A77362:53
Christs coming opened in a sermon before the honourable house of commons in Margaret's…
Christs coming opened in a sermon before the honourable house of commons in Margaret's Westminster, May 17, 1648 being the day appointed for Thanksgiving for the great Victory in Wales / by William Bridge ...
London: printed for Peter Cole, 1648
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.
Now our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I hope, is in the way of mercy to this poor Kingdom; but certainly, he is upon the way to his own Kingdom; and though wicked men may obstruct, and hinder us, they shall never hinder him, but he will pass through them. Oh! therefore, labour more and more to be like to Christ, keep on your way; for though it be late ere he come, yet he will certainly come, he comes at midnight.
Now our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I hope, is in the way of mercy to this poore Kingdome; but certainly, he is upon the way to his own Kingdome; and though wicked men may obstruct, and hinder us, they shall never hinder him, but he will passe through them. Oh! therefore, labour more and more to be like to Christ, keep on your way; for though it be late ere he come, yet he will certainly come, he comes at midnight.
Thirdly, Duty. 3 If Jesus Christ have come unto us even at midnight: why should not all of us go forth to meet him with some present of thankfulness? The more abundant, full, free, and continued any mercy is, the more it doth call for thankfulness. Christ hath been in the field for you and fought ⟨p. 17⟩your battles for these many years; and I must needs say, that of late our divisions and sins have been so great, that I feared they would even drive Christ out of the field: but now I see still he doth own your cause, and own your forces, still he doth keep the field; yea, and goes on marching, as if he were resolved not to leave the field, till he hath conquered all this Kingdom with his love; and he hath now given you a taste of his intentions and love in this victory, a seasonable victory, a wonderful victory, an unexpected victory, a midnight victory; Oh! thou Wonder-working God! shall we not now praise thy name? We read of a great straight and dark condition that Jehoshaphat was in by reason of his enemies; but he crying unto the Lord, the Lord heard and delivered him and his people: in so much as they kept a day of thanksgiving in the open fields, and they called the name of the place Berachah, the valley of blessing.