Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	ghost_n	holy_a	sinner_n	7,089	5	9.1918	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20187	The opening of heauen gates, or The ready way to euerlasting life Deliuered in a most familier dialogue, betweene reason and religion, touching predestination, Gods word, and mans free-will, to the vnderstanding of the weakest capacitie, and the confirming of the more strong. By Arthur Dent, preacher of the word of God, at South-Shoobery in Essex.	Dent, Arthur, d. 1607.	1610 (1610)	STC 6619; ESTC S116579	52,599	137

it commeth to passe that sinne exac●ing at the hand of God the due execution of iustice in respect of his ordinauncei is no sinne but righteousnesse ●ather Rea. How proue you that Reli. Is it not proofe enough to proue that it concerneth his endlesse glory if it 〈…〉 remember thy selfe what I haue said already thereof before this directory in the margeant shal bring thee to the place Moreouer we may proue it thus God sa●eth his chosen by the death of his sonne 〈…〉 r so is it written in the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians But God should haue saued no man in his sonne if there had béene no sinne but rather the Holy Ghost might haue tould a lye Ergo in respect of Gods ordinaunce it is iust that man is a sinner Againe it is greatly to the glory of God that he sheweth mercy to sinnere but if sinne had not beene man should haue néeded no mercy Ergo in respect of Gods glory it is good that man is wicked finally it is greatly to the glory of God that he doth iustlye punish sinne but if there had béene no sinne at all his iustice had béene vtterly vnknowne o● obscured Ergo in respect of GODS glory it is necessary that sinne be in th● world Reas By this reckoning wilt thou mak● sinne no sinne Reli. Not before it ceaseth to offen● God in the breach of his commaundement But I say yea and that well aduised that in respect of the glory 〈…〉 God it is good that sin should be and better thē good if better may be as it is wr●●ten in Exodus I will harden Pharao 〈…〉 heart and hee shall follow after you an● I will be glorified in Pharao and in all his hoast and in his Chariots and horsemen Neuerthelesse I assure thée that sinne of the owne nature is so monstrous that it deserueth some name more odious then sinne because the de●ilements thereof haue in such wise bespotted the nature of man that the sluces of Heauen are opened thereby and the iudgements of God daily powred down vpon vs which is well verified in that generall ouerflowing of the world Reas But if sinne be good in respect of God whose glory is wrought and euill in respect of the workes how commeth the difference Reli. How oft shall I answer this question thou knowest that mans or●●●nall nature was sound whereof could 〈…〉 ●me none but sound frute but after ●hat nature was corrupted by wilfull 〈…〉 sobedience from thence must néedes ●ring the rotten frute of sinne so that the difference came by the wil of man 〈…〉 d so consequently resteth in man till 〈…〉 h time as hee is regenerated being 〈…〉 en by imputation clothed with the 〈…〉 ghteousnesse of Christ Rea. But God him-selfe the soueraigne worke master is said to worke all things Ergo he worketh sinne Rel. If by the same worke of his thou meane his almighty power that vphou●deth the world and all things there in without which nothing can containe i● selfe I graunt that euill things are wrought by God that is to say mediatly or by the same power because no thought of wickednesse much lesse any execrable action could burst out if he would take away that life and strenght that he lendet● men which presume to play the rebell● against him but if by the working ●● sinne thou dost suppose the hand of God to be imediately stretched forth to per forme any wicked action or else that sinne happeneth by his together working with sinnefull instruments first I den● the consequence for it is faulse and s● condly I condemne it for the most wicked of all blasphemies my reason is this the name of sinne cannot agrée with GOD who is the soueraigne root● of all righteousnesse the nature of sinne cannot once lay hould thereof because it is vnchangeable nor yet can the paine of sinne touch that thing that is not faulty and yet of necessity should all these follow against God laying his hand to iniquity therefore I conclude thus the name the nature nor the paine of sinne are any thing accidentall to the nature of God but all these thrée are bred fostered and found in the soule and flesh of man Ergo man is not the instrument so much as the cause of sinne Reas It seemeth therefore that the worke of the instrument and the worke of God vsing the instrument goe not alwaies ioyntly together Reli. This doubtlesse is very true for the worke that should alwaies be ●●t one in the opened will of GOD is often times made two-fould by the worker yet GOD by his power working in all ahings worketh alwaies well and is glorified and the iustruments not regarding his commandements but obeying their owne lustes ●oe alwaies worke ill and are iustly punished Reas Yet of the contrary part I thinke that the worke of God in the good and the worke of the good by vertue of the Holy Spirit which worketh in them are euer one Rel. I graunt it for so farre doe they worke together that God doth worke in them to will and performe the good workes of the Holy Ghost and they for the assurance of their well working doe guide them-selues by the light of his word So then maist thou perceiue that although by Satan and the most wicked men the iust decrées and councels of God are executed yet are they thereof for the most part ignorant and because they obay them-selues not regarding the will of God their workes are made dooble Of this we haue spoken some what before by the example of Ioseph his bretheren Pharao and the Caloées punishing the disobedient Israelites but that notable example of our Sauiour Jesus Christ doth yet make it more euident to our vnderstanding Christ was the good instrument out of whome God wrought the pardon of our transgression who before lay fast bound vnder si●nne This instrument at all times and in all things shewed himselfe obedient to the will of his father whereby it is manifest that he alwayes wrought wel with him but on the other side what bloudy butchers were the Jewes which in themselues did cause the worke of God to become double Christ being a pure innocent without one spot of sinne and such a one as neuer gaue offence did they crucifie not regarding any thing that had bene told them by the Prophets Wherby neuer the lesse it came to passe that GOD performing that thing by them which before all worlds he had appointed to be done did excéeding mercifull and well and they yeelding to theyr owne tyranny committed the most horrible murder that euer was Rea. Well then to make an end of prouidēce tell me I pray whereto shal we ascribe y● fal of the first man I mean whether to Gods enforcing or to his for saking Reli. Doublesse his falling from God ought simply to bee imputed to Gods for saking for if we say that GOD did

