Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	according_a	lord_n	love_a	2,028	5	9.4424	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19508	The triumph of a Christian contayning three excellent and heauenly treatises. 1 Iacobs wrestling with God. 2 The conduit of comfort. 3 A preparatiue for the Lords Supper. Full of sweet consolations for all that desire the comfortable sweetnesse of Iesus Christ, and necessary for those who are troubled in conscience. Written by that worthy man Master William Couper, minister of Gods word.	Cowper, William, 1568-1619.; Cowper, William, 1568-1619. Conduit of comfort.; Cowper, William, 1568-1619. Jacobs wrestling with God.; Cowper, William, 1568-1619. Preparative for the new Passeover.	1608 (1608)	STC 5937; ESTC S117170	143,181	383

was senselesse before being dead in sinne and trespasses begins now to stir and moue as Iosiahs heart melted at the reading of the Law and the hearts of those penitent Iewes which were pricked at the sharpe Sermon of Peter then feeling our selues vnder death through sinne wee begin to thinke vs of the wayes of life and to aske with the Iaylor What shall wee doe that wee may bee saued These motions meltings and prickings of the hart wrought in the ●…lect by the operation of Gods word are the very plucks of the hand of God translating thee out of Nature into Grace yet must wee not rest here for Felix may tremble while Paul is preaching and many for a while may receiue this word with joy and yet afterward fall away in the time of temptation Wee must therefore consider if there bee in the hart a respondence and answering vnto the Lord so oft as hee calleth doe wee present our selues before him ready to follow him saying with Abraham here I am Lord and with Samuel after hee knew the Lords voyce Speake on Lord thy Seruant heareth thee This answering and following of the Lord are vndoubted tokens of effectuall Calling So oft as the Lord calleth the Christian answereth When thou saidst Seeke yee my face my heart answered O Lord I will seeke thy face If the Lord commaund the Christian answereth O Lord quicken me according to thy louing kindnesse that I may apply my heart to keepe thy statutes alwayes to the end If the Lord promise mercy the Christian answeres Stablish O Lord thy promise to thy Seruant and let it bee to me according to thy word for I beleeue in thee but Lord help my vnbeleefe And thus in the heart of one effectually called there is a continual respondence to the voyce of God a waiting on the Lord a walking with him and a following of him where euer hee goe If the Lord haue called thee sure it is thou wilt follow him and no power of the Diuell of the world or of the slesh shall hold thee back from him When Eliah touched Elisha with his cloak he left his Oxen and came after him When Iesus called on Andrew and Peter they left their nets their ship and their Father and followed him when hee called on Mathew hee left all his gainful trade of the receipt of custome and followed him when hee called on Mary Magdal●…ne shee forsooke her sinfull life and followed him Here is the finest Touchstone to trye an inward calling If the Lord hath called thee thou wilt follow him but if yet thou bee wandring after vanitie walking on in the course of thy sinne turning thy backe and not thy face vnto the Lord deceiue not thy selfe pertalcer of this heauenly Calling wherein stands the onely comfort of a Christian hast thou neuer beene CHAP. XV. The loue of God a sure token of an inward calling and of the commendation of loue THat Loue of God And last of all to returne to the words againe the whole effects of out inward Calling the Apostle compriseth vnder one to wit The loue of God and that most properly for Loue compriseth all the rest vnder it Loue is the Cognisance of Christs Disciples sayes our Sauiour It is the band of perfection saith the Apostle and accomplishment of the L●… Loue speakes with the tongue of eue●… Vertue Pittie bids thee help the indigent Iustice bids thee giue euery man his owne Mercy bids forgiue Patience bids suffer but the voyce of Christian Loue commaunds all these Holy Loue is the eldest Daughter of a iustifying Faith that is the fi●…st affection that Faith procreateth and sanctifieth and whereby she workes in the sanctification of the rest Loue is the strongest and most imperious affection in the whole nature of man all the rest of the affections giues place vnto it which wee may see euen in the man naturall and vnregenerate Where Loue is kindled Feare is banished Couetousnesse coucheth Ambition is silent A Coward inflamed with Loue becomes valiant and a couetous man is oft times ●…y Loue made to bee more prodigall yea the proud and ambitious man who otherwise giues place to 〈◊〉 man for obtayning that which hee 〈◊〉 cares not to prostrate his honor 〈◊〉 the dust If carnall Loue be so forci●… what shall wee say of the spirituall Loue How much more doth it draw 〈◊〉 whole powers of soule and body 〈◊〉 the Lord neyther is it possible to 〈◊〉 otherwayes for euery thing returns to his owne originall as