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
A91475	Good tydings for sinners, great ioy for saints; or, A word to the world, and two to those that are chosen out of the world. Wherein is held forth, first, the sweet tenders of grace from the father through the son to all dejected sinners; he invites them, he woes them, he intreats them, nay, he beseecheth them to accept of mercy. In the second part of this book, called, Two words to those chosen out of the world, is spoken to the saints under their severall forms, taking notice first of the things commendable in them: and in the second place reproving them for things amisse among them. With a short prophesie of the downfall of presbyterie, independencie, anabaptismie, vaine notions, free-will. With a brief description of a true church-state, against which the gates of Hell shall not prevaile; it being founded upon a rock, it will stand against all waves and storms, that either men or devils can raise against it. I will give you all one heart, and one way. Then the Lord shall be one, and his name one. / Robert Purnell.	Purnell, Robert, d. 1666.; Parnell, Robert, attributed name.	1649 (1649)	Wing P542; Wing P4234; Thomason E557_12; ESTC R27528	60,728	77

a duty well becoming the Saints to endeavour as instruments in Gods hands to comfort others with the same comforts wherewith the Lord hath comforted them Come saith David I will tell thee what the Lord hath done for my soule Againe Oh thou drooping sinner listen a little unto the voyce of Christ and thou shalt heare him calling to thee and saying Come come unto mee all yee that bee weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest Hee cals thee hee invites thee hee entreates thee hee beseecheth thee to come in and to bee reconciled unto the Lord thy God See and consider well that Scripture 2. Cor. 5 20. Now then wee are ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us wee pray you in Christ stead bee you reconciled unto God you see hee is willing to have sinners reconciled to him and that hee doth manifest by many demonstrations or evidences First His patience towards thee all this while he is long suffering not willing that any should perish 2 Pet. 3 9. Rom. 2.4 The goodnesse of God or the patience of God doth or should lead thee to repentance Secondly Hee doth manifest his willingnesse in that hee hath made this the master-piece of all his works to provide a Saviour for us in sending his Son and making him a curse for us in this great worke the Lord doth proclaime to all the world Oh all you people of the world if I had not beene willing to bee reconciled to you or rather to have you reconciled to mee as I have for ever beene I would never have sent my dearest Sonne from the bosome of my love to die for you So that this is the greatest worke all my other workes are subordinate to this In this was the love of God manifested to us that he sent his onely begotten Sonne into the world that we should live through him 1 Joh. 4.9 Thirdly The Lord doth professe this to the people That there is no one thing wherein hee doth more glory than to shew mercy to poore sinners yea to his enemies Micah 7.18 Hee delighteh in mercy Exod. 34. The Lords glory passed by and what was that The Lord the Lord most mercifull and gratious long suffering c. Pardoning iniquity transgressions and sinne Here is my glory Hence it is exprest Isa 30.18 Therefore will the Lord waite that hee may bee gratious and therefore will hee bee exalted that hee may have mercy upon you So then the Lord doth accompt himselfe an exalted God when hee hath brought in a sinner to accept of mercy Fourthly The Lord doth expresse his willingnesse even with a sigh as it were which doth much denote his willingnesse Deut. 5.29 Oh that there were such an heart in them that they would feare my Name and keepe my Commands and that for one good too for so the words follow that it might be well with them and with their children for ever Now these people had said before whatsoever the Lord hath spoken wee will doe Oh that there were such an heart in them saith the Lord. Fifthly The Lord doth expresse his willingnesse with an oath too and that the greatest that ever hee tooke That sinners shall not dye Ezek. 33.10 11. As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way and live Turne yee turne yee from your evill wayes for why will you die oh house of Israell c. Sixthly God doth manifest his willingnesse in this that above all other workes this worke of beleeving on him is most pleasing to him and our not beleeving is the greatest offence that wee can give to God Joh. 6.29 This is the worke of God that you beleeve on him whom he hath sent as if the Lord had said This doth please mee better than any other worke Let a poore soule come in and rowle himselfe upon the love of God in Christ for reconciliation This is a more glorious worke than the conquering of a whole world If you give all your goods to the poore and your bodies to be burnt all is nothing if this be wanting Joh. 3.19 This is condemnation that light is come unto the world and men love darknesse more then light In a word binde all your sinnes together in a bundle except this sin of unbeliefe and put them in a ballance together And put this sin of unbeliefe in the other ballance you shall finde that unbeliefe