Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	wise_a	work_n	zeal_n	13	3	7.2099	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A72143	Certaine sermons, first preached, and after published at severall times, by M. Thomas Gataker B. of D. and pastor at Rotherhith. And now gathered together into one volume: the severall texts and titles whereof are set downe in the leafe following	Gataker, Thomas, 1574-1654.	1637 (1637)	STC 11652b.5; ESTC S124946	646,708	356

furnace of affliction even the very best of us should bee ever either in or over the fire alwayes burning or boyling as long as we lived For so long as we live here wee shall retaine some of this drosse still * Eradicari siquidem aut extirpari penitus è cordibus nostris dum hîc vivimus non potest Bern. de temp 45. nor will our scum bee utterly purged out of us while we abide here But yet howsoever God doth not goe so exactly to worke with us the crosse would sooner eat our hearts out of our bodies than worke all spirituall filth and drosse out of our soules yet he will have that he doth in this kinde worke to some purpose with us he will not have us come out of the fire as we went in he will not endure we should come off the fire as foule and as full of scum as we were when hee set us on And that the crosse may have this effect indeed on us p Non deserit etiamsi deserat Aug. in Psal 90. he doth in mercy to us till it bee done withdraw himselfe from us that his wonted manner of presence may not hinder the worke of it Reason 6 Sixtly God dealeth thus oft with them q Ad zelum accendendum to stir up and kindle their zeale to make them more fervent in prayer and in seeking unto him and to take away that coldnesse and remisnesse that usually groweth upon them when they are free from such afflictions Thus r Iudg. 20.21 25 26. Terga dederunt sceleratis ultores sceleris plures paucioribus Bernard de consider lib. 2. Sed recurrunt ad Dominum Dominus ad eos Ibid. he neglected the Israelites though fighting in a just quarrell and suffered them to fall before their brethren the Benjamites maintaining a bad cause till they fasted and prayed more earnestly and by a kinde of holy and religious importunity wrested aid and assistance from God Thus ſ Matth. 15.22 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil Sel. homil 19. he delayed and put off the poore woman of Canaan crying after him hee would neither heare her nor the Disciples making suit for her hee answered her at first with a t Matth. 15.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil Sel. ibid. seeming kinde of sullen silence then with a cutting answer sharper than his former silence u Vers 24. I am not sent but to the lost sheepe of Israel And x Vers 26 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil ibid. It is not fit to take the childrens bread and cast it to dogs But y 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil ibid. Beneficium distulit ut desiderium accenderet Stell in Luc. 24. Sic ignis flatu premitur ut crescat Greg. mor. l. 20. c. 15. those speeches were but as blasts of the belowes not to blow out but to blow up the fire of her faith and to make it so to blaze as should astonish those that saw it And z Cant. 3.1 2 3. 5.6 Dissimulatio est non indignatio Non est reversus sponsus ad votum vocem revocantis ut desiderium crescat ut probetur affectus ut amoris negotium exerceatur Bern. in Cant. 75. Desiderium differtur ut proficiat tarditatis suae sinu nutritur ut crescat Abscondit se sponsus cùm quaeritur ut non inventus ardentius quaeratur differtur quaerens sponsa ne inveniat ut tarditate sua capacior reddita multiplicius quandoque inveniat quod quaerit Greg. mor. l. 5. c. 3. it is a dissimulation saith Bernard not an indignation a concealment of affection no abatement of love that Christ in the Canticles oft withdraweth and hideth himselfe from his dearly beloved and is not found of her nor returneth to her so soone as shee calleth it is but to exercise her love to inflame her affection to make her more eager in seeking up and downe after him He doth as a father that hath a sonne at the University who though he understand by his Tutor or some other friends of his wants yet will not take notice of them till from his sonne himselfe he heare of them Let him write saith hee himselfe for them and it may be he shall write twice too before hee have what he desireth because he will by such means have him both to learne to know his duty and to exercise his pen also for his owne good So our heavenly Father though a Matth. 6.32 he know well enough what we have need of b Matth. 6.30 Psal 34.9 10. nor will hee suffer us to want ought that shall bee needfull for us yet c Philip. 