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	sin_n	transgression_n	3,082	5	10.1157	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85486	The right vvay: or A direction for obtaining good successe in a weighty enterprise. Set out in a sermon preached on the 12th of September, 1648. before the Lords on a day of humiliation for a blessing on a treaty between His Majesties and the Parliaments commissioners. / By W. Gouge.	Gouge, William, 1578-1653.	1648 (1648)	Wing G1394; Thomason E463_1; ESTC R202327	28,997	43

pleased to pardon it It was an earnest praier in this case that he poured out who thus praied For thy names sake O Lord pardon mine iniquitie for it is great Psal 25. 11. And again thus According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions Psal 51. 1. The other is that God would work in us repentance as he who thus praied Turn thou me and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God Jer. 31. 18. The more dangerous the temptations unto sin whereunto we are subject are and the more hainous the sins are whereinto we have fallen the more earnest ought our praiers in this case to be Judgements How judgements to be praied against against which extraordinary praier is to be made are such as are threatned and in that respect to be feared or executed and in that respect felt Against the former Ipse Dominus frequenter suam mutat sententiam Nam proposuerat percutere morte perdere populū sed postea rogatus à Moyse reconciliatus est populo suo Ambr Offic. l 3. c. 12. the King and people of Nineveh fasted and cried mightily unto God Jon. 3. 7 8. Thus was that doom reversed and judgment prevented The like may be done in a preparation to a judgment before it be put into execution Haman had prepared a terrible massacre to destroy all the Jews but before his cruell plot began to be put in execution Mordecai Esther and all the Jews Fasted three daies together Esth 4. 16 17. Thus the execution of that judgement so prepared was prevented Execution of judgement may be considered either in the beginning or in the full accomplishment of it A judgement was begun when the Philistims were gathered together to Mizpeh but Samuel cried unto the Lord and the Lord destroied them before Israel 1 Sam. 7. 7 10. On Manasseh the judgement was executed to the full in that he was taken by his enemy bound with fetters and carried to Babylon but when he was in affliction he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly and so was freed from that judgement For he was brought again into his kingdome 2 Chron. 33. 12 13. As extraordinary praier in these and other like cases is to be made on our own behalf so also on the behalf of others Moses his mighty praiers by one of which God was moved to say Let me alone and in another Moses himself was moved thus to say If thou wilt not forgive their sin blot me I pray thee out of thy book c. were made in the behalf of others Exod. 32. 10 32. Weighty grounds there are to presse this point of extraordinary praier in extraordinary cases Reasons for extraordinary praier 1. 1 Thereby is shewed how we are affected with Gods dealing with us We shew thereby that we take notice of Gods foot-steps that is of his carriage towards us and of his dealing with us 2. We give evidence that we are answerably affected In that according to the need wherein we stand of his favour we doe the more earnestly seek it and the more heavily we feel his hand lying upon us the more deeply we are humbled and doe the more earnestly desire that it may be removed from us Surely such a disposition cannot be but very acceptable unto God God much approves those who prize his favour and blessing above all other things and who are much grieved upon the apprehension of his displeasure against them Now extraordinary praier for obtaining his favour and blessing or for removing his wrath and judgements gives proof of such a disposition Nonne oratio sic tepida est vel potius frigida pene nulla ut neque hoc in nobis cum dolore advertamus Aug ad Simplic l. 1. quaest 2. There are many who like mill-horses still going round in their usuall tract content themselves with an ordinary manner of praying and never take the occasions which by the divine providence are offered for extraordinary praier So cold are their praiers and livelesse as they are never troubled at the fruitlesnesse of them but think all is well in that they are not such Atheists as never call upon God These plainly discover that small or no notice at all that they take of Gods dealing with them Yea they doe further discover a senslesse and wretched disposition in that they care not to use the means that are sanctified for obtaining the good things whereof they stand in need or removing the evils which lie heavy upon them Thus it comes to passe that they want many blessings which otherwise they might have and lie long under many judgements which might have been removed if the fore-said means had been duly used 2. Another ground to presse extraordinary praier in an extraordinary case 2 Extraordinary praier is extraordinary powerfull is Gods usual dealing with men according to their dealing with him Ora fortiter dic Deo In necessitatibus erue me Tunc finiuntur istae necessitates Aug. Nedib ep 71. even according to the manner and measure of seeking this or that of him Praier more then ordinary is more then ordinarily powerfull Instance this in my Text for thus it is said ver 23. We fasted and besought our God for this and he was intreated of us Many and admirable have been the effects of praier and fasting recorded in Gods Word and those sometimes for preventing or removing great judgements and sometimes for obtaining or regaining singular blessings Proofs hereof you heard before This in generall I dare boldly affirm That praier and fasting being rightly used was never used in vain but some speciall and extraordinary effect followed thereupon Though that particular for which David praied and fasted and lay all night upon the earth namely the life of his sick childe were not granted 2 Sam. 12. 16 18. yet was not that extraordinary means which he used in vain For 1. That humiliation supplication and afflicting of himself was a service warranted by Gods Word and acceptable unto God 2. Though God restored not to the childe his naturall life yet he bestowed upon it eternall life which may be inferred out of these words which David used to comfort himself I shall goe to him 2 Samuel 12. 23. 3. God gave him another son and that of the same mother a Salomon a Jedediah 2 Sam. 12. 24 25. A Prince of peace beloved of the Lord who by Gods appointment succeeded David on the Throne It is observable how the Lord had respect to Ahabs humbling himself before God for thereby he was moved to put off the judgement denounced all his daies 1 King 21. 29. True it is that hypocrites have thus expostulated this case with God Wherefore have we fasted and thou seest not Wherefore have we afflicted our souls and thou takest no knowledge But the fault is there laid upon themselves Isa 58. 3. That they fasted for strife and debate c.

