Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	hear_v	lord_n	merciful_a	2,985	5	9.4011	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30957	The sacrifice a short sermon upon Psal. 51, 17, at St. Maries in Oxford, Sept. 3, 1637 / by Clement Barksdale ...	Barksdale, Clement, 1609-1687.	1655 (1655)	Wing B807; ESTC R38543	12,685	62

heard the voice of my weeping The Lord hath heard my supplication the Lord will receive my prayer Here is comfort Thus as I grounded Gods acceptation of our Repentance upon his Mercy so have I now setled our Comfort upon his Acceptation Because he is mercifull therefore he accepts us and because hee doth accept us therefore shall we find certain comfort These are for whose sakes this point is to be carefully handled weake Christians whose minds the extremity of grief hath so overclouded that they find not themselves in themselves they complain most bitterly of the hardness of their Hearts when their very complaints are a comfortable Argument that they are already broken they grieve for the totall want of grace when the presence of it in some measure is proved by their unfeigned desire and longing after it Such poor souls must be made to understand that Grace may work in the Heart which for the present perceives it not God like the Sun scattereth his influence further then his light and the Penitent Soul like the Moon in Conjunction hath the fairest side toward Heaven In Spiritual conflicts nothing is of power sufficient to uphold the fainting Soul but the Hand of Divine mercy Mercy can find no way unto us but through the wounds of Christ and the streams of our Saviours Bloud O wretched Man that I am cryes out the Apostle Who shall deliver me and in the next verse I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Our Lord is of a gracious and sweet disposition he underwent most grievous conflicts in his own person in the dayes of his Humiliation he knows the better how to succour us and he chose such to preach mercy to others as had themselves found most mercy namely Paul and Peter to the end that their examples as well as their Doctrin might speak comfort to distressed consciences When we consider the first fruits of those that came unto Christ the Publican the Harlot the Thief and the Blasphemer when we consider the comfortable Titles he hath assumed of a Head that suffereth in the lowest member of a Shepherd that hath care of his weakest Lambs of a Husband indulgent to his Spouse of a Physitian good at all diseases but especially the binding up of a broken Heart these things when we consider we cannot want Arguments to raise up the dejected Heart and assure the distrustfull that in the lowest degree of Humiliation he shall never be forgotten never be despised To draw to an end with a word or two of Exhortation 1. To all St. Peter hath honourd us with the title of Priesthood 1 Pet. 2. Priests you know should not be without their Sacrifices we cannot offer a more acceptable Sacrifice then this of a broken Heart Whether it be a morning Sacrifice offer'd in our Youth or an Evening Sacrifice offer'd in our Age God we are sure will not despise it Let us perform this Office of our Priesthood or never look to be partakers of the Kingdom It is indeed a hard piece of service and unpleasing such is the untowardness of our Hearts and such power have sensual pleasures over us but difficulty is not a curb but a spur to generous minds and remember Qui instat praecepto praecurrit auxilio He that urgeth us with his command leads us by his grace What should deter us when the Almighty is our aid Many oppositions and discouragements must the tender-hearted Man expect from this wicked world but let the Devil and the world conspire this is a faithful saying The Heart that is in Gods hand cannot miscarry Memorable is that speech of Adherbal in Salust to the Senators of Rome Ego sic existimabum P. C. uti Patrem saepe meum c. We may justly apply it to our case Our Fathers and Prophets our Lord and Master hath foretold by long experience wee have found it true as many as have with humble and Penitent hearts enter'd into a Covenant with God eos maximum laborem suscipere they have undertaken a laboursome and painfull profession sed omnium maxime tutus esse but they have safety for their pains no Mans security like to theirs 2. To the Clergy St. Paul Rom. 15. calls the Gentiles his oblation Ministers are Priests in an especial manner neither can we do better service then to offer unto God the broken hearts of our people God hath put fire into our Mouths to kindle those Sacrifices He hath put a Sword into our hands to pierce and cut the hardest heart Verily such is the temper of these times that piercing and cutting Scriptures seem most seasonable in the handling whereof we must endeavour to stir up in our hearers as St. Hierom speaks non clamorem sed genitum the sighs and tears of