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	verse_n	7,165	5	9.1513	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95851	Mercies memorial: or, Israel's thankful remembrance of God in their high estate, for his mercifull remembring of them in their low estate. In a sermon before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, the Right Worshipful the Aldermen, and the Companies of the city London, on the 5th. of November, 1656. / By Ralph Venning.	Venning, Ralph, 1621?-1674.	1656 (1656)	Wing V204; Thomason E899_1; ESTC R5095	21,499	40

as the 38 Psalm is A Psalm to call to remembrance only with this difference that that Psalm calls misery and this Psalm calls mercy to remembrance which is so much the sweeter to be remembred It was penned on an occasion and to an end like this for which we are met this day to make a thankfull acknowledgment and a pious commemoration of the mercies of God to the States of the Common-wealth the Vessell in which all our Interests were imbarqued Let us then give thanks to the Lord who remembred us in our low estate for his mercy endureth for ever In the words which may have for Title Mercies Memoriall you have these three generall parts First Here is their remembring and an ackcowledgment of Gods remembring them who remembred us in our low estate Wherein you may observe 1. The Mercy it self in this word remembred 2. The Author of this mercy in this word who who is this who the Lord in the first Verse the God of Gods in the second Verse the Lord of Lords in the third Verse who remembred us 3. You have the Objects of this Act or the Receivers of this mercy in this word us who remembred us 4. You have the Season of this mercy or the time when this God thus remembred this People and that was in their low estate who remembred us in our low estate Secondly You have an account here of the true Reason and Originall of this Mercy and that is in these words for his mercy endureth for ever There is no reason to be given for Grace but Grace there is no reason to be given for Mercy but Mercy who remembred us for his mercy endureth for ever Thirdly You have a Duty inferred hereupon and that is that which as I told you before is to run in common to every Verse O give thanks unto the Lord who remembred us in our low estate for his mercy endureth for ever From this Analysis or Resolution of the words you have these four observable Propositions 1. That Gods Israel Gods own People a People that are nearest and dearest to him may yet be in a low estate us in our low estate 2. God remembers his People in their low estate quoties premebamur as one words it as often as ever we were low God remembred us when ever our estate was low or whatever our low estate was God remembred us in our low estate who remembred us in our low estate 3. The Reason why God remembers his People in their low estate is because his mercy endureth for ever he remembred us in our low estate for his mercy endureth for ever 4. Gods remembring his People in their low estate lays an obligation upon them to give thanks to the Lord O give thanks unto the Lord who remembred us in our low estate for his mercy endureth for ever The two first of these will take up the Doctrinall Discourse the third of these will be the Demonstration of the Discourse and the last the Application of the whole Then we shall say O give thanks unto the Lord when we have proved that he remembreth us in our low estate and that because his mercy endureth for ever This then is the Method which I shall observe First I shall open and explain the terms that we may understand this Truth Secondly Prove the truth of the Proposition that we may believe it And Thirdly Apply it that we may improve it which is the mercy of all our mercies For the explanation of the Contents here I shall propound only two Questions 1. When may a People be said to be in a low estate 2. What it is for God to remember his People in their low estate First When may a People be said to be in a low estate Some reade it when we were dejected and cast down as if he had said when we were faithless through fear when we were so overwhelmed that we knew not what to do when we were hopeless and least of all lookt for help then God remembred us and the things we feared came not upon us God being mercifull to us above all that we could ask or think But I did not nor shall handle it in this sense only let me say that Gods People are sometimes in this low estate low in faith low in hope and yet God remembers them so great is his goodness and our thankfulness should be the more But a People may be said to be in a low estate either 1. Actually or 2. Potentially First Actually and that more generally when they are in affliction and misery when they taste the wormwood and the gall as Jeremiah pathetically expresses it in his Lamentations when they are in want when they are low in estate or when as 't is said in Psal 107.39 they are diminished and from an high degree from a wealthy estate they are brought low through oppression affliction and sorrow when a People are under all or either of these oppression affliction or sorrow they may be said to be in a low estate But more especially they are said to be low with reference to the Text when they are in the Enemies hand that is when they are in the Enemies power as we may gather from the following Verse who hath redeemed us from our enemies And you shall finde that this is reckoned to be their low estate in 2 Chron. 