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
A55343	A directory for youth Through all the difficulties attending that state of life. Or a discouse of youthful lusts. In which the nature and dinds of them are described, and remedies against them laid down. First preached to young people, and now published at their request. By Samuel Pomfret, minister of the gospel.	Pomfret, Samuel, d. 1722.	1693 (1693)	Wing P2798; ESTC R224107	117,456	254

the days of my Youth I am not ignorant of my own Infirmities but I write not to you Fathers and Mnasons old Disciples but to Children and Youth who need not strong Meat but Milk If any other should so far humble themselves as to cast an Eye upon so mean a Discourse with whom its business is not I would desire this of them that instead of loading this poor thing and its Author with harsh and hasty Censures they would lend it and him their help in their hearty Prayer to God for a Blessing upon the one and an increase of Gifts and Grace in the other I esteem my self oblig'd to acqudint you that two of these Sermons were Preached above a Year ago and those Young Men that were not my Auditors then may be apt to think that I have made great alterations in the transcribing of them for as much as here they will meet with a great deal more than what they heard in a single Sermon about six Weeks ago wherein through the streights of time I could do no more than just name many particulars which formerly I was large upon I shall detain you no longer only add this hearty desire for you That while many of your Age are hastening the Wrath of God upon this poor Nation by their Atheism Immoralities that you may be frequenting your Closets and on your Knees mourning for your own and the Nations Sins e're the Lord come upon us with his fierce Anger and there be no remedy which is the hearty desire of him who is a willing though weak and unworthy Servant of Christ Samuel Pomfret 2 Tim. II. xxii Flee also Youthful Lusts IN this Chapter Paul proceeds to direct Tim. in the right management of his great Work whereunto he was called in order to which he instructs him whence he should derive strength for it v. 1. then he exhorts him to propagate those truths to others which he had heard and received from him v. 2. then he encourageth him to endure hardness in his Work from a two fold Metaphor viz. that of a Souldier and an Husbandman who first strive and labour and afterwards receive the reward and reap the fruit of their pains from ver 3 d. to the 8th There he minds him of the Example of Christ who first suffered and died and afterwards was raised to life again and thence inferreth that all the faithful who suffer with him shall also live and reign with him for ever From v. 8. to the 14th and then he gives other instructions how he should behave himself as a workman that need not be ashamed dehorting him from all vain and prophane Bablings and Errors that began to infest the Church of God adding an argument that if a man purge himself from these he shall be a Vessel of Honour prepared for his Masters work from 14. to the 24th and so he cometh to the words in my Text Flee also youthful Lusts Which admonition to Tim. one would have thought might have been omitted and that upon a two fold account Tim. had an infirm weak Body and such sickly people usually incline more to minde a Winding-sheet than wanton Lusts Tim. was a holy young Man very temperate for the most part drinking only Water and such cold Liquor was more likely to quench than inflame the heat of Lusts and yet because Tim. was a young Man Paul saw need to give him this admonition Well then may you young people need it Besure it is written for your admonition in these last and leude days on whom the end of the World are come Wherefore attend thereunto as for your lives Flee youthful lusts In which words there is no need of any Logical division to detain you from this following Theological proposition which without the least violence done to the Text naturally floweth from it That it is a duty of special concernment to young people to flee youthful lusts In the prosecution of this Doctrine I shall endeavour the resolution of these following Questions Q. 1. What is the import of the word Flee Q. 2. What are those Youthful Lusts that you are so concerned to flee Q. 3. Why it as a duty of such special concernment for Youth to flee those lusts Q. 4. How young people may best Practice this their especial duty to flee youthful lusts Q. 1. What is the import of this word Flee Answ Now to Flee imports the swiftest motion as to run is more than to go so to flee is more then to run Wings are nimbler than Legs You know in all motion there is terminus a quo terminus ad quem the terms from which and the terms to which So it is here flee from sin to God Flee i. e. to the farthest distance from sin and to the nearest closure and union to God 11. Job 14 If iniquity be in thy hand put it far away How far so far as God puts it away when he pardons sin even as far as the East is from the West 103. Psal 12 So should you do in your Repentance for sin Object But we can as soon flee from our selves as from our Lusts in this sense the Law in our Members will abide Sol. Altho there cannot be in this life a perfect freedom from nor destruction of sins Being an existence this being only the priveledge of the glorified Souls above yet there may and must be a subversion of its Power and Dominion both in Heart and Life so that the meaning is flee from thy youthful lusts to the utmost distance even as far as the East is from the West in respect of thy love and affection to and practice of these lusts Tho sin is and will remain in thee yet maintain a continual alienation in thy heart and endeavours in thy life against it in a diligent use of all those sanctified means and spiritual remedies which God hath appointed for the abandoning thy youthful lusts Such as these following 1. Vehement desires and longings of soul after the mortification of them in their habits as well as external acts 7. Rom. 24. 2. Deep humblings of soul and loathings of self for former yieldings to thy Lusts 73. Psal 22. So foolish and ignorant was I even as a Beast before thee 31. Jer. 18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoning himself thus I was as a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoke Surely after I was instructed I smete upon my thigh I repented I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth 3. Earnest cries to Heaven for Preventing pardoning and purging Grace 19. Psal 13. Keep back thy Servant from presumptuous sins let them not have dominion ever me 51. Psal 1. 2 7 10. verses Have mercy upon me O God according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions Wash me throughly from mine iniquities and cleanse me from my sin Purge me and I shall be clean create in me a clean heart O God 4. Fixed resolutions

