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
A89544	The reformed gentleman, or, The old English morals rescued from the immoralities of the present age shewing how inconsistent those pretended genteel accomplishments of [brace] swearing, drinking, [brace] whoring and Sabbath-breaking are with the true generosity of an English man : being vices not only contrary to the law of God and the constitutions of our government both ecclesiastical and civil, but such as cry loud for vengeance without a speedy reformation : to which is added a modest advice to ministers and civil magistrates, with an abridgement of the laws relating thereto, the King's proclamation and Queens letter to the justices of Middlesex, with their several orders thereupon / by A.M. of the Church of England.	A. M., of the Church of England.; Bouche, Peter Paul, b. ca. 1646.	1693 (1693)	Wing M6; ESTC R20084	100,071	189

appropriated to their propet Objects Then in a Word we Learn to Glorifie God the Father who hath Created us to adore God the Son who hath Redeemed us to Reverence God the Holy Ghost who hath Sanctified us and to Bless and Magnifie the Trinity in the Vnity who by such mysterious Works of Mercy has brought such mighty things to pass And it is then we are exhorted to be Merciful as our Heavenly Father is Merciful and to Love him because he first Loved us to imitate the Holy Jesus to be like him and to be conformable to his Sufferings to be Meek Pure and Humble as he was 23. But should we look on the other side we shall find the D●shonouring God in his Day to be the ready Road to the not honouring him in any thing else The first Mischief of Profaning the Lords-Day It being the Opinion and Observation of the Best and Wisest of Men that were the Sanctification of the Lords-Day laid aside in less than an Age the Christian World would turn Pagans and Infidels And I am afraid half that time would do the business effectually For if we can dispense with so strict a Command what other is it that we can boggle at The violation of this Precept is manifestly the I●let to all the Immoralities Humane Nature is capable of If we once lose our Zeal and Fervour for Religion in any one part we quickly grow Lukewarm in the whole and at last we become quite Cold and Dead and irrecoverably stupid in a continual course of Profaness and Impiety Nemo repente fuit Turpissimus says the * Juvenal Poet but the Wretch never attains to the Height of Wickedness so soon as when he makes the Profanation of the Lords-Day the first step thereunto It is by our Absence from Holy Duties in Publick that we come to leave off those in Private too that we lose our true Notions of the Godhead that we have but Glimmering Apprehensions of the Joys and Torments of another World being taken up only with such as are present and affect our Sence that we think all the Virtues of an Holy Life to be but Sham and Invention that we esteem Vices Natural and to have nothing condemnable in them that our Hearts become hardened and our Consciences seared our Reason blinded our Vnderstandings darkened our Wills depraved and our Passions Headstrong And to conclude it is from this that our Souls lose more and more their Original Purity forget their own Divine Nature and dishonour themselves by stooping with the Body to low base and unbecoming Enjoyments And no wonder when the Master-Beam is removed and the chief Pillar of the Fabrick gone but the Superstructure soon follows and falls to the Ground Nor is it strange the Man should not be able to withstand the Torrent of Vice when with his own hand he opens the Sluce and lets the Impetuous stream break in upon him 24. The next Benefit of Sanctifying the Lords-Day is that it weans us from the eager pursuit of Worldly Things A second Benefit is the weaning us from this World This solemn Sequestration of our thoughts from Earthly carries them out to Heavenly subjects and by contemplating on the Joys and Glories of another World we lose our Veneration and Esteem for this and by being raised above this Worlds Enjoyments we have an opportunity of seeing what a Point it is we are too apt to doat on and what mighty Nothings they are which so often captivate our Souls and lead them on to their own Destruction By Contemplating of the Crowns and Diadems of the Heavenly Jerusalem we moderate our Desires as to the Conveniences as well as pleasures of this Life By Meditating on the Eternity which is just ready to Succeed we are informed of the Inconstancy and Swiftness of this Moment this Span of time we New enjoy By Contemplating the Durableness of all Caelestial Fruitions we come to know that this World vanisheth away and the Fashion thereof is every day upon its Alteration By Considering the Immortality of our better Parts we are instructed how Frail Mortal and Short-liv'd our Earthly Tabernacles are To conclude by being Fixed and Spiritualized by conceiving right Notions of God and surveying the Charms and Endearments of those Mansions prepared for us above we arrive to that height of Admiration Love and Esteem as to account all things but Dung and Dross that we may gain Christ to breath earnestly to be dissolved that we may be settled there where true Joys are to be found 