Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	work_n	work_v	worst_a	42	3	8.6345	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76967	Meditations of the mirth of a Christian life. And the vaine mirth of a wicked life, with the sorrovves of it. / By Zach: Bogan of C.C.C. Oxon.	Bogan, Zachary, 1625-1659.	1653 (1653)	Wing B3441; Thomason E1486_1; ESTC R208439	202,360	374

compassed about as with walls and battlements A man in such a place though he be not afraid of failing yet he will not nor may not walk so carelesly there as he would in another place He may not run and play so in security there as if he were below upon the ground neither may he leane too much upon the battlements and presume upon the strength of the work And such presumption Paul in that place meant to exhort the Philippians against I meane presumption upon God's love Methinks a godly man betwixt his feares because God withdrawes the light of his countenance and his confidence because he is faithfull and will not suffer him to be tempted above his * 1 Cor. 10.13 power whereof the former is alwaies swallowed up by the latter is like a child shaken to and fro in the armes of a loving father and threatned to be throwne off For though he only offer and but in jest to doe it the child being unable to helpe it selfe cannot chuse but cry and tremble for feare But yet all this while he is fast and sure enough And whereas when his father lifts him out he doubts whether he will hold him fast or let him goe when he takes him in againe into his bosome he is confident he will hold him fast Even so a godly man when he is in the worst of his feares does but doubt whether God will leave him or not but when he is in the best of his hopes he is confidēt that God will never leave him nor forsake him The same men that urge that place in the Philippians against the certainty of Salvation urge the same place for the merit of works And indeed if I were of their minde in that I should quickly be of their mind in the other too For well may we worke in feare trembling in the worst sence that can be if we are to fare as we work our selves not as he that sheweth mercy worketh in us and for us But the best of it is by faith we are saved and not by workes and we expect to be saved so and no otherwise and we doubt not of our expectation because the promise was of faith and not of workes to this end that the promise might be sure Rom 4.16 We feare our own weaknesse as much as they and more too and that is it which drives us to prayer to God himselfe oftner then it doth them to the Saints which is a fruit of our not doubting of the strength of God who is able to keep us from falling * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jude 24 and of the truth of God who cannot b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lye hath promised us eternall life before the world c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 began Tit 1.2 And were we not so assured we had little hopes to be the better for praying in which we are certaine not to be heard if we doubt whether we shall or no. I said the truth of God because having bound himselfe by promise his faithfulnesse and truth are ingaged for him to see it performed and therefore the Apostle saith 2 Thes 3.3 The Lord is faithfull who shall stablish you and keep you from evill Though believers may be weak in faith to believe his truth yet their weake faith like the unbeliefe of the Jewes * Rom 3.3 shall not make the faith of God of none effect And here I cannot but make a stop and cry out O the unspeakeable comfort that doth hence arise viz From the faith or faithfulnesse of God whose mercy and truth go so hand in hand In the Psalmes they are often mentioned together Take what the Psalmist in the 89 Psalme speakes of them viz I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever with my mouth will I make knowne thy faithfulnesse to all generations For I have said mercy shall be built for ever thy faithfulnesse thou shalt establish in the very heavens I have made a Covenant with my chosen I have sworne unto David my servant Thy seed will I establish for ever and build up thy throne to all generations Selah And the Heavens shall praise thy wonders O Lord thy faithfulnesse also in the congregation of the Saints For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord who among the sonnes of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord God is greatly to be feared in the Assembly of the Saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him O Lord God of hosts who is a strong Lord like unto thee or thy faithfulnesse round about thee Let any one judge whether a godly man be to blame to be confident upon his safety having such security What is there that can get thorow to hurt him who hath the faithfulnesse of God for his shield to cover him Ps 91.4 He shall cover thee with his feathers and under his wings shalt thou trust his truth shall be thy shield and buckler Well then having for a sure * 2 Tim 2.19 foundation the love of God in his election which as it never had any cause to move it so it will never have any to remove it upon this they build their hope the gates of hell shall never prevaile against it It is a farre better hope then the chastest matron that ever was can have of the continuance of her chastity that because she hath beene chaste hitherto that I may take notice of the expression used by the b Grotius in 4 Art consult Cas sand freest man of his tongue that ever I knew in matters of Religion Even in those very words which they urge against us work out your salvation by your salvation is meant that which is your Salready not that which shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Salvation must be attained here or it cannot be enjoyed hereafter only we are to worke it out as a servant is that hath his wages aforehand Or God is to take it out in work more or lesse as he thinks good Working is a condition required by God to receive it wherewith he is contented and not a sufficient price to buy it wherewith he can be satisfied Our working is not so much to obtaine it and get it as to attaine to it or get to it As if God should say thus You shall doe me so much worke and I am contented 'T is not sufficient but it shall be enough I will make over to you an inheritance of my kingdome and since you cannot reach to a price great enough to purchase it you shall even doe thus you shall depend upon me and but only doe a little worke in consideration so the Lawyers say when a farthing is given for that which is worth a 1000 pounds to make a lawfull bargaine Thus will Christians comfort themselves let their discōforrers say what they will 1. We have for our Counsellour * Isa 9.6 our Saviour who is insted

