Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

I(a. ~7, 4· .I Joha 4· 16. rr. s4- fo. Rom. s. 2o. ,John '·'4· Job s. •>· ) Cor. 15. ss, Job lJ, 19· Pfa.tme 1 n . 7· 3tbel8eltebet~.~ttbtlellge~ · ,Chap ~.sdG". l. in our peace with God, whereby the Lon.llayes by all ads _ofh-;)ftiliry againll:IJS: 2 . In the love and favour of God: he now lovts us not ondr w1th a love of good will, a$ in om Eledion, but with a love of complacency and de!1ghr. 0 confider what a bletfed l!ate is this. r. That God ihould be pacified with us after anger; after provocation by fin, oftcr fuch wrath, which like fire hath confumed thoufand thoufands, and burnt down to the llottome of Hell and is now, and ever ihall be burning upon them in Hell. 2. That God fuould be pacified wholly and throughly, that there lhould be no con– fumi~g fury left for us to feel : Fury is not in m~, faith God; indeed bryers and thornes (ie.) obll:inate finners, that prick and cut him to the very hcan by their impenirency, he wtfl burn them together : God out of Chnll" a conf,.,mng fire, but m Chrift he is Love ; and though there may be fatherly frowns, chall:ifments, reproofs, and rods ; though he may for a time hide his face,lhut out our Praycrs,defer to fulfil! Promifes • yet all thefe are out of love to us in fome fort, and we lhall fee it, and feel it fo in rh~ latter end. . . 3.. T~at the I;ord lhouldbe paci?ed eternally, never to cafl us off again for any fins or m1f~nes that we fall.nto : Th1s IS wonderful. Thofe whom men love, 1f their love be abufed, or if their friends be in affiiction, they many times forfake, but the Lords love and favour is everlall:ing : The mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; bm my kjndnejfe Jhall not depart from thee, neither Jhall the Covenant of my peace be remov<d, faith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee: Nay, that which is fame– thing more, the abounding ofour fin,is now the occalion of the abounding of his grace ; our very wants and miferies, arc the very obje{\s and occafions of his bow•ds and tender mercies :. 0 what a Priviledge is this I Did the Lord ever lhew mercy to the Angels that finned.? Did not one fin call: them out of favor utterly? and yet that fo many thoufand thoufands of fins lhould gulh out of my heart, and thy heart that read– ell, againll the mercy, love and kindnefs of our good God, and for all this he not be incenfed; that the Lord who poured out all his anger upon his own Son for us, cannot now pour out; nay hath not one drop left (though he would) to pour out opou us for any one of our fins! Stand amazed ye Angel•, and all the Hoft of Heaven at this! 4· That the Lord lhould be thus pacified with enemies : Aman may be cafi!y paci– fied with one that offends him but a little, but with an enemy that !hikes at his life (as by every fin we do at the living God) what can we fay to this? 5. -That he lhould be pacified by fuchawonderful way ~s the blood of Jefus Chrill:: this is fuch a love, as'one would think the infinite wifdome of a bletfed God could have 9eyifed no greater: It is enough to burll: the heart with a/lonilhmenr and amazement, to ~hi_nk that the party offended (who therefore had no caufe to feek peace with us again) fhould find out fuch a way of peace as this : Wo to the world that defpife this peace. .. 6. T_hat being thus pacified, we may come into Gods prefence with boldnetfe at any time, and ask what we will ; I wonder what he can deny us, if he love us : This is the confidence that we have in him,That ifwe as/z.any thing according to his will,he heareth Hs. 7· That all Creatures lhouldbe•tpeace with us : Th011jhalt be in IMguewiththe .f/onn ofthe field, 11nd the beafts of the field jhail be at pe..ce with thee : As when the Cap– taine of the Army is pacified, none of the Souldiers mull: hurt or ll:rikc that man; fo no Creature mull: hurt us, nay all the Creatures that feem our enemies, lhall be for– ced to.do \Js good : 0 dellth, where is now rhy fling .? 0 Grave, where is thy viE!:ory? All our wants will make us pray the more, our forrows humble us the more, our temp– tat Pn$ nlake us el!\ercife our graces, our Spiritual defertions make us long for heaven; and to be with Chrill:; J;!Ot only Paut 11nd Apollos, 4nd the world, and life, but death it,felf. is ours, to do us good: We may nowjlecp, and none jl>all ma/:! us afraid; we fhaibQotbe afraid ofevil tydings; our hearts f ''' ft'xed, tmjfing in the Lord. S ECf.

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