will weigh downe all the rest and from this unbeliefe as the roote springs all other evils as the branches Seventhly Consider further God doth seeke to sinners first Therefore it is said The Lord Christ came to seeke and to save them that were lost Isa 45.22 Looke unto me and be you saved all yee ends of the earth the Spirit and the Bride say come and let him that is a thirst come and take of the waters of life freely Eightly Consider the Lord sends forth his grace to allure thee and to entice thee a sinner to come to him Hee doth with cords of love draw the heart to come Hee sends forth his mercy to stand before the soule and tender its service as it were to the sinfull soule Hosea 2.14 Therefore will I allure them saith the Lord. There was a great breach betweene this people and God as you may see at large in this chapter And yet saith the Lord I will allure them Hosea 11.4 I will draw them with the cords of men with the bands of love Ninthly The Lord is so yeelding unto his creatures th●t to keepe his owne honour and glory he cannot yeeld further At first wee are all going astray the Lord cals us backe 2. Wee were going to prison The Lord steps in saying I will provide a surety The Covenant of workes requires satisfaction saith the Lord I am contented to take this in a surety Wee are like a Beggar begging an almes of one that passeth by to whom it is answered I will give thee oh Beggar that which thou desirest but thou must come and fetch it I cannot come saith the Beggar I want legs I will give thee legs saith the giver that thou mayest come But saith the Beggar when I am come I have no hands to receive that which you will give me I will give thee hands also Oh! But I want wisedome to make use of that gift I will give thee wisedome saith the Lord. Oh that ever so glorious a God should so farre stoope and yeeld to his poore creatures as to answer all questions cleare all doubts and take away all scruples Tenthly He yet comes nearer to a sinner as it were and doth professe that the greatest sins that ever they have committed against him shall not hinder them from comming to him nor him from pardoning them Isa 1.18 Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord. though your sins be as Scarlet they shal be as white as Snow Oh here the Lord

proclaimes that all thy sinnes past shall bee done away Thy continuance in sinne will be thy undoing if any thing Eleventhly Againe Consider The Lord doth in his Word use very powerfull arguments to draw the heart to bee reconciled to him Hee doth not onely offer mercy and set it before the soule but he doth labour with strong reasons and arguments and motives to draw the soule to himselfe and doth use these arguments that will take the heart most Sometimes hee doth draw arguments from his equity Ezekiel 18. ●5 Are not my wayes equall saith the Lord. Sometimes from our nec●ssity Joh. 3.36 Hee that beleeveth not the wrath of God abideth on him Sometimes from the benefit and profit we shall have if we do come in Prov. 1.23 Turn yee at my reproof and behold I will powre out my Spirit upon you I will make known my words unto you Oh blessed promise one would think this should break the heart of Devils as if the Lord had said well though thou hast been a great sinner and though thou hast rebelled against me ever since thou wast born yet if thou wilt but turn at my reproof or say to thy God Turn us and we shal be turned for I must doe it I will powre out my Spirit upon thee I will give grace and ●●ory a House a City a Kingdome Light Life and all things The Lord doth seem to out-bid all other comforts that we have in sin therefore he doth tell us of honey milk raiment such things as do most take with our hearts that so he might gain us to come in and be at one with him Now I shall appeal to your consciences that have felt this in some measure Doth not the Devill come with strong arguments The World with the like And wicked men with strong perswasions The corruptions within you with strong motives And yet doth not the Lord out-bid them all and so win the Soule to himself Twelfth Consider further The Lord comes and answers all objections that lye in the hearts of sinners Ob. 1. Saith one I am unworthy I have nothing in me that good is Ans The Lord saith Isa 55. Come and buy milk and wine without money and without price three times it is spoken in one or two verses So that God doth set forth his kingdome by milke wine and bread things usefull for the body sometimes by a marriage sometimes by a supper wherein are all kindes of dainties sometime he doth invite them to the supper and to the marriage of his Sonne and sometimes doth compell them to come in Then the Devil working with our corrupt nature doth what he can to make the Soule slight the Gospel and to look upon the blood of the Covenant as a mean thing When the soul doth begin indeed to apprehend the greatnes and sweetnes of the Gospel of glad tidings then steps in Sathan What such a one as thou have such mercy Fellow sinners mark the policy of the subtle Devil he doth at first labor to set at naught the Gospel accounting it as a mean thing But when the Lord doth shine through that mist and shew the soul the excellency of his son and the glory of the Gospel Then comes the devil the other way saying with thee these be great things indeed But