Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	prepare_v	vessel_n	wrath_n	3,005	5	9.3678	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17676	An abridgement of the Institution of Christian religion written by M. Ihon Caluin. VVherein briefe and sound ansvveres to the obiections of the aduersaries are set dovvne. By VVilliam Lawne minister of the word of God. Faithfullie translated out of Latine into English by Christopher Fetherstone minister of the word of God; Institutio Christianae religionis. English. Abridgments	Calvin, Jean, 1509-1564.; Lawne, William.; Fetherston, Christopher.	1585 (1585)	STC 4429; ESTC S107245	274,357	428

away all respect of our worthinesse 2 Obiect That appertaineth vnto the age wherin the Gospell was first preached An. This is so filthie an inuention that it needeth none answer 2 Tim. 3.9 3 He hath called vs saith Paule* with an holie calling not according to our works but according to his purpose and the grace which was giuen vs by Christ Election is the cause of good workes before the word began Therfore he did not foresee vs to be holie but he hath chosen vs that we might be holie Obiect God repayeth the grace of election to merits going before notwithstanding he graunteth it for those which are to come Whence holynes cometh Eph. 1.5 Gen. 48.19 An. Holinesse is deriued from election as from his cause* and not on the contrarie 4 Therfore saith the Lord* Iacob haue I loued but Esau haue I hated If foreknowledge were of any importance in this difference of the brethren it shold be out of season to make mention of the time seing they were not yet borne Examples Gen. 58.19 5 So reiecting Ismaell he choseth Isaach Setting aside Manasses he doeth more honour Ephraim* The force of the first birth 6 Obiect We must not determine of the summe of the life to come by these inferiour small benefits that he which hath bin aduaunced vnto the honor of the first birth should therfore be reckened to be adopted vnto the inheritance of heauen An. The Apostle was not deceiued neither did abuse the Scriptur but he saw that God ment to declare by an earthly signe the spirituall election of Iacob which otherwise lay hid in his inaccessible throne Like as the pledge of the heauenly habitation was annexed to the land of Chanaan Obiect God foreseeth all thinges which he doth not An. Seing Peter saith in Luke* Act. 2.21 that Christ was by the determinate counsell and foreknowledge of God appointed to death he doeth not bring in God as a beholder but as the authour of saluation 7 Obiect He reckeneth Iudas among the elect How Iudas was amonge the elect whereas he was a deuill An. This is referred vnto his Apostolicall office which though it were an excellent myrrour of the fauour of God yet it doth not containe in it hope of eternall saluation 8 Obiect Ambrose Origene Hierome thought that God doth distribute his grace among men as he foreseeth that euerie man will vse it well An And Augustine also was of that mind* Lib. retract 1. cap. 11. but when he had better profited in the knowledge of the Scripture he did not onely call it backe as euidently false but did strongly confute it writing against the Pelagians 9 Obiect The foreknowledge of merits is not indeed the cause of predestination on the behalfe of the act of predestinating but on our behalfe it may after a sort be so called Thomas fu 1. sect Tract 25 Quest 13. The goodnes of God the cause of election namely according to the particular estimation of predestination An. On the other side when the Lorde will haue vs behold nothing in election but meere goodnesse if anie man desire to see anie more there it shall be a disordered greedinesse Obiect Glorie is predestinate for the elect after a sort according to their deserts because God doth predestinate grace to them whereby they may deserue glorie Predestination is the handmaid of election An. Yea predestination vnto grace serueth the election of God is as it were her handmaid For grace is predestinate for them to whom the possession of glorie is long time assigned because the Lord bringeth his children to iustification from election 20 Obiect God should be contrarie to him selfe if he inuite all men generally to come to him do only admit a fewe whom he hath chosen An. The generalitie of the promises doeth not take away the difference of speciall grace Quest Howe shall these two be reconciled that all should be called vnto repentance faith by outward preaching and yet the Spirit of repentance and faith should not be giuen to all Amos. 4.7 8 11. An. He which threatneth that when it rayneth vpon one