Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

6o Rom. 6. 16. Mtttlr 11.:.8. it.fclf) that I willnot fiiffer the Word to p-revail1vith me ? thenJha/1 I m.jfe ofthe Spirit, then will C?rift none ofme. 0 remember, the time will come when you mull: die as well as your neighbours, and then you will fay, Lord Jejies,forgivc my jinnes; LordJefus, receive myfo~el: But Chrifl: will anfwc1;, .Away,begone,yOit arc none of mine, I k._nowyot< ?Jot. Any man, whether noble or ignoble, let him be what he will be, if he hath not the Spirit he is none of Chrifl:s, : His you are to whom you obey ; but Pride and Covetoufnefs you·obey: Pride therefore will fay, This heart is mine, Lwd, I have domineered over ir, and I wit/ torment it: Corruptions will fay, We have owned thisfoul, and 1ve will dam;z it. You therefore that have made a tufh at the Word, This 1vindjhak§s no corn,and theft· words break.._no bones; httle do you think that you have oppofed the Spirit: What,ref& the Spirit? me thinks it is enough to fink any foul under Heaven: Hereafter therefore think this with thy felf, Were he but a man that fpeakJ, )"'would I not defptfe htm ; but that is not all,theregoeth Gods Spirit with the Word,andJhal! I dcfpife it?There IS bt.t oneflep between this and that unpardonable jinne agairr/1 the holy Ghoft, omly adding Ma!iLe to my Rage: I oppofo rhe Father,ptrhaps the Sonne mediatesf o•· me; ! desptfe the Sorme, perhaps the holy Ghojfpleads for me; but ifI oppofe the Spirit, none can {ttccoJtr me. CHAP. VI. Seer. r. The .Anfwer on m"ns partfor the Son/ to clofe with, and to •·clie on Ch;·ift. Hitherto of the Call o• Gods part; now we are come to the .A;if,n· on nJII.ns-pa;;t. No fooner hath the G'•fpel and Gods Spirit clearly revealed the fulnetfe of Gods mercy in Chrift, but then the whole foul (both the Mindc that difcovcrs mercy, and Hvp< that expects it, and Deftrc that purfues it, and Love that entertains it, and rhc Will that refts on it) gives anfwer to the Call of God therein. M .rcy is a proper object of all thefe; of the Minde to be enlightened, of Hope to be fuftained, of Dej1rt to be fupported, oi Love to be cheared: Nay, !here is a full fatisfaCl:ory fuflieieneyof all good in Chrifr, that fo the will of man may take full repofe and reft m him; th~rdore the Lord .aith, Come ttnto me, all that are weary and heavy-laden; Come, Mi.•1d, aqd Hope, and Defir<, and Love, and Will, and Heart: they all anfwer, We came: The Mi11d faith, Let me i0oiV this Mercy above all, and defire to kztaw nothing hilt Chrifl ahd him crucifi'M : Ltt me expell this Mercy (faith Hope) that belongs to me, and will brfal m4 : Dejtrc fuith,Let me long after it: 0, faith Love, let me embrace and welcome it: 0, faith the Heart, let me lay hold on the handle ofSai".Jation; here we rviO live, and here \Vf l\!i/1 die 4t the f~otftaol of Gods Mercy. Thus all go, Minde, Hope, Deftrc, Lcvc, Jo)', the Will and all Jay hold upon the Promife, and fay, Let'" mak§ the Promife a prey, let '"prey ttpon 1/ltrcy, a. the rvilde JJeafts flo ttpon their provifton. Thus the fac,ulties of the foul huht and put1.ile this mercy, and lay hold thereupon, and fatisfie themfelves herein. Secl. 2. .Afight of Chrift, or of Mercy in Chris1. BUt for a further difcovery of thefe works of the foul, we fhall enter into particulars : And for their order; Firfl:, the Lord l~ts a light into the mind, for what the eye-never feeth, the heart never dcjireth, hope never expeeteth, the foul never embraceth: If the foul then feemes to hang afar off, and dares not believe that Chriil: will have qJ~r~Y. on bim; in this cafe the Spirit lets in a light into his heart, and d1fcoversunto him, that God will deal gradoufly with him. It is with a fioner,as with a man that fits rn darkneife, haply he feeth a light in the fireer out of a window, but he fits frill in darkneife, and is in the dungeon all the while, & he thinks, How good were it, if a 1(tan m/ght enjoy that light 1 So, many a poor humble-hearted broken finner feeth, and hath an inckliog of Go,ds mercies, he heareth the Saints fpeak of Gods love, and his goodnelfe, ~nd com– paffion ; .Ah (thinksme) how happy are they? blcf!ed arc they,what an excellent conditton are they in I but I am in dari{_nejfc jfill, ~tndnever had a drop ofmc:q vo~tehfafcdunto me .' At !aft, the Lord lets a light into his houfe, and puts the candle mto h•~ own band,. and makes hiD,I fee by particular evidence, Thou Jhalt be P"rdoncd,and thou jltait be J aved. The manner how the Spirit works this, is difcovcrcd in three patfages. Firlt, the Spirit of the Lord meeting with an humble, bro\{en, lowly, felf.clenying finner

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