Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	pardon_v	sin_n	transgression_n	2,321	5	9.8948	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15527	Saints by calling: or Called to be saints A godly treatise of our holy calling to Christ, by the gospell. With the seuerall gifts proper vnto the called: and their counterfeits in the hypocrites which are not partakers of this effectuall calling. Written by Thomas Wilson, minister of Gods word, at S. Georges Church in Canterbury.	Wilson, Thomas, 1563-1622.	1620 (1620)	STC 25796; ESTC S103067	273,228	442

Finally which is an admirable thing euen by the grosse sinnes of his Children it pleaseth God to doe them much good both to greeue them for that is past to humble them and shame them for the present to worke more feare and warinesse for the time to come Besides it turnes greatly to Satans great confusion their fales prouing medicines and remedies and preuentions of future sinnes and this as it much redoundeth to Gods honour so it cannot choose but vex Sathan at the heart that such sinnes as he hath drawne the godly into with great diligence and long deuice hoping therby to choke them and quite to spoile them should bee made meanes through Gods wonderfull goodnesse and wisedome euen to whet and sharpen them the more against Sathan the procurer of their wounds and woe by stirring vp themselues and strengthening others vnto all good duties He had been better to fit still then to haue tempted Dauid and Peter to such sinnes as he did as I could further proue saue that in our conference of Repentance this very thing wil be happily reuiued and come againe to be spoken of but it is now meete that wee seeke out the markes whereby Sanctification is knowne to be truly wrought and to speake of the duties of sanctified persons Apollos I doe well allow of your purpose onely by the way let me put you in remembrance that by the remainder of sinne in the new borne Christians and by those daily bitter fruits which spring from thence there is more occasion giuen to the godly to exercise their faith touching the forgiuenesse promised and their hope touching the blessednesse to come and all other their graces which if they were perfect and all sinne done away at their regeneration then what great vse of faith or hope when there should bee no vnbeleefe or doubting within them or what vse of any other vertue when it lacked the opposition resistance of the contrary vice to set it on worke Here is our warfare and there must be a continuall strife inwardly in our selues betweene grace and sinne as well as out wardly against the wicked In Heauen our warfare shall be ended and not before and further by how much the godly oftner sinne here so much the mercies of God in pardoning and Christs righteousnesse in couering such and so innumerable transgressions are manifested to bee the more glorious and excellent There being no lesse grace if not more expressed in forgiuing sinnes done after the Spirit of God and faith receiued then such as were done before Sithence the more Gods Children are beholden to God and the more meanes they haue against sinne and the more they are enlightened to vnderstand their duty the more grecuous is their fault which yet being all remitted freely vpon their repentance it declareth the abundance of the grace of God toward them Aquila It was well thought vpon by you for I had forgotten these things but now to follow my purpose Amidst so much darknesse of minde as yet remaineth after regeneration in Gods Children and so many and great imperfections Sathan also with his iuglings laboring to trouble their iudgements it seemeth then a hard thing to discerne that true sanctification of the Elect from that generall grace whereby a naturall man may liue for outward comfort and carriage as if hee were truly sanctified There bee sixe or seauen tokens by which the difference is to bee found and euery sanctified person shall by them know of himselfe that hee is gone beyond a ciuill life First a sanctified man hath care to order his life his whole way and euery step of it by the knowledge of the Word of which he enquireth what hee may doe and what not still taking counsell from thence doing all his things as necre as hee can by that diuine direction and with application of Christ beleeuing that his weaknesses are in him hidden and the vncleannesse of his worke wiped and purged by his death whereas the ciuill man dependeth vpon the allowance and reputation of men which if hee obtaine it contents him he lookes no further but to haue a good estimation in the World And whereas the sanctified man aymeth at this most how to please God euen with the deniall and displeasure of his owne corrupt