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
A25199	An orthodox plea for the sanctuary of God, common service, white robe of the house being writ for the good of all, but more especially intended for the common sort, being composed in a stile fittest for their capacities / by G.A. Sometime of Oxford, of St. Johns.	Alsop, George, b. 1638.	1669 (1669)	Wing A2902; ESTC R16186	26,026	98

least ought so to do to make our confession of what sins we have committed against him 't is but fit considering the foulness of our offences to prostrate our selves upon our knees before the throne of his grace and there acknowledg with tears the pollution of our souls saying we have erred and strayed from thy wayes c. upon which articular acknowledgment the Minister for comfort and consolation doth pronounce Gods proneness to forgive and have mercy upon Submission which being performed and the soul eased by Prayer then to rise with a reverend posture from the Knees with Praises O come let us sing unto the Lord c. upon the ending of those Praises then to place your self decently as in the House of God waiting and receiving with an open Soul those holy instructions from Gods Word that shall be read unto you and first the Psalms of David Gloria Patri being ended then a Lesson out of the old Testament most commonly relating to the antient promises and kindnesses of God to his Church in consideration 't is but meet to give him praise singing or saying that sacred Hymn Te Deum Laudamus We Praise thée O God c. then after a Lesson out of the New Testament declaring the performance of his promised mercy to his Church to sing another Hymn Blessed be the Lord God of Israel c. then stoutly to stand with a direct body as well as an even soul like a true heroick Soldier of God and make a confession of thy Faith speaking with an audible voice I believe in God c. then to bow your self in Prayer before God for divers necessities of humane Nature The Lords Prayer and other invocations with the Letany not onely for your self but for others the King and the whole Kingdom yea even for the converting of your enemies then after a special prayer for Grace and Sanctification the ten Commandements with the Epistles and Gospels being distinctly deliverd unto us the one containing our duty both to God and man the other having aspeciall relation to the work of our redemption See a Peice Printed at Cambridge 1642 called the Protestant Account all and what ever remains of the service of the Church else being in order and due manner plac't for the Glory of Gods Worship and the convenient advantage of his Peoples Souls must needs be approved of from God and all good and Religious men But I know some others wil be apt to say for all this That though the words may be good and the Order plausible yet the length and tediousness of them keeps them longer out of the Church than they would be Oh say some they stop us an unreasonable while from hearing of the Sermon and were it not for this fault we would hear them oftner Why these are strange expressions and too often us'd in this sinful Nation that Prayer and Praises unto God should be counted tedious and irksome this is quite contrary to the Apostles saying Pray continually Now whereas 't is objected that the Prayers of the Church keeps people from the Sermon too long 't is a folly beyond wonder to consider it that ever people should be so ignorant of the excellency of Divine Prayer and Praises which are the golden Keys that open and shut the gates of Heaven that wrestle with God and command his mercy down as it were that this Sacred Worship should be jostled out of the Church or at least so little set by that Preaching a thing that hath been more commoner in our age to savour of wit and humour than any true devotion should be prefer'd before it I must confess I have been always God forbid I should deny the Ordinance of sound Preaching but the abuse of it I abhor from my heart when Sermons leds people to Heaven Oh then they are good but when they direct for Hell when murder and Rebellion is the Theame of the Pulpit and confused Extravagancy the whole matter that 's raised from it then to hate such Preaching is commendable why this was the preaching of the late times and too many I am afraid use it still this was the vomits of the Pulpit when that wretch Peters assum'd the Chair of Canterbury and am still a Lover of true Preaching but not at all of that which many call and would have pass for preaching to name a text and then to talk any thing that comes uppermost from it either to run so far from the text as never to come near it after once nam'd or to crow'd so close to it as to screw it beyond its height making the true word of God to speak that which it never intended certainly such preaching as this must much abuse the word of God the Hearers and their owne souls that vent it when as a neat quaint and zealous exposition upon the words is commendable with allowance to Paraphrase with sincerity trueth neither wresting the word from its intended scope or drift nor assuming to be so bold as to think by your Comments you have outstript and gone beyond the word of God as well for worth of matter as excellency of stile this were an abominable arrogancy and yet this is a crime too frequently entertain'd abroad to esteem Calamy and Baxters prating before Gods word alas they conceive that these men have outdone Christ and his Apostles for preaching to the purpose the common consequence confirms this for many had rather go five miles to hear one of these fellows talk frightful whimsies from their own brains than to go one quarter of a mile to hear our Saviour Christs Sermon which he preacht on the Mount Matthew 5.1 Acts 2.37 Peters converting Sermon to the Jews with other of Christ's and his Apostles works The holy Testament which being read unto us with a pure heart and we receiving of it with the same undoubtedly it is the onely preaching of all preaching that doth most good for what can be safer to be preach't than Gods pure Word which is able to make us wise unto Salvation and though expositions have crept into esteem amongst some yet I think that Christ and his Apostles Sermons left for our instructions are to be approved on before all other works of those that love God And next to the holy Bible the Service of the Church pleads for preheminence before any thing that shall appear for Service before God for know that Prayer and Praises are the essentiall Worship of God it is the Coyne of Heaven it answereth all things it pleaseth God and pleaseth Man we have no other way to come unto God but by Prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ Prayer brings us into his presence and shews us the light of his countenance if God be angry with us Prayer pacifies him and makes all well again if we are in sorrow Prayer comforts us see this in Hannah a woman of a sorrowful Spirit Prayer maks her look Chearful If we are in

