Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	lord_n	sin_n	temptation_n	2,738	5	9.1133	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30616	A narrative of the conversion of Thomas Mackernesse, late of March, in the Ille of Ely who was condemn'd for robbery, &c. and executed at Wisbech, Aug. 19, 1694 : with an account of his penitential behaviour, and discourses with the ministers who came to visit him / publish'd by J. Burroughs.	Burroughs, J.; Mackernesse, Thomas.	1694 (1694)	Wing B6128; ESTC R29165	12,362	41

was precious to him but he shewed strange Zeal for the Salvation of others pitied poor Sinners with bowels of Compassions oft declaring his deep sense of their miserable state who lived careless in the matters of their Souls Eternal Peace and Comfort A little before Execution enquiring of him what Confession he thought to make he said he was not inclined to speak much publickly in that respect for this reason That he judged it useless and at most would only gratifie some who came for nothing else but to hear him tell a long Story of a Vicious Life which was more likely to discompose his own mind than tend to their Edification Moreover he said I cannot affect the Guilty and for others some may believe me some may not The Guilty know themselves I will therefore leave them to God and their own Consciences wishing them true Repentance that they may never come to this miserable End He did not think fit to go out of the World accusing others whom he could no more than accuse and neither bring them to deserved Punishment for what they had done nor prevent thereby their proceeding in the same course of Wickedness No for said he God must convince them and change their hearts which he did and would pray earnestly for to his last He was desirous to imploy all his little space in seeking God and giving up himself to Jesus Christ in humble prayer now and then saying Oh! my Time is short within a few hours yea moments I shall be in Eternity O vain World And thus he prepared himself to Embrace Death with comfort for though any one might see great seriousness in all his Carriage when going to the Place of Execution and when there yet as little sadness appeared as ever did sn any in his condition that was not absolutely stupid and insensible Requesting me oft not to leave him till Death separated us I accompanied him to the Place of Execution where I prayed with him committing his Soul to God he joyned with me with great Ardency Then was sung the latter part of the 39th Psalm by his appointment in singing whereof he seemed Elevated in Heart and Voice above most present At last turning about and looking round on the multitude he took his farewell in these words or words to the like effect Gentle Spectators You are come to see a sinful miserable wretch suffer this Ignominious Death I thank God it is not terrible to me for I trust that I shall find Mercy with God for my poor Soul through the precious Blood of my sweet Jesus You may see here what Sin will bring you to Oh take warning by me take heed of Sin shun Temptations flee Evil Company beware of Sabbath-breaking for by this Sin the Devil begins with many to draw them to all manner of Wickedness so he did with me Oh forsake all your Evil Ways turn to the Lord he is a gracious God Oh vile Wretch that I have so sinned against a holy just and merciful God I have been a Prodigal indeed but I hope now a Returning one Oh that they that have been my Companions in mischief may repent before it be too late I beg of them to fear God and mind their Souls There may be some of them that hear me at this time the Lord touch their hearts Oh do not still go on you are known to God who will call you to account for all one day Think of it I beseech you the Lord give you Repentance and Pardon your Sins that you may not come to this miseable End you see me come to With more to the like purpose Then Resigning himself to God and beging Acceptance with him for the Merits of a Dear and Alsufficient Redeemer he Ended this Temporal and miserable Life Hitherto I have given a bare Historical Relation of what came within my own personal knowledge and I Appeal to God for my Fidelity in the whole For though in some things I may have varied from his precise words which yet I have stuck to as much as is possible I dare confidently affirm that I have not departed from his Sense and the truth in any thing Only let me add farther a few Observations for Spiritual improvement as what may from the Preceding Narrative be inferred First That when God sets sin upon the Conscience and inlightens the mind to see its Guilt the most obdurate sinner cannot withstand the Terrors of Divine Wrath This was most plainly demonstrated in this Man's Case He that had once made a mock of Sin as all ungodly Fools do and no fear of the Great and Terrible Majesty of an Infinitely Holy Just and Omnipotent God did lay constraint upon him but in contempt of Hell and all the Threatnings of Eternal Divine Displeasure swaggered it out in those ways that lead directly to Eternal perdition till the Lord