be as Wool Jer. 13. 27. O Jerusalem wilt thou not be made clean ●● when shall it once be Thus having cleared what lay in our way as matter of Objection and discouragement touching the means of Conversion on our part I shall proceed to consider more particularly those instituted means of Conversion and then shew you how your Lusts oppose those means and thereby hinder your Conversion For the Means I shall begin with that of Consideration and that because I find the Holy Ghost in Scripture beginning here with unconverted Sinners commanding and commending this as an excellent means of Conversion in the 1 Kings 8. 47. If they shall bethink themselves and repent then hear thou their Prayer c. where you see plainly that retiring into our own hearts by serious thoughtfulness and consideration is a singular means to Repentance and Conversion Again in Hag. 1. 5. Now therefore thus saith the Lord Consider your ways Psal 119. 59. I thought on my ways and turned my Feet unto thy Testimonies He first considered and then he converted So the prodigal Son came first to himself by consideration and then he came home to his Father by sound Conversion Luke 15. 17. Here the Lord complains of that People's impenitence in Jer. 8. 6. No man repented him And in the next words relateth the Cause of it to be want of consideration No man said What have I done O would but young men retire from the Noise and foolish Vanities of this world and allow their Souls leisure for the serious exercise of this important Duty to consider their sinful and woful estate by Nature in what posture they stand God-wards with their apostate Natures and how the Wrath of God that is revealed from Heaven against all Unrighteousness this wrath abideth on them every moment during their unconverted state and how fearful a thing it is to carry ones doom in ones own bosom to go up and down the world in a state of enmity to the most high Jehovah under his Cur●e and Wrath as they most certainly do i● their state of Nature and there to consider of their manifold Omissions and Commissions how many thousand ways they have offended God how many checks of Conscience they have stifled what Motions of the Spirit they have resisted what preciou● seasons of Grace they have neglected wha● Light Love Mercies Engagements Vow● they have sinned against what pains they have taken to satisfie their Lusts stopping their Ears at the holy Instructions Counsels Exhortations intreaties of Parents Ministers what estrangedness and separation thei● Sins have made between God and their Souls and then to consider how short their time o● Earth will be how sure it is that their youthful Sins will sooner or later find them out ● how certain that God will bring them ●● Judgment for all thy Pleasures in the Flesh all thy Thoughts Words and Deeds Thu● I say would but young men take time ●● commune with their own Souls about the●● tremendous matters it would surely awake● and call them to fear and enquire What m●●● I do to be saved And so prepare them fo● that other Head of Consideration name●● the rich soveraign and free Grace of God in Christ laid open in the Gospel how God hath so loved the World as to give his only Son to dye for us when enemies that whosoever believeth and repenteth shall not perish but have everlasting Life how able and willing Christ is to save and receive all heavy laden weary Souls that see themselves lost and ●aste the bitterness and feel the burden of their Sin that come to him how lovingly he invites all such to come to him and assureth them of a gracious reception and a full remission of all their Sins and eternal Salvation c. and that it is not all the aggravations of their Sins however they have been multiplied and commited against the Light of Natural Conscience or the Light of Supernatural Grace revealed in the Scriptures that shall be an impediment or bar to their acceptance and pardon upon their return If the Wicked forsake his Way and the Vnrighteous man his Thoughts and turn unto the Lord he will have mercy and to our God and he will abundantly pardon Isa 55. 7. or multiply to pardon Again there is nothing but an unbelieving impenitent Heart resisting this Grace can or shall ever deprive you of so great Salvation as is offered to you in the Gospel and tho' you have refused in past seasons when he hath called yet for all that he won't refuse you If you flee from your lusts to him the only refuge for lost Souls the match shall not break on his part and if you perish and miss Salvation at last it shall not be long of him So that this is undeniable viz. that Consideration on our part is a most fit and apposite means of Conversion I have some time read of a Religious Father that had rebellious wicked Son that was a great grie● to him when the Father was on his dea●● bed he called his Son to him and laid hi● under a solemn engagement and promise That he would every day retire alone a●● spend one quarter of an Hour in seriou● thinking After the pious Father was dea● the wild Son began to consider of his promise to his Father and accordingly once day retires at first he began to think of th● Honours and Pleasures of this World bu● after a while he began to consider what h●● Father's design was in obliging him the● once a day to retiredness and thoughtfulness and then he began to call to mind his Sin● and wicked Life that he had lived and th● good Spirit of God concurring with thos● thoughts he became a new man So tha● Consideration is a means of Conversion Now I come in the next place to shew yo● how youthful lusts directly oppose this mea● of Conversion and that will appear it yo● consider the rage of these Lusts they wi●● not give the judgment leave or leisure ●● animadvert and consider they are imp●ruous and tyrannical hurrying poor Si●ners Hell wards this is obvious to our o●servation every day how many young people do we see by one base pleasure or other always led captive from the time they awake in the Morning till they lie down at Night and never take time to consider or ask themselves What have I done What must I do to be saved Where must I abide for ever If a man rides through a Country full speed he can never draw a true Map of that Country If you ●oile and ruffle the Waters you can never see your face in them Thus if a Soul be hurried with its Lusts it can never retire and soberly debate matters in its own breast Consideration can find no place in such a Soul as Christ told the malicious Jews in the ● John 36 37. My words can find no place in ●ou because they were so enraged and blind●d with the