Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	holy_a	lord_n	redeemer_n	2,129	5	10.1125	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09744	The vvhole sermons of that eloquent diuine, of famous memory; Thomas Playfere, Doctor in Diuinitie Gathered into one vollume, the titles thereof are named in the next page.; Sermons	Playfere, Thomas, 1561?-1609.; Playfere, Thomas, 1561?-1609. Path-way to perfection. aut; Playfere, Thomas, 1561?-1609. Heart's delight. aut; Playfere, Thomas, 1561?-1609. Power of praier. aut; Playfere, Thomas, 1561?-1609. Sick-man's couch. aut	1623 (1623)	STC 20003; ESTC S105046	300,452	702

Lords death til he 〈◊〉 Till he come Declaring hereby that when he is come his death shall bee shewed an other way Namely by his wounds which alwaies he sheweth to his 〈◊〉 Euen as we sing in that heauenly Hymne or Psalme The humble suit of a sinner Whose blo●dy wou●d● are yet to see though not with mortall eye yet doe thy Saints behold them all and so I trust shall I. O how vnspeakeably doe ●he Saints 〈◊〉 how gloriously also shall we triumph when we shall see Christ in his kingdome and behold those blessed wounds of his whereby he hath purchased so many and so great good things for vs This is the new wine which we shall drinke This is the Eucharist of the Angels the food of the Elect the spirit 〈…〉 of the Saints For wheresoeuer the dead bodie is thither shall the eagles refer And we that with eagles wings flie vp by faith into heauen shall euer resort to this dead bodie and we shal vnsatiably desire to feede our eyes and our soules with the sight of Christ who was once dead and euen now hath in his bodie those skarres which continue the memorie of his death that in all eternitie it may neuer be forgotten Thus these heauenly wounds of Christ delight and comfort his friends As the cities of refuge which saue the sinner as the holes of the rock which defend the doue as the shadow of the iuniper tree which reuiueth the wearied as the doore of the Arke which preserueth the world as the lure of the ●oule which calleth home the Shulamite as the pot of Manna which nourisheth the Israelite as the well of Iacob which refresheth the thirstie as the poole of Bethesda which healeth the sicke as the armes of the shepheard which gather his lambs as the wings of the eagle which beare vp her birds So doe the hands and side of Christ comfort his friends As if our Sauiour should say thus to euery one of his friends Can a mother forget her child and not haue compassion on the son of her wombe though they should forget yet would not I forget thee Behold I haue grauen thee vpon the palmes of my hands Here I haue still in my hands that price of thy redemption which I paid for thee so that no man can take thee out of my hands Yea I haue written and sealed thy saluation in my side A speare is the penne my blood is the inke my body is the p●per Here thou maist see the bowels of my compassion thorough the wounds of my passion Assure thy selfe therfore assure thy selfe of my loue of my good will of my fauour for euer Make no doubt of it If thou doubt any thing Put thy finger here and see my hands and put forth thy hand and put it into my side and be not faithlesse but faithful So much for the fourth cause which is to comfort his friends You see then blessed Christians you see how these causes of Christs wounds differ one from an other The first cause to approoue his resurrection was but neither is nor shall bee The second cause to appease his Father was and is but shall not be The third cause to confound his enemies neither was nor is but shall be The fourth cause to comfort his friends both was and is and shall be So that Christs wounds did serue to approoue his resurrection onely between his resurrection and his ascension doe serue to appease his Father onely between his ascension and his second comming shall serue to confound his enemies onely at the day of iudgement did doe and shall serue to comfort his friends for euer Wherfore though wee be neuer so great sinners yet let vs neuer despaire of the grace and mercie of Christ. His hands are still stretched out to embrace vs his side is alwaies open to receiue vs. Therefore let vs creepe low and come humbly to him that wee may with the woman in the Gospel touch but the hemme of his garment nay that we may with S. Iohn leane vpon his blessed bosome yea that we may with S. Thomas in this place put our fingers into his hands and our hands into his side And euen as Constantine the great vsed to kisse that eye of Paphnutius which was boared out in Maximinus time and the Iayler in the Acts washed S. Pauls stripes and vvound● so let vs kisse the Sonne least he bee angry and honour his holy vvounds vvich are the precious 〈◊〉 vvherevvith he hath healed vs and restored vs to euerlasting life To the vvhich vve beseech thee O good Lord to bring vs not for our ovvne deferrs or merits but for the tender bovvels of Christ Iesus loue and mercie tovvard vs to vvhom vvith the Father