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	person_n	sinner_n	3,080	5	9.2026	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19568	The young-mans warning-peece, or, A sermon preached at the buriall of William Rogers, apothecary with an history of his sinfull life and woefull death, together with A post-script of the use of examples : dedicated to the young-men of the parish, especially his companions / by Robert Abbot ...	Abbot, Robert, 1588?-1662?	1639 (1639)	STC 60.7; ESTC S113008	35,100	122

at what To stumble is to take an argument of offence at something to make them fall still into the wayes of wickednesse As when the Iewes took these arguments against Christ to conclude against faith in him He is a man gluttonous a wine bibber a friend of Publicans and sinners Wee say well that thou art a Samaritan and hast a Divell And when the Iewes took these arguments against Stephen We have heard him speake blasphemous words against Moses against God against this holy place and the Law And when the Corinthians raised this foundation against Saint Paul This fellow perswadeth men to worship GOD contrary to the Law and Tertullus in a slanting speech before Foelix wee have found this man a very pestilence a mover of sedition among all the Iewes in all the World These are arguments of offence to make them that doe receive them still to fall into sin new sins old sins all sins But whereat ordinarily doe wicked men stumble Ordinarily at sixe sorts of things when they would flatter themselves in their wayes of darkenesse Either Ignorance or presumption or despaire or the World or scandall or the peaceable end of sinners and the contrary of those that have lived more strictly They stumble at ignorance on both hands Sometimes they stumble at the ignorance of sin and so they fall to sin and care not feare not When Iosiah knew not sin his sweet nature stumbled with the times but when he heard the Law of God read he rent his clothes and melted to the very heart When Saul lived a Pharisee the death of Stephen was nothing it could be swallowed up upon a full stomack but when the Law came and shewed him what sinne was when hee saw sinne revive to pricks wound and kill then he mourned under his captivity Sometimes they stumble at the ignorance of Repentance They are like Nicodemus who cannot heare of a new life but hee dreames of entring his mothers wombe againe and like Peters hearers who when they sinned knew not what they did and when they were pricked at the heart for sin knew not what to doe Men and brethren what shall we doe to be saved They stumble at presumption that God will any time accept of them upon any termes Therfore at what time soever saith one GOD desireth not the death of a sinner saith another Christ saith Come unto me saith a third God will that all men should bee saved saith a fourth Every presumptuous wretch layeth some sure foundation which might be sound and sweet to a true penitent which yet will not serve his turne when he is to try the strength of it no more than Sampsons greene Cords could binde him or a rope of sand can pull down an impregnable Castle They stumble at despaire and at that on both sides too Sometimes they despaire of their owne strength Alas all the waies of vertue grace and glory are too hard for me I must lie downe in shame confusion sinne and sorrow but not move a foot to Heaven When Christ preached that no man could come to him except it were given him of his Father many of his Disciples went backe and walked no more with him in so much as CHRIST complained to the twelve Will yee also forsake mee If Christ bee such a manner of person that accesse to him is so hard so much above our power that we must be beholding to a Father whom wee are not acquainted with then farewell Christ welcome world who are more familiar Sometimes againe they despaire of GODS strength and mercy for them Christ cannot save them GOD will not save them Let strength and mercy bee what it will on high it is too high for them What is that to me I am the worst of unworthy sinners This cast out Cain hanged Judas damned both and any other that delight in such a downefall They stumble at the world of honour pleasure profit The stony hearers stumbled at the care-cloth the thornes of cares for worldly pelfe The unworthy Guests stumbled at the new bought purchases of Farmes and Oxen and so much as at the new married Wife I cannot come The rich worldling at the new Barnes and store for many dayes His soule did so alwayes live in them that hee thought hee should alwayes live with them Thus they stumbled and fell The huge blocke of the World was too great for them to leape over into heaven and therefore downe they fall and breake their neckes into the wayes of sinne They stumble at scandall and at that they trip dangerously on both hands Sometimes they are loth to offend their wicked companions what shall I forsake them scandalize them goe without them though in a better way make them that are my friends my foes to neglect and scoffe at mee This made Nicodemus come to Christ by night This made many of the chiefe Rulers believe in him but they confessed him not lest they should bee put out of the Synagogue for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God Sometimes againe they take offence at the lives of those that seeme to bee more godly than themselves and are so at least by profession Indeed these should bee very carefull to adorne the doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore many excellent exhortations are spent upon them in the most sure Word of GOD. Sometimes they are called upon to behave themselves wisely to them that are without Sometimes to walke honestly towards them that are without sometimes to give no offence neither to Jew C●●ia● nor Church of GOD yet are they not so carefull in the workes of holinesse righteousnesse and sobriety as they ought This is soone espied by wicked men and so made an argument to stumble at You will say They are in darknesse how then can they spie such a hole in the coat of him that is better than themselves I le tell you when men see a thing that may further them in the way to Heaven they do receive it inward by the meanes of the spirit and the sweet beames of grace which shine about them For every good giving comes from the Father of lights but when they see any thing that helpes them onward to Hell they have a power of seeing from within As a Cat sees in a darke night by fyring the aire to her selfe and for her owne uses so wicked men being set on fire of Hell can in their darkest state easily kindle a light for their owne uses to find fodder for their soules in their way to Hell-ward They stumble Lastly at the peaceable end of sinners Truly they dyed like Lambes There are no hands in their death just like the good thiefe upon the Crosse which with quiet and sweet reaches after grace and glory breathed out his soule to GOD notwithstanding all the wickednesse of

