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	year_n	young_a	41	3	5.7282	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62900	The principles of the Papists by which their leaders put them upon bloody and treacherous practices, plainly demonstrated by the Scriptures to be most erroneous and wicked. And a few better principles briefly laid down, for them (or others) to meditate on, tending to a peaceable life among men, &c. And also a few quæries left them last of all, to satisfie their consciences in. Partly for the sakes of those among them whose consciences have some tenderness in them, and are not quite feared: partly also for those who through ignorance are too much inclining to them. Also there may be some service of these things to others. By a lover of truth, mercifulness, plain-heartedness, humility and fidelity, W. T.	Tomlinson, William.	1679 (1679)	Wing T1850; ESTC R221759	49,364	105

Cruelty I say accompanied with such things as I have named is one of their main guards or supports of their Religion It is like a wall of fire round about them so that if any among them shall but attempt to get out from them what can they look for but Fire and Faggot or a most hellish Inquisition if they catch them And what tortures and torments are acted there may sufficiently affright and terrifie such as think of deserting them This Cruelty is innate to their Religion for finding themselves defective of truth to uphold it they make it up with cruelty and with lyes when they have done to hide it That horrid piece of Cruelty intended by the Gunpowder-Plot and carried on so far as it went by their Creatures though those Actors in that work of darkness be honoured by them at Rome yet they would have you believe that it was only a trick of State so impudently shameless are they in forging lyes They would also make you believe that the Book of Martyrs is full of lyes and no better than a Fable because it records the abominable Butcheries and Cruelties which by them were acted upon conscientious people And all the ground they have to belye it is from hence that there was a mistake or two in it which Fox himself who was the Composer of that Book first discovered having had some wrong information given him in those particulars Thus they are not ashamed to act Cruclties but are ashamed to be apprehended therein for indeed their actions are so barbarous that even humane nature may blush to be found guilty thereof And yet they are fain to fly to this refuge of defence to uphold their Religion and also for the propagating of it For indeed to speak properly it is not the Kingdom of God and of Christ having truth for its foundation which they uphold but it 's a Kingdom of pride luxury and wantonness and debauchery which wants a foundation in truth therefore fly they to Cruelty for their support And their Cruelty so rings over the World that all but themselves and their slaves dread to come under their power For there is no mercy in them to old or young male or female to innocent Babes or Women with Child Oh the tortures and the invented devices of Cruelty that they put people to in Ireland since our memory in the year 1642. driving them into Rivers by droves and keeping them therein from getting-forth till they were drowned This was the easiest death they put them to Some they hanged some they ript open and let out their bowels some they starved to death some they buried alive ript up Women with Child dashed the heads of Infants against the stones commonly stript Men and Women naked and caused them to perish with cold and hunger many most beastly and barbarous tortures they put both Men and Women to And this now is their way of defending and propagating their Religion which their God who was a Murderer from the beginning acts them violently forward in Time was when they were something more moderate in their bloody ways when they cited people into their Courts and gave them a Tryal at their Laws and suffered them to argue for their Religion But now they are become violently savage and bruitish beyond all humane modesty whereby we may take notice of two things 1. That they are Seducers and that we need not doubt of because they wax worse and worse according to the Character which the Apostle gives of Seducers 2 Tim. 3.13 Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived 2. We may hence also have strong hopes that they have but a short time to reign and rage in the World for therefore Satan is come down among them with great rage knowing that he hath but a short time This their Cruelty now and not Truth is one of the grand pillars by which their Kingdom is upheld Secondly Another pillar upon which their Irreligion as I may call it or Kingdom of Darkness stands is Ignorance They take away the Key of Knowledge from men and keep them in blindness that so they may be led by them as they please And to colour this piece of policy they would perswade their people that Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion and that the Scriptures make men Hereticks as some of them in the Massacre in Ireland got an English Bible and trampling upon it in the dirt as is informed cursed it saying that that was the cause or ground of all the Difference and therefore it is a thing not to be born with by them that any of their Lay-people as they term them should have the Bible or Testament except it be as they have corrupted it So they keep them from that that they may keep them in ignorance and they keep them in ignorance that they may rule them as they please and the people being deluded by them are willing to have it so for they see not the Serpent's subtilty that lyes hidden under that Maxime That Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion It is indeed the Mother of Devotion but to whom Not to God I testifie but to the Pope and his superstitious and idolatrous Worship Ignorance keeps men devout to him and his will-Worship but Christ Jesus came to raise up a people that should worship God in spirit and in truth and his Spirit is the Spirit of a sound mind not a Spirit of blindness and ignorance The devoutest men upon Earth have always been a knowing understanding people witness Noah Daniel and Job Samuel David and the rest of the Worthies renowned in Scripture yea and the Son of God himself who was filled with wisdom and truth who sometime spent the night in prayer to God and he that is born again is in his measure renewed in knowledge after his image Col. 3.9 10. Lye not one to another seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him Mind this that the new man is renewed in knowledge he is not kept in darkness and ignorance to make him devout to God When Paul came to Athens and beheld their blind devotion in their ignorance to rectifie this their devotion he endeavours to bring them to true knowledge not to keep them still in ignorance for that was his work as also the work of the rest of the Apostles and Ministers of Christ to turn men from darkness to the light and so from the power of Satan whose Kingdom is in darkness unto God who is light that so they might receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus Act. 26.18 Now he that stops up the light from men must needs be a Thief and a Robber which comes to steal 1. To steal away the hearts of men from Christ to himself and from devotion

of a falling away and the revealing of the Man of Sin the Son of Perdition he describes him thus Ver. 4. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God Hence I argue thus If the Pope be found in this state of the Man of Sin the Son of Perdition then he is none of God's Vice-gerent or Christ's Vicar or Peter's Successor But he is in the same state or condition with this Man of Sin here spoken of and therefore he is none of God's Vice-gerent or Christ's Vicar or Peter's Successor For the clear demonstration of this that the Pope is in the same state with this Man of Sin here spoken of we need go no further than this Chapter and the Pope's answering of it as the impression of a Seal answers the Seal There be two expressions here which shew that this Man of Sin must be within the profession of Christianity but fallen from the life of it For his rise must be from a falling away which in the Apostle's language signifies a falling from Christ the life and power of Christianity though they retain the Name of Christians Then the other expression is that he sits in the Temple of God he doth not flee from an outward profession of the Worship of God but makes that his Seat or Throne which also distinguishes him from all Secular Powers So that you see he must be as to outward shew a Christian and worshipper of God and in that he is exalted and hath his Throne there there he sits And from hence it is that the Pope who is one with him arrogates to himself such Titles as import a near Relation to Christ and his holy Apostles These things thus far are clearly fulfilled in him he is fallen away from the life and power of Christianity from the innocency thereof to the height of wickedness as by his life and actions or works make appear and yet he retains the Name of a Christian and will pretend to be a Worshipper of God and hath his Seat in his Temple where his worship is professed Then further This Man of Sin is said to appose and exalt himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped Magistrates in Scripture are sometime called Gods I said ye are Gods but ye shall die like men And again God standeth in the Congregation of the mighty he judgeth among the Gods Psal 82. Now this Man of Sin and so the Pope is exalted above all that 's called God above all Magistrates Judges Kings Emperors I think none will deny this it is so well known in the World since that the Pope hath taken upon him to crown them with his foot and make them wait attendance at his gate and to discharge Subjects of their obedience to their Princes and to depose whom he pleases and give the Crown to whom he pleases Here 's opposition enough contained also in this his Exaltation while he deals thus with Kings and Emperors Thus these three Marks or Discoveries of the Man of Sin are fully found in the Pope He is risen up in the fallen state being fallen from the life of Christianity from a merciful spirit to a cruel bloody spirit from a faithful spirit to a deceitful treacherous spirit from speaking truth to speak lyes in hypocrisie from humility to the highest exaltation of pride that a man can be at in this world For this last it 's evident enough for he is exalted above all and for the rest that 's also manifest by his Disciples for what he teaches his Disciples to do or be he must be that himself Thus he is in the fallen state yet he sits in the Temple of God he professes worship to him Now let us take notice of some other expressions in this place He is called that Man of Sin and Son of Perdition For the Man of Sin can we find the Pope worthy of that denomination I wonder who can look upon him otherwise notwithstanding his great Title of Holiness when we find him to be a Patron nourisher and cherisher of the most inhumane Practices that are in the World witness the Cruelties and barbarous Actions of his people in seeking to destroy Nations and their Governours to overturn Governments by Plots of darkness and open butcherly Massacres without any pity or mercy to Age or Sex Witness also his cruel Inquisitions which are places invented for tormenting them that will not stoop to his yoke such Engines as Christ Jesus never appointed or countenanced but was against all such merciless tortures Witness also his encouraging of his Children to take Oathes or Tests that they may not be discovered and so restrained from doing mischief and from carrying on his hellish designs promising them pardon aforehand for any false Oathes or Perjury so it be for the advancement of his Church Shall we not count him a Man of Sin who walks thus fully in the steps of him who was a murderer and a lyar from the beginning I desire to know where we shall find one that outstrips him And for that word The Son of Perdition this also is not amiss applied to the Pope for it signifies a Destroyer who is also appointed for destruction and it bears the same sence with Apollyou Rev. 9.11 Who is King over them that have power to hurt men There is another word also that hints something to us for further discovery of this Man of Sin namely that the Day of Christ shall not be till the Man of Sin be revealed This implies that he shall be so hidden in the Temple of God under the profession or pretence of his worship that he shall not be seen to be what he is till God reveal him And this also is very applicable to the Pope for not only Nations but their Kings also have been deceived with him But now God hath in a great measure revealed him to be what he is and he hath revealed him by the same means whereby Christ Jesus reveals false Prophets and whereby he teaches us to know them even by his works so that his own works discover what he is And as the Apostle makes this a discovery of evil men and seducers that they shall grow worse and worse so it is with the Pope and his train of Murderers they have grown worse and worse Formerly they would bring men before their Courts and there let them have free liberty to plead and argue for their Religion but of later years nothing will satiate their cruelty but quick dispatch and ridding them out of the way by speedy Massacres Thus now you see how fully these Discoveries of the Man of Sin the Son of Perdition are found in the Pope Now put all these together and let the Leaders of the Papists see where they will find one that answers all these Characters and Discoveries as the Pope doth A Man