A29368:290
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.
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⟩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.
Again, The more suitable any thing is to our condition, the more pleasant and sweet it is: Now this brotherly love and union, is a conjunction of suitable things, and is suitable to our condition, and suitable things are delightful unto men, and the more suitable any thing is, the more we delight in it: And this agreement, this union, is every way suitable to our own condition as we are men, and is also suitable to all the creatures, for they run together, and agree together; And it is suitable to us also as we are Christians, it is suitable to Christs command; A new command saith he. I give unto you, that you love one another. It is suitable to Christs own example, who hath loved us; and suitable also to the Gospel, which is a Gospel of peace: Let your conversation be as becometh the Gospel, that you be of one spirit, and of one mind: So I say, this holy agreement is every way suitable, and therefore the more pleasant and delightful, and so it ought to be unto us.