Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	eye_n	lord_n	wait_v	2,901	5	9.3473	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02180	A most sweete and assured comfort for all those that are afflicted in consciscience [sic], or troubled in minde. Written by that godly & zealous preacher, M. Richard Greenham. With two comfortable letters to his especiall friends that way greeued.	Greenham, Richard.	1595 (1595)	STC 12321; ESTC S117895	37,612	192

great housholder if he complaine of vncleannesse whether he be not a yong-man vnmaried if he be humbled with couetousnesse whether he be not old because diuers countries callings ages conditions and estates of men haue their diuers and peculiar sinnes which wee must rightly discerne Howbeit of what sex soeuer they are mā or woman of what complexion soeuer they are of what knowledge to discerne sin in what degree of committing sinne of what age authority wealth estate or condition so euer they are it is good to marke that there bee many who are more troubled for vexation and disquietnes of the mind being distempered than for the vilenes and horriblenes of their sin committed who are wounded more with the feare of shame with the feare of beeing madd or with the feare of running out of their wittes than with the conscience of sinne Which thing if we finde in them it is our parts to trauell with thē that they make a lesse matter of the outward shame and more Conscience of the inward sins Neither must wee here forget to distinguish between our speech vsed to the humbled in the time of theyr extreame agonie and those words wee vse the fit beeing past because the first requyreth more comfort the latter more admonishment for thē wee maye wisely admonish them to beware of sin which procured their woe In thys threatening time it is also expedient to exhort them that vntill they shuld find greater power in regeneration they would ty themselues to some holy orders godly vowes whereby they may either be furthred in mortifying some speciall sinne which for that they could finde no power against it did most grieue thē or strengthened in some speciall grace the want whereof did also wound them But before we launch deeper into this sea of perticular tentations and begyn to sounde the daungerous passages of natural corruptions and originall sinne the troublesome froath whereof doth almost ouerwhelme manie poore pilgrimes it shall be good to giue this caution that both in this and in the former troubles men would bee still againe admonished patiently to bear with a wounded spirit howbeit it fall out so that they be somwhat pettish seeing the holye Ghost speaketh so fauorably of them saying A wounded Spirit who can bear And surely our practise in other things by the lawe of equitie maye vrge thys at our hands For if men by the light of reason can see it to bee a duetie conuenient not furiously to control but meekely to suffer and wisely to put vp the vnaduised speeches of a man distempered in braine by reason of some burning ague or such like violent and vehement sickenes we may easily gather by the same rule of reason not so seuerely to censure the impatient speeches of him who by reason of some parching Feuer of the spirite is disquieted in all partes of his minde and hath all the veynes of his heart as it were in a spirituall agony vexed Wherefore both vnsauorie for want of Godly wisedome and vncharitable for want of Christian loue are their murmuring obtrectations which say What Is this the Godly man Is this hee that is so troubled for his sinnes Why see how pettish he is nothing can please him no body can satisfie him Consider O man if thou canst beare with a fraile body that thou must much more beare with a fraile minde Consider that this his pettishnes dooth more wound him at the heart than any iniury thou couldst presse him with And therefore seeing he afflicteth his owne soule for it thou needest not adde any thing to his affliction and to exasperate his most grieuous smart Consider that it is a blessed thing mercifully to bethinke vs of the poore and needy that to rub a fresh wound and to streine a bleeding sore is nothing els but with Iobs friendes to bring a newe torment where ther is no need of it If the wise father doth rather pitie than rebuke his childe when by reason of sicknes the appetite is not easely pleased so if we purpose to doo anie good with an afflicted minde wee must not bee austere in reprehending euerie infirmitie but pitifull in considering of each tender frailtie Neither doo I speake this to nourish pettishnesse but would haue them to labour for patience and to seeke for peace which though they finde not at the first yet by praier they must wayt on the Lord and say Lord because there is mercie that thou maist bee feared I will wait vppon thee as the eye of the seruant wayteth vppon the hand of his Master I will condemne my selfe of follie and saie Oh my soule vvhie art thou so heauie Whie art thou cast dovvn vvithin mee Still trust in the Lorde for he is thy health and thy saluation FINIS A Letter from M. Robert Greeneham to a frend of his against hardnesse of heart I Beseech God the father of Iesus Christ giue mee his holy spirite in writing to giue aduice and you in reading to receiue