Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

the height oftbat M ercy above the height of my _under-Jianding ! If my hMds >Vtre all love, that 1could work... nothing but love; and ifmme eyes were r<ble toJeenuthmg but love, and my minde to thinlofllothing but Lv·ue; and.if I had a tiJott[and bodus, _they were ali too little to love that God that hath thw unmeafnrably lo•Jed nte_a poor jinful Hell-hound: I 1 villlovethe Lord dearly, ( faith David) 0 l;ord my ftrength. Have 1 gotten the Lord 'jcfm to be my comfort, my b1u-k!er and my jhield ? if I have anygood, he begens •t; if 1 have My comfort, he blej]eth it: T herefore Iwtlllove thee dearly, U Lord my flrengt/J, 0 how fl.>uJtld I bttt love thee ! . . . . . Me thinks there is a poor hncere foul that faith, My underflandmg u notfo deep M_. others, my tong 11 emns not glib M fl<th andjiteh; I cannottalk_ fo freely of the things of grace andfalvation, I h~ve meaner eart.s_, and cannot tn!arge my fetf tn hoty Dttues, and holy Servtccs; I cannot difputefor a :Javrour, or ~erfor"!Juc_h Dmtcs as others can do: yet,, fweet foul canfl thou love Chrifl Jefus, and rCJoyce mh1m? 0 yes, 1 blejJe the Name of the Lord, ;hat all 1have, all my friends, and parts, and means, and abiluies, are bJtttlS dung and droJJe ifl comparif on ofChrift Jefu;; it were the comfort of myfo~tl, if I might be ever with him. Say you fo? Go the way, and the G.od of Heaven g? Wtth thee: Th1s is a work of God that will never leave thee,1t1s a blage and proper hvery that the Lord Jefus gives onely to his Saints ; never a meer Protefior under Heaven ever wore it, never :my Hypocrite under Heaven to whom God dtd mtend tt, but oneiy to thofe whom he hath effectually called,and whom he will fave ; therefore though thou wante!t all, thou haft this to comfort thee in the want of all ; and thou mayell: fay, 1can f.'Y littlef or Chrift, my tongutfnttlters, and nty memory is weak._,yu the Lord k_11olVCS I love the Lord Jef"'· This is enough; Daviddefired no more, but what God was wont to do to his children that loved his Name, Do to m< (faith the text) M thoJt nfcH to do unto thoft that love thy Nn;m; I f<J1ow thM loveft them that love thee, a11d wiltfaveandglorifie them in thecnd: I dejire no more bm this, do a; thou ufcH to do to thufc that love thy Name. And doth David aKingddirenomore? fureth, nifthou (poorfoul) haflfomucha$h~ had, it is enough, be quiet with thy childes part; Thy lot isfallen mto amarw/loJtsfai~ ground. Some may fay, this is all the difficulty; How may I know whether my love be a true love, or a falfe love ?How may I know, that my love is ofthe right flamp? . Let every man put his love upon the trial, and examine thus, Whether doeft thou "!elcome Chrdt and grace, accordmgto the worth of rheml if thou doell:, it will appear m thefe particulars: 1. Obferve the root and rife from whence thy love came; canll: thou fay, I love the L ord, becaufe he hath loved me i Then thy love is of the right mettal, and know it for ever, that that God which cannot but love himfelf, .he cannot but like that love which came from himfclf: Is thy foul affe(ted and enlarged in loye to the Lord, becaufe thou hafl felt and retained the rclifh and fweetnell'c of his grace? canll: thou fay, TIJC Lord hath let in a glimpfc of.his f avour ? and the Lord hath foid in.his trurh, l?e lookJ .to him_ that ~rembLes at lfis JVvrd; the MinijltrJaid it,tfnd thC'Sf"t'ril.}aitf,ifj that my mercy zs regifrrcdm heaven .- 0 how jho11ld I love the Lord ! myfin,~ 1re many; whzch 1have bew-.lcd ; myJighumd fobs I have pm up t& hedvm, and at the !aft tpe Lord hathgwen.me agracww anfwer : U how jho11ld Ilovcthe Lord my /lrmgth dcqrly ? If it be thus With thee, thy love IS found, and will never fail. ,2. Ifthou entertain thy Saviou~ as it ·befeems him, thou mufi: entertain him as~!< mg, and that is thus ; give-up all to him, and entertain none with h!rou·pon' terms ofhonom, but fuch as retain to him, or be attendants upon him; love.~U inChrill:, and for Chnll:, but expreffe thy love and joy to Chrifl above all: He is as.a.-King, and all the refl are but as retainers; he that loves any thing equal with a Chrifi, it is cet– tam he d1d never love Chnfl: to fet up any thingcheok_by jole with Chrifl, it is all one as .1f a man d1d put a nave mto the fame Chamber with the King, which (s upon tl•e pomtto dnve h1m away. · · · 3· .,he foul that rightly entertains Chrifl, and ll:udies wholly to give him .FSnteAt– ment, he _IS marvellous wary and watchful, that he may not (ad that go.oa s·pirit of ~od to gneve huu,and caufe him to go away as difpleafed: See this, Canq ·1·•5.the poufe fought long for her beloved,and at !art brought him home;and when OH' had wel– comed h11n fhe g•ves a charge to ~I! the houfe, not to ftir,'noNwakJn her/ove)i)lb~ p~eafe . .When a Prmce ~omes ~nto the houfeof a great man,what charge is.there givt;h'tv'ma.ke ?0 no!le m the n1ght,le..'l' fuch and fuch a man be awakened befdre.his time?the font \votn Jth~th recet~ed the Spirit of the Lord Jefus Chrirt, doth thus i: he gives a 'peremptory · K 2 charg~

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=