Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

3'Lon1ung unto ]cftt!>'. Chap 2. Se~!-. "1· doth thy bean leap and rejoyce within " a thougbt of thy i1he:-itance i~ he 1 ,.en ? in a .'ivdy fountain tbe waters thereof will leap and fparkle ; fo if thy llO?~ be h·;ely .. thou wtlt haye hvmg }Oyes,. IIvmg lpeecb", living delight;; amic!t1 all rlty afll"'hons rhou wdt fay, thcfe wdl not endure for ever ; 1 my felf Ihall a– way ere long. glory wdl come at bit. 0 the fweer of this life of hope ! if dwu feelelt rhefe frirrings, it is an argument of tby vivification. 4· True vivification acts all its dutyes upon a new principle of love to Cbriil:; men not enlivened by Jefus Chnlt may do much, and go flr in ou:ward fenice, yea they ma~ come. to fuffertngs; and yet without love to Cbril1 all is lofr, ail come> to nothmg. 7houzh 1 /peak,. with tongues of men and .Ar~,geh,--- though I h.'"" I Ccr·t3 I. the gift of prophrjie, and wtderjiand a/1 myjleries, and all /zno\\'lcd,t, -· th1u},b I bc– ftor> all >xy goodito feed the poor; and though Jgi'Vc my body to be bur;,t, and have not love, it profitethxne nothing. All, tbe tdl may be from the fld],, ; and forrhe fiefh, .and flelhly ends ; but a true Gofpel-lo\C is from Chrifi, and rends to the nr.2. 3. gloqr of Chriil:, for love>< ofGod and e'Very one that l•veth Js born of God, and kr;lo>reth God. Bur how may we know that all our actings are our of love to Jefu, I Joh. + 7• Chrill: ? I anfwer. 1. If we act by rhe rule of Chrilt. If you love me kscp my eo r.m"ndemcnts. _ He th.tt h.tthmyco'1twandemcms and/:sepeth them, he it t5 th,tt lovcth me----If anymmz love me In will kscp my com>r.andemcnts. He that love; Chrifl:, he will look upon e1Joh.q. I;, rery act, every fervice, every performance, whether it be according ro the rule of 21 • '3• '4· Chrilt, and then on he goes with ir. 2. If we act to tl·e honour of Clnilt; i< e may pray, ard hear, and prcoch, and Jo'•. 6 . ,6, act felf more then the ho~ourof Jefus Chrifl; whiles Chrilt lltewed mlracles, and fed his followers to rl.e full; they cryed up Jefus, and none like Jefus. bur when Chriil: was r·lain with them, yefcck_>>.<, not becaufe ye (aw the miracles, 'but brca 1 if'e ye did eat of the loaver, and 1i>ere filled ; when he ere!fed lincerity upon them, and preparation for fufferings, from that time many of hu Difciples \vtnt back_, an./ walk: ed no rr.ore with him Its no news f r men to fall off when their ends fail ; only vcr.66. they rhat love Chrilt look nor at thefe outward things in reff ell: of the honour of Jefus Chrill ; and hence ir is that in all rheir acrings they will carry on the delign of rhe Father in advancir.g the honour of rhe Sun, wlmevcr it cofl: them. 0 my foul aoply this .to thy felf; if thou liveil: tlle life of lo,·e, if in all thy adings, du– ties, fervires, thou art carryed on with a principle of love to J efus Chrilt, it is a fure fign of rhy vivification. - for rhe fecond queftion, whether we encreafe and grow in our vivification? we may difcover ir rhus.- I. We grow when we are led on to the excercife of new graces, this the Apofile ca!!s 1 ror.I. 5,6, 7 • adding of one grace unto another, add• to your f"ith 'Vertue, and to vcrt~te/znon'lcdg, and to .kPo1Vledg temper.ance, a;;d to temperance pa~ience, an~ ~o patience godhnefi; a_nd to godlmefs brotherly kf:ndaefs, and to brotherly kf:ndncfs chanty. Ar firlt a Clmftton doth not exercife all gra<es , tl ough habiruolly all gt aces may be planred m him, y<r the excercife of them is not all at once, bur by degrees, Thus the Church tells Chrifl, at our gate)· are all manner ofpleafantfruhs, new and old, n:h;.ch I have laid u; for thte, Cacr. 7· '3· 0 my bclo'Ved ; llre had all nunner of f, uits which Ote had referved for Chrill: ; new and old : ll1e had young converts, and more feded profe!fours, as fome ; or lhe had new and old graces, as [Others ; lhe added grace ro grace! JlJC was led on from the exercife of one grace, unto another new grace ; As w1cked men are led Rem. 5 3 . 4 on from one fin to anoth<r, and fo grow \~orfe and worfe, fo godly men are led from one grace unto another and fo rhey mcreaf<, kr•"•ing that trtbJtl<tton n·o>k: eth patience and p1Itie;:ce experience, and experience hope. 2. "We grow when we find new degrees of the fame grace a<;lded ; a; when love grows more fervent, when knowledg abounds, and bath a larger apprehenfi– on of fpirirual things ; when faith goes on from mans catlmg htmfelf on Chnlt, to fiod fweernefs in Chriil:, .and fo to plerophory, or full a!furance of fmh: when god– ly forrow proceeds from mourning for lin, as contrary ro Gods holinefs, to mourn for it i; as contrary ro him who loves us ; which ufually follows afrer a– ffurance ; when obedience enlargeth irs bounds, and . we abound more and more in the work of the Lord. I k._notv thy work} ( fard Cl m it to the Church of Rev. 2 . I5. 7hptyra ) I kz!o\V thy work£ and the !aft to be rr;ore thm1 the firft. 3· We

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=