28.18.19 The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low countrey and of the south of Judah and had taken Bethshemesh and Ajalon and Gederoth and Shocho with the villages thereof and Timnah with the villages thereof Gimzo also with the villages thereof and they dwelt there for the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz King of Israel The Lord brought Judah low and this was the lowness of their condition that they were in the Enemies hands their Enemies had dominion over them and took possession of their Possessions Thus you have it also in Psal 79.7 8. For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his dwelling places O remember not against us former iniquities let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us for we are brought very low This was the lowness of their condition that their Enemies had devoured Jacob and laid waste his dwelling places But this was not our case through mercy this was not our low estate Yet again therefore Secondly A People are said to be low potentially when they are in the way to be low when they are designed and destinated to a low condition by the craft and cunning malice of wicked men who wo unto them dig deep to hide their counsell from the Lord and whose works are in the dark saying who sees us and who knows us who sit in the lurking places secretly to murder the innocent whose eyes are privily set against the poor who lie in wait secretly as a Lion in his den to catch the poor as if there were no help in their God and he were not able to deliver them out

MERCIES MEMORIAL OR Israel's thankful Remembrance of God in their high estate for his mercifull remembring of them in their low estate In a Sermon before the Right Honourable the LORD MAYOR the Right Worshipful the ALDERMEN and the COMPANIES of the City LONDON on the 5th of November 1656. BY RALPH VENNING Psal 107.8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodnesse and for his wonderful works to the children of men LONDON Printed for John Rothwell at the Fountain in Goldsmiths-row in Cheapside 1657. TICHBORN Mayor Tuesday the 11th of November 1656. IT is ordered that Mr. Venning be desired from this Court to Print his late Sermon at Pauls Sadler To the Right Honourable Sir ROBERT TICHBORN LORD MAYOR And the Right Worshipful The ALDERMEN of the City of LONDON Honourable and Honoured WHen I had received your Order for the Printing of this Sermon I procured the best Copy I could by which and the best memory I had of what I delivered I have endeavoured to present it to your view not without a little addition to some heads which then I could not enlarge The rest of this addresse My Lord and Gentlemen is not to complement and flatter you but earnestly yet humbly to beseech you that you would as Mordecai said to Hester seriously and studiously consider wherefore God hath brought you to this high estate hear the place and as the Prophet said of the rod him that hath appointed it Be pleased to Know and account that the doing your duty in your Place is the greatest honour of your place whereas else it will be said that your Places honoured you but you honoured not your Places Indeed 't is the fashion of this World to seek great things for themselves 't is their devotion to sacrifice to their own nets 't is their ambition to Lord it they are passionately enamoured with the Delights and Delicacies of this life which the heavenly St. John calls the lust of the eye the lust of the flesh and the pride of life 'T is all but lust and the lust of the World which World and which lust saith he passeth away and which the Wise Solomon on sad and dear bought experience calls vanity of vanities and vexation of spirit yet after all these things do the Gentiles seek But saith our blessed Lord and Saviour it shall not be so with you you are not your own and therefore shall not seek your own but are Christ's and therefore seek the things of Christ and endeavour to doe great things for God Oh be not led away with the error and example of this World's admirers to be fond of a poor and miserable because but temporary and perishing greatness 'T is a meer Pageant which is but a shew and a shew that passeth away as you know 'T was David's praise and 't will be yours if you tread in his steps that he served not onely his generation but the will of God in his generation or his generation according to the will of God Consider then what is the good and perfect and acceptable will of God that you may be in readinesse to every good word and work walking worthy of God to all well-pleasing Indeed to speak as the thing is you have none to please none to serve but God you may not be the servants of Men and you must not be the servants of Sin onely sanctifie the Lord in your hearts love him serve him let him be your fear and your dread Fear to displease the God you love and love to please the God you fear lest you be found which God forbid among them that had a name