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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80396	A pattern of mercy. Opened in a sermon at St. Pauls, before the Right Honorable, the Lord Mayor, and the Lord General Monck: February 12. 1659. / By Tobias Conyers, minister at St. Ethelberts, London.	Conyers, Tobias, 1628-1687.	1660 (1660)	Wing C5994; Thomason E774_8; ESTC R207295	28,966	47

other Mould then that wherein they lye in the Text Viz. Doct. That we all ought to be merciful even as our heavenly Father is merciful METHOD 1. I shall give you an account what mercy is and what it imports in the phrase of the Scripture 2. Wherein the mercifulness of our heavenly Fathers appears that we may see wherein we are to imitate him 3. What reasons and grounds we have to be merciful as he is merciful 1. Concerning Mercey Sometimes Mercy is the same with Pity Compassion and Tenderness Phil. 2. 1. the Apostle exhorts to Unity by the consolation of Christ by the comforts of Love by the fellowship of the Spirit by bowels and mercies i. e. If there be any tenderness pity and compassion in you towards your common Father fulfil you my joy where bowels and mercies are equipolent terms that serve to illustrate and explain the sense one of another To this we may refer that of the Prophet Jer 31. 20. where God is brought in troubled and discomposed in himself for the punishment and affliction of Ephraim Is Ephraim my dear Son Is he a pleasant child for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. 2. Mercy is the same with pardon remission and forgiveness 1 Tim. 1. 13. Who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious but I obtained Mercy because I did it ignorantly i. e. being so much unfit and unworthy whil'st I was a Jew blaspheming Christ and persecuting his people yet I obtained mercy i. e. pardon and forgiveness of God God looked upon it as an act of blind zeal in me and not of propense malice against them 3. Mercy is used for the donation or vouchsafement of some Priviledge spiritual or temporal unto a person or people 1 Pet. 2. 10. Which in times past were not a people but are now the people of God which had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy This is supposed to have been written from Rome to the converted Jews and then the meaning ls this You that for a long time for this Epistle is believed to have been written Anno Christi 44. whilst Christ was upon the earth had not the happiness to receive Christ and the Gospel now are made partakers of this great Mercy and Priviledge viz. to come into the Church and House of God So Rom. 9. 16. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy The Apostle here argueth in the behalf of God that he was at full liberty in the collation and distribution of his Mercies and that he did the Jews no wrong in calling the Gentiles to Christianity Ver. 15. As he saith unto Moses I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy c. As if he had said unto him In the distributing of my blessings I will do what I think good without giving thee or any man a reason though I have alwayes reason for what I do yet as it is ver 13. Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated which is either true in the Letter in chusing the Israelites and rejecting the Idumeans or else in the Type in preferring the Covenant of Grace before the Covenant of Works So then it is not of him c. i e. in point of merit satisfaction or condignity but of God that sheweth mercy i. e. vouchsafeth to call the Gentiles to Christianity when the obstinate and incredulous Jewes have rejected it 4. Mercy is taken for Charity or that relief which we give unto the poor Dan. 4. 27. Breake off thy sins by righteousnesse and thine iniquities by shewing mercy unto the poor i. e. by being liberal charitable towards the poor in which sence many understand that of Peter 1. 4. 8 Charity covereth a multitude of sins So likewise it is used Psal 37. 26. He is ever merciful and lendeth and his seed is blessed For the further opening the nature of Mercy observe the difference betwixt Goodness and Mercy Goodness in God is supposed to be absolute but Mercy is a relative thing God might have been good to all Eternity though man had stood yet Merciful he could not have been without a supposition and introduction of sin As all Pardon includes an offence so all Mercy involves want and misery Goodness supposeth a man Mercy a sinner Goodness supposeth a man in being Mercy a man in misery God might have been eternally good and transcendently glorious in the free communication of himselfe though sin and misery had never introduced mercy Goodness and Mercy are thus distinguishable in men Goodness is the Root and Mercy the Branch growing out from it We must first be good in ourselves before we can be merciful towards others We must as our Saviour sheweth first make the Tree good before we can bring forth good fruit Charity begins at home if we be not good have not an inward principle of Goodness in our selves how can we laudably exercise any