BEYOND GIFTS: SERMON Before the LORD M A J O R Of the City of LONDON. By William Bridge, Preacher of the Word of God at Yarmouth, fomtime Fellow of Emmanuel Colledg in Cambridg. LONDON: Printed by Peter Cole in Leaden-Hall, and are to be Sold at his Shop, at the Sign of the Printing-Prefs in Cornhil, near the Royal Exchange. 1653• To the Right Honorable, Thomas Andrews, Lord Major of the City of LONDON: A With the Aldermen his Brethren. were once Ccording to your Command, I have prefented thefe Notes to your view, which delivered unto your ear and heart; I have joyned another Sermon therewith, pleading for our fubmifion to Chrift in the way of his Ordinances,the Argument of the one is a friend to the other, Stantque caduntque fimul: The fweet enjoyment of Ordinances together, is a great help to our love; we can hardly cool in our love to one,but we fhal abate in our love to the other; fwelling gifts defpife Ordinan= ces, neglect love: This Sermon therfore of Grace, Love,& Gifts, is to cal upon our gifts,that they take not the wal of our Graces;the other Sermon of Ordi= naces is to cal upon our Graces to fubmit untoChrifts Appointments; for Gifts thrive best when they live. under Grace, Grace thrives beft when it lives under Ordinances. Now the girdle of al the Ordinances is the Lords day, which doth furround and com-bind al the reft; may it pleaf the Magiftrate to be a friend to 40 to this good day, Chrift will furely be a friend to him in an evil day: You cannot make people fanctifie this day, for the hearts of men are not in your hands; but you may reftrain them much from publick prophaning this day, for the Tongues, Hands, Feet of men are much in your hands: Job is faid to fanctifie his fons, Job 1.because he commanded them to fanctifie them felves,ufed al means for their fanctification, prayed for them: So,though the Magiftrate cannot fanctifie the people as to the infufion of Grace, yet by his prayers and gracious endeavors of love, mixed with Some power, as juft occafion requires, he also may be faid to fanctifie them: The Magiftrate is the peoples Father, and the people are the Magiftrates Children: Now therfore as it was faid of Job,& his Children, fo let it be faid of you, your children in the genera= tions to come, And it was fo,that when the days of their feafting, or rather sporting, were come, (for fo the Lords days have bin too truly called of late) the Magiftrate fent and fanctified them: Thus shall our decayed love to God, his Truth, his Ordinances, and his Children,revive, and be advanced again: And thus fhall the blessing of the houfe of Obed-Edom (who received the Ark) rest upon you, and your families, which shall be the Prayer of Yarmouth. Your Servant in the work of the Gospel, William Bridge. GRACE and LOVE GIFTS. i Co R. 12. 13. July 1649. But covet earnestly the best Gifts: and fly 22. yet I fhew unto you a more excel-Before lent way. O F all the Churches of Chrift, which we read of in as they did abound most in them, fo they did moft abuse them; all had not thofe Spiritual Gifts, fome had: Thofe that had them, defpifed thofe that had them not; and those that had them not, envyed those that had them: The Apostle Paul therefore, that he might heal this diftemper, doth acquaint them with the excellency of thofe Gifts, and the end for which they were appointed. Concerning the excellency of Gifts, he tells them in the the Lord Major.. |