to live but were dead that had been professors of Christ but practitioners for selfe and for the World If the World frown and accuse you for non-conformity let it be to you a small thing as it was to the good as well as great Apostle to be judged by mans day seeing your judgement is with the Lord and give me leave to tell you let the World look as big and as sowre as it can you may safely and honourably avow it that the best way to please all or displease any with least danger is to please him who is all in all Remember with all that you must one day give an account of your Stewardship to the great God of Heaven and Earth who will not judge according to appearance but he searching hearts will judge righteous judgement and give to every man according to his works Now I wish with my soul that you may doe so well in this your day as that in that great and terrible day of the Lord you may hear the joyful sound of Well done good and faithful servants enter ye into your masters joy I shall add no more but my desire to God for a blessing on this Sermon that as your ears by what you heard so your eyes by what you see may affect your heart to live for that is to give thanks to God in your high estate who remembred us in our low estate So prayes Right Honourable And Right Worshipful Your humble Servant in the service of Christ Jesus RALPH VENNING Decemb. 1656. MERCIES MEMORIAL OR Israels thankfull remembrance of God in their high estate for his mercifull remembring of them in their low estate From PSAL. 136.23 Who remembred us in our low estate for his mercy endureth for ever FOr the compleating of the sense you are to reade it thus O give thanks unto the Lord who remembred us in our low estate for his mercy endureth for ever I presume it cannot I am sure it ought not to be said of us this day as it was said of them in Acts 19. ver 32. Some therefore cried one thing and some another for the assembly was confused and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together Who is such a stranger in this our English Israel as not to have heard of the Gunpowder Treason is there either Popish enemy or Protestant friend that knows not what a just Right and lawfull Title the fifth of November hath to this Observation and Solemnity If David would not have his soul forget all that is not any of all the benefits of God much less such as have a remark upon them for being signall and transcendent If Personall mercies deserve their memoriall surely Nationall mercies deserve a memorable celebration Of this then I may say as in the twelfth of Exod. ver 42. only turning night into day and Israel into England It is a day much to be observed unto the Lord for bringing them out of the Land of Egypt this is that day of the Lord to be observed of all the children of England in their generations But not to Preface away any more of your time in a case so cleer as this is not only known by us but acknowledged by our enemies we need not ask Is there any cause for they themselves have confest the cause This Psalm may be intitled

that enough Oh no But to doe good and to communicate forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased as much as to say the fruit of the lips without the fruit of the hand and of the life it is nothing Pray remember it this day and for ever herein saith Christ is my father glorified when you bring forth much fruit a little fruit serves not to give glory to God herein is my father glorified when you bring forth much fruit a little is as none my father is glorified when you bring forth much And so Phil. 1.11 Be ye filled with the fruits of righteousnesse which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God observe it not onely righteousness and fruit of righteousness but fruits of righteousness and filled with them too so that you see it is not a little that will doe it Pray remember this that your good works may so shine before men that you that doe them may glorifie God also by your lips he hath but single but by your works he hath double glory for you that doe them glorifie God and they that see them done will glorifie God O therefor give a glorious example But let me add a few things more I beseech you that your obedience may be qualified towards God as your mercy hath been qualified from God towards you how that is I will tell you presently onely this of the present mercy It was a preventing mercy to be prevented with the blessing of good is the greatest kind of mercy deliverance from evil is good but to be delivered so as not to be in evil is much more good Who will not reckon it a greater mercy alwaies to be in health then to be delivered from sickness though both are mercies in this mercy we know not a mysterie in others we have this is not like peace the joyful daughter of a sorrowful mother this is not like health after a Pestilence but this prevents all these so much the greater mercy it took away no good from us it brought no evil upon us and how great was this mercy If this mercy had not been for ought that I know many of us had not had a being or else which is worse a being not worth the having But now to the qualifications of your obedience The first qualification of your mercy was this it