citie there shal be drought vpō another* he which elsewhere denounceth a famine of doctrine doth not bind him selfe with a certaine lawe to call all men alike Act. 16.6 and he which forbiddeth Paul to preach the word in Asia and turning him from Bithinia draweth him into Macedonia doth shewe that he is at libertie to distribute this treasure to whom he will Obiect There is a mutuall consent betwene faith and the word An. Namely whersoeuer faith is But it is no new thing that the word doth fall among thornes or in stony places* Mat. 13.4 not only because the more part is indeed stubburn against God but bicause all haue not eyes and eares Quest How then shall it agree hang together that God doth call those vnto him who he knoweth will not come An. Augustine answereth* Wilt thou dispute with me wōder with me crie out O depth August de ver Apost Ser. 11. Eph 1.3 Note Let vs both agree together in feare lest we perish in error Moreouer if election as Paule witnesseth bee the mother of faith then faith is not generall because election is speciall 11 Furthermore as Iacob is receiued into fauor hauinge as yet deserued nothinge by good workes So Esau is hated beinge as yet polluted with no wickednes Wherby it appeareth that the foūdation of predestination is not in good works And to this end are the reprobate raysed vp that the glorie of God may be made manifest throgh them The ende of reprobation Therfore if we cānot allege any reason why God vouchsafeth his of mercie saue onlie because it pleaseth him that it should be so neither shall we haue anie thing else in reiecting the other but his will For as he hath mercie on whom he will Rom 9.18 so he hardneth whom he will* CHAP. XXIII A refutation of the slaunders wherewith this doctrine hath alwayes bene wrongfully burdened Obiect 1 THere is indeed in God election but not reprobation An. Election it self should not stand vnlesse it were set against reprobation Whom God reiecteth Therfore whom God passeth ouer he reiecteth adopting the rest vnto saluation Whence cometh that saying of Christ Euerie tree which my father hath not planted Mat. 15.13 shall be pluckt vp by the rootes * Obiect God doeth not altogether reiect those whom in lenitie he suffereth but he waiteth to see whether they will repent or no. An. As if Paule doth attribute patience to God whereby he waiteth for their conuersion who he saith are made fit for destruction* Rom. 9.20 Obiect The vessels of wrath are sayd to be prepared to destruction that God hath prepared the vessels of mercie because by this meanes Paule ascribeth to God the praise of saluation layeth the blame of perdition vppon those who

iust shall liue by faith No man is iustified by the Lawe But the law is not of faith but the man which shall do these things shall liue in thē* Therefore the Gospel differeth therein from the law because it doeth not tie righteousnes to works but placeth it in the mercy of God alone Hence cōmeth it that the inheritance is free because it is receiued by faith faith leaneth wholy vpō the mercy of God without any helpe of works 19 Obiect The scripture affirmeth no where that a man is iustified by faith alone An. A man is said to be iustified by faith without workes Rom. 3.21.24 therefore by faith alone which the woord Free doth declare Because it is not of faith saith Paul* vnlesse it be free Ob. Without the workes of the law namelie the ceremoniall law Gal. 3 10.12 Deut. 27.16 An. When Paul saith Hee which shall doe shall liue* He is accursed which shall not fulfill al things He doth not there speake of ceremonies Gal. 5.6 20 Obiect We are iustified by faith alone which worketh by loue so that righteousnesse resteth vpon loue* Faith is effectuall through loue An. I graunt that faith which is effectuall thorow loue doth iustify but it doth not take the force of iustifiyng from that loue but because it bringeth vs into the fellowship of the righteousnesse of Christ A similitude like as fire doth not burne with his light but with his heat What the righteousnes of faith is 21 Furthermore let vs know that that righteousnesse of faith is nothing els but the reconciliation with God which consisteth in remission of sinnes alone For those whom God imbraceth are made righteous by no other means saue only in that they are purified hauing their blots wiped away through remission of sinnes And such righteousnesse may in one word be called remission of sinnes 2 Cor. 5.19.12 22 Which thing Paul teacheth most plainelie* God was in Christ and reconciled the world to himself by not imputing to men their faults but he hath committed