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

And hath not the Lord commanded by the Apostle, saying; Let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their Souls to the hand of God, as into the hand of a Faithful Creator? the 1 of Peter 4.19. When ye are scrupled about your Election or Reprobation, you look upon God, as a Potter, that hath power over the clay, to make it either a Vessel of honour or dishonour: But when you are to believe, then you are not to look upon God as a Potter, that works out of clay, or out of materials; but as a Creator, that works out of nothing; yea as a faithful Creator, that will be sure to work out of nothing, whom you shall be sure of. Thus then you are to look upon him. You know the place in the third of Habakkuk, and the 17. verse: Although the Fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the Vines, the labour of the Olive shall fail, and the Fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation; the Lord God is my strength &c. Thus Habakkuk believed. Beloved, we are so to believe as the promise runs; Gods promise is the rule of our Faith: look how that speaks, so may we believe. The promise and Faith is the buckle and clasp fit for one another. Now the Lord does not only promise to help the children of Abraham, ¹but he promises to help when all means fail: When the poor and needy seek for water, and there's none. I pray look into that third of Jeremiah, and the 8. verse: Behold, (says the Lord) I will bring them from the north Country: his people scattered here into the Land of the North. And gather them from the coasts of the Earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child, and her that travaileth with child together, a great company ⟨p. 178⟩shall return hither. The Lord promises to bring them back to their own Country from the Land of the North.

And hath not the Lord commanded by the Apostle, saying; Let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their Soules to the hand of God, as into the hand of a Faithfull Creator? the 1 of Peter 4.19. When ye are scrupled about your Election or Reprobation, you look upon God, as a Potter, that hath power over the clay, to make it either a Vessel of honour or dishonour: But when you are to beleeve, then you are not to look upon God as a Potter, that workes out of clay, or out of materials; but as a Creator, that workes out of nothing; yea as a faithfull Creator, that will be sure to worke out of nothing, whom you shall be sure of. Thus then you are to look upon him. You know the place in the third of Habakuk, and the 17. verse: Although the Fig-tree shall not blossome, neither shall fruit be in the Vines, the labour of the Olive shall faile, and the Fields shall yeeld no meate, the flocke shall be cutt off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stals; yet I will rejoyce in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation; the Lord God is my strength &c. Thus Habakuk beleeved. Beloved, we are so to beleeve as the promise runnes; Gods promise is the rule of our Faith: look how that speakes, so may we beleeve. The promise and Faith is the buckle and claspe fit for one another. Now the Lord does not onely promise to helpe the children of Abraham,