25. But then on the other hand we shall find those who slight God's Worship so tyed down to this World A second Mischief is that it makes us do ●t upon the things of this World doating upon admiring adoring and eagerly pursuing after the things thereof That they cannot so much as lift up a thought towards Heaven their Mind is so busie and fixed upon this Earth The Plummets of Care hang so heavy upon them that they are always groveling here below and tho they may cast up an Eye accidentally towards a Coelestial Canaan yet their desires are still to remain on this side Jordan Nay such a one is so ravished with the Delights and Pleasures of this Life which affect his sense and are present with him that he has but faint if any desires after those which are only Notional and affect the Intellectual Man being the Substance of things Hoped for and the Evidence of things not seen Hence it is that he cries it is good for me to be here and is so loth to leave the World when the Messenger of Death knocks at his Door Hence is it that he makes him friends of the Mannon of Vnrighteousness and thinks of nothing but of building up Barns and enlarging his Stores till the Embassy comes to him of Thou fool this night shall thy Soul be required of thee Luke 12. 26. Another Benefit arising from the Performance of this our Duty is that it gives a Blessing to our Ordinary Callings A third benefit is that it blesses our Ordinary Labours We are so far from losing one day in seven that we gain if I may so phrase it six days in one The sincere Observer hereof will tell you the Truth of what I here assert by his own Experience and can witness with Joy that he has not only found a serenity and calmness of Mind but a prosperous success in all his Affairs of the following Week And who would not serve God one day for his assisting him six days in return What Worldling if he knew his own Interest aright but would sanctifie the Lords-Day since he may be sure he shall not serve God for Nought That Work must certainly succeed which is begun furthered and ended with the Blessing of God His Hand will undoubtedly fill our Industry with Good Things and His Bounty will not send our Holy Labours empty away He will be ready to support us in

I 'll tell you what you are The Society whereof you are has a great Prevalence over you to make you of the same Mould with the whole If that he good you cannot but in Complaisance be or seem to be so too if That be Evil it would he no false Logick to conclude the Parts to be of the same Marke with the whole This is too evident to need Demonstration and were it to be doubted in other Vices yet in this of Uncleanness the Influence which one Debauch'd Companion has upon another to render him so too proves the Consequence to be too true A Loose Libertine and Licentious Conversation does easily incline a man to Joyn with the Multitude in one Common way of Lewdness and Debauchery Familiarity and Example Fear and Shame private Obligations and publick Engagements are as great Inducements to depraved Nature to comply with those to whom one stands Obliged in any of the former Respects And here I cannot chuse but blame such as out of a Frolick to see the Tricks of the Town and to experience the truth of what they Hear associate themselves with Lewd and Profligate persons running from Bandy-House to Baudy House from one Brothel to another 'till at last they carry the Coals of Fire so long that they are inflamed by Lust in good earnest 6ly To employ your Eyes and Thoughts and to help you to better Company I shall advise you in the next place to be frequent in reading and Meditating the Holy Scriptures for wherewithall shall a Young Man cleanse his way says the Royal Psalmist but by taking Heed thereto according to thy Word Herein you will see Life and Death Blessings and Cursings Promises and Threatnings Mercies and Judgments The one a Royal Priviledge appropriated to the Upright and Clean the other as a Punishment to the Man of Unclean Lips and a Lewd Conversation Herein you will see a Generously Chast and Continent Joseph exalted from a Dungeon to a Throne whilst the Incestuous Reuben is put by his Fathers Blessing Herein you will read of 24000 Israelites being killed in one day amidst their Whoredoms Numb 5. whilst Phineas for his Zeal in punishing the Delinquents atones for the Rest and obtains for himself a Covenant of Peace the Covenant of an Everlasting Priesthood Herein you will see the Cause of the Massacre of Schechem and his People who were for Dinab's Rape cut off Root and Branch in one day Herein you will have a view of the Untimely ends of Hophni and Phineas of Amnon and Absalom of Incontinent Jezebel and and many others who by their Whoredoms Adulteries and Incestuous Embraces provoked the Merciful God to plague them with sundry Diseases and divers kind of Deaths 7ly When you have done your utmost to resist and find notwithstanding the Carnal part to be predominant Mortify as St. Paul advises your Members which are upon the Earth Keep under your unruly Body and bring it into Subjection that you do not become Cast-aways As Drunkenness and Gluttony increase so do Temperance and Sobriety take away the Oyl from the Flames To feed low and abstain