Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

Book IV. Chap. 2. sea. t. J!.ooitmg unto 'jtru.s. dayes) but a; for the weightier matters of the Law, J"dgment a11d Mercy, they leave them undone? . . 3 • Chrill is moll falily arcufed of fedition, feduClion,' and nfurpation; 1t were indeed to,be wilhed, that they woo take upon them the name of Chn{bamry, were gmltlefs ?f fuch crimes. but let them look ro a, who are fuch: Tlus, I am fure, was Chnft s Rule and r:acrife : Be fubjefJ to every conjl:itution and nmhority ef man, for the LOYd's 1 Pet. 2, 1 l: fakf. If any dare to rdi!t the pow~r that is of God, they fha/1 receive to themfe/ves dam- Rorn. 'l· 2, nation. Nor can we excufe our [elves, becaufe our Go1crnors are not godly; for all the Governors to whom Cbrill and his Apollles fubmitted themfelves, and to wlwm all rhofe ChiCl: Precepts of Duty and Obedience related in tbe New T~llamenr, were no better (for ought I know) than Tyrants, Perfecuters, Idolaters, and Heathen Princes. 4· Chrift is examined only of his ufurpation: .Art thou. the King of the Jews? the men of thil world mind only worldly things: The Apofile fo defcribes them; whor~ind Phi1.;;•9• Ctl'thly things, Pi/are regards not Ch~ilt's Doctrine; but heis afraid !ell he lhould afpire t!Je Kingdom; and concermng rhrs, our Savtour puts lum out of doubr ; My Kingdom i< ilotof thi< world. As Pi/ate and Chrift, fo \Vorldlings and Chrillians are of different principles, they mind earthly things ; but o11r converfation '(faith the Apo- Vor.10J file) i< in hea~·en; ourconverfation(i.) the aim and Coope of our hearts, in every aCtion, is only for heaven; wharfoever we do, it flJOeld fome way or other lie us for heaven; we lhould llill be laying in for heaven againft the time that we lhall come and live there; we llJOuld have our thoughts and hearts fer upon heaven :. fo it is faid of holy Mr. Ward, that being in the mid£1:.of a Dinner very ~omemplattve; and the people wondering what be was mufing about; he prefently breaks out, for ever, for ever, for ever< and though they endeavoured to flill him, yet he frill cried out, for ever, for ever, fw ever; Oh eternity ! to be for. ever in heaven :vith God ond Chrift, how lltall this fwallow up all other thoughts and atms? andefpecraUy all worldly, careful, Gnful thoughts, aims, or ends? ' ;z. Pilate having difmilfed J efus, this hour is concluded with af~d difaller of \,;eked Judat; then J~tdas,i,hich betrayed him, when he Jaw th•t he watcondemned, repented him- Mat. •7· ~· fc!J, &c. Now his Confcience thaws, and gHJWs fomewhat render; but it is like tlu! tcndemefs of a Bole, which is nothing elfe but a new difeafe; there is a repentance that comes too late: E{an wept bitterly, and repented him, when rbe B)eillng was gone; the five foolilh Virgins lift up their voic.es aloud, when the gates were lltut. and in.bell men lltall repent to all eternity ; and fudt a repentance was this of Jt•dat; ~bout midnight he had received his money in the houfe of .Annat, and now betimes in the morning be repents his bargain, and throws his money ~ack again ; the end of this Tragedy was, that Judat died a miferable death; he perill1ed by the moft infamous hands in the world (i.)by his own hands: he went andha,g<dhim(elf. And as Luk§, he Mat. l 7 , $; fell headumg, andbttrft afunder m the w·'ft, and all hu bowels gufhed out. In every paffag~ of his death, we may take notice of God's jufiice, and be afraid of fin; it was juft tha" he fhould hang in the air, wl10, for his !in, was hated both of heaven and earth • and tlt:?.t heJlwuldfall down headlong, who was fallen from fuch an height of honour: and that the Halter llwuld ftrangle that throat, through which the voice of treafon had founded; and that his bowels llwuld be loft, who had loll the bowels of all pity, piety, and compaffion;. and that his Gboft llwuld have its pa£Tage our of his midll (he burfl: afunder ~n the mrdll) and not out of his lips, becaufe with a kifs of his lips he ha\! betrayed I!IS Lord, .our ble£Ted Jefus. Heres a wa~ntng-pkce to all the world; who would die fuch a death for the plea– fureof a httle ltn? or whowouldJJow fuffer for millions of Gold, that which fudatfuf– fered, and yer fuff~rs 111 hell for thirty pieces of Giver? Now the Lord keep our fouls from berraymgChnft, and from defpairing in God's mercy through Chriil, .Amen, Amen. I fee one Sand isrun, I mufl ru;n the' Glafs; now was the fev,enth hour, and. what were the pallages of thathour, I /hall· next relate. SECT.

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