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
A96744	A cordial confection, to strengthen their hearts whose courage begins to fail, by the armies late dissolving the Parliament. It is wrapt up in an epistolary discourse, occasionally written to Mr. Ro. Hamon, merchant, by Geo. Wither, Esq; about a week after the said Parliament was dissolved; and is thus communicated by a copy thereof, as very pertinent to these distracted times, and tending to preservation of the common-peace. for (other things of publick concernment, being inter-woven) it truly states the peoples cause (in plain expressions, suitable to the vulgar capacities) and frees it from many scandals. It contains an expedient, (hitherto not heeded, or neglected) whereby Charles Stuart may be settled in peace, if he please: whereby, we may have a better Parliament then we lost, or ever had: whereby, our armies may be kept constant to order, whilst they are needful, and in a short time quite disbanded: whereby, the peoples just freedoms may be recovered and perpetuated: whereby, not onely these nations, but all Christendome also, may be established in a righteous peace; and it hath neither destructive inlet, outlet, or false bottom.	Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1659 (1659)	Wing W3151; Thomason E763_13; ESTC R207097	68,046	43

though their hearts were not right and their cries proceeded more form a sense of their Oppressions then of their sins yea though they cryed and prayed but as Ahab once did and as I fear most of us have often done yet they had temporary deliverances and they returning to their sins the punishments again returned increasing from seven years bondage to seventy years captivity and we starting aside as they did like a warped Bow are in danger of the like Chastisements For our verbal profession of trusting in GOD our loud vocal Prayers and sometimes a days abstinence from food prevails very little except there comes therewith a still voyce from the heart which cries for mercy as Abels blood cryed out of the earth for vengeance To tell the greatest part of men that they must trust in God is in their apprehension though they seemingly receive it as good counsel as if they were plainly told that there is no hope of their deliverance For they feel their hearts cannot trust in him except we shew them some other thing left wherein they might trust if GOD should fail their expectation as they fear he will when he looks into their hearts and sees that they trust him no longer then those outward things continue whereon they placed their confidence If we cannot trust GOD with our Army who is the LORD of Armies except we may be assured our Armies will prove trusty or unless we see some other earthly reserve to rely upon if that should be false we must then suffer for our unfaithfulness without remedy and may be likened to a foolish man who having an excellent stout Horse able to bear him to the Lands end is afraid he may miscarry in a Journey of ten miles unless he hath also a wooden Hobby-horse to be a Reserve He that could cast down the VValls of a strong City with the sound of Rams-horns can save us without an Army and in despight of the most puissant Armies in the world and he hath deserved better of these Nations then to be distrusted by them For what People under Heaven hath had more Experiments of GOD's timely assistance in all extremities then hath been vouchsafed by him unto us both in times past and within our remembrance Nay what Histories record a Mercy vouchsafed to any Nation since the beginning of the world like that which we enjoy at this present amidst our Confusions We are a living active Body without a Head A burning Bush that is not consumed A People without a Government yet not embrewed with each others blood which I believe though few of us heed that mercy is a wonderment to all our Neighbours round about us and is a token undubitable that GOD is yet in the Bush and will gather us together as Chickens under a Hen to be brooded by him if we were not wilful for if I should enumerate beside our three late signal Changes without Bloodshed those other late mercies which but I my self have taken heed of in my time have been so extraordinarily linked to each other that we had been utterly destroyed if any one of those Links had been broken off it would amount to a large Volumn or if I should commemorate how many of those outward trusts have failed us whereon we relyed it would appear that all other Dependencies are empty vanities I will particularize a few of them that we may be more mindful how we have been deceived by those other helps wherein we trusted and learn henceforward to think GOD's Protection is all-sufficient We had a King of whom we had great hopes as appeared by our mourning for his long absence in Spain when he was Prince and by our extravagant rejoycings at his return and many had an extraordinary confidence in him when he first assumed the Regal Authority yet he became our Oppressour soon after and much was designed which might have more opprest us We had afterward a Parliament on which we so much depended that we made an Idol of it and were no less oppressed thereby We had many eminent Persons among us whom we thought such true Patriots that we almost deifi'd them and supposed they should have been our Deliverers from the servitude which we groaned under but many of them apostatized from our Cause and other some were taken away by death whom we thought most sincere and both failed in our greatest need We had a Protector whom some did compare unto nay prefer before Moses and Joshua and he made such fair shews of Piety that we much trusted in him and thought it impossible he should deceive us yet in him alse there was no trust Then the Parliament being restored we again reposed our confidence therein and were again deceived many have trusted in themselves in their power in their estates in their own piety in their policy and all those things vanish away also like Smoke some other at this present trust in our Armies in the strength of men and horses in Forts and Fleets with such like and now begin to distrust them feeling not onely our late hopes of them to be shaken but our Fears likewise to be by them in creased and what should all this teach us but to relic on him onely who is immutable He hath Wisdome enough to know what is best for us Power enough to effect it for us Love enough to vouchsafe it Faithfulness enough to perform his promises and Ubiquity and Eternity to be present with us at all times in all places and in all extremities yea he hath freely engaged by his Word and Promises to do all this for us if we have but Faith enough to believe him and will also give us that Faith if we heartily ask it If we think not this a sufficient Reserve to secure us though our Armies and all things else in the world should be false and helpless we are worthy to be deserted and can have no security until we search out the Cause of our diffidence and then endeavour to remove it which Cause is our many great unrepented sins and in special our hypocrisie our gross partiality our self-seekings and remissness in doing Justice and in mercifully relieving the oppressed the Widows the Fatherless and the Friendless which sins were the principal causes of the Desolation of all Kingdoms and Republicks heretofore destroyed in former Ages Our Sins have been the sole Cause that our Kings our Parliaments our Protectors our Armies our Navies our Counsels our Cost our Conquests and that we our selves have been destructive to our selves to each other and to a happy progression toward the settlement which we have long expected Therefore until these sins are more truly repented all the wisdom and power upon earth shall not avail us but every day will encrease our troubles until there be a final extirpation of all that which now hinders GOD's work For if our Armies reconcile to each other an unarmed power shall break them in pieces If by their