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

Again, §2the sentence of death may be put upon your mercy in another mans hand. It was a great mercy, even to Isaac, that by him all the Nations of the world should be blest; but the sentence of death was put upon this mercy in Abraham's hand, as well as in his own; Thou comest it may be to the preaching of the word, and thou art converted by such a sermon; thou doest not see how the sentence of death was put upon this mercy before thou hadst it: may be the sentence of death was put upon it in the Ministers hand, in the Preachers hand, may be he had laid aside those Doctrines, and those Truths, and thought to preach upon another matter; may be the sentence of death was put upon thy mercy in his hand: so sometimes it is in another mans hand.

Againe, §2the sentence of death may be put upon your mercy in another mans hand. It was a great mercy, even to Isaac, that by him all the Nations of the world should be blest; but the sentence of death was put upon this mercy in Abrahams hand, as well as in his owne; Thou comest it may be to the preaching of the word, and thou art converted by such a sermon; thou doest not see how the sentence of death was put upon this mercy before thou hadst it: may be the sentence of death was put upon it in the Ministers hand, in the Preachers hand, may be he had laid aside those Doctrines, and those Truths, and thought to preach upon another matter; may be the sentence of death was put upon thy mercy in his hand: so sometimes it is in another mans hand.

Again, §3though the sentence of death be put upon a mercy, before a believer comes to it; yet it is much according to the life of the mercy that is afterward. If the life be great, the death is great, If the life be small the death is small. And sometimes the sentence of death falls mostly upon the apprehension: as it was with Hagar; she was in the wilderness, and she thought she should die for want of water: only (said she) I won't see my child die, and there was a Well by. So that now, here the sentence of death lay mostly upon her own apprehension. And thus you have it also with Joshua of whom you read in the first of Joshua; the Lord makes him a great promise: now therefore arise, (says he at the second verse) go over this Jordan, thou and all this people; every place the sole of your foot shall tread upon; that have I given unto you. And at the latter and of the fifth verse. I will be with thee, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Now if you look into the seventh Chapter, you find that Joshua had rent his clothes (in the sixth verse) and fell to the earth upon his face, before the ark of the Lord, until even-tide, and Joshua said alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan, why? whats the matter? you read there went up 3 thousand men of the Israelites, and thirty six men of them were smote by the men of Ai. Here was cause now of fear, but no cause of such expressions as did fall from Joshua: a sentence of death passes upon the mercy, but it lay mostly upon the apprehension of Joshua. Sometimes it falls more upon the apprehension, and less upon the thing, sometimes it falls more upon the thing, and less upon the apprehension: but always more or less, when God intends any great or special mercy to his people, to the children of Abraham, he does first cause the sentence of death to pass upon it, and upon all the means that do lead unto it.