The works of William Bridge, sometime fellow of Emanuel College in CambridgeThe works of William Bridge, sometime fellow of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge

And beloved, He suffered, and was tempted, that he might succour you that are tempted. Will you question his love then, because of your temptation, or your own condition? do ye know what you do? Suppose that your Father should leave you a great Estate, and give you good Evidences; and ⟨p. 111⟩a cunning Lawyer comes, and writes upon the back-side of your Evidence, Naught, naught: will ye because of that, join with him and say, that your Father hath given you nothing? Christ hath given you in a great Estate of Mercy, and hath given you good Evidences for it; and Satan now, comes & writes upon the back-side of your Evidence, and says, This is naught. Will you join with him against God and Christ? what wrong is this to his love? think of it, I pray, you that are the Saints and people of God: Be humbled under every temptation, though it be never so small; but never question your condition, though your temptation be never so great.

And beloved, He suffered, and was tempted, that he might succour you that are tempted. Will you question his love then, because of your temptation, or your own condition? do ye know what you do? Suppose that your Father should leave you a great Estate, and give you good Evidences; and ⟨p. 111⟩a cunning Lawyer comes, and writes upon the back-side of your Evidence, Naught, naught: will ye because of that, joyn with him and say, that your Father hath given you nothing? Christ hath given you in a great Estate of Mercy, and hath given you good Evidences for it; and Satan now, comes & writes upon the back-side of your Evidence, and saies, This is naught. Will you joyn with him against God and Christ? what wrong is this to his love? think of it, I pray, you that are the Saints and people of God: Be humbled under every temptation, though it be never so small; but never question your condition, though your temptation be never so great.

There is indeed, something of a suffering, a malignant quality, an affliction in every temptation when it takes least: and therefore, look how you would walk under an affliction, so walk under your temptation. In your affliction, you will walk Humbly: so under your temptation do. In your affliction, you will examine the Cause, especially if your affliction lie long upon you: So in your temptation do. In your affliction, you will seek God Early: So in the morning of your temptation do. In the day of your affliction, you will Engage to God; the day of affliction, is the day of engaging, and you say, Oh! if the Lord will deliver me, through his grace I will do so and so: So in your temptation do. In your affliction, you will take heed of those sins that you are most apt unto in the time of affliction: so do in the time of your temptation: For example thus: in affliction, a man is very apt to be discouraged, to have his heart sink and to die within him: So in temptation, take heed of that. In affliction, a man is apt so to mind his present burden, as to forget all his former mercy: so in the time of temptation take heed of that. In the time of affliction, a man is very apt to be froward, and impatient, to break out into frowardness, and impatience though he did not so before: As the wood that is laid upon the fire, sends forth filth which you did not see in the wood before it came upon the fire: So men are apt to send