Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	father_n	lord_n	sin_n	14,626	5	4.9775	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01843	A briefe discourse of the late murther of master George Saunders, a worshipfull citizen of London and of the apprehension, arreignement, and execution of the principall and accessaries of the same.	Golding, Arthur, 1536-1606.	1573 (1573)	STC 11985; ESTC S119743	12,242	34

wickednesse with perfect hatred and rue the persons with christē modestie knowing that with what measure we met vnto others with the same shall it be moten to vs agayne Finally let al folkes both maried and vnmaried learne hereby to possesse and kéepe their vessell in honestie and cleannesse For if the knot betwene man and wife whiche ought to be inseparable be once broken it is seldome or neuer knit again And though it be yet is not the wound so throughly healed but there appéereth some skarre euer after But if the sore rancle fester inwardly as commonly it doth except the more grace of God be in the end it bursteth forth to the destructiō or hurt of both parties not lightly without great harme to others also besides themselues as we sée by this example For when the body which was dedicated to God to be his temple and the tab●…rnacle of his holy spirite is become the sinke of sinne and cage of vncleannesse the deuill ceasseth not to driue the parties still headlong vnto naughtinesse till they be falne eyther into open shame and daunger of temporall law or into damnable destruction both of body soule according as Salomon in his Prouerbes sayth that the steps of a harlot leade downe vnto death and hir feete perce euen vnto hell Therefore good reader so heare and reade this present example as the same may turne to the bettering of thy state and not to occasion of slaunder nor to the hurt of thine owne conscience nor to the offence of thy Christian brethren Farewell A. G. Anne Saunders confession as she spake it at the place of execution GOod people I am come hither to die the deathe wherevnto I am adiudged as worthely as deseruedly as euer died any I had a good husband by whom I had manie children with whom I liued in wealth might haue done stil had not the deuill kindled in my hearte first the hellish firebrand of vnlawfull lust afterward a murtherous intent to procure my saide husbande to be bereued of his life which was also by my wicked meanes accomplished as to the world is known And as I woulde if he coulde heare me if it might be prostrate vpon the ground at my husbands feete aske mercy with plentiful teares of him so that which I may I oughte to doe I aske mercye of God I aske mercie of all men and women of the world whō by my deede example I haue offended and especiallye I bewaile my husbande aske mecie of my childrē whōe I haue beraued of so good a father I aske mercy of his kindred and frendes whome I haue hurt of all my frends kindred of whom I am abashed and ashamed and beyng of my selfe vnworthy of pittie yet I besech them all you all all the whole worlde euen for gods sake and for our sauiour Christs sake to forgiue me And I thank God with my whole harte he hathe not suffered me to haue the reigne and bridle of sinning gyuen me at my will to the daunger of my eternall damnatiō but that he hath founde out my sin brought me to punishment in this world by his fatherly correctiō to amend to spare and saue me in the world to come I beseche him graunte me his heauenly grace that all who do behold or shall heare of my death maye by the example therof be frayed from like sinning And I besech you all to pray for me and with me The Prayer whiche was said by Anne Saunders at the place of execution the copie wherof she deliuered vnto the right honourable the E●…rle of Bedforde AS I doe confesse vvyth great sorrovv O deare ●…ather that I haue grieuously and oftentimes inned againste heauen and against thee am ●…vvorthy to be called thy daughter so O deare Father I acknovvledge thy mercy thy grace and loue tovvards me most vvretched sinner offred me in my Lorde and sauiour Iesus Christe in vvhom thou giuest me an hearte to repent And by repentance hast put away my sinnes and throvvne them into the bottome of the Sea O deare Father encrease and continue this grace vntill the ende and in the ende I testifie this day O Lord my God thy loue O Lorde thy sauing health is li●…e euerlasting and ioy vvithout end and bicause thou hast touched my sinfull heart vvith the 〈…〉 pleasure of my sinne and vvith a de●… of thy kingdome O deare Father 〈◊〉 thy Christes sake as I hope thou vvilt so I beseeche thee to finishe that good vvorke in me Suffer me not mercifull and louing Father to be troubled vvith death vvhen it layeth holde on me nor vvith the loue of life vvhen it shal be taken avvay O Lorde novve as thou hast so still lifte vp my soule as it vvere vvith an eagles vvings vnto Heauen there to beholde thee Lorde into thy hands I commit my body that it be not troubled in death and my soule that it see not damnation Come Lorde Iesu come assiste me vvith thy holy spirite a vveake vvomā in a strong battell come Lord Iesu come quickly saue thy hand maide that putteth hir trust in thee behold me in Christ receiue me in christ in vvhose name I pray saying Our Father c. Anne Saūders dying to the world and liuing to God. After this she also said a godly Prayer out of the Serice boke which is vsed to be said at the hour of death note of a certaine saying vvhich Master Saunders had lefte written with his owne hand in his studie CHriste shal be magnified in my body whither it be thorough life or else death For Christe is too me life and death is too me aduauntage These wordes were M. Nowels Theame which he preached at the buriall of my brother Haddon vpon Thursday beyng y xxv day of 〈◊〉 Anno. Do. 1570. Anno. R●…ginae Elizabeth 13. Amōg other things which he prēached this saying of his is to be had alwayes in remembrance that is that we must all when we come to pray first accuse and cōdemne our selues for our sinnes committed against God before the seate of hys Iustice and then after cleaue vnto him by faythe in the mercy and merites of our Sauioure and Redéemer Iesus Christ whereby we are assured of eternall saluation

