Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	lord_n	peace_n	sin_n	5,359	5	4.9364	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20782	The iaylors conuersion Wherein is liuely represented, the true image of a soule rightlye touched, and conuerted by the spirit of God. The waightie circumstances of which supernaturall worke, for the sweete amplifications, and fit applications to the present time, are now set downe for the comfort of the strong, and confirmation of the weake. By Hugh Dowriche Batch. of Diuinitie.	Dowriche, Hugh, b. 1552 or 3.	1596 (1596)	STC 7160; ESTC S111947	34,879	82

estate Therfore the Lord sent them the voice of a more terible preacher which shooke both bodies and houses all at once assaying by this meanes to bring their impenitent harts to some shaking feeling and feare of conscience for their sinnes But as Which was felt about the yeare 1580. that Earthquake shewed them so our last Earthquake and other tokens sithens shew vs plainely now the estate wherin we stand which is that we yet continue in our sinnes That we despise the voice of the Gospel neede a more sharp preacher it openeth our securitie it threatneth Gods iustice in seueritie it promiseth our punishment shews vs that it is very neere the last time of warning Happie wee see are they which come when the Lord calleth them for many bee called but few are chosen few come What callings should we looke for more then wee haue had Wee haue had our daughter diseased our sonne sicke our seruant like to die wee haue seene fearefull signes ouer Ierusalem we haue heard of the gatherings of the confederacies and conspiracies of many nations against vs we haue found little faith in our friends little loyaltie in our owne naturall children great falsehoode in friendly face great diuisions quarrels and hartburnings amongst our selues many Malcontent dayly rising and a thousand other such callings besides the consideration of the silly threede of our happie estate depending vpon one and in earthly respects but one onely the vncertaintie of all things when God shall visite vs the turmoyles and hurliburlies that we may long before plainely see if God of his mercy helpe not These thinges are considered of few of many not accounted of and feared of none What will the ende of these things bee Let all the inhabitants of England crie Lord saue our Noble Queene Elizabeth from treason at home and from forraine enemies abroade Lord forgiue her her sinnes and vs our wickednes and graunt if it be thy will that she may yet long and long time in peace and in saftie preserue this her Noble Realme of England Amen Lastly we learne the great mercies of our God For he chideth before he stricke hee warneth before he destroyeth he punisheth not till he haue vsed all meanes to haue vs returne Hee giueth sinners both grace and space to repent and to seeke which waye they may be saued with this sinfull Iaylor The fift and last circumstance The time when he fell to haue this care what hee might doe to be saued He neuer fell to this consideration till the Lord drew him vnto it by his spirit For in the nature of mā ther is no good thought motion or power to returne from euill to consider and see our sinnes or to lament and be sorrie for them and at the word to seeke for remedy against them but rather a desire will and affection still to remaine in them Therefore Christ said No man can come vnto me except my father draw him This man Iohn 6. 37. 44. 3. 27 had his part of two motions The one outward by the miracle the other inward by the holy Ghost Application Doctrine Where first we see that all our labour trauaile is lost in preaching and opening the Scripture outwardly to the eare except the spirit also preach inwardly to the heart For men are of themselues deafe and dull till God doe open their harts and giue them a new vnderstanding as he gaue to Lidia to this Iaylor and many other Againe we see how naked weake miserable we be of our selues and that if wee were not gouerned and nourished by better power then our owne how quickely miserably wee should perish Therefore this consideration may serue to conquer the spirit of pride in our freewill men when they shall know that in their flesh and humaine nature ther is no goodnes at all that they can performe nothing that is good without him that said Without me ye can do nothing 1. Cor. 4. 7. Act. 20. 35. What hast thou saith Paule which thou hast not receiued We learne that faith is not in the power nature of mā to beleue or not to beleue whē Ep. 1. 18. 19 1. Cor. 12 ● 9 11. it pleseth him but that it is the free gift of God for Christs sake vnto those that are his chosē For if it were in the nature of man then all Phil. 1. 29. 2. Thes 3 2. men shuld beleue But Al men haue not faith therefore it is in vs a worke supernaturall wrought by the spirite of God onely The want of the presence and working of which spirit in the harts of men makes them that they haue no desire to heare the word and when they doe heare it they take no profit by it for it is saide But the word which they heard profited them not because it was not mixted Heb. 4. 