heart the ciuill man doth not take thought nor trouble his head about the pleasing of God in the good he doth nor in leauing euils for the offence of God but seeketh and studieth to please himselfe and such whose fauour hee desireth to liue in ordering his course to his owne and their liking Thirdly whereas a ciuill man is very carefull in duties that concerne affaires and dealings with men that hee may get a good report that way and doth religious duties coldly and of custome the sanctified man though he will not be negligent in workes that belong to his calling yet he is cheefely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 duties which concerne God and his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that both publikely and priuately Adde heereunto fourthly that ciuil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no great conscience of smaller sinnes as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 talke lesse oaths gaming c and not at all 〈◊〉 against naturall corruption to get it killed nor in 〈◊〉 bled for it It is otherwise with a sanctified man he laboureth most against the roote of sinne to get it mortified to haue the fountaine drained hee 〈◊〉 him and conceiues much 〈◊〉 euen for the 〈◊〉 of sinne Psal. 51 4 5. Hee hath a great care to meete with sin in the bud to resist it in the 〈◊〉 and euill desires and auoyding conscionably euen such offences as the most men iudge but 〈◊〉 For hee 〈◊〉 the danger of death the displeasure of God in euery sin euen the least Dauid will greeue for touching the lap of Sauls garment the Lords annointed The heart of a godly man wil smite him euē for a vile vnhonest thoght for euery little ouer sight if it be but in a circumstance of an action Yet 〈◊〉 ciuil men neuer take any 〈◊〉 to auoid the sins of the time or of their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 turall peculiar sinnes the sanctified man of all other most setteth himselfe against these And to shut vp because the differences are infinite the euill man is 〈◊〉 about the 〈◊〉 of grace to get more strength against 〈◊〉 more power to obey God he doth not marke in himselfe the decrease of grace or increase of sinne that being humbled therefore he may vse the means appointed without 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and faintnesse not by fits and girds It 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the sanctified person who 〈◊〉 how corruption workes and how grace decayes betakes himselfe vnto the vse of al good means 〈◊〉 all good care and conscience for the helping him 〈◊〉 a greater measure of the Spirit that he may grow vp in grace and knowledge For he considereth 〈◊〉 himselfe amongst sundry other things what duty he 〈◊〉 to God and to his owne soule and that this 〈◊〉 is laid vpon him by

grounded vpon any worke in our owne selues that there were ought in vs that could deserue such mercy or that it could bee had any other way then thorough Christ this were presumption But to rest in the truth of Gods promise and sufficiency of Christs 〈◊〉 this is Christian submission And touching the number of your sinnes I easily beleeue they are wondrous many and more then you thinke for for who knoweth his offences But then do you beleeue also this that Christ Iesus dyed for all the iniquities of all the elect to purge them by his blood So as if all the elects sins were yours yet the remedy prouided by Christ would be found sufficient Againe to the incomprehensible boundlesse mercies of God it is as easie to forgiue many sins as few sinnes For if he will haue many pardoned they are pardoned and few be therefore pardoned because it is his will to blot them out He hath mercy on whom he will Rom. 9 15. Set then the multitude of his mercies against the multitude of your sinnes and the. vnvalueable price of Christs death against the huge heape of your innumerable faultes Whereunto adde this that sinners guilty of as many sinnes as you be or can bee haue beene saued through faith in Christ. Witnesse he that saide his sinnes were gone ouer his head and more then his haires Aquila This is a ioyfull hearing but there is another scruple that many of my sinnes haue beene sinnes against knowledge and done after repentance yea and after promises and vowes of amendment and by one that haue receiued of God many blessings both in things inward and earthly and so my vnthankfulnes deserues a casting off and my persidiousnesse is worthy to haue the gates of mercy shut and barred against me Apollos I confesse that these circumstances make the case the harder for sins against knowledge are very fearefull and grosse vnthankfulnesse in despising great bounty when it is ioyned with treacherous persidiousnesse