Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n
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A04284
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The true guide to glory A sermon preached at Plympton-Mary in Deuon, at the funerals of the right vvorshipfull, and ...
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Barlow, John, b. 1580 or 81.
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1619
(1619)
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STC 1440; ESTC S114791
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30,821
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66
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that haue seemed to begin in the Spirit yet ended in the flesh Assuredly what shew of profession soeuer they made this immortall seed was neuer rooted and grounded in their harts What if Achitophel or Iudas creepe into the Court be companion to Dauid and his Lord take sweet counsell with them receiue promotion from them yet if they conceiue iniquity expect opportunity lift vp their heele against Gods annointed and bathe their hands in the blood of his destruction though the Pope and his poleshorne brethren would canonize them for Saints engraue their names with great red capitall letters in their Calendars they are but deepe-headed cruell-hearted Traytors trees without fruit twise dead rent vp by the rootes and reserued for the blacknesse of darkenesse for euer Let Iehu march in fury demand is thy heart vpright as mine cry giue me thine hand call come see what Zeale I haue for the Lord of Hostes reply What peace whiles the whoredomes and witchcrafts of thy mother Iezabel remaine charge Cast that painted fac'd strumpet downe from the window Yet if afterward he pace like the slugge burne as the Ice and his whole heart goe not after but wholly depart from the God of Israel we may note him by a letter iudge him a proud-spirited person and a meere cast-away Nay let Balaam prophecy I shall see him but not yet blesse who can tell the dust of Iacob confesse the eyes that were shut vp hast thou Lord opened pray let me dye the death of the righteous protest that for a house full of gold or siluer he cannot passe the commandement of God notwithstanding all this if hee consult with the sonne of Zippor consent and giue counsell too to curse the children of Israel he is but a base wisard a lewd person of the Serpents brood and God one day in iustice shall pay him his wages Finally let Hymeneus and Hermogenes Philetus Alexander and Demas preach Christ or professe him haue their praise in the Gospell send salutations to the brethren but if once there come a New wherein their callings shall be reiected or neglected the world embraced Paul persecuted and the sincere preaching of the word by them resisted they neuer were the owners of true Faith or good conscience comprehended in the couenant of grace and therefore a day will come when according to their workes they shall be rewarded And as we may deeme of such in former times so may we of the like in these latter dayes for it is an eternall Canon They went out from vs because they were not of vs for if they had beene of vs they would haue continued with vs. And this obserue is come to passe that it might appeare they were not all of vs 1 Iohn 2.19 Vse 3 And may Faith faint yet not faile for euer Why then here is a ground of comfort to such as in former time haue felt it though for the present it be not in their apprehension Tell mee didst thou euer beleeue in the Lord hast thou giuen this guest a nights lodging art thou sure thou once hadst it then certainely thou hast it though for the present thou be otherwise minded What if Iorden fill not her bankes to the brimme euery morning Iohn the Baptist stirre not in the wombe at each season Iacob apprehend not the Lords presence continually Yet shall not the tyde returne the babe be aliue and borne and the God of Abraham be in that place yes of certaine so Faith may not at all times fill the soule with ioy spring in the wombe or be discerned in the hearts habitation notwithstanding it is not dryed vp nor dead in the mother nor hath tooke his last farewell Faith may not be compared to Ionah's gourd that withereth in a moment neither to the fig-tree on which fruit shall neuer grow any more nor is it like the Lilly which to day is and to morrow cast into the Ouen for God will not send a worme to smite it Christ shall neuer curse it or the Spirit burne it totally consume it The chilling cold of Winter may pinch it the heate of the Summers sunne may scorch it and the lightning from aboue in some degree blast it yet the Spring shall reuiue it the dew from aboue water it and the South-winde refresh it It may be like gold tryed in the fire but it shall be found more precious come foorth the purer and preserue the owners of it vnto praise honour and eternall saluation at the appearing of Christ Iesus 1 Pet. 1.7 In my meditations I haue sometimes thought that Faith is like the Daizie a word compounded of Day and Eye or Marigold when the Sunne sets she shuts when it riseth she reuiueth for by this Planets motion she is in a diuers estate and condition So when the Sonne of righteousnes goeth as it were beneath the Globe disperseth his beames another way then Faith closeth it selfe hangeth the head and it's leaues are contracted but when he hath fetched his circumference ariseth within our Horizon spreadeth his beames of heate and mercy vpon it then it sprouteth vp openeth and dilateth it's selfe sendeth foorth it's pleasant fumes to the great content of him or her in whom it is planted So that I say to thee Be of good comfort for as Christ said of Lazarus It is not dead but sleepeth Labour therefore to awake it out of this slumber that it may recouer it 's former estate doe it's first workes and better And for thy direction 1. See that thou settle not thy selfe amongst Mutes pitch thy tents where the siluer Trumpets are sounded and Aarons bels ring in the Sanctuary euery Sabboath 2. Liue not with Liquides beware of lewd companions If Peter come into Caiphas his porch hang his head ouer and warme his fingers at the high-Priests fire he will curse sweare and shall without reprehension too deny his Master whereas Saul will prophesie among the Prophets 3. Vp and be doing be not idle either in thy generall or particular calling who euer fell a sleepe working walking 4. Doe not feast but fast for that will diminish and weaken the fumes of sinne hinder these drowsie exhalations preserue the pores and ventrikles of the minde from cloasure and giue the liuely spirits full passage for motion and action This is the way to awake it sleeping and to keepe it from slumbring being awaked Vse 4 And in the last place seeing true Faith shall not finally faile how should it encourage vs to vse all mennes that might preserue it continue it It 's a false dreame obiected by our aduersaries that certainty of a thing makes men carelesse in the vse of all helpes that may further or accomplish the end For doth not the Husband-man plow sow harrow hedge rise early sit vp late eate the bread of sorrow and carefulnesse in the expectation of a good crop of corne at the time of haruest Will not the Merchant launch out into the deepe cut the huge waues
