Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	grace_n	great_a	sin_n	12,671	5	4.8839	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09967	The fulnesse of Christ for vs A sermon preached at the court before King James of blessed memory. By Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie, Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.	1639 (1639)	STC 20224; ESTC S111967	15,862	70

lie in no knowne sinne that God bearing witnesse to our consciences we have a full and resolute purpose not to doe the least evill nor to omit the least good in a word that we make our hearts perfect with God in all things for without this there is no remission of sinnes then they are not beyond the price that was paide for them nor beyond the grace of him with whom we have to doe because there is fulnesse in him Now I beseech you take not this exhortation in vaine For there is nothing more effectuall to heale a rebellious heart to instill soveraigne saving grace to cause a sinner to change his course then to be perswaded that he shall be taken to mercy and that his sinnes shall bee forgiven in Christ. Even as the thiefe while the Hue and Cry pursues him never returnes willingly Rebels and Pyrats while the Proclamation of rebellion is against them never come in but if there be a Proclamation of pardon yea of some great advancement if that be beleeved once truly that and nothing but that causeth them to lay downe their courses and become loyall and loving subjects so is it with poore sinners upon the apprehension of Christs willing supply Therfore let the fulnesse of the mercy of Christ moove us to lay downe our armes of rebellion and to chuse God for our God and to give our selves wholly unto him And thus I passe the fulnesse given to Christ. Now next view for whom it is It is for us That we may receive grace for grace Note that as there is a fulnesse of grace in Christ so is it for this use that all grace may be received As all starres shine in the light of the Sunne so doe all the Saints through grace received The Scripture is evident for this It is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe of his good pleasure Wee are not sufficient of our selves to thinke any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God So that all grace and all preparations to grace and all ability to accept grace is all from God and not of our selves whatsoever men dreame and that for these reasons Because nothing can work beyond the Spheare of it's owne reach the effect exceedeth not the cause Therefore it is impossible for corrupt nature to get supernaturall grace or to doe any action preparing inclining or bending the will unto it For as the water cannot heate which is an action above the nature of it untill an higher principle of nature be infused into it no more can meere nature doe any thing tending to saving grace having no principle in it selfe whereby it can raise it Indeed to will is naturall but to will good is supernaturall and must needs arise from an higher Wels head then nature is For as an Hatchet will cut when it is handled but with a common hand but to make a Chaire or Stoole or like artificiall thing except it have the influence of an Artificer it cannot so though to will be natural yet to wil well to doe a supernaturall work in a supernaturall and holy way it cannot except it have the influence of a supernaturall agent to guide and direct it From this consideration arise two Corollaries to direct our judgments and practises First for our judgements this part shewes the errour of the Pelagians who ascribe the beginnings preparations and abilities of our accepting of grace to our selves and our owne free-will although the complement be of God But you see by that which hath been said that not onely the full streames but that every drop of grace hath beene received from his fulnesse This errour of theirs proceeds from their not distinguishing aright betwixt acquisite habits and those that are infused Indeed in acquisite habits the acts goe before the habits prepare for it But in infused habits it is clean contrary It is with them as with the naturall powers of the soul. We have first the faculty of seeing before we see and of hearing before wee heare so have we first the infused habitts before wee exercise the operations of it For as the wheele doth not runne that it may be made round so the heart doth not first doe the action whereby it may be set in a good frame but it is first fashioned and made a new creature by grace then it doth performe actions and bring forth fruits worthy amendment of life For that which is said of the soule it doth frame an house for it selfe and frame it selfe a roome is as truely said of grace it useth no harbenger for nothing can prepare for grace but grace If it be objected that such as Seneca and Socrates were much enlightened and did also approve the Law in the Inner man and had not onely an offer some way but had a certaine kind of universall and common grace This priviledge cannot be denyed to many of the heathen who as Alchimists though they misse of their end yet they finde many excellent things by the way So though they fayled of the right end of the glory of God yet were they not destitute of many common and excellent gifts wherein though one did goe farre beyond another as Seneca beyond Nero yet as they say of sins that they doe all alike passe the rule of rectitude though some goe further beyond it then others so were they all destitute of originall righteousnesse though some were more inlightened from it then others all are alike dead in sinnes though some as dead bodies were putrified and corrupted more then others Now to direct our practise If all grace be received then first deferre not repentance For no repentance is acceptable to salvation but what proceeds from sanctifying grace and that you see is received and given of God as he pleaseth It is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but he hath compassion on whō he will and whom he will he hardeneth As I said the spirit breatheth where and when he pleaseth Therefore we should doe as Millers and Marriners take the Gale when it commeth and make use of it because they have not the wind in a bottle Suppose a man were to passe the Seas in twenty dayes upon paine of death if the wind should blow the first second and third dayes no wise man would omit that opportunity because he knowes the windes are not in his power But if the spirit shall breath into our hearts good motions of turning to God unfainedly in our youth yeares of age or whensoever it is the greatest wisedome in the world to take the opportunity and not to put it off Who knowes whether ever it will be had againe or no How many thousands are in hell who thought to have repented and did not because they neglected the breathings of the spirit when they were offered There are certaine acceptable times after which God offereth grace

