Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A36365
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A familiar guide to the right and profitable receiving of the Lord's Supper wherein also the way and method of our salvation is briefly and plainly declar'd / by Theophilus Dorrington.
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Dorrington, Theophilus, d. 1715.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing D1936; ESTC R12791
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66,224
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212
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hast been at so lately and He was Himself the Feast Jesus prepar'd it out of Love to Thee And because His great Love could not as we may easily imagine provide any thing better He provided Himself to be thy rich and costly Entertainment He has feasted thee with His Body and Blood He has in giving thee that Bread and Wine which was by the Minister according to his appointment consecrated and set apart to represent His broken Body and His Blood shed for Mankind made thee a partaker of the Spiritual Blessings and Benefits of His Death and Passion Oh how great Things has He then bestow'd on thee Where canst thou find again such Entertainment What Enjoyments of this poor World could afford it And if He has given thee never so much of this World He has herein given thee that which is of infinitely greater value And if He has given thee but little of this World thou hast no reason to complain of Him who has been so free so bounteous to thee in so much better things Say then to Him Oh how plenteous how rich is thy Goodness Lord which Thou hast in reserve for those that fear Thee and that hope in thy Mercy He has treated Thee with the Pardon of all thy Sins however numerous however heinous and guilty Canst thou forbear to admire and praise so great a Favour Is it not wondrous that so vast a Debt should be so freely forgiven thee Does not this Forgiveness restore thee to the Almighty Favour and Love of God And give thee leave to ask and ground to expect from Reconciled Heaven all that is good for thee and necessary to thy Salvation Oh say then Bless the Lord O my Soul All that is within me praise his Holy Name Who hath redeemed my Life from Destruction who forgiveth all my Sins Who crowneth me with Loving-kindness and tender Mercies Oh Blessed is the Man whose Transgression is forgiven whose Sin is cover'd Blessed O Lord Jesus is the Man that putteth his Trust in Thee He hath bestow'd on thee my Soul his Holy Spirit to dwell with and to sanctifie thee to fill thee with all Divine Graces To heal all the Distempers of thy Soul thy uneasie shamefull Distempers to make thee tolerable and pleasant to thy self and amiable and well-pleasing to Him Oh happy Souls that are the Temples of this Holy Spirit Where He dwells all things shall be in a beautifull Order all things composed and calm and peacefull all full of Joy There is a Peace which the World cannot give and a Joy unspeakable and full of Glory In them Heaven dwells already They shall be acquainted with its Incomparable Felicities here on Earth and they are seal'd hereby to the Day of Redemption Thy loving Lord then has given thee at this Feast too the Pledges and Earnests of Future Glory and Blessedness He has even united thee to Himself after a wonderfull manner He looks on thee as a Member of his own Body Has made thee Partaker in his Death and intends thee to partake in his Resurrection He will not leave thy Soul in Hell nor suffer thy Dead Body to lie always under Dissolution He will shew thee the Path of Life and thou shalt dwell at his right hand where are Pleasures for ever-more Thou shalt dwell in His presence where is fulness of Joy Oh how like a God has thy glorious and kind Saviour entertain'd thee None could ever bestow such things on thee but He. Thou hast been treated as a Favourite of Heaven who canst not chuse but acknowledge thy self a poor vile and contemptible Sinner All these Blessings and Favours He hath conferr'd upon thee and given thee in this Sacrament sensible Pledges and Tokens of them though thou art unworthy of the very meanest and the commonest of his Gifts to Mankind Assure thy self it was not for any Merit or Worthiness in thee that he has been so Bountifull but of his own free Motion There is nothing of Debt in his Love but thou must look upon it as altogether Obligation And now my Soul thou must consider too the mighty Obligation he has laid upon thee Thou art able to promise to