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A29369 Bridge's remains, being VIII sermons ... by that learned and judicious divine, Mr. William Bridge ... Bridge, William, 1600?-1670. 1673 (1673) Wing B4459; ESTC R18600 124,015 222

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strength and beauty as well as a good man and can any wicked man be happy happiness consists in a stable good but what more unstable and uncertain then our health and strength and beauty Surely therefore our happiness is not to be found therein Or 2. Will y● instance in Riches Wealth and this Worlds goods It is the property of happiness to be desireable for it self It is that good thing which all things are desired for and which is desired for nothing else but Riches are desired for something else not for themselves and if it be a mans duty sometimes to part with them and to despise them then our happiness cannot consist in them but we are sometimes to part with all these things for Christ Surely therefore our happiness is not to be found therein 3. Will ye instance in Honour Fame and Credit in this World What more uncertain then that that is not ones own Is it not a better thing to deserve honou● then to be honourable But that is truly blessed which is best of all and if it be more safe for a man to be reproched sometimes then to be applauded then our happiness cannot consist in honour but as Seneca says Beatus est qui contemnere potest contemni He is an happy man that can contemn and be contemned If I be reproched then I learn to walk humbly if I be applauded then I grow proud thereby And ye know what was the issue of Hamans honour Surely therefore our happiness cannot consist therein Or 4ly Will ye instance in power and outward greatness in this World What doth more depend on others That which depends on many other mens wills cannot be my happiness so doth all worldly power and greatness do there is nothing better then our happiness Now worldly power may be used to Evil and that is better which cannot be used or abused to Evil but so worldly power may be Surely therefore our happiness cannot consist therein Or 5ly Will ye instance in pleasure which is the great Diana of the World that is common to bruit Beasts and can that make a man truely happy which the Beasts have If pleasure make a man happy then the more pleasure he takes the more happy he is but the more pleasure that a man takes the more wicked he is 'T is the property of true happiness to elevate the mind to innoble the Soul and to justifie the Heart but the more carnal pleasure a man takes the more his mind is depressed his Soul effeminated and the less his heart is satisfied Surely therefore our happiness cannot consist therein Or 6ly Will ye instance in knowledge wit and wisdom Solomon tells you that in much wisdom is much grif and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow Eccles 1. surely therefore our happiness cannot consist therein Or 7. Will ye instance in Moral Virtues and in a civil Life the more happy that any man is the more he doth draw nigh and is made like to God but a man is not made like to God by Moral Virtues or a Civil Life surely therefore our happiness cannot consist therein Obj But though our happiness doth not consist in any of these alone yet it may be that all these together can make one happy Ans Nay for put all these things together Omnes creaturae sine Deo non possant esse sufficiens objectum humanae be atitudinis S●ar de beat disp Sect. 1. Solus Deus sine consortio alicujus creaturae est sufficiens objectum beatitudinis lb. S●ct 2. yea put all the good things and comforts of this world together yet they are not sufficient for to make one happy for take the good things of this world and abstract them from the enjoyment of God and though they be never so many yet they are dependent things which do depend on another and can that make you truly happy which doth depend on another Take all the blessings and comforts of the world together and they cannot make a man godly that is ungodly now can that make you happy which cannot make you good What is there in the world take it singly or in society with others which is free from imperfection and can that make you perfect which is in it self imperfect the more that any superiour thing is mingled with its inferiour the more it is defiled is not Gold defiled by being mixed with Silver Is not Silver defiled by being mixed with Brass Is not Wine defiled by being mixed with water Is not Wheat defiled by being mixed with Chaffe Now take all the Creatures in the World together and they are inferiour to your souls Surely therefore you may be defiled but you cannot be made happy or blessed thereby Yet Lord how many are there that say concerning these outward things who will shew us any good why because they are mistaken in the matter of their happiness Quest But how comes it to pass that men are thus mistaken in the matter of their happiness Ans 1. Sometimes this mistake doth arise from ignorance of the right and true notion of happiness If a Country man that hath heard of a King go up to the Court and see a Knight or Lord or Prince come out in fine and brave apparel he saith lo there is the King because he knows him not by face a general notion he hath of a King but not having the true notion of his person he is mistaken and saith lo there is my King and Sovereign So a man having heard that there is something that will make one happy but not having the right and true notion of it he is thereby mistaken in the choice of his happiness as for example It is truly said that he that is happy hath what he would now men turn this principle and say he that hath what he would have is an happy man and so if a wanton hath the embraces of his beloved then he says now am I happy because I have what I would so if a Drunkard meet with his vain and wicked companion he saith now am I happy because I have what I would Whereas in truth as Austins Mother said he is not happy that hath what he would Si bona velit habet beatus est si autem mala velit quamvis habeat miser est August confess but he that wills aright and then hath what he would but because men are ignorant thereof and have not the true notion of happiness in their hearts therefore they are so mistaken 2. Sometimes this mistake doth arise from the misapplication of the true notion of happiness For what is happiness but the enjoyment of that which doth command all things else ●ut now through misapplication of this notion men say Mony commands all things and therefore the more mony I get the more happy I am and so are mistaken in the matter of their happiness 3. Sometimes men are mistaken herein because they measure their happiness
