Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

were never able to love him f uffici ,ntly, as Nehen~inh faid, TheN llme ofthr Lord is :alwveall p ..aife; will :you let out your love and affeCtions ? you may lay them out here Pfa! . 4S· 2. . ; t Pfal. 4S• 3• with good advantage: _,what would you love? wouldft thou have beauty ? then thy Saviour is beautiful, Tnou art f.nirenhan the children of men, Pfa\. 4·5. 2. \Vouldll -thou have ll:rength? ;then¥ thy Saviour llrong, Gird thy jivord upon thy thigh, 0 moft 111 ,:gi 11 y, Pfa\. 41 , 3 . \1/ouldfl: thou have riches ? thy Saviour is more rich (if it be ·poffiblc) than he is fl:rong! li!-F hm if all th•.11gs, Heb.. 1. 2. \Vould£l: th:ou have wifdom? then thy Saviouns wtfc,)ea w1fdom 1tfelf,In h•m are htd allth: treafures of Hcb. •· •· .wifdom and k._now!edJe. Col.2. 3; ·. Would~ thou have hfe eternal ? Chrill: .'s the Author of life and happinetfe<to a.\\ that have h1m ; and he hath not only thefe mhtmfelf, but he Col. •· 3· will infcoffthee in rh~, ifthou w1lt but 1111tch Wtth hun. • 2 . Chri/1: de>e1!;es eur love, in regard of b' nefits to us ; be man never fo worthy in himRlf yet ifhe have wronged, or expre/1: the part of an Enemy, a woman faith, I will 110 t hau; han though he haue..11 theworld, this takes offthe affection ; it is not fo with the Lord Jcfus: as he is worthy of a\\ love in himfelfe, fo he hath dealt mercifully and graciounywith you: In your fickncffe, who helped you? ~n wants, who fupplied you? in anguifh of heart, who relieved you? tt was Jefus Chnft: Oh therefore love him, deal equally with him, and as he defervcs, fo enlarge your hearts to hun for ever. 3 . Chrift feeks our love : Here is the admiration of mercy, That our Saviour, who bath been rejeCled by a company offinful creatures, fhould feek their love : for fhame refufc him not, but l~t him have love ere he go: Had the Lord receive:! us, when we b;Jd come to him, and humbled our heartS before him ; had he heard, when we had fpent our dayes, an I all our fl:rength in ~egging and craving, it had been an infinite mercy: But when the Lord Jefus Chrill: fhall feek to us by his Mcffengers (it is all the work we have to do,to wooe you,and fpcak a good word for the LordJefus Chrifl:;yca, and if we fpcak for our fdvcs, it is pity but our tongue !hould cleave to the roof of our mouth) when the Lord Jefus fhall·come and wait upon us, and feek our love, 0 this isrhe wonder of mercies ! think of this, 0 ye Saints! The Lord now by us offers love to all you that ~re weary and have need. \Vhat anfwer fhall I return to him in the ~vening? fhall I fay, Lord, I ha·ve tendred thy mercy, and it WM refuf<d: Brethren, it would grieve my heart to return this anfwer: 0 rather let every foul of you fay, Can *he Lord Jrfus love me? In truth, Lord, I amom oflove with myjelfe; I have abufed thy )Wajejly, I have loved the world, I have followed bafe lufts, and canthe LordJeftts love IIO[ea 14 . S~ fuch awretch as I am ? yea faith the Lord, I will heal their back.;flidings, I willlove them freely. He looks forno portion, he will taKe thee and all thy wants ; get you home then ; ~nd every one in fecret, labour to deal truly with your own hearts ; make up a match m th1s manner, and fay, Is it poffiblc that the Lord fhould look._fo low? that a great .Pnnce fhould fend to a poor Peafant? that Maje£l:y fho>Jld £loop to meanneffe ?Heaven to Earth ?,Godto ma~? Harh the Lord offered mercy to me? and doth he require 11othing of 1nc bur to love hrm agam ? call upon your hearts, I charge you, and fay thus, Lord, rf all t?el1ght of mme eyes were love, and all the speeches of my ton,_'l,UCwere Jo1Je, it ftlere at/ too (u>tle to lovethec : 0 let me love thee dearly! Ifyou will not f~y thus, then fay hereafter, Y~u had a fa~r offer~ and that a poor Minill:er of God did wifh you well. Alas, be noc coy and fqueamtfh, the Lord may have better than you; lie down therefore, and adm"e at t\le mercy of the Lord, that fhould take a company of dead dogs, and now a; the !all:, fay as the Prophet dtd, L ift up your he"ds, 0 yegates! and beye lift up, ye Pfd, 24• ,,;; euer!aftmg doors, ami the Krng of Glory ]hall umt in. Sect. 6. A relyi11g on Chrift. ~J E arc now come to the. work of the Will,. which is the great wheel and Com, . Ch . mander of thc_fouL fhe former affeebons were but as hand-maidsto ufh ~ .nr and the Prom1fes; the mincje faith, I bavefeen Chri(t :Hope faith I have · ~~ it J{:~ b~~~~,l have l~nged: Lovefaith,I amkjndl~d:.then faiththe lVi/l,l!:r/1 have!!c~~i· now fat( · and thts makes up the match ; the fpawn and feeds offaith went befdr Andlthl!S·corr;;eto fome perfection, now the foul rcpofes it felf upon the Lord jefue, p· ·fl: . 1s. repo mg or rcfbng tt felfe, difcovers a fivefold act : • Lord je~t unp~les ·1 going out ofthefoul-to Chr.ift: When the foul feeth this that the: us 15 1S01 ' and nmll: cafe him, and pardoll his' fins, then I.,n,;. go to-tharChrift

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