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	person_n	sinner_n	2,278	5	9.1104	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B15838	Tvvo sermons preached by Master Henry Smith: with a prayer for the morning thereunto adioyned. And published by a more perfect copy then heeretofore; Sermons. Selected sermons	Smith, Henry, 1550?-1591.	1610 (1610)	STC 22768; ESTC S117490	89,948	135

intertain him for their guest And Zaccheus no doubt was willing to entertain him for although Christ heard not the voice yet he heard the affection of Zaccheus inuiting him to dinner As therefore Zaccheus was willing to receiue Christ into his house so let vs be ready to receiue him into our hearts For as Christ said to Zaccheus This day I must abide at thy house so he saith to euery one of vs. This day I must abide in your hearts Wherefore as the prophet Dauid Psal 24. saith Open your gates that the King of glory may come in so I say vnto you Open your hearts that the word of God may enter in This day the word of God may abide in your hearts for this day the word is preached vnto you and who knoweth whether hee shall liue to heare it the next Sabbath To day therefore if you will heare his voyce harden not your hearts as did the Israelites lest if you harden Psal 95. your hearts his voyce be heard no more amongst you This day you may gather this heauenly Manna as the Israelites might gather their Manna six daies together Exod. 16. but to morrow perhaps and sixe daies after you may not gather it as on the seauenth day Manna might not be found The Lord grant that you may gather sufficient foode for the sustentation of your soules that as Elias the Prophet iournied in the strength of the meate that the Angell brought him euen vnto Horeb the mount of God so you in the strength of this spirituall meat which heere 1. Reg. 19. I bring you may bee able to passe through the dangerous waies of this troublesome world vnto Gods holy Mountaine the hauen of all happinesse whither he bring vs that hath deerely bought vs with his pretious blood euen Christ Iesus the righteous to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost three persons and one God bee giuen all glory and maiesty world without end Amen FINIS THE SINNERS Confession Pro. 28. verse 13. He that hideth his sinnes shal not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall haue mercy The Text. Luke 19. verses 6. 7. 8. 9. 6 Then he came downe hastily and receiued him ioyfully 7 And when all they saw it they murmured saying that hee was gone to lodge with a sinfull man 8 And Zaccheus stood forth and said vnto the Lord Behold Lord the halfe of my goods I giue to the poore if I haue takē from any by forged cauilation I restore him foure-fold 9 Then Iesus said vnto him This day saluation come vnto this house for asmuch as he is also become the sonne of Abraham YOu heard the last Sabboth how Zaccheus the Publican was called to be a Christian now you shal heare the fruit of his conuersion No sooner had Christ called him from the tree but that he came downe hastily receiued him ioyfully This was the fruit which it had in the heart of Zaccheus namely obedience to the voyce of Christ a fruit more pretious and acceptable vnto God than the most pleasant fruits which Eden yeelded and a sacrifice more sweet acceptable vnto him than al the sacrifices which the Law required This is the sacrifice wherewith the Lord is pleased euen when his voyce is obeyed 1. Sam. 16 22. The voice of the Lord is a glorious voyce mighty in operation diuiding the flames of fire shaking the Psal 29. cedar trees So the voyce of Christ is a glorious voyce his voice is mighty in operation diuiding the soule and the Heb. 4. 12. spirit and shaking Zaccheus from the wild figge-tree whereinto he had climbed The same God to whose command the windes the sea the diuels and death it selfe obey heere commandeth Matth. 8. Zaccheus to come down at once and he commeth downe hastily to receiue him into his house and hee receiueth him ioyfully As Zaccheus could not come at Christ till he was called so no man can come to Christ Iohn 6. 44. except the Father draw him And as Zaccheus could not choose but come when he was called by the voice of Christ so when any man is called effectually by the preaching of the Gospel he cannot choose but come to Christ for where there is an effectuall calling there is grace giuen also to obey the same Rom. 8. 30. The Lord is faine sometime to call vs often because we know not the voyce of him that calleth vs as he called Samuel three times before hee answered because at that time Samuel knew not the Lord 1. Sam. 3. 