fault and besoughte him for Gods sake to forgiue hir who very honorably and ●…uen with teares accepted hir submission and openly protested him selfe to pray hartily to God for hir Hir seruant also hauing openly acknowledged his offence kneeled meekly downe praying seuerally with a preacher as ●…he of them had done at their first comming to the place Which done they were all put in a readinesse by the Executioner and at one instant by drawing away the Cart wheron they stoode were sent togither out of this worlde vnto God. And Browne also a good while afore during the time of his imprisonment cōming to a better minde than he had bene of in time paste confessed that he had not héeretofore frequēted sermons nor receiued the holy sacrament nor vsed any calling vpon God priuate or publike nor giuē him selfe to reading of holy Scripture or any bookes of godlynesse but had altogither followed the appetites and lustes of his sinfull flesh euen with greedinesse and outragious contempt both of God and man Neuerthelesse God was so good vnto him and schooled him so well in that short time of imprisonment as he cloased vp his life with a maruellous apparance of heartie repentance constant trust in Gods mercy through Iesus Christ and willingnesse to forsake this miserable worlde Nowe remayneth to shewe what is to be gathered of this terrible example and how we oughte to apply the same to our owne behoofe First I note with S. Paule that when men regarde not to knowe God or not to honour him when they know him God giueth them ouer to their own lustes ●…o as they runne on from sinne to sinne and from mischiefe to mischiefe to do suche things as are shamefull and odious euen in the sight of the worlde to their owne vnauoidable perils And when the measure of their iniquitie is filled vp there is no way for them to escape the iustice of God which they haue prouoked Insomuche that if they might eschue all bodily punishment yet the very hell of their owne conscience would prosecute them and the sting of their minde would be a continuall prison torment and torture to them wheresoeuer they went Agayne on the other side we must marke the infinit greatnesse of Gods wisdome and mercy who perceyuing the peruerse wilfulnesse of mans frowarde nature to sinning suffreth men sometimes to runne so long vpon the bridle till it séeme to themselues that they may safely do what they liste and to the worlde that they be past recouerie vnto goodnesse and yet in the end catching them in their chiefe pride he rayseth them by their ouerthrow amendeth them by their wickednesse and reuiueth them by their death in such wise blotting out the stayne of their former filthe that their darknesse is turned into light and their terrour to their comfort Moreouer when God bringeth such matters vpon the stage vnto y open face of the world It is not to the intent that men should gaze and wonder at the persons as byrdes do at an Owle not that they should delight them selues others with the fond perad●…ture sinister repor●…ing of them nor vpbrayd the whole stocke and kinred with the fault of the offenders no surely God meaneth no such thing His purpose is that the 〈◊〉 of his iudgements should by the terrour of the outward sight of the example driue vs ●…o the inward cōsideration of our selues Beholde wee bée all made of the same moulde printed with the same stampe and indued with the same nature that the offenders are We be the impes of the olde Adam and the venim of sinne whiche he receiued from the olde serpent is shedde into vs all and woorketh effectually in vs all Suche as the roote is suche are the braunches and the twiggs of a thorne or bramble can beare no grapes That we stande it is the benefite of Gods grace and not the goodnesse of our nature nor the strengthe of oure owne will. That they are falne it was of frayltie wherfrom we be no more priuiledged than they and that shoulde we ouersoone perceiue by experience if we wer left to our selues He that looketh s●…erely into other mennes faultes is lightly blynd in his owne and he that either vpbraydeth the repentant that hath receyued punishement or reprocheth the kinred or ofspring with the fault of the auncester or alye how greate so euer the same hath ben sheweth himselfe not to haue any remorse of his owne sinnes nor to remember that he him selfe also is a man but which thyng he woulde little thinke he fully matcheth the crime of the misdoer if he do not surmount it by his presumptuousnesse When it was tolde oure Sauiour Chryst that Pylate had mingled the bloud of certain men with their owne sacrifise what aunswere made hée Did hée detest the offenders did he declame against their dooings Did he exaggerate the fault of the one or the crueltie of the other No. But framing and applying the example too the reformation of the hearer suppose ye sayd he that those Galileans wer greater sinners than all the other Galileans bycause they suffered such punishment I tell you nay but except ye repente ye shall all likewise perish Or think ye that those eightene vpon whom the toure in Silo fell and slew them were sinners aboue all y dwelt in Hierusalem I tel you nay but except ye repent ye shall all perishe likewise Let vs applie this to our presente purpose Were those whō we saw iustly executed in Smith ●…eld greater sinners than al other English people were they greater sinners than all Lōdoners Were they greater sinners thā all that looked vpon them No verily but except their exāple leade vs to repentance we shall all of vs come to as ●…ore punishement in this worlde or else to sorer in the worlde to come Their faults came into the open Theater therefore seemed the greater to our eyes and surely they were great in déede neyther are ours the le●…e bicause they ly●… hidden in the couert of oure hearte God the searcher of all secrets séeth them and if he list he can also discouer them He hath shewed in some what al of vs deserue to prouoke vs al to repentance that al of vs myght haue mercie at his hand and shewe mercie one to an other with one mouthe and one hearte glorifie his goodnesse It is sayde by the Prophete Samuel that disobedience is as the sinne of Witchcrafte Lette euery of vs looke into himselfe but first lette him put on the spectacles of Gods lawe and carie the lyghte of Gods worde with him and he shall sée suche a gulfe of disobedience in himselfe as he maye well thinke there is none offender but himselfe I say not this as a cloaker of offences that white should not be called white blacke blacke or as a patrone o●…●…sdoers that they shoulde not haue their deserued hyre but to represse our hastie iudgementes and vncharitable spéeches that we myght both detest