Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	heart_n	incline_v	law_n	17,044	5	8.6886	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51254	Breach upon breach, or, An acknowledgement of judiciall breaches made upon us, procured by sinfull breaches found amongst us with instruction, admonition, and encouragement yet to turn to him that smites us : as the sum of it was delivered at the funerall of Mr. Jeremiah Colman, late preacher of the Gospell at Hetherset in Norfolk, February 18, 1658/9 / by Tho. Moore, Junior.	Moore, Thomas, Junior.	1659 (1659)	Wing M2598; ESTC R9514	106,307	114

BREACH upon BREACH OR AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF Judiciall Breaches MADE UPON US PROCURED BY SINFULL BREACHES FOUND AMONGST US With Instruction Admonition and encouragement yet to turn to him that smites us and the sum of it was delivered at the Funerall of Mr. Jeremiah Colman late Preacher of the Gospell at Hetherset in Norfolk February 18. 1658 9. By Tho. Moore Junior If they shall confesse their iniquity And that they have walked contrary to me and I also have walked contrary to them Then will I remember my covenant and I will remember the Land Levit. 26. 40 41 42. If any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profitted me not he will deliver his soul from going downe to the pit and his life shall see the light for he hath found a Ransome Job 33. 24. 27. 28. For this cause vide not so discerning the Lords Body that was broken for us as to examine and judge our selves in the light thereof many are weake and sickly among you and many sleepe for if we would judge our selves we should not be judged c. 1 Cor. 11. 28 29 30 31 32. LONDON Printed by J. B. for the Author 1659. The Epistle to the Reader THis our beloved Brother deceased had his conversation in times past among a people zealous about some lighter matters of the Law as to outward order and discipline in the worship of God while yet neglecting the weighty matters as judgement and the love of God ernest in building Churches but slighting if not as there is too much cause of jealou●y of many of their builders refusing that stone for the foundation and head of the corner which God hath laid in Sion for that purpose too much like though it may be hoped not so much out of order as Israel of old who when forgetting his maker And counting the great things of his Law even Christ the end of the Law and the knowledge of God in Christ and his righteousnesse the things witnessed in the Law and Prophets as a strange thing were yet zealous in building Temples and multiplying Altars and sacrifices Hos 8. 11 12 14. with ch 6. 6 7. Psal 118. 22. Math. 21. 42. and 23. 23. Luk. 11. 42. Act. 4. 11. with Isa 28. 12. 16. and 29. 11. But God who is rich in mercy for the great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins and ●respasses and that he might thereby shew the exceeding riches of his grace to others inclined his heart more dilligently to enquire into the great things of his Law or doctrine summed up in the testimony God hath given of Christ and gave him to perceive the faithfulnesse of that saying that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners By the light of which he karned to relinquish the former apprehensions he had of Christ and so of other persons and things after the flesh or as that teacheth and to account losse and dung for Christ and for the excellency of the knowledge of him such things as before were gain to him that he might farther win him and be found in him And so in receiving his word as the word of God and not of men Christ as testified in the scriptures the son of God the Saviour of the world became precious to him And having tested that the Lord is gracious to whom comming as to a living stone disalowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious he also as a lively stone was therein built up in him and so made of the spirituall house and holy Priesthood to offer up spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ the love of Christ constrained him with much earnestnesse to perswade and beseech others to be reconciled to God and to seeke help in the name of God in Christ to warne the unruly comfort the feeble-minded support the weake to be patient towards all men in meeknesse instructing them that oppose themselves and to encourage and stir up such as had believed through grace to abide in him as they had received him and to provoke them to love and good works and so to help forward and strengthen the hearts and hands of the fellow-helpers to the truth As one that had his heart seasoned with those principles of certainty and truth that one died for all so effectually with the father that all have died in that death of one as all have sinned and death passed on them in and by the sin of one And that he therefore died for all that they which live in their severall ages by the grace of God bringing salvation to them as it doth to all men in due time should not henceforth live to themselves but to him that dyed for them and rose again knowing