7. But as soone as he vnderstood that it was the Lord that spake vnto him he replied presētly Speak on Lord for thy seruant heareth So when the Lord calleth any man effectually by the preaching of his word all the parts and powers of his body doe yeeld their obedience the care listeneth the tongue confesseth the heart beleeueth the head deuiseth the hand performeth the foote runneth the eye directeth and all concurre To doe thy will O God P. salme 40. 7. Such and so effectuall is the voyce of Christ in the hearts of his chosen that it maketh Saul of a bloody persecutor to become Paul a painefull Preacher it causeth Acts 9. Math. 4. Peter of a silly Fisherman to become a catcher of men and Zaccheus here of a vile Publican to become a zealous Christian And such also is the nature of the word preached wheresoeuer it pleaseth the Lord to giue successe and encrease thereto that it is able to transforme the minds of men to beget faith in the harts of Jnfidels 1. Cor. 3. 7. and in a word to saue such as are ordained to eternall life Acts 13. This is the power of the word of God euen to cause a consenting to the truth thereof and this is the property of the children of God to yeeld all obedience Rom. 1. to the word of God As soone as Christ calleth Zaccheus he comes downe presently like the light in the creation that was made as soone as God said Let there be light Heere therefore of Zaccheus that obeyed the voyce of Christ let vs learne obedience to the voice of Christ sor as Christ biddeth Zaccheus to come downe because he was too high so he saith to euery one of vs Come downe because we are too high minded But with vs the voice of Christ is not so effectuall as it was with Zaccheus for he was content to come downe at the first bidding but we must be often bidden to beware of pride ambition and yet we wil stil be climbing There are few so high that are content with their calling but as Haman was alwaies aspiring till he came to the gallowes Hest 7. so many amongst vs are alwaies climbing till they catch a fall Againe as Christ said to Zaccheus To day I must abide at thy house So Christ saith to vs To day my poor afflicted members should receiue some succour

their guiltles blood which is powred forth in euery place without all compassion shall pull downe hasty and sudden vengeance from heauen vppon the heads of those vnmercifull cormorants vnlesse while this time of mercy lasteth they shew mercy to their distressed neighbours Thus you haue heard how Zaccheus behaued himselfe in entertaining of Christ now you shall see the behauiour of the Pharisies in disdaining at Christ When all they saw it they murmured saying that he was gone in to lodge with a sinfull man Before they hated Zaccheus for his vices because he was couetous now they enuy him for his vertues because he was giuen to hospitalitie For the wicked will alwaies haue something to finde fault with in the children of God like the sonnes of Iacob Gen. 37. that hated their brother Ioseph because of his dreames and like Saul that vnhappy King that enuied Dauid for his happy victories 1. Sam. 18. 29. Thus the wicked when they cannot charge the godly with anie grieuous crime they beginne to grudge at their well doing and therefore not onely Zaccheus is hated for receiuing of Christ but Christ is hated also for beeing his guest When they could not accuse Christ for sinne they accuse him for companying with sinners For they must still be accusing some or other for one thing or other like their father the diuell that both by name Reuel 12. 10. and by nature Job 16. 7. is a continuall accuser of the brethren It had beene the dutie of the Pharisies to haue receiued Christ and made much of him as Zaccheus did but they are so far off from entertaining him themselues that it greeueth them to see Zaccheus giue him entertainment And surely such is the peruerse nature of the wicked that they will neither receiue the grace of God when it is offred them nor willingly suffer any other to embrace the same like the wicked Iewes Acts 13. 50. that would neither beleeue the doctrine which Paul preached nor could abide that the Gentiles should be brought to the faith of Christ The high Priests thought themselues too high to haue poore humble Christ amongst them The Scribes and the Pharisies in their owne conceit were too good too wise and too holy to receiue him into their company and not content to sequester and estrange themselues from Christ they disdained also that he should be conuersant with Publicans and sinners as though he were not worthy to be conuersant amongst them If it were the office of Christ to conuert sinners why should the Pharisies be offended at him if he were sometimes Mat. 9. 