4.6 he will have our wants made knowne to him by suit and supplication ere hee will take notice of them yea hee will make us sue long many times ere hee fulfill our desires because hee will have us to exercise his * Zech. 12.10 Spirit of Prayer in us Or as the Nurse who perceiving that the childe beginneth to neglect her withdraweth her selfe aside and keepeth some while out of sight yea and letteth the childe it may be crie a good ere shee come againe to it to make it grow more fond on her when it hath beene afraid of losing her So DAVID when d Psal 30.6 in his prosperitie he began to presume more than was meet on Gods favour and to grow somewhat retchlesse in that regard as if God were now so firme to him that he were sure never to lose him nor to have the effects and fruits of it ever withdrawne from him albeit hee were not altogether so carefull to use all good means to retaine it as formerly he had been e Psal 30.7 8. Thou turnedst saith he thy face from me and then being sore troubled he sought earnestly with strong cries and salt tears to recover and regain againe the sense of Gods favour which by his owne neglect he thus had lost Or * D. Meriton Serm. on 1 Thess 5.17 as a Father saith one that holding an Apple in his hand which the childe would faine have letteth him toile and tug at it and with much adoe unloose finger after finger yea and it may be whine and crie heartily ere he come by it So doth God many times with us to make us f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 15.30 Certatim cremus Aug epist 121. Vt misericordiam exigamus Idem in Psal 39. wrestle with him and as g Gen. 32.24 25 26. Hosh 12.3 4. Talibus Iacob funiculis Angelum detinebat qualibus Moses resticulis Dominum ligaverat Exod. 32.10 11. Simon Cass in Evang. l. 14. Iacob sometime by intention and eagernesse of prayer wring favour away from him and as h Luk. 18 4 5 7. the poore widow did by the unjust Iudge even by our importunitie overcome him Or as i Luk. 24.28 29. Finxit selongius ire cùm mallet cum discipulis remanere Bern. de grad

are reall Sermons of reformation and repentance They have a voyce saith the Prophet But every one understandeth not this voyce n Quomodo Bern. in Cant. 79. Graecè loquentem non intelligit qui Graecam non novit nec Latinè loquentem qui Latinus non est Sic lingua amoris ei qui non amat barbara est sicut aes sonans aut cymbalum tinniens They spake in a strange language to many to the most as o Act. 9.7 cum 22.9 Ita conciliat post Calvinum Piscator melius puto quàm Chrysost Theophyl Oecum Lyra Hugo Beza alii qui ad Pauli vocem coactius referunt Pauls companions when Christ spake to him they heare a noyse and no more p Psal 92.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heraclit apud Clement in protrept Theodor. de curand Graec. l. 1. The foolish saith the Psalmist conceive it not and the brutish understand it not But q Mica 6.9 a man of wisedome the wise man saith the Prophet knoweth what it meaneth And as the Psalmist speaketh of Gods workes of mercie r Psal 107.43 Who so is wise to observe these things such shall understand the loving kindnesse of the Lord So of his workes of judgement saith Ieremie ſ Ier. 9.12 Who so is wise to understand these things to him the mouth of God speaketh and hee is able to declare what this Voice of God saith And of both of them the Prophet Hoshe t Hosh 4.10 Who so is wise will understand these things and who so is of understanding will know that the Lords wayes are u Esa 26.7 10. Ezech. 18.25 strait and even and the just shall walke in them but the wicked shall fall in them To use Chrysostomes comparison yea and Augustines too x 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrysost in 1 Cor. hom 7. Lay you a booke open before a childe or one that cannot reade he may gaze and stare on it but he can make no use of it because he understandeth nothing at all in it But bring it to one that can reade and that understandeth the language it is written in and he can reade you many stories or instructions out of it It is as dumbe and silent to the one it speaketh to and talketh with the other In like manner is it with y Dei opera admiranda qui non aspicit tantum sed intelligit quasi legit Aliter enim videtur pictura aliter videntur literae Picturam cùm videris hoc est totum vidisse laudasse Literas cùm videris commonerà eas legere quod si fortè non nosti Quid putamus inquis esse quod hîc scriptum est Interrogas quid sit cùm jam videas aliquid Sed aliud tibi demonstraturus est à quo quaeris agnoscere quod vidisti Alios ille oculos habet alios tu Apices similiter videtis non similiter signa cognovistis Tu vides laudas ille videt laudat legit intelligit Aug. in Ioan. 24. Gods judgements as Augustine also well applieth it all sorts of men see them but few are able aright to reade them ●r to understand them what they say But what is it that the wise man is by them