Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	iniquity_n	lord_n	transgression_n	3,081	5	9.7813	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29090	The doctrine of free-grace, no doctrine of licenciousnesse, or, That Gods free unconditionall pardoning of sinne is the best way to mortifie the power of sinne in believers asserted and cleared by Edward Bagshawe ...	Bagshaw, Edward, 1629-1671.	1662 (1662)	Wing B410; ESTC R5497	30,451	48

more I will not say Meritorious but Pleasing and Acceptable is our Obedience Having thus dispatched that Observation which the Objection in my Text did lead me to I come now to the Doctrine which I first raised and which takes in the whole Scope and Design of the Apostles arguing viz. That the Best and most Effectuall Way to mortifie the power of Indwelling Sinue is rightly to consider how Free Absolute and Unconditionall Gods Grace is in pardoning it In which there are these three Points to be explained 1º That Gods Grace in pardoning Sinne is Absolute Free and Unconditionall Observ 2 2º That A Considerate and fixed Belief of this is the best way to mortifie the Power of Indwelling Sinne. 3c That A Believer must never think he hath arrived to the Truth of his Profession till Sinne is mortified in him or in the Apostles words Till he is dead to Sinne. Doct. 1 The first Point is That Gods Grace in pardoning Sinne is Absolute Free and Unconditionall I mean respecting nothing in requiring nothing from the creature as that which may merit and deserve such Favour Thus all the Promises run I will take them saith God speaking of the New Covenant or Gospell-Times to be my People and I will be their God Jer. 31.33 For I will Forgive their Iniquities and I will remember their Sinnes no more So speaking of the same Covenant by the Prophet Ezekiell Ezek. 36.25 I will saith he sprinkle clean water upon you and from all your Filthiness will I cleanse you Which gracious Promise least it should seem to respect any thing in them as meritoriously exciting it God doth expresly premise I doe not this for your sake vers 22. O house of Israel but for my holy Names sake And again concludes it thus Not for your sakes doe I this vers 32. saith the Lord God be it known unto you Therefore in that Form of Words which God prescribes unto Returning Backsliders he commands them to say Hos 14.2 Lord take away all Iniquity and receive us graciously To which God presently replies vers 4. I will heal their Backslidings I will love them Freely But besides what may be deduced from the whole Tenour and Current of Scripture-Promises this will yet farther appear from these three Considerations Reason 1 First From the Nature of God who pardons Sinne who cannot be moved or altered by any condition in the Creature since he himself is the sole Author and Bestower of whatever good condition the Creature is able to perform For according to the Question of the Apostle Paul Rom. 11.33 Who hath first given unto him and it shall be recompenced to him again or as the words are in Job from whence the Apostle took them Job 41.11 Who hath prevented me sc by doing for me that I should repay him Hereby intimating that none hath or is able so to doe any thing for God as that he should thereby challenge any thing from him by way of Recompence As the words following in that place imply For whatever is under the whole Heaven is mine When therefore the Holy Men doe begge pardon of Sinne their finall resort is to Gods Mercy or Power as Moses when he intercedes for Israel And now let the Power of my Lord be great Numb 14.17 according as thou hast spoken saying the Lord is long suffering and of great Mercy forgiving Iniquity and Transgression And so he goes on Forgive I pray thee the Iniquity of this People according to the greatness of thy Mercy Mic. 7.18.19 So the Prophet Micah Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth Iniquity and passeth by the Transgression of the Remnant of his Heritage because he delighteth in Mercy Whereas did consideration of any thing in the Creature move God to shew Compassion Forgiveness from him would no longer be Grace but Debt and God in pardoning Sinne would not exert an act of Power but an act of Justice and Men might challenge not onely Pardon of Sinne but likewise Heaven it self as a Reward of their Performances Which is quite contrary to the whole Current of Scripture and to all those Conceptions which the Majesty and Greatness of God together with the Vileness and Despicable meanness of the Creature must needs enforce upon all Rationall and Considerate Men. Since therefore the Promises of God run Absolutely since the Nature of God is Inalterably i. e. Freely Gracious they neither consult Gods Honour nor the Comfort of doubting Christians who interpose the Clog of any preceding Condition They are very unfaithfull Embassadours to the King of Heaven who streighten their Commission and speak Peace and Pardon in Terms less generall than they have received Reason 2 Secondly This will appear yet farther from Consideration of the Price which was paid for Sinne. For though God pardons sinne Freely in reference to us since we neither did nor could deserve it yet it was not Free in reference to our Surety by Christ this was dearly bought and whatever we enjoy thereof was first sealed and comes down streaming to us in the Blood of the Mediator Now to know the Greatness of the Price the best way will be to consider the Greatness of the Person who paid it Joh. 1. In the beginning of Johns Gospell we read of one whom he there stiles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Reason or the Eternall spring of Wisdome of him it is said that he was with God nay that he was God and as God did make the World If we look a little farther we shall find that this very Person this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. became Flesh or frail Man and laying aside the Glory of his Divinity for a time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tabernacled or pitched his Tent among the sonnes of Men. It was this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this assumed Nature of his which he sacrificed as a Victim to appease his Fathers Anger and to expiate the sinnes of the world according as he speaks himself The Bread that I will give you Joh. 6.51 is my Flesh or my Humane Nature which I will give for the Life of the World Where by World is not nor cannot be meant the Generality of Man-kind of which the greatest part perish which could not possibly be had Christ actually shed his Blood for them but as our Saviour explains himself in another place Joh. 10. c. 11. v. 52. His Sheep or the Generality of Believers scattered throughout the world so that the word World is of the same Extent with the word Many Mat. 20.28 which our Saviour else-where useth As in Matthew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 26.28 the Sonne of Man came to give his life a Ransome for or in stead of many And afterward This is the Blood of the New Covenant which was shed for Many for Remission of Sinnes That we may know the inestimable value of this Blood it is called

