Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	incline_v	law_n	mercy_n	16,188	5	9.8317	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12099	Five pious and learned discourses 1. A sermon shewing how we ought to behave our selves in Gods house. 2. A sermon preferring holy charity before faith, hope, and knowledge. 3. A treatise shewing that Gods law, now qualified by the Gospel of Christ, is possible, and ought to be fulfilled of us in this life. 4. A treatise of the divine attributes. 5. A treatise shewing the Antichrist not to be yet come. By Robert Shelford of Ringsfield in Suffolk priest.	Shelford, Robert, 1562 or 3-1627.	1635 (1635)	STC 22400; ESTC S117202	172,818	340

thy neighbour as thy self ye do well Here the text makes a manifest supposition of fulfilling G●●●● law in this life first it affirmeth this doctrine to be according to scripture next it sheweth how it is to be tried that is by the law in loving our neighbour as our selves and he that can do this there is no doubt but he loveth God above all because without God he could not do this Were Gods law not possible to be fulfilled the supposition should be idle unfit for Gods word and unbeseeming one writing by divine inspiration and then the twelve tribes might justly have returned this caption upon S. James You put upon us that which cannot be done But in this absurditie the Apostle could not be taken because he wrote by divine inspiration and sootheth the thing first by adding to his supposition this commendation Ye do well and secondly by fetching to this head all other parts of Gods law saying afterward For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet fail in one point he is guiltie of all Here therefore is a generall and absolute fulfilling spoken of and here is implied that every one is bound to bring his obedience not to one or most but to every part of Gods law and so no starting hole is left for any one beloved sinne Secondly this supposition of S. James is confirmed by our Lords prayer Thy will be done in earth ●s it is in heaven If the law which is Gods will could not be fulfilled in earth then Christ obtained not what he would we daily pray in vain and Christ hath in vain commanded us to pray Thirdly this is confirmed by the liturgie of our Church in the collect upon the first Sunday after the Epiphanie in these words And grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do and also have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Where we are taught by whose vertue men may fulfill Gods law that is by Jesus Christs grace and power Lastly this is taught by the prayer upon the ten commandments Lord have mercy upon us and encline our hearts to keep this law Where first we are taught to know our own miserie in that we are bound to keep Gods law with the penaltie of everlasting death and yet of our selves we have no power to perform it and therefore we pray God to be mercifull to us Next we pray that he would encline our hearts to keep his law where is shewed that God himself is the first mover and principall actour in this work that we do but run along with him and that of our selves we are so crooked and averse that if he do not encline and bend our hearts as the shipwright boweth his timber by his instruments the strength of his arms and the heat of his fire to make a ship we should never be able to sail to the kingdome of heaven Wherefore if we shall fail to joyn our hands to Gods hand when the principall acting is his the second and inferiour ours when he hath used all his means towards us his threatnings to terrifie us his exhortations to draw us his promises to entice us and propounded the end and reward of the work to be onely ours whereas the greatest merit is Christs if we now be defective and behinde on our part we shall be worthy of many hells To conclude in that we intreat God to enable us to keep his law hence appeareth the laws excellencie and mans benefit in observing it It is Gods image and similitude in which he made man therefore it hath relation to us and we to it it restoreth us to our first perfection and heavens felicitie it is the conformity between God and man it is that which maketh God and us one Therefore to the keeping of this we must strain soul and body we must put all that we can we must not fly to naked imputation where is required our conformation For whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Sonne His Sonne hath fulfilled the law and so must we too But here may be objected that they which are in Christ are delivered from the law Rom. 8. 2. For the law of the Spirit of life hath made me free from the law of sinne and of death Therefore we have nothing to do with the law I answer that in this place and in the chapter before by the law is understood concupiscence the law of the members which giveth precepts and motions onely for sinne and not the law of God which giveth precepts against sinne and for holinesse and righteousnesse Again it may be objected that we are not under the law therefore we have not to do with it Rom. 6. 14. Ye are not under the law but under grace It is answered Though we be not under the law to be condemned terrified and forced by it yet we are under the law to Christ that is to be guided by it as the Apostle testifieth of himself 1. Cor. 9. 21. Being not without the law to God but under the law to Christ Therefore if the very just shall transgresse while they are within the law they are bound to make satisfaction by holy penance which is secunda tabula post naufragium Lastly it may be objected that we are dead to the law and therefore we have no more to do with it Rom. 7. 4. Wherefore my brethren ye are also become dead to the law by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another even unto him that is raised up from the dead that ye should bring forth fruit unto God By the law here is not meant the law simply but the law and the flesh compounded together as appeareth in the sixth verse wherein we stood in bondage to both For the laws letter onely shewed us what we were to do but gave us no power to perform and with this the flesh and the old man went hand in hand for though the law gave us no power to perform yet the flesh gave us power to transgresse and sinne To this the Apostle sheweth that we are dead by the merit of the death of Christs body that we might be married to another that is to Christ in Baptisme by whose Spirit and grace we might be enabled to fulfill that which the law taught and commanded to bring forth fruit unto God and our own salvation And from hence it appeareth still that the law of it self is good and we have need of it though it be not sufficient for us because it is our school-master to shew us our sinnes and to bring us to Christ Gal. 3. 24. Rom. 7. 7. I had not known sinne but by the law Having made an end of confirming my first argument from the scriptures supposition and grant now I proceed to my second argument which is founded upon the efficacie and

