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
A53265	New-England pleaded with, and pressed to consider the things which concern her peace at least in this her day, or, A seasonable and serious word of faithful advice to the churches and people of God, primarily those in the Massachusets Colony, musingly to ponder, and bethink themselves, what is the tendency, and what will cetainly be the sad issue, of sundry unchristian and crooked wayes which too too [sic] many have been turning aside unto, if persisted and gone on in delivered in a sermon preached at Boston in New-England, May 7, 1673, being the day of election there / by Urian Oakes ...	Oakes, Urian, 1631-1681.	1673 (1673)	Wing O21; ESTC W23179	65,078	72

and there have been Attempts and hazardous ones too made upon you you have had sensible experience of the lighting down of the omnipotent Arm of God on your behalf Happy art thou Oh New England Israel who is like unto thee O people saved by the Lord the Shield of thy help and who is the Sword of thy Excellenc● and thine enemies have been found lyars unto thee● as Moses speaks upon consideration of the Condition of that Israel Deut. 33.29 So that as he saith Bless ye the Lord from the Fountain of Israel Psal. 68.26 That is either you that derive your Original from the Fountain of Iacob and Israel that descend from him as his natural off-spring and Posterity as the words are generally expounded or if I may be allowed so to gloss and improve them Bless him for all the mercies that have been conferred upon you from the Fountain or first Original of Israel to this Day So let the Suc●essors and seed of those that laid our Foundations bless the Lord yea let their souls and al● within them bless his holy name for all that he hath done for us from the Fountain and Foundation of this plantation We may say with wonderment almost in the words of Moses Deut. 4.32 Ask now of many of the Ages that are past and ask from one side of Heaven unto the other whether there hath been any such Thing as this great Thing is or hath been heard like it for many generations Hath God essayed to go and take him a part of a Nation from the midst of a Nation by temptations by sig●s by wonders by a mighty hand by an out-strethed arm according to all that the Lord your God hath done for you before your eyes God hath shewn us almost unexampled unparalled mercy And it were very well if there were a memorial of these things faithfully drawn up and transmitted to Posterity as the Reverend Servant of God that spoke to you the last year moved and advised Mr. Shepard's Election Sermon pag. 15.16 However it is our great-duty to be the Lords Remembrancer● or Recorders Isa. 62.6 that the mercies of the Lord that hath allured us into this wilderness spoken comfortably to us and dealt bountifully with us therein may be faithfully registred in our hearts and remembred by us It is a desireable thing that all the loving kindnesses of G●d and his singular favours to this poor and despised out cast might be Chronicled and communicated in the History of them to succeeding Ages that the memory of them may not dy and be extinct with the present Generation And it is the unquestionable duty of every one of us to keep in mind and consider the signal works of the Lord and the operation of his hands for and in the behalf of his dear people in this wilderness Now then this being your Condition that you are in a manner parallel with Israel in their mercies and that in the apprehension of all considering men we are too like them in their sinful deportments also all sides are agreed that things are in a declining posture that there is a great degeneracy that things look with another Face that there is a defection and declension though all are not resolved wherein it doth consist some charging it one way some another as their judgement or Affection or party and Interest leads them yet they all center in this that there is a back sliding and declension among us Give me leave therefore who am much a stranger to take it for granted not only from my own observation but especially from the the Confession of all parties and what better evidence can be expected that this Noble vine planted by the Lords own right hand is become degenerous that your wayes are unanswerable to the wayes of God that your deportments are unsuitable to your engagements and the Lords expectations and therefore to pursue the Exhort●tion in beseeching and perswading you to understand and Consider what is li●● to be your latter end It will be your Interest to Consider first whence you are fallen Rev. 2.5 And then whither you are going or falling by your iniquity Hos. 14.1 And what the end and Issue of your sinful ways will be This is that which my Text leads me to prosecute And truly me thinks I hear the Lord speaking these very wo●d● of New England at this Day On 〈◊〉 they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end As Christ sometimes stood weeping over Ierusalem said O that 〈◊〉 hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things which 〈…〉 peace Luk. 19.41 42. So me thinks the Lord Jesus is this day 〈…〉 above beholding us from the height of his glory and saying Oh 〈◊〉 my dear people in New England whom I have peculiarly loved and pitied and protected and blessed were wise and 〈…〉 understandingly and rationally what the end of their sinful deportments before me will be at last I hope he doth not adde But now this 〈◊〉 from it hid from their eyes I confess I was under some temptation to have singled out such a Subject in the Discussion or Hau●ling whereof some general Christian Duties might have been commended to this great Assembly so considerable as to the quality and publick capacity as well as numerousness of the Auditors to have declined all such Discourses as might seem to grate or reflect blame and bear too hard upon these or those I would not have the Ministers of Christ needlesly to tamper or intermeddle with State affairs or direct and dictate to Rulers and intrude themselves into such things as are out of their sphere and forreign to their calling and profession unless upon insuperable occasions I have seen much evil and inconvenience in it elsewhere I would not pass the bounds or go beyond the line of my calling and commission from Jesus Christ. Tractent Fabrilia Fabri Moreover I have considered as a Discouragement from attempting any thing in this kind that I am much a stranger to the Spirits and Principles and Practises of men in this Country and greatly unacquainted with the state of affairs among you and that it is no easie matter to gain thorough and certain information And that good caution also came to minde as a seasonable memento 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Stranger must be no needless medler I considered also that where men are in a divided posture and their hearts are hot within them there is small hope of doing any good To what purpose is it to charm deaf Adders such are men usually that are addicted to sides and parties they are deaf on one side and cannot hear of that ear If a man had the meekness and gravity and Fatherly spirit and affection that Moses discovers in the Book of Deuteronomie the Wisdome and Reason of Solomon or Paul the Tongue and Eloquence of Isaiah the best accomplishments of any Son of Adam yet it would in reason

