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
A61396	A plain discourse upon uprightness shewing the properties and priviledges of an upright man / by Richard Steele ...	Steele, Richard, 1629-1692.	1672 (1672)	Wing S5392; ESTC R33855	77,047	190

to the purification of the Sanctuary And the Lord hearken'd to Hezekiah There were divers really upright yet not rightly and fully purified as you may see 2 Chron. 29. 34. For the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctifie themselves than the Priests Here were upright Levites yet not sufficiently purified but Hezekiah obtained for them a pardon of course for they had done what they could and the Lord had mercy on them A very great comfort for Ministers or People that through straits of time or any unavoidable hindrance are not rightly sitt●…d and furnished for their respective duties and are afraid to come and more afraid to stay away The good Lord will pardon such a one it was an oversight the heart was sound at the bottom and God will never break with any of his for an infirmity Compare Saul and David Saul had foolishly at most covetously spared Agag and a prey and he is cast off for it and loseth his kingdom David defiles the Wife and then kills the Husband and he is spar'd he is its true sorely beaten but not turn'd out of doors Again take Peter and Judas Judas through covetousness betrays his Master and Peter through fear denyes and forswears him Judas is sent by the Gallows into Hell and Peter is receiv'd into mercy And why this different dealing why David was in the bent of his heart upright before God and Saul in the bottom of his heart was for himself Peter resolved to lose his life before he would forsake his Saviour and Judas never followed him but for the bag And therefore the Lord graciously pardons the unwilling infirmities of his people for he sees the integrity of their hearts As a faithful Husband is more satisfied with the bewailed failings of his poor Wife than with the studied observances of an adulteress so the Lord our God he can better connive at and bear with the mourn'd for infirmities of his dear children than with the fain'd compliance of rotten hypocrites And what a treasure of comfort is this for you that fear God and let none else meddle with it your infirmities are many and your fear great lest they should sink you for ever you have such raging passions brutish lusts frequent distractions base distrust un-heavenliness of heart out of ordinances and dulness in them these are your burden these your fear now all these are within the Grant of pardon made in the Cov●…nant of Grace and you that are upright in heart if any in the world have an undoubted interest therein and so are forgiven in Heaven and will be forgiven in your Consciences so far as is good for you and shall be forgiven at the last day And you have Gods word for it Psal. 32. 1 2. Blessed is the man whose iniquity is forgiven whose sin 〈◊〉 covered But who is he that may claim this blessing Verse 2. In whose spirit there is no Guile that is an upright man that is no hypocrite When therefore you have fallen into sin do not sit poring and questioning your eternal state but speedily and seriously set about the work of repentance and faith in the blood of Christ that you may be made whole Indeed after some great fall or extraordinary fit of spiritual slumber it is not amiss to clear and resettle the ground work so far may the building be decayed that it may be easier to build anew than to repair the old But it is neither wisdom nor duty upon every slip to condemn your state or to conclude that because you are wounded or sick therefore you are dead Question your act but not your state condemn your acts of sin but do not condemn your state of grace nor brew more tears than you need to drink For supposing you to be true men to God resign'd to him resolv'd for him and walking with him to your power he hath graciously promised to pardon iniquity transgression and sin sins of all sorts and sizes of them that fear him and hope in his mercy And mark it for your com●…ort that it belongs to Gods Truth and Uprightness to pardon such a sinner 1 Joh. 1. 9. If we confess our sins he is Faithful and Just to forgive 〈◊〉 our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness It is happy for us that we can plead mercy to God for pardon but when we do uprightly confess and forsake our sins we may plead his justice and faithfulness O Lord as thou art just and faithful bestow a pardon on me I beg it in the uprightness of my heart bestow it in the uprightness of thy word For thou hast said with the upright man I will shew my self upright SECT II. II. THe Lord will shew himself upright to an upright man in Defending his Person He is made sometimes the Butt of malice Hell and earth conspire against him as in this Psalm vers 4 5. Snares of death flouds of ungodly men sorrows of Hell all bent against him A plain argument of the sad de●…eneracy of mankind to be so desperately set against the Image of God in man and hate those that never did them wrong and that for his sake that alwayes doth them good yet so is the case the most innocent man cannot escape by them unto Heaven without many onsets they bend their bow and lay their snares can hardly sleep for rage Wrongs and Scorns and Fines and Prisons are their usual Charity he that departs from evil ever makes himself a prey The generality of the world are alienated from the life of God and enemies in their minds to all that live it and O that I could speak and write it in tears of grief and compassion A Drunkard a Swearer a Whoremonger may live quietly by them He that never read the Scriptures that never prays with his Family shall have all their good will and go quietly by them into destruction but if a mans Conscience be once awakened if he retrive his course and fall to earnest prayer change his company and sinful courses dare not prophane the Sabbath or take Gods Name in vain or swear as before then up do all his neighbours rise against him watch him censure him malign him and if possible ins●…are him while he poor heart thinks them no hurt prays for them and only strives to save his own soul and others if he can But here you may rest safoly Prov. He is a Buckler to them that walk uprightly The Buckler covers the Souldier and God cove●… the upright man They must shoot through God that can wound you to your 〈◊〉 They hit him in the eye that aim at you and they that will incounter him meddle not with their match Exod. 19. 4. I bear you on Eagles wings Other Fowls bear their young in their claws so that the Fowler may kill the young and the old one be safe but the Eagle carrie●… her young on her wings so that who wounds the young must shoot through the dam so doth