Parable of the Talents c. If God will require the work of our hands at our hands Why shall we not do that work with all our might But Secondly As God will call you to an account for all that work which is in the power of your hand So you do not know how soon he may take your work out of your hands how soon he may take you from your work or your work from you We ordinarily think that we shall not dye before our work be done But if you look wishly upon Gods Dispensations you shall find that Death doth sometimes press men from their Shop-board when much work is cut out before them You all know what an useful man good King Josiah was as a Magistrate yet he dyed in the midst of his work when he was but Thirty nine years old Ye know what an useful man John the Baptist was yet he died in the midst of his days when not above Thirty three years old Is it not known to some what a great Workman Dr. Whitaker was here in England of whom it was said That he never was less idle then when idle yet he died in the midst of his work when he was but Fourty four years old It is ordinarily known what a blessed Instrument Mr. Perkins was of whom the Preacher said at his Funeral Here lyes that blessed Perkins who first taught England for to worship God yet he died in the midst of his work when he was but Fourty seven years old And who hath not heard of Dr. Preston what a great Workman he was in Gods Vineyard of whom I may say Who though dead yet speaketh in his precious Books that are amongst you yet he died in the midst of his Work when he was but Fourty one years old I might instance in Mr. Burroughs and others yea in divers good Christians in this place who have died in the midst of their work and time It was not long since a Preacher now in Heaven preached on this Text at the Guild at Norwich at the Installment of the Mayor and before the year came about the Mayor died So that Death doth sometimes press us from our Shop-board before our work be made up And I pray mind the Text a little Whatever is in the power of thine hand to do do it with all thy might For says Solomon In the grave there is no work nor device whither thou goest He doth not say Whither thou shalt go or whither thou must go but whither thou goest You go sometimes to Church and sometimes not you go sometimes to Sea and sometimes not you go sometimes into the Countrey and sometimes not But whether you go to the Church or whether you go to Sea or whether you go into the Countrey still thou goest to the Grave And ye know what Christ saith The night cometh wherein no man worketh Now if the night cometh and thou goest then why should you not do your work with all your might whilst it is day Certainly he that plays away his day shall go to bed in the dark But in the third place Thirdly Who is therein all this Congregation that doth not desire a comfortable Death-bed when it comes As the Heathen man said to a great congregation I know all your thoughts for every man desires to buy cheap and to sell dear So in this respect I may say I know all your thoughts viz. that when death comes you may have a comfortable death bed In the time of your death-bed-sickness you will then be able to do little when your pains shall be great you will be able to pray little to hear little to read or meditate litle and then what will be your comfort in that death-bed-little but this Well though I can do but little now yet I have pray'd and serv'd God with all my might when I was well and therefore I have comfort now Now therefore if you desire that you may have much comfort in your death-bed-little why should you not do the present work of your hand with all your might But 4. In the last place Who is there in all this Congregation that doth not desire to rejoyce with all his heart in these blessings which he hath in his hand now look once more upon the words of the Text and ye shall find that as Solomon in Gods name commands you to rejoyce with all your heart in the blessings which you have verse 7 8 9. So in these words he commands you to do Gods work with all your might And why are these things thus knit together but to teach us thus much That whoever will do with all his might the work that is in his hand to do he may and shall rejoyce with all his heart in the blessings which he hath in his hand to enjoy But above all ye know how fully Christ did your work for you and will you do his work by halfes never speak of rest here there is rest enough in the grave and recompence enough in heaven Either the work that is in your hand is worth your while or it is not if it be not worth your while why should you do it at all and if it be worth your while why should you not do it with all your might And O that there were an heart in you all to do so If the weight of this truth have fallen in power upon your souls I dare say Some of you will go away and say what have I done all this while I confess I have done Gods work by the by and when I heard Ministers pressing such truths as these I have said well yet I hope I may go to Heaven with less ado but now through grace I will go away and what ever is in the power of my hand to do I will do it with all my might Thus do and I shall obtain the end of my preaching and you under Christ shall obtain the end of your practice the Salvation of your souls Wherefore think on all these things and the Lord bless them to you Soul-Resignation Into the hands of God Luke 23.46 Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit THese are the last words of Christ on the Cross the seventh speech and of all others the most exemplary for us Into thy hands that is into thy Charge Care and Tuition God hath no hands at all for he is a Spirit but by his hands we are to understand his Keeping Charge and Custody Numb 33.1 It s said The Children of Israel went forth out of Aegypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron that is under the charge of Moses and Aaron so the Translators doe interpret it For whereas Chap. 31.49 It s said by the Officers of the army Thy Servants have taken the sum of the men that were under our charge the Margent tells you That in the Hebrew it is under our hand So Psal 91.11 12. He shall give his Angels charge over thee and they