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	sing_v	song_n	2,112	5	9.1761	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54039	The holy truth & people defended, and some of the weapons and strength of the power of darkness broken and scattered, by the light and power of truth in an answer to the chief passages in a letter, written to me, and replyed to by me, before my imprisonment in this place, where I have been a prisoner above a year and a half, without any law broken , or cause given on my part, who only came innocently and peaceably to visit my friends in prison / by me Isaac Pennington ...	Penington, Isaac, 1616-1679.	1672 (1672)	Wing P1172; ESTC R23209	36,170	44

committed before For though the Lord visit me with Life quicken me thereby make a change in my heart and state yet it is his Mercy to acccept me and to pass by for his name sake my former debts and trespasses against him Alas the new Covenant is wholly a Covenant of Grace and Mercy and the giving of Christ drawing the mind to him accepting and Justifying in him are works of Grace and Mercy towards this So the Spiritual Israel may well sing this Song in the Land of Holyness and Redemption O praise the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever I can truly set my Seal to this thing that the more Holy and Righteous the Lord maketh me in his Son the more sensible am I of his Love Grace and Mercy in Justifying of me And it is pretious to me to witness Justification and acceptance with him in and through his Son He saith further But this is the Bounty the Freeness the Munificence the Richness of the Grace of God to call things that are not as though they were Answ Take heed of abusing that Scripture God sent Christ to Renew to Redeem to Change to make Holy and Righteous to make people such as the Father might be pleased with accept and Justifie And as Christ maketh them so the Father receiveth and accepteth them as such But God doth distinguish and call things as they are He doth not call an ungodly man an holy man a justified man But when he hath changed him new created him in Christ Jesus took him out of his old stock and planted him into the new then he accounteth and calleth him so and not before It were better for men to wait upon God to understand what his Spirit meant in what he spake then to put formed meanings of their own upon his words He wrests my words charging and reproving me as if I said The Love of God was a bare thing Answ Those were not my words nor did my words so signifie but my words were that it is not by bare Loving or meer Loving or only Loving that God makes a man Righteous which is very true manifest For there is besides his Love in and through that Love the sending of his Son and revealing of his Son drawing to and Transplanting into his Son to make Holy and Righteous in him For Holyness though it may be distinguished yet it cannot be devided from Righteousness nor can a man posibly be Righteous in Gods sight unless he be also Holy in some measure His reflecting words hereupon I pass by though very unjustly and unchristianly cast upon me without any just occasion given him by my words which I desire the Lord may make him sensible of that he may be forgiven it He blameth me for saying we make no finite thing our Righteousness and yet he saith We make the measure of the Spirit which each member of Christ receives our Righteousness Answ A measure hath the same nature with the fulness A measure of the Spirit and Life of the Grace and Truth which comes from Jesus Christ hath the same nature that the fulness ha●h All the Life all the new Creation that comes from him and dwels in him is Righteous and found Righteous where ever it is found Yet I do not remember that we have thus expressed it that that measure is our Righteousness but it is he who is the fulness who is revealed in that measure and it is he who is our Righteousness our Wisdom our Sanctification our Redemption But it is in the holy pure measure of the heavenly gift that he is made thus of God to us not out of it He saith The Lord our Righteousness Redeems us not properly by the Life and Spirit of his Godhead though that was in the work supporting enabling him and carrying him up in that great undertakeing but by the death and sufferings of his manhood Answ This is strange Doctrine to make the manhood the main Redeemer and the Life and Spirit of the Godhead but the supporter and the carrier up of the man in the work of Redemption Whereas it was the Word which Created all which also Redeemed he that left his Glory and made himself of no reputation but came in the form of a servant to do the will It was the Spirit and Life of the Father even the Eternal Son which took up that body appeared in that body offered it up a pure and acceptable Sacrifice to the Father finishing the work therein which the Father gave him to do Joh. 17.4 5. He saith Shall we think to answer the Law by our obedience Answ We do not look upon the Law of Moses which was given to the Jew outward to