graciously let in some beams of Holy Light into his Soul then how horrid were his Sins and how dreadful the apprehension of their just desert Oh the Agonies that I saw him in How did he Tremble And the thoughts of having to do with an Angry Almighty God will shake the Hearts of the stoutest Sinners for Who knows the power of his Wrath Who can dwell with Everlasting burnings Secondly That when Men come once seriously to consider Death Judgment and a future State the necessity of a Christ for their Souls will presently and evidently appear to them Did not Men cast these out of their Thoughts it could not be that they should live at ease set so light by a Saviour as the generality of them do Alas Men put the evil Day far from them and look upon Death Judgment and things of another World as at a vast distance or at most not absolutely certain and so their Preparations for Eternity are but Languid Remiss Heartless and Insignificant But let Death look them in the Face and their Minds be possessed with Sober Lively Believing Apprehensions of the grand important matters of a World to come then give them a Christ and nothing but a Christ is the load and earnest cry of their Souls Oh the worth excellency and necessity of that pretious Christ that they had long before vilified and rejected Thirdly If the Lord please to put a poor Sinner upon sollicitous care and concern for Saving the Soul no means will be neglected no diligence in the use thereof wanting for that end especially they will be much in Prayer Cry oft and mightily to the Lord for Grace and Mercy Give God and their own Souls no rest till they find both Nothing more remarkable than this in the present instance What a price did he set upon Prayer as appears by this that he gladly accepted the Prayers of any though of never so mean capacity and though at first he could only Pray with others help yet upon my pressing him to exercise himself in Prayer using his own expressions and telling him when he pleaded he could

touched and broken with godly Sorrow and that felt indeed what the Love of God in Christ meant Oh how did he abase himself saying There was no Creature upon Earth more loathsome than he was to himself by Reason of Sin adding He had been the Devils Vassal and Drudge hurried on by him to all manner of Evil and that now God should touch his Heart with remorse make him sensible of his Sin he did admire with greatest thankfulness One sitting by and speaking of Assurance that Christians should labour for it as a most excellent thing He answered If the Lord will not give me the assurance of the Pardon of my Sins before I die yet if he will but inable me to Hope in his Mercy to seck him wait and trust in him I will praise him I spent the greatest part of this day with him in Prayer Instruction and Exhortation He was not without some damps upon his Spirit that Afternoon signifying his fear of miscarrying oft loading himself with his Sins as exceeding the common size And yet durst not but own that the Merits of Christs Blood and Mercies of God through him were infinitely more and greater Verily it was marvellous to me to observe the Methods of Free Grace with this Poor Man How the Lord by a holy Fear and awakening Apprehensions of the evil of Sin and eternal Misery preserved him from carnal Security and Presumption And also upheld him from sinking into horrid Dispair by letting out some Tokens of his Love and Mercy to him now and then He was ever most humble when most raised with any Hopes of finding acceptance with God through the Lord Redeemer Having left him three or four hours in the Evening I visited him again at which time People came thronging into the Chamber so as created some trouble to the Keeper and He looking round on them dropt several seasonable and weighty Exhortations to them saying Come see the Fruit of Sin and what it will bring you all unto if you don't take warning by me and turn to the Lord by true Repentance I mean not you shall all come to Shackles and a Halter but to such an Hell in your Consciences Oh I have felt a Hell in my Conscience Then looking upon his Coffin Ah saith he I am thinking a House a Town a Countrey nay a Nation could not hold me not long ago and to morrow I must be confined within the narrow limits of that little room Look Sirs what they that have most must have at last but their length a Coffin Then shaking his Head saith he I may truly say with Solomon All worldly things are but Vanity and Vexation of Spirit Vexation of Spirit indeed to me Spending again some time in calling upon God with and for him he was sweetly affected in the Duty and cryed out Lord thou hast said Whoso is weary and heavy laden let him come to thee for rest for his Soul and he shall find it I am heavy laden with the Burthen of Sin it is a heavy Burthen that I have lain under these three or four days but thanks be to God it is lighter than it was Lord thou hast said He that cometh to thee thou wilt in no wise cast out It growing late he desired the Company might be dismist and I left with him alone I desired we might sing an