Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

Book 11. Chap 2.Sett 1. 111n' tv m.z~ out af:cr S.rcr.zment.:zl Gr zce ta cleaJ{t my filtby nature ? F/.;1 I ;rot need t, t.:pply 'YII)' J:·!f to tb (e prcmifeJ? u·bercby Imaybe made p.Jrt.,zk_sr uf a new JZ.Jture? L 1 rd, 1come to tJ.>eFottntaw ,.pe.teri m the Gtfrel fur fin, and for ttnclea;mejf : U [prin'•le clean R-~.'l,r~r upon me, ~ezwcratc me_(_ ~J tburt b.:jt alrelldJ• rri~b water, (o ) now witb. tb~[pirit : bejtfJ~ on mt? the z,z~.zrdaudjptntu d p.trt (If my B.~ptifm, J3,;zfl{ie m_e in pu"'ftt;z:rt··e <Jf tiy promife feal'd tbercm by tht TVord, ad prcfem ""'Y Soul to toy jelfm·t:bow {p;t ,, r.·; ·.t:,je or all)•[itch tbing. ' 'r Ltt tiem repent of their Apofhfie, and breach of vows, fincc they wereJdrnitted ·ln!<l Covenant w!rh God. This brint~s into rheir remembraoce all their actual tin,, and CcafonJblyare they to be rcmcmbred, and repented of, when they mind conve~fi. on. The Spints lirfl --:ork is to convi?ce of fin.: of fin original, •nd ot tin acrml, and amo·:Jgtl other aggtavatlons of aCl:ual hns, th1s IS a grelt .md mighty aggravation, the breach of vow;. • But what VOW< were m1dc by them while they .were lntlnts > I on– [wer, they vowed to be Gods and Chrilh ; they vowed to forf:.ke the w oriJ, and Fldh, and D'v'l, and to manage war agJiutl them all their daycs: they vowed ro fi,hr un– der the banner of Chrifi, and to be his SmtlJicrs, and to maintain hi< cauL; ~nd to promote his Kingdom. f or ur~dnlbndiut, whereof, we mutt take notice of a dou– ble vow : The tirfl isl venual vow, when we vow legally, though in our own p~rfons we promi[c; nothing. f he f .... cond is a fOrm•l vt.HV', wh,: n in c..xnrcb (erm>we ta\te upon LtS any obligation : lufmts, whilefl infJnts, cJnnot vow fort;Hlly, but th ty do vertually; their fathers lland inllcad of themfelves and Inf,nr<, aud priv.~c;y at tl1eir tirfl quicknin ~ in the Womb, but fo!cmnly at their B1ptifin: i<l the C•v.ach, c:Ky bind themfdves, and their,S-:ed to God in this nunner. Knm' dll mmby tb,fe pr,j:,,lf, tiJ>t J, A. d., lere\y oblige n~y felf, a>td my Heir I, a;zd pojt.r;'J' f'um nze d,c{cendi,,<, ,, t he g·e..tvod of' Heavw andEal'th, in all the d~ttiu req~tired in the L.lw a•d G;fp•l. Now rh is vow is it th < t vcrmrtly w:>.s made by Infants : they ClJuld not do it i , chc1r own perfons ; •~d therefore by a !>racious Prolep!is God ac .<pes it on th,ir b:halt~ th•t> made and ligned, by their m~tiate, or immediate Parents. And have th,y not many and many a time broken thdc facred vows? have they nor as ~non as they cou!J !.am to [peak, begun to (wear <nd lie> have they not very early torleitcd '"'ir oond•, <!Id entreJ i~to a contrary Cove1'ant and conkderacy with theDevil, and D.arh, and H.lf, ancl thtir o\Vn lulls , ond ruaintaiucd a War rather with God, than D.vrls, WJt , abundance cf youthful heat and activity l Oh, then what remai ns, b"r that they they fhould remembtr from whence they are fallen, and repent, and. r-·uew thcir Co– venant with God in their own Perfons, wttb all pof!ible fpetd and [erioufncfs. And thus much of our wrdlhng withSatan, orrepdling SHan , as to his tirfl affaults. CHAP. II. SECT. I. of tht Devil! affi~tlt.r in our Youth, or 11t the timeof Coltverfion. ,, THE Second Perio:l, wherein Sata•Jaffaults or com~ates with us, it is from our youth to our riper years; or efpecially from the beginning to the end of our Converfion. Ana in profccution ot thiS, lirflleJrn we fJ ue ot rho[e depths, and wiles, and methods of Satan inhisa(fwlts: and fecondly pra– dife we thofc duties that COncern liS in our wreflling Wrtfr him in thefe re!'peCJ:s. r. for Satans aOaults; then he begins his flrongeil batteriq, or main temptations, when we are firii entring into a renewed fl1re : Now this is moft ufual in t;h e dayes of our youth. So many ot o•r Worthies ob!trv_e: One fpoaking of y(lllng peopk~ faith, Mr.F9rcl. in ;Amrm~{l tbemujiully the Jfrt:sm of couvcrtwg ~r.zctmoft nmr.-- It mty bem fome; his l~faat- . grace J 1 rvrougbt ver; earl)•, even in C.;i/d·bood, b1tt ordinarily 'tii after tbey cJme under Baptlf~.. . catcchifinu and are more adult. Another thus: Cm1verf:••n doth not only belo11g to the old B•rg<t op<rtru- "' ..- I C ji · r. b 1 r, .r p pi" al refining. bt~t to the y11mg,: yea common:y rmver ron lf;1J!Jn~r wroug t upo;z t Je ymn~ 1ort o;. eo ", for tb~y l>ave not re[ijled the grace of God fo tnuch, they ha~e 1101 prJv,k[d 6 od to gwe them rep ,_,heir own heartJ, lu(h, and defirCJ, aJ nwty aged pel'jimJ har;e : fo then let J'UIIJ{. ones hearkpt to Ser.noltl, let them attend to "'h•t the Minijlcri of God exhort, Remember thy Creator in the dJyes of thy Youth ;Jna it is good to bear the yoke in thy youth; E.ccJcr. 12. ~.- h h I d nd Lam 3• 21. it is good ro feel t e bittends of fin b:times. Auot er nus, the Lor can cmvm a· brwg

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