standing so much vppon the fouly slippers of theyr wisedom gray heads would thus ouershoote them-selues which so farre forth as in them lyeth do make God a contemptible changeling Religion more vncertain thē the Lesbian rule tye themselues to the continuall slauery of theyr own deuice theyr maister the man of Rome yéelding theyr whole contemplation to the works of darknesse Alasse with what blind spirit are these poore soules vexed that will haue theyr Pope and the Church of Rome againe exalted that take away the playne Doctrine of faith and iustification in Christ and teach a fayth solted vppe in an Idle fancy saying that we must beléeue of Christ as theyr Church beleeueth because theyr Church beléeueth as they beléeue But if we demand what they or theyr Church doe beléeue the next way for vs to know is euen to get looke for doubtlesse they know not neyther can they tell vs. Truly howsoeuer they cotten y● matter with deuout countenances or coragious bragges with perswasions of the time past or the scarcety or iniquity of the time present or with the outward face or visor of theyr charity theyr estate is lamentable it fareth with them euen as with butchers that vse to blow vp their flesh that it may seeme bigger they are grubling so much in the myre of theyr own desart to the world ward that they forget or neglect all that true religion and seruice they owe vnto God For note this well where is that Papist in all the world that will not sooner bid vs behold his charity towards his neighbour then his integrity in the worshipping of God So that charity béeing the vnderseruant to religion and a second thing required they make it the head-stone of the corner and the foundation wher-vpon they build all theyr righteousnesse vnto saluation Truly we dare not deny that in respect of the world wereit not depraued the Papist hash som good matter in him because his déeds doe often times extend to the benefit of GODS Church And euen in this I write in the gréef of my conscience wherin I call the Lord to witnesse shall they condemne many professors in the day of visitation that are lewd speakers and lewd liuers altogether yet I say alwayes that in this his only poynt if fareth with him as with the Cow hauing giuen a iolly messe of milke that afterward doth spill it with hir foot For to they beare vs in hand that they haue many good workes and that they are continuall workers not because they are so commanded of God but rather because therby they will w●●●e out theyr saluation and purchase heauen Alasse it is a Crauen Cock that croweth no where but on his owne dunghill We know that all the good works of the world being done without loue are nothing worth and that theyr superrerogations being examined and theyr greatest workes of dignity next vnto them are found without loue mercy pitty or compassion But if it may bee accompted a déed of mercy to giue rich Altar clothes to the beutifying of Altars a déed of loue to build Chappels and Chauntries and a déed of pitty to go farre on knées to giue great gifts to shrines then are they passing full of loue mercy pitty and compassion otherwise they haue none at all at least that is acceptable For they pitty the pouerty of lime and stones them they cloath They pitty a sort of foule fat Priests infurr'd gov●nes and them they decke with golden Copes and supply in all other theyr vanities and Idlenesse as if it were a good déed to grease a fat hog in the tayle But where is the loue and compassion of theyr poore brother all this while I will say no more let them that fare the better for these and such other good workes praise them but yet Let them beware they sinne not there in like vnto these are theyr Idols which executors vse to giue after men be dead that liberality is idle hauing no good intent and the reward rotten that is payd backe againe which is Lord haue mercy on the soule of this charitable dead man O grosse folly where is the loue that should make this deed acceptable if we should speake generally of al theyr works they are euen drosse and more shamefull vices then these if more may bee for I say and yet not I but the holy Ghost if they be not done in loue springing out of the bowels of true fayth they stink before y● face of God Yea but they wil say they haue al loue mercy pitty compassiō Yea but how can this be true ●● Let it be granted y● they giue many gifts to the poore that they hely to defend the widow to harbour the fatherlesse to cloath the naked to féed the hangry c. 〈…〉 ● They do not these things 〈…〉 of the néedy but to getto 〈…〉 she ●nspeakable benefit of saiuation this is loue indeed I graunt but is it not the onely loue of them selure For I lend or giue a man a hundred pounde because I would gaine a thousand or a thousand because I would gayne tenne thousand whome loue I my poore neighbour hauing néed of mée or my selfe O blindnesse that seeth not these euills nay twise O blindnesse that doth not sée more then this what is it to say that we are able to saue iustifie our selues before the tribunall seat of God but to reproue our most wise God of folly doltishnesse in that without need hee sent Jesus Christ his welbeloued Son by so great torment as he indured to deliuer vs from the bondage of sinne And what is it else but to contemne the vnspeakable loue of our sauior who being a God so mighty y● King of all Kings and the only Prince of all worlds disdayned not to take vnto him the contemptible shape of a seruant and to beare the burden or all our sins euen vnto the death of the vile and shamefull crosse that hee might present vs blamelesse before his father Which grosse opinion so outragiously blasphemous some Papists at this ●ay waxing halfe ashamed of and daring not so broadly to maintaine will seeme to qualifie with a poore shift of deskant And because very infants or fooles in this light of the gospell for which the Lord be praysed might otherwise point at them for their folly they ar contct not to be priue Christ of his dignity altogether and therefore doe attribute some part of iust fication to him the rest to them-selues Surely this is scarcely so good a recompence as hauing cracked his crown to giue him a plaster for except som insufficiency were or might iustly be foūd in him what madnes should moue them to intrude themselues into his office But if these enter commoners with Christ though they séeme to haue retayned a certaine blinde modesty be heedfully examined in truth they doe but practise to delude themselues and vs hauing no mind to deale with Christ