Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	look_v	lord_n	soul_n	5,124	5	5.4191	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03104	The mirror of pure devotion: or, The discovery of hypocrisie Delivered in sixe severall sermons, in the Cathedrall Church of Chichester, by way of an exposition of the parable of the Pharises and the publican. By R.B. preacher of the word, at Chidham in the county of Sussex.	Ball, Robert, fl. 1635.	1635 (1635)	STC 1323; ESTC S113587	64,577	210

we have done with it wee shall finde it will reach us all and spare none for as much as he that is soundest at the heart may at one time or other if hee flatter not himselfe too much discover in himselfe some dregs of hypocrisie some spice of the Pharisee Let every one then in the feare of God apply the parable onely to himselfe as ingenuously taxing his owne conscience as Nathan did David and say Tu es homo Thou art the man our Saviour now taxes and the Preacher now speakes to That so every one resolving to mend one God in his mercy may mend all And upon this good resolution by the blessing of the Author we may venter upon the Parable Two men went up into the Temple to pray the one was a Pharisce and the other a Publican That great Divell incarnate Hypocrisie in devotion is heere discovered unto us by our blessed Saviour by a parable of two men as like in outward shew that it is very hard to discerne the one from the other but as different in inward substance as light and darknesse Their behaviour is expressed in the words of this Text joyntly together then severally and apart in the verses following At first sight a man would thinke all were well Here are first Duo homines two men good company Here is secondly ascensus in Templum they walke and they talke and they converse together and they goe up into the Temple together a good posture Here is thirdly Devotio a seeming strong devotion They goe up into the Temple to pray a good exercise But alas heere is the leaven that sowres all and swels all the leaven of Pharisees The one was a Pharisee and the other a Publican Duo homines two men why good company and once a rarity to bee found upon the face of the earth Without all question societie is both commendable and comfortable by the principles of nature and grace to for though unum bonum cov●rtuntur by our mecaphysicall discipline yet hee that soares but one degree higher shall finde that the most perfect unitie is best pleased to admit of a Trinitie No doubt to signifie that as there can bee no true societie without an unitie so there can bee no perfect unitie without a Societie Went these two men up into the Temple they could not have trod a fayrer path A journey that David undertooke with great alacritie and cheerefulnesse especially when hee went up into the Temple with companie the more the merrier I was glad saith h● when they said unto me Wee will goe into the house of the Lord. It is a good sight to see men go by twoes into the Temple but a farre more blessed to see them flocke by tens and hundreds and thousands As blessed bee God in this and divers other Congregations in this Kingdome Went these two men up into the Temple to pray they could not have gone with a better resolution nor performed a better exercise Had they gone but singly up into a private chamber or a closet to pray and beene still it had beene no question an acceptable sacrifice of righteousnesse Devotion bee it never so private if it be hearty shall never returne emptie without a blessing It is like Davids Tree planted by the Psal 1. waters side whose leafe never withers but still brings forth fruit in due season whatsoever it doth it shall prosper It is a fruitfull Vine continually bearing clusters of ripe grapes whose roote is charity whose stocke faith whose top hope whose spreading twigges are laden with fruite the workes of mercie and whose flourishing blossomes are the wholesome wordes of wisedome As the morning Starre in the midst of a cloud As the Moone Eccle. 50. when it is at full As the Sun shining upon the Temple of the most high As a bright raine-bow in faire clouds As the flower of Roses in the spring As Lillies by the rivers of water As fire and incense in the Censer As a vessell of massie gold beset with all manner of precious stones As a faire Olive tree that is fruitfull As a Cipresse tree that growes up to the clouds And as the fat that is taken from the Peace-offering so is the I am 5. 16. prayer of the righteous man if it be fervent It is paled in like the garden of Eden with everlasting mercies when the best of our sacrifices are layed waste and common It floates like Noahs Arke upon the waters of affliction when the best of our thoughts are overwhelmed and perish It buds and bloomes like Aarons rod and brings forth ripe Almonds when the best of our works remaine dry and wither This one sheafe stands upright and this one starre sparkles when the rest of the hile fall flat upon the ground and all wandering Comets are quite obscured Abigals bottles of Wine and frayles of Raisons were never so welcome to hungry David in the wildernesse of Parran Nor the shadie Iuniper tree so delectable to the Prophet in the parching Sun Nor Iacobs fat Kid so acceptable to his fathe● Isaac in his sicknesse Nor the sight of young Benjamin so pretious to his brother Ioseph when he was the chiefe Governor of Pharaohs Court in Egypt Nor the Wals of Ierusalem so deare unto the Iewes that kissed them at their returne from captivity as zealous and hearty prayer is unspeakeably comfortable to the soule of a distresled sinner It fils the mouth with laughter and the heart with gladnesse It gives light to them that sit in darknesse and life to them that sit in the shaddow of death it is Damonibus flagellum animae subsidium Deo sacrificium Aug. A scourge to the Divell a prop to the Soule a Sacrifice to God which God cannot despise It is the continuall feast of a pined conscience the onely solace in a Sea of sorrowes Call upon me in the time of trouble saith the Lord so will I heare thee and thou shalt praise mee It is the very Lodovicus Grana●eus station of the soule in the presence of God and the station of God in the presence of the soule God lookes upon her with the Eye of mercy and she glances upon God with the eye of humility What shall I say more It is the food of the Soule the quintescence of all spirituall comfort the obtaining of all the graces and favours of the great King of Heaven the ravishing seale of that interchangable kisse of peace betwixt the Bridegroome and the Bride that spirituall Sabbath wherein the Creator himselfe desires to rest that Lodge in the forrest of Libanus wherein the true Salomon solaces himselfe and enjoyes his delights with the sonnes of men It is milke for Babes strong meat for men provision for the traveller an haven to the mariner victory to the militant and glory to the triumphant It is physicke to the sicke joy to the afflicted strength to the weake It amends the bad it confirmes the good it comforts all