the godly is The workes of God of all sorts whereof both their duty and their practise is to be frequently meditating especially his wonderfull workes to the children of men * Many O Lord are the wonderfull works which thou hast done thy thought to us-ward Psal 40.5 in their preservation and redemption Ps 107.21 David bids us declare his workes with rejoycing Psal 107.22 And he speakes of it as if it were a thing for which especially he desired to live and wherein he should take most comfort I shall not dye but live and declare the workes of the Lord Ps 118.17 How can Believers chuse but rejoyce to think upon that wonderfull work of the Redemption both of Jewes and Gentiles by the Sonne of God the Sonne of Man Christ Jesus blessed for ever to think of Gods's wonderfull Love in the purpose a The eterrnal purpose Eph 3.4 his wonderfull freenes in the price his wonderfull wisdome b The manifold wisedome of God Ep 3 10. in the contrivance and his wonderfull faithfulnesse truth in the performance after so long c Psal 105.8 He hath remembered his covenant for ever the word which he commanded to a thousand generations a time and so much provocation by the sinns of the world to desist from his purpose Neither can a godly man's heart chuse but be exceedingly taken with the thoughts of God's power and wisedome in the first forming and the continuall governing of such a world of creatures Especially in the making of himselfe For he is fearefully and d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 13.9.14 wonderfully made God hath given him an excellent Soule and of a divine extract He hath most curiously † 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as with a needle Psal 139. v 15. wrought him and most excellently * Job 10.11 cloathed him with skin and flesh and fenced him with bones and sinewes he hath endowed him with most excellent naturall gifts reason and judgment which he hath not given to other creatures But that which is the greatest of all he hath bestowed on him most excellent spirituall gifts faith hope and love and many many graces which he hath denied to other men The medication upon these last only Basil the Great in his Sermon of Thanks-giving upon those words of the Apostle Rejoyce alwaies c affirmed to be sufficient matter of rejoycing in the middest of the furnace of the hottest afflictions David who in the day of his trouble even when his soule refused comfort had recourse for comfort to meditation upon the workes of God as if it could not chuse but recieve comfort from thence hath abundantly testified how usefull the meditation is for the purpose we speak of and what an excellent antidote it is against sorrow See Ps 77. In the second verse of that Psalme he saies My Soule refused to be comforted But in the tenth and twelfth verses And I said this is my infirmity c. I will remember the workes of the Lord. Surely I will remember thy wonders of old As if he had said thus I am very much discomforted insomuch that my soule refuseth to be comforted but I know what to doe to helpe it I will remember the workes of the Lord surely I will remember his wonders of old And a thousand to one but that if any thing will cause me to rejoyce this will To a wicked man the workes of God both of power and mercy are but matter of bare speculation after a Philosophicall manner wherein there is abundance of vexation And many of the former sort the creatures are unto him but objects and instruments and incentives of evill thoughts and words and actions to his own hurt Present any Creature to a wicked man and it will presently stirre up in him Covetousnesse envy lust feare or any thing rather then joy Wheras if you set all the Creatures in the world before a godly man he is able to look upon them and think upon them without any perturbation at all nay with comfort and delight 7ly A seventh groud God's Ordinances Another thing from whence a godly Christian may fetch abundance of joy is God's Sacraments and Ordinances For first What Christian can chuse but be ravish't with joy and consolation to think how by the baptisme of water and the renewing of the holy Ghost he is brought so neare to the God of joy and consolation as to be taken into a covenant of salt with him An everlasting Covenant such as he need not be sad to think it will end suddainly A covenant not of hard servitude and bondage the very thought whereof would never suffer him to be merry but of honourable service and freedome such as he need not be sad to think he shall never be able to keep because God will not regard a Hebr 8.9 him For it is a covenant better then many of his forefathers had and established upon better promises Heb 8 6. What Christian can chuse but be ravished with joy to think that he is made a member of God's own b Eph 2.19 c 1 Cor● 12.27 Citty of his own ● houshold of his ● body nay that he is by this meanes become even one with Christ as much and more then a wife is with a * Being dead to the law by the body of Christ Rom 7.4 husband as I may say bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh * Eph 5.30 31. I may adde spirit of his * Rom 8.9 1 Cor 6. He that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit spirit being baptized not only in or to but * Thus Beza interpret's it and the context requiers it into Jesus Christ as the Apostle expresses it or as we render it Rom 6.3 2ly What a glorious life hath he and consequently what a merry life must he needs have who is not only taken into the Lord's own house so soon and so freely and to be there for ever but is also feasted so often at his own table I am sure I should be able to say so for if it be seldome it is the steward's fault and not the master's who allowes freely enough I say what joy is it to be feasted so often at the table of the Lord in the Sacrament of Communion where he can feed better on him then other where upon the Lord 's own flesh and bloud which is meate and drink indeed and whose nourishment is to an everlasting life 3ly What a life for light and knowledge and consolation in case of trouble of Conscience and consequently what a merry life must he needs have that hath a doore of a Col 4.3 utterance for the preaching of the word and a doore of b Act 14.27.2 saith and c Pet 1.11 entrance into the everlasting Kingdome for the hearing of the word continually open banqueting houses continually open Cant 2.4 Feasts of fat things continually provided Isa 25.6 And all this