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…

And let me tell you one thing more: Though your sins have been very great while you were in the state of death, before you were made partakers of this Spiritual life: yet when once ye come to partake of this spiritual life, the Lord will look upon all your former sins under another consideration, a mollifying consideration.¹ This my son was dead (says the father of the Prodigal) and is now alive: that is all. He does not say, This was a Whoremonger, or this was a Rioter, or this was a Spend-thrift, and now he is returned and come home to me for meat: No, but in mollifying terms, only thus, This my son was dead, and is now alive. And ye know what is said of David, David committed a great sin in the murder of Uriah: and yet says the Lord concerning David, He turned not aside to the right hand or to the left, ⟨p. 14⟩²save only in the matter of Uriah. He does not say, Save only in the murder of Uriah; but in a mollifying term, he says only so, Save only in the matter of Uriah: a mollifying term: Why? because that David had repented of the Sin, & now the Lord does not look upon it, but under this mollifying term; Save only, in the matter; not in the murder of Uriah, but in the matter of Uriah. And so, if thou do repent, and turn unto the Lord thy God, though thy sins have bin very great in the state of thy death, yet if once come to be made partaker of this Spiritual life, the Lord will look upon all thy former sins under other terms, and mollifying considerations: He will not say, Here's this poor wretch, that now I do look upon as a Drunkard, or a Swearer; but he will say thus; This my son was dead, but is now alive: this my daughter was dead, and is now alive. Thus the Lord will look upon your former evils, if once ye come to be made partaker of this Spiritual life. Oh! therefore, what a blessed condition are the Saints and people of God in, that are made partakers of this same Spiritual life. I remember it is written of a certain Martyr in the Primitive times, a woman; when she was brought before the enemies of the Gospel, they put divers questions to her, and she answered all their questions with one answer, which was this: Christiana sum, I AM A CHRISTIAN. When they said unto her, Woman, Art thou married or no. I am a Christian, says she. What Parents hast thou, Woman? I am a Christian, says she. Woman, Where doest thou live? I am a Christian, says she.