be the dispensation of the new Covenant or to be the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus But those who are in the new Covenant and have Gods Law writ in their hearts and his fear put there which preserveth from departing from him and his Spirit put within them to cause them to walk in his wayes and to keep his Statutes and Judgments and do them and who live in the Spirit and walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit the Righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in these Yet they do not magnifie and cry up their own obedience nor call it their Righteousness but him from whom their obedience comes For in the measure of his Grace and living Truth the Soul is one with him and all that he is and all that he hath done is theirs and it is he himself that is the Righteousness of all that are in him And they that abide in him par●ake of his Righteousness from day to day which floweth in like a stream upon them I wish he could consider in what Spirit it is that he calls the white Stone a Ticket for the Righteousness Doth he know the white Stone with the new name It is no less then the Foundation Stone then the Righteousness it self And what doth he talk of bringing that as a Ticket for the Righteousness He seemeth to pass by some things which I spake in tender love and weightiness of Spirit to him as the Judgment of man in his day but let him take heed least when be comes to appear before God he then find it was the Judgment of Gods Spirit in the Light of his day Which day is inward and Spiritual which believers are to hasten to and which approacheth in every heart as the night spendeth and passeth away And all true Christians and Believers ought to wait for the passing away of the night and the dawning of this day and the arising of the day Star in their hearts He saith Christ is now ready to be revealed Answ I believe he is to be revealed fu●ther and in fuller glory But he is truly already revealed as the Saviour Shepheard and Bishop of the Soul and many are gathered home to their resting place in him which while they were

THE HOLY Truth Peo●●● DEFENDED AND Some of the Weapons and Strength of tho●● 〈◊〉 of Darkness Broken and Scattered by 〈◊〉 Light and Power of TRUTH In an ANSWER to the Chief Passages 〈◊〉 LETTER Written to me and Replyed to by me 〈◊〉 Imprisonment in this Place where I have been a Prisoner a Year and a half without any Law broken or Cause 〈…〉 part who only came Innocently and Peaceably to visi● 〈…〉 in Prison By me ISAAC PENNINGTON Pri●●●er for the Testimony of Truth For could I have denyed 〈…〉 might have avoided the Snare at Reading Goal The Bowes of the mighty men are broken and they that 〈…〉 with Strength 1 Sam. 2.4 Printed in the Year 16●● The Preface A Letter was sent me from a Dear Freind of mine bearing date the fifth of the eleventh Moneth 71. who had long been greatly distressed and could not find relief in the way of her former profession and Church fellowship For whom I greatly travelled with the Lord and towards whom my spirit was made very tender by him I still felt the Seal of Gods Love and Mercy towards her even in her lowest condition deepest despaire and sorest captivity through her great and manifold Temptations And my Testimony to her at times from the Lord on this behalf was sometimes of use to her to bear up her spirit till the day of Gods visiting and Redeeming her with the virtue and healing power of his Salvation which blessed be his name she hath since had sweet experience of and true Peace and Joy in knowing the true Head holding him in the Faith and being held by him Now this Letter of an antient acquaintance of mine which I had answered long agoe one that belongeth to Sr. Henry Vane as she signified in her Letter to me desired she should see which is said to be an answer to a Letter of mine If my answer had gone along with it I should have took no further notice of it But it going without my answer least it should do hurt to those to whom the Lord hath done or is doing good I am ingaged in spirit to reply somwhat to it and to give forth to others what the Lord giveth in to me upon this new occasion How greatly truly and purely I have loved the man I will not boast the Lord knoweth with whose knowledge herein I am content but O that this his paper might not be laid to his charge at the great day which I am afraid it will unless he repent of it For indeed it is not a fruit of Life from Gods holy Spirit but of the growth of Egypt and Babylon It was sent me in the form of a Book as if it had been sent abroad for special service There was no name at it as if it were an arrow to fly in the dark and wound secretly But no weapon formed against the Israel of God shall prosper either from this hand or any other and every tongue that riseth up against them in judgment will God condemn This is the heritage of the despised People and servants of the living God in this our day whose Righteousness is the Righteousness of his Son bestowed upon them wherewith he himself