A29368:499
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.
First, If you would meet with God in this case, then break off from your uncertainties and leave them, do not stand shall I, shall I, as we say, in reference to your repentance and newness of life, be not uncertain in your Judgments and practices. As in Hosea 6.4. O Ephraim saith God what shall I do unto thee, why Lord, might they say, Why art thou at an uncertainty with us, why saith God, because you are at an uncertainty ⟨p. 175⟩with me, your goodness is as the morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away: Sometimes you take up good resolutions, but they fade away again presently; Sometimes you are grieved and troubled for sin, but your repentance fades way, as the morning dew; sometimes you will perform duties, but your goodness fades away quickly, and therefore I am at this uncertainty with you, because you are at such uncertainty with me; would you then meet with God in this case, why then break off from your uncertainties, that is the first.
Secondly, If God seem to be at a stand, then do you repent and turn to God, for this is that which God expects, and looks for, yet have ye not returned unto me saith the Lord: The Lord repeats it again and again, in the close of several verses, though I have been at a stand, yet have ye not returned unto me saith the Lord. Therefore I say when God seems to be at a stand, be sure that you return unto God; and what I say unto one, I say unto all, and to my own soul also; Doth the Lord seem to be at a stand with us, then let us all return to ⟨p. 176⟩the Lord by repentance, it may be he stays his hand to see what we will do.
Secondly, If God seem to be at a stand, then do you repent and turn to God, for this is that which God expects, and looks for, yet have ye not returned unto me saith the Lord: The Lord repeats it again and again, in the close of several verses, though I have been at a stand, yet have ye not returned unto me saith the Lord. Therefore I say when God seems to be at a stand, be sure that you return unto God; and what I say unto one, I say unto all, and to my own soul also; Doth the Lord seem to be at a stand with us, then let us all return to