20 with faith in them that heard it Where wee see a notable relation betweene fayth the word The one can neuer be effectual without the other They goe both together Therefore as soone as there was a fayth kindle in the hart of this Iaylor by the holy Ghost he seekes presently for the word as the body for the soule For as the body is a dead thing without the soule so the word also hath no life effect or motion without faith Now wee see why many Gentlemen Countriemen and others are yet either Atheists ●esters in Religion or despisers of the word because as yet with this Iaylor they haue not receiued the gift of faith c. Here we vnderstand that all shall not be saued against the error of Origen for without faith none can be saued but none haue faith but they onely whome God the father gaue vnto his sonne Christ But hee saith I pray not for the world but for them which thou Ioh. 17. 9. hast giuen me Therefore the elect which are separated from the world that is the reprobate by the free election and donation of God and are garded by the continuall prayer of Christ are they onely that shall bee saued Of which number wee see now this Iaylor by his calling and faith to bee one For Gods election oftentimes lyeth hid vnder a wicked life till the time of their conuersion come which the Lord hath appointed All are not wee see drawne to Christ in one manner for there bee many which professe Religion and talke much of Christ whome God the father by his spirite neuer drew but either their bellie hope of honor vaine glorie c. No maruaile though they belieue not rightly and though they continue not long in a good course Such are many of our earnest Iesuites Papists and libertine professors of the Gospell of Christ Lastly when it is saide that this Iaylor was drawne to this Religion to this godly care and in like manner all the elect wee learne what vnwillingnes what slacknesse what negligence wee vse in our comming to Christ and that wee of our owne nature haue no list affection or good will to come longer then God by his spirite moueth vs and compelleth vs. Therefore if Christ should looke for vs till wee should come of our selues wee should surely neuer see him nor haue any part in him Let vs therefore desire the Lord that as he by his holy spirit drew this Iaylor from the miserable thraldome of ignorance error and iniquitie and planted a desire in him to seeke the truth and by the same gaue him both comfort saluation So in like manner that he will by the same spirite moue our hard hearts to lament our sinne open our blinde eyes to see our imperfection and draw our proude stomakes to humble our affections to the obedience of the word and kindle in vs a loue to like and seeke the same that wee also in our most extremities may by Christ receiue light helpe and euerlasting comfort which the Lord God graunt vnto vs for his deare Sonne Iesus Christs sake to whome with the holy Ghost three persons and one eternall God be al honor power praise glorie and dominion both now and euer Let all praise and glorie be giuen to God alone FINIS

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THE IAYLORS Conuersion Wherein is liuely represented the true Image of a Soule rightlye touched and conuerted by the spirit of God The waightie circumstances of which supernaturall worke for the sweete amplifications and fit applications to the present time are now set downe for the comfort of the strong and confirmation of the weake By Hugh Dowriche Batch of Diuinitie The Lord maketh poore and maketh rich bringeth low and exalteth 1. Samu. 2. 7. Behold now for I I am he and there is no gods with me I kill giue life I wound and make whole neither is there any that can deliuer out of my hand Deu. 32 39 LONDON Printed by Iohn Windet dwelling at Pauls Wharfe at the signe of the Crosse Keyes and are there to be solde 1596. To the Worshipfull and my approued good Friende Valentine Knightly Esquire long prosperitie and peace of conscience in Christ BLessed is hee sayth Dauid whose wickednesse is forgiuen and whose sinne is couered c. Here is one Medicine for two maladies here is one salue that heales two sores Sinne is the testie botch that may not be touched All are infected with this plague but heere is the difference some see it not at al some see it too much some feele it feare it some neither feare it nor feele it In some negligent blindnesse and securitie breeds contempt of imminent perill in some the view of great daunger accompanied with feare without faith commits them to the dangerous downefall of a deadly desperation The one seeth not his sinne therfore seeketh no remedie the other ouerwhelmed with sinne findeth not the meanes to applie the remedie Heere is both the remedie and the application Ther is a meane betwene these extremes This meane is to see our sinne our nakednes our wickednes but so as we alwaies haue one eye on our selues and our sin the other on Christ and his merits If we see our sins in themselues they exceede in number the sands of the Sea in greatnesse the compasse of the whole world If we then goe about to match them with our owne power strength or merites how infinitly shall we bee ouerwhelmed in this comparison But if we leauing our selues fly to the power of God by which he can and his mercie in Iesus Christ by which he will deliuer vs from this infecting plague we shall presently see both sin hell and Sathan to consume as smoke before the presence of our God Sin is the plague sinne is the sore The medicine is the mercy of God thorough Iesus Christ in whome and by whome our sinnes are forgiuen This mercie is apprehended by faith and faith is the gift of God Therefore when we haue cast vp all our reckoning we shall find that all our righteousnes and all our merites in respect of perfection to merite saluation are nothing else but the righteousnes and merites of Christ imputed to vs by the mercie of God by which our sinnes are pardoned And therefore with Saint Paule euerie man to his owne Conscience may