Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

d · the E :~:ecmion : Onely to infl:ance in their Doom ; Me thinks I fee the Lord Doom an 111 • . • b f . h' '{h M· f ofhe;ven and earth, and the Attnbutes of God appearmg e 01e 1m,. e. ercy o ·God the Goodllejfe ofGod, the wifdom ofGod, the Potver of i.:Jod, the Pattmce and Longji ,ff.' · f G d and they come all to a /inner an hypocntc, or to a carnal Profeffor and ~J ermg o 0 ' ' :o h h · 11 "'- d fa . Mere hath relieved you, Goodnejfe hath fuccoured .You, Wt 1 uom at tnllrucce y' p wZ h~th defended you, Pattence hath born With you, Long-fitffmng hath lnod~red you: nQW all thefe comfortable Attributes will bid you adieu,and fay,Farewc/1, damned foul,- ;you ""tji go hence to hell, to haveyour fellowjhtp IVtth damwedgbojfs: Mercy Jba/l never more relieveyou, Goodnej[eJha!t never mure fuccour yrm, l11ifdomJhatl nev~r more inftru£1: you, Power Jhall never more defendycm, Patr.encc]hail 'never more bear wzth yo1t;, L '"r..a-. 1 ·n·u fl•all never more indure ;·vu: and then lhall you to endleffe, eafeleffe and on[JJ~J er 0 J · ren\edileffe torments, where you will ever remember your fins, and fay, My Covetoitf ncjfe and Pride tvas che caufe ofthis,lmay thank..,myfins for thu.. Thmk of thefe thmgs (I befeech you) feriouily, and fee your fins here, to prevent th1s fight hereafter. SeCl:, 3· Senfe of Divine Wrath. T Be /inner by this time having his eyes fo f~r opened, that he beholds his fins ; he begins then to confider, That God hath hun m chafe; And this fenfc of Dwme Wrath difcovers it felf in thefe two particulars: { r. it works a fear of fo111e evil to come. , 2. It poffeffeth the foul with a f~cling of this evil. hrfl:, the foul confiders, That the punilhment whtch God hath threatened, il1all be executed on him fooner or later: he cries therefore, What if GodJhould rMM71 me? God may do it : .And wh~t ifGod jhould execute his vengeance ~tpon me? Thus the foul fears, that t~e cv41 difeovered will fall upon him: This is the reafon of thofe phrafes of Scrtp· ture, H'e have not received the fpirit of bondage to fear again; The ~pirit ihewes our bond,lge, and thence comes this fear; Again, God hath not given tM the fpint of fear; that is, the fpirit of b., .!.tge that works fear. It is with a foul in this fear, as it was with Bdjha=z , when he commanded the Cups to be brought out of the Houfe of the Ldrd; An hand-writi.,w tame againft him on the 1rait, and when he Jaw it., hit thougJJtS tro~tbled him, and his f';.,ce began to gather palenejfe, and his k..,necs kyoe/zod agamjf one anether ; as if he lbould fay , Surely there i•Jome jfrange evil appointedfor me; and with that his heart began to tremble and lhake: jufl: fo it is with this fear; he that runs riot in the way of wickedneffe, and thinks to defpife Gods Spirit, and to hate the Lord Almighty, and to refill: the work ofhis grace; now it may be there comes this fear and lumd-writing againjl: him) and then he cries; Thefe are myfins:~ and thefe arc the Plagues and J~<dgements threatened againft them, and therefore why may n•t I be damned ? why may not I be plagttcd ? Secondly, the Lord purfues the foul, and difchargcs that evil upon him which was formerly feared; and now his Confcience is all on a flame, and he faith to hilllfelfe, 0 I have finned, and offended a jujfGod, and therefo.re I m~tfl be damncd,and to Hell l muflgo: Now the foul lhakes, and IS dnven beyond 1t felf, and would utterly faint, but that the L~rd upholds.it with one hand, as he bears it down with the other; he thinks every thmg 1s agamil: hnn, he thmks the fire burns to confume him and thot the air wi11 poyfon him: and that Hell-mouth gapes under him, and that Gods wrath hangs over hun,, and1f now rhe Lord lhould but take U\Vay his life, that he lhould rumble down he.aolong mto the bottomldfe Hell: Should any man, or Minifl:cr pcrfwade the foul in th1s .cafe to go to Heaven for Mercy, it replies in this manner, Shall I repair to Cod? 0 that s my trouble! I, not he thatgreat God, lVhofe Jttflice, and M ercy, and Patience I have abufcd? And u not he the great God ofHeaven ar~d Earth, that hath bem incenfcd aga?nft me_? Oh, \Vtth what aface can I appear before him? and with what hcnrt can }look.[or any mercyfrem;hun? I have wronged hu Jufttee, and c-an his ]1tji·ice pardon me? I have abtJed hH Mercy, and can hu Mercy ptty me? What, jiteh a wrcrsh MI am?1j had never enjoyed the mCII.ns of meny, I 1mght have had Jome plm fo'' my[<If; bttt Oh, 1 have nfrrfi'd that 'JJ:rcy,and have trampled the Blood of Chrift rmder my feet, rtn'd can llook.for any Jlfcrc)'? _o, no, I fee the wrath of.rhc Lord qJren[ed rtgainfl me, and that's all Jlook.,J.r. - H 2 Sed, 51 Rom. 8. IS. tTirn. I. 17, Dan. S. 6,

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