The works of William Bridge, sometime fellow of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, now preacher…The vvorks of William Bridge, sometime fellow of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, now preacher…

First, What is that in you, that doth ordinarily sway the great actions of your lives? When the Lord Christ comes into the soul, he comes as a King, presently ascendeth the Throne, and takes hold of the Sceptre; interests himself in all that that doth sway the soul, and sways the actions of the soul: now what is it that doth sway a mans actions? Finis action is domin us et reginae est. The end sways the action. And look what that is that doth sway your End, that is it which liveth in you: if Self swayeth your End, Self liveth in you; if Christ sway your End, Christ liveth in you. Now soul! take all the actions of thy life, since thou hast set thy face towards heaven, and as for the great turnings of your life, and the great actions, Hath not Christ been at the end of them?

First, What is that in you, that doth ordinarily sway the great actions of your lives? When the Lord Christ comes into the soul, he comes as a King, presently ascendeth the Throne, and takes hold of the Scepter; interests himself in all that that doth sway the soul, and swaies the actions of the soul: now what is it that doth sway a mans actions? Finis action is domin us et reginae est. The end swaies the action. And look what that is that doth sway your End, that is it which liveth in you: if Self swaieth your End, Self liveth in you; if Christ sway your End, Christ liveth in you. Now soul! take all the actions of thy life, since thou hast set thy face towards heaven, and as for the great turnings of your life, and the great actions, Hath not Christ been at the end of them?

Secondly. Do not you find a secret kind of disposition unto all the Commandments of the Gospel? Where the Spirit is, there Christ liveth. When the Lord makes a Covenant of grace, you shall observe he promiseth, that he will give his Spirit, and withal, that he will write his Law in our hearts: and when he promiseth in the Covenant of grace, that he will write his Law in our hearts, he doth also promise for to give his Spirit. As when the Lord gave out the Law at first to man-kind, he did write the Moral Law in mans heart; so that the Heathen now have the Law written in their hearts, the Moral Law; whereby they are disposed and inclined to Morality, and Civility: So when the Lord comes and makes a Covenant of grace with the soul, then he doth give out his Spirit to the soul, and then he doth write his Law, the Law of grace, love, and of the Gospel in that soul, and that soul hath a secret disposition unto all the Commandments of the Gospel. Now do ye not find it thus with you? when