Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	forgive_v	lord_n	sin_n	11,546	5	5.1796	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08133	A looking-glasse for petitioners Wherein euery Christian man and woman, may cleerely see, what they are to beg at Gods hands, the manner how they are to beg, and the assurance of those things which they do beg. In a sermon preached at Framlingham Castle in high Suffolke. By Iohn Nevvman Master of Artes.	Newman, John, fl. 1619.	1619 (1619)	STC 18497; ESTC S113228	22,834	66

wee must beleiue that there is a God that doth heare our prayers and wee must Credere Deo wee must beleeue that God who doth heare our prayers will performe our requests it he shall see them conuenient for vs If we do not beleeue there is a God how shall we call vpon him How shall they call vpon him in whom they haue not beleeued saith the Apostle Paul Rom. 10.14 And if we do not beleeue that this God will heare vs and will grant our requests let vs neuer looke to receiue any blessing so saith S. Iames speaking of the wauering-minded man Let not that man saith he thinke that he shall receiue any thing of the Lord Iam. 1.7 If any man lacke wisdome let him aske and it shall be giuen him But let him aske in faith and wauer not for he that wauereth as you may read in the former verses is like vnto the waues of the sea tossed in the winde and caried away he is vnconstant in all his actions and therefore vnconstant in all his prayers hee beleeues euery thing and therefore he beleeues nothing as the waues of the sea be tossed here and there and seldome at quiet so his minde neuer rests vpon one thing but he is subiect to much variablenes for now he thinks he shall be heard presently he thinks not sometimes he thinks that there is a God another time doubts whether there be or no at one time he make no question of Gods abilitie and all-sufficiencie another time he makes a question as in his actions doeth plainely appeare whether God can heare if his necessitie should require How can God heare this man who is so suspicious of him he cannot heare him and why because he doth not pray for prayer without faith is no prayer at all Sola enim fides invocat eaque sola impetrat fieri enim potest vt citra fidem quis Deo placeat For it is faith onely that prayes it is faith onely that calls vpon God and without faith it is impossible to please him Hebr. 11.6 for he that commeth to God must beleeue that God is and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him Therefore saith our Sauiour Christ Mar. 11.24 I say vnto yee whatsoeuer you desire when you pray beleeue that yee shall haue it and 〈◊〉 be done vnto you This counsell the Prophet Dauid tooke Psal 17.6 I haue called vpon thee ô God for thou shalt heare me and in the 55.17 As for me I will call vpon God and the Lord shal saue me He prayed without wauering he prayed without doubting he was so confident in prayer that he said the Lord should heare him he bindes God to performe that which he promiseth God promiseth to heare all those who faithfully call vpon him and therefore Dauid according to Gods promise will be heard This counsell of our Sauiour Christ let vs also embrace that which we pray for let vs make no question but to obtaine let not the least doubt at all enter into vs let vs pray without doubting and then without doubt we shall be heard The fourth vertue that we must ioyne with our prayers is Charitie and if we will haue this vertue Charitie accompanie our prayers dandū est egentibus ignoscendum est delinquentibus orandum est pro omnibus We must giue to others we must forgiue others and we must pray for others We must giue vnto others we must ioyne with our prayers Almes and then our prayers and our Almes shall come vp into remembrance before God as did the prayers and Almes of Cornelius Act 10. Then our prayers will enter into the Lords eares Esay 58.7 Deale thy bread to the hungry bring the poore that wander vnto thine house and when thou seest the naked couer him then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer thou shalt cry and he shall say here I am Secondly we must forgiue others if we our selues will be forgiuen we must forgiue them that trespasse against vs It is a petition we daily vse Forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs. Thus we say Sed vide quid dicas saith Ambrose quomodo dimitto sic tu dimitte mihi si dimiseris bene conuenit vt dimittat tibi si non dimiseris quomodo convenit vt tibi dimittat Take heede and marke well what thou sayest as I forgiue so doe thou O Lord forgiue me if thou doest forgiue it agrees well that God should forgiue thee but if thou dost not forgiue it doth not agree with Gods Iustice to forgiue thee thy sinnes committed against him If thou dost not forgiue thou shalt not be forgiuen if thou shewest no mercy thou shalt finde no mercy in the time of neede for there shall be iudgment mercilesse to him that sheweth no mercy saith S. Iames. 2.13 Quod serimus metimus quod damus accipimus That which we sowe we shall reape that which we giue we shall receiue If wee sowe no forgiuenesse we shall reape none if we giue no forgiuenesse no forgiuenesse shall be giuen vnto vs when we pray for it Therefore saith our Sauiour Christ Mar. 11.25 But when you shall stand and pray forgiue if you haue any thing against any man that your Father also which is in heauen may forgiue you your trespasses for if you will not forgiue your Father which is in heauen will not pardon you your trespasses Thirdly wee must pray for others We must pray for all men first of all sorts I will that first of all supplications and prayers intercessions and giuing of thanks be made for all men for Kings and all that are in authoritie for all men that is for all that be the children of election for those that be of the houshold of Faith For all men that is for all men in generall for if we be bound by the words of the Apostle to doe good vnto all men I see no reason no more doe many other Diuines which I haue read vpon this place but that likewise we should pray for all men be they either Turkes infidels heathen the enemies of God or the enemies of our selues we must pray for their conuersion if it be the will of God that they may be conuerted But most especially we that be Christians we that be of the houshold of Faith we ought to pray for one another Charitie bids vs God commands vs Non dicimus pater meus saith Cyprian de orat Dom● sed noster nec da mihi sed da nobis quia Christianitatis magister noluit pri●atim precem fieri vt scilicet quis prose tant●m precetur vnum enim orare pro omnibus voluit quando in vno omnes ipse portauit We doe not say when we pray as Christ hath commanded vs my Father but our Father nor giue vnto me but giue vnto vs because he that is master of Christi anitie would not that priuate prayer should be made that is that a man should

