A29368:49
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.
Fifthly, Why will God carry on the work of our services and sufferings in the way of free grace? Why, God will order our employments and sufferings in a way of free grace, that we may not be proud of them: We are apt to be proud of our employments and sufferings, and therefore God will carry on his work so, as that he may keep us from the sin of pride and haughtiness, when we shall consider it is the free grace of God to single us out to service or sufferings. Why should we be proud? God loves to confound the wicked and ungodly in the world, by making those that are the most unlikely, to be serviceable to himself; and by ordering their services and sufferings in a way of free grace. This God doth to confound the Wisdom and Reason of worldly men. Many are called, but few chosen. God hath set the weak to confound the strong. Again, God doth dispose of his work in a way of free grace, that none may be discouraged from his service, or suffering for him. If none but great, and mighty, and holy men were to be used in Gods service, then the weak would be discouraged and despised, and we should be ready to say, I am not worthy. Now God doth so order ⟨p. 17⟩and dispose of his work, as not to discourage the weak, but to give encouragement to all. Well then if so, A word for Application. Is this a Truth that we have heard, that all that God doth either as to the ordering of our services or sufferings is in a way of free grace? What have we then to say, but as Job, The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away; blessed be the Name of the Lord? You say, that God chooses whom he pleases to serve him, or to suffer for him; and that it is out of free grace: if so, why should not all suffer? But you hear it is not all, but some, that God doth graciously single out to suffer for himself.
But here some may say, I am weak, and do not any work for God.
But give me leave: Is Family work nothing? The Apostle insists much upon that in his Epistles, he calls much upon Parents, Children, Masters, and all to do their duty. Reformation work is a great work, or else the Apostle would never have spoken so much of it, and exhorted so much to it.