Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

Chap·t. Secr.6. Book IV. m fi od : Again, Chrift was bound dm we might be ft ee: the Cords of Chrill: were fo full of vin~e, that they loofed rhe Chains ot our hns, an~ md the hands of Gods J u– ll:ice which were !hetched our again!r us for our !ins. .Agat~, he was bound for us, that Joh~migbtbindusrohimfelf. I dmv them tl'ith CDi'dJof a mar~, with b.1ndsof Love. r r A !lrange thing it was, to fee the King bound for the Thieves offence; bur fuch was ' 0 • '" 4 • Chrifl's Love, that he might draw linful mankind to rheLove of him agam. Laftly, one "OOd Lellon we may learn from wicked 7ud.u ; ta/1!' him, and lead himmvay fafeiy :-- Zoldhim faft. Come Chrillians ! heres good counfel from a Jlfd~.&; like another Caiaf~"'; he prophelies he knows not what;. :ak§ him, and lead him array, and hold him fajf. Iris of neccffiry that thofe wluch fptmually feek after Chnll, lhonld rake htm 'by Faith, and hold him fall by Love : I wdl rife now, (faitb the Spo~fe) I tvill feek_hi,n <lont. 3 • ,, 4 . 1vhommy foullovcth; and anon, I foundhrmwhommy fotdloveth, I held hrm, andwot~ld _not let himgo, until I. h&J brot~ght lmn wto my Mothers Houfc, mto the·Chambe;s •f her chat conceived me. We mull anfe out of the bed of !in, we mull feek Chnll: m the ufe of Ordinances, and there if we find him, we mull: take him, by hold on him by the hands of Faith, and not let him go; bur lead himfafely until we have brought him into our Mothers Houfe, into the Affemblies of hi ; people; or if you will, until ·we hlvc brought him into our fouls, where he may fup with us , . and we wirh l1im. 4· For his leading to .Atma<, [olm recordsit, thattheyledhim to.Annas firfl, for be Johnt8.•~· w.u f arher-in-lmv '?CaiphM, whowa; the high Pricjf th~t f amc.ycar. I. They led him away· "-""'Y"-'Y" • Jt refers to the place whence rhey led bun; rhe Garden was the termimua Juo; there they apprehend~d him, and bound him, and thence rhey,led !:imaway ; but rhe word 'A""')'", is fometlpng more rhan meerly abduco; fomenmes u lignilies abigo, to drive away, whether by force, or frauJ ; fomnmes rapro ad Jitpplici.,m, ad judi,·andum; to fnatch away eitheno ptmifhmenr, or to judgment: It is faid *, they • drew him away by the h•irs of thehead, a~d that they led him irt rmcomh !Mies, and through ba::,";;JJ1:· the Brcok Cedron, tn whteh the mder for~ldrers pl11ngcd hrm, and paffid upon hrm all the P.ianidia ""· affronts and rudenr{s which an info!en~ and cruel multitJt..ie cotJid think... of. So that now c~ crimh111. again was rhe fulfilling of the Prophdte, He p~al/ drink_ of the Brook ·in the way, Pfal. Virg. !En. I. uo. 7. I dare not doliver rhefe things as certain truths; only this I affirm, that they led him, liJatcht him, haled him from the Garden back again to 'ferufalcm, over the Brook and Vallcycall_edCedron.- -2. They led turn firft to AnnM; why thither, is a quefiion: the cognizance of the caufe belonged not properly to Armas, but to CaiphM: all that can be faidfor .Arma.t, is, th<t he was chief of the Sanhedrim, and Father-in-law to Caipha<, and to be tee high Priell the next year following. Oh when I think of Jefus thusledaway-to.AnnM firft; when I think of him partvi ly going, and partly haled forwards, and forced to hall:en his Grave-pace. when I J'' think of him thrown inro, or plunged in the waters of the Brook, and f~ forced ro drink of the BrookCcdron in the way•: when I rhink of him prefemed bya deal offouldiers, aod rude Catch-poks, to this mercenary .Arma< ; and withal think that I had an hand as deep as any other in thefe acts; my l)earr mull: either break, or I mull: proclaim it an heart of flint, and not of lleOJ, Come Chri11ians, let us lay our hands upon our hearts, and cry, Oh mypride! and Oh my covetoufncfs! and Oh my malice and revenge! Oh my unbelief! and Oh my ttnthankfulnefs! and Oh my uncharitablencfs to the needy members of Chrift Jef"'! why thefe were the rout, thefcwere they that led, and dragg'd, anddrew 7tfi«(as it were) by thehair of hu head; rhefe were they that too~ hold of the chain, andp~tlledhim forwards, a~Jjhewedhim in triumph to thi; bloudy Annas; nay, thefe were the Judas, Jews, Annas, and all: Oh that ever I jhould lodge within me fuch an heart, that fhould kdge 1n rt fuchJim, fuch betr,tym, fuch mlirdercrs of Je[tu Chrift I Bu~Imullremember .my felf, Watchman, wh. 11 of the night? watchman, what of the Tfa.2r.u,a, mght? if ye wrl/ enqt<ire,_enqt<ire, return, come. Vfe may now fuppofe it about the third M.r '4·•5· . hour' or the !all watch; mthe Gofpel it is called th foutth watch of the night • elfe- Exod. '<• '4• where it i~ call_ed the morning-watch, which cominueth till the morning. And 'of rhe Pfal. ' 30 ' 6 • Ads done tn thtSinterval of time, we are nextto treat. SECT.

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