Hymn before they went away all readily assented to it he joyned with us with a very audible and chearful Voice After we had done he said Blessed be God I can sing with chearfulness Did you not Mind me how chearfully I sang My Heart is very much refreshed with the Consideration of Gods Mercy so that it affected the Hearts of all that were present there were not many dry eyes in the Room though full of People who were astonished at what they saw and heard When all the Company was departed he told me his Companions that came to visit him said Look how he is fallen in two or three days shaking his Head and lifting up his Hands he retorted Oh happy fall for me would to God I had so fallen sooner Blessed be God for this fall it is the happiest fall that ever I had After a little pause To Morrow said he my poor Soul must take its flight out of this Body Oh that it might flie into its Saviours bosome I signified to him that I had thoughts of staying with him all Night he told me he could have been glad of it but for some reasons we omitted it He Prayed me to come Early in the Morning and then not to leave him till I saw him Executed He most Affectionately thanked me for the Service I had done him praying God to reward me I told him my work was wages excusing my self that I came not sooner to visit the Prisoners telling him it was oft in my mind so to do but a Sinful Shame prevented me Oh! said he Would to God you had come sooner And truly I found a General Acceptation among all the Prisoners beyond what I could expect I mention this only to encourage my Brethren in the Ministry to visit poor Prisoners You cannot tell till you try how welcom you may be to such distressed Souls and how serviceable for their Eternal welfare The general greeting I had from this poor Prisoner after my second visit was Welcome Welcome Here I cannot omit the Civility of Mr. Bloodwick their Keeper who did readily admit of any that might be helpful to the Souls of those under his charge and the peculiar excellency of Mrs. Bloodwick is worth taking notice of by whose over-sight the Prison is kept with great neatness whereas other Prisons are so filthy as renders it very prejudicial to the Health of those that visit them here it is not so the Nicest persons need not fear being offended with ill scents But to digress no further I left him that Night promising to be with him Early in the Morning Soon after Four I went to him we spent most of the time till Nine in Discoursing of what he had Read after I left him and in Prayer The frame of his Spirit still remained Humble Tender and in good measure Spiritual Death and Judgment were now Solemn things in his Account and the thoughts thereof lively and influential on his whole deportment He laboured with mighty concernedness how to Die Well pressed all about him with strong Arguments to live better than he had done especially he strictly admonished and charged his Wife who had been a copartner with him in all his villany that she should immediately Reform and what straits soever she came into still to depend upon and trust in God following and serving him in ways of true Religion and Godly Fear to keep her self from the snares of evil company which had been Ruinous to him so dangerous to her already and is one of the greatest Engines of destruction the Devil uses in the World Not only the Life of his own Soul

not Pray without help that a due sight and sense of our Sins Wants and Miseries would find us matter enough for and open our Mouhts wide in Prayer He acknowledged he wanted not words to plead with the Judge for his Life accepted my Counsel set upon the Duty found assistance and comfort therein told me when I came next to him I thank God now I can Pray And I have heard him with Ardour of Affection make his Address to God No time no pains were now too much for making his peace with God obtaining pardon of sin and working out his Salvation But alas is it not a sad and too certain a sign that few are as solicitous as they ought for their Souls Would there then be so many Prayerless persons and families in the World Would God's Holy Day Word and Worship and Necessary Means of Grace be so neglected Oh! that in Wisbech and every place there may be more Praying Striving and Running in the ways of Gods Ordinances for Heaven that they would testifie abundantly that they are in good earnest to provide for their Souls and that the one thing necessary is their chiefest business and only weighty concernment in this Life Fourthly They that apprehend the Mercy of God in Christ aright will look upon him as a most holy and Righteous God also They 'll not set Free Grace and the Infinite Riches of his Mercy in opposition to his Justice but admire and adore his Grace the more by seeing a full satisfaction to his Justice in the Blood of his own dear Son of indispensible necessity Scarce did any more magnifie the Love and Free Grace of God to sinners than he Blessing the Lord with admiration that his Mercies were so infinite Compassions boundless yet had he an Eye upon his Righteousness and severest