A29368:36
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.
Secondly, As it is a great mercy to serve for God, so is it not a great mercy to suffer for God: to be called out to suffer for the Name of Christ? For saith the former Chapter, We have forsaken Father and Mother, Wife and Children, Houses and Lands for the sake of Christ; but saith Christ, he that forsakes so much for me, shall receive a hundred fold, and eternal life; yea, ⟨p. 8⟩he that suffers for me, shall reign with me. You carry a burden, but Christ carries the heavy end, and you have communion with Christ also thereby; and thereby also your heart shall be filled with comfort, yea, even the comfort of the Holy Ghost: the Spirit of God dwells in every believer; and that man that suffers for God, the Spirit of God rests upon him, as the Dove rested upon the Earth: and so saith Peter, the Spirit of God and of glory resteth in you. A man is never more glorified, than when he suffers for God: remember that: When our Saviour Christ was upon the Cross, he was then glorious before the eyes of Heaven, and never more glorious than then; for now is the Son of man glorified: so may you say when in sufferings, Now am I glorified: Oh, the glory of a Christian! Nay, says the Martyr when going to the Stake, Now I begin to be a Christian. And thereby he is assured of eternal life and salvation. Our present light afflictions (saith the Apostle) works an eternal and exceeding weight of glory. And says our Saviour, If ye be reviled and reproached for my sake, happy are you. And if you look into Philip. 1.28. you will find, that sufferings are an evidence to us. Thus now you see, it is a mercy, yea, a great mercy ⟨p. 9⟩to suffer for the Name of Christ. That is the first thing.
Secondly, As it is a great mercy to serve for God, so is it not a great mercy to suffer for God: to be called out to suffer for the Name of Christ? For saith the former Chapter, We have forsaken Father and Mother, Wife and Children, Houses and Lands for the sake of Christ; but saith Christ, he that forsakes so much for me, shall receive a hundred fold, and eternal life; yea, ⟨p. 8⟩he that suffers for me, shall reign with me. You carry a burthen, but Christ carries the heavy end, and you have communion with Christ also thereby; and thereby also your heart shall be filled with comfort, yea, even the comfort of the Holy Ghost: the Spirit of God dwells in every believer; and that man that suffers for God, the Spirit of God rests upon him, as the Dove rested upon the Earth: and so saith Peter, the Spirit of God and of glory resteth in you. A man is never more glorified, than when he suffers for God: remember that: When our Saviour Christ was upon the Cross, he was then glorious before the eyes of Heaven, and never more glorious than then; for now is the Son of man glorified: so may you say when in sufferings, Now am I glorified: Oh, the glory of a Christian! Nay, sayes the Martyr when going to the Stake, Now I begin to be a Christian. And thereby he is assured of eternal life and salvation. Our present light afflictions (saith the Apostle) works an eternal and exceeding weight of glory. And sayes our Saviour, If ye be reviled and reproached for my sake, happy are you. And if you look into