A29368:92
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.
Fourthly, This comfort is reward also, ⟨p. 29⟩as well as a main part of the Kingdom of God. Comfort and Joy in the holy Ghost is both duty and reward; so it is promised in the forementioned Scripture, Matt. 5. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted; and if so then surely it is no small thing.
Fifthly, As it is duty and reward, so it is that grace whereby you are enabled to read your other graces. When a man is under great Temptations, Sorrows, and Afflictions, it is a hard thing to read his graces; but now this helps us to read our Graces: some will say they cannot read their graces, they lie at the bottom; As to explain it, take this plain comparison, There are many Fishes in a Fishpond, but now in rainy and foul weather the fish lye all at the bottom, and are not to be seen; but in fair weather the fish swim and are visible: So if it be foul weather upon a soul, if it be dark and gloomy weather, the soul cannot read his graces; but now when God shines upon him, then he is enabled to read them, yea though his graces lye at the bottom as I may say, yet the poor soul is abl• •o read them, and if it be so, it is no small thing, 'tis no small matter to read our graces, our other graces.
Fifthly, As it is duty and reward, so it is that grace whereby you are inabled to read your other graces. When a man is under great Temptations, Sorrows, and Afflictions, it is a hard thing to read his graces; but now this helps us to read our Graces: some will say they cannot read their graces, they lie at the bottom; As to explain it, take this plain comparison, There are many Fishes in a Fishpond, but now in rainy and foul weather the fish lye all at the bottom, and are not to be seen; but in fair weather the fish swim and are visible: So if it be foul weather upon a soul, if it be dark and gloomy weather, the soul cannot read his graces; but now when God shines upon him, then he is inabled to read them, yea though his graces lye at the bottom as I may say, yet the poor soul is abl o read them, and if it be so, it is no small thing, 'tis no small matter to read our graces, our other graces.