rightly say What hast thou which thou hast not receiued Yet to this mercie there is tyed a blessing and a curse to shewe the difference betweene the reprobate and the children of God They which by mercy attaine this mercy are truely called blessed They which for want of mercie are depriued of this mercy are iustly accursed But can there bee in one and one so certaine and immutable cause such and such diuers effects Can mercy be found without mercy Can light be seene without light Can fire be felt without heate What more contrarie the one to the other then glorie confusion Yet one and the selfe same fire makes golde more glorious which vtterly consumes wood straw and stubble What is more contrarie then hard and soft yet one and the selfe same sunne doth harden the dirte and mollifieth the waxe These contrarie effects proceede not from any contrarietie that is found in the pure and simple essence either of Sunne or fire but from the diuersitie which lyeth hid in the nature of the subiects on which they work The mercy of God being still one and the same is offered to al without respect as the Sunne shines and the raine fals as well on the vniust as the iust but all receiue it not The wicked see it but despise it and make a iest of it till by the iust iudgement of God they perish in theyr wickednesse as did Pharao Iudas and the wicked sonnes of Elie c. The elect being moued by the spirit of God do see lament and repent their sinnes and so by mercy obtaine pardon So that though both the elect and the reprobate are both alike happie in that mercy is offered to both a like yet because the wicked refuse it they are iustly accursed and the other that receiue and take hold of it are here accounted happie and blessed And yet not blessed in respect of any work or worthinesse in themselues but that by the merits of Christ which they apprehend by faith they are by mercy and imputation made worthy of this blessing This then is the golden meane that makes the godly blessed to beholde their sinnes by faith in Christ and not as the reprobate either not to see them at all or without faith to behold them Of this meane Dauid himselfe tooke happie hold-fast For now conducted by mercie and faith we see how lustely hee leapes out from the hote-house of desperate temptations in which it seemes at the making of this Psalme he was deepely plunged by the terror of a guiltie conscience touched by the hand of God for the sinne which he had committed with Barsheba The extremity of his passions and the vehemencie of his conflicts are described in the 3. and 4. verses of this Psalme Now this is not Dauids case alone but it is certaine that all the children of God that are elected in his eternall purpose in their times appointed shal heare the like calling and tast of the like mercy For manifestation of the which wee may see an example of the same mercy which the Lord shewed vnto a simple and sinfull man the common Iailor of Phillippy of whō in the 16. of the Acts ther is an honorable memorie left to al posterity K. Dauid this Iaylor were both sinners both of them acknowledged the hand of God heauie vpon thē for their sinnes the one called to repentance by the voice of a man the other shaken from his drowsinesse by the terror of an Earthquake both felt comfort in their miseries by the mercy of GOD which kept them from desperation The rarenes of which example the great mercy of God and the singular instructions that rise to the profit of such as deepely waigh the whole action besides the earnest desire of some whose request I could not denie haue drawne me now to set downe certaine notes and considerations touching the singular working of the spirit of

of God to continue in the heart of a wicked man which can neuer be Now we see what we are to thinke of those lyars which say with their mouthes Wis 1. 3. 4. 5 Titus 1. 16. they know God and haue felt his motions and yet in their deedes denie him and of those fruitelesse and cursed Figtrees which in the spring bud faire and promise greate hope and yet at haruest yeelde nothing but Mat. 21. 19. leaues c. The third circumstance What question it was that the Iaylor demaunded The question is What must I doe to be saued Hee inquires not now after the fashion of worldlings what must I doe to come to promotion to honour and dignitie What must I doe to become rich and to obtaine an easie quiet life What must I do to be reuenged of my enemies to deceiue my neighbours and to satisfie my lust c. No he was not troubled about any such matter but the spirite of God had now made him carefull onely for one thing and the best thing which was what he might doe to bee saued and to haue his sinne forgiuen And it seemeth that the iudgements of God had touched him home that so presently a man so carnall so fleshly so worldly and sensual should so willingly take his leaue of the loue of the world of the vanities and pleasures of the same the loue of his house wife childrē liuing life and all and onely craue to know that which few did desire which many did despise that is what he might do to be saued Pointing as it were with his finger vnto the onely marke end vpon which euerie man should haue his whole care fixed planted In this question wee are to consider the manner of his comming vnto them and his salutation He fel down before thē he trembled he brought them out hee called then in Greeke my Lordes by a reuerend title What could hee haue done more to Noble men Nay what could he haue done more to the greatest princes in the world But a man may aske how could Paul Silas abide to be honoured not reprehend him Surely they knew that he honored thē not superstitiously which Paul could not abide in other Act. 14. 