the waters go 〈◊〉 to the deepe from whence 〈◊〉 came and fire tends vpward to his owne place and Region euen so holy Loue being a sparke of the heauenly fire kindled in our hearts by the holy Ghost doth continually enflame them towards the Lord from whom it came and suffers vs neuer to rest while vvee enjoy him then vvee begin to liue when vvee begin to Loue. As no Creature can liue out of his owne Element so the Soule is but dead in sinne vvhich is destitute of the loue of God No feare to offend him no care to please him no obedience to his Commaundements can bee giuen by the heart that loues him not It were tedious to speake of all the properties of Loue we make choise of a few as chiefe tryals of our Loue. CHAP. XVI First triall of Loue. THe first propertie of Loue is a burning desire to obtaine that which is beloued as a Woman that loueth her Husband vnfainedly cannot bee content with any Loue token she receiueth from him in his absence but longeth more and more till she receiue himselfe So the soule which is wounded with the Loue of Iesus her immortall hushand hath a continuall desire to bee with him I graunt enerie token sent from him brings comfort but no contentment till shee inioyes him whereof comes these and such like complaints As the Hart brayes for the riuers of water so panteth my soule 〈◊〉 thee O my God O wh●…n 〈◊〉 I come appeare before the presence of my God my soule desireth after the Lord as the thirstie land for I would be dissolued be with the Lord therefore come euen so come Lord Iesus But alas here are we taken in our sins Thou sayest thou louest him but how is it then thou longest not to see him neither desi●…est to be with him yea a small appearance of the day of death wherein we should goe to him or mention of the day of judgement wherein hee shall come to vs doth terrifie and affright thee Thou that contents thee with the gifts of God and thinkest not long for himselfe thou art but like an adulterous woman who if she posses●…e the goods of her husband regards not albeit she neuer see himselfe The Iewes are blamed because they called on th●… Lord rather for oyle and wine then for himselfe The Gentiles are conuinced for worshiping the creature rather then the creator but more iustly shall the bastard

no way be prejudiciall to the veritie of his word O strong O rare O wonderfull Faith Therefore the Lord who giueth no vaine stiles to his seruants honoureth Abraham with this name the father of the faithfull For by his example our weakenes is strengthned to giue credit to the Lord when he speaketh to vs. And the same lesson of Faith is in like manner taught vnto vs by the example of patient Iob for many schoolmasters and examples haue wee on whom the ends of the world are fallen No doubt he had laid vp the promises of God in his heart whereupon he dependeth yet doth the Lord handle him sohardly both in body and minde as if hee were determinate to keepe no promise vnto him Yet Iob for all this distrusts not the truth of Gods promise but gripes them so surely that in his greatest extremitie he resolues O Lord albeit thou shouldest slay me yet will I trust in thee That is albeit Lord thou shouldst deale hardlier with me then thou hast done yet will I neuer thinke but thou wilt bee mercifull to me according to thy promise there is a heart knit to the Lord there is a soule cleaning to God without separation that thus concludes O Lord none of thy workes shall make me to misbeleeue thy word though thou cast me downe to hell my eye shall bee vpward towards thee my soule shall loue thee euen when it appeares thou saist that thou hast no delight in me And the like also may we see in that woman of Canaan according to that promise ask●… and it shall be giuen call on me in thy trouble and I shall heare thee and deliuer thee She 〈◊〉 O Lord haue mercy on me but at the 〈◊〉 gets no answere She cryeth againe againe but contrary to another promise as it would appeare God giues to all men liberally and reproches no man not onely is she refused but reproched as a dog and one not meet to eate the childrens bread But at the length leaning without wauering to the Lords promise shee receiues a fauourable answere O woman great is thy ●…aith CHAP. X. Let vs euer leane to the Word of God how strange soeuer his worke s●…eme vnto vs. OF all this then the lesson ariseth vnto vs that when ere the Lord shall exercise vs so hardly as to our Iudgement Gods working with vs seemes to fight with his promise made vnto vs so that suppose wee pray and wee mourne and we seeke comfort we can find none yea the more we pray the more our trouble encreaseth yet let vs not despaire but learne at our brethren who haue fought the like battailes before vs to rest assuredly on Gods promise For in the end his hardest working shall bee found to tend vnto the performance of his promise made vs in Christ Iesus let the Lord walke on in his secret wayes knowne to himselfe and let vs giue to the Lord this glory I know O Lord that it cannot 〈◊〉 but well with them who loues thee I know O Lord that thy iudgements are right