Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	israel_n	lord_n	redemption_n	2,132	5	10.1091	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46725	Peace and love, recommended and perswaded in two sermons, preached at Bristol, January the 31, 1674/5 / by Tho. Jekyll ...	Jekyll, Thomas, 1646-1698.	1675 (1675)	Wing J533; ESTC R1429	32,018	39

Almighty promised him to make his goodness pass before him which accordingly he made good by a Proclamation both of his Name and Nature Exo. 33.19 in which he is Represented as one so far from all Malice and desire of Strife and Contention that he passes by infinitely more occasions than ever he takes against any and withall so Holy that he will not approve of any wickedness in any body else and therefore Moses justly styles him Glorious in Holiness Exo. 15.11 and upon all occasions makes use of the goodness of the nature of God as an Argument to excite the Children of Israel to the like practices when he would perswade them to Mercy and Gentleness unto others he minds them of their Redemption out of Egypt Deut. 26. at large but more particularly v. 18. Thou shalt remember that thou wast a Bondman in the Land of Egypt and the Lord thy God Redeemed thee thence therefore I command thee to do this thing And when he would perswade them to be Holy he drawes an Argument too from the nature of God in this particular Be ye Holy for I am Holy Levit. 19.2 And thus our Saviour too propounds the nature of God for our pattern and encouragement he would have us love our Enemies and shew kindness to them because God doth so and to be good our selves because he is so Math. 5.44 45 48. But I say unto you love your Enemies bless them that curss you do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despightfully use you and persecute you And why so That you may be the Children of your Father which is in Heaven for he maketh his Sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth Rain on the just and the unjust to which therefore he adds v 48. Be ye perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect So that considering the essential goodness of the nature of God we may soon see how acceptable a quarrelsome furious and revengeful Christian is to him For if he delight in Acts of kindness and mercy unto all and is continually doing good unto his greatest Enemies nay and since too he has commanded us to go and do likewise he can never certainly approve of those whose pride and passions hurry them on to those Actions that are so directly contrary unto his Nature and Commands He has been pleas'd to compare himself unto a Shepherd Isa 40.11 Whose property is to gather the Lambs in his Arms to carry them in his Bosome and gently to lead those that are with young and then certainly he will never approve of those who without any respect had to old or young strong or weak scatter and devour his little Flock So on the other hand considering the essential Holiness of the Divine nature too we may easily guess what welcome a wicked and ungodly Wretch shall find from him at last For certainly he that cannot with the least likeing or approbation behold the least sin will never suffer it to dwell with him for ever Doubtless he that cannot give a Sinner as such a good look will never give him a gracious Reception Can two walk together Amos 3.3 says the Prophet Amos except they be agreed Light may as soon have fellowship with Darkness as Christ with Belial or a merciful and holy God with a malicious and profane man Those that by their wickedness have made a Covenant with Death and are at an Agreement with Hell can never certainly be in League with Heaven too St. John tells us Rev. 21.27 that the New Jerusalem will not suffer any unclean or abominable thing to enter into it and if that place be of such a nature what 's He whose presence gives it that purity Certainly God Almighty will never suffer any to dwell with him hereafter that have not learn'd in some measure to be like him here Nay we are told that the happiness of another World consists in our Resemblance and likeness unto God 1 John 3.2 VVe know that when he shall appear we shall be like him therefore says he v. 3. He that hath this hope purifieth himself as he is pure He purgeth out the old Leaven of malice and wickedness and endeavours to become a new Lump of Peace and Holiness He strives to be like unto God in all manner of goodness here that so he may be like him in glory hereafter it being impossible without the one ever to obtain the other Secondly The proposition will farther appear to be true if we consider the nature of true happiness it self There is nothing can make any man truly happy but that which can satisfie all his present desires secure him too against his future fears For though he have all that heart can wish yet if there be any thing he apprehends ever hereafter likely to disturb his joys it doth very much abate the edge of his appetite and sower the whole lump of his enjoyments therefore says the wise man Prov. 1.33 VVho so hearkneth unto me shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from fear of evil now there is nothing settles the mind in such perfect Tranquillity and secures it both from the sense and fear of evil as a loving and peaceable disposition doth 1 Joh. 4.18 perfect love casts out fear with all the Torment that attends it and covers no less a multitude of Crosses and Afflictions than it does of Sins For certainly as amidst the Delights of nature we can never be truly happy unless we think our selves so so amidst all the Crosses that we can be exercised withall a heart well fraught with love will so far calm and compose our spirits that we can never think ourselves miserable This will so turn every thing to the best that all things shall work together for our good Whilst on the other hand the passionate and revengeful man disturbs the present comforts of this life and exposes himself to all the miseries of another so that he does himself more hurt than any body else nay all things consider'd he is no bodies Foe but his own since all the mischief he intended another Rebounds back again with greater force against himself so true is that of the Psalmist Psal 7 16. His mischief shall return upon his own head and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own Pate For whilst I see another person maliciously bent to work my Ruine what is this but a fair warning for me to stand upon my Guard and look to my self by which means I shall have the Comfort but he the Torment of finding no occasion against me whilst thus too I shall heap fire on his head and make him blow the Coals himself For doubtless there cannot be a greater Torment to the mind than this since wherever the man goes and in whatsoever he does this Ghost of envy and spleen so continually haunts him that he can never be at rest Whilst on the other