pity or compassion any bounty or clemency any love or charity towards others So much for the first point 2. Br. Come we now to speak of the mercifulness of God and produce a great Copy and Exemplar for your imitation And now methinks we are fallen upon the noblest subject in the World being we are to treat of Divine Mercy which the Scriptures declare which men experience which the Devils envy the good Angels admire and which all the World ought to adore A man that looks down from an high Precipice albeit he is in no danger of falling yet would his fear seize him and a secret trembling take hold of him The Scriptures and our own experience have set us upon a great Mount and being to look down upon the great abysse of Divine Mercies we are ready to cry out with the Apostle Rom. 11. 33. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O the depth of the riches both of the Wisdom and the mercies of God I shall speak to this 1. Negatively 2ly Positively 1. In that he beareth with the daily violation of his truth and suffereth with incredible lenity the breaches that are made upon it though men do not believe what God saith nay which is more do believe things different and contrary thereunto yet still God containeth himself and doth not with-hold his Mercy from them The Church of God is said to be the ground and pillar of truth 1 Tim. 3. 15. The Church it is that sacred Depositary wherein the truth is laid up The Frogs of Aegypt were not more numerous that came crawling into the Kings Palace then the Errors and mis-shapen Opinions which in all Ages especially in this have infested the Church the house of God and herein the mercifulness of God appears that he does not presently rid himself of them nor destroy the men for their opinion sake In the Jewish Church he suffered the Essens a pensive

A Pattern of Mercy Opened in a SERMON AT St. PAULS BEFORE The Right Honorable the Lord Mayor AND THE Lord General Monck February 12. 1659. By TOBIAS CONYERS Minister at St. Ethelberts London LONDON Printed by M. I. and are to be sold at the Grey-hound in St. Pauls Church-yard at the Crown in Popes-head Alley and at the Elephant and Castle near Temple Barr 1660. The Authors Apology WHen I entered upon the ensuing Discourse in my private Meditations I looked upon the complexion of the times and considered the temper of the climate in which we live and in a Nation all rent and torn with differences in Opinions both Civil Religious I thought nothing could be more acceptable then a proposition of peace But whilst I spoke for peace such was my unhappiness some men made themselves ready for battel The giving of offence to any sort of persons was a thing as far remote from any design or purpose of mine as it is disagreeable to my temper disposition to be at ods with any man And looking over these Papers which now I publish to the world if I may be permitted to judge in mine own case I cannot but wonder from whence the great cry of the City arose as if some Theudas or Judas Galilaeus were risen from the dead being naturally averse from the starting of any new Opinions and far enough from having any thing extraordinary in me either to create or make me the head of any new sect or faction It is confessed the 12th of Fehruary was a critical day and all circumstances concurred to render me unacceptable What I suffered in my self was nothing but that I should so much as accidentally occasion any reflection upon that noble Gentleman the Lord Mayor whom all men must needs judge both too great and too wise to concern himself in any thoughts or meditations of minds troubled me not a little it 's true I had been often soliciting my Lord for dismission and that he took this occasion to do it was so far less displeasing to me as it was satisfactory unto others for having served his Lordship for himself without any mercenary proposals and expectations I could not in the least be dis-satisfied with any thing that did but seem either to support or vindicate his Lordships Honor and Reputation in the World The aspersions cast upon me are either that I am Schismatical an Enemy to the Church or that I am Heretical To both which I crave leave to answer and make my just defence 1. That I am Schismatical or a Sectary I know not why any man should think so it is true that I hold communion with and observe the laws of Piety and holy Charity with that Christian people to whom Mr. John Goodwin is Pastour and this I alwayes thought I might do with the salvage of truth honour and conscience and yet that it might be known that in that congregation are persons of greater wisdom moderation and latitude then to confine the administration of Ordinances within their own precinct I think it not amiss to inform the courteous Reader that with their permission I do perform all those Ministerial duties that any Church Officer does in the place where he lives If it be the Episcopal party that censures me for schism I humbly crave leave to remonstrate that I entered the Ministry at a time when there was no Church Government