diligent attention upon the grave and waighty affaires of a King and especially not to commit the Care of Religion to Romish Prelates which are no members of the true Church of Iesus Christ. And withall ô Lord quicken the Kings heart with a Coale from thine Altar even with the zeale of the Spirit of Iesus Christ to enter into a present strict examination of the State of Religion as it now stands in his Kingdome And because thou hast in mercy stirred up and strengthened a Servant of thine to discover to the King not onely the great dishonour his Name sustaineth but the great danger his Kingdome incurreth while such intollerable things are suffered as thy Servant hath in his Reply laid open Now ô Lord let it be thy pleasure to bring this worke to a full perfection by the publishing of it that so both the King and his People by taking knowledge thereof may come to see what a miserable condition they are brought into by one blinde guide and bold Prelate And let thy Spirit ô Lord awaken and quicken the minds of the Lords and Nobles of the King and State to consider what a base vassalage all those are brought under who suffer themselves to be made slaves to serve the lawlesse lusts of one domineering Primate and at length wisely to foresee the mischiefes which the Altering of Religion to the worse and reducing all back againe to Rome may and will certainly bring upon the Land and upon themselves too if not the more speedily prevented by a sound and serious thorow Reformation Make the great ones of the world ô Lord sensible that there is a judgement to come and that there is a terrible GOD above them that shall call them to a strict reckoning for all those ungodly practises wherein themselves have either been Agents or Instruments either Principalls or Accessories as in oppressing thy Word and Truth in persecuting thy faithfull Ministers and the like And Lord stirre up all thy people to fervent and continuall Prayer and strengthen them therein to persevere and watch untill an Answer come forth from thy Throne to all their Petitions and Supplications which from day to day they have and do and shall present unto thee Oh let not our God be angry with his people that pray unto him with unfained hearts and lips nor let their enemies Say Where is now their GOD But Lord stirre up thy strength and come and helpe us Put the wicked in feare O Lord that they may know themselves to be but men And shew some token upon thy servants for good that they which hate us may see it and be ashamed because thou Lord hast holpen us and comforted us And let the Atheisticall Scornfull world see that it is not in vain to serve God and to call upon him and to wait for him And now Lord avenge the Cause of Iesus Christ against Antichrist and break down Antichrists throne and exalt Christs Throne that himselfe alone may sit and rule and raigne over his People and the show◠of that King may
better then I can tell you I know you do but I tell you to rub over your memory and awaken your sleepy Conscience who were the main moving cause of all this as All the world knows And how farre you weâ—e an Instigator of the Court so to censure and of the King to inflict you very well know Who Your Lordship Farre be it For your Piety doth heartily beseech GOD to forgive them Indeed in the conclusion of that your Pamphlet which you read then in the Court after the Censure was past you had these words or the like whom I leave to the Mercy of GOD and the Iustice of the King But if indeed you doe heartily and unfainedly beseech GOD to forgive them why doe you not if indeed they have justly offended GOD and the King in transgressing any Law divine or humane both your selfe from your heart forgive them if they have done you any wrong and testifie it by a serious soliciting of the King and that now after two whole yeares and more Imprisonment and Banishment yea and Divorcement from their Wives to release and acquit them Or why do you not if you be as you pretend one of Christs Ministers at least inform the King how contrary it is both to Gods Law and Mans Law and the Law of Nature to separate Man and Wife in this sort without any just cause given on either part But the King in his Clemencie had granted to their Wives liberty and leave to goe to their Husbands And do not you know my Lord whose piety and charity and equity and policie it was to reverse and hinder it Well my Lord let me deale freely with you and that from the mouth of the Great Iudge There shall be Iudgement without Mercy to him that sheweth no Mercy Yea Suppose the Cause of that most terrible Censure had been just yet should there be no place for Mercy and that now after so long a time and so sharp a Tryall What Not one drop nor crumb of Mercy That 's enough for hell But you will say as you have done Mercy was shewed in sparing their lives How I pray you They were never questioned for their lives much lesse was any Sentence of death passed upon them nor was there any Cause found although perhaps narrowly searched for but no precedâ—nt was found Againe Suppose they had been in a legall way and justly sentenced to dye yet so to spare life as to make and leave it worse then any death can be as being a continuall and languishing death Call you this a mercy Take heed least herein that be verefied of you which the wise-man saith The tender mercies of the wicked are cruell Or shall the examples of Heathen cruelty be justified by theirs who professe to be Christians But what Heathen example can you parallell to this Indeed I remember one and but one that comes somwhat neere it The Roman Verres Praetor in Cicily closse imprisoned one Apollonius a rich Citizen there so as neither his old Father nor young Son might for the space of one whole yeare and a halfe come to see him and this for no other cause but that he was rich a punishment saith the Orator to be redeemed with a mans very life when life hath nothing left Praeter Calamitatem but meere Calamity Whereupon the Author saith who was himselfe no meane Statesman Haec cum accidunt nemo est quin intellegat ruere illam Rempub. Haec ubi veniunt nemo est qui ullam spem salutis reliquam esse arbitretur I need not English it to your Lordship Yet I will When such things happen there is none but understands that Common-wealth to be falling when these things come to passe there is none that can imagine any hope of safety to be left And what have you left to those THREE remarkable Men Praeter Calamitatem What but a miserable life As the Prophet saith of Ierusalem's Captivity in Babylon The punishment of the daughter of my people is greater then the punishment of the Sin of Sodome that was overthrowne as in a moment and no hand Stayd on her And They that be slain with the sword are better then they that be slain with hunger for these pine away stricken through for want of the fruits of the Field So as a life stript of all the outward comforts of the world yea and of the meanes of spirituall comfort which one Friend should minister unto another haveing nothing left Praeter Calamitatem but Calamity is it not a greater punishment then death it selfe How is it then a mercy instead of death undeserved to grant such a life But you say 't is just For they were Censured pro Confesso Pro Confesso Of what Of all charged in the Bill Why they did Answer and it was condemned before hearing And Si sat est accusasse quis innocens erit If it be enough to have accused who shal be innocent And againe let the Court-Records be searched if there be ever such a Precedent that a man should be so censured for not assenting to the condemnation of his Cause before the hearing Or that ever any Defendants whole and intire body of his Answer containing his just Defence yea and when he could not expect any Counsell to plead for him that either would or durst should unaliturâ at one dash be expunged as Impertinent and Scandalous and that after it was orderly admitted upon Oath into the Court Or if this be found to be the Custome of such Courts may not a man here apply the foresaid Speech of that Roman Orator When such things happen there is none but understands that Common-wealth to bee falling when these things come to passe there is none that can imagine any hope of Safety to be left Were not these things Prognostications and Presages if not rather immediate fore-runners and causes of some terriblâ— imminent and impendent Stormes that should shortly after fall upon the Land But O Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see But they shall see and be ashamed c. But how ever you are so charitable as heartily to beseech GOD to forgive them Now suppose you did this from your heart as some naturall man may do doe you think it a sufficient discharge to your Conscience or holy water enough to wash you cleane from the guilt of the blood of these men which you have so shed Is not this a meere mocking of GOD and Men to pretend piety in praying for those whom you still most cruelly persecute with all the damnable malice and hatred which you could learne of none but of the Schoole-master of Hell And doth not your notorious hypocrisie appeare in this that you still pretend piety in praying GOD and that heartily to forgive those as Malefactors and Offendors whom your own Conscience knows to be innocent and of whose punishments at least some of them you cannot give so much