A29368:240
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.
Fourthly, As he differs in his ends, so also in his conscience; every man is according as his conscience is: Take a man that fears the Lord, and he is tender of his conscience, but others that have their consciences burnt and seared, are not so, and if so, then no wonder that he that fears the Lord cannot, will not do as others do.
Fifthly, As he that fears the Lord differs in the the matter of his conscience, so he differs also in the matter of his restraints. A wicked man abstains it may be from one evil, to commit another, but he that fears the Lord, abstains from all evil, because of the fear of God, which the other doth not. A wicked man is bad in good company, and a good man is good in bad company, yea he is the same in all company; therefore he that fears the Lord cannot, will not do as others do. But,
Fourthly, Is it possible for a man that fears the Lord, to do sometimes as others do?
Yes he may: For the Apostle speaks plainly concerning the same, Rom. 12.1. Mark what he saith; I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God, That ye be not conformable to this present world, &c. But now observe this; That it is one thing what a man doth in a sudden passion, and another thing what he doth in his serious consideration: For take a man that fears the Lord, and in his sudden passion he shall deny Christ as well as another; but in the way of serious consideration he shall never do it. And further take notice, that it is one thing what a man doth in a particular action, and another