Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

S l.:·1;en mifer· u[oJ:s, &.-. Lmen~.1.12 I; Mar:h. 8.11. Matth.27,18. Luke 23: 14· }oho 9, 10. '· Luke to 1. Luke 10. 17. John 6. 66. M•:th:26. l•· ~latth.t~ 31. ,Matth· 8,; 26. J~lm 6. 68• Lnkc 22. B· Mmlu6, JS. latgbt t0utgatorp. ;:---~---- A '.~cl in heaven, no Saints, no work.! on earth: no P~trgatory under earth, it is be himfclf w1ll purge.tbyhm,fdf; my text affirms It, (and who dares gain fay it? )that he by him(elf(oy no othcr}hathpurged utr fins. . Thus farrc you have fcen Chnft purgmg Wtthout apartne• ;he trod the wim-preffi ..,, and there u•a; none t& help-him; but 0 the bitterneffe of this purge that admits or:'· help, no eafc! as he had nopartner to help htm, fo no Comforter to chear him in i~ fo hmcntablc fuffenngs. Some cafe u i,; to have one or other touckedwith the fonfc ofour .miferics, and if they can.. not help us,yet to do what they can (be tt only to condole us) tt were a comfortable re– frefhmg; nay, but our Savwur findes no refrefhmg at ail, he purged by hi"felf, without a Parmct, wtthout a Conforter, not any one on earth or m heaven, that afforded hispo heart any cure or cordial.. Fidl:, look on earth, for to them cloth h~ addreffe that fpee~h m Lamentattons,ls 1t nothmg to you .allye that pajfe by? the moft gnevous tormentsfinde fome mtttganon m the fupply of fnends, and what friends hath our Saviour to comfort him in his torments ? If you fay the Gentiles; I mufl: confeffe he found faith in fome, and a feeming fa\'vur from others: the Ccntunon IS wttneff'cof the one, ofwhom our Saviour himfclf confcffed, I have notf 'undfo great faith, no not in ifrael, Matth 8. 10 and Pi/ate gives a token of the other, when he too~ water, and >vajhed hu hands before the mu!tit~tde, f•Y· "'g, I am t~mcem ofthe bloodof thu JUJiman, Matth. 27. 2-f. but alas! did Pi/ate fo favour him as to free him? no, he fears to condemn him being innocent, and yet dares hot abfolve him, being fo envied as he was by the ]ewes; what then can a little water? what can Jordan floods? what can rivers of wine,and oyle do, towards the wafhing of thofe hands, that had power to releafe h1m, and would not ? he knew they had delivered himofenvy, Matth. zq. 18. he confeffes, !ftnde no fault in this man, Luk. 2J. q. he tells him that he had power to cmcifte him, and he had power to loofe him, John 1 9 . 1 o. and yet fondly would he wafh away the guilt of his unjufl: fentcnce, with a little water on his hands; no, Pilate; that ceremony cannot wafh away thy fin,that fin I mean,which tho'u and the Gentiles in thee committed, in delivering of Jefus to the will of the ]ewes. But if clelivercd to the ]ewes, fure it is weU enough; he is their Countrey-man, Kinf– man, of the fl:ock of Abrahmn, of the Tribe ofJuda, of the Family of Jo(cph; bLt this rather aggravates than allaies his mifery, that his own people fhould degenerate into Traitors: not a Gentile, but a Jew to be his Executioner: what torment had not been a lenitive, and a recreati<>n in comparifon of this? Daniels Den, the three Childrcns Furnace, Efays wooden Saw, Jfraels fiery Serpents, the Spamjh [nquifition, the R,mif/, Purgatory, arc all as far fhort in torture, as the !all: of them in truth, to tbe malice ofa Jew; witneffc our Saviours death, when they aU co.nfpired not only to fcourge him, mock him, buffet him, flay him; but to flay hnn in fuch a manner, as to hang him on nailcs, and to make-the Croffe his Gibbet. But·what? no·comforter amongfr them all? do the Gemiles condemn him? will the Jews crucifie him? and is there none to pity him? Yes,whatf.1y we of his Dtji:iplcs, that heard him, followed him, and were fent ofhim by two a•1d two imo every City and place, whither he hi11jelfjhould come? \Vould rou think that thefe frvcmy, for they were fo many in number) which for a time did hts Embaffage w11h ;oy, would now havcforfaken him? yes,if you mark it, Many of thcm went ba<i<_.aadwouldwal/zfJo more wuh _hrm; _fome fl:umble at his Dochinc, others at his Paffion, but all were offended, as 1t ts wrttten, ] willJmite the Shepherd, and the jheep of the flock,.jiJall be Jcattered, Matth. 26. 3 J. • ·r Yet if the GwtilCJ reject him, they do but like Gmtiles who were tgnorant ofG?d; t tlie ]ewes hate and maligne him, it is but thei: old wont of k.!llmg the Prophets; tf the DifcipiCJ that arc weaker,faint,and waver 111 f~tth,:t was no more than w~s fatd of them, 0 ye ofLatie faith, but what fay we to the nvclve Apoflles, thofe Secretanes of hts my-. fl:eries , fl:ewardsofhis mercies, almnersof hrs bountrcs? wdl they al(o go away, and leave him comfortlcffc alone) no, can htcr f.ty, Majfcr, to whom }hail we go? thou h<>.ft the words ofeternal life John 6. 68. or if he will have deeper protcflations~ l•m ready to go with thee (faith Peter) into pri(on and 10 death ; Luke 22. 33. to death ~ ye~, though I die with thee, ]will not deny thee; and thtuJatd all hu Difetple.<, Mat. 26. 3)d and yet like Jonas Gourd when the Sun beats hottelr, how f?on are they all go?e, an vanifhed away? Lo, one betrayes him, an?ther forfwears lum, all run from hnn; and leavehim alone in the midll: of all his cnemtes: And

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=