it Amen Since the time I receiued M. S. his letter wherein hee declared his carefull compassion ouer your estate I haue beene not a little grieued because of my manifolde distractions with the like occurrances and other waighty affayres I haue beene hindred hitherto from wrighting vnto you and albeit euen still I am euen in the same case yet conscience towardes God compassion loue towards you forceth me to ouercom lets which hardly I could otherwise preuaile against and albeit I cannot write as I woulde yet of that which I shall write proceeding from the forenamed groundes I looke for some blessing from God through Iesus Christ if you will not too much faint in faith and yeelde to the aduersary yea if you will but hope so well of your selfe as in the feare of God I doo write it I hope of you First whereas it seemeth you are sometimes grieued because you tarried not still at Cambridge according to mine aduise you must knowe I aduised it not as a thing necessary but more conuenient as I then supposed but that I aduised you to obaye your father if his pleasure still continued to haue you home whereunto you yeelding I canot see how you offended it beeing your Fathers pleasure you should so doo and who knoweth whether beeing here you might not haue bin as much troubled there beeing no priuiledge for persons and places In such cases who knoweth whether it be the Lordes pleasure for the ensample and instruction I hope the consolation of others in the ende And albeit you will nowe thinke that heere you were nearer the the more stronger means yet knowe you and bee perswaded that God can doth in such cases worke by fewer and weaker according to his good pleasure Besides it is in our corrupt nature to make much of such meanes as wee cannot haue and not so to esteeme those which God dooth offer vs as wee should I beseech you therefore in the name of

Knowe also God can cause wolues lions leopards to dwell louingly with lambes calues and kids and that that is vnpossible to men is possible with god euen to cause a cable to go throgh a needles eie that is to change the hard hart of the vnbeleuing couetous man much more yours yea knowe that all things are possible to him which beleeueth Cry then I beleeue O Lord help my vnbeliefe I dare promise ye in the name of Iesus Christ that you shall haue your heartes desire in goodnes Thus abruptly I must end commending you to God and the word of his grace which is able to builde you vp giue you the right of inheritaunce among them that are sanctified The verie God of peace sanctifie you throughout that your whole spirit and soul and body may bee kept blamelesse vntill the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ. Faithfull is hee which hath called you which will do it Amen I pray you pray for me I trust as I haue so I shal pray for you and much more Yours in Christ Iesus to vse in anie need R. G. AN OTHER COMfortable Letter by Master R. G. BRother beloued in the Lorde and Sauior IESVS CHRIST seing you haue had hertofore not onely knowledge but also experience of Gods gratious and mercifull goodnes in Iesus Christ your owne vnbeliefe and Satans subtlenes I coulde meruaile why you should giue such place and not keepe your grounde no surer if I were not much acquainted with such occurrences I know not therfore whether with wordes of rebuke or comfort I shoulde seeke to releeue you Because I cannot come vnto you my counsell and desire is that you woulde come vp to London the next Tearme at the farthest that so I might aske of God to frame my speeche according to your good In the meane season I bessech you call vnto mind that which you cannot be ignorant of that in the lawe sacrifices were offered for Gods people not onely at their first entrance into couenant with the Lorde but also afterwards many times and that not onely by ignorance but also by error that is forgetfulnes frailenes retchlesnes carelesnes c. It is manifest that the sinne of errour is there opposed against the sinne committed with an hie hande that is to blaspheme with contempt of GOD and making his Law of none effecte but to bee in vaine Which sinne I am sure you are most farre off from I would you were as farre off from vnbeliefe and distrust that Gods children may fall into diuers foule faultes as it may appear by many proofs First in the Lawe when the Lord speaketh in his Maiestie and proclaimeth his glorie yet in howe many wordes commendeth he his mercie and for howe many seuerall sorts of sinnes in Exodus the twenty foure Chapter sixe and seauen verses Doth not Esay the holy Prophet call the people of his daies the people of Gomorrha and and their Princes the Princes of Sodome Doth not he accuse them as grieuous transgressors both of the first and seconde Table Esay the first Chapter ten and eleuen verses c. And yet dooth afterwardes promise them in the eighteenth verse that though their sinnes were as crimson they shalbe as white as snow though they were redde like scarlet they shall be as wool Dooth hee not charge them that they were sunke deepe in rebellion and yet exhorteth them to returne vnto the Lord Esay the thirty one Chapter and sixth verse Yea doth he not charge them not onely with rebellion but a●so with vexing the holy spirit