was free mercy it came not upon constraint it was not forc't nor wrested out of the hands of God freely you have received freely give God loves to give cheerfully and the same God loves a cheerful giver Secondly Your mercy was according to your own heart every way grateful and acceptable to you let your obedience be so to God be like David men after Gods own heart Thirdly It was seasonable mercy it was in our low estate it was when you knew not what to doe for you knew not the danger you were in So let your obedience be seasonable then 't is beautiful Fourthly It was a signal mercy digitus Dethic the finger of God was here the enemy being judge signal mercies call for signal obedience therefore be you sure to doe some singular and signal things for God to return to the Lord according to the benefits received Oh say What What answerable thing shall I return the Lord for all his benefits But again Fifthly It is a continued mercy we enjoy our mercies from that mercy to this day it is not one mercy and not more but a chain of mercy not the mercy of a day or a year but the mercy of Ages well then let us be continual in obedience let us be Christians not for a day or for a fit but Christians throughout every day in the year not onely Christians here at Church but at home in the Closet and in the shop And then again Lastly Sixthly We have superadded to this multitudes of other mercies heap upon heap he loadeth us with his benefits every day yea many a time many a time we may now say hath he saved us he is the God of all our Salvations and his mercy endureth for ever Let us then multiply obedience and be alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord Shall mercies encrease and obedience decrease God forbid Take a few provoking considerations and I have done I might draw considerations from the Author of the mercy God a God that was offended by us a God that needed us not and a God that gaines nothing by us and yet this God remembred us in our low estate that should engage us I might also draw obligations from the Objects and that is us that were not only an undeserving but an ill-deserving and are not a suteable returning People I might draw Arguments from the mercy that God remembred us in all the senses spoken of before and I might draw arguments from the season in our low estate and from the excellency of the duty of thanksgiving 't is a comely thing it makes us like the Angels whose whole employment and liturgy is to give and live praise to God And from this also I might enlarge the discoveries of the obligation that his mercy endureth for ever But onely take these four Arguments 1. It is dangerous sinning after mercy received and the greater the mercy the more danger in the sinning the greater the mercy hath been the greater the danger of sinning will be God was angry with Solomon that he turned his heart from the Lord God of Israel I but what was it that heightned this why it was this that God had appeared to him twice So saith Ezra shall we again sin after such a mercy as this such a deliverance as this What could we then expect but that God should be angry with us till he had consumed us and there should be no remnant nor escaping Ezra 9.14 O sin no more least a worse thing come unto us God knows how to fetch all his pennyworths out of us he hath Plagues yet seven times more in store if he give them vent Woe to us See Judges 10.11 14. And the Lord said unto the Children of Israel did not I deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites from the Children of Ammon and from the Philistins yet ye have forsaken me and served other Gods Wherefore I will deliver you no more go and cry unto the gods which you have chosen let them save you in the time of your tribulation O this this is a sad case I will deliver you no more If we forsake God and forget God after such remarkable Salvation let me tell you that we incur this that God should say I will deliver you no more 2. Our Mercies unless we make this answerable return to God our mercies are not compleat our mercies are long a compleating a mercy is never compleat to us till we have returned the glory of it to God mercies are not perfect mercies till praises are perfect praises See that in the 40 Psalm and the beginning

which of the Saints shall we turn who can say of all the Sons of Jacob that God hath forgotten them did not God remember Joseph in his low estate did not God remember Israel in their low estate and did not God remember David in his low estate Nay to speak of all at once did not God remember Christ in his low estate and this day speaks for us that God hath remembred us in our low estate And indeed my beloved we may take up that Song and sing it in the 124 Psalm If it had not been the Lord who was on our side now may England say If it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us then they had swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us then the waters had overwhelmed us the stream had gone over our Soul then the proud waters had gone over our soul Blessed be the Lord who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers the snare is broken and we are escaped our help is in the Name of the Lord who made heaven