hath cloathed them as the Annointed eye now seeth and all eyes shall one day see and tongues confess to the glory of God the Father THE Holy TRUTH and PEOPLE DEFENDED c. In an ANSWER c. HE excepteth against those words of mine to him in a former Letter of Jun. 24. which I have not here by me that when his eyes are opened by the Lord he shall then acknowledge that we oppose no Truths of the Lord but hold forth what we have received from him To which he thus replyeth Is Redemption by Christs blood no Truth of the Lords Which he chargeth one of us in particular and many others in general with denying Answ We are gathered into that and abide in that in which no Truth can be denyed And are in him that leadeth into all Truth and teacheth to deny no Truth that ever was held forth by the Spirit of the Lord. Some of us may not yet be grown up in understanding into the mysteries of the Kingdom which God hath revealed and made manifest to others But yet we do not deny but own one another in our several measures of knowledg and sence of things and in our several growths And we own and acknowledge in Gods sight the several Dispensations he hath brought forth both before the Law and under the Law and Prophets and in the time of Ch●ists appearance in the flesh and after when he sent his Spirit and all the time the Church was in the Wilderness and now she is coming forth again in the brightness and glory of the Father looking forth as the Morning fair as the Morning clear as the Sun terrible as an Army with Banners Nor do we disowne any thing that is of God in the Professors of this Age But onely that which we know and are required by him to testifie against as being not of him O that they could weigh our words and Testimony in a right Spirit For they would not then be so offended at and speak so against us as now they do And the Lord knoweth we would do any thing that lieth in us to remove the stumbling blocks that lie before them But it cannot be done to that Spirit in them before which God Almighty hath laid the stumbling block that it might stumble and fall and be snared and broken and taken But if they could come into another Spirit and feel unity with and the birth of another Spirit the birth of that pure Wisdom should find no stumbling block or offence in this pretious dispensation of Truth wherewith God from on high hath visited us And as for denying Redemption by the blood of Christ O how will he answer this charge to God when none upon the earth as the Lord God knoweth are so taught and do so truly rightly and fully owne Redemption by the blood of Christ as the Lord hath taught us to do For we owne the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ both outwardly and inwardly both as it was shed on the Cross and as it is sprinkled in our Consciences and know the cleansing virtue thereof in the everlasting Covenant and in the Light which is eternal Out of which Light men have but a notion thereof but do not truly know nor own it And let him consider b fore the time of Antichr st it was a great matter to know and own Christ outwardly as he appeared in that body But since the Antichristian Spirit hath got that the distinguishing knowledge and owning of Christ is to know and own him inwardly The outward knowledge and confession now as it is generally seperated from and held forth in way of distinction from the inward is but the knowledge and confession of Babylon and not the true living knowledge and confession of Christ in and

by the Spirit of the Father which is the knowledge and confession of all the Children of the true and heavenly Mother which is the Mother of all that are born of the Spirit He repeateth ●hose words of mine That we do not make any finite thing our Righteousness but Christ of God is made into us Righteousness This he saith Is well spoken a●d wisheth we may alwayes abide on this confession Answ These words arose in me from an inward feeling of him who giveth Righteousness and of the Righteousness given and the Lord preserving me in that Life I shall feel so for ever and confess so for ever And truly I can testifie of no other Righteousness For blessed be the name of my God I feel the Righteousness of his Son revealed in me dayly from Faith to Faith In his name I have been gathered in his name I live and in him I feel Righteousness and indeed there is nothing but Righteousness Holyness Truth Life and Salvation and the like in him And he that is truly in him is Righteous and Holy in him there being in him a new creating of all that are there and a renewing into the holy and heavenly Image which consists in the Righteousness and Holyness of Truth He desireth me to give a plain answer to this Question Is Christ of God made our Righteousness by faith in his blood or in his Spirit Answ A pretended Faith in Christs blood without Faith in his Spirit is but dead and notional Except ye eat my flesh and drink my blood saith Christ ye have no Life in you It is the Spirit that quickeneth the Flesh saith he profiteth nothing Now the