his fore-past life whereas many of those who have lived better have died with little rest and no comfort Hence they stumble thicke and threefold and make no question to dy no worse than they though they doe as bad Thus they stumble and stumble and the cause or the signe of all is this in the Proverbe They know not at what they stumble As for sinne they do not know who they themselves are that sin They are the creatures of GOD who hath blessed them a thousand wayes and therefore they should live to the honour of him and not as if the Devill had made them They doe not know whom they sin against It is against an infinite GOD who is an infinite good and therefore the least guilt will not so easily bee taken off as they dreame Can much Niter and much Sope doe it Can thousands of Rammes and ten thousand Rivers of Oyle Sinne against a private man and it is a trespasse or battery sin against a King it is sedition or treason but sinne against God and no name can expresse it nothing can cleanse it but the bloud of the Lambe which brings to us the righteousnesse of GOD which is of infinite worth They doe not know what sin will worke It is the wilde Bore of the Wood that laies waste the Vine of our soules it woundeth the Conscience defaceth the Image of GOD and writes upon us Satans Image and superscription it brings feare pit and snare upon the inhabitants of the earth and at the last the vengeance of eternall fire All this and much more about sin these poore wretches doe not know and hence they stumble upon sinne and ruine As for Repentance they know neither the necessity worke or worth of it Doe they present this to their soules that except they repent they shall perish Yes that they doe and therefore they will repent hereafter Yea but are they not deceived in the worke of it Doe they not thinke it to bee the worke of an houre when the whole life of a man were but enough for us to walke in that way Doe they not thinke it to bee nothing but a conviction for sinne a sorrow for sinne and a crying God mercy Doe they know that it implyes sorrow for sinne seene purpose to forsake sin sorrowed for and to returne unto God Or know they that it is accompanied if it be saving with an holy course in godlinesse and righteousnesse No such matter It is so slenderly looked after and so poorely prized by them that they take it up as old shooes when they have none else to weare when they have not a day to live and an houre to spend in sinne then they will repent what ever come of it Thus these miserable wretches when they have built a Castle of their owne Repentance not Gods do stumble at they know not what Now for presumption woe is them whatsoever they dreame of Mountaines of mercy They know not the power of GODS wrath They thinke him to bee made up of nothing but mercy and that hee should doe them wrong if they should not have it They see the light of his countenance so long in their health and prosperity that they presume hee cannot bend his browes and turne his backe in after daies Doe they remember that after God had made the world his first act was an act of justice upon lapsed Angels who though they were in Heaven were cast downe into Hell and delivered into the chaines of darknesse to bee reserved unto judgement Have they forgotten that his next worke was a worke of justice upon Adam in Paradise and the third that wee reade of a worke of justice upon Cain for committing murther but once Have they not read that GOD drowned the first world first for imaginations Or that he burned with fire and brimstone Sodome and her wicked sisters for pride fulnesse of bread abundance of idlenesse which hatched plenty of lust Is the justice of GOD upon the world cleane gone out of minde when his Church was in a Corner and but a little flocke Or will they not see the justice of God upon Christ Our surety in the similitude of sinfull flesh that hee did not escape it being made sin for us that is by being a sacrifice for sin that wee might be the righteousnesse of GOD in him They have forgotten all prints of Iustice that they may put farre from them the evill day and sinne without feare But that God that is a God of mercy for the vessels of mercy is for those who by wilfull sins make themselves the vessels of wrath a consuming fire yea and when his hand takes hold of judgement hee will make his sword drunke with bloud Then shall they know what now they willingly know not that hee that blesseth himselfe in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walke in the imagination of my heart to adde drunkennesse to thirst the Lord will not bee mercifull unto him Doe they stumble at despaire of their owne strength It is at they know not what still For doe they not shew great strength in sinne Why then will they not try what they can doe in vertue Hath not CHRIST promised his assistance in the Word of GOD and Sacraments Why will they neglect CHRISTS hand which is put under to helpe Why will they not be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might that they may be able to doe all things through him that helpeth them Will they more impotently stumble at the despaire of Gods mercy Surely they stumble at they know not what For God is good unto wicked men much more to those that truely repent Doth not his Sun and raine blesse obdurate sinners much more hath hee the blessing of peace for those that tremble at his Word and are weary and heavie laden with their sinnes For will they forget how willingly GOD reasoneth with the rebellious Iewes and promiseth that upon Repentance he will make their twice dipt scarlet sinnes as white as wooll Or doe they not regard that GOD tels them that mercy pleaseth him If hee come in a work of justice hee shaves with a Raser that is hired as if hee had no instrument of his owne to execute wrath but if he comes in a worke of mercy it is his own work his proper worke But they forget this as if Christs bloud did not triumph over all the sins of penitents even to the bathing of them that turne to him who shed it by murther this they forget and so doe stumble at headlong despaire Doe they stumble at the world Alas they know not at what What is all the world if wee could graspe it into an handfull It flattereth while it smileth and the glory of it passeth away Have wee the confluence of all worlds goods They cannot keepe off