for thy word endureth for eu●…r in heauen and thy truth is from generation to generation Heauen earth shal passe away but one iotte of the Word of God shall not passe 〈◊〉 O happy are they to whom the Lord hath made a promise of mercy they shall sing in the end with Ezechiel The Lord hath said it and the Lord hath done it he will stablish the promise he hath made to his seruant and hee will not alter the word that he hath spoken with his lips Wherfore O thou that art afflicted humbled in spirit disquieted within thy selfe waite vpon God and thou shalt yet giue him thanks Now in the fourth roome we haue to speake of the time how long the wrestling continueth Moses saith it lasted to the breaking of the day Here then is a new mercy to bee marked the Lord will neuer so exercise his children with wrestlings but in regard of their weaknesse graunts them some intermission and a breathing time least they should faint he will lay no more vpon them then they be able to beare neyther suffer his rods to lye longer vpon their backs then may serue for their weale Al our afflictions are measured by the Lord in quantitie qualitie and continuance of time For quantitie the Lord propines to each one of his Children a c●…p of affliction conuenient for their purgation and as to qualitie he tempers also our afflictions that where of their owne nature they are exceeding bitter being the fruites of sinne worse to drinke then the waters of Marah vntill Moses changed them by prayer and made them sweet He alters them in like manner by the vertue of the Crosse of Christ and his intercessions for vs the become so sweet and delectable that wee reioyce in t●…bulation And as for time hee giues vs but dayes of try all affliction houres of tentation attending to his good pleasure and wish●… dispensation If we cast Shadra Mesah and Abednego into the fire one like the sonne of God shall go with them to waite vpon them and relieue them in conuenient time Yea no gold-smith waites so diligently vpon his gold to take it out of the fire in due time as the Lord attends vpon his children that in due season hee may draw them out of their troubles Iacob wrestles no longer then the dawning and all our troubles haue an appointed time of deliuerance Weeping may abide in the euening but ioy commeth in the morning And of this ariseth to vs a lesson of patience that so long as it pleased the Lord to exercise vs with any crosse so long should we bee content to beare it No minting to cast off the yoke vntil it please the Lord to take it from our neck Noah was weary of his abiding in the Arke a yeere and a day for so long he remayned and no doubt when he saw the ground he was greatly desirous to come forth but he will haue no deliuerance till the Lord who closed him in command him also to come out and in very truth there can be no deliucrance but that which commeth from the Lord as this one notable example among moe makes manifest vnto vs. When the Angell commanded Lot to escape for his life to the mountaine ●…e requested the Angell for license to ●…arry at Zoar. And so where the Lo●…d pointed out the mountaine for the place of his deliuerance hee himselfe makes choise of another but when he obtayned that which he desired durst he for all that abide in Zoar no certainly he could neuer liue without feare vntill he went forward to the mountaine whervnto the Angell at the first directed him So that both the time the place the manner of our deliuerance must be referred to the Lord and not elected by our selues Then wee rest in quietnesse when wee rest on the will and mercy of God not vpon

his purpose Thirdly the euident token according to Gods calling which is the loue of God The purpose of God concerning thy saluation thou maist know by thy calling and if againe thou wilt try thy calling try it by the loue of God which thou finds in thee And of these three I will now speake briefly CHAP. XI What comfort wee haue in this that our saluation is grounded on the Lords vnchangeable purpose ACcording to his purpose Here you see then how the Apostle draweth our Calling from the purpose of God and so when hee will comfort vs vvith the certaintie of our saluation he leads vs out of our selues vp to the Rocke that is higher then wee hee teacheth vs to cast our Anchor within the vaile and to fasten our soules vpon that vnchangeable Purpose of God It is most expedient for the Children of God to mark this because the manifold changes wee finde in our selues doe oftentimes interrupt the peace of our minds that the Lord our God hath in such sort dispensed our Saluation that the ground thereof is laide in his owne immutable Purpose but the markes tokens and pledges hee placeth in them after their Calling for whom it was ordayned The tokens are changeable as we our selues in whom they are are changeable but the ground holds fast being laid in the vnchangeable God in whom can be no shadow of alteration and this should comfort vs against our daily vicissitudes changes defects and temporall desertion our faith may faint our spirituall life may languish