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	keep_v	lord_n	23,136	5	6.2454	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B07590	A winding sheet. Wrapped vp in a letter from an onely liuing brother, sent to his few suruiuing sisters. Denouncing vnto them the sad sentence of death and directing them how to bee prepard for the happie entertainment of it..	I. E.; D. W.	1626 (1626)	STC 7434.4; ESTC S126067	24,155	109

out of place or much hinder this most speciall and greatest care to make ready for Death drowning all thought thereof by their continuall buzzing in our hearts and eares and taking away our time by worldly employments which they will one after another without rest put vpon vs. Good-fellowes as they are misnamed and Ruffians cannot brooke the presence of sober and ciuill men nor will they admit of such into their Chamber where they intend to bee frolike and merrie or at least will not rest till they haue thrust them out of doores if by chance they bee amongst them As ill can worldly cares and pleasures consist and agree with spirituall and religious which they will eyther greatly disturbe or vtterly put out of place as whose fellowship is vnpleasing to them Nay to say truth godly thoughts and purposes cannot thriue and grow vp to their maturitie among worldly cares and pleasures Which as Thornes and Bryers ouershadow and choake vp the good seed of GODS Word sowen in the Hearts of men Luk. 8.14 Besides this vnspeakeable mischiefe how vnwilling doe they make vs to depart this Life when our time approacheth O Death saith one how bitter is thy remembrance to a man that hath pleasure in his Riches But how much more terrible is the presence it selfe of Death to such a one Did not the backwardnesse of the Guests which were inuited to the Kings wedding Feast come from hence euen from their worldly cares pleasures and businesse One had a Farme which hee must needes goe out and see Another had a yoake of Oxen to proue A third had married a Wife whom hee must Wayte on and a Family growing on him which hee must care for Luk. 14.18 c. Thus for one thing or other none could finde leasure or get their goodwils to come vnto the Feast that is to embrace the Gospell of IESVS CHRIST From the sound profession whereof if worldly profits and pleasures doe keepe vs when yet it doth permit vs soberly to vse and enioy the same much more will they make vs vnwilling to dye when wee must leaue all such things and appeare before our Iudge Almightie GOD to giue account how wee haue gotten and vsed them Is it not an ordinary complaint of men that Death doth come too soone vpon them And whence growes it but hereof that they are too much ensnared and entangled with the World For what doth the Young-man complaine of but that hee is taken away in the flowre of his yeares before hee doth know the world and haue thoroughly tasted the pleasures of it And what doth the Elder alledge but that hee dyes in the middest of much businesse and hottest pursuite of his game The one could bee content hee thinkes to dye if hee had well satisfied himselfe with the delights and pleasures of the world and the other if hee had brought about the world to his minde for his Wife and Children It is then a great let vnto our readinesse to remoue hence when wee step too farre into the world and hamper our selues with the affaires thereof Wherein also wee are deceiued by a vaine confidence that wee can at our pleasure and on short warning vnwinde our selues from these intanglements and rid our hands of them But how alas was poore SAMPSON beguiled with this conceit When suffering DALILAH to shaue off his lockes against his vow and to fetter him hee thought as at other times the Philistims assailing him to breake all and free himselfe but the Lord beside his expectation being gone from him he was not able so to doe but was taken prisoner by them and his eyes being put out he became a drudge to grinde in prison and a May-game vnto his enemies No lesse feare is there that they who suffer themselues to bee intangled and fettered with worldly occasions shall finde it much harder to cleere themselues then they imagined For earthly cares and pleasures are very heauy stuffe and presse downe yea oppresse such soules as vndertake them Luk 21.34 And they doe further beside their weight beset vs with such cunning and hang so fast vpon vs as it is Heb. 12.1 that wee cannot escape from them and shake them off at pleasure If wee haue made them our familiars in our health they will not in sicknesse be cast off but like importunate companions will then hang about vs presse vpon vs hinder our best consultations about our last passage distract our thoughts to thinke and dispose of them and dull our spirits that wee shall not be able to pray to receiue and apprehend any spirituall instructions and comforts or constantly and cheerefully to meditate on the future life As a poore bird caught in a snare at vnawares feedeth securely not mistrusting her owne freedome vntill vpon the sight of the Fowler shee assailing to flye away findeth her selfe to hang fast and that the more shee struggleth and fluttereth to get loose the more she doth intangle her selfe and so beating her selfe to extreme wearinesse shee at length falleth into the Fowlers hands Euen so our soules being entangled with cares and pleasures as it were snares wee all the time of our health nothing doubt but that wee are free enough vntill that vpon the approach of Death when wee would get loose wee finde our soules so fast hung and fettered that with all their struggling and contention they cannot escape but vnlesse God of singular mercy set them free they become a prey to death and to him that hath the power of death that is the Deuill The Lord therefore giue vs wisedome to keepe our hearts free from these snares to haue our conuersation without couetousnesse and to be content with things present The Lord teach vs to keepe within compasse that wee doe not ouerload our hearts and heads with worldly cares nor out of an inordinate loue of the world thrust and ingage our selues further thereinto then that with ease and at the first call wee may retire It were an happy thing for vs I am sure if wee would imbrace that good aduise of St. Paul 1 Cor. 7. that is hauing wife and children to bee as if wee had none Hauing bought or otherwise gotten large reuenewes to be as if wee possessed no such thing and to vse the world as those that did not vse it or would not abuse it Whatsoeuer comforts as wife children wealth credit dignity GOD shall beslow vpon vs there is no doubt but that hee doth allow vs to vse them as some solace to vs in this land of our Pilgrimage occasions of honest labour and trauaile and furtherances of doing good and our better seruing him But such a loose affection ought wee alway to carry toward them that the inordinate loue of them doe neyther cause vs to make any breach in our Conscience to get or keepe them nor to encumber our selues with worldly businesse while wee heere sojourne nor at GODS summons to bee vnwilling eyther to hazard them all for the