Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

~en(tatton. Chap.S . Se&.5 7· Teftimony. And cloth not the Scriptures exprefle thefe loves of the foul to the Lord Jefus? If Joh'' a. 42. God beyour Father (faid Chrift to the Jews) then will ye love me~ --and, Thy name Cant. J. 3· iJ a& an oyntment pouredf orth , therefore do the VirgmJ love thee :-and, JIVe wilt reme/JJ:. Ca" '- + her thy love more than wine; the upright /we thee: We love him (faith the Apollle) be– ;.j,'/:';t 1 t caufe he loved'" jirjl: J wi/1 love thee (faith David) 0 Lord my flrength: - --· J will Prov, 8. "· caujethcfo that love me (faith Wifdom) to inheritjitbj/ance :--He that hath my Com- , ]oin14. 21. m~ndments and ksepeth them, he it is that hveth me, and he that loveth me, jhall be loved of J'ful, "9· 1 32 • my Father, and J will love him, and I wi/1 manifefi' my love J<nto him:-·- Look_upon me (faith David) and be merciful umo me, a.· thou ufejl to do unto thofo that love thy name. Thus for information of Judgement, now for the ftirring up ( 0 my foul!)' of thy Affections. I. ii.r/ijh. And herein 0 my foul. I. Think on the act. , 2. On the object. I. The aCl i; love : 0 divine love ! 0 the p!eafures , 0 the joys of this love! 0 honey and fweetne!fe it felf! it is love that fets a price on all other Duties; the leall fervice (even a cup of cold water, or a widows mite) if it have but a grain of this love in it is a moft acceptable facrifice to God; it is love that hath rhe Promifes of this life, f tov. 8. 2 '· and that which is to come: I will caufe thofe that love me , tu inherit fubjhmce, and I J""'" 1 ' 12 ' will fill their trcajitrcs,---yra, th<re is a crown of life~ which the Lord hath promifed to them th"t love him; it is love that by Chriil: affurcs to us ~11 the glorious priviledges flowing from Chrifl, as Reconctllation, Adopt1on, Forgtvenefl'e of fin.s, Julrificatlon, 1 cor ;.o 2 ,,3, Righteoufnefle, Wifdom, SanClification, Redemption, Poffeflion of all things. All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollo, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things prefem, or things tu come, all are yours, andyou Are Cbrifts, and Chrifl is God.r. 2. The ObjeCl is Chrift, and oh who can think of this love cf Chrij/,and ·not be !'llvifhed therewith ! Had I a thoufand hearts to bellow on Chrifl, they wet€ all too little, they were n~ver able to lrxve him fufliciently, it is the Lo;·d J'fiu, that is allllrength, and all wifdom, and all honour,and all beauty; the fountain of all graces, and vertues, and qualities in men: whatfoever grace, orvertuc, or quality is in us,they are but fo many rayes that come from this Sun ofrighteoltjneffi; he is fai;·er than the children ofmen, andgr,;r,ce eminently u powred into his lips.---He u white'and rliddie,thechiefeftamong tm ?• 1• ;s;:; 1 thoufands, hie htad u M the moft jinegold, his lock.! an bujhy , and black_ ao a raven. his ",~ :3. ' 'eyes are M the eyes of doves by the rivers ofwaters, wa}hed with tnilk.f and jiriy [et;. hiJ cheekss are M a bed offpices, M jiwet flowers, his lips ilks lillys dropping downjiveet Jmcl– ling mirrhe -.... his h.mds aruugold-rings fot with berill, his belly u M bright Ivory, over14,1s,l6, laidwithSaphiref; his/eggs areas piflars of marble, fotupon fock;ts •ffine gold, his countrnar~t:e is as Lebanon, excellent M the CedArs; his mouth Mmoft fwect, yea he is altogether lovely. Here! 0 here is an objeCl: (my foul) well worthy of thy love! here thou mayft ~e I[a, 66· fure th'ou canil: not love too much ; come and fee, this ls he whore name is wonderful, counfeller, 1 the mighty God, the everlafting Father-, the Prince of feace, this is he who .R.ev•r.r 7 , 1 s i& thefirft,andthelajf, who is, and was, andistocome; wholiveth, .zndwa-sdead, and behold h'e jiveth for evermore : this is he who hath made .thy P,eace ; his voyce now to the is the voyce of peace; draw near, and behold him, doft thou not hear his 'Jolm 7· 27 voycc: he that calledThomas to come near, and to-fee the print of the nayles, and to put his finger into his wounds, he it is that calls thee, come near and view the: Lord thy Saviour, and be notfaithlejfe, but believing; peace be unto t~et, fe.zr not) it is I: he Jfninb 59· 1 that calleth, Behold me, behold me, to a rebellio1ts people that calleth mt on hir name, dorh call out to thee a believer to behold him ; he that calls to them tobehold his Jorrow in a day ofhumiliation, doth call now to thee to behold his glory in the day of his exaltation: look well upon him, 0 my foul, doth thou not know him? why it is he that brought thee up from the pit of hell, it is he that reverfed the fcnten(;e of thy damnation, that bore the curfe which thou fhouldll have borne, and reflored thee to the bldling which thou hadll forfeited and loll:, and purchafed the advancement which thou mull inherit for ever, and yet doft thou not know him ? why? his hands were pierced, his head was pierced, his fides were pierced, his heart was pierced with the fting of thy fins, that by thefe marksrhou mightell alwayes know him: doll thou not remember when he[01md th~e lying in thy blood, ar>d took. pity on ther, ·and dr<lfrd rhJ

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