of of God Esay sixty three and tenth verse And reade what is written Esay nine eleuen Pray as there you may learn Esay tenth Cha. fiue sixe c. What dooth not the holy Prophet Ieremy in the thirty one Chapter and the eighteenth nineteenth and twenty verses shew that Ephraim was an vntamed Calfe c. yet so soone as hee mourned and was ashamed of himself doth not the Lord shew that his bowels of mercie were troubled for his estate Doth not the Lord offer mercy vnto the prophane and forgetfull transgressours of his holy couenant Psalme fiftith from the fifth verse to the two and twentith Is not this part of the couenant made with all the sonnes of Dauid in Iesus Christ that if they not onely omit many good thinge● also committe rebellions and iniquities that though hee may visit them yet it shall be with the rodde of his children and that his mercie hee will not take from them nor breake of his couenant made with them in Iesus Christ. Therefore remember that the holy promises threatnings and examples are written that we should not sinne but if any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust and he is the reconcilliation of our sinnes and not for our sinnes onely but for the sinnes of the whole world Doth not the blessed Apostle Paule charge the Corinthians whō he affirmeth in the first Chapter to bee rich in Christ and destitute of no spirituall gift to be more carnall than spirituall yet babes in Christ yea to bee falne into idolatry cōmitting of euill thinges fornication tempting not onely of God but of Christ yea murmuring against them yet doth hee not herein comfort them that no temptation hath taken hold on them but such as appertaineth to man and that God will bee mercifull vnto Dauid prayeth against presumptuous sinnes that they should not raigne ouer him Psalme ninetenth Chapter thirteenth verse Signifiyng though he sinned presumptuously yet if hee did not perseuer in presumption obstinately without desire to repent that such sinne or sinnes were pardonable Nowe the Lordes couenant towards his in Iesus Christ is not to deale after their sinnes not to rewarde them after their iniquities much lesse will hee not regard in wrathfull displeasure their infirmities But if he should so marke what is saide or done amisse who were able to abide it But with him is mercie in Iesus Christ that hee may be feared therefore lift vp your handes which hange downe strengthen your weakknees and say vnto your soule why art thou so cast downe and so vnquiet within mee I will yet trust in Iesus Christ and wait vpon the mercifull graces of God purchased by his mercies Consider that true humillitie ariseth of faith in Iesus Christ and that is true faith that ingendreth humillitie as wee may not diminish our sinnes so may wee not too much aggrauate them nor diminish Christs merits haue euermore in your minde the examples of the prodigall son who saith not I am not thy sonne but I am no more worthy to be called thy sonne he saith not let me bee thy bondslaue nay hee saith not let me be thy hyred seruant but as one of thy hyred seruants his father came and met him fell on his neck c. So shall it come to you good brother I neede make no more aplication the holy annointing which you haue receiued will bring the olde mercies of God vpon others and vppon your selfe vnto remembrance and lead you into all truth which shall bee requisite for your saluation Put your trust in the Lord you shall prosper The Lord Iesus came not to breake the brused reede nor to quench the smoaking flaxe his grace shall bee euer more sufficient for you and his vertue shall vnto the end manifest it selfe in your weakenes Nowe therefore I beseeche him to preserue your body soule spirite vnto his most glorious appearing Faithfull is he that hath called you and promised you who will performe it Amen Yours in Iesus Christ as he hath beene Richard Greeneham Sweet and sure signes of Election to them specially that are brought low A cleering of iudgement by conceauing of the truth and true meaning of the Scripture making for vs or against vs. A rebuking of sinne in wardlie a pouertie of spirit fiō thence and a mourning therefore A being cast downe in our own conceipt and a meeknesse to beare our owne punishment thereby wrought An hungring after the righteousnes which is in Christ and a praising and esteeming it aboue all earthly things A musing vpon and a desire to thinke and speake onely of heauenly things A conflict of the flesh spirit and therin by praier practise the force of the spirite euer breathing out A sowing into the spirit by vse of the meanes as by the word praier c. A purpose vnfayned vppon strength receiued of vowing ones selfe wholly to the glorie of God and health of his brethren A resignation of our selues into Gods hands An expecting of the daily increase of the hope of our souls health and our bodies resurrection The forgiuing of our enemies An acknowledging of our offences with our whole heart whiles we are sicke and a verie dooing of it indeed when we be recouered A delight in Gods Saints A desire that after death the Church of God may flourish and haue all peace A spirit without guile that is an vnfained purpose alwaies to doo well how soeuer our infirmities put vs by it FINIS