Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

Heb Ir. ;:4, 3S, 37· 2 Cor. 1. 24. /r[1. 8. 32' I P~l· 2. 23. cyprian deliup. M.art.;r, ~df-ntnrat. Chap r;.Se&.i. · 9· Mind the principle that mufl carry usthrough death, and make death it felfho– nourable. We read Heb. I 1. That by fa:th fame quenched the violence of fire.~ Others were tormred. -They were ftoned, they w<re fawen ~tfunder, they were tempted t6ey 1vercjlaine with the fivord ; and all thu by faith. Faith is the graEe that enables u; to deny ourfelvcs, yea life it[elf; other g~aces may do much, but faith hath the principal Work in this.. Ey.fatth ye ftand, fatd the Apoftle to his Corinthians,it isfaith tnat makes a man £land m h1sgreateft tryals, a.nd therefore when Chtifl: faw how Peter fhouldbe tempted, he tells hun thathe had prayed that his faith fhould not fail; noting that while his faith held all would \Je fure; Faith in this cafe is like the corke that is upofl the net, tbough the lead on the one fide finke it down, yet the corke on the other fide k€eps it up in the water: Da7!id pro{<!fed that he hadfainted un!ejfe he had believed. Believing keeps from faintmg in the time of trouble. 10. When fufferings come,then llir up,and put forth the grace offaith in the exerdfc of it: Look np to God for fl:rength and affillance, commit our fclvesand caufe wholly ro h1_m, plead the prom1fe, _plead our call ~hat he hath called us to this, plead the caufe rhat 1t IS h1s. Mr. Tmd.,/m a letter ~f h1s t? Mr. Fryth_who was then in prifon,hath four expreffions of the workoffauh m the ume of fuffermg;Ifyougive your f e!f, cast yourfelf, yuldyour[elf, commit your fe!f tvholly and om!y toyo11r loving father, then Jha/1 hu power be in you, and mak§ Y"" ftrong, hejiJ.dl[et oHt his tritth by )'Oit wonderfully, and work! for y011 a_bove_allyour heart c~n tmagme. But becaufe fatth IS tlre root, or principle ofSelfdenyalm th1s cafe of fuffenngs, I £hall therefore propound two queftiorrs in the following Paragraphs. SECT. r what are the differences betwi~·tfaith and pride ofthe heart infuj[<rings. I Anfwer-- 1, If Pride be the principle, a man is ready to put forth himfelf though he be not called: it is true that in fomc extraordinary cafes, a man may have an inward calling by fome extraordinary motion of Gods Spirit, as fome of the Martyrs had; but in an ordinary way a gracious heart fears it-felf, and dares not venture till God calls, it depends more 011 Gods call,than any ftrength it ha\h to carry it through. 2. If Pride be the principle, a man cares not for Gods name any further than he is intere£led in it ; fhould God ufe others to honour his name, and he no way come in, he regards it not. ' 3· If Pride be the principle, a man cloth not fo.much fl:rengthen himfelf with the co)1folations of God; or the fweet of the promifes, as he cloth with his own felf-proud thoughts ; the heart is not fa much taken up w!th the glori_ous reward of God in heaven, as With fome prefent felf-good here: whereas faith is altogether for fpiritual and fupernatural good, it carties · the foul beyond all prefcnt things. 4· If Pride be the principle, there is no gooa got qy fufferings, the foul doth not thrive under them, it doth not grow in grace by thetrt, it growes not more holy, more heavenly, more favoury in all the wayes of it, the lufl:re and beauty of godlinelfc does not encreafe upon fuch a one, he is not more fpiritual, he cloth not cleave dofer to God, he is not more frequent with God in fecret, he doth not enjoy more inward communion with God than formerly; but if j aith be our principle in fuffering, there is never fuch thriving in grace as then; Then the Spirit ofglory, and ofGod 11{eth ro reft ~epon Gods fervams; a godly mans fervice prepares him for fufferings, and his futferings prepare him for fervice : the Church never 11\ined brighter in h<ttinelfe than \vhen it was under the greatefl: perfecution. 5. 1f Pride be the principle, there is not that c:rlmne!I'e, mee.kneffe, quietti"eiTe, fwcetneffe of fpirit in the carriage of the foul in fufferings, as where faith is; Pride caufes the heart to fwell,to be boy£lerous and difqtliet, to be fierc~ and vcxing,bccaufe it is crolll!d; but faith. brings in the Spirit of' Tefds Chrifl:, and that was a quiet and meek Spitit in fufferings, as the fl"'P before the jl,e.mr; When he IVM reviled, he rcvil1d not again: Where is reviling and giving ill language, there is prrde fl:irring in·that heart, cypri"" !peaking of the Martyrs contemni)lg dcath,faitH,Wte'fee not rhachlrwble loftineffe, or that lofry humility is any, bUt in tbe Marfjres of'je{'Ul Chrift. • : (). If Pride be the prin•iple, · thete is ~oyncd witlrthat '&\ltis-{\)iferings a dt!litc·of · rc.Jerrge;

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