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	spare_v	2,118	5	9.2354	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78555	A motive to peace and love. Delivered in a sermon at Pauls the first Lords Day in June, anno Dom. 1648. By Humfry Chambers, D.D. and pastor of Pewsy in the county of Wilts.	Chambers, Humphrey, 1598 or 9-1662.; City of London (England). Lord Mayor.	1649 (1649)	Wing C1916; Thomason E467_12; ESTC R204211	25,089	38

enmities and contests be nourished and strengthned amongst those that are neerly joyned together in the bond of Christan religion and should be so likewise in the truth of Christian love they be in greatest danger of what is expressed in my Text That by biting and devouring one another they shall come at last to be consumed one of another And thus much be spoken to the Doctrine of my Text Now I come to the Application of this point Use 1 And first I should desire all men to consider whether the present Doctrine doth not looke sadly upon us at this day whether this Doctrine doth not speake terror more then all the Armies and conspiracies in the world unto this City and all the Cities of the Kingdome unto this State singly considered and complexedly together with the annexed Kingdomes unto our Church and almost every branch and parcell thereof I see no so terible an indication of common ruine approching unto us as this that men are left so generally so sottishly with malicious despite to bite and devour one another not laying it to heart that they are ready to be consumed one of another First Inprosecution of this use I suppose to speake first to civill contentions and divisions and whilest we have them onely in our eye this Doctrine is like to Ezekiels role that was written within and without it was written lamentation mourning and woe For is there not such a spirit of intestine rage and bitter enmities gone out not only into this Citie but into the whole Land that it is as it were the very meat and drink of many to be biting and devouring one another both publiquely and in secret in word and print And whilst it is thus is it not lamentable to consider how we stand upon the brinke but that the God of Heaven doth worke beyond thought in miracles of power for our preservation how we stand I say every moment upon the brinke of common destruction I shall not adventure it belongs not to me to speake a word as a Statist concerning either the causes or remedies of this miserie but as a poore servant of Jesus Christ I desire to speake a little of both from Scripture information And first If any man demand what is the cause that England is wholly given up to savage felf-crueltie and all the Cities thereof to rejoyce in the plucking out of their owne Bloud and Bowels and the Inhabitants thereof to sport themselves in mutually biting and devouring one another surely the multitude doth much mistake the cause of this mischiefe every man almost thinkes he sees the reason hereof here and there without himselfe in the folly falseshood and politique miscariages of others and very few looke into their owne soules and unto heaven to see the true cause of this growing miserie but it is certain that whoever are the instruments the root of this our miserie lies in our owne breasts and lives There is shall I say a shamfull I thinke it may be better called a shamlesse practise of notorious wickednesse in severall kinds amongst us continued to this day we have talked of a reformation and I beleeve that the hearts of many have groaned after it And further I beleeve that the desire of it hath beene acceptable to the God of Heaven and let me say one thing more I doe yet beleeve that wee or our posterities shall live to see a happy reformation and that all this which hath beene done and suffered in relation thereunto shall not be in vaine But in the present state of affaires amongst us when we looke for a reformation we cannot but see aboundance of corruption prevailing in the Land yea those that stand upon the watch-Tower being required to speake the truth can say no more nor lesse of us then what you finde in the Prophet Jeremiah Jer. 6.28.29 They are all grieveous revolters they goe about with slanders they are all corrupters the bellowes are burnt the lead is consumed in the fire the melter melts but in vaine for the wicked are not plucked away and therefore what can the conclusion be without the incomprehensible actings of mercy but as it followes Reprobate silver shall men call them because the Lord hath rejected them I cannot but speake and yet the truth is there is no need of speaking in a case so notorious and universally acknowledged before hand concerning some yet but a very little parcell of those sins that doe outface as it were God and men amongst us at this time There is that abominable pride and wantonnesse to be read in the faces of men and women in their gates gestures ' and attires There is that heavy oppression and hatefull prophannesse yet remaining in our land There is that grosse hypocrisie under severall liveries walking in our streets for the body of hipocrisie is now adayes worne upon a great many kinds of Cloth and Colour by men who have learned the abominable art of making God and religion to serve turnes There is that unjust partialitie that manifest contradiction to divine truths that leud and loud lying both in word and print abounding amongst us that in regard of these and many more sins the messengers of God may truly speake of us as the Prophet wrote of old concerning the Jews The shew of their countenance witnesseth against them they have declared their sinnes as Sodome they hide them not For there is no hiding nor concealing of these and many the like notorious sins they are to be seene without secret search upon the faces of the multitude And can we then wonder that there should be an evill spirit of contention from God when there is such an evill spirit of contention against God maintained in the middest of us Can it seeme strange that when we quarrell with and fight against the God of Heaven the God of Heaven should leave us in judgement to quarrell with and fight against one another God is the same to a Nation as to a man when the waies of a man please him he makes his enemies to be at peace with him but when as the waies of a man are contrary to the Lord the Lord walkes contrary to him and usually leaves very friends to walke in a way of contrarietie towards such a person And so it is with nations when the wayes of a nation please the Lord he will make their enemies to be at peace with them but when the wayes of a nation are contrarie to God God will walke contrarie to them and make their very friends their Enemies nay make them to themselves their greatest Enemies that they shall need no Enemie whilst they cruelly meditate and act their owne ruine according to that in the Prophet Jeremiah Jer. 13.14 I will dash them saith the Lord one against another the fathers against the children I will not pittie nor spare nor have mercy but I will destroy them I desire to leave one Scripture with you that you

