Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	great_a	lord_n	sin_n	25,125	5	5.0495	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93711	A voice from Heaven: or, The words of a dying minister, Mr. Kayes, in the county of Kent, at the town of Sundrage, eighteen miles from London, neer Westrum, a market=town in the same county: delivered before those who were then in his chamber severally present to the things he spake, who dyed as he foretold himselfe, the 19. of November, 1644. Master Rogers, Master Rogers his sister, Richard Thomas Yeoman, the wife of Iohn Overy, the wife of one Ford, Master Pain the elder, Master Pain the younger, Mistresse Kaies the sister of Master Kaies, the brother of Master Kaies, Master Saltmarsh minister in the same county, Nicholas Crosse, the son of Master Crosse. Set forth by Iohn Saltmarsh, Preacher of Gods Word in Kent, at Brasteed.	Saltmarsh, John, d. 1647.; Kayes, Mr., d. 1644.	1644 (1644)	Wing S506; Thomason E19_12; ESTC R16000	6,495	8

A Voice from Heaven OR The words of a dying Minister Mr. Kayes In the County of KENT at the Town of SUNDRAGE Eighteen miles from LONDON neer WESTRUM a Market-Town in the same County Delivered before those who were then in his Chamber severally present to the things he spake who dyed as he foretold himselfe the 19. of November 1644. Master Rogers Master Rogers his sister Richard Thomas Yeoman The wife of Iohn Overy The wife of one Ford Master Pain the elder Master Pain the younger Mistresse Kaies the sister of Master Kaies The brother of Master Kaies Master Saltmarsh Minister in the same County Nicholas Crosse the son of Master Crosse Set forth by Iohn Saltmarsh Preacher of Gods Word in Kent at Brasteed LUKE 16. 31. Neither will they be perswaded though one arose from the dead I conceive this Relation fit to be printed Charles Herle London Printed for Robert White and are to be sold by Giles Calvert at the Sign of the Spred-Eagle neer the West-end of Pauls 1644. To the Ministers in this Reformation both in the County of KENT and elsewhere in the Kingdome who have not yet laid down the mixtures and superstitious formes in the pure worship of GOD SIRS SOme of you know the meetings we have had with this deceased Brother and the purpose still of all our disputings as your selves well know ended only in this that you would lay by the formes in practise and strengthen the hands of our godly brethren in the Reformation but we could not prevaile upon you either our Arguments were too weak or your corruptions too strong my fellow Ministers in these Arguments were Mr. Sheifield of Turnbridge in Kent Mr. Marshall Minister Mr. Steed Minister in the same County godly and faithfull men but now you may heare an Argument stronger then ours the words of your dying brother which I had concealed from the world had not the Lord sent down a beam from heaven into the deceased to give testimony against these mixtures and corrupt formes And what am I that I should withstand God And here I am sorry that you were not present to have seen and heard you might have seen one whom you knew well speaking with a power more then his own For it was not he that spoke but our heavenly Father which spoke in him you might have seen the picture of one in another world a copy of the Resurrection as if God had raised him from the grave to bear witnesse unto the truth you might have heard such expressions as are not to be heard from Pulpits words that were spirited more then ordinary as one having authority and not as the Scribes and here I shall repeat them but that heavenly accent they had from him I cannot my prayer is that this paper may breath out his last speeches so effectually to the world that all but those whom neither the Arguments of the living nor dying can convince may be perswaded to go to the fountain of living waters and only to him who hath the words of eternall life His sicknesse at first was rather an indisposition of body yet it weakened him in a little time and prevailed every day upon him he had some better dayes which he thought to be symptomes of recovery I did visit him sometimes and I found God had sanctified his sicknesse and he cast out some words to me of improving himself more in the wayes of God and the power of godlinesse on the last day of his sicknesse I went to see him by meer a Providence found him in bed he was slumbering and when I spoke to him he returned me this answer That he had called for a blessing and now would apply himself to rest for he thought the danger of his feaver was over so I left him for that time but I had not been an houre from him when word came to me that he called for me when I came I found him sate up in the bed and speaking very strongly his understanding clear and apprehensive his memory firm and faithfull his senses active and waking his speech sounding not like a voice in this world and thus he spake in the presence of divers Master Kayes his severall speeches YOu see here a dying man I know I must die I shall only live till morning you may conceive what you will but it is all in vain I shall continue thus as you see me till morning but I shall then die oh I shall go down to the grave and be no more oh I shall die I shall go to the earth I am not here to live let me die oh my sins are great oh Lord Jesus receive me Justice sayes smite Mercy sayes no my delights and pleasures in the week day soon wasted what I had thought on in the Lords day and resolved I resolved if God had spared me life to have gone on in a more holy way then I have done I have not gone on throughly with the word of God if the Lord had spared me life I would have shewed them the grounds I trusted too much to my own memory I have not used the communion of Saints here but Lord thou hast many to save thou mayest cast me off as a poor stinking Goat but Jesus Christ is willing to receive those that come to him but I have no full assurance yet but what do I talk of conscience a poor vile wretch as I am Yet Christ Jesus the righteous he is willing to receive I had resolved to have gone on in the power of godlinesse and have laid the foundation of godlinesse but God hath cut off my thread of life and I shall be no more but now Satan is vanquished the blood of Jesus Christ hath drownd my sins and will swallow them up God doth hold in my soul yet free grace nothing but Iesus Christ my soul shall rest with the spirits of just men I have loved Disputes that did not profit now the daughters of musick cease and they that look out of the windows begin to grow dark Wife reade the Scriptures more I have put them off sometimes do not use your fathers forms go on in the power of godlinesse nothing but the power of godlinesse Master Salmarsh I desire not the pomp of a funerall Sermon but that you will tell my people of the power of godlinesse and stir them up and quicken them to it see that a godly and faithfull Pastour come after me and that he come in the rightway Divers prayers he intermingled with these speeches and he prayed with me and at the last prayer made with him he said my soul is exceedingly comforted the Lord hath spared my life to be comforted thus in prayer here I left him resting and towards morning he drew neerer the grave and said to some about him they would not let him go the right way but would have him on the left hand to heaven a good warning to some then neer him who may do well to

