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	soul_n	wait_v	5,279	5	9.2073	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03759	A short exposition of the 20. and 21. verses of the third chapter of the first epistle of S. Iohn Containing a very profitable discourse of conscience, and of al the actions, sortes, and kinds thereof, wherby euery man may easily know his estate, wherein hee standeth in the sight of his God, and whether his conscience be good or euill, with all things also belonging either to get a good conscience, or else to releiue it out of trouble, being grieued and wounded, as in the epistle to the reader is more specially mentioned, and in the discourse itselfe clearely expressed.	Howesoun, John.	1600 (1600)	STC 13878; ESTC S116556	26,751	68

promised by God in his word beleeued and put in practise by the faithful preached set down by the Prophets as at what time soeuer a sinner doth repent from the bottome of his heart the Lord will put away all his iniquities c. And last of all let them that bee thus troubled say with the Prophete Lorde because there is mercie with thee that thou mayest be feared I will wait vpon thee as the eye of the seruant wayteth vpon the hand of his Master and I will condemne my selfe of folly and say ô my soule why art thou so heauy why art thou cast downe within me still trust in the Lord for he is thy health thy saluation therfore thou wilt trust in him albeit he should slay thee They that sute and seeke for these means in the trouble of ther conscience with earnest prayer and feruent supplications vnto his holy maiesty in the name of his Christ shall neuer but finde comforte to their wearied soules and a full remedie to their wounded Consciences in the ende Question Last of all before I conclude this questiō may be moued That if the troubles of conscience be so feareful a thing a quyet conscience so excellent a treasure why then is it that so manie are so carefull to preuent the troubles of the bodie and so few carefull for the troubles of their soules and consciences For to provid remedies for povertie Physick for sicknes we doe perceaue few to be slack or slouthfull and yet to prouide any remedy in time for a sick woūded Conscience we see few so carefull as will loose an houres sleepe Example hereof wee may perceaue in Iosephs brethren who sleeped with wounded and guiltie consciences securely for the space of many yeares albeit they were very carefull so soone as they were punished with famine to prouide a hasty remedy therefore but regarded not the sin committed against Ioseph guiltines of their cōsciences vntill the Lord wakened them to their griefe So did Dauid forget his murther and adulterie for a years space and ay while the Lord wakened him vp to repentance by his Prophet Nathan For answer to this question I say Answer that it is because we desire to colour our sinnes and hyde the same as did our first parēts vntill God himselfe did reueale them this chiefely doe all Adams children that are not renewed by Christ and so shal all such doe as haue a sleeping and carelesse Conscience as haue moste men at this day vntill they be eyther wakend vp by gods Prophets and his word to try their consciences or else by God himselfe by some inwarde griefe or outward trouble before their death or in death to their endles griefe or then after death to their euerlasting damnation Let vs therefore know what thinge Conscience is in time What are the torments of an euill Conscience what are the exercises or workes of Conscience What are the kinds sortes of Consciences and lastly what are mens dueties concerning conscience and how he may get a good Conscience preserue the same when it is gotten and preuent the troubles thereof and being troubled after what maner he may be releiued out of the troubles of it All the which things are expresly to be found in Gods word and therefore let vs endeuour our selues seriously with earnest prayer to seeke them and search them out of the same That we may through patience Comforte thereof conceaue an assured hope with the testimony of an excusing conscience Rom 15 4 squared rightly with the rule of the word of euerlasting life through Iesus Christ our Lord To whome be all honour prayse and glory for euer Amen FINIS M. John Howesoun

from whence iudgement knowledge doe proceede as effects This the scriptures doe confirme ascribing sundrie works and actions to conscience as accusing excusing comforting terrifiing which could not proceede from thence if it were no more then an naked and bare action or act of the minde Wherfore 10 As conscience is in all men Angels so doth it apply al principles and conclusions of the minde eyther to accuse or excuse them it is that power of the soule whose propertie is to take the principall conclusions of the minde and apply them either to accuse or excuse So that this is the grounde of all that Conscience is a thing which can neuer bee lost albeit the same may loose the vse for a time as reason in a drunken man for it is in all reasonable creatures both man and Angell as in the proper subiects Therefore all consciences that now doe sleepe shall once be wakened eyther in mercie or in iudgement heere or in hel for the torment of an euill conscience in the wicked Esa 66.24 is a worme saieth the Prophet which shall neuer die and a fire that shall neuer be quenched The ende of conscience is to determine of things done 11 The ende of Conscience and wherein it