thou art vile and base both in thy principles practice and canst thou think that God ever intended these things to thee What to such a one as thou art Then the Lord answereth for thee Come without money and without price as if he had said though thou hast no ability to doe any thing yet come I will make thee rich enough thou hast no money that is no self righteousnes let not that hinder Revel 22.17 The Spirit and the Bride say come and let him that bears come and let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely Ob. It may be saith the Soule though the Lord doth require nothing before hand yet when I am come he will require hard things of me I must live so strictly and abandon all my pleasures what shall I leave all those pleasant wayes and have nothing but according to the word and according to conscience Then farewell all the comfort and joy of all our life if we come to this once Ans I appeale to you whether your hearts have not been kept of by such things as these But now ó fellow sinners mark how Christ doth take off these objections Matth. 11. Come unto me and I will give you rest Take my yoke upon you and mark what follows my yoke is easie and my burthen light As if Christ should say I will lay no yoak upon you but what is easie nor any burthen but what is light And this I affirme though this may seem to be hard to you at first you will finde the wayes of God more easie than ever you found the wayes of sin Do but ask them that have any experience of the love of God to them and they will tell thee that they have found more sweetnesse in one day in following of God than they found in the wayes of sin many years Prov. 3.17 Her wayes are wayes of pleasantnesse and all her paths are peaceable paths Now if you will believe the spirit of God you see there is more peace more joy more sweetnesse more comfort than ever you had before 13. Again consider The Lord doth not onely use strong arguments and answer all objections But he is importunate too as first He doth cry out after sinners Prov. 1. Wisdome cryeth in the streets and so Prov. 9. and Isa 55. He doth make Proclamation Ho every one that thirsteth come He doth importune and bid come over and over again and again Come come come three times together So that God doth seek more earnestly to sinners than they doe to him It may be thou wilt seek to God once for a mercy thou wantest and give over But behold God cals to thee again and again come come come 14. If all this will not prevaile with sinners to come in yet the Lord leaves them not but appeals to the very Consciences of sinners deals with them that way If you were in great distresse concerning your estate or life and you go to a man that hath both wisdom and power to help you and open the case to him but cannot prevaile then you bring strong arguments and they do not move then you take away all objections but yet prevaile not then you importune him and urge your arguments againe and again and all this doth not prevaile then you appeale to his own conscience whether you have not spoken right to him saying I will even leave this to your own conscience to judge of it and this many times doth prevaile when no●hing else will even thus of all the world doth God deal with sinners and appeals to their own consciences Isa 43.26 Put me in

and seest it too hard a thing for thee yet consider that nothing is too hard for God who hath undertaken to work it Ob. It I could see a promise wherein God had promised to work it that were something Quest What art thou A Jew or a Gentile Scythian or Barbarian Ans I am a Gentile a sinner Chr. Thou these are promises for thee see Matt. 12.21 Rom. 15.12 In him shall the Gentiles trust in him shall the Gentiles trust Sin But all Gentiles doe not neither shall they believe therefore if I could see my name written in Scripture and a promise made to me in reference to that name then there were hope indeed Chr. Thou art just like Thomas Joh. 20.25 Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nailes and thrust my hand into his side I will not believe Well saith Christ thou shalt see the print of the nailes reach hither thine hand c. Wilt thou see thy name inscripture indeed Sin Yea with all my heart But I fear it is not there Chr. Why dost thou doubt all things are possible to him that believes wilt thou see thy name Then what is thy state How is it with thee Sin My state is miserable I am full of blindenes and ignorance and can understand nothing in a spirituall way Chr. Here is thy name then recorded Isa 50.10 Who so walketh in darknes and seeth no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon God Sin But I am dead almost my heart and my flesh do faile me Chr. Why canst thou read the beginning of the verse with David and not the latter end of it and God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Psal 7● 26 Sin But I am weak faith another poore soule where is my name Chr. The weak shall be as David there is thy name Sin But saith another distressed soule I am quite dead where is my name Chr. Ephes 5.14 Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light There is thy name Sin But I have not ears to hear Christ voice nor strength to arise if I could hear Chr. But Christ can give strength with his voice as to Lazarus come forth and he came forth Sin Here is comfort for these indeed But oh that you could shew me my name in scripture and God speaking to me by name Then I should believe and rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory Chr. Well What is thy name Sin Rebell That is my name for I have rebelled against the Lord ever since I was born I have lived in a continuall breach of every command Chr. Yet behold thy name Psal 68.18 Christ hath received gifts for men yea for the rebellious that the Lord God might dwell among them Read thy name in every promise endeavour to see thy name enrolled in the book of Life where all the Devils in Hell and all the wicked men in the world can never blot it out Sin Oh! saith another poore distressed soule I have no minde nor heart to seek after God Where is my name Chr. Isa 65.1 I am found of them that sought me not There is thy name though thou wilt not seek for him yet he will seek and finde thee Sin But I cannot believe Where is my name saith another Chr. 2 Tim. 2 13. If we believe not yet he abideth faithfull he cannot deny himself Sin But I have called and cryed for mercy and that often yet God would not answer me Where is my name 2. Saith another others have prayed for me and the Lord gave them an answer he was not sent to save me Where is my name 3. A third poore soul steps in and saith I spake with the Lord as it were and he told me I was a Dog and that Dogs have nothing to doe with Childrens bread oh where is my name Chr. Will you see all your three names together Sin Oh that it might be so faith the troubled soule Chr. Then read and well consider that 15. Matt. 22 23 24 25 26 27 28. And behold a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts and cryed unto him saying have mercy on me O Lord thou son of David But he answered her not a word There was the first step of his deniall Secondly His Disciples came and besought him saying send her away for she cryeth after us But he answered and said I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house Israel There is the second branch of his deniall Thirdly Then came shee and worshipped him saying Lord help me But he answered and said it is not meet to take the childrens bread and cast it to dogs There is the third branch of his deniall And she said truth Lord yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their Masters table Then Jesus answered and said unto her ô woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt Oh the unsearchable love of a tender father to a prodigall Son To summe up all in a word Search diligently in what state thou standest examine well thy present condition what it is and when thou hast found out the true temper of thy soul that thou canst truly say thus and thus it is with me Then search the Scriptures for they were written for thy learning and thou shalt finde upon serious consideration that some one or other of the Saints gone before the hath been in the same condition and yet hath found mercy Then thou wilt break forth with Paul and say There is no tentation hath befaln me but such as is common to all men and the Lord will deliver mee 1 Cor. 10 13. c. Are thy sins so many that thou canst not look up so it was with that pretious saint David Psal 40.12 Psal 38.4 Deare friend who ever thou art that readest these words let me tell thee I speak by experience I have been in so sad a condition even as it were in despaire And when I have read or heard these words that such and such of the Lords own children were in the same condition my heart hath begun to revive and say well The Lord hath dealt no otherwise with me than he hath with such a Saint left upon record now I see I am not alone in this heavines I cannot now say Was ever sorrow like unto my sorrow Lam. 1.12 But I can now say with Ieremiah Lam. 3 32. Though he cause griefe yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies I remember that sweet place of Scripture 2 Cor. 1 3 4. Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort who comforteth us in all our tribulations that saith he we may be able to comfort them that be in trouble by the comfort wherewith wee our selves are comforted of God Here by the way wee may take notice that it is

take you aside and teach you the way of God more perfectly c. A Word to those that hold Free-Will and General-Redemption MY Friends some things I have observed from you by my being among you which I desire to learn of you and for which I commend you I have seen you bearing one anothers burthens relieving one anothers necessities according to your abilities often visiting one another with many outward expressions of that inward love which you bear one to another these things ought to be done and there are other things which you ought not to leave undone as also to love those that are not under your form These Principles also do you hold First That Jesus Christ gave himself a ransome for all and you prove it by Scriptures 1 Tim. 2. v. 6. 1 John 29. 1 John 2. v. 2. 2 Cor. 1.15 Secondly That remission of Sins ought to be preached to every creature which proves the first that Christ gave himself a ransom for all and therefore remission of sins must be preacht to all and that you prove by these and the like Scriptures Luke 24.47 Mark 16.15 Luke 10.5 Isa 45.22 Thirdly That every one is to believe the forgivenesse of his sins for if Christ died for all and the Gospel ought to believe and that all are called upon to believe you bring these and the like Scriptures John 1.7 John 17.21 Now if your principles drawn from these or the like Scriptures be according to the spirituall sence of them you doe well So much for the things worthy of commendation in you But my friends there are many faults among you for which I have at present a few things against you The first is your abuse of Scriptures first in taking them in a literall sence secondly looking into and speaking of onely those scriptures that seemingly in the letter doe confirm your principles Whereas if you rightly understood them you would finde the sence of one scripture to stand with the sence of another As to instance a little in the forenamed things First you say That Jesus Christ gave himselfe a ransome for all and remission of sins is to be preached to all Now compare those scriptures with Rom. 8.30 where he speakes of particular not of generall predestination So when he speakes of election to the Ephesians he points at a particular not at a generall election And when Christ prayes John 17. hee prayes not for the world but onely for those whom the Lord had given him out of the world And Joh. 6.44 There can none come to him but whom the father draweth Read and well consider that one Scripture which all of you are not able to answer Acts 13.48 And as many as were ordayned to eternall life believed I know what false glosse you put upon this text through your ignorance you say the originall saith thus As many as believed were ordayned to eternall life And with this false sence you deceived me for a few dayes but when I searched the originall I found you lyars for that word is truly translated and I have spoken with many poore soules that you have deluded with these and the like things You say election depends upon qualifications and bring these or the like Scriptures The Lord chooseth to himselfe the man that is righteous never minding that other text which saith there is none righteous no not one So then if he chooseth none but the righteous and there are no righteous not one then he chooseth none Oh you simple ones how long will you love simplicity Scorners delight in scorning and Fooles hate knowledge If this text doth speak to any such in England this day It speaks to and concerns you chiefly Did you never reade with understanding that text which saith that wee and all the Nations of the World are in the hands or God as clay in the hands of the potter who maketh one vessell to honour another to dishonour as he pleaseth And if there bee any man so impudent to say as I have heard some of you say that then God is partiall See how Paul checks such Rom. 9.19.20 Oh man who are thou that replyest against God shall the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus If thou wilt know a reason why the Lord doth elect some to life and to passe by others he is pleased to give thee no other accompt than this Exod. 33.19 I will be gratious to whom I will be gratious and I will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercy and whom he will he hardeneth If thou wilt also know a reason why he will cast some into the pit of destruction and give to others life everlasting I answer God hath no rule to act by but his owne will so that for him to doe what he willeth is just and it is just for no other reason nor upon any other ground but this viz. because it is his will to doe it and this is the justnes of mans actions to doe what God hath commanded or declared that he will have man to doe Now I say this is the reason why he will cast some to destruction viz. to magnifie his justice or perform his will determined upon such as doe transgresse the law given them and for this cause is such destruction just because it is that which the eternall will or decree hath appointed to follow upon transgression And after the very same sort doth he exalt the attribute of his mercy in the salvation of others Reade the 9. of the Romans and thou wilt finde most of that chapter spent in disputing this very thing Another grosse error that you hold contrary to the scripture is this That the soule is mortall as well as the body Againe you hold and teach That if God commanded the Gospel to be preached to all and Christ dyed onely for some then God commands a lye to be preached to the most part of men and that is blasphemy to say that God commands a lye to be preached Againe You ground your owne particular faith upon that generall redemption and if your ground be false your faith must needes be so for no good fruit proceeds from a corrupt tree and wherein doth such faith exceede that of the Devils that beleive and tremble You say there is a power in every man to doe whatsoever is commanded a power to choose and a power to refuse you cite that of Joshuah and the like scriptures Behold I have set before you this day life and death choose you whether c. Ergo say you the people have power to choose and to refuse You say also that upon your doing or not doing depends your eternall blessing or everlasting cursing and yet unlesse it be in some few things which I have fore-spoken in your commendation you are the most unfruitfull people that ever I came amongst except our new upstart wantons or new Notionists to whom I shall speake next You spend the most of your