day will be your greatnesse And seeing that you haue receiued much already from the Lord and haue a further promise of a glorious crowne and scepter doth it not stand with equity that such as you aboue all should take heart to your selues and with more cheerefulnesse runne the wayes of Gods commands For will not you your selues expect from them the best and most worke to whom you giue the greatest wages Besides consider what will your callings or riches profit you one day Mat. 1â— â—â— if you should loose your own soules Is it or wil it be any benefit to haue large possessions on earth and not a foot in heauen high callings and not to be called of God a wise disputer in this world and be dumbe before Christ at his comming cloathed with purple and fine linnen and fare delicately euery day and yet be found naked in the great day of the Lord Therefore be friends to the word procure it's liberty to runne and doe you and yours runne after it too for this shall one day be your best portion and great reward And you that are of the tribe of Leui and my brethren Let me exhort you as one vnfit to instruct you that you would quit you like men and be strong Preach in season and out of season pull out all the arrowes of Gods mercy and iudgement forth of the Quiuers of the Law and Gospell draw them betwixt the armes of power and a sound minde loose them from the finger of affection let them flie with a will and then intreat the Lord so to guide them that like the sword of Saul and bow of Ionathan they may neuer returne to your hands empty Be heard aboue seene below let your liues shine before your doctrine as the lightning doth precede the Thunder so will your words pierce the deeper and cause your people quake and shudder amidst the Congregation Haue care of the flockes ouer which the Holy Ghost hath made you ouer-seers for this wil be your ioy at your iourneys end when you can truely say I haue coueted no mans siluer or gold I haue deliuered the whole counsell of God Act. 20.26.27.28.33 and am free from the blood of all men And when Christ shall come who after a little while will come be able to present your flocke as a pure Virgine to him spotlesse Ephes 5.27 blamelesse He that doth this shall shine as the Sunne for euer and euer Dan. 12.3 but hee that is carelesse must vndergoe a heauy account a fearefull reckoning And in conclusion that which I haue said to one I say to all Learne learne this lesson set before you the glory prepared for you and though you finde rubs in the way out-skip them all for your death shall be better then the day wherein you are borne Heb. 12 2. c. and the time of Christs second comming of more worth then all the world Trauellers must not conceiue what they for the present are being in a strange countrey but what they shall be when they come vnto their friends and eternall home for that will cheere the sad heart refresh the decayed spirits cause a man to trusse vp the loines of his minde and be trudging Remember then that thou cast thine eye forward peepe within the vaile and stedfastly thinke on the royall entertainment at thy iourneyes end Vse 4 And shall they that are guided by Gods counsell be receiued vnto glory May we not then gather a ground of comfort to stay vs from immoderate mourning for the faithfull departed 1 Thes 4.13 c. I will therefore apply it to the present occasion Be of good comfort for your friend deceased she is not dead but sleepeth and is at rest from her labours her fight is well fought and she is diuiding the spoile But because of all things immoderate affection vpon the like occasion hath too much accompanied Gods best children I will as much as in me is giue you some preseruatiues to preuent or expell a hopelesse and not to be endured heartlesse mourning Why what is she tooke from and what is the world and all therein but Vanity and vexation of spirit Is it not a Sodom where men burne in lust an Egypt where Israel is burthened by the vnmercifull Taske-masters a Babylon where the faithfull Iew hangs his Harpe vpon the Willowes and singeth his Hebrew songs in a strange land Whereto shall I further liken it Why to an Hospitall where be both deafe dumbe lame and blinde a very Pesthouse where be many sicke of euery soare die of each disease Doth not the purple red and scarlet tokens of sinne that presage a certaine and a second death breake out daily amongst the inhabitants Truely it 's a very Bedlem pestered with fooles filled with madde and franticke fellowes who know not either their owne misery or can endure to be cured by the bottomelesse depth of Gods mercy In a word it 's a sinke a whirle-poole and colluvies of all vncleannesse Shall wee then grieue sigh and torment our selues that our friends are remoued from so bad and no better an habitation Take a strict view of this world in her greatest beauty being cloathed with greene white red and scarlet with all variety of the choisest colours the Rabbets and Lambes skipping and leaping in the pleasant valleyes the fishes swimming and playing in the siluer-hewed streames of the purest waters the birds singing and pruning themselues on the sprigs and tops of the hills and mountaines euery branch bearing fruit each hearbe and flower sending forth her sweetest smell of perfume yet will not one pinching frost Northren blast or scorching heate rent her purple Robe wither her tender face wrinckle her smoothest brow and spoile her cleane of her well-tempered complexion so that her rich attire and comely glosse will but carry a cold report to the inhabitants heart as Iosephs party-coloured coate torne and all be-blouded did to old Iacob his father being represented before him and be a meane to bring amaine his gray or gay haires vnto the Graue But alas we consider not how the fashion of this world goeth away we iudge better of it then she deserues by farre and so through mis-apprehension we pierce our selues through with needlesse sorrowes We send our sonnes from countrey to Court from England to Ireland in the naked expectation of some better preferment and yet weepe mourne and bawle that our friends are gone from earth to heauen and from forreiners in a poore cottage to be the chiefest subiects in a glorious kingdome Againe is not Heauen a house where be many mansions and shall the Lord thereof want inhabitants must such seats be empty not replenished why then should he not loose the end and fruit of his creation Dauids roome must not be voyde for euer but at the time appointed by his own person supplied We must all of vs in our turnes vp to this Ierusalem for Christ our High Priest