Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

JL-oostng unto 'jJcfuS'. Book IV. 405 nor in it rhe likenefs of Chrift's death; for he died willingly: it may be thou hafl a cla– morous Confcience, ~hichcontinually do&s thee, and therefore thou leaveft rhy lin; thus JudM came in with h1s thrrry preces of hlver, and caft them down m tke Temple at the M•t· , 7 , S• High Prieft's feet; bur no thanks to J~td,u, for they were too .hot for h1m to hold; or it may be rbere is fomepenalry of rhe Law, or fome temporal judgment that hang• o.ver .rhy head,like Demacle!s fword, and therefore thou !eaveft thy lrn; thus Ahab ~ora ume acts the part of a penitent, but no thanks to .Ahab ; for the Prophet had rung lum fuch a peal for his fin, as made both his ears tingle; !n the place wher~ d?gs licksd the b!o~tdofN~- 1 King, u. , 9 , both, fha/1 dogs lick_ ihy b~oud, even th•.ne ; or a may be there IS rn thee a fear of Hdl, 10 thy apprehenfion death 1s come, and IS ready to c~rry thee before t~e dreadful Tnbu~al of a terrible God, and therefore thou leave(( thy fm; thus Sea-men m a ftrefs, parr With their goods, nor becaufe they are out of love with them, but becaufe they love their lives better; they fee plain!y that either they mu(( yarr wit!~ them, or perilh with them. Now inthefecafes, thy leavmg off fin, bears no ltmtlttude with the death of Chri!l:; for his death was voluntary, and true monification is a voluntary action. But may there not be fome rduCI:ancy in this work betwixt the fltl11 and the Spirit? ~uft. and if fo, is irchen voluntary? I anfwer,-- Yes, fuch a reluctancy we find in the humane nature of Chri(t concerning the Cup, Anfw. !hat.it might pafs from him,. and yet his death _was a true volu:ltary de~th. An action Mar•.,6. 39 ; !s fatd to be voluntary, or tnvolunrary accordmg to the fupenor faculnes of the Soul, and not according to the inferior; if the reafonable part b~ confeming, the action may be called voluntary, though there be fome reluctancy in the fenfitive appetite. Thus in rhe Chriftian, irr whom there is nacure and grace, flell1 and fpirir, an unregenerate, and a regenerate part, if the fuperior and better parr be willing (I mean advifedly and deliberately willing, with full confent of the inward man) though perhaps there may be fome relutbncy in the fiell1, in the unregenerate part, yet this is faid to be a true voluntary act. So then with the mind, 1 my Jelf fervc the Law of God, but with my Rom. 7 ••;; jlefh the Law of Jin.- --I dtlight in the La1v of God after .the inward man; but 1 [Ce "•'l· another Law in my members, warnng agamftthe Law of my mmd. Pant was dead tohn according to the inward man, the regenerate parr, though he found a reluCI:ancy in his 'outward members; and therefore his death to fin carried with it the refemblance of the death of Chrifl, it was a voluntary death. 2. Chrift's death was a violent death; he died riot na~urally, but violently; he WM put todeath in the flefh, he wMbrought"'"Lamb rothe]laughter. So isour monificarion, 'Pet. 3·1S; iris voluntary in refpeCl: of us, but violent in refpeCI: of fin; and herein is the !if< (a; 1 Ifo. 53. 7• may fay) of this death: Oh when a man !ayes violent hands on his fins; when he curs them off, being yet in their flower, and flrength, and power, and vigor • when he pulls up thofe weeds before they wither in themfelves; this is true monifi~arion : many have left their fins, who ·never mortified them; fo the aged Adulterer harh left his Lull:, becaufe his body is dead: and hence it is th~t late repentance in an agedJinner is (et. dam found'true: alas, he dies notto fin, bnr hisfin dies to him: 1will nor (ay but 'God may call ~tthe eleventh hour, though it be very fe!dom; but in that cafe you had need to be jealous over your fe!ves with a godly jealoufie: what, do you find fome fins within you to be dead, that were fomerimesalive? 0 be inquifirive, impannel a Jurie, call a Coroners I.nque!l:. upon your own fouls, enquire how they came by their deaths ; whether they dted a vwlent or nauiral death? fearch what wounds they have received, and whether they were deadly wounds, yea or no? enquire what weapon it was that flew them, whether the Sword of the Spirit, that two-edged Sword, the Word of God ? what purpofes, what rcfolutions have b~en taken up, and levelled again!l: them? what pray~rs and rears have been fpent upon them? If ,you find not thefe figns, you may grve u~ your Verd1ct, rbat they died not a violent, but a natural death. And here's a good Caveat for others; Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the nul days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou Jhalt fay, 1 have no pleafure in Ecclef. tz, i' 1 them. Oh take heed of reprieving your Lu(t 5 ! let them not live till to morrow; now ~nng theQ)f~rthm the fight and prefencc of God; arraign, condemn, crucifie, morufie th~m whtles r~ey might yer live. Surely thi9is true mortification, when the body of fin d1erh,as Chn!l: dted, a violent dearh3· Chrift's Doarh was a lingring d;ath; be hung divers hours upon the Crofs. From the.Jirft hour to the ninth hoHr, faith M atthew; (i.) from our twelve to three, · before he gave up the Gho!l, So is our mortification a lingring death ; fin is not put Sfz tt$

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