observe it and come up more to the Power of godlinesse then they do and about day he died that very time he had told on so much having assured both himself and us all of his death about that hour Observations I shall observe some few things concerning him and his speeches In the beginning of his weaknesse he left off the formes of Common prayer he used more then before whence I observe these mixtures in the worship of God must needs be uncomfortable and unwarrantable which dare not abide the triall of a grave II. He used but little of these formes of late for he had almost layd them by before his sicknesse and yet so much as he used was a burthen now we may observe that it is no dallying nor trifling in the worship of God and the least mixtures will be thorns and briers in the conscience of a tender Christian when he gives up his accompt little sinnes will be great ones at that day III. He spoke still in the assurance and full perswas●on of his death and the time of it an evidence not ordinary to departing souls as if God had raised him up higher then others to see his grave and to argue from heaven for the power of godlinesse IIII. His speeches carried a strength and spirit in them more then naturall and deeply pierced the better affected that were present and could not but convince the other We may observe that the children of God the neerer they come to Glory the more of it they take in and their last breathings are purest and strongest V. The time of his perswasion that he should die was after the slumbers he had Thus God did as it were awaken him from another world and truly all the words that he spake were me thought like the words of one that had ingaged himself to dye when he had reported something he had to say from God to the world VI In the first part of his speech he sadly and passionately spake of his dying and his certain going down to the grave about the morning or very time he departed we may observe that the revelations of God concerning his purposes and decrees are unchangeable and have their just accomplishment in the things he foretells VII In the next passages of his speech you may see his spirituall conflict with sinne and sathan Iustice sayes smite mercy sayes no And here his words were like the words of one that had seen a vision of the attributes of God of his justice and mercy pleading for him and his carriage was like one that had looked onto see the issue of that glorious pleading in Heaven for a poor soul and here I observe further that while we are in this body of sinne justice will sparkle into the soul that mercy and free grace may be more exalted and thouh there be no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus yet the soul stands not alwayes in so clear a view of this free justification we see but in part and darkly as in a glasse VIII In his spirituall conflict we may observe by the interminglings of fears and comforts that God will have the souls of his to see what he could do against sinne and what in justice they might expect and yet in all these he holds forth so much of Christ as may bear up the soul and their comforts and faith work still higher then their feares and doubtings as we observe in his speeches for the free grace of Chr●●●●●d his assurance in that kept him above all IX In his reasonings he had with his own actions he could not find in the best of them any thing he could make up a soul cordiall on for speaking of conscience oh sayes he but what do I speak of conscience and thus he threw off his own righteousnesse as a menstruous cloath and nothing would hold out to him but free grace and Christ Iesus there only he grasped and held as you may see in his expressions X. He was sorry that he lived not to perfect some holy resolutions in his ministery in the Power of godlinesse We may observe that when good purposes are kept too long at home God lets them not stirre abroad when they would it is good performing while it is in the power of the hand to do it XI He was much grieved that he sought no more the Communion of Saiats as he sayes here below we may see that the neerer any soul draws to the communion above the more they see into the precious societie of the Saints below and the communion here and we see it is a comfort to a soul that they can be here in the Kingdom of grace with those with whom hereafter they shall be in the Kingdom of glory this would be well observed by those who account slightly of godly meetings or cast notions of Scandall or Conventicle upon them XII It grieved him that he spent time in disputes that did not profit when the soul is preparing for another world no other thing can give it any proportionable comfort but something that hath more communion with glory the purest and highest learning and reasonings are but vanity and vexation of spirit the soul that is for Heaven finds no advantage in any thing but what hath the Power of God in it to salvation XIII His speeches did much tend to the advancing the Power of godlinesse in his ministery if God did restore him we may observe that the emptinesse of mans inventions in the worship of God are then only discerned to be emptinesse and folly when the soul is neerest God and most spirituall no wonder that mixtures and formes of men in the ordinances of God are so little discerned by so many Neuters and Malignants for the more carnall they are the darker is their judgement in the things of God he that is spirituall only discerneth XIV He spoke against the formes of his father in Law who it seemes is not now of so pure a practice in worship who can desire a stronger evidence next to Scripture then the judgement of a Divine whose learning was now more gloriously sanctified from the immediate light of God to a clearer discerning though carnall reasons may plead strongly for mixtures and corrupt formes yet when Heaven opens to convince the soul and to argue against them which of them or their Abettors are able to appear against such an argument and mighty evidence XV He spoke against not coming in the right way into Benefices which corrupt Patrons and Ministers that are as easie to give as the other to take may do well to observe and all such who come in by other wayes of contract or bargain or marriage Symony I observe the severall expressions in his speeches give a clear and undeniable testimony to these Scriptures I. His certain perswasion of his death and the very time to this Scripture Joel 2. 28. I will power my spirit upon all flesh and your sonnes and your