Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	glory_n	prepare_v	vessel_n	3,783	5	9.2997	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08129	Certaine sermons, preached by the reuerend and iudicious diuine master Thomas Nevvhovse late preacher of Gods word in the citie of Norwich. And now set foorth for the vse and benefit of Gods people, by Robert Gallard, Master of Arts and minister in the same citie	Newhouse, Thomas, d. 1611.; Gallard, Robert.	1614 (1614)	STC 18493; ESTC S102789	66,753	182

good will That God that wet the fleece of Ged●●● with his owne dew Iudg. 6.38 powre downe from heauen the dew of his blessing vpon thy reading and replenish thine heart with such a plentifull measure of his grace that liuing here in righteousnes and true holines may hereafter haue thy part in that glorie and happinesse that shall be reuealed at the comming of our Lord Iesus Norwich Nouember 14. 1613. Thine in Christ Iesus Robert Gallard A SERMON WHEREIN IS OPENED THE MANNER OF Gods decree concerning Election and Reprobation 1. THESS 5.9 For God hath not appointed vs vnto wrath but to the obtaining of saluation by the meanes of our Lord Iesus Christ IN the three first verses of this Chapter the Apostle continueth in the argument of the last iudgement which hee had propounded in the latter end of the former wherein he signifieth vnto the Thessalonians that the time of the second comming of Christ should bee sudden and vnknowne vnto all especially vnto the wicked whom it shall ouertake vnawares and vnprouided Which thing he declareth by the example of the theefe who vpon the night when men least thinke of it breaketh vp another mans house and of the woman with childe whose trauell comes vpon her vnexpected In the 4. and 5. verses hee comforteth them against the terror of this sudden comming of the Lord intimating vnto them that there was no cause why they should greatly stand in feare of it considering they were not in darknesse and ignorance but enlightened with the knowledge of the truth and therefore were not the children of the darknesse and of the night but of the light and of the day whereupon in the 6.7 and 8. verses hee disswadeth them from securitie and perswadeth them vnto vigilancie and sobrietie And lest the enemie by his subtiltie should at any time circumuent them hee willeth them alwaies to bee in a readines furnished prepared and apparelled with the spirituall armour of Christian souldiers viz faith loue and hope This exhortation that it might take the better place he enforceth it by a reason taken from the end whereunto the Thessalonians in the decree and counsell of God were appointed to wit eternall happinesse the which is propounded in a discreet axiome on this manner God hath not appointed vs vnto wrath c. The words in themselues containe a description of the decree of Gods election First from the Author that is God Secondly from the obiect that is Paul and the elect Thessalolonians Thirdly from the nature that is an appointment or ordaining of them to the obtaining of saluation Fourthly from the principall meanes of execution that is the mediation of Iesus Christ Lastly it is amplified by the contrarie that is the decree of Reprobation which is also described to be the appointment of some vnto wrath Touching the meaning of the words they are very plaine I shall not neede to spend much time in the vnfolding of them For whereas the Apostle saith that God hath not appointed the meaning is God in his eternall and vnchangeable counsell and decree hath not appointed to manifest and declare his wrath for so by a metonimie of the subiect I take it wee are to expound the words in our iust and deserued condemnation but to make knowne the riches of his mercies in our free and gracious saluation and that by the meanes and for the merit of Iesus Christ This is the simple meaning of the words Only one doubt may be here made how the Apostle came to the knowledge of this decree especially touching the Thessalonians but the answer is readie that hee speaketh of them according to the iudgement of charity and not of certainty the reason hereof is plaine because diuers of the Thessalonians afterward fell wholly away from the faith and religion of Christ they did professe so that in the end they ceased to be a Church Now then that we see in some part the order and meaning of the words let vs in the next place come to the vse of doctrine and edification which they doe naturally affoord The first doctrine is generall out of the whole text to wit that there is a difference and disiunction of men in the decree and counsell of God some 〈◊〉 some reprobate some appointed to