mercifull to mee a sinner This is the first closing part a ●enor to the Base and a true one too In the next place I beseech you marke how sweetly the Meane closes with the Treble Mercy is the onely Meane to reach so high a Treble as God himselfe is If we reach at any other of his attributes wee over-reach our selves If at his wisdome it confounds us If at his glory it dazel● us if at his Majestie it beates us downe if at his justice it strikes us dead but if wee reach at mercy hee presently closes with us Misericordiam vult non sacrificium in this sense too Hee had rather save us by his mercy then sacrifice us by his justice We can no sooner looke homewards and resolve to returne to this Father of all mercies but presently like that over-joyed one in the Gospel he runnes halfe way to meete his Prodigals hugges us in the armes of his mercie falles upon our neekes and kisses us with the kisses of his mouth brings us home to his house the Church changes our garments of iniquitie puts upon us the robe of our elder brothers righteousnesse gives all possible entertainment and causes his family to rejoyce with us for that the dead are revived and the lost are found This is the second closing part the Meane to the Treble and a sweet one too Now we have sufficiently prooved the notes let us for a Conclusion of all admire the singular skill of this Artist in setting and composing the Chords that wee may the better rellish the harmony Hee gives not the least touch upon the merits of Saints or intercessions of Angels that Clift is too low to begin his Treble upon so sweet a meane as mercy would never close with the harsh a Treble as Saints or Angels Neither presumes hee to touch upon the straine of his owne merits that Clift is too high to begin his base upon Neither thinkes hee it safe to touch upon a straine of selfe-confidence that Clift is too false to begin his Tenor upon so deepe a base as a sinner and so false a Tenor as a merit-monger would never close Neither dares hee touch upon the straine of Gods justice that Clift is too harsh to beginne his Meane upon there would bee such a jarring discord betwixt justice and misery they would never close but marre all the harmony But when hee begins his service upon the highest Treble God and misery like a sweet Meane closes with him And concludes with the deepest base a Sinner and humble confession like a true Tenor closes with him then is the Musicke sweet and full no matter how curious the eare be that heares it Oratio humiliantis se penetrat nubes The prayer of him that humbleth himselfe thus goeth thorow the clouds and ceaseth not till it come neere and will not depart till the highest of all have respect unto it Ascendit miseria descendit misericordia Humble misery creeps up melting mercy drops downe God and man and Artist and hearers and all are pleased Heaven and earth Men and Angels Saints and Sinners stand all amazed as ravished at this harmony Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori O God be mercifull to mee a sinner And thus ends the Publicans service with the time and mine THE SIXTH SERMON Luke 18. 14. I tell you this man went downe to his house justified rather then the other for every one that exalteth himselfe shall bee abased and hee that humbleth himselfe shall bee exalted THIS one verse closes up the series of the whole Parable and comprehends the two last generals we observed in it when wee first ventured on it The Event and the Application You have already heard the occasion that induced our blessed Saviour to propound it which was a discoverie of three grosse corruptions in certaine of his auditours The first was a presumptuous selfe-confidence by reason of a fond conceit of merit in their owne workes They trusted in themselves The second was an arrogant conceit of inherent righteousnesse that they were just The third was a most proud and uncharitable contempt and vilification of others You have likewise heard of the particular passages of the Parable it selfe and the severall devotions of the two men whom it principally concerned the Pharisee and the Publican The Pharisee standing Eras par next unto the propitiatorie as most worthy in his owne eyes to stand Iig by Ioll and discourse familiarly with his Maker prayed by himselfe thus God I thanke th●● I am not as other men are that altogether live by wrong and robberie by ryot and luxurie by odious defiling their neighbours bed or by any scandalous or unlawfull course of living as doth this Publican I pamper not my genius as other men doe but I fast twice in the weeke and I rm so far from doing the least wrong to any that I defraud not the Minister of his least dues for I give tithes of all that I possesse This was the swelling Oration of the Pharisee froathing and foaming like the Sea at full which happily in it selfe might be true and seemingly thanke-worthy because he thanked his God for it but his God thankes not him for it because hee onely praised himselfe and condemned his brother But the Publican as a most wretched and dejected caitife onely displeased with himselfe by reason of the guilt of sinne and gall of conseience stood trembling a farre off so miserably ashamed and confounded in himselfe that he would not so much as lift up his eies to heaven but smote his brest saying O God be mercifull to me a sinner The Pharisee came onely to give thankes for his goodnesse without either inward feeling of the want of grace or outward confession of sinne though the very heart of his devotion was most miserably tainted and infected with it by an arrogant advancement of his owne worthinesse and a rash accusation of his brothers weakenesse But the Publican puts all the good that ever hee did into the hinder part of the wallet and onely layes before him close unto his conscience the evill hee had done smites his brest as the only fountaine of his impure thoughts but impurer actions and though hee presumes not so much as to lift up his eies to heaven yet hee only calls unto the God of heaven for mercy for both Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori O God bee mercifull to me a Sinner And would you now know the Event of all this then reade the former part of this Text and you shall finde that iste remotus cum contemptu that respued contemptible Publican in the Pharisees eye to become Hic vir Deo proximus the only man of account in Gods eye That poore crippled Sinner that came crawling into the Temple even bowed quite double by his infirmitie is sent home to his house justified for a straight and an upright man singing and leaping and praysing God But the Pharisee the I per se I