I. SCRIPTURE-LIGHT , THE MOST SURE LIGHT :

In compare with , 1. Revelations and Visions . 2. Natural , and Supernatural Dreams . 3. Impressions with , and without the Word . 4. Light and Law within . 5. Divine Providence . 6. Christian Experience . 7. Humane Reason . 8. Judicial Astrologie .

Delivered in Three Sermons , on 2 Pet. 1.19 .

II. CHRIST IN TRAVEL :

Wherein 1. The greatness of his Travel , both in Soul and Body . 2. The first , and after Effects of his Death . 3. His Assurance of Issue . 4. His Satisfaction therein .

Are opened and cleered , in Three Sermons , on Isai. 53.11 .

III. A LIFTING UP for the DOWN-CAST :

In case of 1. Great Sins . 2. Weakness of Grace . 3. Miscarriage of Duties . 4. Want of Assurance . 5. Affliction . 6. Temptation . 7. Desertion . 8. Vnserviceableness . 9. Discouragements from the Condition it self .

Delivered in Thirteen Sermons , on Psal. 42.11 .

Four several Sermons , concerning , 1. The Sin against the Holy Ghost . 2. Sins of Infirmity . 3. The False Apostle , tryed , and discovered . 4. The Good and Means of Establishment .

Preached by William Bridge ; somtimes Fellow of Emmanuel Colledg in Cambridg ; and now Pastor of the Church of Christ in Great Yarmouth , in Norfolk .

London : Printed by Peter Cole in Leaden-Hall , and are to be sold in his Shop , at the Sign of the Printing-Press in Cornhil , neer the Royal Exchange . 1656.

IT is not want of respect that I seem thus to crowd your Names together , I owe more than an Epistle to each of your Names , but because God hath made you one , though branched into several Habitations , I take the boldness to present this work to you , as unto one Family : It is written of the Stork , Ciconiae mos est , unum è pullis relinquere Domui qua nidulata est . Ludo Vives . that she useth to leave one of her Young ones to the House where she made her nest , and upon that account some of my labors do belong to your Family , where I studyed , and from whence I Preached them : some of you and yours have often desired the Publishing of these Notes , and being Printed , whither should the Press send them but to your Door ? you are the Family with whom I have had the honor to converse much whilst living ; and now the Blossoms of the Grave are upon me , I dedicate these Notes unto you , that by them I may live and speak with you when my Head shal lie under the Clods : you are a Family whom the Lord hath blessed and raysed not only to a great estate in the world , but to the saving knowledg of his Son , our dear Savior , and whom should I serve and honor but those whom God honors and blesseth ?

1. That Family is not far from blessing , which hath Godly Children , Children trayned up and seasoned with the Grace of Christ from the Cradle ; The Lord blessed the House of Obed-edom , and wherein did that blessing consist ? the Scripture tells us . 1 Chron. 26. That some of his Children were Porters in the House of God , others were mighty Men of Valor , able Men for strength and service , and the reason is given ver 5. For the Lord blessed him , So that Children useful and serviceable both in Church and State are a great blessing unto a Family . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quia filius est aedificium patris . The Hebrews say , that Children are the Fathers building , and indeed he builds wisely that doth lay the Foundations of his House in a Godly Seed . Loe , Children ( saith the Psalmist ) are an heritage of the Lord , and the fruit of the Womb are his reward , as Arrowes in the Hand of the mighty , so are Children of the youth , blessed is the Man that hath his Quiver ful of them ; Especially where these Arrowes are wel headed & wel hearted too . And upon this account it is good for great Families to have good Servants : For , corrupt Servants do debauch Children , and debauched Children do scatter Brimstone upon the House of their Fathers .

2. Neither is that Family an unblessed Family which is strict in the observation of the Sabbath or the Lords day ; God hath blessed that day that he might bless them who do keep that day : hereby England hath been blessed with the power of godliness more than other Nations ; My Sabbath , ( saith God ) shall be a sign between me and thee . Servasti diem Daminicam ? Christianus sum' intermittere non possum . And in the Primitive times when a Christian was asked whether he had kept the Lords day , his answer generally was , I am a Christian , I cannot neglect it ; as if the observation of the Lords day were the badg of a Christian : this is the Girdle of al our Duties , and in respect of this Girdle I may say , Ungirt , unblessed ; the vallies of the week day are blessed by the upper springs of this day ; and as the Commandement doth especially poynt at , and look wishly upon the Master of the Family , ( saying , Neither thou , nor thy Son , nor thy Daughter , &c. ) So doth the blessing also .

