Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

Book 11 ~------- ~ar Uiltil IDrbilt. Chap J.Sect.li' ~phcf 2. \c. wori<f, n•bicb G·d luth bc/U>·e ord"ined, tbJt we {houid w:~lk_. in tbem. Amultirude of fuch p1ifages nuy we find in Scripture. '· That to hold fr.rth Chrifi o"ly as aS~viour, and not as a Prince, faith, and not works, ir i.' not right and full GJfpel-preachme;: Tbi< i< a faithful fayiny,, and theft tbin.~J I niU tbJt. tl111t ·•ffi;m cmjlantly, ~lw thty which bave believed in God, mu{lbe c.uef~tl t« mJtlltgllt g·JOd work,r; theft tlnngJ are good andprofitable unto men. Oh how unEirhful are they in their faying< rhat deny that,, which Paul would haveTiutr to Titus 3 8. Tit.2.•• ,12, affirm confia,tl) 1 Surely this is true Gofpd·preaching,Hegavehimfelff.r ll<,th,,t be might IJ, '4· 1 s. rcdeem /<f from all iniq~tity, and purifie t<nto himfelf a peculiar people, zealot" of good· r>M·J;f; thtfe tbingJ {peak' and exhort• Pa,/ to Tit m, and Peter (Q the Jews, fpeak Alt.~.jo,,,. one and the fat<te thing, 1be God of our Father I hatb rJifed up Jefm, to be not on– ly •. Savi01tr, but a Pri>:ce, not only .t• give rrmiffion offinJ , but alfo repentan" '" Ifrael. Awoy; away wuh that temptatiOn, that works are unneccifary. 2· To that complain!, that the ioul Clnnot find the powerful work of faith in it f' All tbcfe workJ of mine ( flirh the foul) are but n•tural, or moral; o•if I b;ve any See them at fait~ , it inbe idlejl, ).,ziejl, lor{rjl f•itb tbat et·trChrijlianhad.JGtve me leave t::> fum up large'" coUmJ thdedireCl:ions.- Cordials. 1. Clear up the eyes of rhy underfhnding, and judbe aright : Some works may be only the elfd!s of natural or moral caufes, but other works, rdpecting the principks and circumlbnces of them, cauflot proceed from any but a true faith: For infiance, an unfeigned hJtrcd ~f every f•lfe way, adling of duty inpureobedience 19 tbe cJmmand of God, and in p~tre rcjpe[l to :he glory of God: Theli: are fuch elfeds of faith, as no hyppcritc in -the world either harh, or ea~ have, An hypocrite n.ay lcJve the Cam– million of fame fins, or he may hate fome enormities of life, but he cannot, as David did, bate wery falfe TP'Y· An hypocrite may fafi, and pray, and mourn, as the Pharifee, l'fal. II9.1o4. and Ahab did, but he cannot do thus meerly out.of obedience to God, and for the glory of God: Come theu, clear up rlly eyes, and lee 1fthere be no more ingredients in thy actions, then what an hypocrite may haYe. ll.om.6.6. 2. Set thy faith on work, on the powerful war ks of faith, and fo pnt all out of que– frion. As 1 • Caufe thy foul every day in fo!cmn tmnner to act that lirll work of fairn, of panting, breathing, ddiring after Chrift, of trulting,rcltillg,re!yingon Chrillfor life, and tor Salvation. z, Act t~at next work of faith, of d~pending on Chriti for holit:efs and fanctification; draw virtue out of Chrifi his death for the morrilication of thy fins, k,.nvwing tbiJ, tiJJt o11r old mm i1 cmci,'ied with him, tbattbe body nj fin mi!(ht _be dejlroyed, that !JCJtcrfortb JYe j/;ould not Jcrve fi11, and ciraw virtue out ot Chrili his Relimcction, for a quicknin~ power from the death at fin to the life of holinels, rhat as thou art dead with Chrifl, and buried with Chrill, lo rhou mayll allo rife with ' Colof.o. u. Chrijl througb tt e faith of tbe operatim of God , wbo h.,/; a!fo raiftd him from tbr dead. 3· Be much in prayer, meditati.on, readiJ.Jg, heJring the Word,&c. yea, lay out thy gifis, graces, time, ltreogrh, riches, intcrefi to thy Maficrs nfe; tlunk which way thou mayfi do moll to promote the Gofpel, to favefouls, as Chrill bad Peter, When thou Luke''· 32· art cmvertcd, flrengtbw the bretl;rCJt. Why thus wou!dll rhou do in linccrity and truth, thou wouldH put all out of quef.iion, that thy faith were not a dead fairh, but a living, workit>g, ju!lifying, foul-faving faith. . , • Depife not the day of fmall things, the breathings of faith are as much trie faith as its full voice , when it laith , My bclov.•d i< mine, and I am hif. 4 • State thy c<Jndition, aRd fee if thou dofi not find !itcha te1nper of fpirit as faith ufeth to fait the foul with in fuch a condition: Faith hath his change of rayrnent• fvr gracious fouls; fornetimes it acts the foul in joy and rejoyciug, fometimes oply in adherence and waitin,;: Thou fayll thou can!\ not find 111 thy foul fuch a perfwafion ot Gods love, li>eh an holy rejoycing i.n God, as the Scripture exprelfeth, to be effects of rrue faith; why it may be it is a day of darknefs in thy foul, and therefore examine tht orIter way : Is not thy he-art wrought into a fit temper to wait upon him who hides his lace from thee, and to feck him who teems to have forfaken tbee, and eo c!ing unto him that feems ·as if he would kill thee) "fhisistn~e tryal :.Firl\,1\atc thy condition, and look for faiths anfwerabk workmgs to thy condition, as 1t 1> Hated. And thus much of our wreftling with SJtan, as to his aifJults in our youth, or the time of our Converlion, or fccond period. , I can110t fay, bnt Satan in this time haih many more aiflults tben l bave numbred, or

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