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 zealous_a 13 3 8.7723 4 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A67782 The whole duty of a Christian, or, The character of a true beleever, that walks in some measure answerable to the Gospel, his Christian profession, and the millions of mercies he hath received ... by R.Y. of Roxwell in Essex. Younge, Richard. 1653 (1653) Wing Y195; ESTC R6055 69,319 64

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

well troubled for original guilt for sins of omission for the evil which cleaves to thy best works and for thy very thoughts as for thy actual and manifest evil deeds if thou hast made vowes and promised amendment when the rod was on thy bac● but never cared to perform the same when thou wert released if thou art not industrious after the means of grace if thou lovest not to hear Christ voyce if thou findest not the Word more quick and powerfull and sweet and efficacious then any other writings if it and the Spirit going along with it hath not brought thee out of darknesse into marvellous light in comparison of thy former darknesse if thou art ignorant of the principles of Religion in the midst of so much light and means and canst not yeeld a reason of the hope that is in thee if thou dost not find a manifest change in thy judgment affections and actions from what they were by nature if the old man hath not changed with the new man worldly wisdome with heavenly wisdom carnal love for spiritual love servile fear for Christian and filial fear idle thoughts for holy thoughts vain words for holy and wholsome words fleshly works for works of righteousnesse c. as if thou wert cast into a new mould even hating what thou formerly lovedst and loving what thou formerly hatedst if thou art not ashamed of thy former conversation if thou hast not been often and grievously assaulted with fears and doubtings and often in combate between the flesh and the Spirit the Spirit getting the better if thou dost not more fear the want of grace then confide in what thou hast if thou are not jealous lest thy heart should deceive thee yea if thou art not hated of the world and evil spoken of for well doing thou art the Devils servant and not as yet one of that small number whom Christ hath chosen out of the world to believe in his name for these or any one of these signs sufficiently brand thee for a wicked man CHAP. XXV 1. BUt least any weak Christian should think himself unsound and so none of Christs because he falls short of this description of a true Believer and finds wanting in himself perhaps many of the former signs or evidences herein set forth or should be discouraged by reason of his many and great failings together with the weaknesse of his faith and love as for the most part the true Christian is as ●earful to entertain a good opinion of himself as the false is unwilling to be driven from it let such an one take special notice in the first place that there are three sorts of true and sound Christians as the Apostle Saint Iohn makes the distinction 1 Ioh. 2. 12 13. the first sort are babes in Christ viz. such as are new born or but weakly qualified with the graces of Gods Spirit A second are strong men as having the gifts of the Spirit lively and in power The third are Fathers such as have had long experience in the powerful practice of Christianity and been long exercised in all kinds of well doing This done 2. Secondly let him know That as God requires no other obedience in the best then Evangelical so he looks not for the same measure and degree of grace from Bubes and strong men or from strong men and Fathers for God accepteth of every man according to the grace he hath received be it more or lesse 2 Cor. 8. 12. as is manifest by that Parable of the Talents Matth. 25. 20. ●o 24. yea what Father or Master will not from his young and newly weaned Child or sick and weak servant accept of the will for the deed and shall not God much mor● who is both the Father of mercies and the Authour of mercy and compassion in others Yes undoubtedly as let it be granted that thy knowledge is still small thy faith weak thy charity cold thy heart dull and hard thy good works few and imperfect and all thy zealous resolutions easily hindered and quite overthrown with every small temptation yet God that worketh in us both the will and the work will accept the will for the work and that which is wanting in us Christ will supply with his own righteousnesse he respecteth not what we can do so much as what we would do and that which we would perform and cannot he esteemeth it as though it were performed thus he taketh an heart desirous to repent and believe for a penitent and believing heart whereas take away the will and all acts in Gods sight are equal Well might I doubt of my salvation sayes Bradford feeling the weaknesse of my faith love hope c. if these were the cause● of my salvation but there is no other cause of it or of Gods mercy but his mercy Again 3. Thirdly you are to observe that as Nature so Grace rises by many degrees to perfection we grow in grace and saving knowledge as a child does in statu●e and understanding untill we attain to glory which is grace perfected yea grace in its growth is but like the change of a mans hair from black to grey or the growth of a Tree which is not accomplisht in a moneth or a year but in many yeares we not perceiving how 4. Fourthly consider also that the best have their fail●ngs as had Abraham Iacoh David Peter c. you have heard of the patience of Ioh saith Saint Iames and have we not heard also of his fits of impatiency Yes but it pleased God mercifully to over-look that and so of Asah who had divers and those no small faults yet with one breath doth God report both these the high places were not removed and neverthelesse Asahs heart was perfect so our failings be not wilful though they be many and great yet they cannot hinder our interest in the promises of God an honest and sincere heart bears out many errours in the eye of mercy God will not see weaknesses where he sees truth yea if we hate our corruptions and strive against them they shall not be counted ours It is not I saith Paul but the sin that dwelleth in me Rom. 7. 20. And indeed were it not so what would become of us for the work of grace though it doth not suffer Christians to live as they list yet it doth not inable them to live as they would it is not so broad as to allow of corruption nor so narrow but it will permit of corruption 5. But fifthly least the former considerations should not serve answer me ingeniously to these questions Dost thou not find that the Word and Spirit hath wrought an apparant change in thy judgment affections and actions to what they were formerly Is not Christ thy greatest joy sin thy greatest sorrow and grace the prime object of thy desires Art thou not careful in the use of the means to attain faith in the promise of Gods mercy made in Christ Dost thou not love God and