the Auditors best commend the Preachers eloquence nevertheless we must remember that the Holy Spirit descended as well in the shape of a Dove as in the likeness of fire and Spiritual Men must be no less meek then vehement Nil tam Spiritualem virum indicat quàm alieni peccati tractatio the discreet handling of a sinner is the Ministers Master-piece Men are prone to Sin the conscience must be awakened by the Law Men are prone to despair for Sin the conscience must be comforted by the Gospel We must so prudently mix and administer both Law and Gospel that hard hearts may be broken and broken hearts may be bound up To close up all The custom of the Ancients was to begin their Feasts with Sacrifice Our Spiritual Sacrifice of a broken heart what is it else but the introduction to a Feast the Feast of a good Conscience our onely comfort in this vale of tears and that other Feast at Gods Heavenly Table the consummation of our bliss in the life to come God of his mercy grant that we may all offer up this Sacrifice that we may be partakers of that Feast Amen Soli Deo Gloria An Advertisement WHereas one Master Collins in a Preface to a late Book of his pretends to answer some Arguments contained in a Letter of Master Barksdales published with the Dispute at Winchcomb the Reader is intreated to compare the places and judge whether Mr. C. hath not much mistaken Mr. B. and perverted his Reasons For Mr. B. saith not That the ignorant and scandalous are to be admitted to the Sacrament No He hath declared sufficiently in that Book his love of knowledge and of piety and of Christian Disciplin But thus That Ministers are not to be condemned for administring the Sacrament in their Congregations though mixed That is though after all the Ministers care and pains in exhorting instructing admonishing all and keeping back those whom he certainly knows to be notorious evil livers though I say after all his care some unworthy persons do partake of the Sacrament To this purpose the Reasons in that Letter are offer'd to his friend and much more is set down in those Papers Wherein He hath imprinted such marks of his desire and endeavour of true Reformation that he deserved not thus to be traduced by Mr. Collins as a maintainer of ignorance and scandal Let such writers hereafter use more candor and fidelity in reciting the opinions and reasons of other Men and sure we shall have more Truth and Charity amongst us As to the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let the eminent Doctor 's Annotation Jo. 13. 26. be considered And for polluting the Ordinance it is clear that the guilty pollute it onely to themselves not to the innocent either Minister or people Let this suffice at present for a return to Mr. Collins A CATALOGUE of what Books this AUTHOR hath published OBitus Elogia Doctorum virorum ex Historii Thuani Lond. 1640. The Authority of the Highest powers in matters of Religion out of Hugo Grotius Lon. 1651. Adagialia Sacra Novi Test ex Andraea Schotto Ox. 1651. Two Discourses of God and of Christ out of Hugo Grotius Lond. 1652. The Commonwealth of the Hebrews out of P. Cunaeus Lond. 1653. The Dispute at Winchcomb in Gloc. Lond. 1654. The Law of Warre and Peace out of Hugo Grotius Lond. 1654. And sundry little pieces for the use of young Scholars FINIS

a little breath of applause some minutes of delight I should so and so often by such and such sins offend so presumptuously against so glorious a God so undutifully against so kind a Father so ungratefully against so gracious a Redeemer The case of our penitent whilst he hath one eye fixt on Gods Majesty the other on his own guilt is pittifull beyond expression Da Christianum scit quod dico The entercourse between God and the Soul is truly known onely to the experienced Christian He alone conceives what it is to receive the word with fear and trembling with what affectionate longing and thirsty desires the Soul panteth and gaspeth after mercy choosing rather to hear of mercy then a Kingdom He that hath felt the smart of sin knows what detestation is due unto it and that there is no sorrow like unto that sorrow Ruben principium doloris mei as some read it Gen. 49. 