captive to the law of sinne which is in my members But the law of the Spirit freeth from the law of the flesh Rom. 8. 2. Therefore the Apostle saith further Gal. 5. 23. Against such there is no law And this freeing law of the Spirit is nothing but charitie as S. Augustine saith Id agit gratia ut dilectione impleantur mandata Dei quae timore non poterant To draw to an end Were the law impossible to be kept then all the exhortations and threatnings in Gods word should be idle then all mens labours would wax lazie and then good life which is after the rule would be exiled for that no man would strive against the stream Wherefore great enemies are they to Christians growth and reward in the way of godlinesse which are against this doctrine they are like to the man in the parable who laid up his money in a napkin and at last had it taken from him A surplus argument I have from the unworthinesse of them that are against the argument Origen in his ninth homilie upon Joshua giveth this censure that they are to be compared to women which say that Gods commandments cannot be kept Indeed I grant that it is easier for flesh and bloud to break Gods law then to keep it But when God hath for man ordained it as his highest form promised his blessing and helping hand unto it and set a kingdome and a crown at the end of it they are all base-minded that will not bring their best endeavours to it Hearken to Jehoshaphats good counsel in 2. Chron. 19. 11. Be of good courage and do it and God shall be with the good Hearken we further to Gods encouragement to good Joshua There shall not a man be able to withstand thee all the dayes of thy life as I was with Moses so will I be with thee I will not fail thee nor forsake thee Lastly let us listen to Christs counsell and encouragement for us all Matth. 28. 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you alway unto the end of the world Many examples also have we of those that fulfilled Gods law by scriptures warrant But to shunne tediousnesse I will use onely two couples the first of Enoch and Elias who so walked with God on earth that they are now translated to walk with God in heaven The second is that of Zacharie and his wife Elizabeth of whom it is thus written Luke 1. 6. And they were both just before God walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelesse If they lived so well then in the time of the law what may we do now in the time of grace when the law of the Spirit reigneth and when the light of the moon is as the light of the sunne and the light of the sunne is seven-fold and like the light of seven dayes Now though I hold this in thesi that Gods law might not be impeached his grace not shortned nor good endeavours hindered yet will I be no patron to any that shall presume and boast of it For my self I will ever put it off to others and give all the praise of my wayes to God onely for pride is the laws break and humilitie is a member of its fulfilling Wherefore when I have done all that I can I will pray with the Publicane God be mercifull to me a sinner Thus in condemning my self I shall be justified by the law it self James 4. 10. Cast down your selves before the Lord and he will lift you up Toward the godly mercie and justice go both together Therefore with the Psalmist will I sing My song shall be of mercie and judgement unto thee O Lord will I sing Again All the paths of the Lord are mercie and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies To which S. Leo exhorteth very well saying Non comprehendi potest quod promittitur nisi custoditum fuerit quod jubetur We cannot attain to that which is promised unlesse we observe that which is commanded But because without the grace and mercy of God this we cannot do he addeth further upon the words of our Saviour BE YE HOLY AS I AM HOLY c. thus Cùm videtur difficile esse quod jubeo ad jubentem recurrite ut unde datur praeceptum praestetur auxilium Seeing it seems difficult which I do command run for aid to the commander that from whence the precept is enjoyned help of accomplishing may be afforded Which he that of nothing made us and by rebellion fallen redeemed us grant through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen FINIS Theologia amantis Deum OR A TREATISE OF THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES S. LEO Serm. 1. de Pentecost Etsi nemo de Deo potest explicare quod est nemo audeat affirmare quod non est excusabilius enim est de natura ineffabili non eloqui digna quàm definire contraria TO speak of Gods greatnesse what flesh can but tremble while he is the Transcendent incomprehensible S. Thomas teacheth that we cannot speak of him properly but by a proportion from things created And Dionyfius sheweth in the fourth chapter of his mysticall Theologie that all things are more truely denied then affirmed of him it is understood of mans and not of Gods affirmations The reason is for that no man can rightly speak of that which he never saw and God saith No man shall see me and live Why because he is incomprehensible as Athanasius hath in his Creed For as the sunne being gazed on destroyeth the eye-sight so he that striveth to comprehend his Maker the brightnesse of his Majestie will break his life The Sonne of God saith No man hath seen God at any time the onely begotten Sonne which is in the bosome of the Father he hath declared him Then so farre as he speaketh we may speak with him or speak consectaries to his sayings because he being in his Fathers bosome inwardly knoweth him As Jacob when he wrestled with God would not let him go till he had blessed him and as the Philistines could not finde out Samsons riddle till they had plowed with his heifer no more can we finde out the mysteries of God unlesse we plow with his Spirit and wrestle with him by prayer This being done then God will blesse us as he blessed Jacob and then he will shew us his hinder parts as he did unto Moses by created means These he expresseth to us by his divine attributes whereof the foundation is his substance or essence And this Essence God challengeth as his name to be known by for when Moses demanded of God his name he told him it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth essence I am or will be So that to be properly belongs to God from whom all things have their being And this is seconded by these sayings of Gods word Isai.