Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	abel_n	blood_n	cry_v	2,397	5	9.4770	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89495	Ashrea: or, The grove of beatitudes represented in emblemes: and, by the art of memory, to be read on our blessed Saviour crucifi'd: with considerations & meditations suitable to every beatitude.	Manning, Edward.	1665 (1665)	Wing M483; ESTC R225638	48,223	156

unmindful amidst the jollity of a life spent in delights and vanities that they are blessed who mourn 4. Can I fix mine eye on his sacred Mouth crying out I thirst and not be presented with a remembrance of that true happiness which he pronounc'd to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness as he himself did while he conceiv'd himself streightned and thought the time tedious till his hour was come to suffer and satisfie for us in all rigor of justice 5. As for his wounded Side streaming forth bloud and water how can it but revive and rub up the memory of the dullest and most unmerciful man How can he behold that side pierc'd and not be wounded with pity and commiseration towards the necessitous How can he see that side exhausted of its last treasure of precious bloud for his redemption and yet forget the poor and not relieve the miserable 6. But when he passeth further and by the rift comes to behold his Saviour's wounded Heart O what a copious and fertile place is there for a devout Art of Memory Who reads not there Blessed are the pure of heart Who finds not there the Urim and Thummim words which were inserted in the High Priest's Brest-plate but now in a more perfect manner enclos'd within the pure heart of our High Priest Christ Jesus What illuminations what ardors which Urim signifie what perfections what integrities expressed by Thummim were confin'd within the narrow limits of that divine heart which still open still invites the sinner to cleanse with that sacred water and purifie with that precious bloud his spotted and defiled heart which must be by receiving a wound of true compunction in his own for the cleansing whereof the most innocent and pure heart of his Lord and Saviour was so pierced 7. Now for as much as there is a secret sympathy and correspondence between the heart and the hand who can elevate his eyes to Christ's right hand nail'd to the Cross and not call to minde that Blessed are the peace-makers and among them that great Peace-maker who being our Mediator interpos'd himself between God and us and received the wounds and heavy chastisement which our heinous sins deserved Who can behold both his hands lifted up to heaven and not call to mind our innocent Abel whose bloud cries to heaven for mercy to reconcile us to his Father Who can see those sacred hands fasten'd to the Cross and not reflect that he ought to be so far from inciting others to dissention that it should be his main endeavour to fasten their hands by an amicable composure of their differences and a charitable mediation between them 8. Lastly inasmuch as Persecution belongs to the Feet either to fly or stay and suffer descend from thy Saviour's sacred Hands to his Feet in like manner transfix'd with nails Who is it that can humbly kiss the right foot with a kind of hope to be plac'd on Christ's right hand and forbear to do the like to the left with a compliant heart ready to suffer persecution for righteousness sake Can our memory so far fail us as when we fix our eyes on these tender feet to be forgetful how they were blister'd with long journies in the search of lost souls and at last how with weary and feeble steps they ascended Mount Calvary to that extream persecution thereby to enfranchise us and make us capable of admission into the Kingdom of Heaven Thus may we behold our second Adam naked yet encompassed with Beatitudes that he might cloath the sinful naked Adam who was environed with miseries If to remember the last things be not to sin certainly to be vers'd in this Art of Memory will be not only to eschew evil but also to do good and to acquire that Beatitude which makes a man eternally happy And whereas I have so often mentioned this Art of Memory I now come to bestow some few lines by way of direction to satisfie their curiosity who are lovers of it in order to the advantage they may make thereof LOCAL MEMORY depends on several places dispos'd at a certain distance one from the other purposely consign'd to quicken the Memorative power And this is wrought by presenting one thing to it by the representation of some other accompany'd with a reason why that other was there placed this means Remembrance or Reminiscence which is an attendant to Reason presents us with that which we had otherwise forgotten Nay to use S. Augustine's words We had forgotten it in some sort yet by that part of the thing which we remembred which was the reason why we seek the other part which we remember not For the Memory being at a loss for want of a full notion desireth what is wanting may be added which is the Reason left in the place and the thing which I left there that at my return I might find it by Reminiscence To render what hath been said the more easily comprehensible by example My place which like the first matter stands in an indifferency as to all forms or as soft Wax susceptible of all impressions shall be Jonas swallowed up by the Whale which I seem really to behold Now if I am for instance to commit Vsury to this place I give my reason to my self to wit because it devours men in their Estates Again if the word or matter of Obedience occur I place it on the Whale which commanded by the power of Heaven was ready to receive Jonas cast over-board by the Mariners If afterwards at some other time Innocence either in word or matter is to be placed on or about the Whale I dispose it in the jaws of that Monster with my reason because they did not crush or so much as hurt Jonas in the reception of him Nay to be short what is there but may be according this Art placed on the Whale swallowing Jonas For instance If solemn vows or promises if prayers and repentance I place them on Jonas If I would remember Pride I place it on the Nostrils of the Whale spouti●● out water into the air If Humility I place it on Musculus a little fish which as some affirm always goes before the Whale If Arrogance occur or Ambition I lay it on the Mountain of Water which its vast back raises up If Strength and Impetuosity I place them on the tail In fine if Combination of little ones to confront the greater I place it on a shole of Herrings attempting to encounter the Whale The like Method is to be us'd as to other heads And this is a summary account of Local or Artisicial Memory Now if the Prophet David doubted not to say to God himself Why dost thou turn away thy face Why hast thou forgotten to be gracious And Lord remember David and all his troubles Why may not I and that I hope without offence affirm that a kind of Local Memory may be attributed to God Nay why not much rather remembrance then forgetfulness

