A77357:206
The works of William Bridge, sometime fellow of Emmanuel College in CambridgeThe vvorks of William Bridge, sometime fellow of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge
The works of William Bridge, sometime fellow of Emmanuel College in Cambridge: now preacher of the Word of God at Yarmouth. The second volume. [sic] Viz. 1. Grace for grace; or, The overflowing of Christs fullness received by all saints. II. The spiritual actings of faith through natural impossibilities. III. Evangelical repentance.The vvorks of William Bridge, sometime fellow of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge: now preacher of the Word of God at Yarmouth. The second volumn. [sic] Viz. 1. Grace for grace; or, The overflowing of Christs fulness received by all saints. II. The spiritual actings of faith through natural impossibilities. III. Evangelical repentance.
London: printed by Peter Cole, 1649
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.
The Doctrine is exceeding Useful, full of Spiritual Use: yet though I shall not be able to do what I would, give me leave for to make some Application of the point; and so I will wind up all.
The Doctrine is exceeding Useful, ful of Spiritual Use: yet though I shall not be able to do what I would, give me leave for to make some Application of the point; and so I will winde up all.
Is this Doctrine true,1 That all, all is in a way of Receiving? Then behold what infinite care the great God of Heaven and Earth, hath of Believers, of every believing soul though he be never so mean! would you not think, that if a mother were so tender of her child, that she would not let her child eat a bit of bread, but it should be of her own cutting: that she would not let it drink a drop of drink, but it should be of her own drawing: would you not think ⟨p. 63⟩this mother, this woman were very careful of her child? Beloved! thus the case stands: No Grace, no Assistance, no Help for duty, no Help against sin; but the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will have the cutting of it, the Lord Jesus Christ will have the giving of it out; He will have the drawing of it all; all in a way of Receiving. Oh! what care! Oh! what infinite care hath God of poor Believers! When the Lord would commend His care of the Children of Israel unto them; pray mark what an argument he uses, in Deut. 11.10, 11, 12. For the Land whether thou goest in to possess it, is not as the Land of Egypt from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs. They fetched water out of the River Nilus, and so they watered the Land of Egypt with their feet. But (says he at the 11. verse) the Land whither ye go to possess it, is a Land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of Heaven: Not taken out of the River, and watered by mens feet, as Egypt was. A Land (says the Lord) which the Lord thy God Careth for: A Land which the Lord thy God Careth for: He Cared not for Egypt. How does he prove that the Lord Cared for it? The eyes of the Lord thy God are always on it, from the beginning of the year, even unto the end of the year. He giveth rain from Heaven, and when your Land wants water, 'tis given from Heaven, 'tis not watered by mens feet, 'tis not watered as Egypt was watered, which Land God Cared not for. So now, there are some people in the world, that water themselves, that go forth in their own strength, that have moral virtues, and they water their hearts with their own feet, (as I may say) the Lord Cares not for those, the Lord Cares not for such. Oh! but give me a soul that hath rain from Heaven, that lives in continual dependence, that acknowledges that all is Received, that lives upon Heaven; the Lord Cares for such a soul.