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
A35955	Therapeutica sacra shewing briefly the method of healing the diseases of the conscience, concerning regeneration / written first in Latine by David Dickson ; and thereafter translated by him.	Dickson, David, 1583?-1663.	1664 (1664)	Wing D1408; ESTC R24294	376,326	551

the fathers Secondly the Apostle observeth the wonderfull mercy of God that while he is finding fault with the incredulity of the fathers who lived under this old covenant he will avenge this their incredulity ignorance foolishness and ingratitude by telling them that he will make a new covenant and give them that were then living a taste of it for recovering them finding fault with them he saith the dayes come that I will make a new covenant Thirdly this covenant of grace m●de with the Church is procured by Christ to this end that the covenant of Redemption might be brought unto a reall accomplishment by the covenant of Grace This observation is grounded upon this that Christ is called the Mediatour of this better covenant Heb. 8. 6. For he will draw up a clear covenant of grace with his people that the blessings purchased unto them according to the covenant of Redemption may be applyed unto them by this covenant of grace and reconciliation Fourthly the preaching of the promise of this new covenant is a most fit mean to draw on and close this covenant of grace between God and his people who are the called according to his purpose This observation is gathered from Ieremiahs preaching and Pauls preaching of this unto the hearers of the Gospel to this very intent and purpose Fifthly in the promising and preaching of this covenant of grace God will have all mens opinions thoughts and conceptions about this mystery limited unto and depending upon his mouth alone revealing the same in his Word This observation is gathered from the Lords invitation of all men to take heed what he is to say and what he is to let forth in this mater Behold the dayes come saith the Lord wherein I will do such and such things which now I fore-tell I will do Sixthly both the making and way of making a covenant with man dependeth absolutely on God either to make a covenant or not to make what covenant he pleaseth to make upon what conditions he pleaseth and with what persons he pleaseth to make his covenant No man ever preveened God desiring him to make a covenant but God did preveen all men he preveened Adam once before his fall and again by preaching the Gospel in his audience after the fall he preveened the fathers in the wilderness he preveened his posterity that have lived or shall live in the latter dayes promising to make a covenant with those who were not come into the world but were to come long after the promise Seventhly the Lord will have all men to understand that the end of his covenanting with men both in that old dark form and in the new clear form is his own glory For he hath made all things for himself even the wicked for the day of evil This observation is gathered partly from this that the Lord bringeth forth his soveraignty for a reason of his rejecting of the misbelieving fathers in the wildernesse I despised them I regarded them not I Lorded it over them as the originall may bear And partly from this that he bringeth forth his own will and pleasure for a reason of his shewing grace to their posterity I will forgive their sins c. 8. He sheweth also that in his works he doth not depend upon man but that all his works are known unto him from the beginning and that it is determined by himself what and how and by what means he will do every thing This may appear from this that he doth fore-tell what he is to do about the saving of his elect Jews and Gentiles being no lesse certain to do what he promised about the posterity to come then he was certain of what was past already about their incredulous fathers 9. The Lord will have us to know that laying aside the consideration of his decrees it is simply in the power of God to punish sin in whom he will and to pardon sin through a Mediatour to whom he will that is to have mercy on whom he will have mercy and to pardon whom he will pardon This is collected from this that the fathers do sin in the wildernesse and justly perish and the posterity do sin and are graciously pardoned 10. In all this proceeding no violence is used upon the will of men whether of them that perish or of them that are saved The saved do walk freely and willingly in the way of salvation as their hearty choise and these that perish walk willingly in the way of perdition God proceeds with both by a volun●ary covenant as this place doth shew 11. In them that perish the meritorious and culpable cause of their perdition is in themselves but in them that are saved no cause is found at all but the cause is found in Gods grace alanerly This is collected from this that the Lord giveth the reason of the perdition of the misbelieving fathers from their sins and transgression of covenant they transgressed my covenant and I despised them and of the salvation of their posterity no other cause but this their sins I will not remember any more 12. The Lords justice is cleared in the perdition of them that perish because he gave precepts and promises and other morall motives to hinder them from sinning and to move them to keep his wayes albeit he did not effectually impede their running on to sin according to their inclination and pronenesse to follow their own way This is collected from this that the Lord saith he made a covenant with their fathers and they did break it 13. It pleaseth God not only to give his precepts unto men concerning their duty but also to condescend so far unto them as to open up in a part his decrees and deep designs about mens salvation that they being admitted somewhat near to the treasures of His wisdom goodnesse justice and mercy might be so much the more wise and the more stirred up to discharge their duty and make use of his dispensation This we collect from his revealing of the decree of election of the posterity of Israel and drawing them effectually into a covenant of grace with himself 14. The Lord doth reveal to the world the doctrine of election unto life only in the general and doth not descend to the nomination of them in particular This is collected from this that he doth promise to convert and draw into a new covenant of grace the posterity of Israel and Iudah without nameing particularly these that were designed for that salvation 15. Albeit the Lord keepeth up the names of the elect except of some few before their conversion yet he giveth forth marks and evidences whereby after their conversion they may be known both to themselves and others This we collect from this that He sets down infallible marks of the elect who are to be Gods covenanted people or worshipers of God that they do know God and have his law written in their hearts and inward parts 16. As for the reprobation of