establish't but every one did that which was right in his own eyes as I had no hand in pulling down their Hierarchy so will they not I hope blame me for joining with a people that I thought espoused the interest of truth and holiness since I did it as appeares by my practice with the preservation of that Ministerial freedom and liberty which any Officer Ecclesiastical either justly exerciseth or pretendeth unto If it be the Presbyterian party if I had made any schism of all men they have the least reason to take notice of it He that is of them without sin in this kind let him cast the first stone at me to borrow our Saviour's words For if the little Foxes and Boars have entered to root up and destroy the vinyard it was by that schism or gap which themselves made therefore the Brethren of the Presbytery remembring their own faults this day will I hope exercise great lenity and grace towards those that are found in the same sinne and transgression if it be a sin and transgression with themselves To both parties whom I wish may be no more called two but one I shall onely add this That when the fence is made up which how strong soever it may be I wish may not be too strait I must either keep out or at my further peril The Second part of my accusation is Error and Heresie Erroneous I may be Humanum est Errare Heretical I cannot be because never censured by any lawful Authority I know not what brought me so much as into suspition with the City unless it were for my Judgement about the death of Christ Election and Reprobation c. wherein I am sure I hold nothing contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England contained in her 39. Articles and interpreted according to her most learned and best beloved children as Dr. Hamond Dr. Taylor Mr. Thorndike Mr. Thruscross Mr. Gunning Mr. Pearce Now having so often profer'd to the Commissioners for Approbation and others bona fide to subscribe these forementioned Articles which contain the Doctrine of our reformed Religion ever since the time of reformation there is no ground in the world why any man should accuse me either for Novellism or Opinion But because some men may even censure the Articles themselves and because I am extreamly desirous to cut off all future jealousies concerning me touching the five so much controverted points I will here propose my sence in mine own terms I. That God's Eternal Decrees of Election and Reprobation are not of Qualities but of Persons II. That Grace of God which is afforded unto all men is sufficient to leave men without excuse III. That the death of Christ is sufficient for all but none shall have benefit by him but those that believe IV. That no man hath power of himself to do any thing that good is but standeth in need of the preventing exciting and assisting Grace of God in Christ for the beginning progress and perseverance in all good Or thus The will of man set at liberty by grace is onely free in its choice both of good and evil V. That there is a state of grace attainable in this life from which it is difficult if not impossible to fall away More particularly I now come to satisfie the Christian Reader concerning the following Discourse The offence that was taken at my Sermon was either in gross from the general tendency of it or in particular from that distinction which I made 'twixt goodness and Mercy and from that passage concerning the

An Enemy hath done this The servants said Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up Ver. 29. But he said Nay least whilst ye gather up the tares ye root up also the wheat with them The Parable is explained by Christ himself 38 vers The seed is the world wherein we all live observe it is not the Church but the World they may be censured in Ecclesia in that spiritual Court but not in the World The good seed are the Children of Truth or as Christ saith The children of the Kingdom The tares are the sons of Error the children of the wicked one The enemy that sowed them is the Divel and those his Emissaries whom he imploies God refers the burning of the Tares till the Harvest which our Saviour interprets the end of the world and the reason why the Tares must not be plucked out but let alone until the Harvest is this rendered by himself ver 29. Least while ye gather up the Tares ye root up the wheat also By the Tares here can be meant nothing more properly then erroneous persons no other sinners or offenders but sinners injudgment offenders in opinion For if by Tares we should understand Murtherers Adulterers Thievs or any such kind of transgressors then would our Saviour be understood to plead for a toleration of such sinners as his Father had expresly injoined to be punished He that sheds man's blood by man shall his blood be shed He that stole to make restitution and satisfaction To this we may refer the counsel of Gamaliel a great Civilian and though not endowed with an infallible spirit yet one as we may presume in a special manner moved by the Spirit to interpose in the behalf of Christ and his dear servants to rescue them from the bloody rage and malice of the Council The Apostles standing before the Council the Jewish Presbytery indeavoring to suppress their erroneous opinions for so the doctrine of Christianity was accounted Gamaliel stands up Act. 5. 