3. Blessed is that Family which doth industriously seek to build the House of God and the House of the Poor ; David did but intend to build Gods House , and the Lord promised him to build his House . The Egiptian Midwives spared the Israelites Children , whereby the Poor Families and Houses of the Israelites were built , And the Lord dealt wel with the Midwives and made them Houses , Exod. 1.20 .

4. Neither is that Family far from blessing which is a friend to the Ministry . Receiving , hiding , and refreshing the paynful , and faithful Ministers and Preachers of the Gospel ; The Lord give mercy ( saith Paul ) to the House of Onesiphorus , for he hath refreshed me , Not once and no more , but , he hath oft refreshed me : nor did he do this because I followed him and sought him out , but , he sought me out very diligently and found me And in the day of my greatest affliction he was not ashamed of me , for he was not ashamed of my Chains , wherefore the Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy in that day ; and give mercy unto the House of Onesiphorus . 2 Tim. 1.16.17.18 . He that receiveth a Prophet ( saith our Savior ) in the Name of a Prophet , shal receive a Prophets reward , and what is the reward of a Prophet but to profit by the Prophet , and to have a share in his Venture , and in al that good which he doth by his Ministry .

5. A praying Family also is a precious Family and blessed , Nisi Dominus aedificaverit domum frustra laborat quisquis eam aedificat , Psal. 127. Non enim dicit , Dominus aedificat domum nomine scilicet laborante , sed ita , nisi Dominus aedisica verit frustra laborat perinde ac si diceret , labore quidem opus est , sed hujus conatum frustra sumi si solus erit , non enim laboris sedulitas sed Dei benedictio rem faecundatet omnia perficit . Luther farrago Epistol. especially where Prayer and paynes , Religion and Righteousness , Frugallity and Liberallity are in conjunction : some are much for payns taking , and Little for Prayer ; Others are much for Prayer , and little for paynes taking ; some are much for Religion , and little for Righteousness ; others are much for Righteous dealings , and little for Religion ; some are much for Frugallity , & little for Liberallity ; others are much for Liberallity , & little for Frugallity ; but blessed is that Family , where Prayer and paynes , Religion and Righteousness , Frugallity and liberality meet and dwel together under one Roof

Now those things I have seen amongst you : Only , as heretofore so now labor to abound therein more and more , that you and your Family may be as the field which the Lord blesseth . And as God hath raised you to an outward greatness in the world , Nec quicquam in te mutaverit fortunae amplitudo nisi ut prodesse tandundem posses et velles . Plin. Epist. ad Vespas . so let your hearts be great for God , that what Pliny reported of Vespasian , may be truely said of you ; your abundance hath changed nothing in you , but this , that your power to do good is now made answerable to your wil ; counting it greater mercy to lay out for God , than to lay up for your selves , for it may be when you come to die , you wil have more comfort in what you have laid out for God , than in what you have laid up for your Children . And why should we not give that to God by an act of our Faith which he gave to us by an act of his Love ?

And as for your Children , if I might not exceed the bounds of an Epistle , I would say to them .

1. Children , O Children know your Fathers , & the God of your Fathers , Know your parents , for that is the first Comandement with Promise , & you shal honor your selves in honoring them . Camerar . oper. subcis . Centur. 1. cap. 66. It s recorded of the Catanenses , that they made a Stately Monument of kingly Magnificence , in , remembrance of two Sons , who took their Aged Parents upon their Backs and carried them through the Fire when their Fathers House was al in a Flame . And of al the Birds , the Stork hath the Name for the good Bird , and why ? but because the younger of them do help and bear up the Elder , their weak Parents ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pia avi● , cicon●s eximia inest pietas : etonim quantum temporis impenderint foetibus educandis , tancum et ipsae à pullis suis invicem aluntur Solinus , cap. 11. Schind . Parentes senectute confectos humeris suis gestare dicuntur . Avenar . but though your Parent is to be honored , yet your God is more to be honored . If you know God when you are young , God wil know you when you are Old ; remember therefore your Creator in the daies of your Youth : and your Creator wil remember you in the daies of your Age.