admonishe● Surely a Mica 6.9 to listen to the Rod saith Micah and b Quis accersat Iun. who or what it is that hath procured it to enquire saith Ieremie what is the cause c Ier. 9.12 why the land is spoiled and lieth burnt up like a wilde wildernesse that no man passeth thorow that is to search out the cause of the present crosse To which purpose also Gods people in the time of their captivitie d Lam. 3.40 Let us search say they and sift out our workes and our wayes They had before entered into some discourse and dispute with themselves what might be the cause of that their calamitie And first they lay downe this for an undoubted and undeniable position That e Amos 3.6 Quicquid malorum poenarumve perpetimur censura est divinae manus Salvian de provid l. 8. Quicquid patimur venit ex alto Sen. Oed. 5.2 there is no evill that befalleth any either person or people but the Lord hath his hand in it f Lam. 3.37 38. Dare any man say they say that g Matth. 10.29 ought commeth to passe and the Lord hath not appointed it Doth not h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Homer Odyss●ó both good and evill come out of his mouth But what then Doth God as i Heb. 12.10 earthly fathers doe who in an idle humour sometime correct their children without cause Or k Lam. 3.34 doth God take pleasure in stamping upon his people and in vexing and grieving of them No l Lam. 3.33 he doth not willingly or from the heart punish and afflict the sonnes of men m Est placidus facilisque pater veniaeque paratus Et qui fulmineo saepè sinè igne t●nat Qui cùm triste aliquid statuit fit tristis ipse Cuique fere poenam sumere poena sua est Ovid. P●nt 2.2 Est piger ad poenas Deus est ad praemia velox Quique dolet quoties cogitur esse ferox Multa metu poena poenâ qui pa●ca coercet Et jacet invitâ fulmina rara manu Ibid. 1.3 Torqueris ipse cùm tam lenis irasceris Plin. ep 21. l 9. It is a griefe to him to be grievous unto us it is a paine to him to be punishing of us It goeth as much against the heart with him to afflict as it goeth against the haire with us to be afflicted Why but what is the cause then that he dealeth so harshly with us that he carrieth himselfe so austerely towards us * Lam. 3.39 Wherefore is the living man afflicted Man suffereth for his sinne n Lam. 3.42 Victa tamen vilio est hujus clementia nostro Et venit ad vires ira coacta suas Ovid. Pont. 2.2 Ergò illum demens in me sevire coegi Mitius immensus quo nihil orbis habet Idem trist 4.8 Nunc quoque nil fecit nisi quod facere ipse coegi Nec minus infestus quàm fuit esse potest Idem de Pont. 1.3 Exacerbamus Deum impuritatibus nostris ad puniendos nos trabimus invitum Salvian de provid l. 4. c. 5. Wee have sinned and rebelled against him and he hath not spared us o Deus bo●us de suo saevus de nostro Tertull. de resurr 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil C●s homil 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Greg. Naz. orat 6. God is good of himselfe he hath his harshnesse from us it is our corruption that requireth it p Crudelem medicum intemperans ager facit P. Syr. A disordered patient maketh a cruell Physitian By our disordered courses q Esa 27.4 Ier. 7.19 Cùm ejus naturae sit meus Dei atque majestas

God because no man can by any such means tie or engage God to himselfe But in the latter sense some may in regard of his promise past to them by which though free otherwise ſ Omnis enim vera promissio fert secum obligationem ideo ex justitia implenda servanda est Bellarm. de Iustific l. 5. c. 16. Et hoc est quod Ambros de Poenit l. 2. c. 8. Tanquam ex Syngrapha fides impetrat Ita David Psal 119.49 50. hee hath bound himselfe to doe for them to the performance whereof his Truth and his Iustice doe now tie him By vertue of which Truth and Iustice Gods Saints oft require that of God which in justice otherwise they durst not nor could claime or challenge at his hands as of due debt or of desert Vse 2 Againe this may further be of singular use to all Gods deare children and faithfull servants to hearten and encourage them quietly and contentedly to rest and repose themselves wholly upon him and his Truth for the making good of all his gracious promises unto them t Heb. 13.5 6. Let your conversation saith the Apostle be without covetousnesse yea or distrustfulnesse either and rest contented with what you have For he hath said and what hee hath said concerneth us as well as either u Gen. 28.15 Iacob or x Iosh 1.5 Ioshua to whom it was said y 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 13.5 Negativa quod rarissimum est ter repetita ut confirmatissima fit stipulatio divina I will not leave thee nor in any wise will I forsake thee z Heb. 13.6 So that we may boldly say yet not presuming of our owne merit and worth but on his Mercy and Truth with the