and the holy Ghost bee all honour and praise both novv and for euermore Amen FINIS MATTH 5. V. 19. He that both doeth and teacheth the same shall be called great in the kingdome of heauen BEloued in our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ It is a verie monstrous thing that any man should haue more tongues then hand● For God hath giuen vs two hands and but one tongue that we might doe much and say but little Yet many say so much and do so little as though they had two tongues and but one hand nay three tongues and neuer a hand Insomuch as that may be aptly applied to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Pandulphus said to some in his time You say much but you doe little you say well but you doe ill againe you doe little but you say much you doe ill but you say well Such as these which do either worse then they teach or else lesse then they teach teaching others to doe well and to do much but doing no whit themselues may be resembled to diuerse things To a wherstone which being blunt it selfe makes a knife sharpe To a painter which being deformed himselfe makes a picture faire To a signe which beeing weather-beaten and hanging without it selfe directs passengers into the Inne To a bell which beeing deafe and hearing not it selfe calls the people into the Church to heare To a nightingale which beeing restles and sitting vpon a thorne her selfe brings others by her singing into a sweete sle●pe To a goldsmith which beeing beggerly and hauing not one peice of plate to vse himselfe hath store for others which he shewes and sells in his shoppe Lastly to a ridiculous actor in the citie of Smyrna which pronouncing ô coelum O heauen pointed with his finger toward the ground which when Polemo the cheifest man in the place sawe he could abide to stay no longer but went from the company in a chase saying This ●oole hath made a solecisme with his ha●●● hee hath spoken false Latine w●●● his hand Such are all they which teach one thing and do another which teach well and doe ill They are like a blunt whe●stone a deformed painter a weather-beaten signe a deafe bell a restles nightingale a beggerly

glory and credit to Christ then vvas the creation of the vvhole vvorld q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●ecume in c. 2. ad Heb. For if God had created a thousand worlde man had defaced them euery one with his sin But to saue if it be but one poore soule and to redeeme it from the pit of hell this indeed is the omnipotent power of the crosse of Christ. Sweet Sauiour I humbly embrace and kisse the wounds of thy hands and feet I esteeme more of thine Hysope thy Reed thy Spunge thy Speare then of any Princely Diademe I boast my selfe and am more proud of thy thornes and nailes then of all pearles and iewels I account thy crosse more splendent and glorious then any royall crowne tush what talke I of a crowne then the very golden sun-beams in their greatest beauty brightnesse This is that triumph vvhereby Christ caused vs to triumph in himselfe and to bee more then Conquerours r 2 Cor. 2.4 vvhen as the goodnesse and the sweetnes of Christ did triumph ouer all impietie and malice s Cum de impietate malitia suauitas pi●asque triumphauit Cyp. And therfore if the women met Dauid playing and singing Saul hath slaine his thousand and Dauid his ten thousand how much more then ought all the son● and daughters of Ierusalem all Christian men and women to meet Christ playing vpon the harpe and singing that new song to the lambe with the foure and twenty elders Thou art worthy to receiue glory and honour and power because thou wast killed and yet thou hast killed and slaine not onely a thousand or ten thousand but euen all thine and our enemies and hast redeemed vs thy friends to God by thy bloud There is a time to weepe and a time to laugh a time to mourne and a time to daunce t Eccle. 3. v. 4. Why art thou then so heauie O my soule and why art thou so disquieted within me What man plucke vp a good heart trust in God thinke vpon the honourable passion and gladsome resurrection of Christ And then though thou wert neuer so much afflicted yet euen in the fiery furnace of affliction reioyce with ioy vnspeakeable and glorious Dance now not as Herodias did but as Dauid did Leape vp in affection as high as heauen where thou shalt heare one rapt vp to the third heauen saying to himselfe God forbid that I should reioyce reioyce in any thing but in the crosse of Christ and to vs Reioyce in the Lord alwaies and againe I say reioyce And againe and againe I say reioyce and reioyce alwayes in the Lord. Especially at this time For if when the matter was in doubt and no man almost knew to what passe these troubles would sort in the end and very few in the Church no not the Apostles but only the Virgin Mary did vnderstand and beleeue the resurrection of Christ yet then our Sauiour said Weepe not for mee how much more now ought vvee not to vveepe but to reioyce seeing our Lord hath so mightily declared himselfe to