Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

4-02 -!3ook IV. 1.Lallung unto jltfu.s. Chap. 3 .sea.;- manifol~ caufe of rhankfulnefs and praife is here.? be enlarged 0 myf~l,f~-~ the pra~f~? of rhy Chnll:, reil all the world ot tlm warmefl Jove of Chrift, which llowed With hts blood out of all lm wounds tnto thy fpirir; rune rhy hearr-ftrings anghr, and keep conforr with all the Angels of Heaven, and all his Saints on eanb . Re.·.r. ), 6. ·fing_thar Pfalm of !ohn.the Divine, Vnto himthatloved llf, and tvafhed;u from ottr fin; "'hu otV!l blood, and bath made"' Kmgs and Prtej/s unto God, and hMFather to him b glory and dominion for ev~r and ever. Amen. ' · ' r SECT. IX. Of confotmillg to Je(~~< in 'that refpc[[. ' 'L 9· L E~t us conform to }e(tu i~ refpeC!: of his fufferings and death, look.inl unto refru . . ts etfeC!:tve of rlus; obJeCI:s have an attrachve power, rhat do :tllimulate, or ~ake. hke unto them. I have read of a woman, that by fixing the !!rength of her ima– gmanon upon aBlackamo~e on ~he wall, H1e brought forth a black and fwanhy child. And n? queftton but there 1s _a kmd of fpmtual-tmagmanve of power in faith to be like to Chnft by lookmg on Chnft; come then, and let us look on Chrifl and conform to Chrift in this refpeC!:_ ' In this particular I Orall examine thefe I!.!!,£ries: I. Wherein we mull: conform ? 2. What is the caufe of this conformity? J. What are the means of this conformity as on our parrs ? For the lidl:wherein we muftconform? I anfwer; we muft conform to Chriil in his graces, futferings, death. , , I. In the graces that moll: eminent!}' Orined in his bitter paffion; his life indeed was John r. 16. ~ gracious life,. _he was full of grace, Andof hi; fulne{s have. all we received, and grace for grace, but lus graces·flrmed moft clearly and bnghtly at lus dt;tth; as a Ltlly amongrc the Thorns feems mofl beautiful, fohis graces in his fufferings !hew moll: excellent. I llrall inftance in fame of them : As~ ' I. His humility was 1>rofound; what? that the moll: high God, that the only be– gotten, and eternal Son of God, ihould vouchfafe fo far as to b~ contemned, and lefs efteemM than B,~rabba.· a munherer? that Chrift llrould be cructfied upon acro(s be– twixt two thieves, as if he bad been the ring-leader of all malefaC!:ors1 0 what humi– lity was this ? 2. His patience was wonderful; in refpeC!: of this, the Apoftle Peter fets Chrift as a bletfed example before our eyes; If when ye do well, and friffer for it, ye tdk.! it pati– • Pet.'· zo, enrly, thu M acceptable with God, for even hereunto were ye called, becaufe Chrij/ al{o ' 1 ' 2 3• fuflerid for ut, leaving l!f an example that ye fhould follow hi; jleps. ~- Who when he was reviled, he reviled not agaifl; when he fujfered herhreatencd not, but committedhimfelf to him that judgerhrightcoujly. 0 thepatienceofChrift! 1 John 4 • 10, 3. His love was fervent; Herein Ml 0 ve, not that we loved God, bm that he lovedw., and fent hMSon to be the propiti~tion for our fins. This love istan examplar_of all love ; Eph. 5• 1, •· it is the fire that 010uld kindle all our fparks; Be ye follo!vers of God (faith the Ape– file ) a; dear children: and w•ll<_ in love, .u Chrijl alfo h•th loved UJ, and bath givm himfelf for .uan offering and {acrifice to God for a fweer [me/ling favour. Some obferve, that in the Temple there were two Altars, the brazen, and the golden ; the brazen Al– tar was for bloody Sacrifices, the golden Altar was for the offermg of Incen{e; ~ow the former was a type of Chrifl's bloody offering up•·n the crofs, the latter of Chnft's iweet interceffion for us in his glory; in regard of both, the Apofile tells that Chrill: ga\'e himfelf both for an offering and facrificc of a fweer fmellmg fawur unto God. 0 what love was this! · 4· His mercy was abundant; he took upon him all the miferies an;I debts of tl.'e world and he made fatisfatlion forthem all· he acted our redempuon, JmmedJately m his ow'n perfon, ue would not inrrufl it t? Angels, but he would come himfelf and fuf– fer; .nor would he give a low and bafe pnce for our fouls, he faw them1fery was great, and Ius mercy Orould be more great; he would buy us With fo great a ranfome, as drat he might over buy us, and none might out-bid him 111 the market of our fouls; 0 we un– .der-bid, and under-value the mercy of God, who over-valued u~; we will nor feU all to buy him, but be fold all he had, and himfelf too to buy us, mdeed 1f he had not done

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