A29368:289
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.
There are many times breakings and losings in the love of the Saints, and therefore when they come to an agreement and union among themselves again, it must needs be very pleasant and profitable, and sweet, for things once lost and found again are very sweet; And upon this Account it is, that the Commandment of love is called a new Commandment, because it is broken so often, and so often renewed again: And the Psalmist speaks here of the sweetness and pleasantness of Unity, because there is no sweetness in division, but Unity is a good way and means to keep out trouble, and evil division from among a people. And
Further, the more difficulty any mercy is obtained with, the sweeter it is when obtained; there are many things which are hard to come by, but when they are obtained they are sweet, and so there are many difficulties in the way of love and sweet agreement, and the people of God are encumbered with many difficulties, they have many things to put them out of the way of love, and of sweet agreement among themselves; and therefore saith the Apostle Phil. 1.27. Only let your Conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you, or ⟨p. 108⟩else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one Spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel.
Further, the more difficulty any mercy is obtained with, the sweeter it is when obtained; there are many things which are hard to come by, but when they are obtained they are sweet, and so there are many difficulties in the way of love and sweet agreement, and the people of God are incumbred with many difficulties, they have many things to put them out of the way of love, and of sweet agreement among themselves; and therefore saith the Apostle Phil. 1.27. Only let your Conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you, or ⟨p. 108⟩