from rich and delicious fare to Eat and Drink only to satisfie Nature without endeavouring to humour your Palats or satiate your Appetite will by degrees moderate your Lusts Fasting for whole Days and then to return to a full Table and Excess is not the way to cast out this Devil for it is as a Worthy * Bishop Taylor Prelate of our Church observes a Flatulent airy Spirit which an Empty Windy Stomach gives Life and Motion to It must be a constant Abstinence in the moderate use of coarse and homely Fare such as will not be prejudicial to your Health that will be of greatest Force to subdue your Corrupt Natures and to beat down those Insurrections which ever and anon arise and raise a Civil War between your outward and your inward Man 8ly To that of Fasting and all the other forementioned Helps add that of Frequent Prayer All the rest without this are but as dead Letters Herein the Soul owns its weakness and acknowledgeth that 't is not in Man to direct his ways sensible whereof it sends up this winged Messenger of Prayer to crave for Assistance from above and never leaves intreating till some such Answer as this be given My Grace is sufficient for thee Be you instant therefore in imploring for the Spirit of Purity for Chast Thoughts and Temperate Reins Make such as these your daily and hourly requests Create in us a Clean Heart O Lord and renew a right Spirit within us wash us throughly from our Wickedness and cleanse us from our Sin Purge us with Hysop and we shall be clean wash us and we shall be whiter than Snow Purifie our Hearts and search throughly if there be any Wickedness in us And since your Prayers have no express promises of a success unless your own Endeavours back them take up Holy Job's Resolution of making a Covenant with your Eyes that you will not look upon a Maid And with David keep your Mouth as with a Bridle that you offend not with your Tongue Let your Hearts be filled with Chast desires and your Minds employed in Contemplating on the Goodness and the Mercy of the Lord which should lead you to repentance Let your hands be pure and so lift them up to the Throne of Grace and turn your Feet into the ways of Righteousness Eph. 6.13 14 15 16.17 Thus being Arm'd with the whole Armour of God your Loins girded about with the Truth and having the Breastplate of Righteousness being shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace and taking above all things the Shield of Faith whereby you will be able to withstand the fiery Darts of the Devil and the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit you will be the better able to grapple against your Lusts and be guarded against a Relapse which oft proves more dangerous and desperate than the disease 9thly The Last Antidote commonly prescribed against Uncleanness is Marriage By this holy Ordinance God has taken off all reason of Complaint and the Oppression Tyranny Injustice and all other Invectives cast upon the Deity for implanting in Man such Naturals which must be satisfied and for prohibiting the fullfilling of these by Express Laws are quite wiped away the Murmurings and Imputations of Cruelty Severity and the like are here silenced And if the Letcher after such a Liberty granted shall continue in his Unlawful Amours if he shall forsake his own to Climb up into an Adulterous Bed He has no plea drawn from the strength of Inclination the bent of his Constitution or the like to excuse himself withal not can he Charge the Sin any where but upon his own Corrupted and Vitiated Will St. Paul seems to intimate as much and declares this Honourable Institute was appointed to avoid Fornication Not is it enough to forbear all unlawful and forbidden Embraces nor

of the Adversary let us run into God's House embrace his Mercy embrace his Ordinances honour his Holy Name and his Word obey his Commands fulfill all Righteousness and sanctifie his most Holy Day Let us break off our Sins by Repentance and stop those Judgements which threaten us who knows but the Lord will have Mercy and will repent him of the Evil that he hath designed against us that he will dispel the Clouds and make the Sun of Peace and Righteousness to break out upon us making us rejoyce for the time wherein we have suffered Adversity To this End it would not be amiss to cry out From Hardness of Heart from Contempt of thy Holy Word and Commandments from Fornication and all other Deadly Sin from Intemperance and Prophaning of thy most holy Day from all the Judgments which we have most righteously deserved from Lightning and Tempest from Plague Pestilence and Famine from Battle and Murder and from sudden Death Good Lord Deliver us And O Blessed Adorable and Glorious Trinity Remember not our Offences nor the Offences of our Fathers neither take thou Vengance of our sins but Spare us Good Lord Spare thy People whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious Blood and be not angry with us for ever Have mercy upon us Have mercy upon us Have Mercy upon us most Merciful Father Save and Deliver us from all our Sins Confirm and Strengthen us in all Goodness and bring us at length to Life Eternal Amen Amen! A Modest Advice to the Ministers and Civil Magistrates TO make the preceding Discourse the more