3. Iacob calls Ruben the beginning of his sorrow non quod in nullo c. because all his former griefs were swallowed up in that which the Sin of Ruben brought him If anothers sin were so grievous how much more ones own So heavy is the burden of this sorrow that it presseth down the Soul well nigh to desperation it may be truly said that a penitents way to Heaven lyes near the Gates of Hell and Satan that at first playes the Serpent by fly temptation turns Lyon in our distress and endeavours by open force to draw us in But our comfort is that when we are cast down God hath not cast us off when wee walk through this shady vale he shal lead us forth to the Streams of comfort when our Heart and Spirit is broken and contrite then are we his Sacrifices then he doth not despise us So from the qualification of this Sacrifice in the words broken and contrite we are fallen upon Gods acceptance and esteem of it in the first and last words these are the Sacrifices of God these he will not despise III. The Sacrifices of God Sacrifices in the Plural to signify pro omnibus unum sufficere as Calvin notes that this one Sacrifice of a broken Heart is worth all Sacrifices of God not because he is the giver of what we offer although thats very true for what have we worth a giving which we have not first received but that 's not the meaning here the addition of God to Sacrifices is a mark of speciall excellency Thy righteousness is like the Mountains of God Psal 36. So the Margin hath expressed the Hebrew which the Text Interprets like the great Mountains so here the Sacrifices of God are the greatest and most excellent Sacrifices The latter words Thou shalt not despise are spoken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a figure very frequent Bethlehem not the least 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which indeed for our Saviours Birth in it was the greatest of all Cities And Saint Paul would have us most highly to esteem prophecying when he bids us not despise it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very same word here used by the Seventy by which wee must understand that God is so far from despising or setting at nought the Sacrifice of a contrite Heart that nothing can be more acceptable or precious in his sight God Almighty glorieth not in any Title so much as that of mercifull and gractous a Father of mercies and God of comfort and the Church could not possibly stile him better then a God whose nature and property is ever to have mercy and to forgive This is his proper work but vengeance is called opus non suum Esay 28. a strange work and not his own Behold here the true ground and reason of that Acceptance I speak of 'T is Gods goodness not the dignity of our Contrition that so commends it To talk of merit and satisfaction with the presumptuous Papist is no less unreverent then unsafe Let them beware said judicious Hooker who challenge to themselves a strength which they have not least they loose the cōfortable support of that weakness which indeed they have By the power of Grace say we our hard Hearts are broken and by the gentleness of grace they are so favourably accepted Yea such is Gods goodness that hee would bring us whole and sound to Heaven if it might be for he delighteth not in the death no nor in any pain or trouble of his creature not as it is absolutely considered but in regard of the end thereof so he is much pleased with it As the Physician is glad to see the working of his Physick not that he desires the pain of his Patient but his recovery or as a loving Husband desires his Wifes travel not for the pain she must endure but for the Births sake So is God affected as I may say in the travel of his Spouse the Christian Soul the pangs whereof hee willeth not for their own sake but for the new Births sake that cannot be produc'd nor reviv'd without them Well to return that the contrite Soul is an acceptable Sacrifice to God we cannot doubt My Dove that mournest in the Clifts of the Rock let me see thy Face Cant. 2. Our Face is never so fair in Gods Eye as when 't is washt with the tears of a Penitent Heart these Penitent tears Satan cannot endure nay 't is the conceit of one tolerabilius sustinet flammam suam quàm lacrymam nostram Satan can as little abide this Water of Repentance as the fire of Hell but God so much values and loves our tears that he hath a Bottle on purpose to preserve them in When we are least in our own eyes then are we most precious in his To this Man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite Heart Esay 66. 2. Nor doth he onely cast a favourable look upon that Man but vouchsafeth to make him his dwelling place For thus saith the high and holy one that inhabiteth Eternity whose name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble Spirit to revive the Spirit of the humble and to revive the Heart of the contrite Es 57 15 What comfort what glory is this to an humble Soul that she is chosen out for an habitation of the most high sure where God dwelleth by his gracious presence that place must needs be Heavenly so indeed is the penitent Soul what ere she seems God that dwells there doth not so hide his countenance but that the beams of comfort either mingle with the most bitter complaints of a broken Heart or at least in due time succeed them No better instance then David See him in the first of his Penitentials Psal 6. My Soul is sore vexed ver 3. I am weary with my groaning ver 6. Mine eye is consumed for very grief ver 7. There is sorrow plenty But hath the Lord no pitty in the next verses The Lord saith he hath