Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

with which being clad as with a ~arment,God accepts him in his ll:ead, his faults being covered with his Saviou!s perfe<'hon. . . . Secondly, from this Ri$hteottjiu[J anfeth l'e~ce: no fooner IS man nghte· ous, but he is at peace With man, at peace w1th God, at peace With h1mfclf. li•. 11 • 6. He is at pMce IVith man; The Wolf Jhalt divtll wtth the_ L~111b, a~d the .f:eoard 1 vir/ 1 the Kid, faith the Prophet, Ifa. I 1. 6. The meanmg 1s, that m the kmg- ~ome of Chrill: when a man is called mto the ll:ate of grace ( howfoever by nature he js a Wolf, or a Leopard, or a Lion, or a Eear, yet) he fltall then lay afide his cruelty, and live peaceably with all men; With all men, I fay, bad and good; for 1f bad, the Apoll:lc implies them, .As much <1.nnyou ts, have peace tl>eth all men, Rom. 12. I 8. Rom. 12 , 1a, Or ifgvod, then he cannot but have peace wtth them, yea, although hefore h1s converGon he hated and maligned them, y~t now he !S rav1flhed w1th the de!tght and love of them, and to this end he labours m1ght and mam to mgrat<ate himfelf into their blelfed Communion. True, how flhould he but love them, and fym pathize with. them, whom he believes one day to meet ifl Heaven, and there to enjoy them, and they him for ever? Nor is this all, he is at peace wuh God, he hath hun;bled h1mfclf, and confell his fault and cried for mercy, and caft hnnfelf upon Chnll:, and vowed amendment of life~ fo that now God, by his W'ord, hath fpoke peace to his foul, by the mediation of Chrifl: it is obtained; and by the tefl:imony of the ~pirit he feels it within him, This is that Peace which pajJeth alltmderftanding; it made the Angels fing, Peace upo" earth; it makes his foul reply, hfypeace is ;,_ He~ven: what elfe? The llorm is pafl:, and the rain isgone awa(, he that lay for a mghr m the darknefs of forro\V, and weeping for his fins, now he beholds the St~n ~f rzghteoufr~eJJc _appear (as the D1f, ciples often did upon the Mo_unt of0/ivn, fign1fymg peace) all qUiet, andcalm, and .pleafant. Nor is this all, he 1s at peace wtth hm;felf, I mean Ius own confc1ence; that which before fiirred up the fire, that brought him t~ _a fight of fin, and fenfe of Divine \Vrath,cltat filled him with fearful terrors, compun(t;on, remorfe, and true farrow for fin,it is now turned good and quiet. Solomon c~lls it ac~mimeal feaft,Prov.r 5.15. Who Pr.ov. IS. ,,, are the attendants,but the holy Angels? what IS the chear, bmJ•Y rn rhe holyG'ho{l-? who is the feall-maker, but God himfelt, and his good Spirit dwelling in him? Nor is this .feafl: without Mufick; Gods Word, and his aCtions, make a blelfed harmony, and he endeavors to continue it by keeping peace, & a good confcience towards Godand man. Thirdly, from this peace ilfueth joy in the holy Ghoft; no fooner is a man at peace with man, with God, with himfclf, but he is filled with J•Y that no man can take from him ; this joy I take to be thofe blclfed llirrings, of the heart, when the feal of rcmiflion of fins isfirll fet unto the foul by the Spirit of .Adoption. For thus it 'is, the foul having newly palfed the pangs of the ntl~ birth, it is prcfcntly bath'd in th~ blood of Chrifi, lull'd in the bofome ofGods mercies, fecured by the fpirit of its inheritance above, and fo ordinarily followes a Sea of comfort, a fenfi~le tafl:e of.evcrlafl:ing pleafures, as if the man had already one foot in_ Heaven. But !hear fome objed-, They hav,e·fclt the pangs, cafl: thcmfelves on Chrifl:, refolved ag:tinll all fin, and yet no comfort comes. It may be fo, though not ordinarily;. certain'it is, whofoever bath this joy, is m:wJwrn; yet not every one new bornhath th1s 3oy; 1f any_then be m fuch cafe, let him hear what the Spirit of truth faith, Since tlie beginning ofthe worldmen have not heard, nor. percei– ved by thcear, neither bath the eyefeen, 0 God, befidcs thee, :vhat he hath prepared for ~'"'that waiteth for him, lfaiah 64. 4· Waiting patiemly(faith a Modern ) fur the Lords coming to conifort tts, .either in tempora~ orfpir£tual diflrejJes, is a right pleajing and acrr,. 64. 4 aptable duty andferuece unto God, wh~chhe is wont to crown with m11ltiplied and O'Verfonv– •ngrefrejhengs when he comes. To th1s end fa1th the Prophet, They that wait upon the Lord,ji>all renew theer Jl-rength, they jhall mount up with wings as Eagles: theyfh~/1 run, andnotbcwe~ry; and they jltallwalk._, and not faint, !fa. 40. 31. Nay, and {hould amandee(fa1th myAuthour)mthisftareofwaiting, ifhis hcartin themean time finIfa. 4°· 3•· cerely hare all fin~ heamly therftfor the mercy of God in Chnft, and rcfolve truly upo11 new umverfal obedeence for the ttme to c•mc, he.Jhall certainly be favcd; becaufc the holy Ghojffaerh, Blcf[<d arc all they that tMit for h1m, !fa. 30. J 8. Or 1f th1s will not fatiffie h1s dejirc, let his d_efire quicken ahd fet on work (with extraordinary fervency) the fpmt of prayer, let h1m have recourfe agam :ond agam unto the promifes of Scripture towards the poor, heavy-laden, penitent fouls ; arid when the time is come (lt will come) wh1ch God hath ~ppointed, then flhall he feel this joy unfpcakable, the joy of d ofthe holy Ghoft; and th1s lS the head,the height, the top, the highefl: fl:ep in this king– am of grace, the k.;;ngdom of G'od, of

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