14. 15. places men but rather that he vsed this gesture forced vnto it by the manifest feeleing Act. 10. 26. of the iudgmēts of God in the late Earthquake and therefore suffered him to doe it Application and Doctrine We see first how the Lord when it pleaseth him forceth euen his enemies in their conscience to giue that truth an honourable testimonie which they persecuted and to honour it with great reuerence Wee learne of this Iaylor to honour the Lords gifts especially the worde of truth wheresoeuer we find it whether it be in the prison or at libertie whether it bee contemned or honored whether it be in men simple and despised or in men of credite and dignitie For the Lorde chuseth manye times the weake to confound the mightie the humble to shame the proude c. We see againe that the ministerie of the word is a calling and Office ordained and blessed by the Lord and therefore hee will haue it honored of all men Because the ministers thereof are not the Embassadours of worldly Princes which is also a calling of greate honour for they represent the Maiestie of the Kinge and are as it were the verie mouth of the Prince himselfe but they are the messengers of the Prince of all Princes the eternall Lorde of heauen and earth they represent the maiestie of the Lord in his word and when we heare them speaking if they preach nothing but according to the verie word wee must assure our selues that we heare the Lord speaking vnto vs in them Therefore we find that in many places the word it selfe giues them honorable titles for S. Paule saith they are worthie of double honour This Iaylor heere 1. Tim. 5. 17 cals them by the worthiest name of preheminence that he could deuise not in respect of their persons which seemed to bee but simple but for the loue and honour which he bare to the word which they professed Another thing we are here to consider which may not be forgotten That the Iaylor in demaunding this question What must I doe to bee saued flatly and plainely ouerthrowes and condemneth all the Religion of the Scribes and Pharisies to bee nothing else but a fardle of ceremonies toyes and superstitions ioyned with a worldly pompe and beautie onely hauing nothing in it to comfort the hart oppressed with Woe or assure the conscience of the mercie of God in Iesus Christ which is the onely Sauiour and saluation of the elect by faith For if hee had beene perswaded that the doctrine which the Pharisies taught concerning the fulfilling of the lawe had beene sufficient for his saluation to haue brought him the right way to the mercie of God and the forgiuenesse of his sinne he would neuer haue come vnto the Apostles to haue learned another way which had beene superfluous But wee see plainly that he did now not only doubt but boldly renounce and abandon and forsake in the plaine fielde the Pharisies superstition the rites and Religion wherein hee was borne brought vp and had for a long time continued Because hee saw that now when he most needed he could find no comfort nor saluation in it at all As if he should say Sirs I was borne vnder the Religion The Oration of the Iaylor vnto the Apostles which the Pharisies professe I haue beene zealous in it as many others at this day are I haue had an honorable opinion of it and haue hated them that haue gain-saide it I haue beene of long time now led with their outward pompe of dumbe shewes I could neuer by anye meanes bee perswaded that these great graue auncient learned wise men could euer haue bene deceiued or haue beene conuinced of any error or so blinded that they could not haue sene the truth Yet now I plainely see that they all the verye best of thē are but hypocrits blind guides folish ignorant of the true knowledge wicked Ma 23. 13 the generation of Vipers which shut vp the kingdome of heauen and wil neither enter themselues nor suffer others that would which deuour the widdowes houses with colour of long praier which compasse sea land to make one of their profession which make cleane the outerside of the cup and platter but within are full of briberie and excesse which I see are nothing else but whited Tombes full of dead mens bones all filthynes c. I can not find now in their Religion anye comfort at all for a wounded conscience or any hope to haue my sins forgiuen Now therefore sith it hath pleased the Lord with one motion to moue both body and heart and that he hath made me see my sinne my ignorance my blindnes I doe here

not indued with spirituall knowledge do wonderfully repine murmure and frowne against all miseries sickenes calamities plagues or what troubles so euer happen in this life detesting al things which are not pleasant to the flesh as a thing most repugnant to nature But the godly on the other side do know that the church seruāts of God in this life are subiect to many crosses troubles persecutions not that the Church shal perish with these afflictions but rather that it is thus ordained by the singular prouidence of the Lord that by this meanes his seruants may see their sins the Lords anger against it that they may learne to tame the mad and outragious concupiscence of the flesh that faith loue charitie and mercie with the feeling of one anothers infirmities may dayly increase and bee renewed in them Where we see that these afflictions are nothing but iust corrections for our escapes and faultes and we see what they be that are most fit to receiue admonition euen such as are most visited with afflictions griefes sickenesse want of things necessarie and such like c. Blessed is the man whome the Lord correcteth because it is a signe of his loue blessed Iob. 3. 