Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n
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B12285
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A briefe discourse against the outwarde apparell and ministring garmentes of the popishe church
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Crowley, Robert, 1518?-1588.
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1566
(1566)
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STC 6079; ESTC S109113
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29,930
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82
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from the filth therof but that they haue neede to be made cleane by our helpe stayed from slyding in againe yea and lest we shoulde make sorowfull and pyerce the heartes of them that be quite escaped wheÌ„ they shoulde see vs by whose meanes they haue escaped bewadled in the same filth our selues and so bring al that we haue taught into doubt and all that we shall teache into suspicion we haue thought it meete for vs vtterly to refuse all these thinges that now are vrged For if we that haue by doctrine proued these things to be superfluous in the abuse of them superstitions shall nowe receyue them our selues and so in doing although not in words affirme them to be necessary What obstinate Papist will not be the more confirmed in the reuerende opinion of them what yong nouice in Christ will not afreshe embrace them what weakling will not againe inclyne to them And what perfect Christian will not weepe in hys heart to see them And shall not the bloude of all these be required at our hands shal not we once heare that horrible saying that Christ shal once pronounce against suche as we should herein shewe oure selues to be Tollite seruum nequam c. Take vp that naughty slaue binde hym hande and foote and cast hym into vtter darkenesse there shal be weeping and wayling and gnashing of teeth Fearing therefore to lose our selues with the losse of so many soules besides our selues we haue chosen rather to venture the losse of worldely commoditie than to hazarde that which no earthlye treasure can bye Trusting that our Prince and all other in auctoritie will fauour our iust cause and not mislike with vs bycause we feare god more than man and are more loth to lose the heauenly Kingdome than earthly commoditie We hope that all wise men doe see what marke the earnest soliciters of this matter do shoot at They are not neyther were at anye tyme Protestantes but when tyme woulde serue them they were bloudy persecuters synce tyme fayled them they haue borne back as much as lay in them Shall we think then that such do seeke the aduauÌ„cement of gods glorye in the setting forth of his true religion no no. Theyr purpose is in vs sielly wretches to deface the glorious gospell of Christ Iesus whiche thing they shall neuer be able to bring to passe For thoughe we lyke cowardes shoulde runne from our Captayne and yelde our weapons into the handes of oure enimyes yea thoughe we shoulde lyke traitours tourne our pikes against him yet wil he haue the victorie For he hath the heartes of his enimies in his hande can cause them to take his part and to vse vs as traytours shoulde be vsed Our goodes our bodyes and our lyues we do with al humble submission yelde into the hands of gods officers vpon earth but our conscience we keepe vnspotted in the sight of him that shall iudge al men Desiring no thing but that it may be free for vs by doctrine to teach the flocke of Christ whereof we haue taken charge and when we haue so taught them to goe before them in doing that which we haue taught according to the truth of gods holy worde That when we shall appeare before that great shephearde Christ our flocke with vs and we with our flock may heare these ioyful words Euge ser ue bone fidelis c. Well done thou good faythfull seruaunt bicause thou haste bene faithful in the thing that is of small value I will make thee Ruler ouer muche enter thou into thy Lordes ioy Whiche ioy shall vndoubtedly be giueÌ„ to as many as vnfaynedly shall loue the comming of that shepheard To whome with the eternall father and the holy ghost be all honor glory and dominion for euer Amen Ecclesiasticus 4. Stryue for the truthe euen vnto death and the Lorde God shall fight for thee ¶ A godly prayer agreable to the tyme and occasion O Almighty God great Iudge of all Father of mercy and louing Lorde of thy flock and congregation we doe acknowledge they goodnesse thorowe which thou hast vouchedsafe to choose and call vs into the societie of thy Saintes the fellowship of thyne