and earth This may we say thus may we sing Is it not so is there a contradiction to be made against this truth Nay my beloved the case was this that if God had not been on our side we had been swallowed up quick and our not being so shews God on our side that God remembred us in our low estate I shall therefore proceed to the third thing which is the reason why God remembreth his people in their low estate that is as in the Text for his mercy endures for ever he harps only on this string he reckons up a long Catalogue of many mercies and the reason of all these is mercy only mercy the reason of one is the reason of all as I told you before there is no reason for mercy but mercy no reason for grace but grace who is gracious why because he will and to whom he will be gracious so that you see that mercy in God is all the reason of mercy from God to man in his low estate it is not mans merit but Gods mercy it is not mans due but Gods gift it is not mans demand nor was it in this case mans desire but Gods grant who many times answers before they call and when they are yet speaking he is hearing it was not mans measure but Gods allowance it was not after the manner of men who use to go over where the stile is low this was not because man could make God a requitall but because God would act like himself it was not Gods profit but mans necessity it was not that God needed man but man needed God therefore grace still is as free after it is received as it was before it was given it was not deserved and cannot be requited God therefore gave as looking for nothing again that is nothing that can requite it and you shall have for this a double witness God speaks it and Saints speak it that God shews not mercy to man because man pleaseth him but because mercy pleaseth him indeed one end that God hath in shewing mercy is that man should please him but that is not the main motive for in truth to put mans will before Gods is such an hysteron proteron that if I may use so homely an expression in so solemn a case I say it is to put the cart before the horse You shall finde God speaking Ezek. 36.21 22 23. But I had pity for my holy Name which the house of Israel had profaned among the Heathen whither they went Therefore say unto the House of Israel Thus saith the Lord God I do not this for your sakes O house of Israel but for mine holy names sake which ye have profaned among the Heathen whither ye went And I will sanctifie my great Name which was profaned among the Heathen which ye have profaned in the midst of them and the Heathen shall know that I am the Lord saith the Lord God when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes It is a fulsom Doctrine to flesh and blood to think it must be beholding for all to grace shame and confusion belongs to man mercy belongs to God man makes work for shame and for sorrow God works mercy as never obliged to it but for his holy Names sake and Jeremiah in his Lamentations makes this acknowledgement and so confirms the witness of God in Lam. 3.21 22. This I recall to my minde therefore have I hope it is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not If it be of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed and brought to utter desolation surely then that we are remembred and delivered is for no other reason but because his compassions fail not but his mercy endureth for ever Thus I have given you the Doctrinall part with what brevity I could I come now to the Application First then it will afford us an information Secondly Some exhortations The Information is this Doth God remember his people in their low estate O happy how happy are they then that are the People of this God! that have the Lord for their God it is not every man in generall that is thus remembred no God hath his peculiars for whom he hath his peculiar favours indeed his mercy is over all his works he is good and doth good to all but there is a specialty to the houshold of faith and God that doth command us to do good to all but especially to the houshold of faith he doth but command us that which he patterns us therefore David makes his Prayer in Psal 106.4 5. Remember me O Lord with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people O visit me with thy salvation that I may see the good of thy chosen that I may rejoyce in the gladness of thy Nation that I may glory with thine inheritance O Lord favour me with the favours c. The good of Gods chosen is a choice good and so he goes on O remember me with the favours wherewith thou remembrest thy people It is an expression in Psal 146.5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the Lord his God Why the God of Jacob because God though he be every bodies God and God of the whole Earth yet he is Jacobs God in a more peculiar manner he is the God of all the World by the opening of his hands and filling them with such blessings and he is Jacobs God by opening his heart and filling him with those blessings and so far as heart is above hand so far are heartmercies above hand-mercies and so far are Gods people more happy then other people David hath a saying in Psal 144. ver ult Happy are the people that are in such a case yea happy is that people whose God