Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

Chap.4·Secb5.16. Book H. 73 /Jif cur[liF thiJ d.ty. Pray alfo for love, which i• of more force to rcllrain thee from re– venge, rl;m •ny in,ury to provoke thee to anger, for love fuffcrJ lo>t~, yea, luvt fitJfers all 1 Cor. 13 . 3 ,, , · . It will make thee eo look upon h•m wrth whom thou art angry as a brother ~::?;:l;etcfore to tor!Jive him, as thou would~ have God to f?rgivc thee ;,.it will ma~e thee to meditate on the unbounded mercy ot God, who[.: vatc~es tho.u mufitmJtate Jf thou art his child; he forgives thee, ":d he forg•vcs thy cnem,es_thm m~ny fins, and Clnll not thou forgive them? thod llandfi m needof mhJJJte mercy for wa(bmgawaythy many fmil olfcnets, and wilt thou nor let one drop of mercy fall upon.thy brother to forgive him in tome rrifliiJg_wronbs > 0 pray for love and pray for patJence, and pray fi'>r the ailithnce ol Gods Spmt ro mort!fie thy an&er, and to fancblic thy nature, that thou rnaytl b; fcrviceable tu Gods g!ory, the good of thy brcthrcJJ, and the f~rth~- rcnce of thy ownClvation in Jdus Chntr. SECT. XV. Of tempt.ztims, in refptll of onf outrp.zfd coud;tioHJ. Hitherto of temptations , in ~efpdl: of om natural difpofitio1:s; the nexr have a rdp...:Cl to o~r outt~Jr~l con:::unon~. Now thu' we are CHI~cr 1n pro{penty, or a~. 1 ry. if we arc m pro!pcnry , thtn Sa ran remptsus to rhofe illls whercro that {hte 1 .~ ;:,:'~l~fuhJ<tl:, as to l;>rgcttidnds of God, contcmpts of our poor brcthrcll, love of the world, pride, &c.lf we arc Ill advnfity~the~ herempts us to the ufc of ll~1lawfi1 ! meJns for the rcpairin6 ot our dhtes, or to d1hru:'bng Ill God, or tO flcalrng, defrauding, mur– muring, n:pining, whac not I lcann_or tnrdl on all thcf~ p~HJculars, tor I Intend bre– vity, only 1(ball mpllion o~e >ffault 111 rtferencc to profp<IIIy, a11d allother as toadver. lity,and thw haY• uonc witol thiS He1d SECT. XVI. Of St.~t,A~tJ a§.mltJ of 'ontmz,zing~ oJtt Frethren. I F we arc io profp:.riry, it is one afllult _of SJt:m, .1nd it is our cvmmon fin, tQ contemn our brdhren; the very CJ{~ of en~ (ori.ntiJi.uu, who in their Love.feafi:s carried it fo' unequally, that one "J.Pailumg~y, tow it, thepoor, and an.otber waJ drunl<_en, 1 cOr: 11 , 21 . to wit, the rich; thi, m•dc the Apottle to ask them, What? b"ve ye 1111t houfesto eat and 2 ,. , dri;:k._ in? ur d<jpi[t Y' the Cbmch of G,d, and j/Mmc tbcm tbat bavc not? in theorigi· rill; tbcm tbJt are f'J'r· The very cafe alfo of the Cltriflian Jews in general, and therefore faith, J~mCJ In his gcn,ual Epifr1c ro th~..m, A~ brctlireu, /,ave 1/.l)f tb( faith of our Jam. 12, 3, 4 i rd JcfiuCbrift wirb rcfpcii ofpf>fnu; fo~ifthue come mttoyuu~· ajfcmbly a m.mwith agold ring, in gQodly app.lrel, a,ut t~o·c come ti1 al[u aP,oor m.z;z zn zn!e ~aJ•mmt,ye have rtJPe{i to him tllat 1YJCaretb tbeg..tyclo.3tbzng, KJtd)le [..y 10 bmr,jit tho1t herew agoodplace, but ye fay tu tbe p.,or, jland thou there,. fit unda my Jootjloul: dre yi mt parti.>l in your {elves, a11d Judges •f wil thoughts l I 0Iall not denr, but that rhtte is an holy and warrantable rcfpcct of perlons in refprct of their age, calhng, gifts, greatnefs , in tbe world; but when great reverence is OlCwcd [0 the ri..:h, and our poor brethren are under contempt, as if they were t:nwonhy our comp.1ny and convcrfl.') when \',.le go fo far as to dl,cm the wicked ric;l , above the godly poor, whLnce when wc fo debJfc the godly poor, that we confider tbcm not at all according to their eminency in grace, and Iugh llation in Chritlianity; but we pJfS by the appeJrance of God in thLm, without any mJ.rk or notice, furely this is::!. fin, :;u;d tbi.) is atutlprationof Satan; can it be of any thing that's qught, that a rdpd.t fhould be h3d to a v. urldly !,fire, rather than to a fpiri· ritual grace? that a gold ring fi10uld be prdcrrnl before a rich faith, doth this favour of Chrillianity? or rathtr do1h it not favour uf the. order of thcfe Principalitiu, &nd PowerJ, and rul~u, ,znd JpjrilnJI n:ick_pJncjfu, l1u·c mmy text? I belit ve de. viis do thus in oppofirion to God, a11d his waycs; the)' dcfpift the poor, and prefer the rich: but heark$n my belrJV~'d Bruhrcn, h.tlb n~t God c!J11hz tbr p~;or oftbiJ w.,rld) ricb infaith, and Jam.<\-s. heir! of the Kingdonre! God anJ rh, dcv1l Jrc as comrarps may be; Go4 h"th r.fPcCI to k the l.:n·lincfs of bis b..t1td-m.lidm, be cx.tlut/J them (f lonr dLz_ree} be fillcth tbe bungry L~ e IAI,p. "Sith good thiJtgJ, tmJ tbc ric& be }ends cmply.lw,~y. But S1rJn prd~rs \'JidH:d world. S:· lings, and accordin 0Jy tt.mprs orhers eo LXalr, :.:.dvJn,c, and hwunHr thun> whilefi the L ~oJiy

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