do nothing in return for his Love but what he has infinitely oblig'd thee to Should such a Love as this ever be forgotten or rather should'st thou not resolve that thou wilt always retain a gratefull Sence of it And that such a Love shall be the greatest Joy and the sweetest Delight of thy Life That such a Love shall make an entire Conquest of thee and make thee subject to the pleasant Laws of it through the whole Course of thy Life Thou canst not sure for shame think of a less return than to give up thy self to Him To live to Him that died for thee To study and love what will please Him and do it in all things No thou canst not think of any thing less than of being His Servant who has bought thee with so great a Price Who has ransom'd thee from Hell and Everlasting Misery and that by his own cruel Sufferings and accursed Death And will it ever become thee thinkest thou after thou hast consider'd the cruel Sufferings of Jesus for thy sake to shrink or murmure at Sufferings or guiltily decline them Wilt thou pretend to be Follower a Disciple of Jesus and yet not be able to endure any thing grievous or inconvenient Has he suffer'd very grievous things for thee worse by far than thou art able or wilt ever be call'd to suffer for his sake And wilt thou suffer nothing for Him Was his way to Heaven encombred with sharp Thorns and will it become thee to murmure if thine be not strow'd with Roses Was the Great and Glorious Jesus despised in the World and must thou be mightily respected and honour'd Was Jesus the Son of David a rich and mighty King mean and poor and will nothing serve thee but to be vastly and superfluously rich For shame my Soul These Desires cannot become thee It is enough for the Disciple that he be as his Master and surely 't is an Honour that the Servant be as his Lord. If thou wilt be a Follower of Jesus thou must expect as the World hated Him saw no form nor comeliness in Him so it will hate and it will scorn thee It will not see any thing to admire in thee Consider the Sufferings of Jesus and harden thy self Learn from Him to despise the Inconveniences of this Life learn to despise its Allurements From his Indifferency towards it 't is thy Duty and thy Honour to be very Indifferent too And this as all thy Duty thou wilt find pleasant upon the trial of it and a reward to it self This will give thee an invincible composure and peace of Mind a happy Command and Enjoyment of thy self under all the Vicissitudes and Changes of this mutable uncertain World Consider further my Soul Has He blest thee with the Pardon of all thy Sins And
O Gracious Jesu upon all Bishops and Pastours of thy Church Replenish them all with right and sound Knowledge and a true Understanding of thy Word Oh let not their Hearts be govern'd or their Actions be guided by the Designs of Covetousness or Ambition But do thou possess and rule them by a great Zeal for thy Glory and for thy great Design the Salvation of Souls Grant that they may by their Holy Doctrine and Answerable Lives be mightily successfull in turning many to Righteousness and that they may save Themselves and many of those that are committed to their Charge Since my Goodness O Lord extends not to thee and thou art above the receiving of any Advantage by the best Returns that I can make for all thy Bounty to me It shall be my Charge and Care to requite thy kindness upon thy Servants to whom I may be profitable I will love them O Lord that love thee and do all the good I can to those especially that are of the Houshold of Faith I will gladly relieve the Necessities of thy Servants which are made known to me will Feed the Hungry Cloath the Naked Instruct the Ignorant Reduce the Wandering Visit the Sick and Imprisoned Comfort and Help the Weak-hearted and Vindicate and Assist the Fatherless and Widows in their Distress according as I have Opportunity and Power to do so And give me I beseech thee O loving Jesu a just and large Notion of the Houshold of Faith that I may not confine this my Charity within too narrow Bounds Let me be always afraid of restraining it within too narrow Limits never of extending it too far among Christians I love thee O Lord Jesus for making so sweet and pleasant a thing as Charity my Duty and do account even this an Instance of thy Charity to me If there be any other Exercise of this Divine Vertue O Lord which I have not thought of I desire Thee the great Fountain of Love to admonish me of it and always to dispose me to it Grant that in the pleasing Exercise of Love I may pass the time of my sojourning