bringing any to the Knowledg of Christ 2 Cor. 4.6 God saith he that commanded Light to shine out of Darkness hath shone into our Hearts to give unto us the Knowledg of his Glory in the Face of Christ So in the New Testament when our Saviour commanded the Sea to be still the Blind to See the Dead to Rise c. there was no Ability in those Creature to Obey his Commands but his Command going out with Divine Authority gave unto them Power so when the Ministers of the Gospell command Sinners to Believe and to Repent the word goes out in the Name and in the Strength of God and whereever it is effectuall it conveighs that Power which was not there before And this is it which makes Preaching necessary unto the worlds end because the Spirit of God doth cooperate with it as the Apostle hath it when he commands a Minister to be Meek and ready to Teach even those that set themselves to oppose the Truth if saith he 2 Tim. 2.24 peradventure God will give them Repentance We Preach to and Pray for Sinners onely with a Peradventure perhaps God may work some good by us but if God doth not work our Words cannot and the Sinner himself will not Vse This may serve to teach all those who begin to be troubled for their past Sinnes which way they must take to arrive unto Comfort and satisfaction There are some Ignorant and Unskilfull Physicians of the Soul who prescribe Fasting Pennance Uneasie Postures of Prayer and the like which are at the best but Bodily exercise 1 Tim. 4. which Profits little because it reacheth not to the Core of Sinne that lies within Such kind of Methods as these doe onely prune and lop the Branches of Corruption but leave the Root entire Men may in a needless Rigour starve their Bodies and all the while doe nothing else but feed their Pride My advice rather is to a disconsolate Sinner that he would presently lay hold upon his Pardon And my grounds for this Advice are these two Motive 1 1. Nothing doth more engage us in a Wilfull and Deliberate Course of Sinning than Despair of Pardon When once Cain cries out Gen. 4. that his Sinne was greater than could be forgiven the next News we hear of him is That he went out from the Presence of the Lord. Thus when God summoned the People by his Prophet Jeremy Jer. 18.12 to return from the Evill of their Wayes he brings them in saying There is no Hope and then it presently follows but we will walk in the Imagination of our own Hearts The Apostle Peter therefore exhorting those to whom he writes to make a Progress in Holiness by adding one Grace to another But he saith he who wants these things is blind 2 Pet. 1.9 forgetting that he was cleansed from his old sinnes thereby intimating that as Presumption begets Confidence so Despair begets Carelesness in Sinning As we read of some who have died for fear of Death so is it in this case when men dare so much wrong Gods goodness as to imagin that he will not make good his Promise to them though it runs Indefinitely they runne so farre in Sinne till at last they dare not think of Returning which seems to have been Davids case when he cries out Innumerable Evils have compassed me about mine Iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look up they are more than the hairs of my head therefore my heart faileth me While he stayed and forbore to pass the Ford which Mercy had shallowed for him his Sinnes like a Torrent began to overwhelme him with horror and amazement Motive 2 2. Pardon of Sinne for the time past and Power against Sinne for the time to come goe both together As when a Judge doth free a Prisoner at the same time he gives him Liberty he knocks off his Chains so when God intends to doe good unto a Sinner he never severs his Gifts but compleats the work of his Redemption by Purifying and strengthening Grace at the same time As he speaks by the Prophet Ezek. 36. I will sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean then he presently adds A new heart also will I give you and I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my wayes and you shall keep my Judgments and doe them And the reason of this is clear because when a Sinner hath once received his Pardon he may boldly goe to God and Christ and by Prayer engage their Power in his behalf but till then he is not able to doe any thing he cannot pray in Faith because he hath no Assurance that he shall be heard he cannot act in Faith because he hath no Promise that he shall be assisted but when once he hath taken what God offers he hath a certainty of both But some may object That were their Sinnes less Object then there was some Hope but their Sinnes have been so many and so strangely aggravated that they must needs sit down under the sorrow as being in an hopeless condition For answer I wish all those who make this Objection Answ as indeed none ever thinks of returning to God but he meets with this Lion in his way would seriously ask whether they find themselves as Willing to forsake their Sinnes as they pretend to be sorry for them And if they doe then let them consider these three things 1. The Latitude and Extent of Christs Death I doe not mean as to the Universality of the Persons for I find no ground for that but as to the Qualifications of those for whom Christ died And we shall find it was for Sinners for the Ungodly for Enemies Rom. 5.6 8 10 from whence a Repenting Sinner may thus argue If Christ died for Sinners then certainly he will not refuse me because I have been a Sinner If he died for Enemies then sure he will not cast me off if I am ready to lay down my Weapons and be reconciled unto him This was it which comforted Paul It is saith he a Faithfull saying 1 Tim. 1.15 that Christ came to die for Sinners among which I am chief he confesses as much Guilt as could possibly stick to him and yet takes comfort in that generall Truth that Christ came to die for Sinners And then proposes his own Example For this cause I obtained Mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting We must take heed how we frustrate the Grace of God for as the Apostle argues If Righteousness or Justification had been by the Law then had Christ died in vain So if Sinners who are desirous above all things to come unto Christ should therefore be driven out from him because they have been Sinners then would Christ have died in vain 2. Consider the Freeness and