be the sonne of God u Rom. 1.4 by raising vp his owne selfe from the dead And if vvee might not weepe when Iacob went ouer Iordan with nothing but his staffe in his hand x Gen. 31.18 then much more now ought wee to lift vp our hearts in great ioy to God and say O Lord we are not worthy of the least of all thy mercies for our blessed Redeemer went ouer Iordan with nothing but his crosse which is his Iacobs staffe * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Damascen l. 4. cap. 88. vpon his shoulder but now hee is returned againe with two great troupes O what a great troupe what a goodly flocke is here We with all the Militant Church are one flocke of Christ And the other flocke is the triumphant Church in Heauen with whom wee must continually reioyce for the victory and the saluation which Christ hath shewed vs this day For though on Good Friday towards euening the skie was redde all ouer coloured and distained with the bloud of Christ y Math. 16.2 yet laudes bee to our Lord O praised bee GOD that was a good signe this day it is faire weather The winter is now past the raine is changed and gone the flowers appeare in the earth the time of the singing of birds is come and the voyce of the Turtle is heard in our Land z Cant. 2.11 And what saith the Turtle Euen as it is here Weepe not for mee Weepe not for mee but weepe for your selues but weepe for your selues Pindarus reporteth there was an opinion of the Citie of Rhodes that gold rained downe vpon it a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ode T. If euer gold did raine downe from heauen vpon any Citie I thinke it is rather this Citie then Rhodes not onely for aboundance of gold and worldly riches wherewith it is replenished but also much more for infinite spirituall gifts and golden grace● of God O London London excellent things are spoken of thee O thou Citie of God! It is spoken of thee that thou employest a great part of thy wealth to the reliefe of poore Orphans of poore Souldiers of poore Schollers It is spoken of thee that thou dost reuerence religion and loue the truth more then any part of this Realme doth besides It is spoken of thee that none are more obedient none more ready then thou art both with body and goods to defend the state It is spoken of thee that thou art so famous in all forraine ●ountries that as Athens was called the Greece of Greece b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Athenaeus l. 5. so London is called the England of England And wee may almost as well say that all England is in London as that all London is in England These are excellent things I assure you beloued excellent things indeed Wherefore wee which haue receiued so many singular graces of God should aboue all other be thankefull for them And not onely one or some few but euen all of vs should bring forth good fruits answerable to such great mercies Well would to God it were so But certainly it is not so Certainly all among vs all are not pure corne there are many tares all are not good fishes there are many bad all are not wise virgins there are many foolish all are not sheepe there are many goates Yet to inueigh particularly against the sinnes of this citie which should make vs weep for our selues I thinke it not greatly conuenient at this time Onely I beseech you that we may trie and examine our selues that wee may enter into our owne consciences euery one of vs humbly bowing the knees of his heart and saying in this sort O Lord Iesus how haue I bestowed all those talents of gold which thou hast giuen me how haue I required thee for all thy kindnesse towards me what hath my whole life beene else but a continuall warting

p●tius vnum minutu●● voluntatem me●●● 〈◊〉 dabo ill●● ad volu●tatem illius qui tantus tantillum tantis beneficiis praeu●ni● qui t●t● se totum me compara●it Ber● serm de Quadruplici Debito p. 100. that hauing nothing to offer but the widowes ● mites nay a great 〈◊〉 les then 2. mites I mean my bodie my soule or rather I haue but onlie one 〈◊〉 to offer only my good wil which I 〈◊〉 henceforth conforme to his wil wh● being rich bec●me poore for me and 〈◊〉 his bodie soule to redeem my bodie soule from death But now seing 〈…〉 almost as often sinned wilfully as either of ignorance or infirmitie what manner of men ought we to be in humbling our selues vnder Gods mightie hand f 1. Pet. 5.6 in iudging condemning our selues g 1 Cor. 11.31 in repenting as hartely as wee sinned haynously in washing our bed watring our couch wi●h our teares Euen this our Prophet sheweth also very good euidēce for this same doctrine els where Haue mercy vpon me O Lord saies he after thy great goodnes according to the multitude of thy mercies doe away mine offences Wash me throughly frō my wickednes cleanse me frō my sin 66 Psal. 52.2 The goodnes of God is alwaies like it selfe neither great nor little but absolutely infinite Therfore it is neuer a whitthe greater for our coūting it not little nor neuer a whit the lesse for our coūting is not great