Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A55504
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The sovles life exercising it selfe in the sweet fields of divine meditations and prayers. Collected for the comfort of all those who willingly adventure their lives for the defence of the Gospel, in these blood-thirsty times of war.
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Portman, Richard.
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1645
(1645)
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Wing P3001B; ESTC R220485
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26,310
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146
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comfort for the afflicted whether in body or minde You may see Gods providence and power delivering his people out of prison out of the fire out of the Denne of Lions out of the hands of their enemies out of shipwracke at Sea His feeding Elias by a Raven in the wildernesse and thousands of such like preservations and deliverances you may see and learn wisdom temperance patience faith hope and charity humility meeknesse and brotherly kindnesse Here you may see all sorts of sin and how to avoid them and you may see that bitter herb too called punishmeÌ„t due to sinners also you may see the good lives of Gods children and the rewards they have in the Kingdome of Heaven You may see Gods Attributes his power wisdome and love to mankind You may see our Saviours love in his sufferings for man his miracles and wonders and thousands of other comfortable flowers Certaine it is that no Garden in the world is like this this is pleasant and beautifull it yeelds comfort to all the happinesse of this Nation is such that they may walke and delight themselves in it at all times when other Nations are hardly permitted to looke in Let us then consider admire love and praise our good God for his infinite mercy to us in affording us that happinesse which no Nation in the world exceeds us in Let us adore and magnifie his marvellous clemency and goodnesse to us unworthy sinners let us extoll and land his name and let us be shewing forth his praise from generation to generation MEDITAT XXIII A Meditation on Musick in which as it were by way of digression the lawfulnesse of that Science is asserted O God! thou great Architect and composer of all things though I cannot but wonder at and admire those rare Arts and Sciences with the knowledge of which thou hast endued the sonnes of men yet of all that of Musick as it most nearly affects my sense so doth it most highly raise my admiration What a multitude of inventions is there in this Science that although it hath beene studied by millions of men for thousands of years and ever since Iubal who was the father of all such as did handle the Harp and Organ as we may see in Genesis Chap. 4. yet none could ever attaine to the full scope or perfection of it Yet thus much I may safely say for the honour of our Nation that for the generality of Musicke they have not beene inferiour to any Nation in the world And as this Science is none of the meanest so I am sure it is one of the most difficult for let a man read the Theory all the dayes of his life and he shall come short of the Practicke so let him use only the Practicke and he will yet be unskilfull for want of the Theory so that the way to make a Musitian compleat is to study both But let us view this Science in some particular branch of it see but the quality of a singer let him begin at the age of five or six and continue untill gray hayres he will I am sure confesse that hee is not yet perfect in his quality there is something more for him to do if he could find what it is he discovers a want of skill and will be studying for alteration or addition now all this while this is but one part of the Science neither is it otherwise with Instrumental Practitioners although they labour either upon the Organ Virginall Lute Violl or Harpe all their dayes yet they will finde themselves much below that Alt of perfection Now if it bee thus difficult with vocal and instrumental men surely it must needs bee far more difficult with composers who professe the greatest and most excellent part of Musick surely their study and travell must undoubtedly far exceed all others I could shew you the infinite variety exacted to be in a composer but I am not now to dispute but meditate And for the repute of this Noble Science it hath alwayes beene in highest esteeme among the best and greatest Worthies of the world for it is well knowne that divers Kings and Princes tooke great pleasure and have arrived to an high pitch of knowledge in it for instance King Henry the eight who composed a Song of eight parts a thing worthy his great name Lewis the late French King composed divers Songs and many Princes of Italy have beene excellent in this Science having published to the world divers sets of Songs famous Queene Elizabeth of happy memory was no small Practitioner of this Art Nor may we without great admiration observe the strange power and efficacy of this Science When David played on his Harp the evill Spirit liked it so well he would not stay to heare it but left Saul who of a King was become his subject and certainly if there bee any that hate the laudable use of this quality we may suspect that this evill Spirit delights to dwell with them where hee may not be troubled with it Nay which is more strange the Prophet Elisha could not prophesie untill an Instrument was brought to him and played on as you may see in the second of Kings Chap. 3. But now bring me a minstrell and it came to passe when the minstrell played that the hand of the Lord â—ame upon him and hee prâ—phesied Observe wee the twentieth Chap. of the second Booke of Chron. that when Iehoshaphat had consulted with the people hee appointed Singers unto the Lord that should praise the beauty of holinesse as they went out before the Army and to say Praise the Lord for his mercy endureth for ever And when they began to sing and to praise then the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon Moab and mount Seir which were come against Iudah and they were all smitten and â—â—…e escaped See the tenth Chap of Samuel verse 5. After that thou shalt come to the hill of God where is the Garrison of the Philistines and it shall come to passe when thou art come thither to the City that thou shalt meet a company of Prophets comming downe from the high place with a Psaltery and a Tabreâ— and a Pipe and a Harpe before them and they shall prophesie and the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee and thou shalt prophesie with them and shalt be turned into another man and the Spirit of God came upon Saul and hee prophesied among them See the first of Chron. Chap. 25. Moreover David and the Captaines of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph and of Heman and of Iedutbun who should prophesie with Harps with Psalteries and with Cymbals See cap. ib. The six sons of Ieduthun under the hands of their father Ieduthun who prophesied with Harps to give thanks and to praise the Lord. Now we may plainly see that Kings and Prophets went both to prophesie and to battaile with Musicke And surely Musick was a furtherance to them otherwise they