in breaking solemne vowes doth much augment the guiltinesse of sin But is it any ease to your soule to bring vnbeleefe and knit it to your other offences which be bad and vile enough already and had not neede to be encreased by addition of infidelity Again is there any thing in all that which you haue spoken which is not remissible and to be pardoned Is there any thing which Gods children may not yea doe not fall into Did not Iacob break his vowes for which God did temporally chastise him Gen. 35 1 2. How often had King Dauid repented and how often vowed obedience to God 1. at his Circumcision 2 and so often also as he came to the Passeouer 3. and vpon many particular mercies receiued as his Psalmes witnes before he fell into those grosse crimes against Bathsheba Vriah and the whole hoast And what great mercies of protections and prosperitie had he receiued before See 2 Sam. 12 7 8. May we not affirme the like of other of Gods faithfull children For I would haue it considered that all Gods children do performe repentance euery day and yet euery day fall into newe sinnes and such as howsoeuer they are to be imputed to heedlesse carelesnesse and negligence yet cannot bee but done against their knowledge which hath informed their minds of such things to be sinnes as they daily run into and daily aske forgiuenesse of Which yet being done of frailty and not of set purpose thogh the doers be such as are culpable of very great vnthank fulnesse forgetting so many and great mercies towards them and theirs and haue bound themselues by many promises to God for all this vpon their renewed repentance comming to God with sorrow for them and with faith in Gods mercies through Christ they are graciously receiued And if it were not thus none could be saued For who sinnes not after repentance and after receiuing of many great blessings and making many deepe promises of a better life There is not one but is faulty this way the most mercifull God causing his grace and mercie to be so much the more illustrious and renowned by how much the sins of his children be more abundant that where sinnes abound there also grace may more abound Rom. 5 ver 20. Which is spoken for ease of an heart groaning and diuersly perplexed and humbled with knowledge of sin not to open a window vnto iniquity For the more mercy that any needeth and looketh for obtaineth the lesse cause hee hath to offend the more reason to please and obey God as it is written There is mercie with thee O Lord that thou mayst be feared Psalme 130. verse 2. Aquila But some of my sinnes are such as I haue often gone ouer after confession particularly made of them yet againe and againe haue I gone back to the same sin as a dog to his vomit and how then should I beleeue that I can be forgiuen Apollos All this may be true as you say and you say that which being true is also very heauy For all relapses be they in bodily or spirituall maladies are very dāgerous It were better that a man should haue two or three fits of seuerall sicknesses or two or three seuerall woundes in seuerall places of the body then to haue the selfe-same sicknesse renewed by relapse and one place of the body twice wounded Yet all this may happen and proue recouerable and curable else it were wofull with vs all Who is he that doth not often goe ouer common infirmities The selfe-same wants and defects which appeare at one time in our duties those do againe shew themselues at another time yea and grosse sinnes are iterated vpon new occasions temptations Peter did thrice deny his Lord Math. 26 73 74. Abraham did twice tell a ly Lot was twice ouercom with wine and incontinency Genes 19 31 32. The virgin Mary was twice checkt of Christ for her curiosity Luke 2 49. and Iohn 2 23. The Disciples of Christ had twice emulations and debates among themselues about primacy and yet were all forgiuen If relapses be felt with greefe for that is past and with feare for time to come it is a good signe that there is helpe for them and that commandement which biddes vs beleeueremission of sinnes doth not except sinnes of relapses Aquila But some of these sinnes into which relapse hath beene made are very foule and marueilous great sinnes such as I am ashamed to name and I haue long lien in them therefore I cannot beleeue that they shal be forgiuen me Apollos God hath forgiuen to such as beleeue as great sinnes as the world euer had He forgaue drunkennesse to Naah Incest and drunkennesse to Lot Adultery and murther to Dauid Idolatry to 〈◊〉 Oppression persecution and blasphemy to 〈◊〉 to Peter he forgaue deniall and abiuring of his sonne incredulity to Moses If any mans sinne were as blacke as hel or as diuels yet the rich mercy of God in