Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	good_a	lord_n	spare_v	2,870	5	9.3705	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07204	The cure of cares or a short discourse, declaring the condition of worldly cares; with some remedies appropriated unto them Penned for the use of all, but is most proper for such as be distressed. By Henry Mason parson of S. Andrews Vndershaft London.	Mason, Henry, 1573?-1647.	1627 (1627)	STC 17605; ESTC S102308	30,687	60

complaine For say that God hath stricken us with sicknes yes but hee might justly have stricken us with death Or hee hath laied losses and wants upon us yes but hee might have left us without any ragge to our backs or crumme of bread for our bellies or a dropp of water to relieve our thirst Or hee hath suffered men to oppresse us and hale us into prison yes but he might have given way to the Devill to set upon us and hurrie us into hell And finally whatsoever wee suffer yet it is a great deale lesse then wee have deserved and then God might have laied upon us if he had rewarded us according to our sins And hence wee may have a good meditation for our comfort For in what distresses soever wee bee yet wee may bee glad that they are no worse And if our crosses seeme grievous to bee borne wee may cheare our selves in the Apostles words (c) 2 Cor. 4.8 9 Wee are troubled on every side yet not distressed wee are perplexed but not in despaire persecuted but not forsaken cast downe but not destroyed When Hezekiah considered this hee praised God for it (d) King 20.19 Good said hee is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken and Is it not good if peace and truth bee in my dayes which is as if hee should have said God might justly have laied this punishment both on mee and my children and his mercie it is that doth spare mee in mine owne person and deferre his judgment till afterward And the Church in the Lamentations (a) Lam. 3.22 It is of the Lords mercies that wee are not consumed because his compassions faile not And so considering that all our crosses are farre lesse then our sinnes and that God hath mingled much mercie in our afflictions wee have great cause to blesse God that our sufferings are so casie when our deservings have beene so badd 5 Fiftly and lastly Meditat. 5 amidst our solicitous cares for the world we may thinke whether we have not greater cause of taking thought for our soules which yet doth seldome and little trouble our mindes For example say we have lost our goods or offended some great man or endangered our liberties and lives and this filleth us with anxietie and care Yea but have wee not lost some measure of Gods Spirit or offended the Lord of heaven and endangered our soules and salvation And where is the thought that we take for these things This Meditation may either serve to shame us for our worldly mindednes and that wee have so much care about these transitorie things or it may serve to worke in us a greater care for our soules and if that once bee increased our care for the world will in a like proportion be decreased with it These be the Meditations with which if we busie our selves when occasion shall require they may help to avert our minds from musing on our worldly griefe and may mitigate those cares that doe too much possesse our hearts And thus much may serve for this third rule which is to meditate on such things as may perswade to patience and equanimitie IIII. Rule 4 A fourth and last rule is that in all our pensive thoughts wee goe to God for comfort and still unloade our cares into his bosome by praier and supplication For if wee cast them upon God God will ease us of them Nor will any man think that hath not tryed it how much this course may availe to the quieting of a distracted soule and that either because having done his dutie hee may comfort his heart with the conscience of it or because having referred himselfe to Gods mercie hee may well hope that God will support him But what ever the reason bee certaine it is that Hannah gained great ease by it It is said of her (a) 1 Sa. 1.6 7 8 that being upbraided by her adversarie for her barrennesse she wept and did not eate and her heart was grieved Here was her care and thought-taking for want of children But then (b) ver 10 11. in the bitternesse of her soule she went and prayed unto the Lord and wept sore Here Hannah cast her burden upon the Lord and unloaded her cares into his bosom And then thirdly it is added after all that having done her prayers (c) ver 18. she went her way and did eate and her countenance was no more sad Where wee may see that shee had no sooner prayed but she was cheared she had cast her burden upon God and that cased her heart And so if wee by hearty prayer cast our burden upon God that will bee a readie way to unburden our selves And therefore when cares take hold on us in stead of musing wee should fall to praying And then (d) Philip. 