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
A55892	The principles of a people stiling themselves Philadelphians discovered in their nicest points and matters; accurately handled, shewing their rise, continuance, and tenents in doctrin and manner of proceeding, &c. Also a curious discourse between an English dissenter and French Protestant, by way of dialogue, in vindication of the Church of England against novelties in religion.	Lafite, Daniel. Friendly discourse between an English dissenter and a French Protestant.	1697 (1697)	Wing P3494A; ESTC R219027	36,218	131

never have produc'd this Argument to condemn the practice of our Church True it is that it was the custome of the Jews to sing by turns and answer one another but you never observed that this was a privilege granted to the Priests and Levites onely now this Argument of yours plainly justifies the order of our Church for if the Priests and Levites under the Old Law had the Prerogative of bearing a part in offering up the publick Prayers and Praises none can deny but that Christians both Ministers and People have the same if not a greater privilege forasmuch as every true Christian is a Priest and that of a higher order than those under the Old Law for if we will believe St. Peter 1 Ep. chap. 2. vers 9. We are a chosen Generation a royal Priesthood and John Revel 1.6 declares that Jesus Christ has made us Kings and Priests unto God E. D. I perceive then you take it to be a great honour or privilege for Christians to have leave to answer their Ministers and to have a share with them in repeating the publick Prayers F. P. I do so and have great reason for it too E. D. I know well that you Church-men both Ministers and People are very ambitious of honour but this is not the thing we must look for especially in our Prayers but rather edification and benefit now what benefit can you propound to your self from this answering of your Minister and pronouncing some part of the publick Prayers F. P. The benefit which thereby accrews to us is very considerable for by this means we do not onely express our full consent to all the Minister's Prayers without which we cannot reasonably expect any advantage from them but besides by this method of our Church we captivate the Peoples attention restrain their vain and rambling thoughts and oblige them to be attentive to what the Minister saith that they may be ready to return the proper Responsals Whereas when the People bear no share in the Divine Service and have no part to act in it they are more at leisure to entertain vain and frivolous fancies and too too often profane and lascivious thoughts come in flocks to devour their Sacrifice and to tell you my mind plainly I take it that the neglect of these Responsals is the true cause of so much inadvertency lazy postures and drowziness as now commonly discover themselves in those who frequent the House of God and appear in his presence whom the holy Angels adore with veiled faces which as it is a dishonour to God and a discouragement to the Minister so it is of great prejudice to their own Souls Now to put the question to your self you cannot deny me but that way of Praying which most engageth our attention is the best and therefore ought to be preferred before any other and it is evident beyond dispute that that way of Praying where the People bear a part and answer in their course is the most proper to make them attentive and heedfull to the Work they are about and therefore I leave you to judge how commendable the Practice of our Church is in this regard E. D. We shall by and by have a further opportunity of speaking to this particular wherefore you may now proceed if you please F. P. After the short Prayers and Responsals now mentioned follows the Doxology Glory be to the Father and to the Son c. which is both a sound Form of praising and glorifying the eternal and tri-une God Father Son and Holy Ghost and a short Creed or Confession of our Faith concerning the Trinity in Unity And if you demand of me why it is placed here in the close of the Penitential part of our Prayers I answer Because having before confessed our Sins and humbly entreated mercy and remission for them and being now in full hope that our mercifull Father has graciously heard and granted our requests we immediately change our Prayers into Praises and our Supplications into Thanksgivings and with transports of Joy and Gratitude we sound forth our Glory be to the Father for it is he who pardons our Sins and to the Son because 't is for his sake they are pardoned and to the Holy Ghost who alone assures us thereof And the Minister afterwards as if this were not enough because in the Gloria Patri we more particularly worship the Trinity in Unity and not the Unity in Trinity calls upon the People again to adore the Unity saying Praise ye the Lord to which the People answer The Lord's Name be praised which words contain the Christian Hallelujahs or Songs of praise and triumph for the absolution and remission of their Sins or else if you will you may take them for a Preface or Entrance to the Reading of the Psalms E. D. You may take them for what you please as for my part I don't concern my self about them and therefore you may go on F. P. In the Morning Service the Psalms are ushered in with the Venite O come let us sing unto the Lord c. as being an Exhortatory Psalm whereby we continue mutually to invite and encourage each other worthily to adore and worship the Eternal God And that this Psalm is very well placed here appears first Because by it we are informed what we are to doe and secondly how we ought to behave our selves in the performance of the succeeding Offices or Duties The former of these viz. what we are to doe we have in these words Sing unto the Lord Come before his presence Serve and worship him and lastly Hear his Voice or his most Holy Word The latter How we are to perform these Duties is thus express'd We are to sing unto the Lord heartily rejoicing in the strength of our salvation to come before his presence with thanksgiving with a gratefull sense and humble acknowledgment of all his Benefits serve and worship him with all becoming Reverence and Veneration falling down on our faces and kneeling before the Lord our Maker not hardning our hearts when we hear his voice but receiving it with Faith and Obedience And thus we proceed to the Psalms appointed for the day the Church having ordered them to be read over once every Month. E. D. Pray tell me the reason why they are appointed to be read oftner than any other part of Holy Scripture F. P. Because they are most accommodated for Prayer and Devotion and consequently of a more continual use than any other part of God's Word The ignorant will find here profitable instruction and information the wicked earnest exhortations and severe warnings the poor and afflicted will meet with su-table Prayers and Petitions to beg the good things they want as well as to deprecate the evils they groan under and the rich and prosperous will be furnish'd with Thanksgivings and joyfull Songs of Praise Indeed the whole contexture of them shews them to be fitted and suited to all persons in all circumstances