also in this knowledge of the greatnesse and truth of Gods grace in Christ to manward the unspeakable terror of the Lord against those that will not know him but are contentious and do not obey the truth or by an evil heart of unbelief depart from him and go on in their trespasses and backslidings till the day of grace pass and the master of the house be rissen up and have shut to the dore And in this his earnest seeking the good of all and the edifying of the Body of Christ he was much stirred up esp●cially in his latter days to press for more fellowship in the Gospell with them that did know and acknowledge the grace of God in truth and so callon the Lord out of a pure heart And that such should joyn together as the heart of one man for the promoting that designe To which purpose he moved it as of great advantage and very necessary that brethren in the Gospell should often gather together as they might have opportunity frro● divers parts to consult one with another and together with the Scriptures and the testimony of God concerning Christ as contained in them how they might walk and strive together in more joint order for for the faith of the Gospell This though much upon his spirit to his latter end Yet was too little considered by us Our generall dulness and loss of our first love by wandering out of the way of understanding made us insencible both of the advantage to be s●●●net within such endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond if peace and so seeking the Lord and his things and therein the things and good of others after the due order and also of the necessiry of it especially in these evill times It seemed to me that Gods removing this instrument in the midst of his days and while his spirit was so earnestly set for the promoting and carrying on so good a worke and yet it was so little apprehended or considered by us had in it a great reproofe of our dulnesse and a loud voice signifying necessity of timely listening to it to awaken us to righteousnesse in this particular that standing up from the dead Christ

or other 3 Union of way for promoting this design working and walking together in the same work and way of the Lord speaking or doing nothing through strife or vain glory but truthing it in love so as seeking and striving to walk together in setting forth commending cleaving to and leading others unto the same one Lord and so the one faith and the one baptism that is of and by him and the glory of God as shined forth in his face unto and for all things and in teaching all things therewith Seeking I say to walk together in this way of understanding in their several gifts administrations operations c. studying and striving each of them and together in the light and strength of the Lord to speak the same thing and to be perfectly joyned together in one mind and one judgment that there be no divisions c. 1 Cor. 1. 10. and chap. 12. 6 12. with Ephes 4. 1. 15. And so 4 Union of accord and agreement such as in which all things by each one are sought to be done in charity and with the advice consent prayers and helpfulness of their brethren in the faith and patience of Jesus that they may be blessed out of the house of the Lord and grow by that which every joynt supplyeth and to that purpose the younger submitting to the elder and all of them one to another in the fear of God And so there is in it 5 An union of fellowship one wi●h another and that in personal society and companionship for fellowship in the Gospel and ordinances thereof for acquainting our selves with the joys and griefs of one another for stirring up and exhorting to love and good works not forsaking the assembling of themselvs together as the manner of some is who are sensual not retaining the spirit This of personal society with them that call on him out of a pure heart is to be prized and embraced as one of the choicest outward mercies and blessings of this life and of greatest advantage to the one thing needfull and to be striven for in all our seekings namely the faith of the Gospel and therefore the opportunities God gives for it with diligence to be apprehended and improved See Psalm 84. and 122. Acts 2. 42. 46. Hebrews 10. 23 24 25. with chapter 3. 12 13. And in communicating on with another by and diligent improving the helpfulness that we may enjoy from such persons as afore-said by that meanes when personal converse or society with them cannot be enjoyed Till I come saith the Apostle to Timothy give attention to reading c. Signisying That when the Apostle should be personally present with him it might be of more use and advantage to Timothy to apply himself to personal converse with him and to attend to what he might personally hear and receive from him But when opportunity for that is denyed the reading searching and studdy of the Scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles and so the reading and considering the writings of such as have that lap of knowledge fore-mentioned the Word of God and testimony of Jesus and searching the Scriptures of truth whether