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
A62644	Sixteen sermons, preached on several subjects. By the most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson late Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury. Being the third volume; published from the originals, by Ralph Barker, D.D. chaplain to his Grace	Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.; Barker, Ralph, 1648-1708.	1696 (1696)	Wing T1270; ESTC R218005	164,610	488

miscarry For Promises of this Nature are to be interpreted by us and understood as we do our Saviour's Prayer for Peter before his Fall that his faith should not fail finally but though he fell through too much Confidence in himself he should through the Grace of God assisting him be enabled to recover by Repentance Thirdly The Sincerity or Insinc●rity of Men in the Profession of the true Religion is a thing which we cannot certainly know because we do not see into Mens Hearts but he who knows the heart and trys the Spirits of Men in a Ballance cannot be deceiv'd in this Matter and where men are not sincere the Promise of God is not concerned to hinder them from discovering themselves and the Fall of such Persons is no Reflection upon the Faithfulness of God And it is reasonable enough to presum● that this may be the Case of not a few and that like Simon M●gus after they have made a very solemn Profession of Christianity their hearts may not be right in the sight of God Fourthly If we put the Case at the hardest that some that were very sincere after they have h●ld out a great while under the Extremity of Torments have at last fainted under them and yielded to the Malice and Cruelty of their Persecutors and in this Amazement and Distraction have not long after expired without any Testimony of their Repentance In this Case both Reason and Charity ought to restrain us from passing any very positive and severe Sentence upon the State of such persons For what do we know but God whose Goodness will certainly make all the Allowance to Human Frailty that Reason can require For he knows whereof we are made and remembers that we are but dust he mercifully considers every Man's Case and weighs all the Circumstances of it in an exact Ballance I say who can tell but that in such a Case as I have mentioned God may graciously be pleased to accept such a degree of constant Suffering of great Torments for so long a time for a true Martyrdom and not expect a more than Humane Patience and Resolution where he is not pleased to afford more than Humane Strength and Support and whether he may not look upon their failing and miscarriage at last in the same rank with the indeliberate actions of Men in a Frenzy and besides themselves And thus God may be said with the temptation to make a way to escape or to give a happy issue to it since they were enabled to bear it 'till being distracted by their Torments their Understandings wer● thrown off the hinges and incapable of exercising any deliberate acts of Reason And without some such equitable consideration of the Case of such Persons it will be very hard to reconcile some appearances of things with the goodness of God and the faithfulness of his Promise However it will become us to abstain from all uncharitable and peremptory censure of the final Estate of such Persons especially 'till we our selves have given greater and better testimony of our Constancy and in the mean time to leave them to the Righteous and Merciful Sentence of their Master and ours to whose Judgment we must all stand or fall I am sure it will very ill become those who by the Providence of God have escaped those Sufferings and are at present out of danger themselves to ●it in Judgment upon those who are left to endure this terrible Conflict and have perhaps held out as long or longer than they themselves would have done in the like Circumstances Let us rather earnestly beg of the God of all grace and patience that he would endue us with a greater measure of Patience and Constancy if he see fit to call us to the exercise of it and which we lawfully may after the Example of our Blessed Saviour that if it be his will he would let this Cup pass from us and not try us with the like Sufferings lest we also be weary and faint in our Minds I come now to the Third and last Enquiry which I proposed what Ground and Reason there is for good Men to expect the more Peculiar and Especial Care of God's Providence in case of such Sufferings The Providence of God extends to all his Creatures according to that of the Psalmist the Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his Works But he exerciseth a more particular Providence towards Mankind and more peculiar yet towards those who study to please him by obeying his Laws and doing his Will He that is assured of his own heart that he loves God and would do or suffer any thing for him can have no cause to doubt but that God loves him and is concerned for his Happiness No Man was ever afraid of God that was not conscious to himself that he had offended him and by the wilful breach of his Laws had put himself out of the care of his Providence But on the contrary if our hearts give us this Testimony that we have made it our sincere endeavour to please him we are naturally apt to have good assurance and confidence of his favour and good-wil● towards us This comfort the Mind of every good Man is apt to give him from his own Reason and the natural Notions which he hath of God But to free us from all doubt in this Matter God himself hath told us so and given us plentiful assurance of it in his word Psal 11. 7. The Righteous Lord loveth Righteousness his countenance doth behold the upright that is he will be favourable unto them Psal 33. 18. Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him upon them that hope in his mercy The eye of God signifies his watchful Care and Providence over good Men. So that besides the sure and well-grounded Reasonings from the Essential Perfections of the Divine Nature the mercy and goodness of God we have a more sure word of Promise in ●the express declarations of God's Word and more particularly in the case of great Temptations and Sufferings For can we think that the Scripture saith in vain Wait on the Lord and be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart M●ny are the afflictions of the Righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of all The steps of a good Man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his ways tho' he fall he shall not utterly be cast down for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand The Salvation of the Righteous is of the Lord he is their help in time of trouble The same Promises we find in the New Testament All things shall work together for good to them that love God God is faithful who hath promised that he will not suffer you to be tempted above what ye are able but will with the temptation make a way to escape And to mention no more Hold fast the Profession of your Faith without wavering he is faithful that bath Promised viz. to

