A77366:91
A sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons, at their public fast, Novemb.…A sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons, at their publique fast, Novemb.…
A sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons, at their public fast, Novemb. 29. 1643. By William Bridge, sometimes fellow of Emanuel College in Cambridge, now preacher of Gods Word at Yarmouth.A sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons, at their publique fast, Novemb. 29. 1643. By VVilliam Bridge, sometimes fellow of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, now preacher of Gods Word at Yarmouth.
London: printed for R. Dawlman, 1643
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.
2. In troublous times mens hearts are most low and Reas. 2 humbled, and so more apt and ready to receive and to be led into any truth. You read in Esa. 11. that God promiseth that in the latter times the whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord; and in the verses a little before, it is said of the Lion and the young Lion that a child shall lead them; these two go well together, but the stout Lion-like spirit will never be led by the hand of a sucking child till it be brought down and low by troublous time.
2. In troublous times mens hearts are most low and Reas. 2 h•mbled, and so more apt and ready to receive and to be led into any truth. You read in Esa. 11. that God promiseth that in the latter times the whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord; and in the verses a little before, it is said of the Lion and the young Lion that a child shall lead them; these two go well together, but the stout Lion-like spirit will never be led by the hand of a sucking child till it be brought down and low by troublous time.
3. In troublous times God is pleased to communicate Reas. 3 himself more freely to his people. God is not unto his in affliction as at other times: he is most sweet when the world is most bitter. It is with a Nation, Church• & people in their reformation, as with a person in his first conversion; because of those many temptations that a converting person is to conflict withal, God doth more abundantly reveal and communicate himself unto him at his first conversion; so with a reforming people, because of those many oppositions that they shall meet withal in that work, God doth then more then ⟨p. 24⟩ordinarily communicate himself unto them. Thus troublous times do bring forth light and truth. God loveth to have a sacrifice from the hands of the children of Abraham out of the thickets and briars. Opposition commendeth reformation, in troublous times there is much opposition, and therefore in those times reformation is very beautiful. The Doctrine is clear then, the application easy. Thus.