Psalmist a Psal 23.1 The Lord is my feeder I am sure to want nothing and b Psal 27.1 118.6 The Lord is mine helper I need not feare any thing He hath said it and that is enough wee need no other securitie his bare word is as good yea better than any bond For hee is c Psal 31.5 a God of Truth and d 2 Tim. 2.8 cannot goe from his word And e Esa 28.16 those therefore that trust in him shall not need as the Prophet speaketh to f Non praefestinabit i. ex infidelitate impatientia ad res presentes confugiet Iun. make haste by seeking to unlawfull and indirect courses for the releeving of themselves when they are in some want or for the recovering of themselves when they are fallen behinde hand or for the enlarging of their estates when charge beginneth to grow upon them g Sicut natare nescii ubi mergi jam ceperint quicquid occurrit vitae retinendae cupidi temerè arripiunt Cyrill Alex ep 29 Similes his qui submersi periclitantur in aquis quos tenere videas quicquid primum occurrerit manibus licet tale sit quod omnino prodesse non possit Bernard de Temp. 1. like those that to save themselves being in danger of drowning catch hold of whatsoever commeth next hand such things oft as are meanes rather to enwrap and entangle and so to winde them further in than to beare them up or to helpe them out Nor shall they need h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. 12.29 Animi pendere dubio ac suspenso animo esse Beza Sic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thucydid l. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vti rectè H. Steph. Nam frustrá est ibi Schol. qui de spe exponit quasi spe erectum esse Imò inter spemque metumque dubium esse Strigel Atque ita Thucyd. l. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Neque rempub dubiam quasi pendulam in discrimen adducere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Schol. to hang as our Saviour Christ speaketh in suspence as i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Clouds doe in the Aire k Ne in aere vagamini cogitationibus vestris Piscat hovering to and fro as the winde driveth them and uncertaine whether to hang still there or to fall downe on the earth perplexed and distracted with l Matth. 6.25 Luk. 12.29 carking care and thought for the things of this life how they shall have wherewith to maintaine their charge and to feed and cloath them and theirs especially if deare times come and further charge grow upon them or if trading decay and wax dead with them or if those breake that they have dealings with and the like As if God were tied to these means or as if the performance of Gods Promises depended upon these things But walke they may well cheerfully in the m Psal 37.3 2 Sam. 10.12 carefull performance of those duties that God hath in their severall places imposed on them for there is n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 solicitudo diligentiae quae praecipitur probatur 1 Tim. 5.8 a diligent care as well as o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 solicitudo diffidentiae quae prohibetur damnatur Phil. 4.6 a diffident the one enjoyned the other inhibited and so p Psal 37.5 55.22 1 Pet. 5.7 leave the issue and event of all to God and his blessing q Psal 34.9 10. 37.25 26. 84.11 12. who will be sure to provide for them and will suffer neither them nor theirs for r Deut. 32.4 1 Thess 5.24 2 Thess 3.3 he is a God of his Word and that ſ Psal 18.30 34.22 all shall finde that trust to it to want any thing at any time that shall be fit for them These then were the two grounds of Gods goodnesse to Iacob Fruit and Effect of Gods goodnesse his Mercy and his Truth Now followeth a fruit and effect and so a proofe and experiment of this Mercy and Truth and consequently of his Goodnesse in generall For I went saith Iacob over this river Iordan with my staffe onely in mine hand and now am I become owner of two troups or two bands Where we have first Particular 4 An humble acknowledgement of his mean beginnings Iacobs Penurie He came into the Countrey t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys Quomodò missi Apostoli Marc. 6.8 In baculo suo i. fine ulla supellectile sine divitiu sine armentis pecudibus sine servis solo baculi comitatu Oleast with his staffe onely like a poore Pilgrim Observ 5 a Stranger a Traveller no company with him no attendance upon him like one that went as wee say to seeke his fortune abroad and u Gen. 28.20 hee thought himselfe well apaid if hee might have but meat drinke and apparell onely every servants allowance Which he mentioneth as x 2 Sam. 7.18 other Servants of God doe somtime the like Partly to testifie the inward humility and lowlinesse of his minde not puft up as the y Primus vermis divitiarum superbia Aug. de Temp. 205. Omne pomum omne granum omne frumentum omne