in those wicked lusts which Warre within them against the law of God The multitudes of men lye under a wicked feare of having the yoake of Jesus Christ put upon them and if the truth were spoken out what it is that makes many so much discontented and enraged against Presbyteriall Discipline it is clearely this Because they be afraid that if that should prevaile they should not hold the name and outward priviledges of Christianitie together with their sinfull lusts with so much freedome as formerly they have done It is a matter of just and great lamentation at this day to see how the most struggle with their heads tongues and hands to make good a libertie for their lusts and in that regard rise up in an hostile enmity against all those that are any wayes active or instrumentall for their restraint And this is doubtlesse a head spring of our civill imbroylments at this time Thus we have learned from the Scripture foure severall causes of our present contention viz. The open practise of notorious wickednesse proud ambition self-seeking and sinfull lusts maintained in their regencie I come now to speake something of the course which is to be taken for remedie of our sore maladie of civill contention but I must doe that very breifly that I may reserve some time in the second place to bewaile our irreligious contentions in matter of religion That we may by the mercy of God attaine deliverance from this civill bitternesse and enmity I shall direct you to the meanes which may be of force to remove the forementioned causes of this our present miserie remove the cause you cure the disease and might the causes of our contentions which I have before pointed at be taken away I doubt not but our enmitie would soone be changed into amitie and our bloodie contention into sweet affection That these evill causes of our civill contentions may be removed the servants of God ought to mourne over them in private in their addresses to the Lord according to that of the Prophet Jeremiah If you will not heare my soule shall weepe in secret for your pride Mourne all ye that are Gods hidden ones mourne in secret for the open wickednesse the pride the selfishnesse the sinfull lusts which prevaile in the land Who can tell whether Childrens teares shed in secret may not prevaile with the Father of mercie for the removing of those publique sinnes with which their righteous soules are grieved from day to day The servants of God ought to mourne over these sinnes in speciall confessions when they appeare in dayes of solemne humiliation before the Lord At such times the servants of God should with Ezra take shame to themselves and lye in the dust for these notorious sins this pride this selfishnesse these lusts which worke our ruine Ezras 9.6.7 Ezra 10.22 When Ezra bewailed the sinne of the people God poured out a spirit of reformation upon the people were our publique mournings serious we might finde the Lord in his returnes equally gracious Thirdly the servants of God are earnestly to pray for a removall of these sinnes both in a way of remission and reformation Turne to the Lord saith the Prophet take ye words unto you and turne to the Lord Hos 14 2. and say take away iniquitie and receive us graciously and we will offer to thee the fruit of our lips God taketh away iniquitie only for this his mercy sake yet will for this mercy be sought unto by his servants that he may afford it and therefore Gods people should fix their eyes on the Lord Christ as that mediator by whom their prayers are made effectuall with their God and Father and then bend themselves to pray downe asmuch as may be in themselves and others these crying sinnes which are the causes of our publique miseries The servants of God should endeavour the removall of these sinnes first in themselves and then in others It is a preposterous course to be tampering with the reformation of every one before a man begins with himselfe It concernes the people of God first of all to labour against these corruptions in themselves and then in others according to the Apostles rule Have no fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darkenesse but rather reprove them First a Christian is to looke that he hath no fellowship with workes of darkenesse himselfe and then as occasion is offered to reprove them in others unto all which duties beleevers are made sufficient not through their owne power Phil. 4.13 but as being able to doe all things through Christ that strengthneth them and were this course taken for the removing of these corruptions which are the occasion of our miserable contentions I cannot but beleeve that wee might with abundance of comfort expect to have the spirit of virulencie cast out of the land at least wise so farre cast out as that it might not worke so desperately as at present to the working of our ruine And now though I know that there are but too too many contentions in the land yet give me leave to presse one contention more upon you a new one New things take Oh that this new motion might finde assent and acceptance according as it deserves I hope a contention might be named which could like Aarons rod swallow up all those other contentions which the infernall Master of Magicians hath throwne in amongst us The contention I speake of and move for is this that every man would contend to goe before each other in the example of a reall reformation in regard of the forementioned and the like hatefull and hurtfull evills which lye at the root of our contentions and of all the miseries which doe prevaile in the land This Christian contention might it once take would take up our unchristian contentions at the roots and bring us after all our tossings to that faire Haven of civill rest where we would bee And now I would gladly speake two words more to carry on yet further an endeavour for the removall of our contentions and for the promoting of an happy civill peace amongst us The first is this Let every one that can pray to the Father in the name of his Sonne pray for this blessing I know many talke of prayer that know not how to goe to God by Christ to lay a prayer at his feet I forbid not such to pray not knowing how farre the voyce of nature groaning under pressures may prevaile with a faithfull and gracious Creator but let every one that can pray in the name of our prevailing Mediator who hath a promise of gracious audience pray for the peace of our ferusalem pray for the peace of the land of our Nativitie and habitation pray for the peace of the Kingdome and pray in faith Despondencie of heart deadeth pray●r Jam. 5.15 faith in Gods power and faithfulnesse animates prayer The prayer of faith shall save saith the Apostle in the way of instrumentall efficacie