and spoyled with armies our woods cut downe as if it were intended no more should grow in our Land How are our Cattle driven in flockes and heardes from place to place and devoured by the enemy so that a famine must needes ensue How are the poore people driven from their habitations for the preservation of their lives being bereft of house goods and land as if they had no right to those possessions their Ancestors left them How are whole Townes burned without either pity or mercy How many thousands suffer for want of their means which heeretofore they received at pleasure O God! make us to prize that blessing of peace heereafter at a higher rate and give us thankefull hearts for all our enjoyments Cleanse the Land from sinne and turne away thy wrath from us Helpe us O God of our salvation for the glory of thy name O deliver us and be mercifull unto our sinnes for thy names sake so wee that are thy people and sheepe of thy pasture will give thee thankes for ever and ever MEDITAT VII A Prayer upon the same subject O Most glorious Lord God! creator both of Heaven and Earth and of all things contayned therein Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and Judge of all the World We miserable sinners acknowledge that we are a sinfull people laden with sinnes and iniquities we have deserved thy wrath and indignation and these heavy judgements which are now inflicted upon us are deservedly befallen us there is no goodnes in us but we are filled with filthy corruption and sinne there is no whole part in us from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot all are corrupted sinfull and abominable we have walked in the vanity of our owne desires and evill concupiscence wee have not hearkened to thy will and commandements but have gone astray after our owne wayes and sinfull lusts we confesse O Lord that we have broken all thy commandements and have offended thee continually both in thought word and deed Our desires and thoughts have beene more bent to the world then to heaven heavenly things O God! we cannot but admire thy patience and long suffering for it had been just with thee to have cut us off long agoe and that wee should have perished in that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone for ever What shall wee render to thee O Lord for thy unspeakable mercies Wee will take the cup of salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord. O Lord we beseech thee to make our wayes so direct for the time to come that we may keep thy commandements bridle our wills tame our unruly affections and suffer them not to stray so farre from thee Fasten and imprint thy Laws in our hearts that we may feare thee love thee and obey thee in all things and that our study may be to serve thee as thou hast appointed take away our stony hearts and give us hearts of flesh Lord give us faith hope and charity for without these graces we shall never see thy face Purge away all evill from us and give us to serve thee in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life Give us peace in our time O Lord but especially the peace of conscience O Lord unite the hearts of King and People together that righteousnes and peace may kisse each other and we beseech thee O God out of thy bowels of compassion to suffer no more bloud to bee shed in our land and that wee may heare the voice of joy and gladnesse in our dwellings Grant this O Lord and all other things needefull for us even for thy deare Sons sake JESUS CHRIST our Lord and blessed Saviour Amen MEDITAT VIII Meditations of Gods great love and mercy to his servant O God how am I bound to thee for thy unspeakable mercies towards mee wretched sinner how can I forget thy exceeding love to me that hast given mee my limbs my eye sight and my senses when many others want all these who deserve as well as I. Doe I not see as I passe in the street one poore man want armes another legges one wanting eye sight another being dumbe some bowed together others distracted wanting all maner of sense some their bodies festred and ready to perish for want of succour Thou O God couldst have done the like to me sure I am I deserved no lesse punishment then they Lord let me live no longer then I shall praise thee for giving me al things these poore soules want and stand in need of O let me extoll thy name for ever and let mee not forget to shew forth thy praise let me be telling of thy kindnesse to them that feare thee and let my soule rejoyce in thee that hast done such great things for me For what am I O Lord that thou shouldest esteeme me more then they perhaps I have deserved greater punishments and yet thou sparest me and afflictest them sure I am my sinnes have deserved as great punishments as thou hast layd upon them Lord I feare that thou hast greater punishments in store for me unlesse I repent and become a new creature Lord give mee grace that I may timely repent lest thou afflict my body heere in this valley of teares and utterly confound my soule in Hell for ever Make me O Lord to watch over my wayes and to walke in that way thou hast appointed let me meditate upon thy Lawes and commandements o let me not goe wrong for feare of thy Judgements let me love thee feare thee and obey thee in all things so shall I be happy and enjoy that happinesse which thou hast prepared for all those that love thee MEDITAT IX Meditations of the judgements and afflictions that attend people in this world for sin WHen I consider with my selfe the wants accidents and afflictions which attend people in this world it amazes me when I see great men with their stately Palaces flowing and abounding in great riches and possessions both for profit and pleasure and on a sudden they fall and come to nothing nay many times are they constrayned to bee beholding to inferiour men for releefe Surely these sudden chastisements come from thee O God surely thou didst it to bring them home to thee thou afflictest the body to save the soule I have seene many of all sorts live in great prosperity dreaming that time would last ever and yet have I seene them come to want being in a most miserable condition I my selfe have had a share of these sufferings but not according to my deservings for Lord if thou shouldst mark what were done amisse who were able to abide it Therefore I acknowledge O Lord thou hast been very favourable unto me for in judgement thou hast remembred mercy therefore will I prayse thy Name and render thee thanks even for ever and ever O LORD what need I care how or what my body suffereth so thou save my soule these meats drinkes clothing riches and