elect the folde of thy sheepe wherein allwayes thou haste dealt with vs in all thinges as with thine owne inheritance thy chosen sheepe and beloued Lambes For this thy great kindenesse we doe yelde to thee our moste humble heartie thankes We doe confesse also that on our behalfe for want of due consyderation of this thy goodnesse our dutie we haue grieuously offended thee not onely in vnthankfull vsinge thy benefites but also in wilfull and sinfull abusing thy mercie To holy assemblies we haue ioyned oure selues in the exercises of thy worde and sacraments of prayer charity yet not with such zeale diligence as we ought but with that lothsomenesse contempte whiche we ought not In comming to them dayly we haue filled our fansie rather than feede our faith we haue come to them more of custome than of conscience we haue heard much more with oure eares than we digested in our mindes And thus with harde hearts hearing much doing little promising faire performing nothinge in effect we haue remayned vncorrected not amended to the great offence of thy diuine maiestye Of thy displeasure kindled heretofore against vs we haue bene diuers wayes admonished For euen as thou didest leaue a remnaunt of the Cananites not cast out from amoÌ„gst thy people Israel to be snares whippes and thornes in their sydes and eyes bicause they did not fully cleane vnto thee so doe the remnants of the Remishe adâ—omination 〈◊〉 still amongest vs to witnesse thy wrath against our colde loue of sincere seruing thee yet is not our zeale inflamed to better The sharp scourges which we haue seene felte together with straunge signes shewed in heauen earth haue testifyed thyne anger agaynst vs but we earth and ashes are not yet by them taught our good The ministers of thy worde seing oure sinful state haue seuerely threatned greater plagues to fal on vs but we haue tryfled of our tyme not heartly tourned vnto thee And therfor it is that euen now we see as a begynning of greater vengeaunce their heartes whose power shoulde procure the correction of our mischiefe not only holdeÌ„ in neglect coÌ„tempt of that they should do but bent also to maintayne that they should destroy to the hindering of the course of thy gospel which they should set forwarde Are not the reliques of Romishe Idolatrie stoutely retayned Are we not bereaued of some of our pastors who by worde example sought to free thy flocke from those offences Ah good Lord these are now by power put downe from pastural cure they are forbyd to feede vs theyr voyce we can not heare This is oure great discomfort This is the ioy triumph of Antichrist his lymmes our enimyes yea that is more heauy increase of
this misery is of some threatned of the wicked hoped for and of vs feared as thy iuâ—t iudgemeÌ„t against vs for our sinnes And nowe Lorde what can we say confusion of faces is ours We haue synned done amisse we confesse our fault As iustice is thyne iustelie to correct soe mercye is thyne also to pardon and to helpe the miserable We persuaded of thy goodnesse towardes vs in Iesus Christ doe knowe that of loue thou dost nowe chastyse vs as children Correct vs O Lorde but not in thy wrath Remember thy louing kindnesse and in the ryches of thy great mercye pardon forgiue all oure synnes through which we haue thus offended thee O Lord blot them out of thy remembraunce by the bloude of thy sonne Iesus And let thy good spiryte now transforme vs from our olde euils so that we commit them no more that ther apeare no cause to moue the memorie of them anye more in thy holy sight but rule vs to growe in regeneration that this our mortall lyfe maye bring forth plentifully those fruites of the spirite which do please thee O heauenlye Father stay thy stroke nowe begon Restore our helpes to vs agayn Yea of thy liberall goodnes giue more of suche ayde and help as thou knowest nedefull to worke the thorow reformation of oure state generally and of eche one of vs particularlye Much good hast thou wrought vnto vs by our souerayne and the ministers whom thou hast appointed to gouernement Doe not withdrawe thy graces frome them for oure sinnes sake but rather increase thy good gyftes in them for thy mercye sake Indue them with increase of knowledge zeale and diligence that they may doe that which is to be done to gyue thy glorious gospell the full course so that by it perfyte stablishment maye be wrought of thy religion in sincerity and of ciuile regiment in peace and equitie Loke Lord and Iudge most iuste on the proude bragge and boast of antichrist thyne enimy cut his courage coÌ„founde his counsell disapoint his hope breake his power giue him that vtter