Ambrose - BT200 A42 1658

Book.V. Looking rmto Jefm. Chap. x.SeCl:.6 the flam~s ~ but they are doomed to death,and now thou mayefr hear t,he1r cryes, and grievous groanes, and complaints againH: thee, this was the man fer over us to give us th~ bread of life, but 0 Chrill:, did he not faile us ? did he not feed us with unprofitable matter, fables conceirs, airy fent~nces, rather than with any thing tending to godly edifying, which is in faith ? did not our tonsues, and the tongues of our children flick to the roof of our mouths in calJing and crying for bread, for the bread of life, and he would not pity us? we gave him the tenths which thou appointed, but he gave not us thy truth, which thou didtl: command him; why Lord ChriH:, thou Judge ofall the world, didfl: rhou not bid him, _feed, feed, feed ? didfl: thou not bid him feed the flock committed to his charge? didll not bid him, preach theWord, be inHant in feafon, apcl out of feafon, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all lo11g-fuffering? and notwithHandin_s alJ thy commands did he not miferably ll:arve us? inttead of fe.:dinz us to falvation, hath he not Harved many thoufands of us to our deflruc1ic:m. 0 ChriH:, thou that art the Judge of Nations, and the reven,ger of blood! reward thou this man, as he hath rewarded us; he led us in the wayes ofwickednefie, and (if it mufl: be fo) let him be our ring-leader to hell; and upon his foul once bur·ied in hell, let this be the Epitaph, the price of blood, the price of blood; if thou didH hear the blood of Abet,being but one man, forget not the blood ofmany, now thou art judging the earth. Why thus do the damned cry about thine eares ; and as for us ( fay the Saints ) who were once thx people, but now thy judges, we confent to their cry, and to our Saviours doom, go thou curled into everlafl:ing fire. Men, brethren,:and fathers, I ,begin thus with the Mini~ers doom, that you may fee I would deal impartially; and venly I bdeeve it, ifour cafe come to this, we of the MiniH:ry lball be in a thoufand times worfe Eondition than any ofyou; for beiides the horrour due to the guilt ofour own foules, all the blood of rhofe foules who have periJhed under our Minifl:ry through our default will be laid to our charg.e ; little do you know, or conii.- der the burthen that lies upon us, a burthen able ro make the l110ulders of che mofl: mighty Ansel in heaven to lhrink under it. i Chryfoftome was a glorious Saint, yet caLling his eye upon . • 0~

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