those things be so and in such wise attending to those helps to our understanding and usefulness of the Scriptures and great things of Gods love con●ained in them that we may injoy from such persons is in the next place of great advantage and usefulness to the promoting these our main affairs Onely here be we admonished by the words of the wise given forth from one Shepheard That as no man can gather Grapes of Thorns nor Figgs of Thistles so neither can we expect to reap any good fruit or advantage but loss and pollution to the corruping our minds and manners from evil communication or the communication about the things of God from evil persons or such as love not the Lord Jesus Christ nor have that lip of knowledge that word of reconciliation in their hearts or mouths or in some measure having it yet are not so subdued by it to let fall their imaginations and high thoughts of comprehending and making out those things of the testimony of God by the wisdome of man or of this World and by the words which mans wisdome teache●h not willing to become Fooles in themselves that they may have all their wisdome and strength in that evidence and demonstration of the Spirit that is in the testimony of Jesus The discourses or writings of such even of such as the last though they the best and most to be respected of the several sorts mentioned because they have in some measure the testimony of God though not subdued by it they seek to comprehend and declare it by mans wisdome or words as 1 Corinthians 1. 17. and 2. 1. 4. and 3. 18 19 20. 1 Timothy 6. 21. which makes that even such helps of either sort are little helpfull to those that through Grace have believed or to the convincing the ignorant and gain-sayers because they make it not their business nor doth their excellency lye there plainly to shew and demonstrate by the Scriptures Jesus the Christ and so other things in that demonstration of him by the Scriptures and so leave it on mens Consciences as his word and in his name But rather to shew and demonstrate those things by strength of reason or excellency of wisdome and of words which mans wisdome teacheth Compare the fore-mentioned Scriptures with Acts 18. 27 28. Those seeming helps may occasion to us much bodily exercise and such kinde of study as is a wearisomness to the flesh but the profit gained by them is but little and for a little while And if time were spared from such discourses and readings as in which chiefly the excellency of wisdome and of words is shewed in declaring and for demonstrating and making out the testimony of God we might have more to spend better and in more free and diligent attention to those helps that might be indeed helps and profitable to us But how much more are we to go from the presence of such soolish men as have not the lip of knowledge so soon as we perceive it to cease to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge because not onely they are in themselves polluting but also that with more diligence and earnestness we may continue together in the Apostles Doctrine and sellowship striving together for the faith of the Gospel that in nothing we may be terrified by our adversaries When the wicked did gather together in bands and were therein more powerful to do mischief to rob and rend from David he then resolves to be a companion of all those that fear the Lord and of those that in their fear or worship keep his way his precepts as of great advantage to strengthen him against the bands of the wicked Psal 119. 61 63. So in the latter dayes when there are of those many sorts of walkers who are enemies to the Cross

of the truth of his love and faithfulness for the carrying on his work in what remains in giving with his Son whatever is needful to the finishing his work unto the Day of Christ And therefore seeking at least to perfect that hope confidence rejoycing and strength to wait which was begun by the Spirit in and through the Testimony of Jesus seeking to perfect it by the flesh or according to its wisdome or desire and not waiting through the spirit for the hope of righteousness of faith 3 Nor yet are they seeking the Lord after the due Order who though in some measure comming in this incouragement and name having their boldness by the blood of Jesus to approach by that new and living way consecrated through his flesh yet are not found so drawing near with a true heart as in that full assurance of faith they are instructed and strengthned Hebrews 10. 19. 22. James 4. 8. But still secretly hideing retaining or regarding some way of iniquity or Idol discovered and reproved If any man of the house of Israel do so God will answer them according to their Idols Ezekiel 14. 4 5. If David do so God will not hear him Psalm 66. 18. Yea whosoever hides his sin shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh findeth mercy Proverbs 28. 13. Psalm 32. 3 4 5. Yea this hiding of our sin and secret holding fast any deceit unwillingness to be made sencible of it and have it discovered and purged it hinders of profitable and orderly fellowship one with another and so of the advantage and benefit of that and to be met with in that way for cleansing us from all unrighteousness See 1 John 1. 