that they should offer up to God in his holy Sanctuary might be spiritual and not carnal for there is nothing more hateful to God than a Formal Devotion without the Spirit therefore when we pray in the Liturgy we pray earnestly for the assistance of the spirit of God Wherefore let us beséech him to grant us true repentance and his holy spirit that those things may please him which we do at this present See in the Absolution And when the Minister blesseth the people in the Lords name The Lord be with you See after the Creed Hee 's answered by the whole Congregation by way of retaliation and with thy spirit And again in the Litany we pray See the Letany That it may please God to giue us true repentance to forgive us all our sins negligences ignorances and to endue us with the grace of his holy Spirit to amend our lives according to his holy Word And so in many other of our several Collects and Prayers we beseech God that he would send down his Spirit upon us to guide and direct us How wicked then are those men that abuse this holy Worship calling it a Form without a Spirit have given out in their preaching writings that we deny the spirit to have any exercise in our Worship when God he knows it is our earnest begging and intreating of him continually when we appear before him in Prayer that he would ever assist us with his holy Spirit They therefore that do not take the Worship and Service of our Church to be Spiritual and Divine are led and conducted by no other spirit but the spirit of Errour and Contradiction For know the Service of our Church performed cordially and sincerely it is a pure holy and acceptable Service it is as pleasing Incense in the Nostrils of God when it is fired by the ardency of Faith and true Devotion when the Churches Worship is joyntly and universally performed throughout her several Congregations observing and obeying one and the same order though but a Church militant yet she fairly by imitation represents the Church triumphant which praises God in a joynt Communion they all sing with one and the same Form Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabaoth whereas a disorderly Devotion in the Church must surely as much affront God as amaze the people when the whole time at Service shall be spent in throwing out corrupt and indigested words as they happen to come uppermost some right some wrong the Hearers spending their time in nothing else but in listening and considering what their extemporary Preacher or rather Pratler with his long fetches and turns will drive at at last being often out but seldome in it is therefore no wonder at all that many times the people complain that their Guides are dark and dubious in their directions being so often lost and at a stand themselves in the very prescribing of their Rules whereas our Service and Divine Worship it is even a guide to the simplest and lowest of men for certainly he must be of a very shallow capacity that cannot joyn with the Minister in our Prayers and Services And undoubtedly those Prayers doeth most good that are performed knowingly Ignorance in the Worship of God is the mother and breeder up of Error Matth. 22.29 You erre saith Christ to the Sadduces not knowing the Word He that prayes ignorantly reaps little profit by it whilst he that prayes understandingly reaps wisdom unto Salvation Oh what a goodly and comfortable a sight it is to see both Pastor and People praying in a joynt agreement and communion for of a certain those Prayers and Praises are likely to do most good that are performed understandingly as well as publikely for as Doct. Hamond observes in his Practical Catechism that the Union of many hearts being met together are likeliest to prevail and the presence of some godly may bring down mercies upon others whose Prayers hath no promise to be heard especially performed by a consecrated person whose office is to draw nigh unto God to offer up Prayer and Thanks-giving as an Embassadour between God and Man Oh 't is a glorious sight to behold these sacred performances to be done with zeal and devotion Certainly as Jacob saith it is the Gate of Heaven Holy-Prayer is that which pleaseth God advantageth Man And if Prayer then seemly and orderly Prayer and what more orderly and seemly than the Holy Service that is now blessed be the Lord amongst us the worst of our enemies cannot say it is a mystical or intricate Worship delivered in an unknown Tongue or imbroidered with canting tearms such as many of our adversaries Prayers are more befitting a Prologue of a Comedy to create laughter than stir up zeal the worst they say of our Prayers they are plain and homely but these are unchristian-like Reproches as if any thing that acquaints the soul with God or conducts it to Heaven can be too plain and obvious but if plain as they say let them know it is the plain Word of God that Word which is able to make us wise unto Salvation For know that our Prayers Psalms and Benedictions are the most of them extracted out of the Word of God and are methodically placed in an orderly advantage for the glory of Gods Praise and the blessed benefit of his people that draw nigh unto him Sure then those orderly and premeditated Prayers and Praises taken out of the Word of God may I hope as well for their antiquity as their worth plead the preheminence before the effusion of long and tedious extemporary Prayers made by the vain and bold imaginations of some Squander-headed fellow But here I suppose some may be apt to step in and say Were your Service made up onely with Prayer and Praises we might it may be sooner agree and assent to them but they are mixt with Prayers and Hymns and Psalms and Chapters made up altogether it appears not at all so advantagious and profitable as if made up with Prayers and Praises onely To this I answer our Saviour Christ left the government of the Church upon his ascending up on high unto the Apostles and their lawful Successors commissionating and binding them as Paul did Timothy at Creet Tit. 1.5 to settle and establish all things in an orderly advantage as well for the praise of his glory as the good of his people now whereas it is commonly objected that the mixture and variety that is in our Service makes it not approved of nor followed by many I thus vindicate this point in opposition to their erroneous mistake for know that the Service of our Church would not be so profitable nor so like to a true Worship that must be offered up to God were it not for the change and succession that 's in it Thus I make it appear to all reasonable men viz. When we approach to the publike Service of the Lord we come or at