the Extirpation of Heresie are more immediately concerned Of this Nature are the Doctrines of Equivocation and Mental Reservation and the Lawfulness of such Artificial ways of Lying to avoid the Danger of the Law when they are brought before Heretical Magistrates and this is the common Doctrine of the most learned Casuists of all Orders in the Church of Rome And such likewise are their Doctrines of the Law●ulness of extirpating Hereticks by the most barbarous and bloody Means and of breaking Faith with them tho' given by Emperours and Princes in the most publick and solemn manner both which are the avowed Doctrines of their General Councils and have frequently been put in Practice to the Destruction of many millions of Christians better and more righteous than them●elves But we have not so l●arned Christ who have heard him and been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus They who are rightly instructed in the Christian Religion are so far from thinking it lawful to do any thing that is evil to bring others under suffering that they do not allow it in any Case whatsoever no not for the Cause of God and Religion and to free themselves from the greatest Sufferings that can be inflicted upon them 3. Provided also that we do trust the Providence of God and do indeed commit our selves to it relying upon his Wisdom and Goodness and entirely submitting and resigning up our selves to his Will and Disposal both as to the Degree and the Duration of our Sufferings believing that he will do that for us which upon the whole matter and in the final issue and result of things will be best for us That Blessing wherewith Moses the Man of God blest the People of Israel before his Death doth belong to good Men in all Ages He loveth his People and all his Saints are in his hand Deut. 33. 3. Innumerable are the Pro●ises in Scripture concerning the merciful Providence and Goodness of God towards those who trust in him and hope in his Mercy Psal 32. 10. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked But he that trusteth in the Lord mercy shall compass him about Psal 33. 18● 19 20 21 22. Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him Upon them that hope in his mercy To deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine Our soul waiteth for the Lord he is our help and our shi●ld For our heart shall rejoyce in him Because we have trusted in his holy name Let thy mercy O Lord be upon us according as we hope in thee Psal 34. 22. The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants And none of them that trust in him shall be desolate Psal 37. 39 40. But th● salvation of the Righteous is of the Lor● he is their strength in the time of trouble And the Lord shall help them and deliver them He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they trust in him Psal 31. 19. O how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the Sons of men Psal 55. 22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee He shall never suffer the right●ous to be moved Psal 125. 1. They that trust in th● Lord shall be as mount Zion which cannot be removed but a●id●th for ever Esa 26. 3 4. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trus●eth in thee Trust ye in the Lord for ever For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength 4. Provided yet further that we pray earnestly to God for his Gracious Help and Assistance for his merciful Comfort and Support under Sufferings that he would be pleased to strengthen our Faith and to encrease and lengthen out our Patience in proportion to the Degree and Duration of our Sufferings All the Promises which God hath made to us are upon this Condition that we earnestly seek and sue to him for the Benefit and Blessing of them Psal 50. 15. Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me Ezek. 36. 37. After a great Deliverance and many Blessings promised to them this Condition is at last added Thus saith the Lord God I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them And this likewise is the tenor of the Promises of the New Testament Mat. 7. 7. Ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you And in this very Case that I am speaking of God expects that we should apply our selves to him for Spiritual Wisdom and Grace to behave our selves under Sufferings as we ought Jam. 1. 2 3 4. Where speaking of the manifold Temptations that Christians would be exercised withal he directs them to pray to God for Wisdom to demean themselves under Persecutions with Patience and Constancy and Chearfulness My Brethren account it all joy when ye fall into divers Temptations meaning the Temptations and Tryals of Suffering in several kinds Knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience But let patience have its perfect work And because this is a very difficult Duty and requires a great deal of Spiritual Skill to demean our selves under Sufferings as we ought therefore he adds in the next words If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him And this earnest application we are to make to God for his grace and seasonable help in time of need not to put him in mind of his Promise but to testifie our dependance upon him and expectation of all good from him And we must likewise use great importunity in our Prayers to God to assist us and stand by us in the day of Trial and the hour of Temptation And therefore our Saviour heaps up several words to denote the great earnestness and importunity which we ought to use in Prayer bidding us to ask and seek and knock And to shew that he lays more than ordinary weight upon this Matter and to encourage our importunity he spake two several Parables to this purpose the first Luke 11. 5. of the Man who by meer importunity prevailed with his Friend to rise at midnight to do him a kindness which our Saviour applies to encourage our importunity in Prayer ver 9. And I say unto you ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you The other is the Parable of the importunate Widow and unjust Judge related by the same Evangelist Luke 18. 1. with this Preface to it and he spake a Parable unto them to this end that Men ought always to pray and not to faint And to speak the truth they seem at first sight two of the oddest of all our Saviour's Parables if the