saluation some vnto wrath this point is cleere and euident out of this text though there were no other scripture to confirme the same where the Apostle sorts all men into two orders or rankes some whereof are appointed vnto wrath out of which number hee exempts himselfe and the elect Thessalonians and some to the attaining of saluation in which number hee rangeth himselfe with them And lest any man should doubt of the signification of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of the sense of it in this place let him reade Iohn 15.16 and Acts 13.47 where the same word is vsed in the same signification But for the fuller and more sufficient confirmation of this point compare the 2. Tim. 2.19 with Matth. 7.23 where it is affirmed of some The Lord knowes who are his which is the seale of their Election and of others our Sauiour Christ shall pronounce at the day of iudgement I neuer knew you that is acknowledged you for mine Rom. 9.22 there are vessels of mercie prepared vnto glorie and vessels of wrath fitted to destruction 2. Tim. 2.20 there bee vessels of honour and vessels of dishonour Examples also heereof are propounded in Iacob and Esan Rom. 9.13 Iacob haue I loued that is purposed to loue with an eternall loue but Esau haue I hated that is purposed to hate with an eternall hatred But against this cleere and receiued exposition many exceptions are made First it is alleaged that by Iacob and Esau wee are not to vnderstand their particular persons but their posteritie viz. two natiōs which descended from them of the Israelites and Idumeans for so the diuine oracle answereth Rebecca Genesis 25.33 Two nations are in thy wombe and the elder shall serue the younger which thing was neuer accomplished in the daies of Iacob and Esau but rather of the twaine Iacob was in feare and subiection to Esau then contrariwise But the text will not tolerate this exposition for it is absurd to say that two nations were conceiued at once and did striue together in the wombe of Rebecca vnlesse we consider them as they were comprehended vnder their heads to wit the persons of Iacob and Esau And whereas it is replied that Esau in person was neuer seruant vnto Iacob the answere is easie that Iacobs preeminence and priuiledges were not so much in temporall as in spirituall things and therefore proportionally Esau was debased to the condition of a seruant in respect of his younger brother not so much in his outward estate as in regard of the couenant made with his ancestors from which hee was iustlie for his prophanenes and vnthankfulnes debarred Againe though it were granted that by Iacob and Esau

it how much lesse contemned it many also liuing out of the bosome of the Church haue not so much as heard of the Gospell Besides Paul Gal. 5.20 numbreth vp many other causes of damnation besides infidelitie viz. all the workes of the flesh which make men as subiect to the wrath of God and euerlasting condemnation as the other and in the Lords prayer wee are taught to aske not the pardon of one sinne onely as of infidelitie but plurallie of many trespasses Yea though there were no contempt of the Gospell nor any positiue infidelitie the originall corruption of mans nature were sufficient to condemne all men Lastly the admitation wherinto Paul breaketh Rom. 9.20 O man what art thou that takest part to dispute against God! doth plainlie shew that the decree of God in reiecting some men hath an vnsearchable cause and doth not depend of any foreseene contempt of grace for so there might easily be rendred a reason of the decree of God Secondly if God hath appointed to reiect and passe ouer some men it is the dutie of euery one to labour to be assured that he is exempted out of the number of that companie 2. Tim. 2.21 Whosoeuer purgeth himselfe from these that is errors in iudgement and vncleannes in life may assure himselfe that he is a vessel of honour sanctified vnto the Lord and prepared to euery good worke And contrariwise to bee in the number of the elect obeying the counsell of Peter 2. Ephes chap. 1. vers 10. in vsing al diligence to make sure his election by the practise of a holie life The Disciples of our Sauiour Christ so soone as they heard this voyce vttered Matth. 