vnto vs the worde of reconciliation Also hee which knewe no sinne was made sinne for our sakes that we might be made the righteousnes of God in him 23 Whereupon it followeth that by the onelie meane of Christes righteousnesse we obtaine to be iustified before God CHAP. XII That we may be throughlie perswaded of free iustification we must lift vp our mindes vnto the tribunall seat of God 1 BVT wee speake not of the righteousnesse of mans court but of the heauenlie iudgement seat We must lift vp our mindes thither if we wil inquire after true righteousnesse with fruite how wee may make answere to the heauenly iudge when hee shall call vs to an account Read the book of Iob. with whose brightnesse the starres are darkened with whose strength the mountaines are molten whose iustice the verie angels cannot endure* Psal 130.3 Iob. 15.15 Let him sit to examine mens workes and who can appeare assured before his throne* Yea if anie man shoulde fulfill the law hee could not so stand to the examination of the righteousnesse of God which surmounteth all our senses 2 Hither hither must we lift vp our eyes that we may learne rather to tremble then vainelie to triumph That befalleth our soule toward God A similitude which befalleth our bodie toward the visible heauen For the sight of the eye so long as it continueth viewing things which are neere vnto it it sheweth of what force it is but if it bee directed toward the Sun being too much damped with the brightnesse thereof it feeleth no lesse weaknesse in beholding it then strength in viewing earthlie things Luke 16.13 Psal 133.2 Therfore Christ said to the Pharisees that which is high among mē is abhominable with God* Let vs say with Dauid Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant for no man liuing shal be iustified in thy sight Aust lib. 3 ad Bonif. c. 5. Bern. Serm. 16. super Cantic c 3 Neither are such examples extant in the scriptures only but all godlie writers also shew that they were alwaies of this minde* 4 This is the only fortresse of safetie wherin exercised consciences may safelie rest whē they haue to deale with the iudgemēt of God For those stars which shine most cleerelie in the night season A similitude doe loose their light brightnesse when the sunne ariseth what doe we thinke shall become euen of the most rare innocencie of men when it shall be compared with the purenesse of God For there shal be a most strait examinatiō 2 Cor. 4.9 first because god shal pearce euē into the most hiddē cogitations of our hearts* The Diuell the accuser shal vrge vs who is priuie to all our wicked deedes the externall pompe of good workes shall nothing help vs there Hypocrisie shall fall downe flat being confounded Examination For that which is commonly counted righteousnesse is before God meere iniquitie 5 Let vs come downe from beholding the perfection of God The beholding of our mescrie to view our selues without flattery For it is no maruell if wee be so blinde in this point seeing no mā doth beware of pestilent flattering of himself Euery mans way is right in his owne eies* In an other place Pro. 21.2 16 3. all mans wayes seeme cleane in his owne eyes But if we call backe our conscience vnto the iudgement seat of God euery man shal appeare before God to be rottennesse a worme abhominable and vaine drinking iniquitie as water For who can make that clean which is conceiued of vncleane seed* Ioh. 15.16 14 4. 9.20 Thus far ought the streightnes of this examination to goe vntill it haue brought vs that we be fully throughly throwen downe The way to saluation haue by that means prepared vs to receiue the grace of Christ 6 This is the true way to humble our selues that being altogether empty poore we may giue place to the mercie of God True humilitie For it is not humiliation if we think that any thing remaineth in vs. Saluation is prepared but for the humble people* And that is perfect humilitie Psal 18.28 not that modestie for which men are commended but submission vnfeigned of a mind throughly throwen downe with the feeling of his owne miserie and pouertie For so is it described in the word of God* zep 3.11 Ies 66.2 57 Luk. 18.13 7 And Christ represēted in the publicane the true image of humilitie * Luk. 18.13 who standing a far off and not daring to lift vp his eies toward heauē praieth with many teares Lord be mercifull to me a sinner On the other side he setteth before vs an example of arrogancie in the Pharisee Therefore the heart or breast is open to receiue mercie Luk. 16.11 if it be emptie of his owne worthines Therefore doth Christ preach the Gospell to the