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
A42432	A sermon preached upon the first occasion after the death of His Grace John Duke of Lauderdale, in the chappel at Ham by John Gaskarth ...	Gaskarth, John, d. 1732.	1683 (1683)	Wing G289; ESTC R543	31,206	52

not such a one as is only the Impression of their present Circumstance but a constant temper of Spirit that will manfully stand out against the like Temptations for the time to come I say these things being to be considered which are not discernable to Humane Wisdom 't is safer to omit these Instances of Pitty and leave them to God's Infallible Judgment in the due Process of Law lest otherwise they bring the Sins of others upon themselves and moreover occasion much mischief in the World by pardoning and affording farther opportunity to one that will return to his former Wickedness And besides this ought to be taken notice of in this action the Incouragement and Presumption that it gives to the like Offences This then is another mark of a good Governour one that copies out the Author of his Power and Dominion to exercise an Impartial Justice and use the same measure of proceeding indifferently towards all But 4thly Another Divine Character that he is to express is meekness and gentleness towards such Offences as only concern himself and his own Particular For altho' he is obliged to distribute these measures of Justice to others without any defect or abatement yet if he will truly imitate the Original of his Power he ought to be patient and long suffering in respect of personal abuses to be inclinable to Mercy and Pardon and always forgive as often as the State of things and the reason of Government will permit it God thus proclaims himself and our own experience will sufficiently convince us of the truth of it Exod. 34.6 And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed the Lord God merciful and Gracious Long-Suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin Thus Holy David expresles him The Lord is full of Compassion and Mercy Long-Suffering and of great goodness he will not always be chiding and so on And the Prophet Joel declares him to be slow to anger and of great kindness and repenteth him of the evil Cap. 2.13 And Nehemiah in the same words Cap. 9.17 Thou art a God ready to pardon gracious and merciful slow to anger c. This is the proper result of his Nature and therefore this as all actions proceeding from an inward form and principle must needs do affords him the most affecting pleasure and satisfaction Micah 7.18 He pardoneth Iniquity He retaineth not his Anger for ever because he delighteth in Mercy And St. James the 2.13 Mercy rejoyceth against Judgment Indeed God pardons none but upon the necessary qualification of a true Repentance but he applies his Long-Suffering to many Sins unrepented of and passes them by without any remarkable displeasure declared upon them and perhaps seeing he has appointed a day in the which he will Judge the World he might defer the due punishment of all Sin till that dreadful day come and inflict nothing upon it besides its own inseparable evils those which it carries in its own Bosom unless there were some important Reason to determine him otherwise For our Sins do not force him to any immediate revenge they being not possibly able to disturb him or intermit his Repose and Happiness for the least moment If we sin what do we against him If our Transgressions be Multiplyed what do we unto him Our Wickedness may hurt a Man as we are Job 35.6.8 Now therefore in this case to be more satisfied or at least to think probably concerning the ways of God what Sins he will immediately punish and what he will pass by we must consider God not only as a Seperate Being from his Creatures but as the Just and wise Governor of them and observe what he is obliged to from this Relation And hence we may discern that sin not terminating upon God only but also reflecting upon men and deriving a certain Malignity among them There are several instances of it which having a more spreading contagion in them cannot be conniv'd at in any single Person without doing injury and prejudice to the whole which is not competent with God's Government And therefore all open and bold wickedness because this being permitted does by degrees lessen and destroy the notions of the Divine Purity and Holiness in the World and so more forceably invites Men to the same Practices upon this ill Conclusion from Impunity that either God approves them or is not greatly offended at them Malach. 2.17 Isay all open and bold-wickedness is commonly followed with more remarkable Judgments upon it especially in those that stand in a nearer Relation to God as the Jews above the Heathens and perhaps the Ministers of the Altar above other Christians And this whole thing is set down by David Psal 50. where after he had mentioned the many Enormities of that People that were in Special Covenant with him ver 18. When thou sawest a Thief thou consentedst unto him and hast been Partaker with the Adulterers He adds These things hast thou done and thou thoughtest wickedly that I am even such an one as thy self thou thoughtest by this Connivance and delay of Punishment that I was no more Holy nor Righteous than thou but I will reprove thee and set before thee the things that thou hast done And perhaps Hypocrisy when Iniquity is concealed and dissembled under a specious appearance this not affording such an example and influence in the World is not upon this account so obnoxious to God's Immediate Punishment indeed this we may observe for the truth of this notion that in the whole complex of Scripture Punishments are not so frequently denounced upon this as upon open Impieties And I am apt to believe that God never inflicts any open and immediate Punishment upon Sin in this World he allowing his Creatures all the enjoyments that can be altho many of them chuse them in an ill kind and still patiently affording them space of Repentance most likely till their Disposition for it be quite destroyed through Vitious Habits I say I am apt to believe that God never inflicts any open and Immediate Punishment upon Sin in this World but when it is necessary for the Publick good to reclaim others by such an Example from the like Offences Now a good Prince that observes the pattern that God gives him in this Respect must not be over Critical to revenge Injuries but always signifie a Disposition that is apt to Pardon and generously pass by all personal Affronts and Reflections upon himself unless only such as being of that high Aggravation takes away his necessary esteem among the People and so renders him incapable of promoting any good or advantage to them And this Clemency exprest to less offences will be the most effectual means to prevent and escape them for the time to come it will be accounted such a base action to abuse a Prince of this Heavenly Temper that it must needs raise the Resentment and Odium of all Men upon the Authors of it