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	son_n	trinity_n	4,094	5	10.4029	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01971	An exposition of the Song of Solomon: called Canticles Together with profitable obseruations, collected out of the same. Perused and published by William Gouge, preacher of Gods Word in Black-Friers, London.	Finch, Henry, Sir, d. 1625.; Gouge, William, 1578-1653.	1615 (1615)	STC 12113; ESTC S103279	60,898	144

owne soule God maketh vs in the end of feele more liuely our fellowship with Christ Is mine and I am his The roote and fountaine of all our happinesse is our coniunction and communion with him Who feedeth in Lillies The fruites comming from it excellent for CHRIST our Shepheard feedeth his flocke in most sweete and delicate pastures Till that daie breath The two principall things which a Christian is to wish for and desire after are perfection in heauen by the comming of Iesus Christ and constancie and perseuerance vnto that day And these mistes flie awaie In this life manie mistes and shadowes are cast before our eyes much ignorance of God and of holy duties which that bright and glorious comming of our Lord and Sauiour as the rising of the Sunne will scatter all awaie CHAP. III. VERS 1. 2. In my bed anightes c. THe childe of God hath manie times great vnquietnesse of mind for lack of the feeling of Christ Being so affected as a man desolate and without comfort he seekes after him in al places at all times in the night and by day a bedde and when he is vp at home and without doores in the Citie by the streetes and the lanes and abroad in the fields by prinate prayer and meditation with his owne soule by vsing the helpe counsell and aduise of godly brethren by seeking for comfort at the hands of the Ministers of the word Such is his desire and vnwear●ed trauaile for the finding of Christ Here is the vse wee should make of being priuate and this is a holy spending of our time when we employ it in stirring vp our soules to be assured of the mercies of God in Christ not as the world for the most part doth in studying how to wreake our malice or to compasse other wicked desires neither yet in idle and fruitlesse pastimes himselfe to goe out of himselfe and to be no bodie in his owne e●es But yet hee looketh vnto Christ whose garments of righteousnesse are broade and large and wide enough to couer all imperfections and who of his free grace is pleased to accept him and to bestow vpon him the ornaments of his Spirit whereby howsoeuer in much weakenesse and in the middest of manie fraileties yet in the truth and soundnesse of his heart being sincere and vpright before him albeit the least of these things were enough to discourage him from euer comming vnto Christ or hauing any more to doe with him yet neither for other mens reproaches nor for all the conscience of his owne infirmities hee leaueth to seeke vnto him to call and crie vpon him for whither else should he goe but to things that cannot profit haue made me a keeper of other vines c. There commeth yet a further mischiefe home-enemies borne and bredde in the bosome of the Church which as vipers eat out the bowels of their mother and make naturall rents and breaches among their owne brethren For God euermore leaueth in his Church some vnquiet spirits to gall them for the tryall of the faith of his children that the approued among them may be knowne And let men pretend what they lift set what face they will vpon it it is the hatred of the truth and of the professors of the truth that maketh them so to stirre because worldly minded men cannot abide the sincerity of the Gospell that fighteth against their pompe pride and ambitious designes And howsoeuer they lay the fault from themselues and cast it vpon Gods children that stick close to the ordinances of God as wayward and conceited persons yet in truth they are the factious and those that make diffention in the Church Howbeit the best men that are the holiest Churches and most reformed assemblies are often times turned out of the right waie partly mislead and seduced through a vaine al●urement of humane wisdome partly carried away by the violence of the stormes and tempests that these men raise against them Yet we must not please our selues in the deformities of the Church our care must bee to haue al according to the paterne that was shewed in the mount Shew me where thou feedest c. To this purpose we are wholy and throughout to submit our selues to be ordered by the chiefe shepheard and Bishop of our soules for hee onely must direct all necessarie things in his Church by the wisedome of his Word from him wee receiue the foode of sweete and heauenly doctrine hee it is that orde●eth our labour and our rest euen at noone day the whole gouernment and guidance of his house O thou whom my soule loueth The sins of Gods elect through his wonderfull wisdome that bringeth light out of darkenesse and good out of euill turne vnto their comfort make them more to call and crie vpon Christ to loue him more with all their soule to desire more earnestly to bee ioyned vnto him and to vse all holy meanes of attaining thereunto Atnoone And that with such affection that when other are resting or taking their repasts the christian man can haue no comfort nor eate his mea●e vnlesse he be with Christ Thou feedest thou makest thy flocke to l●e c. This meanes of comming vnto Christ is the ministry of the word in the Church and Congregation of Saints which are as it were one fould vnder one Shepheard feeding with the food of life For why should I be as one that pitcheth her tents by the flocke of thy companions Herein great care and circumspection is to be had that we ioine not our selues to false teachers which com vnder the name of Christs shepheards but inwardly are rauening wolues If thou know not In which behalfe the faithfull man though he be in Christ and shine in the graces of the Spirit yet laboureth of much ignorance and is many times ouertaken and therefore had neede to be instructed and set into the way Get thee out c. Which is to trie the Spirits whe 〈◊〉 they be from God for the touchstone of all doctrine is by the word if it bee heauenly and celestiall not sauoring of the world Vnto the troope c And being so as many as walke according to this rule the b●dge of the Israel of God peace is vpon them and mercie such a mans person is accepted to God the graces and ornaments of the Spirit in him are sweet and pleasing Borders of gold we will make Yea God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost the most blessed and glorious Trinity will dock and set him forth more and more and bestowe more good things vpon him and more enrich him with all heauenly blessings transforming him from glory vnto glorie My Spicknard giueth forth his smell These promises comfort the Christian soule and bring a sweet refreshing to the senses My Welbe loued is as a bundle of myr●h Acknowledging all to come from Christ and from the vertue of his power Whose excellency we must consider not simply as it resteth in himselfe but