differeth from other giftes and faculties of the mind whereby it differeth from all other gifts of the minde as are intelligence opinion science faith prudence c. For as to intelligence it simplie conceaueth a thing to be or not be opinion iudgeth a thing to be probable or contuigent Science iudgeth it to be sure and certaine faith is a perswasion whereby we beleeue things that are not but are hid from vs as yet prudence discerneth what is meete to be done or what to be left vndone But Conscience goeth further then all these for it giueth sentence of things done by saying vnto vs shewing vs this was done this was not done This may be done This may not be done This was well done This was euill done 12 3. things to be marked Of Conscience thus described there doe arise three things to be marked Firste that the things wherof Conscience determines are a mans owne actions only for to be certaine what any other man hath done or said is commonly called knowledge but what a man himselfe hath done or said belongeth to Conscience Secondly Conscience meddles not with generals but dealeth onely in particular actions and that not in a few but in all Thirdly that the maner of consciēce is a determination to set downe her iudgement either with the creature or against it and that because it is of diuine nature placed by God in our soules betweene him and vs as an arbitrator to giue sentence and pronounce decreet eyther with vs or against vs to God For sometimes it consents and speaks with God against persons in whome it is placed other times againe it cōsents with them and speaketh for them before the Lorde Examples hereof there bee manie in the Scriptures as of the first sort Kain Iudas and in the latter Peter and the Theefe who albeit their sinnes were greevous because they repented their Conscience assured them of mercie And this is the cause why we call this effect of our minde Conscience 13 Why the Practical parte of the vnderstanding is called conscience For as Scire to know is of one man onely by himselfe So is Conscire when at the least two know some secret thing The which they doe both knowe together Wherfore the name Conscientia or conscience is that thing that maketh two together partakers or partners of the knowledge of things which are secret in the minde of men or Angels Now it is certaine 14 God and man are partners onely in the knowledge of conscience that in this knowledge with man of his secrete deedes thoughts no creatures can be partners with him because neither men nor Angels doe know mans thoughts secrets vnlesse the same be reuealed vnto them and therefore it remaineth that in the knowledge therof conscience hath God onely to be partner with man in all his thoughts words and deeds how secret soeuer they be and man againe by the gift of God doth know the same of himselfe together with God in his Conscience And thus far concerning the word Conscience and the difinition thereof The which heere Saint Iohn calleth the hearte of man 2 What a griefe is a troubled conscience Prouer. 18.14 It followeth to speake next of the greefe of a troubled Conscience which of all others is most intollerable For the spirit of man saith Salomon wil susteine his infirmitie but a wounded spirite who can beare it That is a troubled a wounded conscience is of al greefe the greatest the greeuousest punishment that God at any time layeth vpon either man or Angell So that men to be ridde out of this tormēt doe chuse oftentimes rather death then to liue vnder the misserable and intollerable greife thereof albeit in all other troubles they be able to indure even vnto the ende therof yet this onely is that griefe which they can no waies sustaine As examples both of prophane and diuine histories doe beare recorde For whether we consider this greefe in them who are meere naturall men and neuer knewe God in Christ or in them that are renewed by the holie Ghoste and spirit of regeneration wee shal finde it to bee in either of them the greatest griefe torment of all others As to the first sorte whether the same be heathen people who neuer knewe Gods word or else such as in true Religion did not rightly but superstitiouslie worship God wee shall perceaue if wee list to reade histories that this wound of an accusing heart and troubled spirite coulde not bee healed with any medicine or other comforte whatsoeuer For the hethen Philosophers the wisest of all others among the Gentles as Cato and others who did beare all troubles most patiently to the great admiration of all the world did yet notwithstanding where their cōsciences became troubled and when some great distresse of minde wounded their heart and spirit make an ende of their liues with their owne handes Some by drinking deadlie poyson Some by running themselues voluntarily vpon the weapons of their enemis Some by casting themselues from hie places vnto the deepe of the sea or ouer high rocks to beate and strike themselues all to peeces And some not sticking to stogge themselues through the harts with swords knyues or other such weapons for griefe of this wound of conscience trouble of heart all the which persones so long as other waies their consciēces were not surcharged ouermaistered were in al bodilie troubles invincible c. As Cato Iasson the husband of Medea Lucretia and others As Alexander the greate and Nero who would haue put hand to themselues for greefe of conscience The like we may beholde in persons that either supersticiously worship God