Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

Chap 7· SeCt. 2. ~pertentc.s'. wraps us up in the Covenant o,f G race, H ' will_tvrite_ his Lmv£n o11r hearts aljo, Heb-. 8. 10 , the right way f0r born, IS to order thetr Evtdences anght, and by thts courfc Graces will have their due, and the life of Faith wtll fhll be actually mamtamed aKd kept upbn wing, in its full ure and exercife towards Chnfl: alone for Jufl:tfication. . · 'd ? why would not fome men have Grace or Sanflificat<On an Evt ence: · . . In fomc it arifeth from thetr lulls, wh1ch they have a mmde to ltve qutetly m, de– firous to keep their peace, and yet unwilling to forfake their lu~s ;, and hence theY, exclude this Witncf·uftMter or Sancl:tficatton, to tcfhfie m the Court of Confc1cncc) in others I think, it cloth not anfe fr<.Jm want of grace, but becaufe the SpmtofGrace and San~ification runs very low in them; it can fpeak little and that little very darkly and obfcurely for them, therefore they_have no great n1inde that it fhould be. brougl\t in as any wimeffe for them ; others I thtnk may have much Grace, yet fot a t1rrie they ea1: it by,as an Evidenoe untothem, bccaufe they hwe E:..-peri,nce how diffict1lt & trou– blefomc it is to finde th1s 'Evzdencc, and when t1s found, how troublcfome to read it and keep it fair, and thereby to have confl:ant peace and qui~tnefs. And hence a– rife thofc fpeeches, Why do you look.Joyo!tr SanEfijicetion l it :s" blotted E·uidcncc, you may have it to day, a•zd lof' t't to mJi'Totv, and then where is)'Ottr peace ? Thcfe tnen, be– caufe they feel not that meafurc of s,,u{]ific~tion they would, do ttlere[ore vilifie and deny that they have, becaufe. they feel a Lmv ofjh i.1 their members, leading them a– lvaycapttvc, therefore they w1Jl nonake not1ce of the L~w ofthe1r mtndcs, .whereby that i•mer mart deltghts in rh: LaW ofGod, and tnoUrns bitterly u~1dcr the body of dear.!?, by which they might feo with l'au!, That rhcre is no condem.>ati~n to fzch, Rom. 8. I. But I fhallpropO:e one thing to Confciencc; Suppofe thou wcrt now lying on thy de,Ith– bed, comforting thy fdf in thy elded ond jultified dhtc: fuppofe the Spirit of Go:\ fhould now grapple with thy Confcience, and tell thee. If thot< art j tj/ifi~d, then art rhott (anUifi,d, fee thofe texts in the margent. Is it th:" with thee? what wilt ~hou anfwer? if thou f~y.ef'c, Thou art not fa•Uified, the \Vord and Spirit will bear witnefs againfl: thee, and (ay, Thou' art not thm j~tjhfied: If thou faY,c1:. Thou~" _,,fl mt, thou looktft not to SanUificetion,or the fmits ofthe Spirit; they Will reply, How then canft thcu fzJotv orJay thou art elcfled or j~<jtificd? for it is a truth as dear as !he Sun, None are j~tj/ified, but theyare Janflijied, "'"d if they are notJan{/tjicd, they are j'tflijied: 0 bleffe God for any little meafure of San 'tifi:ation, fo it be in fir.cerity: do not fcorn ~r rcretly defpife this Spirit of Grace, kn0wing that without i~ thou fha!t periih, but if tnou ha'!: 1t, thou hafl: an Evtdmceof thy part mChrt fl: ; fure.y Grace is !heim<ge <[ Chri(f j/ampcd 11pon the So~tl, and they, who refle:l:mg upon then· Sou Is fee the image of Chrif'c there~ may be fure that Chri 't is theirs, Chrifl: hat~ given all himfelf to thoR·; to whom he hath given this part of himfelf; upon the view of thy Evidences fay, r./1 ihefegreat a~1d h'r:auenly things could not b~ i1 myfout were not Ch1ijl ~ndhis Spirit there / t .jis ru:h a11d gloriowJitrnitttre could not be in my foul, were not t.he KiiJ[ofglory there: the flowers of this garden l~011ld not Jmcll J• j,o;ctt!y, did not the wind blow up.n them. 3. \Vc muf'c c~c the truth of thofe Graces thus written in our hearts:There Is agr€ It deal of:ounterfett Grace in the world; a true Chrifl:ian canhave nothing, as difcer– nablc to others, but an hypocrite may have and do for the outward fcmblan~e as much ,. as he; it is good therefore tO try the truth of our Graces, and herein the rife, manner and end of onr Motions.carry much manife!btion in them. But of this more brge!y m the Dmies of Self-Examination,and Receiving ofehe Lords St~ppcr.--Only in this place, I th1nk. it mofl: fuitablc to adde a little further, concerning this mah of 6'races 1 As-- ..'. There is; and n11y be trmh ofgrace, though not pcrfettion of ~race ; and hence 1t IS that we may h~ve infallible atfurance, but for any pcdeCl: certainty in degree, it connot be attatned tn this life, 011e arguing againfl: zmiverfal obedience as an Evzdencc, becaufe no man could performe it, or if it fhMld be limited to purpofe of. heart, yet n~~e_l.ath fnch a confl:ant purpofe,becaufe of mapy corrupt fuggefl:ions and concuflions wahtn, by lufls; ,herein he fhewed his error; for we l0ok not for perfection of grace, but oncly for trutn; the !call: grace d1f~overed 1!l the foul that IS fin cere and upright, though 1t be not grace to fotisfie the defire ofa Chriftian, yet it ought to be a lure Ev:de~cno confirme his judgement of his interefl: in Chrilt.It is obfcrved.that nnny of Go:ls Ch1ldren make many fad wounds for thcmfelvcs, m not difl:inguifh'ng between · Z2 the· /M. 8 10. £0cfl. A njw. R 1m. 8. I 21b / •• !J; Y}.tl 1o3. l• I (I 4· 4 PJ,,[ 32, , R m.m; 8. 1 J ( or. o. 1.1. A[/. 2S.18 1 T.:. l• S, 7 Dr.Cri[p ill hu s<(fllfJil ll[ mil:rt'll/<;tj.t– Jifica·i':r.J.

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