Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	endure_v	lord_n	psalm_n	3,889	5	9.1870	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53956	The good old way, or, A discourse offer'd to all true-hearted Protestants concerning the ancient way of the Church and the conformity of the Church of England thereunto, as to its government, manner of worship, rites, and customs / by Edward Pelling.	Pelling, Edward, d. 1718.	1680 (1680)	Wing P1082; ESTC R24452	117,268	146

more consonant to the Ancient Spirit and Genius of Christianity or more agreeable to the Practice of all Churches in all Ages then to pray sometimes in short Collects and sometime in shorter versicles for Grace for Peace for the Divine protection for Plenty for seasonable weather for wholesome air for deliverance from Plagues and Enemies for the King for the Clergy and their respective Flocks for Magistrates for the whole Church and indeed for all men And of this nature and strain are those ordinary and occasional prayers with which our daily Service is wont to end Great exceptions have been taken by some at our Litany and yet it is as charitable and as Christian a piece of Devotion The Litany as ever could be framed by humane Pen if people will but bring with them hearts that are as good as the matter before them is excellent Here is Fire and Wood enough if the Lamb be not wanting for the Sacrifice Our Litany consisteth of two main parts The one is offered up by the Minister going before in supplications prayers and intercessions exactly according to S. Paul's Rule 1 Tim. 2. The other part is offered up by the people following after in their joynt suffrages and with such earnest and importunate cryes as pierce the highest Heaven Now this way of expressing our Devotions by turns the Minister in his turn and the Congregation in theirs is not only an admirable way to kindle and enflame each others zeal but moreover 't is a way and method suitable to the way and method of Gods Spirit and used many hundreds of years or Ages before the date of Christianity 1. For the Ministers going before the people both by his example and by calling upon them to joyn with him We find it was the continual practice of David not onely to make Addresses himself unto God but also to invite and call upon others to do so likewise O come let us sing unto the Lord let us magnifie his name together praise the Lord ye house of Israel praise the Lord ye house of Aaron praise the Lord ye house of Levi ye that fear the Lord praise the Lord and in Psal 107. O give thanks unto the Lord O that men would praise the Lord which form is repeated again no less than three times in the same Psalm as an admonition to keep up the Devotion of People And are not those Ancient Litany-forms used by the Deacons Let us pray let us beseech the Lord let us pray earnestly are they not exactly answerable to these Forms of Allocution used by this inspired and holy man If the Spirit thought fit to have such Forms used in praising God it is not unsuitable to the usual strain of that Spirit to use the like Forms in praying unto God too 2. As touching the peoples following the Minister by their suffrages it is a method no more unbecoming Gods Spirit then the other and nothing has been more customary than for the people to have their turns and to bear a part in Gods Worship After that remarkable victory over Pharoah and his forces the whole body of the Jews stood upon the shore of the Red Sea to bless God for their deliverance and we find Exod. 15. that Moses the Prophet and the men of Israel divided themselves into one body and Miriam the Prophetess with the women of Israel divided themselves into another body and as Moses and the men Sang his Triumphant Hymn so Miriam and the women answered them saying Sing ye to the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously the Horse and his Rider hath he thrown into the Sea This Form of Praise they repeated in all probability after every verse of Moses Song for we read of nothing else that they answered but only Sing ye to the Lord c. And if they had a Form of praise which they repeated after every verse as the ground and foot and burden of the Hymn is it unsuitable if we have a Form of prayer for the people to repeat after every Petition as the ground foot and burden of the Litany If they were directed by the Spirit of God when Moses went before them in a Song to answer Sing ye unto the Lord when they were delivered then it is also agreeable to the style of the same Spirit when the Minister goeth before us in our prayer for us to answer Good Lord deliver us Further it is to be considered that the 136th Psalm seemeth to have been composed by the Prophet on purpose that the end of each Verse might be repeated throughout by the whole Congregation O Give thanks unto the Lord for he is gracious and his mercy endureth for ever for his mercy endureth for ever for his mercy endureth for ever this is the burden of the Psalm from the beginning to the close of it And we may easily collect from 2 Chron. 5. 13. that at the Dedication of Solomons Temple this Psalm was repeated thus by turns one of the Priests saying before the former part of each Verse and then all the Singers following after with one voice and saying all along for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever And since they were directed by Gods Spirit to subjoyn throughout their prayers for his mercy for his mercy for his mercy endureth for ever it cannot be thought unbecoming Gods Spirit if we are directed to subjoyn in our Prayers Lord have mercy Lord have mercy Lord have mercy upon us And so I hope the Form and Contexture of our Litany will seem to every indifferent person to be free from all charge of vanity and superstition 2. It is free also from all just charge of Vncouthness and Innovation Many indeed judge of things by Modern usage and practice and because they have been accustomed to long continued effusions they look upon our Litany as an odd and a new device for which we were beholding to the Roman Missal But 't is clear to every knowing man that it was a very Ancient and a very usual way among Christians to pray Litany-wise It was so Ancient a way that for ought any man knows to the contrary it was used in the most early times of Christianity For in the oldest Rituals which are in being there are many such Forms of Prayer and some Ancient Service-books do consist of such for the most part 'T is true indeed they were not called Litanies at the first but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Diaconick Prayers because they were wont to be Ministered by the Deacon and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pacifick Prayers because the purport and scope of them was for peace in the World and among all mankind 'T is true also that in after times above 300 years after Christ these Forms of Prayer came to be used at solemn and publick processions when times were calamitous and full of peril and the destroying Angel was abroad and then several additional Prayers were inserted proper and suitable to the occasion the