empty of other things so he be full of these to be a looser in other things so he be a gainer in this Such an one hath indeed chosen the better part which shall never be taken from him Secondly we should therfore answer the fulnesse of Christ with a fulnesse of affection fully to beleeve and trust in him fully to love and adore him fully to joy and delight in him For it is good reason that the affections should be answerable to the object A little excellency deserves at our hands a little love and esteeme more excellency more love but when there is a fulnesse of excellency wee ought to prosecute it with all fulnesse of affections All excellency of the creature in comparison of this is but a drop to the Ocean and as a sparke to the whole Element of fire If therefore we proportion our affections to the object which ought to be the rule and square of them we must bestow upon the creature but a drop of love and delight but the full streame of our affections should runne after Christ in whom is all the fulnesse of perfection It is true as men hide treasure from theeves under straw or some other base covering so God hideth this full excellency from the world under a base outside that his secret ones onely might find it and that others truely blinded might not see but stumble at it So he hid Christ himselfe under a Carpenters sonne so he hideth divine mysteries under the meane elements of Bread and Wine so the wisedome of God is hid under the foolishnesse of preaching and under sheepe-skinnes and goat-skins such as the world was not worthy of yet there is a fulnesse of excellency notwithstanding For if ever we saw beauty in the Sunne Moone Starres Men Women or any thing else all must be more abundantly in God who is the maker giver and Author of all these things As David reasoneth He that made the eye shall not he see and he that made the eare shall not he heare So he that made these things shall he not have them more eminently in himselfe For as the worth and value of many pieces of silver is in one peece of gold so all the petty excellencies which are scattered abroad in the creatures are united in God yea all the whole volume of perfections which is spred through heaven and earth is epitomized in him Why doe we not then with Saint Paul trample on the glory of the world for the excellent knowledge of Christ Why doe wee not with David turn our hearts eyes and affections from beholding vanities and pitch them all in him Why doe we not recollect our affections and gather up our thoughts which are scattered abroad and busied about a thousand trifles and bestow them all on him in whom is the fulnesse of all excellency beauty and perfection Thirdly let us also therefore be content with Christ having our hearts satisfied with him and his fulnesse First in regard of spirituall things goe not to the brooks of Teman the broken Cisternes of Rome as Saints merits Church Treasures and the like For if there be a fulnesse in Christ that needeth not In him we are compleat Secondly for temporall things be content with him alone for he is our fulnesse even in them also For the better conceiving whereof we must know that the first Adam brought a generall emptinesse over all the world For though the world be full of pompe and pleasure as Saint Iohn calls them the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life yet properly it is empty because it is not full of that which it should be Evē as we say a well is empty though it be full of ayre so all creatures if not filled with that they should be For emptinesse is not so much an absence of entity or of something that is but of that being that is due and should give filling to that which should be full Hence therefore not onely the heart of man but all creatures also are said to be empty Vanity of vanities saith Solomon that is emptinesse of emptinesse The whole creation is subject to vanity saith Paul that is to emptinesse Hence is it that the hearts of men are not satisfied with the world but as the Prophet speaketh they eate and are not full they drinke and their soule is empty because now the creature is as the Huske without the Graine the Shell without the Kernell full of nothing but emptinesse and being empty of it selfe cannot give us satisfaction But Christ the second Adam hath filled all things againe All in all that is not onely the hearts of men but the things also It is the neuter gender 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all and in all Hence we may observe that many find a want in the midst of plenty their hearts find no rest in all they injoy no satisfaction with the holy regenerate man it is much otherwise Though he have but a little wealth with a little food yet there is a fulnesse put into that little which maketh it fit to give him satifaction This is the meaning of that in the Psalme A small thing that the righteous hath is better thē great riches of the ungodly The reason is because that little being filled with the blessing of the second Adam Christ they find a fulnesse when the wicked find an emptinesse in their greatest abundance Lastly hence therefore issues singular comfort what though there be a fulnesse of sinne and guilt in us yet is there a fulnesse in Christ able to remove it and take it away A fulnesse of mercy to receive our supplications a fulnesse of merit to make atonement for our fowlest sinnes a fulnesse of favour to prevaile with his father in any requests If therefore there be a fulnesse of Christ as there is be not discouraged Though thy sinne abound yet if thou turne from sinne to Christ his grace abounds much more Thou canst not be out of measure sinfull as he is out of measure mercifull Remember but the two metaphors used in the Scriptures I will scatter your sinnes as a mist and they shal be drowned in the bottome of the Sea Now the Sunne by reason of his force can scatter the greatest mist as well as the least vapour and the Sea by reason of his great vastnes can drowne the mountaines as well as the Mole-hills So Christ by reason of that vast fulnesse that is in him is able yea forward and as willing to forgive the greatest sinnes as the least I say as forward and willing for mercy though it be a quality in us yet it is a nature in him now what is naturall there is no unwillingnesse nor wearinesse in that The eye is not weary with seeing nor the eare with hearing fit objects Therefore though our sinnes be never so great and many yet if this condition be observed that we