A29368:237
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.
First, By the fear of God a man is enabled to depart from evil, as the Psalmist saith, There are two seeds in the world, the seed of the woman, and the seed of the serpent: now these two seeds rule in the whole world; in some the seed of the woman rules, and in some the seed of the serpent: now they that are of the seed of the woman can fear the Lord, but they that are of the seed of the serpent cannot fear the Lord; and ⟨p. 92⟩therefore no wonder that they that fear the Lord cannot, will not do as others do; why, it is because they are of another seed, they are of the seed of the woman.
First, By the fear of God a man is inabled to depart from evil, as the Psalmist saith, There are two seeds in the world, the seed of the woman, and the seed of the serpent: now these two seeds rule in the whole world; in some the seed of the woman rules, and in some the seed of the serpent: now they that are of the seed of the woman can fear the Lord, but they that are of the seed of the serpent cannot fear the Lord; and ⟨p. 92⟩therefore no wonder that they that fear the Lord cannot, will not do as others do; why, it is because they are of another seed, they are of the seed of the woman.
Secondly, As they that fear the Lord are of another seed, so they are also of another Principle, and therefore they cannot do as others do. Principles are the springs of all actions, and every man acts according to his principle, according to the principle that is in him. Now he that fears the Lord, differs from another man in his principles, and so he doth also in his actions, and in his ends.
Thirdly, Look into his ends, and you shall see how they differ from other mens; ends are the seeds of actions; and if so, a man that fears the Lord, his ends differ from other mens; and then no wonder that he cannot, will not do as others do. Again,