Bridge's remains, being VIII sermons

Secondly, Is it not necessary that we should be conformed to Christ our Head, and to Abraham our Father, the father of the faithful? You shall find Abraham was called Isa. 51.2. Look unto Abraham your father, &c. for I called him alone. Christ is also said to be called in a way suitable to him. ⟨p. 189⟩Mat. 2.15. Out of Egypt have I called my son. Heb. 5.4. No man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that was called of God, as was Aaron. Isa. 4.26. I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, &c. Isa. 49.1. Listen, O isles unto me, &c. The Lord hath called me from the womb. We are to be conformable to Christ our Head, and to Abraham our Father in our calling.

Thirdly, If God shall bring a man home to himself, according to the practice of men, he must bring him home in a way of calling. I drew them with the cords of a man, Hos. 11.4. When God deals with man, it is in a way suitable to man: But why? When he brings a man home to himself, will he do it in a way of calling, when as he might do it immediately by his own infinite power? If I knew that a man would not accept my Invitation to Dinner, I would never send to invite him. God knows that every one will not come, what need he then stand calling and inviting? We must consider, That as God will deal with man in the way, and according to the manner of men; So he will deal with man also in the way of God too. Christ is God-man. God manifested in the flesh, 1 Tim. 3.6. Because the work of our Redemption was to be carried on by the hand of God, and by the hand of man both. Whereas should God deal with man only as God, then he would convert him presently by his own infinite poer, and never make any invitation to him: And if he should deal with man only as man, he would never invite any of the dead: For who is there of you that will send to the grave, and invite a dead man to your table? But as God, he invites dead