Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	world_n	worship_n	write_v	18	3	4.9128	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44239	The Holy fast of Lent defended against all its prophaners, or, A Discourse shewing that Lent-fast was first taught the world by the apostles, as Dr. Gunning, now Bishop of Ely learnedly proved in a sermon printed by him in the year 1662 by His Majesties special command together with a practical direction how to fast.	Gunning, Peter, 1614-1684.	1677 (1677)	Wing H2525; ESTC R40999	45,046	54

THE HOLY FAST OF LENT Defended against all its PROPHANERS OR A Discourse shewing that Lent-Fast was first taught the World by the Apostles as Dr. Gunning now Bishop of Ely Learnedly proved in a Sermon Printed by him in the year 1662. by his Majesties special Command Together with a Practical Direction how to FAST LONDON Printed in the Year 1677. THE HOLY FAST OF LENT Defended against its PROFANERS TO go about to prove that the Holy Fast of Lent was first taught the World by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus I know very well is as they say Actum agere to do what has been done and that very efficaciously fifteen years agoe by Dr. Gunning now Bishop of Ely in his Elaborate and useful Treatise on this Subject Printed by his Majesties special Command in the year 1662. And I perswade my self had the rest of the Clergy taken but a quarter of the pains in Reading and Studying that Rational Discourse which the Learned Author did in compiling of it they would have been so well satisfied of the great benefit of Religious Fasting in general as also that the first Planters of Christianity were the first Institutors of the Lent-Fast in par-ticular that they would not have dared but to have Religiously observed it themselves to have taught the like Observation to their Parishoners in their respective Districts But it being too too manifest that very little notice is taken of that Sacred Penitential time either by Priest or People I resolved to press its observation not only by renewing my Lord of Ely's Arguments but also by superadding some particular Reflections of my own Omnipotent Iesus who wrought so many Miracles of Love when you were upon Earth Curing the Blind Deaf and Dumb now from Heaven work upon me a miracle of Iustice and Wither my hand or strike me Blind if I be about to write any thing in favour of Superstition or will-Will-worship But if I design nothing but to perswade a practice which was taught the World either by your Blessed Self or your Holy Apostles Bless me according to your great mercy and bless my poor Labours to all those into whose hands they shall come I confess it was my Unhappiness to be Educated in Puritanism or Non-Conformity and to look upon the keeping of Lent as a fruitless Superstition But thanks be to Almighty God I now dare no more eat Flesh in Lent than I dared to Work upon a Lords Day when I was a Non-Conformist But how was this strange Change wrought in me I 'le tell you Reading in one of Bishop Andrews his Sermons upon Ash-Wednesday how we were to take notice th●t before Popery was batch'd St. Hierom taught the keeping of Lent was an Apostolical Tradition c. Hereupon I began to reason with my self If the Apostles ordained the keeping of Lent why should not I keep it And I confess setting my self to the keeping of it before Easter I was so satisfied of the great benefit of Religious Fasting that one might as soon have perswaded me that Hony was not sweet as that Fasting was not strangely profitable to the Soul or that Lent-Fast had any thing of Superstition in it So true did I find those words of our Blessed Saviour Iohn 7 17. If any one will do his that is Gods Will he shall know concerning my Doctrine whether it be from God or I speak from my self My deerest Friends would you indeed gladly be satisfied whether Fasting in Lent be Superstition or no Set your selves in a Christian manner to Fast that Holy Time and you shall know whether such a practice be from God or a human Invention That is Content your selves every day in Lent with onely one temperate Meal of less Savoury and less Nourishing Victuals not out of any Superstitious intention as if one Meat were more unclean than another but out of a Pious design to humble your selves before God for your sins judging your selves unworthy of the coursest fair and the smallest quantity judging your selves that you may not be judged of our Lord. Take the Rod into your own hand and gently Chastise your selves here to prevent the more severe Animadversion of your Lord hereafter Being well assured that the All-merciful Jesus will not permit the same faults to be punished twice If you punish your selves for them in this World He 'l not punish you for them in the other provided your exterior Humiliation be accompanied with a hearty interior repentant sorrow It is not imaginable what difficulty our proud Nature makes to condemn it self though never so deservedly To acknowledge for example a practice to be Holy and Good which for many years we have totally neglected as Superstitious and to no purpose A little experimental knowledge of the great Spiritual benefit of Religious Christian Fasting would strangely conduce to open our Eyes to see the force of such Arguments as prove Lent-Fast to be Apostolical Had we a little tasted how good it is for the Soul to afflict the Body with Fasting we should easily be perswaded to see a pious observation of Lent was well worthy the Institution of the Apostles and well worthy our Blessed Lords Fasting forty days to animate us thereunto And the truth is In this latter Age amongst too too many Christians little more than the name of Fasting being retained the thing it self according to the Primitive practice being in a manner lost no wonder vast multitudes should easily be perswaded to deem Lent an useless Superstitious Ceremony Having put away a good Conscience as to a Religious Observation of that Holy Time no wonder if we made Shipwrack of our Faith of its Apostolical Institution Too too many Christians in Lent and upon other Fasting-days giving themselves all liberty of drinking Wines and other strong Liquors both at Meals and betwixt Meals and stuffing themselves plentifully at Noon with all sorts of Fish and other Viands which their Purses could reach provided they were not Flesh and pampering Nature again in the Evening with a large proportion of solid Sustenance and with whatsoever quantity of strong drink they please no wonder if such Fasters as these were easily convinced such a Lent-Fast as this was never appointed by the Holy Apostles of our Lord Jesus Is this the Fast our B. Saviour excused his Disciples from as above their spiritual strength till such time as they should have received the Holy Ghost after his departure Is this the Fast that has a power to cast out Devils to obtain the Holy Ghost for our selves or others to appease God All-mighties Anger towards a particular Person City or Country Would Nineveh think you have escaped the Destruction which Ionas in the Name of Almighty-God threatned it with had its King Proclaimed and practised such a Fast as this Might he not rather justly have feared for such a damnable Hypocrisie of pretending to humble himself by Fasting when he did nothing less that he and his people instead of within forty