so doth harden and obdure himself against all threatenings and goeth on in his own wayes resolved to take ease and pleasure in the world so long as he liveth and not to make himself miserable before the time Such was the desperation of carnall Israelits Isa 22. 13. who hearing the threatenings of the Prophets concerning the just Judgments of God to come upon them when they should have humbled themselves in prayer and fasting in sackcloth and ashes and sought mercy from God they did set themselves to make good cheer and to feast one another saying Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die Of this sort were also these in Ezekiels time chap. 33. 10. Thus ye speak saying If our sins and transgressions be upon us and we pine away in them how shall we then live They do not deny that they are loadened with iniquity they doubt nothing of the righteousnesse of the threatned Judgment but comparing the justice of Gods Judgment with their sins and laying aside all thought of a remedy from Gods mercy they flatly despair as if there had been no remedy provided in the Word of God for them or as if the threatenings had been pronounced as sentences pronounced absolutely without exception of their repentance 5. The causes of this evil are specially these three the first is grosse misbelief of Gods Word contemning all threatenings as but the words of an angry prophee stirred up to vent his passions against people The second is the perversenesse of corrupt nature so hardened with the custom of sinning that the conscience not being terrified with Gods threatenings is nothing moved with inward accusations which they know to be just whereupon they resolve neither to seek for mercy nor care for reconciliation with God not to shed with their carnal pleasures and sinfull lusts but will go on in their own wayes and take their hazard The third is a false perswasion that it is impossible they can be reconciled to God arising partly from the vileness of their former life and grosseness of their sins partly from the ignorance of the Gospel and of the rich grace of God offered to the worst of sinners who shall forsake their former wayes and flye unto Christ and partly arising from the ignorance of the scope and end of the law which is appointed to be a pedagogue to lead and draw men unto Christ after their conviction of sin by the law how grievous soever their sins have been 6. The remedy of this sort of secure desperation is very hard and in some incurable namely these who do not believe the threatenings and go on still in unbelief or do believe the threatenings but are so wedded to their lusts that they will not change their course and maner of sinfull carriage come what may come but resolve to eat and drink and be merry while they live Concerning whom the Prophet Isaias sayeth chap. 22. 14. It was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hostes surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die saith the Lord of hostes The best ground of hope is of such who through ignorance of the end of the law and offer of the Gospel have taken up a false perswasion of their desperat estate Now because the Pastor hath no warrand to read the decree of any mans reprobation in particular his care must be in private and publick to waken epicures and all besotted in their sins out of their deadly sleep laying before them from Scripture the unextinguishable fire of hell and the torments of the damned to be endured for ever by the impenitent and unbelieving sinner on the one hand and on the other hand making offer of remission of sin and reconciliation to all who shall forsake their former vitions wayes and be content to embrace Christ Jesus for their righteousnesse sanctification and salvation And to this end let him certifie all his hearers that threatenings are not intended of God to drive any man to desperation but to lead all to repentance that they may be saved and that the exception of repentance and faith in the Redeemer is to be understood in every threatening for so the Lord hath made a plain commentary upon all his threatenings and all his promises also that he be not for ever mistaken which is this in summe that by his threatenings he doth not intend to make any man to despair but to repent and turn to God and that by his promises he doth not intend that any man should presume to sin or turn his grace into wantonnesse as is at large set down Ezek. 33 from ver 10. to ver 21. and chap. 18. from ver 21. to the end Of anxious tormenting desperation ANxious and tormenting desperation is when a sinner from the apprehension of his guiltinesse of irremissible sins and fear of inextricable wofull misery wherein he hath thrown himself doth cast away all hope of relief to be had and so is tortured and vexed within himself without rest In this sort of desperation the miserable man having wrestled a while doth either turn himself to a carnal temporary consolation in this world and maketh choyce of a carelesse and secure desparation that he may be rid of present anxiety or else he resolveth to dispatch himself by some sort of self-murder counting it more easie to die by his own hand than to live and endure the tormenting vexation of his own mind 2. As for that sort of anxious desperation which after the sore byteing of the conscience once wakned falleth back again in carnal security it is most perilous and giveth very small hope to the Pastor or faithfull friends who perceive the man after fearfull wakening of his conscience to have fallen back to his old wayes and turned carelesse of the means of salvation for such a man is of set purpose and resolvedly wicked Such was the desperation of Cain who after a whiles lamentation and houling for the curse pronounced upon him by God plucked up his heart departed from the society of the Church where God giveth his presence and goeth into the land of Nod or voluntary banishment and giveth himself over to building of Cities Gen. 4. 13 14. Such also was the desperation of Esau who when he saw he was excluded from the spiritual blessing of the birthright laments a little and then turned himself toward the earthly blessing and sought all his consolation in it Gen. 27. 34 38. yet such men must be dealt with if God possibly may bless the means 3. As for the other sort of anxious desperation except it be cured by Gods blessing of the means used it draweth on voluntary and deliberat self-murther We put a difference between brute self-murther and voluntary or deliberat self-murther for this beastly brute self-murther may befall mad persons furious melancholious distracted persons or such as are beset by some evil spirit in whom the faculty of reasoning is so impeded that without the use of