through mans ordinary abuse of the goods of this world Christ stileth them Mammon of unrighteousnesse yet he adviseth us to make to our selves friends thereof Luk. 16. 9. They are necessary for the very being of our bodies Life health strength are preserved by them They may be a means of continuing the Ministery of Gods Word and Ordinances among us and we by them may be many waies helped even about the service of God These are the distinct Instructions which this text affordeth They are many and weighty It cannot be expected that I should handle them all at this time in any large manner I will therefore collect one generall observation wherein the main scope and drift of the text shall be set forth and which shall comprise under it most if not all of the points before noted It is this In a matter extraordinary The generall Doctrine extraordinary means must be used To shew that this doctrine is the main intendment of my text two things are to be demonstrated 1. The Case that it was extraordinary 2. The Means that they were extraordinary Each of these may be made manifest in seven particular branches a piece 1. These Jews were in a strange land The extraordinary case of the Jews So is the land of their captivity stiled Ps 137. 4. where thus they say How shall we sing the Lords song in a strange land 2. They were at this time captives for notwithstanding this and a former return from the place of their captivity they were even after this counted and called children of the captivity Chap. 10. 7 16. 3. The name of a Jew was odious among the Heathen Many envied them for their religion and professions sake When Zerubbabel went to Jerusalem he found adversaries Ezra 4. 1. when afterward Nehemiah went he found those who much envied that there was a man come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel Neh. 2. 10. Haman could suggest to the King of Persia That the laws of the Jews were divers from all people and that it was not for the Kings profit to suffer them Esth 3. 8. Yea many laid wait for Ezra and his company in the way vers 31. 4. They had no outward guard of horse or foot for Ezra was ashamed to require of the King a band of souldiers and horsmen to help them against the enemy in the way because they had spoken unto the King saying The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him vers 22. Thus they engaged Gods honour in this case which maketh it the more extraordinary 5. Of themselves they could not go the right way Their seeking this of God implies as much 6. They had the care of many little ones lying upon them This made their case the more difficult 7. They had a great charge with them as their own cattel and goods and a great summe of silver and gold which the King and his Councellours had freely offered unto the God of Israel and store of vessels for the service of God v. 33. Chap. 7. 15. Do not all these particular circumstances make their present case to be more then an ordinary case Answerably the means which they used were extraordinary as is evident by a like number of particular instances 1. A publike Proclamation was made to call them all together The extraordinary means which the Jevvs used and to give them warning before hand that they might come prepared Proclamations use not to be made but in weighty matters 2. A Fast was enjoyned Fasting hath been before noted to be an extraordinary act of piety 3. For want of a Synagogue or a Temple they continue their fast in the open air by a river side This was more then usuall 4. They extend their fast to afflict themselves that they might sensibly feel it 5. They do it not in appearance only but really in truth before God 6. They do not only wish for what they needed but they earnestly seek it of God 7. They plead a speciall relation betwixt God and themselves in this phrase OVR God Lay together the particulars of their Case and of the Means that they used and you shall finde the one and the other to be extraordinary yea you may also observe all the particulars of the text couched within this doctrine In a matter extraordinary extraordinary means must be used This course hath Gods Church taken throughout all ages Extraordinary cases 1. Obtaining or regaining blessings in all manner of extraordinary cases and that 1. For obtaining good things 2. For removing evils and both these about spirituall and temporall publike and private matters For good things extraordinary praier hath been made when Saints and servants of God have seen them needfull then to be granted or when they have been withheld or when they have been withdrawn and taken away This may be exemplified in sundry particulars Moses earnestly praied for a good Governour to succeed him Speciall blessings extraordinarily praied for Numb 27. 16. Christ spent a whole night in praier immediately before his chusing of Apostles Luk. 6. 12 13. The Apostles ordained Elders in every Church with praier and fasting Act. 14. 23. The Church fasted and praied when Barnabas and Saul were separated to the work whereunto God called them Act. 13. 3. The like course should be taken by us in ordaining Ministers and setting Officers in their severall places yea and in enterprising weighty affairs of more then ordinary concernment Much more ought this course to be taken when desired and expected blessings are withheld This was Hannahs case which mov'd her to weap and fast and pour out her soul before the Lord 1 Sam. 1. 7 15. Most of all is this to be done when blessings are withdrawn and taken away especially if they be spirituall blessings The sensible presence powerfull assistance and sweet comfort of the Spirit being withdrawn from David upon the great sins which he committed in the case of Bathsheba and her husband he penned the one and fiftieth Psalme which manifesteth an extraordinary wrestling with the Lord to have those blessings restored to him again His wrestling in this case was like Jacobs who would not let the Lord go unlesse he blessed him 2. Preventing or removing evils Gen. 32. 26. Hoc est totum quod dicitur malum i.e. peccatum poe●a peccati Aug. de ver relig c. 11 Evils against which extraordinary praier is to be made are sins or judgements Against-sins such praiers are to be made to prevent them or redresse them For preventing sinne Christ commandeth his Disciples to watch and pray that they enter not into temptation Mat. 24. 41. By temptations men are drawn to sin By being freed from the temptation or assisted and supported in the temptation sin may be prevented Gen. 20. 6. 39. 7 8 c. For redressing sin after we are fallen into it two things are to be praied for One that God would be