William Bridge > Quotes

“As it is the sister of reading, so it is the mother of prayer. Though a man's heart be much indisposed to prayer, yet, if he can but fall into a meditation of God, and the things of God, his heart will soon come off to prayer....Begin with reading or hearing. Go on with meditation; end in prayer....Reading without meditation is unfruitful; meditation without reading is hurtful; to meditate and to read without prayer upon both, is without blessing.”
― William Bridge

“God doth never more graciously appear to his people, than when there is the greatest matter for their discouragement”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“God hath provided promises of comfort, succour and relief, suitable to all conditions: I dare boldly challenge all men, to shew me any one condition, which God hath not provided a promise of comfort, mercy and succour suitable unto it.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“Thus doth God, with whom are reserves of mercies, reserve his sweetest consolations, for the time of our sourest afflictions, and doth temper the one with the other in most fit proportion.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“God having a design of love upon his own children, he suffers a damp and discouragement to pass upon all their comforts: their peace to be interrupted, their hearts disquieted, and their souls discouraged, that so they may encourage themselves in God alone.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“truth, A godly, gracious man hath no true scripture reason for his discouragements whatever his condition be.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“A praying man can never be very miserable, whatever his condition be, for he hath the ear of God; the Spirit within to indite, a friend in heaven to present, and God himself to receive his desires as a Father; it is a mercy to pray, though I never have the mercy prayed for; thereby God doth come down to us, and we go up to God. It is the soul's converse with God on earth, and a great ease to a burdened, troubled spirit; for thereby he may go and empty all his heart into the bosom of his best friend.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up For The Downcast

“never lay your comforts upon your condition, nor be in love with any condition for itself; let not your condition itself be the cause or bottom of your encouragements”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“many poor ignorant souls, when they see, how the Lord by his over-ruling hand doth work good unto them out of their sin, as some outward blessings and mercies, they do not repent of their sin, but rather justify themselves in their sins: but now take a godly man, a gracious soul, and the more that he sees the Lord working good out of his sin, the more he is humbled for it; and upon that very ground, because God works good of it therefore he is humbled the more.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“Are all your comforts gone, and would you have them fain restored? Then read and read the Scripture much; if you cannot read yourself, get some others for to read them to you. When a man's mind is empty, as in temptation and want of comfort, it is empty of Christ, and full of fear, then it doth grind itself, as a quern or mill when empty of corn, one stone grinds another: the more full a man's mind is, the more free from temptations and fears. Now Scripture matter is the most filling matter, the more ye see Christ walking in the sweet shades of divine love toward poor sinners, the sooner will your faith revive, and your comforts be restored;”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“Know ye, therefore, any man that is in this valley of Baca, where no water is, yet if he can find in his heart to dig up pits, to pray, read, hear, meditate, confer, and perform duties; though those duties be empty of comfort for the present, yet the rain of grace and mercy shall fall upon those pits, and he shall go from strength to strength, until he appear before the Lord in glory. Now thus it is with the saints, though darkness, and a great darkness be upon them, yet in that dark condition they are still digging up pits, and therefore this darkness is not the darkness of the night, but the darkness of a cloud, and they may say, This is a cloudy darkness, and it will over ere long.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“It stands not with the justice of God to exact the payment of one debt twice.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“When God is absent from us, then we have testimonies of our love to God, by our desires after him; and when he is present, then we have testimonies of his love to us, by the shines of his countenance; so that whether God shines or not, whether we have comfort or not, both is for our good. Thus in the general, but yet more particularly.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“Are you so far discouraged, disquieted, cast down, that your very body feeleth the smart of your discouragements? that you do not only refuse the promise, and all comfort for your soul, but even for your body? Then look into Psalm cii., and see if your case may not be paralleled, verse 4, "My heart is smitten and withered like grass, so that I forget to eat my bread: verse 5, "By reason of the voice of my groaning, my bones cleave to my skin:" verse 6, "I am like a pelican of the wilderness, and I am like an owl of the desert:" verse 9, "I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping:" verse 10, "Because of thine indignation and thy wrath; for thou hast lifted me up and cast me down:" verse 11, "My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass." Oh, but I am not only so far discouraged, as to refuse comfort for soul and body, but my soul refuseth duty, and casts off duty too for the present.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“I say, ye shall observe this, that the saints fell and failed in that grace wherein they did most excel; and they did most excel wherein they did most miscarry: what is the reason of this? but because the Lord, by the over-ruling hand of his grace, did make their very miscarriages, inlets and occasions to their further grace and holiness.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“for that which is most comfortable to the good is most terrible to the wicked, as the presence of God, the omniscience of God, &c. But to the godly this is a great comfort; whatever my condition be, yet God my Father knows it, and doth know me in it.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“when a man is truly humbled and grieved for sin, the object of his grief is sin, as a dishonour done unto God: when a man is discouraged and not humbled, then his trouble is all about his condition, and what will become of him.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“thus it is always with the people of God; they never are in any affliction, temptation, or desertion, but before their great deliverance comes, they have some special providence, some reviving in the midst of their trouble, some interim of light, some openings of the cloud; and therefore in the midst of all they may say, surely this my darkness, is not the darkness of a night, but of cloud; I say, there is no discouragement doth befall the saints, but the matter thereof is a cloud, and they may say, it is but a cloud, it will pass over, and therefore why should they be discouraged?”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“I dare boldly say, there is no tumult or immoderate discouragement in the soul, but hath self at the bottom. Could I leave myself, and my condition with God and Christ, and mind his service, glory and honour more, God would take care of my comfort: but when I mind myself, and my condition so much, and his service, glory and honour so little, no wonder that I am so much discouraged. Therefore, labour more and more to mortify self-love, and so shall you never be discouraged, whatever your condition be.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“though your sin be great, is not God's mercy great, exceeding great? is not the satisfaction of Christ great? are the merits of Christ's blood small? Is not God, the great God of heaven and earth, able to do great things? You grant that God is almighty in providing for you; and is he not almighty also in pardoning: will ye spoil God of his almightiness in pardoning? You say your sin is great, but is it infinite; is there any more infinites than one, and that is God? Is your sin as big as God, as big as Christ; is Jesus Christ only a Mediator for small sins; will you bring down the satisfaction of Christ, and the mercy of God, to your own model? Hath not the Lord said concerning pardoning mercy, that his "thoughts are not as our thoughts, but as the heavens are greater than the earth, so are his thoughts (in this respect) beyond our thoughts." Hath not the Lord said, in Isaiah xliii, unto the people of the Jews, at verse 22, "But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel." Verse 23, "Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offering, neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices." Verse 24, "Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifice; but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thy iniquity." Yet, verse 25, "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgression for my own sake, and will not remember thy sins." Here are sins, and great sins; and if the Lord will therefore pardon sin because it is great, unto his people; then surely they have no reason to be quite discouraged in this respect.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“Are you accused by Satan, world, or your own conscience? he is called your Advocate. Are you ignorant? he is called the Prophet. Are you guilty of sin? he is called a Priest, and High Priest. Are you afflicted with many enemies, inward and outward? he is called a King, and King of kings. Are you in straits? he is called your way. Are you hungry or thirsty? he is called Bread and Water of Life. Are you afraid you shall fall away, and be condemned at the last? he is our second Adam, a public person, in whose death we died, and in whose satisfaction we satisfied; as there is no temptation or affliction, but some promise or other doth especially suit therewithal: so there is no condition, but some name, some title, some attribute of Christ doth especially suit with it: and as you do not look on Christ, but in reference to your condition, so you are not to look upon your condition alone, but with Christ's attribute suitable thereunto; if you look upon Christ's attribute of love without your condition, you may presume; if on your condition without Christ's attribute of love, you may despair: think on both together and you will not be discouraged.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“I will make your troubles and discouragements, the very door of your hope; the valley of your discouragements shall be the door, and an inlet unto all your rest and comfort. God takes the same way with the members, as he went with the head; Christ's cross was an inlet of glory, his suffering time was the valley of Achor to his disciples, and was it not a door of hope unto them, and unto all the saints? This is God's way; discouragements bring encouragements; and the more discouragements the saints have, the more encouragements they shall have; yea, their discouragements shall contribute to "their encouragements, and be a door of hope to them.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“First, That there is an inward peace and quietude of soul, which the saints and people of God ordinarily are endued with. This is implied. Secondly, It is possible that this peace may be interrupted, so far as God's people may be much discouraged, cast down and disquieted. Thirdly, That the saints and people of God have no reason for their discouragements whatever their condition be. Why art thou cast down, and why art thou thus disquieted within me? Thou hast no reason for it.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up For The Downcast