Faith must be in that which quickeneth And the Faith in that which quickeneth is Holy and Righteous and the man who is found in it is Justified through that Faith in the quickening Power in the sight of God Thus Abraham was Justified in the sight of God and thus are the Children of Abraham to be Justified even through believing in that holy Power and Spirit which requireth obedience and Justifieth the obedient and condemneth the disobedient for ever Rom. 4.24 He saith He fears a Snake in this green grass when I say from his Life Virtue and Power revealed in us is our conformity to him Answ It were better and safer for him to fear at home For the Snake is in his own grass and many notional high soaring expressions without true knowledge But can there be any conformity to Christ without his Life Vitrtue and Power inwardly revealed what else can conform unto and bring forth in the Image and likeness of Christ He saith He feareth lest I make this Life and Virtue our Righteousness which is indeed the fruits of it .. Answ Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge and runneth out from the Truth into his own imaginations What was Christs Righteousness Was it not the Life the Virtue the Spirit of the Father in him he being one with it in the Faith of it and in the obedience to it And is not the Righteousness of the head and the body the same communicated from the head to the body Are they not all of one and the Righteousness one and the same in both So much of Christs Spirit so much of his Righteousness And out of his Spirit out of his Righteousness for evermore For the Righteousness of the Son is revealed and communicated from Faith to Faith in his Spirit And so Christ is indeed made Righteousness to them that are found in his Spirit and they are covered with the garment of Righteousness and Salvation who are covered with his Spirit He saith Our Righteousness is before this Answ What is our Righteousness before any of the Life Virtue and Power of Christ revealed in us Is God a respecter of Persons Doth he Justifie any out of the holy Covenant before he hath made a change in him How doth this man with his vain imaginations turn the whole way and councel of God upside down He brings a Scripture to prove this The Spirit is life for righteousness sake Answ That Scripture which is Rom. 8.10 speaks of those in whom Christ is and dwels And there indeed The Body is dead because of sin and the Spiritis Life because of Righteousness This is plainly spoken and plainly felt and known as it is spoken O that he had the true sence and understanding of it as it is in Jesus He saith Righteousness is in order of nature before Sanctification Answ That which is holy is Righteous There is nothing Righteous in the eyes of the pure God but that which is holy The Head was really holy and Righteous and they that are in him p●rtakes of his Holyness and Righteousness and are really Holy and Righteous in him And Faith which purifies the heart and through which Sanctification is must needs be in order of nature before the Justification which is by it for God Justifieth no unbelievers but believers only Yea the wicked must forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and turn unto the Lord which cannot possibly be without some degree of Sanctification before the Lord will have mercy and pardon the Soul its sins Isa 55.7 and chap. 1.16 17 18. He saith Justification is an act of Grace passed upon us by God freely without respect to us as Godly nay properly reflecting on us in that moment as ungodly Answ I charge this in the sight of God for absolutely false Doctrine and contrary to the Gospel For God Justifieth no man as ungodly but calleth upon men to repent and turn from their ungodlyness and he will have mercy upon them Justifie and save them Now m●n are not ungodly in turning from their ungodlyness but changed And so their state is in some measure changed before Justified If Abraham was ungodly when God called him Yet in forsaking his own Country and following the Lord and offering up his Son he was obedient and not ungodly and in that obedience he was Justified A man may have notions of Justification in his mind and accordingly take himself to be Justified when he is not But there is no man Justified by the Lord till he be changed translated into him in whom God Justifieth out of the place of condemnation into the place of Justification For till men are changed by the Spirit and Power of the Lord they are but darkness and in the darkness where no Justification is It is the Believing the Obedient the Children of Light that are Justified by the Lord. He saith Were we godly before or at that time it were no act of Grace to pronounce us Righteous Answ He that witnesseth Salvation in Christ Jesus witnesseth it to be a continued act of Grace Grace appears to the Soul Grace teacheth Grace enableth Grace maketh a change from the ungratiousness of the heart and state and then Grace or God by his Grace in and through Christ Jesus forgiveth the sins that were