Effectual it might perhaps be expected that I should add something to the Ministers and Civil Magistrates of this Church and Kingdom and that I should shew how far both of them are obliged in their several Stations the one by the Sword of the spirit the other by that of Justice to do what in them lies to suppress the Reigning Immoralities of the present Age Of which the Vices spoken against in the foregoing Treatise are not the least in Reality tho they may be so in all outward appearance by reason of that little notice the unthinking World takes of them To the Ministers of our Church there is a very little need to say any thing For besides those Worthy and Reverend Prelates whom God's Providence and the Care and Piety of our Princes has placed at the Helm there is a Clergy under them that for Learning Virtue and Sincere not meerly formal Devotion we may dare all the Churches in Christendom to shew its equal Our whole Nation and especially the Metropolis thereof has many of those pious Souls whose Lives and Doctrines go hand in hand to stem that torrent of Atheism and Prophaness which has of late years been so Impetuously breaking in upon us Their Practical Preaching and Moral but withall most Excellent Discourse● now in Print concerning the Reasonableness of the Christian Religion the Loveliness of all that is Good and Virtuous and the Deformity of all that is Bad and Vicious with the like is sufficient proof of their Zeal for the Honour of God and the Good of His Church so that we should wrong them if we thought they stood in need of Instructions to Direct them or of Motives to Incite them to do a Duty which is so Incumbent upon them as to press home for a Reformation of this Degenerate Kingdom when the Glory of their Great Master is so nearly Concerned therein But amidst these Excellent Persons there are it must be Confessed some others that give too open a Scandal to our Holy Religion by their Vile Principles and their Viler Practices Some of these are notoriously Bad and live in Direct Opposition to what they are bound to Preach to others Whilst Others spend their time in dry Notions and insipid Controversies which profit their Congregations but very little if any thing at all As for the first if the Common Obligations they lie under as Men endued with Reasonable Souls if the ordinary Ties of Christianity they are bound with in their Baptism or if the extraordinary Ones they are obliged with in their Ordination are not of force to put them upon mending these their Irregularities yet 't is hoped the Example of the more Strict and Conscientious will shame them to some degree of fervour and cause them to put on the Form at least if they will hot the Power of Godliness But if that will do no good upon them yet 't is presumed the Worthy Fathers of the Church will by their Care and Inspection either remove those that are a Publick Shame unto it or else prevent the Like Mischief for the future by admitting none into Holy Orders but such as they have sufficient Testimony of that they will not by their unsanctified Lives give cause for the contempt of the Clergy I say 't is presumed the Bishops will in their several Diocesses take care of those things which Confidence I ground upon those many excellent Charges which have of late been given in many Visitations After all this I cannot but wonder how any one can so far offer violence to his Reason and Conscience as to live in the Wilfull Breach of any known Duty when he has so many upbraidings from all hands to check him and stare his sins out of Countenance What a dreadful Account they must give of their Cure and that Charge of Souls which is committed to them Sacred Writ will sufficiently inform them and what a weight lies upon their shoulders tho at present so little regarded by them Bishop Burnets Pastoral Care lately published will put them in mind of if they can give themselves but time to read it over and calmly to consider thereon As for those who busie themselves about unprofitable Speculations and matters meerly Controvertal 't were to be wished they would leave off their Heats and Animosities throw aside all Prejudice and Faction for this Sect or that Party and give over Quarreling and Disputing about Modes and Figures about 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Religion the Knowledge or Ignorance of which would neither promote nor hinder our Great Concern 'T were to be wished I say that they would lay aside all such Curious Niceties and Disputable Points fit for none but Schoolmen and wrangling Sophisters to employ their parts upon and that they would reason of Righteousness Temperance and Judgment to come Preach up with the Primitive Christians the necessity and usefulness of a Holy Life lashing Vice and protecting Virtue where e're they find it tho their very Patrons were guilty of the one and their greatest Enemies Masters of the other Such profitable Rules of Morality would better become the Gravity of the Preacher as well as suit with the Capacity and Regulate the Lives and Practices of the Audience than an unintilligible Discourse of an Hour or two long about the Particular Tenets of Calvin Arminius or some other Learned Sophister of the Church which can neither