pray for himselfe onely or for his priuate houshold but he would haue vs to pray for all in one because as all in one he hath borne our infirmities And the same Father writing vpon Matthew vseth these words Pro se orare necessitas cogit pro alijs autem Charitas fraternitatis hortatur To pray for our selues necessitie compells vs to pray for others brotherly Chatitie exhorts vs. Let vs therfore when we doe pray pray not only for our selues but for others not only for our friends but for our enemies not only for some particular men but for all men in generall Pray for one another saith S. Iames that ye may be healed for the praier of the righteous man auaileth much if it be feruent Iam. 5.16 Fiftly we must pray with constancie with perseuerance holding out vnto the end Pray continually saith the Apostle Paul Thessal 5.17 that is continue in prayer not all the time of your liues for the Wiseman saith Eccles 3.1 That to all things there is an appointed time a time to be borne a time to dye a time to plant and a time to plucke vp that which is planted a time to weepe and a time to laugh But he would haue vs spend as much time as may be in prayer we must with our Sauiour if need require spend whole nights in prayer we must with Daniel pray thrice a day in the morning at noone and at night wee must begin our worke with prayer goe forward with prayer end it with prayer and not onely doe thus one day but all the daies of our liues we must hold out vnto the end and then we shall obtaine the crowne Let perseuerance plead for thee and then thou shalt be surely heard leaue not the Lord but call vpon him continually from time to time and at the end he will heare thee The Cananitish woman with her constancie and perseuerance in calling vpon Christ moued him to heale her daughter the borrower of three loaues of bread with his often knocking obtained his request and the widdow with her importunitie moued the vnrighteous Iudge to doe her iustice And shall not God auenge his shall he not heare his Elect which day and night call vpon him yea though he suffer them long I tell you he will auenge them he will heare them and that quickly If we continue to call vpon God he will heare vs although not at the first time yet at the second if not at the second yet at the third if not at the third time yet at many times if not at many times yet once amongst many times he will heare And if he once heare vs we shall be sure to haue that which is conuenient for vs and if before he had seene it necessarie for vs we should without all question haue had it Fideliter enim supplicans Deo saith Aug. in lib. Sent misericorditer auditur misericorditer non auditur quid enim infirmo sit vtilius nouit magis medicus quam aegrotus He that makes his faithfull and humble supplication vnto God in mercy he is heard and in mercy he is not heard because he who is the phisition of our soules knowes better what is needfull for vs then wee who be his weake patients Therefore let vs be constant in calling vpon God and continue to cry vnto him knowing that although he tarry long that yet at last he will heare vs to our greater benefit Sixtly and lastly we must pray with courage with boldnesse the Deuill must not scare vs desperation must not out face vs our sinns must not dismay vs but throwing downe the deuil casting aside desperation treading downe our sinns vnder our feete let vs runn vnto our redeemer fly vnto the mercies of our creator and lay hold vpon them then let the deuill roare against thee l ke a roring lion desperation assault thee like a hellish hagg and thy sinnes encounter thee like so manie enemies yet thou needs not feare for thy redeemer will defend thee the mercy of thy creator will ouer-shadow thee though the Deuill whisper in thy conscience tell thee that it is needlesse for thee to pray yet pray the Deuill is a lyar be not ruled by him though desperation tell thee that there is no hope of pardon yet for all that pray for pardon beleeue me thou shalt haue it though thy sins say they be greater then can be forgiuen mentiuntur peccata thy sinnes lie for the mercies of God be greater then thy sinns if they were ten thousand more then they bee If thou be'st bold and of a stout courage the deuill cannot hurt thee for as Lactātius reports the Deuill hurts none but the faint-hearted And if thou dost confidently trust in the mercies of God thou shalt be saued let thy sinns and desperation do what they can against thee Pray boldly and the Lord will heare thee although thou beest in depth of misery yet he wil heare thee in height of mercye Si turbata fuerit anima saith one memor esto multitudinis misericordiae eius respira in eum If thy mind be troubled be mindfull of the mercies of God and stay thy selfe vpon them By all meanes be not faint hearted for ex pusillanimitate spiritus timore immoderato impeditur oratio For there is no greater enemie vnto thy prayers then faint heartednesse and immoderate feare Qui enim timide rogat docet negare for he that asketh fearefully teacheth him of whom hee beggs how to denie him Pray therefore boldly and with a confident corage seeke to thy creator although in respect of thy selfe and thy sinnes thou mayest feare yet in respect thou hast a louing Sauiour and a mercifull creator thou mayst be bold let boldnesse pleade for thee and then thou mai'st be bold to expect thy desires for boldnesse will haue no deniall but will be heard Thus haue I shewed you how we must pray in respect of the inward man the outward manner of praying the Lord doth not so much regard I meane the outward gesture of ours which wee vse when we do pray some when they pray fall vpon their knees as Daniell when he p ayed thrice a day our Sauiour Christ when he prayed in the garden Paule when he prayed for the church of the gentiles Ephe. 3. others lift vp their hands to heauen as Salomon 1. kings 8. others cast vp their faces Mat. 16. others lie groueling Psal 35. some humble themselues in sackcloath Ionas 3. some pray sitting as Elias Kings 19. some standing Luke 18. some lying vpon their beds as Ezekia 1. King 20. These indeed be the signes of an humble minde for as one saith Humiliatio corporis est signū humilitatis mentis that the humility of the body is a signe of the humblenesse of the minde Yet it skilleth not how wee pray outwardly either sitting kneeling lying walking or standing speaking or not speaking for it is not the body that the Lord lookes vpon