“It is my duty, and I have reason to be humbled for my sin, although it be never so small; but I have no reason to be discouraged under my sin, though it be never so great.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“it is but a cloud, it will soon over. So may they say concerning every matter of their discouragement; It is dark indeed, but this darkness will over; there is a storm comes down upon us, but we shall see land again, the shore again; it is but a cloud, but a cloud. And upon this account David comforted his own heart here, and checked his soul for his immoderate dejection: "Why art thou cast down," &c. "Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him." I shall be delivered, this cloud will over, it will not last, it is but the darkness of a cloud.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“praying man can never be very miserable, whatever his condition be, for he hath the ear of God; the Spirit within to indite, a friend in heaven to present, and God himself to receive his desires as a Father; it is a mercy to pray, though I never have the mercy prayed for; thereby God doth come down to us, and we go up to God. It is the soul's converse with God on earth, and a great ease to a burdened, troubled spirit; for thereby he may go and empty all his heart into the bosom of his best friend.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“We do not live by feeling, but by faith: it is the duty of a Christian to begin with faith, and so to rise up to feeling: you would begin with feeling, and so come down to faith; but you must begin with faith, and so rise up to feeling. And I pray tell me, is it not sufficient to be as our Master was? Did not Christ want the sense of God's love, when he said, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Yea, had not Christ the sense of God's anger upon him when he did perform the greatest act of obedience that ever the sun saw: yet did he then say, I am not the child of God, because I want the sense of God's love, because I am under the sense of God's anger? No, but with the same breath that he said he was forsaken, he said, "My God, my God;" and at the same time he called God Father, "Father, forgive them," &c. So may you do; though God hath forsaken you, though you want the sense of his love, yea, and are under the sense of God's anger; yet at the same time you may say, The Lord is my Father, and you may go to him as your Father: and if you can say, God is my Father, have you any reason for your discouragements?”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

“Some there are, that when they come into a house, they pay a great income and little rent, others pay a little income and a great rent: so it is with souls that come to Christ; some at the first lay down a great humiliation, and they have lesser of it afterward; some have less at the first, and have more afterwards by continuance in it: and what now if the Lord will lead thy soul in this latter way? this latter way may be the better way if the Lord think fit.”
― William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast