Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	abundant_a	lord_n	merciful_a	1,635	5	8.8351	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03336	A sermon preached at Pauls Crosse the third of March, 1610. By Theophilus Higgons. In testimony of his heartie reunion with the Church of England, and humble submission thereunto. Published by command	Higgons, Theophilus, 1578?-1659.	1611 (1611)	STC 13456; ESTC S104096	44,137	62

sacred name of GOD is taken sometimes essentially sometimes personally and this is necessary to be knowne in the explication of my text Essentially it includeth the three persons subsisting in one vndiuided nature as Gen. 1.1 In the beginning GOD created the heauen and the earth Therefore the originall hath it thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 creauit Dij the Gods created The noune is plurall the verbe singular to shew a trinity of persons in the vnity of essence Sometimes this sacred name is taken personally importing one person of the diuine nature as Iohn 1.1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with GOD That is the Sonne was with the Father With him because from him With him Deus apud Deum by eternall coexistencie from him Deus de Deo by personall procession In which respect precisely the Father is not with the Sonne the Father and the Sonne are not with the holy Ghost but the Sonne is with the Father and the holy Ghost is with them both For as God is the God of order in all his creatures and externall works so he is a God of order in himselfe also and in his internall workes There is a priority of order in the Father before the Sonne and in them both before the holy Ghost So that the Father being the fountaine of the other hath a prerogatiue of order in his person and consequently a prerogatiue of order also in this glorious name of GOD. And thus it is in my Text GOD who is rich in mercy that is the Father For though it be true in faith that euery person is equally mercifull louing and gracious yet in this place it is proper to say that God the Father is rich in mercy and great in loue and exceeding in grace For here is a necessary relation of one person to the other God quickned vs in Christ that is the Father in the Sonne Now to the matter it selfe It is God that quickneth vs raiseth vs c. not Angels not Man not his owne Works not his owne Will Not Angels they are ministring spirits Heb. 1.14 not quickning not raising spirits Suggerunt bonum non ingerunt hortantur ad bonum non bonum creant saith S. Bernard They may exhort vnto good by their suggestion they cannot powre it into vs by infusion they may perswade it they cannot create it in vs. Not Man himselfe for the wandring sheepe sought not the shepheard but the carefull shepheard sought out the sheepe Matth. 18.12 Not the Workes of man for can a dead tree bring forth liuing fruit or an euill tree good fruite Matth. 7.18 Finally not the Will of man for we did not preuent God in desire but it is he that worketh in vs both the will and the deed of his owne pleasure Phil. 2.13 For though in actions naturall and ciuill man hath a libertie of will yet in actions spirituall and supernaturall his will is dead vntill it bee reuiued by GOD. Thus all other meanes excluded God is the onely Agent in this great and glorious worke Saluation is of the Lord Ionah 2.9 Therefore saith God vnto his people I euen I am he that putteth away thine iniquities for my owne sake and will not remember thy sinnes Esay 43.25 I with an ingemination euen I excluding all other meanes for mine owne sake excluding all other motiues And this point is excellently inforced by Moses speaking thus vnto the children of Israel lest they should attribute that vnto themselues which was due vnto God alone The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a precious people vnto himselfe aboue all people that are vpon the earth The Lord did not set his loue vpon you nor chuse you because you were more in number then any people for you were the fewest of all people But because he loued you and because he would keepe the oath which he had sworne vnto your Fathers Deut. 7.6.7 8. No merit in them but grace in him that so they might truely say Not vnto vs ô Lord not vnto vs but vnto thy name giue the glory Psalme 115.1 Now if the Iewes could plead nothing but the loue of God for his peculiar fauour what can the Gentlies plead for themselues also but the same loue of the same God Therefore saith our Apostle God who is rich in mercy c. he hath quickened vs c. So that now we are come from the Author which is GOD vnto the Motiues which are Mercy Loue and Grace in him Secondly of the Motiues IN these also there is an order as well in the attributes of God as formerly in his name Here is Mercy releeuing vs and caused by his Loue. Here is loue embracing vs and caused by his Grace Here is grace sauing vs and caused by his Goodnesse For some learned Diuines obserue that these foure properties Mercy Loue Grace and Goodnesse as they are very like in their effect toward vs so they are all one in God but yet with a difference of order Goodnesse is the cause of all the rest but immediatly of Grace Grace is the cause of the other but immediatly of Loue Loue is immediatly the cause of mercy So in God his Goodnesse is a cause only and his Mercy an effect only the other are causes and effect too And this is a golden chaine the first linke whereof is Goodnesse in God the last is Mercy which reacheth vnto vs. First then of MERCY as it is here first placed in my Text. GOD who is rich in mercy That there is mercy in God it sheweth the compassion of his nature that hee is rich in mercy it sheweth the abundance thereof In both we haue a singular comfort For be it that he hath mercy that is a comfort but our comfort is greater because diues est he is rich in mercie for with him there is plentifull redemption Psal 130.7 Or be it that he is rich it sheweth an abundance and sufficiency in himselfe But where is our comfort euen this Diues est in misericordia he is rich in mercy the sweetest propriety of his diuine nature So then He is not simply rich but in mercie nor hath he simply mercie but is also rich therein Which as it is abundantly discouered vnto vs by the effects thereof so it is testified vnto vs by his owne mouth and we know that his testimony is true For when God descended from heauen which descent was not by mutation of place but by exhibition of presence and proclaimed his owne name see what a style he giueth himselfe The Lord the Lord strong mercifull gratious slow to anger abundant in goodnesse truth reseruing mercie for thousands forgiuing ininquitie transgression and sin not making the wicked innocent visiting the iniquity of the fathers vpon their children vnto the third and fourth generation Exod. 34.6.7 Consider here first the proprieties themselues mercifull gracious slow to anger abundant in goodnesse reseruing mercy forgiuing iniquity vnto all these he opposeth two

am confined vnto his Loue therfore I will speake particularly of it He hath an immanent loue dwelling in him so he loueth himselfe by the necessity of his nature He hath a transient loue proceeding from him and so he loueth his creatures some more some lesse by the liberty of his will He hath a generall loue vnto all for all are his creatures the works of his own hands He hath a speciall loue vnto some according as his Image in respect of their substance is stamped in them and as his likenesse in respect of their qualities is represented in them For likenesse is the cause of loue So then God loueth vs as his creatures but more as men He loueth vs as men but more as elected He loueth vs as elected but more as iustified And this loue which he beareth vnto vs as actually iustified by Christ hee declareth more in his work of our sanctification by the Spirit Finally the more holy wee are the more hee loueth vs. Whereupon S. Augustine doth excellently obserue tract in Ioh. that God loueth the Humanity of Christ more then any man because it was full of grace and truth Ioh. 1.14 If therefore we will obtain and retain the loue of God we must be as he is conforming our wils vnto the obedience of his will and be like vnto him in all things merciful as he is mercifull louing as he is louing gratious as hee is gratious yea perfect as he is perfect Math. 5 48. Not by adequation that is beyond our power but by imitation that is our dutie Be holy for I am holy Leuit. 11.44 In the second place As before this loue in God was a speciall and not a generall loue so here it is not a little but a great loue For he is a great God and a great King aboue all Gods Psal 95.3 Likewise his loue is great aboue all loues Therefore the vulgar readeth it thus propter nimiam charitatem for his ouer much loue In truth it is ouer much beyond our desert and beyond our comprehensiō too For what loue shal I compare vnto his loue The loue of a WOMAN It is great indeed but yet the loue of Ionathan vnto Dauid was greater then it Thy loue to mee was wonderfull yea passing the loue of women 2. Sam. 1.26 The loue of a MOTHER Here is a greater degree then in the former but yet this loue is not so certaine and infallible as Gods loue Can a woman forget her child and not haue compassion vpon the sonne of her wombe If they should forget as some may be yea some haue beene so vnnaturall yet will not I forget thee saith God vnto his disconsolate and afflicted Sion Esay 49.15 Therefore till you canne find whom you may compare with God you shall find no loue to bee compared with his loue But now to come vnto the third point As the loue of God was commended before from the quantity thereof it beeing a great loue so it is yet further commēded from the obiect thereof Vs. Who Iewes and Gentiles Of what condition or estate Dead in sinne This was * Pag. 5. designed by me to be the third generall circumstance of my Text but I will intreat of it here because I am so happily inuited thereunto his great loue wherewith hee loued vs when wee were dead by sinnes First I will consider the Obiect it selfe Vs which in extension doth include both Iew and Gentile Secondly the quality thereof dead in sinne or by sinnes And first of the Obiect Vs. O blessed S. Paul Quid tibi nobis what hast thou to doe with vs It was thy priuiledge not ours to say They the Iewes are Hebrewes so am I they are Israelites so am I they are the seede of Abraham so am I 2. Cor. 11.22 But so were not we the Gentiles What is the reason then thou shouldest here include thy selfe in this extensiue particle vs The reasons are many but specially three The first is the charity of S. Paul For the voice of Faith is EGO I with an appropriation vnto our selues Faith draweth the circūference of Gods promises vnto the center of our hearts But the voice of Charity is Not we with a communication vnto all Therfore it is one note of charity assigned by S. Paul 1. Cor. 13.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it seeketh not her own things Secondly the speciall interest of S. Paul in the Gentiles whose Apostle he was by way of excellency and prerogatiue aboue all others He is a chosen vessell vnto me to beare my name before the Gentiles Act. 9.15 Thirdly our communion in Christ For now the stop of partition-wall was broken downe Ephes 2.14 Now there was one shephard and one sheepfold Ioh. 10.16 Now God had perswaded Iaphet to dwell in the tents of Shem Gen. 9.27 So that now there was no difference no distinction as our Apostle diuinely saith There is neither Iew nor Grecian there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ Iesus Galath 3.28 Why then should one nation despise another or why should one man contemne an other For as we are all one by nature in the first Adam so we are all one by grace in the second The nobility of stocke the antiquity of descent the abundance of wealth the excellency of wit the comelinesse of bodie finally no externall glory of temporal things maketh a difference or an acception of persons in the sight of God Now to proceede vnto our owne vnworthinesse whereby the worth of Gods loue is amplified be we Iewes or be we Gentiles great was the loue of God which was extended either to the one or other As for the Iewes the whole course of the old Scriptures doth so demonstrate their ingratitude and rebellion against God that it must needs be a singular extraordinarie loue in him to vouchsafe them any grace or fauour at all For instance I remit you vnto the 78. Psalme where the Prophet Dauid doth illustrate the benignitie of God by the iniquitie of this people to wit how hee brought them out of Egypt by a miraculous power diuided the sea for their protection brought water out of the stonie rocks for their consolation went before them in a cloud for their direction yet they sinned still against him and prouoked the Highest in the wildernesse verse 17. Notwithstanding hee rained downe Manna vpon them he rained flesh also vpon them as dust yet for all this they sinned still and beleeued not his wondrous works vers 32. Notwithstanding he forgaue their iniquitie and restrained his anger from them vpon their submission vnto him yet they returned and tempted God and limited the holy one of Israel vers 41. Notwithstanding he cast out the Heathen before them to receiue them into their inheritance yet they tempted and prouoked the most high God and kept not his testimonies vers 56. But as for vs Gentiles what could we plead We