Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	goodness_n	lord_n	merciful_a	1,997	5	8.9155	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41644	God's call to England, for thankfulness after gracious deliverances wherein is shewed, that our deliverances, not answered with reformation, will be followed with sorest destruction / by Thomas Gouge.	Gouge, Thomas, 1605-1681.	1680 (1680)	Wing G1368; ESTC R472	73,076	204

thou not consume us c. 4. You have the aggravation of that destruction under such hainous sinning Till there were no remnant nor escaping The general Heads I shall insist upon which are immediately contained in or may serve to explain this Text are these 1. That the great design of God in bestowing merciful deliverances on a people is to reclaim them from sin 2. That such is that wickedness that is in the most of men that they are prone to wax worse after deliverances 3. That sinning after Deliverance is the most hainous sinning 4. That sinning after Deliverance hath a peculiar influence to hasten destruction 5. That Destruction for sins after Deliverance will be the most dreadful destruction Now I shall endeavour Deo juvante to speak something to each of these in order PROPOSITION I. The design of God in delivering a people from eminent dangers of ruine is to oblige them to forsake all sinful and wicked practices The intent of delivering mercies is to cause us to repent of our destroying iniquities The main end of Gods exercising goodness towards us is onely to effect some goodness in us The design of special mercies is to make us a special people The Almighty God delights not to reduce a people from sinful courses by laying them under such heavy judgments as may render them incapable of committing those sins which otherwise their wills incline them to but the way of his pleasure is to confer such mercies upon them as may sweetly conquer their stubborn hearts and gain their averse minds to himself Hence when the sin and folly of an obstinate people hath reduc'd them to inextricable straits the eternal God doth not suffer his destroying wrath to break forth against them saying I see them helpless and past recovery now therefore will I ease me of my adversaries and avenge me of my enemies but compassion being kindled in his merciful breast Now says the Lord I will lend a helping hand and give them that experience and those evidences of my goodness that shall for ever oblige them to me and win them from proceeding in ways of rebellion against me Thus all our deliverances lay us under perpetual obligations to devote our selves to the blessed work and service of our delivering God Our mercies are not beautiful Tombes in our way wherewith we may delight our eyes but Chariots to carry us on with more pleasure and cheerfulness in the ways of our gracious God The end of deliverances is plainly seen Luke 1.74 75. That we being delivered from the hands of our enemies may serve him without fear in Righteousness and Holiness all the days of our lives We are not delivered from enemies to continue enemies to God but an escape is given us from the hands of enemies that we may resign up our selves into the hands of our God When God prevents our becoming miserable preys to unmerciful foes 't is to oblige us ever to praise him with thankful Hearts and obedient lives Psal. 105.37 He brought forth that people with silver and gold spread a cloud for a covering and fire to give light in the night v. 39. He brought quails and satisfyed them with bread from heaven he brought forth his people with joy and his chosen with gladness v. 43. And what was the design of all this favour v. 45. That they might observe his Statutes and keep his Laws Although our mercies are Gods gifts yet they greatly raise our debts The favours we receive from our gracious God are not as payments given to servants to discharge from work but like the encouragements tender Parents give to Children to increase their dutiful service and obedience 'T is promised H●s 3. u● They shall fear the Lord and his goodness or ob tantam D●i beneficentiam Grot. they shall serve and obey him for his goodnesses in returning and restoring of them that wonderful kindness was for this end to ingenerate obedient love and induce to constant loyalty to so blest a Redeemer Now had not these blessed intentions and gracious designs been in the heart of our God he had never exercised his Almighty power for our help and relief as of late he hath done but he designing to reclaim us from sin hath restrained his wrath and revealed our danger that so by giving us the advantage of such a mercy we might render to him the glory of it And what can be more reasonable than to give God the glory of that whereof we have the profit What more unjust than to cross such gracious designs as these And therefore unless we design to debar our selves from future mercies it concerns us greatly to answer Gods design in these unless we intend by our incorrigibleness to bring irreparable ruines upon our selves it highly concerns us by this goodness of God to be led to that Repentance and Reformation intended by it For to what end hath this grace of God appear'd but to teach us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and that we might live soberly righteously and godly in this present world I shall now propose some few Reasons why the glorious God condescends to strive with Man with thus much goodness rather than reduce him by forcible coactions and destroying judgments why he doth not ease him of his Enemies by his Almighty power but endeavour to make them friends by obliging favours REASON I. Because this way and method is most suitable to his gracious nature Rough spirited men in reducing offenders will use nothing but harsh severity but such whose nature is tempered with amiable meekness abhor such wrathful means and will make experiment what clemency and kindness will do before they proceed to powerful compulsions Thus the great God having declared himself to be most gracious will experience how far he can prevail by the exercise of goodness before he proceeds to the displays of his justice and greatness So good is our God that he is ready to make proof of the efficacy of a thousand smiles of mercy rather than of a single stroak of Justice The titles of honour which discover his nature do mostly set out his abounding goodness Exod. 34.5 6. The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long suffering and abundant in truth and goodness The whole world is embroidered with infinite impressions of goodness Among his blessed Attributes his grace is uppermost and though he be equally just as good yet he exercises his goodness more than his justice This is the fairest flower in the garland of Majesty the brightest ray that issues from that un-approachable light the height of his immensurable and Imperial glory Now if we consider his readiness to mercy and his slowness to anger his frequency in displays of goodness and the rarity of amazing judgments his resolvedness in ways of grace and reservedness in ways of justice we may easily see 't is most agreeable to his nature to accomplish his designs by clemency REASON 2. Because this merciful method is