men in Wisdome and Understanding He hath not set Task-masters and Oppressors over us or caused those that hate us to rule over us as he threatens Lev. 26.17 As a roaring Lion and a ranging Bear so is a wicked Ruler over the poor people Prov. 28.15 God hath delivered you from the Paw of the Lion and and of the Bear so that you have not known by woful experience to this day what a wicked oppressing Ruler means nor seen one of these cruel and imperious Beasts among you God hath not given us Rulers that would fleece us that would pull the bread out of our mouthes that would grinde our faces and break our bones that would undermine and rob us of our Liberties Civil and Religious to the enslaving of this people and their children after them but he hath given us men of Nehemiah's spirit that have not sought themselves but sincerely designed the good and consulted the welfare and prosperity of these Plantations to go in and out before us Men that have not rigorously exacted the bread of the Governour Neh. 5.18 but have chearfully receded from their own Right sympathizing with and compassionately considering the low estate and condition of this people Nor hath the Lord in displeasure left us to be Levellers and Libertines to do every man what seems good in his own eyes Thus far he hath delivered us from Anarchy and Confusion as well as from Tyranny and set over us pious and faithful Rulers that have been indeed according to the obligation intendment of their Office Rom. 13.3 4. a terrour to evil and not to good works and Ministers of God to us for good which is an admirable and invaluable mercy I know indeed that profane and licentious persons would have Magistrates that would connive at and countenance their Swearing and Drunkenness and Filthiness and Sabbath-breaking and the like gross enormities that there might be no Master of Restraint or Coercive Power exercised in the land that they might sin without controll and go to hell without interruption or molestation and that wanton Gospellers giddy Professors men of corrupt mindes would have Magistrates that will allow them in publishing and spreading their damnable Heresies disturbing the Peace and Order of the Churches of Christ and spurning at or setting their foot upon all that is precious and sacred amongst us But behold the goodness and patience of God! notwithstanding all our contempt of them murmurings against them unsutable behavior towards them insensibleness of the greatness of our mercy in the enjoyment of them uneasiness of too many diaffected persons under their Government or attempts of men to bereave us of them yet we have still our rulers as at the f●●st our counsell●rs as at the beginning And though many of our worthy Patriots have acted their parts graciously wisely faithfully gone off the stage with honor yet there is a succenturiation or succession of men in their places of the like Spirit Principles and Abilities This is because the Lord our God hath loved our Israel 2 Chron. 9.8 God hath walled us about with a godly Magistracy given us Rulers out of our selves which was the priviledge of Israel that they might take wise men and understanding and known among their Tribes to be Rulers over them Deut. 1.13 hath caused justice and judgement to run down among us as a mighty stream One of the great miseries of the World is the Tyranny and Oppression of Rulers God hath thus far secured you from it and given you to taste the sweet and pleasant fruits of a good Magistracy Good Magistrates good Laws and the vigorous Execution of them hath been the priviledge and glory of New-England wherein you have been advanced above most of the Nations of the Earth This is a mercy of no small elevation 2. As to your Sanctuary mercies God hath sequestred you from the rest of the World allured you into this Wilderness and brought you into these parts of the Earth out of the streets of Rome as some conceive whether rightly or no I cannot determine that you might set up his way and worship in the purity and Gospel-glory of it This was the refreshing mercy of God to his People when he first brought them over and that which sweetned to them many a bitter Cup and supported them under the burdensome inconveniencies of a Wilderness condition Here you have seen the goings of God in the Sanctuary the fingers before and the players on Instruments after Psal. 68.24 25 the orderly Administration of the Worship and Ordinances of God Churh-officers duely qualified and set apart to their work and ruling authoritatively in the Lord according to the order of the Gospel using their power to ●●●●●cation and not to destruction And Church members allowed and us●●g their liberty and priviledge obeying and consenting in a due exercise of their Judgement of Discretion The Doctrine of Faith duely dispensed the worship of God solemnly celebrated without the mixture of human Inventions and Discipline administred for the substance thereof according to the appointment of Jesus Christ. And in case of difficulties emerging through want of light or peace Councils orderly assembling and acting in the fear of God Ministerially declaring the mind of God and commending their advice to the Churches concerned without ●●y irregular imposing upon their liberty And this course also attended generally with the Blessing of God for the final issue of controversies and ending of differences These are such mercies as are almost appropriately yours if all circumstances be considered so that hardly any People under heaven equal you in this respect God hath instructed us as he did Israel in the Wilderness Deut. 32.10 you have been provided of all helps and advantages for the edification of your souls and a rich Blessing upon them This is the Milk and Honey with which this Canaan though a Wilderness flows Here you have seen the Rivers the Flouds the Brooks of Honey and Butter Job 20.17 And for the continuance of these mercies the Lord hath given you Schools of Learning and prospered that work of the education of your Children in the hands of those that have undertaken it both in infe● our private Schools and in the Colledge that Nursery of Piety and good Li●terature even to admiration So that God hath made this Wilderness to be glad for his People and this Desart to rejoyce and blossome as a Rose Isai. 35.1 3 As to those great blessings of Peace and Plenty at least a competency and sufficiency of outward comforts You have here in these Chambers of Secresie and Safety which God hath brought you into in this place of Retirement and Hiding enjoyed peace and rest when other parts of the World have been embroiled and that dear Nation of which you are a part hath been involved in Blood and Distractions emptied from Vessel to Vessel undergoing strange alterations The Lord hath been a Wall of fire about us and his salva●ion