A29368:305
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, If our love be as it should be, we shall then love others, because they are godly, let them be of this opinion, or of the other opinion, yet that matters not; though they be not of my opinion, yet if my love be right, I love them because they are godly, ⟨p. 114⟩and I love him most that is most godly; and as his increaseth godliness, so must my love increase toward him.
Fourthly, If your love be true, and such as it ought to be, then you will love one another, and love your brother; as Christ loved you, even so ought you to love one another; how was that? why, Christ loved you freely, in opposition to all the injuries you had done unto him: It is said, 1 Joh. 1.6, 7. If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth; but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another: and in John 3.16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son. Yea Christ hath so loved us, that he hath laid down his life for us; and we are to love as Christ loved, even to the laying down of our lives for our brethren.
Fifthly, If your love be true, it ought to be without restriction, yea and without all dissimulation: I say you are to love without any restriction, the only measure of love is to know no measure; and you are to love without any dissimulation, yea and your love ought to be also without degeneration; many do begin to love spiritually, but end carnally; ⟨p. 115⟩but true love is without restriction, dissimulation, or degeneration.