very observable shall I shew you how the Lord bles●eth him in every thing he takes in hand or that does befall him I pray observe the severals and then if you be not yet a Beleever you will neglect no means indeavouror opportunity to obtain such a blessed condition the particulars are many I le mention a few only First if he be in prosperity as he shall be sure to have plenty of all outward things if God sees that it would be good for him so that he shall lend to others but shall not borrow himself He will be accordingly thankfull and as God blesseth him more or lesse so will he do good and the more rich the more rich will he be in good works and the more ready to distribute and communicate For he is pitifull and ready to shew mercy where is need and to defend rescue and deliver the oppressed out of the hands of their enemies and oppressors if he have power and opportunity to do it And by reason of his bountifulnesse to the poor he becometh more rich so that he is not more ready to pray for blessings in his want then he is to give thanks for them being obtained And be he never so rich he is not high minded neither does he trust in uncertain riches but in the living God For in his prosperity he forgetteth not his former low estate but is ever medi●ating upon and admiring the Lords goodnesse towards him Yea he sets a Memo●andum upon every remarkable mercy that he may not forget it and admires that God should set his delight and love upon him and choose him above many others and this makes him strive to surpasse others in his love and service to God again Whereas unbeleevers when they are waxed fat with the good blessings of God they will spurn with the heel and forsake God that made them not once regarding the strong God of their salvation but provoke him with strange Gods and other abominations but it fares not so with the Beleever neither doth he so requite the Lord And as he is thankfull to the Author so likewise to any that he shall make instrumentall for his good thinking himself bound to remember and requite good turns 2. Secondly if he falls into adversity or any kind of distresse he knowes it is sent of the Lord in love and to do him good and to give him occasion of rejoycing afterwards He w●●l considers that scarce any thing more proves us his then his stripes that stripes from the Almighty are so farre from arguing his displeasure that contrarily there are few better tokens and pledges of his adoption and love and that they are bastards and not sonnes who are without correction And so it is that as many as God loves he rebukes and chastens And as it is sent for his good so it doth him good crosses in his estate diseases in his body maladies in his minde are medicines to his soul the impairing of the one is the repairing of the other His sinne dies with his fame or with his health or with his peace or with his outward estate Yea it both lessons his sins and increaseth his graces for God sends him afflictions both for his instruction and reformation to scout away the rust of corruption and to try the truth of his sanctification for the increase of his patience and the exercise of his faith and the improvement of his zeal and to provoke his importunity and to double his obligation to greaten each other grace and to augment his glory Again he inflicts a lesse punishment to avoid a greater and by smarting in his body state or name he is saved from smarting in his soul He is chastened that he may be converted not confounded his worser part to wit his body state or name is impoverisht that his better part that is his soul may be saved in the day of Judgement But see it in some particulars as first how it makes him humble and thankfull for he not only calls to minde his own unworthinesse of the least mercy he still injoyes and how he hath provoked the giver for he is ever meditating of what Christ hath done and suffered for him and how he hath provoked Christ but he also compares what he suffers with what he might have suffered arguing thus with himself He that hath taken this from me might have taken more he that afflicts me for a time could have held me longer he that hath touched me in part could have stricken me in whole he that laid this upon my body hath power to lay a greater rod both upon my body and soul without doing me the least wrong And so goes on I was born a childe of wrath and whereas God might have left me in that perishing condition and chosen others he hath of his free grace adopted me and left others And this makes him cry out O the depth as a mercy beyond all expression saying further O my soul thou hast nor room enough for thankfulnesse And the truth is if we could but seriously think upon our deliverance from hell fire it alone would be thought cause enough to make us both patient and thankfull though the things we now delight in be taken from us And sure I am nothing can be too much to endure for those pleasures in Heaven which shall endure for ever O that we could keep fast in our memories but these two things and upon all occasions make use of them and consider withall that the least mercy is beyond our best merit And no better remedy for impatience then to cast up our receits and compare them with our deservings But secondly Gods corrections are his instructions his lash●s lessons his scourges schoolmasters his chastisements advertisements to him by feeling of smart he learns to decline the cause Yea this hath taught him to fly from the works of darknesse at a great distance and to consider as well the bitternesse of what will follow as the sweetnesse of a momentary pleasure and so cleared his sight that he can now discern sinne in all he thinks and speaks and does for he is ever bewailing his wants and weaknesses the hardnes●e of his heart want of faith c. Thirdly it abundantly increaseth his joy and comfort for admit Satan and the world should deprive him of all outward comforts at once yet God at the same time will supply the want of these with comforts farre surpassing and transcending them as first the assurance of the pardon of sinne alone is able to clear all storm● of the minde it teacheth misery as sicknesse poverty famine imprisonment infamy c. even to laugh for then let death happen it matters not when a malefactor hath sued out his pardon let the Assizes come when they will the sooner the better But to this is added the peace of conscience the marrow of all comforts otherwise called the peace of God which passeth all understanding and surpasseth all commending for never did