Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

------------- B I If 61 Chap 4· Se :.t.ro. tii?l:r f..··;:t; >Sltbtl£'. oo,, · tbe purr in l·e.r:, f<;r i/;~;J,;:/J ftc G-d·;·A;,/ Ilo;~;d-:·;;;,{/~-:-L,mb J'a~d on tie Mat-s.B. 1vfl}mtl s.=.ur. ,ond n ith him a;~ bu:id.-cd fort)' ll'zdforer tbouf.md, bavtitl, bz~ 1• .!lt.l£r! ?Ume Rt:vel. 14· IA· n•rittcJt ;,, their j(:rcb~ddJ. --- Tbr.fe ,rre t/,·c_·h n:bicb lvere mt d~~lcd wub wrmlw, fer tbcy arc Virgius -., thfp ar~ tbr.y :r>;/;icb f:J w t!e Lamb n:bitbrrjtllVC:· be goctb ; t~efe rxre redl'elilr'lf;·rm annng, ~~~~·n,_ bci;;g.t~;e f:,;l fntttr untoGod> .:md tJ tiJC L.z:n~. 0 hve by flith, and k ed on tb,[e pr01r,ilesl . . 1 • Pra\'cr, 1\ nniJ is never ovtrco:nc by temptatJOn, as long as he can pray agamft it, he m~y per!J:,p; be more troubl:d then, bm what if he be, let hi_m .pray <;Jn Hill, yea pray with f•crfeverance, and ail m1nner of prayer and the end wtll ne, that 1fhe do not give over to pray, Sarau n1ufi, an~-~viil gi,vc: ovtr to tempt ; .B~tt wh1t_ihonld I pray for? why pray that God ma)' purthc thy llClrt, and fanCl:;he It by hts holy fpirir; pray char God may give thee fhength to overcome Satan m hts fiery teml'ra– rion, tell him, that thy Iulls aud conupuons are too hard tor thee, and theretore thou are for~'t to brin:; to hi:n this uncl,an devil, anJ eith<r he mull htlp thee !o Cl;! him out, or thou !hair unr prevail : Pray alfo that God may give thee patience to wait upon him, till he Onll perform.thy ddires; how long thou mu!i be ptl! to wait, I know nor, but ifthou did[ wa;ting, thou fitl;t be b!t1Tc:d) 011ly pray rhat it may be, and w"ir wirh p1tience till it fhall be, and God wtll come in then in hi> appointed time. 3· Mcd:uion. But on will! 010u!d l meditate' 1. On GodsPrefence, he fees, knows, uhckr!bnds thy actions, words, gelhtrcs, rlwughr.s within thee, thou wouldll be afh;mrd w be leen of men, and is not God of purer eyes ? Oh let thine· bent beon his tye! z. 011 the 010rtnefs of pleaf~re, it is but momentany, but the gnaw· ing ot thy guilty confcience will abide for ever. 3· On thy mortality: 0 let thoughts · of rhy de.rh_ be the death ?f thy lulls 1 Dearly beloved, 1 befi:ch you a;.Jf,·angm and 1 Ptt,>,It. P•l-mnu abjlam from f!cfhly h~i"s. 1.· On hell fire' fiety fins WJ!I beget ftrry torments. 11;, ve read a ltory of a young Vtrgin, that being rcmpttd of a young man to the act of Ullcleonnds, lhc gave him t,hi< anfwcr, If y:m rri/1 grant me onerhing ( Gid fhe) I will fati'J'ie yot!r dcmJnd; he told her he would ; why then ( faid fhe) I defire you ,.o,td pm ymr finger, flr an•hale hour, to bm·n in tbit c.mdle: 0, faid the man, that you a,k me is umeafunab!c: !tit trl'fe ( faid !he) it it ttnreafonable, but Y"' atl;, me " reqmjf »l''re unreaflmabL·, t'if.ztil/ie yore irz a thing, for wbicb I]hall uot an!J burn one /;o"r, b1<t far wcr ""d ever in tho fire ofhell. Tile like llory is that of a young man, who every rime he felt lull ro arifc in him, he would mn tr;> the fire, and pat his f;nger in the ll.·me, and fcorclt his finger, ano! then would reafon with himfelf, and fay, 0 my foul, ad 0 my body, if 1 hou Cai!jt not endure a minutet time to hold thy fiuger iJJ the fire , h .·1!.V ?.rift tbou endure t,'l a/t Etcritity, I1J h.JVe not only thy finger, but thy w: o/e body i;l hill f/.qr.(f? A!id by this mean' (as he faith of hiro!elf) he got much Hrength ro morrihc th(){~ burnjng Juf1s \virhin him.. ~ Lool<ing unro }cfus in his dcat!t. Art thOll troubled with a fpirit of ltncleanncfs? ~;o to the Crof:; vl Utrilt, c,,ntcmpbtc his deirh, confider ferioLJIJy ao1d fadly his bit. ter, fi1amcfuL p.1i1~iul Cutfi:.rings, and then cry, 0 t1 1 at virtu2 maJ' ctmzeotti aftbir death nf Chrift to m·;rti}'c m)1 l10!s ! Cct·tainly there is :l conv<.yance of morrilying virtue flowing into the fOul, in rhe time of i~s vi~wing, eylng contemplating, re.fleCl:ing upon l.iui!l crucifi,_d Chrijl /ijied up, a"d this COJ>tes lrom the lccret prelcnce of Goa, bleilm~ thts our loul:jng ~tpon Cb.·ijf, as rho Ordimnce by which he bath appoint.. ed ro make an ctfcCtual iiT,prdfion upon the heart. It may be when all is done, this fin, as to fame bubling~ within, wdl_IJotdie orce:tfc in thee altogether, only through the grace ofCitrif\ it fh1ll no< rcr:;n, it Otall not have dominion over thee, Chri11s death will kill it oy dc<'rces, O!!d be thankful for that. _5' Th~ lafl O:di;latJCel fh?il tnrnc, is marriage, and the due and lawful enjoyment oftt. T11Js tS a prmc:p>l end of rnarrtagc, to keep a ttlln chal!; It it g.ad f.•· a ma11 1:ot to. t(Jtu;b a Vir~i", nev~rtbcllfs, toavoid fornicati!JJZ) ltt eve(y man bave /;is own wife. 1 Cor 7~ 1' 2 " And _,f tlus. prevail not, lee wlt<thcr thou hat1 uot been guilty of uncleannefs beforo n:arruge; 1.t to, thou muH rru!y repent of it, fOr marriage without repentance, abares 11<>1 tne power of lu!(. Be in rk ;oraCtife of a11 the particulars mentioned belore, avoid ail liCcaiions of lct!l, let a f>ua:d on thy fenics, for tlmu maytt be drunk wtth cby own ~dlHHain, if either in r.:ye, orcJr, or tongue, or hand) or our oftime, or out of m:alure thcu abu!di thy lclf; let thy olfccbons of deiire, and love, and JOY o,, Jefc:s C::ri!t, rake heed d idlencfs, and idle comp1ny, keop under thy body ' '\'.

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