The Works of William Bridge Volume 1, Title page – List of titles
THE WORKS OF WILLIAM BRIDGE, Sometime Fellow of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge; now Preacher of the Word of GOD at Yarmouth.
The firſt Volume.
VIZ.
I. The great Goſpel-myſterie of the Saints comfort and holineſſe, opened and applyed from Chriſts Prieſtly office.
II. Satans power to tempt; and Chriſts love to, and care of his people under temptation.
III. Thankfulneſſe required in every condition.
LONDON, Printed for Peter Cole, and are ſold at his ſhop at the ſigne of the Printing-Preſſe in Cornhill neer the Royall Exchange. 1649.
TO THE READER.
SO good is the God of Jacob to his Iſrael on this ſide the promiſed Land, that no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly.
Friend, If it may be verified of thee, what our bleſſed Saviour ſpake of Nathaniel, behold an Iſraelite indeed in whom is no guile; thou haſt at preſent, not only a title to Eſau's ENOƲGH, but the tenure of Jacobs-ALL: according to that ancient Charter of all Saints recorded by that great Apoſtle of the Gentiles, —For All things are yours; whether Paul, 1 Cor. 3 21, 22, 23or Apollo, or Cephas &c. All are yours, and you are Chriſts, and Chriſt is Gods.
The very Perſons and Miniſtery, Calling and Gifts, Studies and Writings, Prayers and Sermons of the faithfull Miniſters of the Goſpel, foreign.All are for the uſe, ſervice, and comfort of Chriſts LITTLE-LITTLE FLOCK. This Evangelical truth is notably proved by the ſame Apoſtle to the Epheſians. When our only High-Prieſt aſcended up on high (into the Holy of Holies, there to tranſact his Prieſtly office of Interceſſion at the right hand of God the Father) He gave ſome (to be) Apoſtles, and ſome Prophets, Epheſ. 4.11, 12.and ſome Evangeliſts, and ſome Paſtors and Teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the Miniſtery, for the edifying of the body of Chriſt.
Thus this Servant of the Lord is thine; as much thine, as Paul was the Corinthians. Yea, theſe his Spiritfull peeces of Evangelical myſteries are thine: Thine, to build thee up in the ſaving knowledge of that doctrinal truth, the Prieſtly office of Chriſt, as it is the Magazine and ſtorehouſe of all that grace and comfort which we are crowned with under heaven: Thine, to give thee a piercing inſight into the intricate methods of the Old Serpent, and plainly to diſcover upon what rocks and ſands the faith of many ſuffer ſhipwrack: Thine, 1 Theſ. 5.8. foreign Epheſ. 6.16. foreign of foreign.to arme thee with ſpirituall Armour of proof, called a BREAST-PLATE, becauſe it guards the heart; or (as the word elſewhere holds it out) A LONG-IARGE-SHIELD, which is very dexterous to defend the whole of a Chriſtian Souldier from all the fiery darts of THE WICKED-ONE.foreign
Reader, Let us be thine, to beſeech thee by the mercies of God, (as thou tendereſt the peace and welfare of all within thy own tabernacle) immediately to put in practiſe the holy Contents of this Experimentall Book. For if thou art one of the LORDS-Simons, Behold Satan hath deſired to have thee, that he may ſift thee as wheat. Oh therefore make proviſion for thy ſoule with all ſpeed, before the houre of temptation draweth on. It is not true valour, but deſperate fool-madneſſe, to adjourne this Every-dayes buſineſſe of everlaſting concernment: Becauſe in this, as in overſights of War, there is no room for a ſecond retractation, the firſt error being unrecoverable.
This is all we have to advertiſe thee touching theſe choiſe uſefull Lectures. For the Author of them (whom we very much love and honour) we muſt beare witneſſe, that when he firſt preached them from the boſome of Jeſus Chriſt (his Maſter) to many tempted bleeding hearts in and about this populous City, he had not then the leaſt thought to ſuffer them in Print to ſerve the Publique. But afterwards, eyeing the voice of God in the multiplied deſires and greedy expectations both of friends and ſtrangers, his conſtant Auditors (though of different judgements) in their private ſpeeches and Letters; and to prevent a further inconvenience, [ſc. the publiſhing them by ſome who had impefect Notes in their hands] was neceſſitated to depute us [in his abſence at Yarmouth) to hand out into the world this his Copy,M. W. M. which was exactly penned from his tongue,foreign. 2 Tim. 1.14. by that his beloved Amanuenſis, and ſince kept charily by him, as a precious thing committed to his truſt.
The Father of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt grant thee according, to the riches of his glory, to be ſtrengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man, ſo that thou mayeſt be more then conquerour through Him that loved thee, and prayed for thee, that thy faith faile not. So be it.
Thine in the Lord Jeſus,
William Greenhill.
John Tates.
William Adderley.
The Titles of the ſecond Volume.
Viz.
I. Grace for grace; or, The overflowings of Chriſts fulneſſe received by all Saints.
II. The ſpirituall actings of Faith, through Naturall impoſſibilities.
III. Evangelical Repentance.