Justice Oft when speaking how gracious God is and merciful to poor sinners such as he was he would add He is a just God too Yea indeed he will be just as well as merciful and therefore he is merciful in Christ only who can satisfie his Justice Oh that Sinners therefore would not presume upon the meer Mercy of God contenting themselves with a general Notion that God is merciful and so will save them For all the Mercy and Grace in God will never save one Soul but as it Runs through the Lord Jesus Christ the only proper Channel of its Conveyance to humble penitent believing Sinners 'T is Christ alone who by the Sacrifice of himself hath made Attonement for Sin paid a Price adequate and satisfactory to Infinite Justice born the Curse fulfilled the Righteousness of the Law for the Justification and Salvation of those who believe in him and obey his Gospel To conclude Receive a word of Exhortation Up and be doing omit no opportunity spare no industry for securing the Eternal Interest and Happiness of your Souls let not the awakening Call of this sad and Dismal Providence prove in vain to any whose Eyes or Ears it hath already or hereafter may Reach Awake awake secure Sinners and know the Day of God's Patience and Long-suffering towards you that you may be prepared for and safe in the Day of his Vengeance O Sirs the Judge is at the Door the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord is nigh to every one of you Search your Consciences T●●● the State of your Souls How do you think to stand before the Dreadful Tribunal of the Great God Is Arraignment and Condemnation at an Earthly Bar and the Execution of Man's Sentence so Amazing and Terrifying what will it be then to be Tryed and Cast Eternally by the Great and Righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth O trifle not with Eternity But again search your Hearts and Consciences If our heart condemn us God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things But if our hearts condemn us not then have we confidence towards God O fly to Christ accept of him upon Gospel-Terms there is no escaping the Wrath to come but by an Interest in him make sure of it then and live not without a Christ that you die not without a Christ Die in your sins and so die eternally If the Lord will bless and make this useful for the Conversion of any Soul give God the sole Praise and Glory Amen Books Printed for John Dunton at the Raven in the Poultrey ☜ A Peaceable Inquiry into the Nature of the Present Controversie among the United Brethren containing the Excellency of Peace and Love Luther's Opinion of it The mischiefs of Strife Contentions in the Church instanced in the Rise and Progress of the Miletians and Arians The Cure difficult yet necessary to be endeavoured The Improvement to be made of former Divisions An Inquiry into the Present Controversie whether about the substance of Truth or the manner only of declaring it That great Divisions have been among such as have agreed in the same principles This the present Case among the United Brethren proved with several other particulars Written by Mr. Stephen Lob. pr. 1 s. 6 d. The Second Volume of the French Book of Martyrs is now Published in English with Her Majesties Royal Priviledge and ready to be delivered to the Subscribers The Third and Fourth Volumes are also preparing for the Press and comprehend with the two Volumes already Published all the Martyrdoms c. that have been in France from the beginning of the Reformation there down to this present time The WORKS of the Right Honourable Henry late Lord Delamer and Earl of Warrington containing his Lordships Advice to his Children several Speeches in Parliament c. with many other Occasional Discourses on the Affairs of the two Last Reigns Being 32 Original Manuscripts Written by his Lordships own Hand never before Printed Printed for John Lawrence at the Angel and John Dunton at the Raven in the Poultrey price bound 5s Several Gentlemen of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge have so highly approved Mr. Sault's Translation of Malbranches Search after Truth the first Volume of which was lately published in London in Octavo that so useful a Work might be sit for the Pocket as that it has greatly encournged the Sale at Oxford and Cambridge and occasioned the Undertakers to send great Numbers thither a Second Time and to expedite the Publication of the Second Volume The Extraordinary Usefulness of this Work of Malbranches may be seen at large in the Book lately publish'd by the Reverend Mr. Norris intituled Spiritual Counsel or the Father's Advice to his Children Printed for S. Manship at the Ship in Cornhil Bishop Barlows Remains containing near an hundred distinct subjects Theological Philosophical Historical c. In Letters to several Persons of Honour and Quality to which is added the Resolution of many abstruse points as also Directions to a Young Divine for his study in Divinity and choice of his Library Published from his Lordships Original Papers Price bound 6 s. Print-for John Dunton at the Raven in the Poultrey FINIS