Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

+4< 3tbe: jf2e:Ulll5ittlJ. _ __;___ lh_o_u_ld-p-re_a_c_h t_n_er_c_y_u_n;~-hi;;; though ~11 the Angds in heaven lh;;;;-td exhort and intreat him; though all glory and happineffe were l~ict before him, and he were wilhed only to believe and rake it, and it lhould be hts for ever ; yet in his natural condition he could have no power to receive fo bleffcd an offer: howfocver, this hinders not but he is to wait upon God in the me~ns. And then--. Ezek. 11. 19· Vfe I. V[e 2. 'Vfe r. V[e z. ,,;: ... Secondly, God may remove thts Corruptton, whtch he himfclf cannot do: Herein obfery.e ,we s Authour ( . • .The ? Titr.te • S of thts Grace. Firfi, lhe Authour is God: !wilitak! away their Jlony hra>·t,. (faith God) andgive them an he,~rt ofjiejlp; I wtll remove that fturd~ heart wh1ch 1s m them, and will give them a frameable, teachable heart, which fha!l ply, and yield to whatfoever I !hall teach them: Thetaliing away of t~e indifpofition of the foul to any duty, and the fitting, framing and difpofing of a foul to perform any fpiritual fervice, is the alone work ,qf God. . Q!(et then thy foul, and content thy heart ; thou mayefi fay, I have an hard heart J.J?itH'fj., 4nd. it lVifl reqfve nogoodfrom without, the J¥ord pre-vails not, the Sacraments hil<tJe 110 -power R7Jer me; allthe means, and coj/, aTJd char~es chat G'od harh be.ffowed upon me u ~of/, ar;d my heart i<. notyet humbled, my cormprionsare notyet weak!ned: But in this be thou comfortei\, though means cannot do it, which God ufeth at his pleafure, yet the Lorqq111.<;io it; ther~ is nothing difficult to him thl\t hath ,hardnefTe itJelf at command. Be then Exhort~d, you that have ih;>ny hearts, to have recourfe unto this great God ofHeawen. Should a Phyfi<;ian fct up a Bill, That he would cure all that arc troubled wit~ th~ Stone in the Reins, and that we lhuuld hear of many healed by him, this would fiir up all to repair tu him,' that laboured of this Difeafe. Why, the Lord this day.hath fat up a Bi!l, That he wiU cure all fiony hearts that will but come to him, and all the children of Gqd have fO<Jnd the proofhercof 1 to the comfort of their fuuls. Yot1 wives,therefore, tha; have husbands with fiony hearts, and you parents, that have chilqren with fiony hearts, tell thert1, You have head this day of a Phyfician that will <:ure 'them, and exhort them to repajr UfiFO him. Secondly, the Time of this Grace, is either .' {Means. m regard of the ·.., . ·, . _sy-~,en. ·I :th'~egard of th~ Means; and that is,when the fons of men have the Gofpel lhining in their faces; if el(er God work upon their hearts, it will be then. ·' . · This lhould teach us how thankful we ought to \;le unto the Lord, that enjoy thefe libetti~~ in the L~~~qf th.e li.viPg; THat a 1nan was born in fuch a time, in the !all: Age of the Wqrld, i11 fuel) d place, in t(l\s Kin~dom, \v,herein the way oflife and falvati90 is fo.fully, [o plainlY,, q.nd fo powerfu)ly made known,that the Sun of the Go,fpellhines · full in ~Is face, and ls not yet fet : Q how thankful Qtould he be ! · And for thofe th_at neglect the fr!ean!. of their Sall(ation, how lhould we pitj( them? Me t):ti,nks I fee a poqr e.rcature, that flighte4 mercy \1\'d falvation when it was offered him; fi!C thinks I fee that fuullying upon his'deaths-bed, light is departing fron1 his .eyes, and his foul is departing from his body; 0 the name ofa Miniflcr, of a Chrer<h, they, ~re as Bills oflndicrments againll: the Soul of this man ; me thinks I hear fuch a ma\tli!y "~his lafl: gafp, The dafu.!f,one, the gate uJlutt, and no1~ it i4 too late to enter : Am\ th~s t\le foul d~parts from his body, the ~d,y , to the grave, and the foul to hell; 0 what bitter lamentations will that foul make m heli,O the g•lden time that I havefeen, andnot regarded! 0 thegraciom opportHnities of Salvation that my eyes have beheld, and yet I negleEI:ed! 0 the mercy, ~nd grace, andgoodnejfe of,Jod, that have been offered unto me! All thefe I have contemned, and trampled under myfoet~ andthexefore nq,w pt~>ft I be tormented with the Devil and his Angels,frgm cverlaffing to evcrlafling-. New•the Lord give u~ hearts to take notice of thefe things, If I were now breathing out my lafi btearh, I would breath out this Legacy to all furvivmg Chri[!:iai!S, This ts the acrepred time, thu u the day ofSalvation. Do y_ou !u:ar? This.day is G-Iaec offered, a~d· lfany her.e would entertain it, 0 what c~mfort might he 1\;j.ve!, I wa' never humbled 4ore (mtght hefay)but thud.ay wds I humbled; I could nevcrbrfdre rrcc>'l/e mercy, b11t tb;; day bave.Jrcceivcd it; 0 thinMs agooddf).'" me, n-".w,blej[ed J,J I fore:<:."·· . .· 2. IR regard of mel),on whom God works;t~at (s te fay,oo fomcm thctrtcndcr age, one fome· in thcirxilleage, on fome in thcif ol\1 ~l!c ; ~ Buthowev.·er the Lord ~oth·at; r ' ' · .r r·yi""J.· · · • f..:\'Oral '\

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