38. And now I say unto you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Stand off from those men meddle not with them let them alone for if this counsel or this work be of men i. e. if it be a fancy or an opinion of their own if it be of humane invention and contrivance it will come to nought 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it will be dis-jointed broken it will suffer a dissolution But if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it i. e. it will stand all opposition to the contrary notwithstanding and yee your selves bee found fighters against God 2ly We are urged unto this duty by example and that by the greatest example even that of Christ himself Luk. 4. 55. in the story we have three things considerable 1. The churlish in hospitality of the Samaritanes refusing to give entertainment not so much as a nights lodging unto Christ and his Disciples and the ground of this was their difference in opinion as we collect from the 53. And they did not receive him because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem because he worshipped not in the same place with them upon Mount Girizim but seemed to hold communion with the Jewes in their Worship at the Temple at Jerusalem they would not so much as receive him into their Village 2. You have the fiery indignation of his Disciples that was kindled against the Samaritans ver 54. Wilt thou that we command fire to come down from Heaven and consume them as Elias did Here we have a notorious president how far the intemperate and untutor'd zeal even of good men may transport them it 's strange that nothing but fire from heaven can expiate the fault of the Samaritans incivility 2. We have our Saviours rebuke and discommendation of that rash zeal wherewith his Disciples were heated V. 55. But he turned and rebuked them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he angerly or sharply rebuked them Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of i. e. The Spirit of Christ and the Gospel is another manner of spirit then that of the Law another manner of spirit then that of the World Besides its contrary to the end of my coming that any man should be thus dealt with for any injury or affront done unto me The Son of man is not come into the world to destroy mens lives but to save them To come home We must not burn a Samaritan because he will not turn Jew neither must we destroy men because they will not be proselited to our Opinions the Jews must not call for fire from Heaven upon the Samaritans because they Worship not with them at the Temple at Jerusalem nor the Samaritans refuse to give entertainment to the Jews because they do not worship with them upon Mount Girizim Herein our Saviour was a great pattern of moderation forbearance and brotherly kindness and his Gospel is not Evangelium Armatum an Armed Gospel it is Mahomet's and not Christs way to propagate Religion by the sword Prayers and Tears and Sufferings and Fastings and Alms deeds and Love and Charity are those Forces by which Christian Religion became so victorious and triumphant in the World 3. Ab utilitate It is profitable to bear with our dissenting Brethren 1. It 's best for the Church 2. It 's best for the State 1. For the Church There is a twofold Unity an Unity in Judgement and that 's Truth an Unity in Affection and that 's Love If we cannot obtain the first we may the latter if we cannot have an Unity in Truth we may by this means have an Unity in Love It is yeelded and need not be made the subject of any mans Dispute That Heresies are damnable and pernicious but since as the Scriptures speak 1 Cor. 11. 19. There must be Heresies also amongst you not because that God ordained them to be for he cannot decree sin but because he permitted them and saw they would be held and maintained in the Church as the Astronomer prognosticates an Eclipse either of the Sun or Moon not that he hath any influence upon those Heavenly Bodies to cause the least change or alteration but because by the Rules of his Art he sees such and such things will happen We ought to follow St. Paul's advice unto Titus 3. 10. An Heretick after the first and second admonition reject Heresie it is the mutilation and maiming of some of the principal branches of Christian Faith and this pertinaciously defended and maintained contrary to the reproof and censure of a lawful Authority But as for those less differences in Religion and since there will always be such amongst us for faces do not more vary then understandings and conceptions it is best for the preservation of the Churches peace love and unity that we bear with and exercise a wonderful lenity towards those that dissent from us that we do not presently excommunicate unchurch and deliver one another up unto Satan for every difference in opinion and judgement