2. Take heed of youthful sins , for the sweet sins of our Youth , do bite sore in our Age.

3. Get an inward principle of Grace in your own Soules , For if you live on your Parents Root , when your Parents die , your goodness wil die too ; and therefore look wel to the laying of your Foundation , which is not to be laid in disputation but Humilation .

4. Be not unwilling , to bear the Yoak in the daies of your Youth , For he that can carry a calfe when he is Young , wil carry an Ox when he is old : Affliction gives you understanding , it is the School of Experience . Vituli triturantes quotidir ligantur vituli mactandi quotidie in pascuis libere relinqountur . August . The Oxen that are for use , are kept tied up , when those that are fatted for the Shambles are let loose into the Pastures to feed at their pleasure .

5. Be not too confident of what you can do or wil do ; Young Men are apt to be too confident , as Old Men are apt to be too fearful ; but the best Swimmers are the soonest drowned , because of their confidence : wherefore in all thy waies acknowledg the Lord , and leane not to thine own understanding . Pro. 3.

6. When you come to the great turns of your life , be sure that you make a right choyce , For every Man is as his choyce is , if there be any Dirt on the Hands , it wil appear in the Knuckles , the turning places ; and if there be Dirt in your Lives , it wil be found , and appear in your great turns .

7. Let your dwelling place be , where God dwels , and he dwels where his Ordinances are , For there he records his Name ; but though you live under Ordinances in regard of your Station , yet live above them in regard of your affection , passing through them unto Christ , and through Christ , into the Bosome of the Father ; it was not Davids sling that killed Goliah , but the Name of God in the use of the sling .

8. Seek not great things for your selves , in this world , For if your Garments be too long , they wil make you stumble , and one staff helps a Man in his Journey , when many in his Hands at once hinder him ; but labor to do great things for God , Infima pars faelicitatis perfectae est terrena faelicitas . Austin . and God wil do great things for you ; Terrene or earthly Faelicity , is the lowest Part of perfect Faelicity .

9. Be much in private Prayer , for the more you come to God , the more welcome you are , his Customers have the best Penny-worths ; and if God do much for you in the Morning-duty , do much for him al the day after ; A prece principium . and if you have little from God in the morning , walk humbly all the day after .

10. Let your company be alwaies such as you may get good from , or do good unto ; When you are alone , think of good things ; and when you are in company , speak of good things .

11. Keep the truth , and the truth will keep you .

12. And whatever mercy or blessing you receive , trace it to Heaven Gates , and to Christs Blood ; For it flowed from Christs Blood , and leades you to Heaven ; And the God of peace , that brought again from the dead , our Lord Jesus , that great Shepheard of the Sheep , through the Blood of the everlasting Covenant , make you all ( Parents and Children ) perfect in every good work to do his wil , working in you , that which is wel pleasing in his sight , through Jesus Christ , to whom be glory for ever and ever .

THe following Sermons , on Psal. 42. I have perused , and find that they are the same which I Preached divers years since , being then taken by a good Pen as they fell in Preaching : They have been long buryed in silence , and should have rested in their Grave , had not the importunity of some , who heard them Preached , raised them from that Death . Mine own Notes were not legible enough for the Press ; In answer therefore to their desires , I have corrected these ; some things I have altered , some things added , and some Repetitions ( fit enough for the Pulpit ) I have filed off ; what is wanting let thy goodness supply . I have also joyned with them , some other Sermons , of more doctrinal concernment ( these being mostly practical ) that so thy mind , and Heart , may be at once exercised , wherein I have rather applyed my self to the Jnstructive part of Preaching , than to Scholastical disputation . For , I know the Universities have able and faithful Men , more fit for that work . Neither have I undertaken any English Adversary ; and if I have troaden upon any Mans Toes , I hope he wil excuse me , for I can say truly , Sir , I saw you not . And if any Man shal say to me , as Davids Brother Eliab spake to him , 1 Sam. 17.29 : I know thy pride , and Malice of thine heart , that thou art come down to see the battle : I might answer , as David did ; Is there not a Cause ? When strange Opinions and Errors are dayly Published , is there not a Cause , that every man , who loves the truth , should bear his Testimony for it ? In performance therefore of mine own Duty , and for thine Establishment ; I have spoaken somthing to many truths , which are now questioned ; Hold fast , what thou hast , lest another take thy Crown : And the Lord Jesus Christ and our God , even the Father , which hath loved us , and hath given us everlasting Consolation , and good Hope through Grace , Comfort thine heart , and Stablish thee in every word , and good work .