4.7 the peace of God which passeth all understanding will preserve our hearts and mindes through Christ Iesus These bee the Rules it now remaineth to applic and make use of them for our selves And that wee may doe two waies 1 If wee have any cares upon us alreadie wee have hence direction how to worke them out and that is by opposing them as they do arise and by diverting our thoughts upon better objects and by considering what end the Lord maketh of such occasions and lastly by unloading our cares into Gods bosom by supplication and prayer And if thus wee finde not present ease yet wee must still waite for many have missed of help because they have made too much haste Of Abraham wee heard before that hee tooke his sonne and the knife and the wood and the fire and went his three dayes journey that hee might sacrifice his sonne where God had appointed and after hee had gone all the way and staied all the time and was now at the last cast of killing his sonne then and not till then hee found Gods help in the topp of the mount But now suppose that Abraham either wearied with the journey or ouercome with griefe or despairing of future help had turned back againe after a dayes journey or two Or say hee had sate himselfe downe at the foote of the hill and with impatient cries had bemoaned his uncomfortable condition what may we thinke would the issue have beene Sure it may well bee supposed that by detaining his sonne he might have lost him but certaine it is that by staying at the foote of the hill he had not found God in the topp of the mount And so if wee make too much haste and will not expect Gods time wee may outrunne Gods providence and faile of his protection and mercie But if wee holde on in using the meanes and resting on Gods worde wee shall in the end finde the Proverb to bee true In the mountaine will the Lord be seene 2 If dangers bee towards and when are they not wee may hereby learne how to prepare for them and how to arme against them that they may not affect us with immoderate cares when they come And that is that wee setle our selves aforehand so to deale in all our occasions as the wise husbandman dealeth in his businesse He diggeth and dungeth and ploweth and soweth and when hee hath done his daies worke betaketh himselfe to his nights rest and leaveth the growing of the corne and the ordering of the weather to Gods care and providence And so should wee resolve to doe For example thus If sicknesse shall befall us wee will goe to the Physician for counsell and use such druggs and diet as may bee convenient and provide such Attendants as may supply us with necessaries and this is as the sowing of our seede and when this is once done then we have done our dayes worke and therefore will laie our selves downe in peace and let God alone with the issue in whose hands only it is And the like course wee should resolve upon in all other the like cases if wee shall bee slandered by foule mouths undermined by cunning heads oppressed by potent neighbours endamaged in our worldly estates or whatsoever other crosse wee shall meete with wee will first sow our seede and then take our rest first use good meanes and then trust God with the successe and hee that hath promised help before wee did aske will not faile to peforme it when wee thinke not on it And if thus wee prepare our selves before the crosse commeth wee shall be the more free from cares when it is come For nothing is more availeable then courage in such cases and a resolution aforehand will by Gods help make us stedfast when the storme is upon us nor will God bee wanting to afford us his help if wee bee not wanting in using of the meanes For that belongeth to us also which was spoken to Solomon Vp be doing 1 Chron. 22.16 and the Lord will bee with thee Now the God of all mercie and goodnesse guide our hearts in the doing of our duties and blesse our labours with successe and comfort and so free us from cares of the world that we may serve him without distraction all our dayes Amen FINIS

up nor any left nor any helper for Israel The meaning is as I take it that there was none left and reserved from the common calamity nor any other that might help them in this misery 2 Because God hath a speciall communion with his people so that (c) Isay 63.9 in all their affliction hee professeth himselfe to be afflicted and that (d) Acts 9.4 he that persecuteth them persecuteth him and that (e) Zach. 2.8 he who toucheth them toucheth the apple of his eye And therefore the more they are afflicted the more himselfe suffereth in them and consequently the readier he will be both to succour them and to ease himselfe 3 Because when men are destitute of all help and hope and have neither friends nor meanes then God may gaine the greatest honour by their deliverance for it will then appeare to bee his worke So S. Paul saith of himselfe and Timothy that they were (f) 2 Cor. 1.8 9 pressed out of measure above strength in so much that they despaired even of life and that therefore they had the sentence of death in themselves that they should not trust in themselves but in God which raiseth the dead And the same Apostle saith of himselfe that God resused to free him from the buffettings of Satan at the present because (a) 2 Cor. 12.9 his strength was made perfect in weaknesse And wee reade of Gedcon that God would not save