ouerthrow that there do not remayne so muche as a memorie or token of him to be had in regarde but that his memorye maye be had in confusion O Lorde set vp thy glorye remoue thy wrath restore thy mercye comforte thyne afflicted tourne thy louing countenance to vs poure forth thy grace on vs build vs vp in Christ loue vs still Let the trumpet of thy gospell with suche power plenty be blowne that all flesh may hearken yelde thereto thyne elect to their comforte the reprobate to their confusion And let this blast continue without ceassing with due effect vntill that last trump be sounded by thine ArchaÌ„gell at the daye of Christ And come Lorde Iesus In thy name O Christ our Capitayne we aske these things praye vnto thee o Heauenlye father saying Our Father c. O Lord increase our faith whereof we make confession I beleue in God c. Arise O Lord and let thyne enimyes be confounded Let them vnderstand that against thee they fight Let them flye from thy presence that hate thy godly name Let the grones of thy afflicted enter in before thee And for thy name sake wash away all dregs of Poperie and superstition that presentlye trouble the state of thy church And preserue the Vyne whiche thy ryghthande hathe planted that the glory of thyne annointed Iesus Christ oure Lorde maye clearely shyne here and before all nations So be it To my louynge brethren that is troublyd abowt the popishe aparrell two short and comfortable Epistels Be ye constant for the Lorde shall fyght for yow yowrs in Christ ¶ To all my faithful brethren in Christ Iesu and to all other that labour to weade out the wedes of popery Peace in the Lorde Iesu be with you and make you perfite in all good workes to doe his will working in you that which is pleasant in his sight through Iesus Christ our Lord. DEare Brethren because we are creatid for gods glory the edification one of another in Christ and are bounde to serue thervnto by wealthe or woo lyfe or death and cheifly they to whom God haue geuen the greter gyftes and whom he hath callyd to higher romes are moste bounde to be zelous for gods glory with godly zelousie to profyt the churche and sponse of Christe vnder their charge and that by no subteltye as the Apostel warnithe they shulde be corrupted from the symplicitie of Christ therfore there is no doubt of your good zealle and diligence My good fathers deare brethren who at first callid to the battel to striue for gods glory and the edification of his people against the Romish reliques and rages of Antichrist I doubt not but that you wyl coragiouslye and constantlye in Christ rape at these rages of Gods enemyes and that you will by this occasion race vp many as grete enormites that we all know labore to race out all the dregges remnants of transformid popery that are crept into England by to much lenite of them that wylbe namid the Lordes of the cleargie what is he that hath the zeale of gods glory before his face that wyl not ioyne both in prayer and in sufferinge with you in so good a cause that is so much for gods glory and the edificacion of gods church in the pure simplicite of Christes word sacramentes wherin our enemies and persecutours are strangely bewitchid I wote not by what Circes cupe that they do make suche a diuersite betwixt Christes worde his sacramentes that they can not thinke the worde of God safelye ynoughe preachid honorably inough handlyd without cap cope surplis But that the sacraments the maryinge the buryinge the churching of wemen other church seruice as they call it muste nedes be decored with crossinge with capping with surplessing with knelinge with preti wafer cakes and other knackes of poperi O Paule that thou were a lyue thou durst tell those politike gentelmen that ther hath bin to much laboure bestoued vpon them in vaine thou durste say vnto them as thou didest to the Corinthians that they eat not the Lordes supper but pley a pagent of their owne to blynde the people and kepe them still in supersticion fare from the symplicite of Christes supper but howe many sely sowles is ther that dothe beleue veryly that they haue an English masse and so put no difference betwene truth falshod betwene Christ and antichrist betwene God and the deuell they are strangely bewitched I say that thus wyll bynde theyr Englyshe presthode sacraments but muche more enchauntid that can fynd no garments to please them But such as haue ben polutid openly with popishe supersticion Idolatry but most of all in this point shall theyr madnes apere to all posterites that they make these Antichristian rages Causam sine qua non that is a cause without which ther is no holy ministery in Christ