our hope hoouer our harts in praying fall downe like the infeebled hands of Moses yet let vs not despaire no change in vs can alter the Lords vnchangeable Purpose he vvho hath begun the work in vs will also perfect it Because I am not changed saith the Lord therefore is it that yee O Sonnes of Iacob are not consumed This purpose of God is called otherwaies The will of God and the good pleasure of his will and it doth learne vs to giue to the Lord the praise which is due to him namely the praise of the whole worke of our saluation should bee ascribed to the good pleasure of his will onely and not to our foreseene merits that poyson of pride which Sathan powred in our first parents wherby hee prouoked them to aspire to be equall with God doth yet appeare in their posteritie the corrupt heart of man euer ayming at this eyther in part or in whole to haue the praise of saluation ascribed to himselfe and so would start vp in the roome of God vsurping that glory which belongeth to the Lord and hee will not giue to another then the which no Sacriledge more fearefull can be committed against the Lord. O man content thee vvith that which the Lord offers thee and let that alone vvhich the Lord reserueth to himselfe My peace saith the Lord I giue vnto you but my glory I will not giue to another It is enough that the saluation of the Lord is thine but as for the glory of saluation let it remaine to the Lord hee is for this called the Father of Mercy because mercy is bred in his owne bosome many causes without himselfe found hee moouing and procuring him to execute Iustice but a cause moouing him to shew mercy found hee neuer saue onely the good pleasure of his will Therefore saith the Apostle The Lord hath called vs with an holy calling not according to our workes but according to his purpose and grace Surely except the Lord had reserued mercy for vs vvee had beene like Sodome and Gomorrha but it hath pleased him in his mercy of the same lumpe of clay to make vs Vessels of honour whereof he hath made others vessels of dishonour and who is able sufficiently to thinke of so great a benefit Therefore let the re deemed of the Lord cry out with a lowder voyce then Dauid O Lord what are wee that thou hast beene so mindfull of vs Not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs but vnto thy name giue the glory for thy louing kindenesse and for thy truths sake for our Saluation commeth of god that sitteth vpon the throne and of the Lambe to thee therefore be praise and honour and glory for euer and euer CHAP. XII Two callings outward and inward TO them that are called The purpose of God which is sufficient in it selfe is made knowne and manifest to vs by his Calling for our Calling is a declaration of the decree of our Election and as it were the secret voice of God bringing from the Heauens to our soules this comfortable message That wee are the sonnes of God Now wee must know that Gods Calling is twofold one outward which is common also to the wicked of it speakes our Sauiour Many are called but f●…w are chosen The other inward and effectuall proper only to the godly whom the Lord is purposed to saue And this will learne vs to consider of three sorts of men in the world wherof some are not called at all some called but not chosen some chosen and therefore are called to be sanctified iustified and Glorified Yee that will take a right view of all mankinde shall finde them as it were standing in the three circles they onely being happie who are within the third In the outmost Circle are all those on whom the Lord hath not vouchsafed so much as an outward calling and here stands the greatest part of the world In the middlemost Circle which is much narrower are all those which are partakers of Gods outward calling by the word Sacraments And in the third circle which is of smallest compasse in regard of the rest stands those who beside the outward calling of God by his word are called also inwardly and effectually by his holy Spirit These are Christs little flocke the fewe chosen the communion of saints the Lords third part so to speake with Zacharic the two parts shall be cut off and die but The third will the Lord sine as siluer and gold of them will the Lord say This is my people and they shall say The Lord is my God It is a great steppe indeede that we are brought from the vttermost Circle vnto the second but it is not sufficient to saluation yea rather they who stand in the second Circle hearing the voice of God call them to repentance and yet harden their hearts and will not follow the Lord may looke for a more fearefull condemnation than they who are in the vtmost ranke of all Waightie are all those warnings of our Sauiour Sodome and Gomorah shall be in an easier estate in the day of iudgement then they to whom the Lord hath spoken by his worde but they would not receiue it and that double stripes are for him that knowes his Masters will and doth it not Content not your selues therefore with this that you are brought within the compasse of this visible Church and made partakers of an outward