7. 9. Comparing the Verses we shall find That walking in the Light as he is in the Light hath in it a confession of our sins in the belief and acknowledgement of his Name in Christ the true light as he is in the Revelation and opening of it discovering and reproving them And that this is the way to have hearty and profitable fellowship one with another and so to injoy together those special influences of the vertues of his Blood cleansing us from all unrighteousness Yea 4. The want or wilfull neglect of this last viz. fellowship together in the Gospel is disorder enough to fill us with confusion and make all our seekings unprofitable If we should think to seek the Lord with a full Spirit in the instruction encouragement and acknowledgement of his name in truth and yet forsake the assembling of our selves together as the manner of too many is or neglect the advantages we might have in the fellowship and help of our brethren out of an imagination that we stand no need of such help or can receive no increase by or through them or are able to stand alone and manage our affairs in the Gospel that concern our selves and other as well of our selves and without such advice and help of brethren as we might enjoy and can or may as well understand the wondrous things of Gods law contained in the Scriptures by our selves as together with the the helpfulness of our brethren that are one with us in the faith and patience of Jesus If I say we should any of us entertain and listen to any such vain thoughts we deceive our selves For two is better then one because they have a good reward for their labour if they fall the one will lift up his fellow Bnt woe to him that is alone c. Again If two lye together there is heat But how can one be warm alone And if one prevail against him two shall with-stand him and a three fold Cord is not easily broken Eccles 4. 9. 12. For where two or three are gathered together in his Name there is he in the midst of them Matthew 18. 20. And God hath so set the members in the Body that the chief strongest or most eminent cannot say to the more feeble or inferiour oves I have no need of you that there should be no Scisme in the Body but that the members should have the same care one for another and that the whole body being fitly joyned and compact together from him who is the head even Christ might by that which every joynt supplyeth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part make increase unto the edifying of it self in love 1 Cor. 12. 12. 25. Ephes 4. 7. 15 16. We shall here add a word or two by way of particular application to our selves of what hath been hitherto spoken to this point That the Lord hath made a sad and very grievous breach upon us we have seen before and now have taken a view of some of those ways of iniquity that are the procuring causes of such judgements as they are expressed in this acknowledgement For that we sought him not after the due order Let us then search and try our wayes desiring God to teach us what we see not and make us willing to be sensible wherein we our selves have been and are polluted with any of these wayes of iniquity which indeed are such crooked pathes as in which who so walketh shall know no peace What I shall say in this application I shall rank under these three heads I Hath not such folly and iniquity been found too generally with us As when a price hath been put in our hands to get wisdome we have had no heart to prefer and prize it according to the nature and worth of it to accept and improve it with earnestness and diligence to the end for which it was put in our hands even to the provoking the Lord to take away what we had because in having we had it not And who can say his heart is clean How have we foolishly preferred things of least concernment Yea even for lying vanities the appearing beauty of which we have observed and let our eyes fly upon have we not even for them by such observing them neglected despised and forsaken our own mercies Yea even such as to whom the speaking of God by his Son through the ministration of this and other his servants hath been as a pleasant Song Yet have not they even while with their mouth they have shewed much love let their heart run after their covetousness pleasures and other lusts And even loved and preferred the praise of men before the praise of God Yea though Gospel convictions have been many times on our spirits yet how have we shunned the light Because our deeds were reproved by it smothering the truth of God in unrighteousness choaking the saving effecacy of it in our hearts with the deceitfulness of riches the cares of this life and the lusts of other things till we have it is to be feared many of us hardned our hearts to a hating instruction despising reproof not obeying the voice of our teachers nor inclining our ear to them that instructed us Yea even to a secret murmuring and indignation against