the wicked notwithstanding all their wealth This among other is one note of him that here shall soiourne in Gods tabernacle and hereafter dwell in his holy hill Psal 15. CHAP. VIII VERS 1 We haue a sister c. and what shall wee doe to our sister c. THe loue of God towards vs his mercy in hiding and couering our offences should make vs to loue not only him againe but our bretheren for his sake and by all meanes to seeke their good The Church of the Iewes so carefull for the calling of the Gentiles teacheth how earnest wee should bee to commend their conuersion vnto God whereof wee haue heere a promise and all the Prophets Apostles so gloriously doe speak Esay Chap. 4. 26. c. Dan. 12. Ezech. 37. c. Hosh 3. 13. Zach. 12. c. Paul Rom. 11. and 2. Cor. 3. Iohn in the Reuelation Chap. 20 c. and our Sauiour Mathew 24. a little one and she hath no brests The Church of God before the comming of Christ was shut vp within narrowe bounds the Gentiles beeing then aliens and strangers from the couenant in the day when God hath the moments of time seasons numbred before him a certaine day prefixed when he wil accomplish his counsels she shall be talked of Faith onely maketh men famous The Gentiles before their calling were neuer talked of amongst Gods people though for learning arts valour they were the men of name in the world and accounted the worthies of the earth but it is indeed more honourable to be famous in Gods Church then to haue al the fame and estimation in the world beside True fame is in piety and the feare of God only Men must beate their heads and cast about how to performe the worke of God in the best manner Gods children must bend their speeches to extoll and set forth those that truely feare God and to make them famous to honour and prefer them before worldlings howsoeuer they glitter and shine in the eies of men So did Elisha set light by the King of Israell notwithstanding all his greatnesse in comparison of the good and godly King Iehoshaphat 2. King 3. What haue I to doe with thee Get thee to the Prophets of thy Father c. Againe As Iehoush of hoasts liueth in whose sight I stand if it were not that I regard the presence of the King of Iuda I would not haue looked towards thee nor haue seen thee When a wall is to be built when a gate is to be fenced Wisdome is required in the builders of Gods house to frame euery thing for the greatest bewty and ornament vnto it of siluer boord of Cedre But all for any substance of religion or necessarie part of Gods seruice must be according to the rule of the Word that it may be as siluer and as the choice Cedre precious in his sight See thou make all things according to the paterne was shewed thee in the Mount A pallace The Church of God is the Pallace of the great King There he doth dwell and hath his residence and aboade for euer Psal 132. 13 14 a wall a gate The discipline of the Church is as a wall and a gate to keepe that no vncleane person or execrable enter in to hold in those that are entred the free burgesses and Citise●s of that Citi● I being as a wall and my brests as towers There is in the Church a communion of Saints whereby the graces of God bestowed vpon one member turne to the generall good of the whole body then shall I be Thereof it is that a true Christian is so farre from enuying the blessings of God in other that he reioyceth in them as in his owne happinesse and perfection as one that findeth peace When the heart of the Iewes shall turne vnto the Lord in the generall call of that whole nation then come the daies of peace ioy happinesse and comfort as much as can be vpon earth through the bright beames of the glorious Gospell shining most cleere Solomon had a vine-yard Christianity and prouidence in worldly matters stand well together in a fruitfull place It is a good duty of a Christian to forecast to haue things most beneficiall and cōmodious for him His vines in fruitful places c. he hired out his viney ards to keepers And when hee is so sitted well to occupie and manure them to his most aduantage That which hee cannot keepe in his owne hands yet to prouide it be so let out as may be for his profit euery one bringeth for the fruit of it a thousand peeces of siluer It is not onely the rule of charity but true christianity to consider in reasonable sort of those that trauaile for vs that they labour not nor sweate for nothing but taking part of that gaine which commeth by their seruice it may giue them cause to blesse vs. We may with good conscience obserue a due proportion and are not to be bl●med though the best morsels fall into our owne mouth Solomon may well purse a thousand shekels and leaue two hundred only to come to his lessees share The Anabaptistical communion hereby falleth to the ground My vineyard is still before my face God is iealous of his Church and letteth it not forth to others but himselfe taketh the care of it for though it be said in the parable that a man planted a vineyard and let it forth to husband men c. that is an other kinde of letting then that which Solomon heere speaketh of For by it is meant the ministers whom God raiseth vp from time to time for the good of his people commendeth them to their care Among whom hee himselfe is not idle but walking in the middest of those golden candlesticks and euermore present by the assistance of his Spirit so as all commeth from his vertue and power and he doth not rule his Church by deputies or farmours I receiue both these 1000 of thine O Solomon and also the 200 pieces of those that keepe the fruite of it Nothing for substance of religion must bee done in the house of God but by his owne expresse pleasure all is his not the least farthing or dodkin in this kinde is to goe an other way O thou shee Christ giueth to his Church Pastours and Teachers as it were Husband-men to dresse his Vine That settest Himselfe being the Arch-shepheard that taketh care of all the Vines euery such Minister hath a chair which ought to be the chaire of truth for so our Sauiour reasoneth In the chaire of Moses sit the Scribes and Pharisees therefore whatsoeuer they teach according to the law and doctrine of Moses which onely is to sound in that chaire do c. To these God himselfe reacheth a cushion and placeth them in the chaire of authoritie in his Church as the Scribes and Pharises are sayd to sit in Moses chaire and Paul that he sate at Corinth a yeere and sixe