here in this Malicious Miserable World till I come at length to that Happy One where sincere abundant and unalterable Love and Joy and Glory dwell for ever SECT XVIII PRAYERS for Preparation I. O God of Love Father of all Mercies and Giver of every good and perfect Gift It is thy Command and I reckon it a kind and a just One That I should Celebrate this Sacrament in Remembrance of the Death and Sacrifice of thy dear Son our onely Saviour and Redeemer the Lord Jesus Christ To make me Thankfull for his Love and for the Benefits of his Passion and Death and that I might be made a Partaker of those Incomparable Benefits Thou hast Commanded me in this way to renew my Covenant with Thee to declare my self thy Creature and Servant and bind my self to continue thy Faithfull Servant and to live as becomes one that had his Being from Thee O Lord I must acknowledge it is but too necessary for me to renew the Obligations which I am so apt to transgress I am therefore heartily willing I desire to strengthen the Bonds of Love that they may hold me the faster to my Duty I would never be exempted from the Yoke of thy Service Oh do not thou cast me out of it for the sake of Jesus Christ And I am willing to remember my dear Saviour's dying Love to be deeply Affected with it and therefore to use so lively a Representation of his Death as he has provided in this Sacrament I must indeed own my self Infinitely unworthy of so great Good but yet cannot chuse but be earnestly desirous O Lord to partake abundantly in the Merits and Benefits of my Saviour's Death There is nothing so dear to me as to have all mine Iniquities pardon'd to recover thy Favour To enjoy the excellent Graces of the Holy Spirit and be consecrated for a Sacred Temple to Him To receive Earnests and Pledges yea and Fore-tasts of my future Joy and Happiness All which are the matchless Blessings He has purchased for me and which Thou hast directed thy Church to seek and partake of in and by this Sacrament All this I humbly seek and crave through the Merits of Jesus Christ my Lord to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory World without End Amen II. Almighty and most Mercifull God I bless Thee for this Sacrament and would come to it with a hungring and thirsting Soul But alas how shall I a poor mean Creature approach thy Majesty How shall I a guilty polluted Sinner dare to approach thy Purity and Holiness O Lord I am Infinitely unworthy to come so near Thee Yet it seems thou dost not regard my Unworthiness else Thou wouldest never have invited me Thou invitest poor sinfull Creatures in General to this Feast thy Guests can be none but such If all therefore that are unworthy to come should Absent themselves none of us would be there and thy vast and land Preparations would be in vain I come therefore most Gracious God in Obedience to thy Command and Invitation But I will come with the lowliest Reverence and Humility for thou hast regard unto the Lowly I will come as a returning Prodigal for Thou art willing to receive such I will come hoping in thy Infinite Mercy for there is Mercy with Thee through Jesus Christ My great Concern O Lord is that I may be in some good measure fit to approach Thee though I can never be worthy and that I may have and exercise those Qualifications in my attendance on Thee which are suitable to this Sacrament and which Thou requirest I have therefore earnestly endeavour'd to find or form those Qualifications in my self But alas O Lord I dare not trust to my own Examinations or Endeavours Do Thou the Heart-searching God examine and try me do Thou I pray Thee prepare me I fly to thy Grace and Blessed Influence Lord give me I pray what Thou requirest to be in me It is my great Encouragement to make this Request that I know I ask herein what Thou art willing to give Thou Lord art always more ready to Hear than we to Pray and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve Thou knowest I cannot have these Qualifications but from Thee Since therefore Thou hast commanded me to come possess'd with Them I am sure Thou art willing to give Them Thou art desirous we should come prepar'd and suitable Guests to this Heavenly Entertainment art desirous to see thy House fill'd with such Fill me then good Lord and many other Souls with those Graces which it becomes us to approach Thee with for the sake of Jesus Christ our Mediatour and Advocate Amen III. O Lord of Infinite Bounty and Power I humbly pray Thee give me a sincere and unfeigned Repentance for all my Sins Oh let the Remembrance of them