him from his enemies by an armie of two and thirty thousand men but he did save him by three hundred And the reason is given in the text (b) Iudg. 7.2 Lest Israel should vaunt themselves against God and say Mine owne hand hath saved me The meaning is that if they should have conquered when they had a great armie they might have ascribed the victory to their owne strength but if with an handfull of men they should overcome a great hoste of enemies all men might see that it was Gods doing and not their owne endeuour that got them the victorie And thus God doth use to doe still hee leaveth men to struggle with the crosse when their wants are but small and the meanes competent to provide against them but mans extremity is Gods opportunity when they have no power then hee sheweth his and when all helps and hopes from men do faile them then is he ready with reliefe from heaven that his power and strength and mercy may bee seene And hence we have an excellent meditation of great comfort For if our distresse be small our care for it should not be great and if our case grow desperate and remedilesse in respect of humane help then the Iudge is at the doores and then God is even at hand to relieve us and then may wee comfort our drooping soules as the Apostle did the afflicted Hebrewes (c) Heb. 10.37 Yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tary 3 Thirdly Meditat. 3 it will not be unprofitable for easing of cares if amidst the evils that we suffer wee call to minde the good things which by Gods mercy wee do enjoy and if as we weigh our crosses by thinking on the greatnesse or grievousnesse of them so we lay in the other scale over against them the mercies that are still continued unto us For so wee may finde perhaps that our blessings do overweigh our crosses and therefore that we have greater cause to praise God that we are so well dealt with then to grudge or grieve that we are no better For example say that wee are sick or sore or maimed yet wee have meate and physick and attendance and a soft lodging which many others as good as our selves do want Or wee are oppressed with great ones or undermined by Conie-catchers or slandered by foule mouthes yet we have some kinde friends to comfortus and an obsequious family to observe us and a commodious house to dwell in al which may refresh us at home when we have beene molested abroad Or againe wee are impeverished in our estates and want meanes and maintenance and wee are crossed in our preferments and suffer repulse in our suites and are destitute of friends to supplie us but wee have soundnes of limmes health of bodie and a right and readie use of our senses so that wee can endure labour or serve in some places of employment and worke for the getting of an honest living Or yet againe say wee have all these crosses and none of the other comforts though who can say so truly yet we have the comfort of Gods word and peace of conscience and hope of eternall life and wee have God our father to protect us and Christ our Redeemer to pray for us and the holy Spirit of them both to comfort us and the blessed Angels to pitch their tents round about us and to guard us Or if wee have not these for our comfort it is our fault alone that we want them and then wee have greater cause to bee solicitous and carefull for the obtaining of these spirituall mercies then for the repairing of our worldly wants And hence wee have a meditation of great comfort For if wee consider our worldly state wee are not without the testimonies of Gods love towards us in many things but if wee looke upon our meanes of grace and our hopes of glory and Gods eternall favour in Christ then we have greater cause to cheare our selves against all worldly troubles For then as God comforted his people saying (a) Isai 30.20 Though the Lord give you the bread of adversitie and the water of affliction yet shall not thy Teachers bee removed into a corner any more but thine eyes shall see thy Teachers and thine eares shall heare a word behinde thee saying This is the way walke ye in it So may euery afflicted Christian comfort himselfe in the like manner Though the Lord have given mee bread of adversitie and waters of affliction though hee have laid on me sicknes or wants or disgraces or such like yet hee hath not taken from mee his Word his Sacraments his Ministers meanes of grace or peace of conscience or the light of his countenance and so I may have these it is no great matter though I want all other things For as David said (b) Psal 4.6 7. Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us and then addeth Thou hast put gladnes in my heart more then in the time that their corne and their wine increased so the Christian soule may say God hath put more cause of gladnes in my heart by the enjoying of his favour and the expectation of his glorie then if I had had corne and wine and oile honours and offices and preferments health and strength and libertie and whatsoever else appertaineth to the outward man 4 It may help to alaie our cares for the world Meditat. 4 if wee consider how God hath alaied and tempered these verie crosses whereof wee