Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

lfV, bocmelo confri,.gdr ctt– pirA dT1tcorum tum~m in aquis. ~id f•nt do– krts 1Artwrien. tiJ, mfi doloreJ Jt~nitemis. Aug.in PCal 48 Rom. 8. IS. praying till the Lora hear thee in mercy, till he make thee to feel thy heart melt with– in thee,yea,(if it may be)till thou fecit thy*tearstrickjing down rhy cheeJ?.!,becaufe of thy offences. The Lord will (perhaps) hear thee at the firll: time, or at the fecond time; or if he do not, be not difcouraged, God bath hjs times; Moje1 fmote the Rock at Horeb twice before it would yc!ld, Numb. 20. I 1. and at laH it fent out abundant lhc:u,nes ofliving waters; God fp~ake_th once and twice, and man perceiveth not; happy .he who relenteth at lafi: g1ve Jtnot over, perlill: thou, thy fuit is jufi, and importunity will prevail; yea, I can fay, Thy deftr.e to forrow being >-efolute, it i1 a de– gne ofgodlyforrow it[elf, and no doubt the Lord will cncreafe it, if thou begg·fi hard awhile. • SeC!:. 2. The jirjf reafon for this forrolv. THis n1ufi be done; Firfi, becaufe without panges no birth: The pang' ofa penitent man are tU the pang, ofa woman:Now as there can beno birth without pain• of travel going before, fo neither true repentance without fome terrors of the law, and firoits cf confcicnce. Ye have not received the {pirit ofbondage again to fear, faith the Apofile to the RomaneJ; and what is that? but to fhew us, they once did receive it; when? but in the very firll preparation to converlion: then it was that the Spirit of God in the law did fo bear witnelfe unto them of their bondage, thot it made them to fear. And certainly thus it is with every man in his firll: converlion, his contrition mull: be corn– pungent, and vehement, bruifing, breaking, renting the heart, and feeling the thrmvs (as a woman labouring of child) before there can be a new birth, or the new crcawre be brought forth. · Sect 3· The [econd reafon for thi& forrow. A Gain, withollt contrition no Chriff; therefore it was that God firfi opened the eyes Gen. ;. 7 , 15, · of our firfi parents, to make them fee, and be fenlible of their fin and mifery, Gen. Chryrof\. in. 3· 7· before he promifed Chrill:, verf. '5· Therefore it was that ]ohn Baptijl(faith c. 3' Mmh. Chryfojlome) jirff throughly frighred the minds of hu hearm with the reyyor ofjudgment, born. 11 " and expeCtation oftorment, and with the name of an axe, and their rejeElion, and entertainment ofother children, and by doubting the punifhment, to wit, ofbeing hewn do>vn, and cajl into the fire; and when he had thm every way tamed,and tai0n down their ftubbornne!Je, then at Length he makes mention ofChrijl. Why, then is Chriff feafonably revealed (faith MH{cul.in M.r. Mitfr:ulw)when the hearts ofmen beingfoundly pierced by preaching repcnrancc,are pof[c!Jed •· ;.Sell. Tune with a deftre ofhisgraciow. righteoufne!Je. Or ifyou will, hear Calvin, To whom i1 Chrift t~eceda. J•f•s promifed,but to them alone who are humbled and confoimded with the fmfe of their own fins l ~~"'"'" F.f•J Certainly, the firll: thing that drawes to Chrill:, is to confider our miferablc dl:ate wirhout him; No man will come to Chrift except he be hungry; DO man will take Chriils yoke upon him, till he come to know and feel the weight of Satans yoke; to this end therefore mull: every man be broken with threats and fcourges,and la!llcs of confcicncc, that fo defpairing o(himfelfhemay flic unto Chrill:. Sect. 4· The third rea{on for this fomw. Jam. 4• 10. AGain, without hearty forrow, no.fpiritual comfort. \Vc mull: firll: be hu11Jbled befo;·c tht Lord,and then he will lift us up.Chrifi indeed was anointed to preach good tidings, but to whom ? to the poor, to the broi0n-hearred, to the captives, to them thar are bound, 1~ Efay 61, u, the hmifed,Efay 6r. I 1.God pours DOt the oil of his mercy fave into a broken vclfel;God never comforts throughly, fave where he finds humiliation and repentance for fin. Tlu Forbes ouR<· Word ofGod(faithone) bath three degreesof operation in the hearts of hi.< cho[en: Firll:,it •cl· c. 4· fallerh to mens ears tU the fo•md ofmany waters, a mighty, great, and confujedfound, atd whifh commflnly bringeth neiWer terror nor joy,b~tt Je.t a wonde:i'ng, and ad~J!onde~go;:w~ <-{ Mar.1.22t2,. Lukt 4· 3•• John 1• 46, ajlrange fore• and more than humane power ; thrs ts that whteh m•ny felt, hearmgChrijt,_ whettthe)' w~rc aftomjl~ed at hi& do8:rme, a; reachingwith ,awhority .; n·har manner_•{ do{frmc" thtJ? Never man.Jpai0 M.s th>s man. The ne~·t ejfcEt ~;the vwe ofthur;de;·,n·n:w bringerh not only wonder, butfear alfo; not onlyjillerh the ears withJollnd, and the hMr~ with ajlonijhment, but moreover Jltai0th and terrijieth the confaience, The tbm< tjfe8: it the found of harping, white the Word not onely ravijl>eth with ad!ll>r.1!Jo/J, a11d ftriketh the Cqnftimn with terror, but "lfo laftly, fillerh it with fwecr P"'" - ud

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