17. is that man which indureth temptations continueth constant to the ende and is not Iam. 1. 12. ouerborne with calamities for hee shall receiue a Crowne of life which the Lord hath Mat. 5. 10. promised to them that loue him Againe we are to learne that whensoeuer wee see the Lord to wounde our consciences or to threaten vs with any calamitie warres plagues sicknesse or any other visitation hee doth it for no other cause but to make vs to consider that we are gon astray that we are out of order that our life is not such as it should be and that he hath a heauie quarrell and reckoning against vs. Then here we see the cause why the Lord hath of late giuen vs so many gentle warnings shewed vs so many louing rods and like a mercifull father hath rather made vs as yet to see them then to feele them And yet surely we haue so seene the sentence as it were of our own condemnation in signes in the heauens and wonders in the earth in Earthquakes in the necessitie crie of many thousands in this time of miserie by the stop of mutual traficke and euen now in these rumors of warres and expectations of forraine inuasion that we may easily coniecture what effect there will follow if the cause be not remoued Our sinne our vnthankefulnes our negligence our carelesse and licentious libertie in all estates our wicked behauiours our monsterous apparell our want of charitie loue and patience our aboundance of enuie malice deceite whordome and like abhominations are the causes of these tumults of these motions of these feares and of these signes and tokens And if wee with this Iaylor bee not drawne by some meanes to seeke helpe the sooner wee are to looke for some heauie misery to fal vpon vs our land The Lord shakes these rods ouer our heads to some purpose wee must thinke A carefull louing father if he find his childs stomacke so stubborne that the sight of the rod and threatning will not terrifie him at length he fals to seuere whipping and chastning of him indeede I pray God that my feare and coniecture in this respect may be vaine but surely I feare and by most manifest signes am driuen to coniecture that except verie shortly we all euen frō the highest vnto the lowest take an other course and trade of behauior we must looke for a fearfull end of our long our sweete and pleasant peace that hath nowe so soundly lulled a sleepe some of vs in the cradle of securitie some in the cradle of iniquitie some in the cradle of Atheisme doubting of God giuing Manifest signes of Atheisme no credite to the Scriptures disputing of foolish and heathnish questions seeking to comprehend the works power of God which are in the vnscrutable wisedome of the Lord by reason and not by faith which Saint Paule proues to be a monstrous follie Rom. 1. some in the cradle of Anabaptisme some at the brest and sweete teate of Poperie all in the rolling and vnsetled cradle of our owne fantasie Alas the carefull soules of manye thousand poore men that haue bene oppressed crie out of our land and euerye corner thereof as the bloud of Abel for vengeance against our land and against our hypocrisie abusing of our religion What end can we imagine what reward can we looke for but the fearefull marke of Caine and the heauie iudgement of the forsaken hatefull wandering Iewe I feare greatly least these thirtie and eight yeares of pleasant peace haue prouoked God more to anger against this land then fiue hundred yeares before of warre and miserie O that Gods blessings should bee so abused that they should ende with so heauie a curse O that his mercye should leade vs to such vnmercifulnes that we should forget the care of our owne saluation and fal a murdering of our owne soules O that wee should liue to see that daye in which the sweet benefits louing patience of the Lord should make vs the worse Happy is the man that with this Iaylor finds occasion his motions in these things to come vnto the Lord and happie may that man be thought which resteth in the Lord which shall not see the miserie of the future times which sinne and Sathan without repentance wil pul downe vpon this Noble realme c. Wee see farder by the great care which this man had to know how to be saued and the haste that hee made to obtaine his purpose that hee gaue sure tokens of his obedience to his calling which teacheth vs that the iudgements of God take not like effect in all men For in some that is in the elect which are rightly touched by the spirite of God it is true that the Prophet said Assone as they heare they shall obey me But in others Psal 18. 44. this is true I called but they would not heare nor obey There be some which at the iudgements of God tremble for a time but it is againe presently forgotten as Pharao the keepers of Christs Sepulcher Caligula and many others But in the godly they worke Exod. 7. 3. Mat. 28. 5. contrarie effects It is true amongest most of vs that the more signes and tokens of Gods wrath we see the harder our harts grow dayly what may the ende of these things be A blinde man may see The Lord be merciful vnto vs and giue vs grace with this Iaylor be more carefull of our saluation We learne also that a great festred sore needeth a sharpe and quicke Surgion These proud Rabbies and great Doctors woulde not heare the voice of the Ministers of the Gospell speaking vnto them neither could their voice driue them to any consideration of their