26. One of you shall betray me presently began to equire among thēselues and to demaund of Christ whether it it were they or no carrying a holie suspition of their traiterous hearts so likewise hearing this voyce dailie sounding in the Church that there is a number of men in the counsell of God reiected which shal perish euerlastingly wee are to examine our estates and to make question whether it be we or not rather then curiously to search the reason of that which we cannot conceiue And if we shal finde his mercie to bee extended toward vs in preparing vs vnto glorie let vs acknowledge it with thankfull hearts make speciall account of it and magnifie the riches of his grace vnto vs. The last point followeth that is the end of this decree which is the manifestation of the glorie of his power and iustice Rom. 9.22 This also confuteth another error of the Lutherans that imagining God made all of mercie hold and teach that the end of all his counsels and decrees is to communicate his goodnesse and mercie in eternall happinesse to all his creatures But they are greatly deceiued for the nature of God is to be as iust as mercifull and therefore his decree must be answerable for it may not in any wise contrarie his nature Againe God is as good in his iustice the execution thereof as in his mercie Though therefore the Lord being goodnesse it selfe intend the communication of it vnto all his creatures yet not in like sort but after a diuers manner vnto some in mercy vnto others in iustice FINIS A SERMON WHICH SHEWETH HOW THE CHILDE OF God is neither subiect to the dominion of sinne nor total defection from grace 1. IOHN 3.9 Whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not for his seede rentaineth in him neither can he sinne because he is borne of God IT is the purpose and intent of the Apostle in this whole Epistle to confirme the faithful to whō he writ in the doctrine of the Gospell and the practise thereof specially in the maine and principall point of Christian and brotherly loue to the end they might bee well furnished with spiritual ioy and assured of their fellowship communion with God whereupon hee propoundeth vnto them these two points of faith and loue handling thē confusedly and by course passing from the one to the other Further he amplifieth both these by their contraries disswading them both from seducers and Idols and also from the loue of the world the hatred of their brethren hauing therefore made entrance in the two former chapters into this doctrine now hee proceedes in the same argument exhorting the faithfull in this third chapter to the studie of holines in generall and more specially to the loue of their brethren And in the first verse hee setteth downe the dignitie and excellencie of the children of God noting it to be a matter of singular preferment preeminence for a man to be called the sonne of God which sentence he further amplifieth by a Prolepsis wherein hee meeteth with the peruerse iudgement both of the world and also of the faithful seruants and children of God As for the iudgement of the world he insinuateth that it is to bee contemned because it ariseth of the ignorance of God in the end of the first verse As for the faithfull lest they should bee too much daunted and discouraged through the manifold afflictions and crosses whereunto they are subiect in this life he opposeth vnto their present miserable estate the future glorie and felicitie which certainly abideth them after this life which felicitie he defineth to cōsist in a similitude with God and in a perfect seeing of him face to face that is in immediate fellowship and coniunction with God verse 2. Now from the hope of this glorie and happinesse hee exhorteth vnto the studie of holinesse vrging the same by the example of God himselfe vers 3. which exhortation he illustrateth by the contrarie dehorting from sinne which is flat opposite vnto holinesse and that by diuers arguments First from the nature of it which is an anomie or transgression of the law vers 4. Secondly from the end of Christ his first comming into the world which was to take away sinne and to dissolue the workes of the diuell vers 5. and the latter end of the 8. Thirdly from their communion and fellowship with Christ in whom there was no sinne vers 6. Fourthly from the author of sinne who is the diuell whose societie is by all meanes to bee auoided vers 8. Fifthly from the efficient cause of holinesse that is regeneration vers 9. wherein are laid downe these two points First the description of the state and condition of a man regenerate by two arguments the first whereof is taken from his nature which is to be borne of God which is as naturall vnto him as it is naturall vnto a man to bee borne of his naturall parents the second is taken from the denied effect he sinneth not Secondly a reason for his seed c. In the latter end of the verse there is an inuerse repetition of the former branch with an amplification from the cause And this is the coherence and disposition of these words now let vs come to a more particular examination of them