but though wee count it great yet it is stil as litle as it should be though we count it little yet it is still as great as it can bee So that the Psalmist in tearming Gods goodnes great setteth foorth the greatnesse rather of his owne badnes then of Gods goodnes confessing his owne sinne indeede to bee great and so consequently Gods goodnesse likewise to bee great but yet in this respect only not because it can take any encrease of greatnes into it selfe but because it can giue increase of gladnes to him who for a great sin is almost ouerwhelmed with as great a griefe The same may be saide of Gods mercies that they are neither many nor fewe but as his goodnes is incōprehensible so his mercies are innumerable Neuerthelesse the Prophet sticks not to say According to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences As if hee should haue said According to thy mercies doe away the multitude of mine offences The multitude then to speake properly is not of Gods mercies but of mine offēces yet seeing the mercies of God are as many as all mine offences nay a great manie mo●e then all the offences of al the world therfore hee mentions a multitude of Gods mercies Because nothing can asswage the multitude of sorrowes which arise in my heart h Psal. 94.19 for the multitude of my offences but the multitude of Gods mercies The multitude of mine offences 〈◊〉 king indeede as on Gods behalfe a multitude of mercies so on my behalfe multitude of teares And therfore he 〈…〉 wash me throughly or as it is in the latin translation 67 Amplius laua me wash me yet more Wash me and wash me and yet more againe againe wash me throughly from my wickednes cleanse me from my sin For euen as a vessel that hath bin tainted with poison or some infections liquor will not be cleane with once washing but must be often scalded throughly washed before it will be sweet so hauing heretofore possessed my vessell in impuritie i 1 Thes. 4.4 though I now wash me with niter and take m●e much I sope yet mine own vncleannes is ●●ill marked before thee k Ier. 2.22 onely thou O Lord canst wash me throughlie who ●n grieued throughlie because I haue beene throughlie defiled And indeed though I cannot wash my selfe throughlie yet I am sure thou hast washt me thoroughlie because I haue repented me thoroughlie I haue mingled my drinke with weeping l Psal. 102.10 and my teares haue bin my meate day night m Psal. 42.4 nay Euerie night I wash my bed and water my Couch with my teares It is a cleare case then that a great act of sin must be bewailed with a great act of repentance For the raising of Laza●●s which hath been dead foure daies requireth the greatest growing and ●●●ping the greater sinne as of the Priest or volūtary or such like requireth the greater sacrifice if I haue cōmitted great wickednes except I shew great repentance I cannot obtaine great mercie if I haue bin throughly defiled except I be throughly washed I cannot be throughly 〈◊〉 And therefore the holy Prophet that ●e may obtaine great mercy that he ●ay be throughlie washed saith here E●●rie night I wash my bed and water my co●ch with my teares To returne then where I left and so 〈◊〉 make an end S. Austins two comp●risons of 〈…〉 of teares and of a floude of teares may seeme to some verie incredible much more these three amplifications of the Prophet Dauid Especially if we read these words as I haue noted they are in the Hebrew Euerie night I cause my bed to swim and I melt my couch with my teares But howsoeuer they may seeme to be they are I graunt very hyperbolicall yet so as the meaning of them is plain ●●ough As if he should haue said I do● 〈◊〉 indeed cause my bed to swim in show●●● of teares neither doe I melt my Couch with floudes of teares but yet if euer anie man had done so or if it were possible any man could do so then my repentance is so great my tears so aboundant 〈◊〉 I thinke verily whosoeuer is one I 〈◊〉 be an other which should cause my b●d to swim my couch to melt seeing ● Eue●i● night I wash my bed water my couch with my teares Therefore they which can gather no good mea●ing out of these words do consider neither how ●●●●efull the wrath indignatiō of God is 〈…〉 how horrible is the sense of sin 〈…〉 n Relata adse magnitudine a●is alicui quā quidam● eques Romanus dum vixit celauerat culcitram emi cubicularem in cius anxime sic hi iussit of whome I spake before hearing of them talk in hi● court what a huge sum of money a certaine Knight in 〈◊〉 owed at his death 〈◊〉 that all his good● were to be solde to make payment● of his debts cōmaunded the master of 〈◊〉 wardrobe to buy for him that ●ed wherein this knight vsed to lie For sais he 68 Et praeceptum murātibus hanc rationem reddidit Habenda est ad s●mmum culcitra in qua ille cum ca●●um deberes dormire p●tuit Macrob. Satur. l. 2. c. 4 if I cannot sleepe soundly in that bed wherin he could sleepe that owed so much thē surelie I shal sleepe in none If this famous Emperor thought it a matter almost vnpossible for him to sleepe quietly