they are cruel who unbraid and deride them or expose them to the derision of others by discovering their sins to whom they should be as merciful and charitable in concealing as if they were their own not forgetting the severe sentence of S. James Judgement without mercy be unto him that doth no mercy Consider how God is so pleased with mercy shewed to our Neighbour that to such only as do it he hath promised mercy And withall hath commanded us to beg for pardon and remission of our sins as we remit and fully forgive them who trepass against us And that so freely and absolutely as not to retain the least rancor or malice in our hearts Which to accomplish when any enmity or uncharitable thought is slily creeping into thy heart reflect thine eye on Christ crucified who as saith S. Bernard to heap mercies on mercies gave his life and out of his wounded side brought forth the price of satisfaction whereby he fully pacified his Father according to the words of David With our Lord is mercy and plentiful redemption Hereupon thou mayst infer that whosoever seek for mercy and security in Christs wounded side must come like Noe's Dove to the window of the Ark that brought an Olive-branch in his Beak which is the type of mercy and peace To signifie they must be merciful and charitable to others who expect to find mercy there O my soul arise and shake off those dull cogitations of enmity that surcharge thy heart that thou mayst nimbly fly and be like the Dove nestling in the hole of the Rock the pierc'd and patient side of thy Saviour That when thou art pursued by the Enemy like a Dove by the Hawk that shrowds himself in the hole of a rock here thou mayst find succour and secure thy self Here is the gate of mercy and pity which always stands wide-open where at all times thou mayst find habour in the secure calm of mercy To be merciful is to have a grievous and pitiful heart Ah! how pitiful was that wounded heart of thy Saviour which for thy sake was pierc'd through with a Spear Compassionate and have with him a heart wounded with grief and pity Commiserate the distressed members of his mystical Body in him and then thou canst not but be merciful to thy self and find mercy for thy self being one of his O merciful Redeemer I behold blood and water streaming from thy heart and issuing out of thy wounded side By that precious blood I was redeemed and made one of thine And by the water of Baptism I was purified and made one of thine To persevere still and continue one of thine still may that door of mercy thy wounded side be open unto me May I be dead to the world and sin that wounded as with a Spear with true love and charity I may never by sin cause this gate of mercy to be shut against me Thou O Lord didst vouchsafe to give freely the last drops of blood which were in thy heart for a more compleat Redemption Grant I beseech thee that I may spend the remnant of my days in thy holy service in works of mercy spiritual and corporal that finally I may obtain mercy through thee my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Amen O my soul consider what it is to find mercy through Jesus Christ to which thou so often sayst Amen or So be it It is to find mercy by the vertue and merits of his bitter Passion Yet this will not suffice if thou beest not merciful to him likewise in his So great is the vertue of Mercy saith S. Leo that without it all other vertues will not profit thee No though a man be faithful chaste and sober and endued with singular ornaments yet if he be not merciful he deserves not mercy And remember that thy works of mercy must be done through Christ our Lord to be dignified by vertue of his Passion and for his sake otherwise they shall have no reward The right hand must not know what the lest hand doth No sinister or by-intention must intrude A charitable work must be a work of justice when we render to God the glory only due to him and to our selves reserve the reward which promised we expect Nay more an Alms hath the honour to be call'd Justice it self For our Saviour adviseth us to beware that we do not our Justice before men that we may be seen by them and have the applause and praise of men In fine Who would not in this manner be merciful that knows in the old Law no Sacrifice Ox or Sheep might be offered in the Temple that had not a tail which in a mystical sense might prefigure that even in the Law of Grace no work of mercy which is a kind of Sacrifice to God can be acceptable which hath not an end that is a right intention tending to Gods honour and for his sake If we cry out with Zachaeus Ecce Behold when he gave so great an Alms as the moity of his Goods it may seem to savour of ostentation till we add farther with him Domine Behold O Lord I give to thee what is thine as to Caesar what is his in respect of his figure stamp'd in it So in my Alms I behold thee and contribute thine for thy sake like Zachaeus little considering my poor ability yet present a work like the Widow with her Mite great in regard of a free and willing heart Should I give it to be magnified by others What could I behold therein but mine own shape like a Narcissus enamored with himself court the shadow and lose the substance An Alms is a work of Redemption Redeem thy sins by Alms works of mercy It is an entire Expiation Give Alms and all shall be pure unto you The Sixth BEATITUDE Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God EMBLEME VI. The Fig-Tree Nec Cornisi punctum 6. So pierc'd and pierc'd with sorrow's dart Compunction from a sinners heart And eyes extracteth tears while grace The opposite to sin takes place OF this Tree there are several kinds differing according to the several Countries wherein they grow the name being generally attributed to all those Trees which bear a fruit that hath some resemblance to the Fig. But that which is the subject of the present Emblem grows commonly in Spain and Italy though possibly brought thither at first from some other parts of the World It bears a Fig without the production of any precedent Blossom which as it should seem hath in it during the time of its greenness a raw humour whose crudity is such that it ripeneth not till a certain Fly or Gnat gives it a prick or wound Soon after the Fig hath receiv'd that wound there distills from it a kind of tear which falls to the earth After which the Sun entring in at that narrow passage made by the Fly the Fig by degrees comes to maturity Behold here the Emblem of a Heart truly contrite wounded by