13. conuersant with sinners to work their connersion If Christ were a Physitian to cure the sicknesse of the soule that is to saue the people from their sinnes why Mat. 9. 13. should the pharisies murmure at him for keeping of company with Zaccheus that was sicke in soule for as it is expedient for the Phisitian to visit his patients for their better recouery so it was conuenient Christ should visit sinners for their speedier conuersion But as the Phisitian that resorteth vnto sicke persons is not straitway infected so the soules Phisitian that conuerseth with sinners is not thereby polluted And therefore as Christ performed his office though the Pharisies murmured so let the ministers of God learne by this example to performe their duties though the wicked be offended It was the office of Christ to call sinners to repentance yea hee came to call Pharisie sinners as wel as Publican sinners if the pharises would haue confessed themselues Luke 18. to be sinners as the Publicans did but because they stood so much vpon their owne righteousnesse and despised others therefore Christ denounceth so many woes against them and preferreth the penitent Publican that Matth. 23. trusted in the Lords mercy before the proud Pharisie that trusted in his owne merits Though Paul was a Pharisie and the sonne of a pharisie yet hee shameth not to confesse himselfe one of the Acts 23. 6. chiefe sinners that Christ came to saue So if the Pharisies that murmured at Zaccheus would haue beene saued they should haue confessed themselues chiefe sinners as Paul did They should not haue accused Christ for 1. Tim. 1. 15. keeping company with sinners but they should haue accused themselues for not keeping company with Christ The iust man saith Salomon Pro. 18. is the first accuser of himselfe but the Pharises are so farre from accusing themselues that they began to accuse Zaccheus Christ together Thus the pharisies of our time that make religion a cloake to couer their corrupt dealing haue this property to thinke other men to be heinous sinners and themselues only to be righteous in so much as they will not sticke to speake like that proud people that was wont to say Depart from me for I am holier then thou and like the presumptuous pharisie Luk. 18. I thank God I am not as others are extortioners vsurers adulterers drūkards or such like I sanctifie the Sabbath which other men prophane I frequent sermons which they neglect J reuerēce the name of God which they blaspheme I pay tith which others withhold and fast oftentimes which they doe seldome or neuer These were the speeches of the Pharisies Mat. 15. 7. Luk. 11. 44. that liued in the time of Christ whom hee so often calleth hypocrits and these are the speeches of the hypopocrits of our age that seeme to liue after the straightest Luke 11. 1. Act. 26. 5. Mat. 23. 25. 27 sect of our religion Acts. 26. They wash the outside of the cup and of the platter that is they iustifie themselues and seeme maruellous holy in the sight of men which can discerne by the outward appearance only but vnto God that seeth and searcheth the secrets of the harts and reines they appeare like painted toombes full of dead mens bones and all filthinesse that is they haue their inward parts full of rauening and all kinde of wickednesse Wherefore as Christ said to his Disciples Except your righteousnes exceed the righteousnes of the Scribes and Pharisies you cannot enter into the Kingdome of heauen Mat. 5. 20. So J say vnto you that except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnes of these pharisaicall hypocrites ye cannot be saued These holy pharisies did vse to call the publicans not vsurers nor extortioners as they themselues were but by the generall name of sinners as though they themselues were free from sinne Thus the Papists at this day doe vse to call the most sincere professors of the Gospell not Lutherans Caluinists Zwinglians or Protestants as they were wont to call them but now they terme vs hereticks a name more odious then any other whereas in the meane season they themselues are of all others the greatest heretickes So the Atheists of our time when they cannot accuse the godly that are amongst vs of vsurie or briberie or extortion or drunkennesse or any such notorious sinne they call