A29368:117
The freeness of the grace and love of God to believers discovered in reference…
The freeness of the grace and love of God to believers discovered in reference to 1. their services and suffering, 2. their consolations, and 3. their salvation and eternal glory : together with the excellency of the fear of God, the goodness and pleasantness of brotherly love, the wisdom of hearing the voice of the rod, repentance the only way to prevent judgements / delivered in several sermons by the late reverend and faithful minister of Christ, Mr. William Bridge ...The freeness of the grace and love of God to believers discovered in reference to 1. their services and suffering, 2. their consolations, and 3. their salvation and eternal glory : together with the excellency of the fear of God, the goodness and pleasantness of brotherly love, the wisdom of hearing the voice of the rod, repentance the only way to prevent judgements / delivered in several sermons by the late reverend and faithful minister of Christ, Mr. William Bridg ...
London: printed for Nath. Crouch, 1671
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Thirdly, There is a comfort that ariseth from a mans non-attendance to his own condition. Men may be comforted. Why? Because they never look into their condition, how it stands between God and their souls: There is a comfort arising not only from a mans conscience, but from the non-attendance to his own condition, and hereupon he is secure: but this is not the comfort that ariseth from free grace and free love.
Fourthly, There is a comfort that doth arise from the use of the creature, men are troubled in their minds, and they run presently to the Tavern, to their Music, or merry Company to put it off; and so it may be are comforted: but if a mans comfort arise only from the creature, ⟨p. 45⟩he is not truly comforted, not comforted with the comfort of free grace and love: he that is comforted in this way, it is but a diversion to him, and not true comfort: as straw when set on fire will make a flash and a flame, but black ashes remain behind; so when men are troubled, and they run to the Tavern, or to Music, and merry Company; all this is but a flash, black Ashes remain behind: provoked trouble will be angry trouble, and angry will be most troublesome; when men run to merriment to divert trouble, they provoke it.
Fourthly, There is a comfort that doth arise from the use of the creature, men are troubled in their minds, and they run presently to the Tavern, to their Musick, or merry Company to put it off; and so it may be are comforted: but if a mans comfort arise only from the creature, ⟨p. 45⟩he is not truly comforted, not comforted with the comfort of free grace and love: he that is comforted in this way, it is but a diversion to him, and not true comfort: as straw when set on fire will make a flash and a flame, but black ashes remain behind; so when men are troubled, and they run to the Tavern, or to Musick, and merry Company; all this is but a flash, black Ashes remain behind: provoked trouble will be angry trouble, and angry will be most troublesome; when men run to merriment to divert trouble, they provoke it.