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_v	wrath_n	year_n	27	3	4.5312	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35416	An elegant and learned discourse of the light of nature, with several other treatises Nathanael Culverwel ...	Culverwel, Nathanael, d. 1651?; Dillingham, William, 1617?-1689.	1652 (1652)	Wing C7569; ESTC R13398	340,382	446

are two distinct Testimonies the Spirit witnessing with our spirits And St. John is most expresse Beloved if our hearts condemne us not then have we confidence towards God Now the Testimony of the Spirit is 1. A clear Testimony a full and satisfying light springs in upon the soule scatters all cloudes all doubts and questions 't is as evident as any demonstration 1 John 3. 2● By this we know that he dwells in us by the Spirit which he hath given us Christ when he went to heaven he left the Comforter not only to the Church in general but to every particular soule that believes to print his love upon the soule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrysost If a Creature though never so glittering should tell men so there might still be some hesitancy I but the Spirit witnesses The secret and inward Testimony of the Spirit is as strong and efficacious nay more powerful then if 't were with an outward voice If an Angel from heaven were sent on purpose to a Christian by Christ himself Go tell him that I love him that I shed my blood for him c. 't were not so certain 2. A sure Testimony for 't is the witnesse of the Spirit who can neither deceive nor be deceived 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sufficientissimum Testimonium as Cajetan 1 He can't deceive for he is Truth it self 2. He can't be deceived for he is all Eye Omniscience it self And he does 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he dwells in the breast and bosome of God he is fully acquainted with the minde of God and he reveales it to the soule The Papists make the Spirits Testimony to bring but a conjectural certainty But the most renowned Perkins answers them 1. That 't is such a certainty as makes them Cry Abba Father not only think so and speak so but with all courage confidence intention of Spirit Cry Abba Father 2. It is opposed to the Spirit of bondage and therefore takes away doubtings and tremblings 3. The very end why the Holy Ghost comes to the soul is to make all sure and therefore is call'd a seal and an earnest God has given us the earnest of the Spirit and he will not lose his earnest Now he assures the soule 1. By a powerful Application of the promise for as faith does appropriate the Promise on our part so the Spirit applies it on Gods part As Satan that lying Spirit casts in doubts and feares and tremblings and working upon the remainder of corruption plots against the Peace and well-being of the soule so this holy Spirit by the comforting working upon that principle of grace which he himself hath planted in the heart of a Christian do's study and contrive the welfare of a Beleever And as the Spirit of bondage do's strongly apply wrath and the curse so this sweet Spirit of Adoption applyes grace and mercy The Spirit of bondage strikes terrour into the soul by a mighty Application of wrath this curse flames against thee this threatning is shot off against thee these vials of wrath are prepar'd for thy soul So the Spirit of Adoption do's set on strong and vigorous apprehensions of mercy this pear●e of price 't is to enrich thee these Evangelical cordials are to revive thee this balme in Gilead is prepar'd for thy soul The Spirit of Adoption speaks love and peace pardon and that by particular Application of the Promise to us As when the Promise of remission of sins and life everlasting by Christ is generally propounded in the Ministery of the Word the holy Ghost do's particularly apply it to the heart of such a one and do's seale up the Promise to the soul That when Faith sayes this Promise is mine this belongs to me the Spirit do's strongly apply it this is thine indeed and this do's belong to thee These are the secret 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the whisperings and breathings of the holy Spirit the secret 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which it converses with the soul The Spirit of God has free and often entercourse with a beleeving spirit And this is far enough from any vain Enthusiasme any extraordinary Revelation 't is no imaginary thing but such as many a soul is acquainted with and has tasted of 2. By a bright irradiation beaming out upon the soul and clearing its evidences discovering its graces and shewing them to be true and genuine not only by giving the soul a spirit of discerning for that we referr'd to the former Testimony but the Spirit brings in its own light and makes those graces which were visible before more eminently conspicuous The spirit of a man was the Candle of the Lord as the wise man speaks which gave a weaker and dimmer light but yet such as was enough to manifest the Object I but now there are glorious Sun-beams come rushing in upon the spirit the Spirit shines in the soul with ●ealing under his wings The graces of the Spirit these flow like a pure and Crystalline stream and the light of the Spirit shines out upon them and gilds the water See a plain Text for this 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have received the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things which are freely given us of God Light sets a glosse upon all the world and this spiritual light gives a lustre and oriency to graces it puts a beauty upon them such as the soul is much taken with We have received an heavenly light that we may see heavenly things Now thou know'st thy Faith to be lively and thy Repentance to be sound thy Sorrow to be ingenuous and thy Obedience sincere thy Love to be unfeign'd and thy fear to be filial for the Spirit has set his seale to all thy graces and has acknowledg'd them for his own O but many have thought they have had the Spirit when they had it not and the Divel that foule spirit can transforme himself into an Angel of light But 1. One mans self-deceit do's not prejudice anothers certainty What if one man flatter himself in a false light and please himself in a meere shadow of Assurance must all men needs follow his example A man that is in a dream thinks himself awake when he is not I but I hope for all this a man that is awake may certainly know that he is so Many a traveller has thought himself in the right way when he has been out of it and yet this do's not hinder but that he that 's well acquainted with the road may know that he is in his way What if one man take Copper for Gold must all men do so too One mans folly and vanity does not at all hinder anothers Assurance 2. The Spirit comes with a convincing beam Light shews both it self and other things too the Sun by its glorious beams do's paraphrase and comment upon its own glittering Essence and the Spirit displayes himself to the soul and gives a full manifestation of his own

were done already in respect of Eternity all things being equally present to that 3. This takes away all method and order of prosecution for the end is alwayes in intention before the means God first resolves to save Jacob and then provides means accordingly 4. It quite demolisheth the goodly and faire structure of grace no discriminating grace 't is no longer for his own sake but for your sakes now A man now makes himself to differ free will must be set on the throne 't is a Roman and must not be bound and free grace must lye at the footstool and be trampled on as they please But all they that know what grace is and have had any gracious impressions upon their own spirits will easily tell you who 't was that made them differ even he who chose them not because they were any better then others but he chose them and so would be sure to make them better and if they be lovely it is with the comlinesse which he hath put upon them Grace is free if you look to the fountaine of it the primitive goodnesse of God in election bubling out from all Eternity Secondly If you look to the severall streamings out of the fountaine you must admire the riches of free grace For 1. Gods giving of his only Sonne and founding and eternal Covenant of love and peace in him the richest and preciousest stream that ever flow'd to the sons of men Now if there were an assembly of those bright and intelligent creatures gathered together the most glorious Cherubims and glittering Seraphims and if this mystery which they now pry into were fully unseal'd and explain'd unto them O how would they stand gazing upon the riches of free grace how would they think eternity it self too short for the admiring of it and what could they resolve it into but meere love God so lov'd the world so freely so fully so unconceiveably that he gave his only Sonne c. What was there in thee to draw a Saviour down from heaven was there such an attractive and magnetical vertue in an undone and bankrupted creature How didst thou perswade him to disrobe himself of light as of a garment to cloud and eclipse the lustre of his Divinity by the interposition of a pale mortall body What was it that mov'd him to take upon him the seed of Abraham and not the nature of Angels to let passe those faire and eminent beings and to advance a poor crauling worme Out of what Topicks didst thou fetch an argument that prevail'd with him to espouse thee to himself in mercy and truth and so to love thee as to dye for thee I know they thoughts are swallowed up with the consideration of so boundlesse and bottomlesse a love and desire some time for astonishment 2. What should I tell you of those free expressions and manifestations of this his love those fresh eruptions and ebullitions of it in the Gospel I mean those precious promises that are so many several sproutings and branchings out of the Covenant The Gospel's like a sweet and precious honey-combe these are the severall droppings of it that flow freely from it Indeed the whole Gospel like the midst of Solomons bed in the Canticles is pav'd with love 3. Think upon those free offers of grace and tenders of reconciliation how he woes you to receive mercy how he beseeches you to be happy how he intreats you to be sav'd to accept of him and of heaven of grace and of glory So that if you looke to the streamings out of the fountaine you see they all carry with them the riches of grace Thirdly Consider the severall conveighances of it how God diffuses this his goodnesse to thy soul and thou shalt see how thou hast liv'd upon the expences of free grace all thy dayes And for this observe how he tun'd all circumstances in a sweet and harmonious way so as they did all sweetly agree and consort in thy happinesse and how all providentiall passages did joyn for thee and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 work together for thy good As 1. 'T was out of the riches of free grace that he planted thee in a place of light when he shut up and imprison'd the rest of the world in palpable darknesse The Gospel shines out but upon a little spot of ground which God hath enclos'd for himself and stiles it his Garden Paul plants it and Apollos waters it and he himself gives it an increase The rest of the world lyes like a barren and desolate wildernesse the word of the Gospel never dropt upon it nothing but briers and thornes fit for the fire Now how fell thy lot in so faire a ground and who is it that gives thee so goodly an heritage Who is it that shines thus upon thy Tabernacle and fixes it in a land that flowes with milke and honey Give a reason if thou canst why thou wert not plac't in some obscure corner of America and left only to the weak and glimmering light of nature Prethee tell me who that was that open'd for thee so many wells of salvation and feasted thee with all those spirituall dainties and delicacies that are disht out in variety of Ordinances I would fain know who that was that crush't the honey-combe on purpose that it might drop upon thy soul Prethee tell me if thou can'st who that was that bespoke a place for thee in the Church among the assembly of the Saints Hath God dealt so with every Nation or have the Heathen knowledge of this Law Ascribe this then to free grace 2. That salvation should wait upon thee so long and when thou hadst repuls't so many rich offers of grace and mercie that still it should be importunate with thee If mercy had knock't once or twice nay according to the rule Si ter pulsanti c. if it had then bid thy soul farewell thou hadst dropt into hell irrecoverably How many years hath free grace stood at the door and begg'd for some admission and thou hast not so much as bid it welcome Free grace followes thee and pursues thee and will not let thee go till thou hast a blessing Would any friend have given thee so many invitations after thou hast rejected them Are there not many of the damned that must lye roaring there to all eternity that never tasted of so much goodnesse and long-sufferance as thou hast done O why wert not thou sent thither amongst the rest that that Spirit which thou hast so much griev'd and so often vext should still breath upon thee and follow thee with secret whisperings and gentle solicitations to entice and allure thee to goodnesse what canst thou call this but free grace 3. Consider in what state thou wert all the while and Enemy a Rebell studying how to be damn'd galloping to hell and destruction with full careere a scholars pace who was 't now that stopt thee in thy course who bridl'd in the proud waves and said Hither