Ambrose - BT200 A42 1658

-~------_,.._... ... - ... ·------ Book am. . wht~t <it jhould be b.urltr¢rnaWi.fe., Cbr.jnians ! the-fe .ar-e the eeachings of God, and .in reference 'to ~~his, we foal/ no more tutt·h e'l.itl1) mnn ·his ntig;hbour an·d·e'Ver-y man his brother fnying fe.tlow the Lord. ·Gods teaching is another •kind of teaching then-we can have from the hands ofmen _, tht:Fe is no man in the world can •reacl1 thus. and therefore they whom God x:eacheth, 'need not any ' other kind of teaching refpectivcly,or comparatively. 6. What is the univerfii'lity of this knowledge, thty ./hall all 'k_now me jrflm the le.t.ft of them, to the greareft vf t-hem ,. j.1it·h the 'Lord? The meaning is, that all that are ~n Jthe<Covenant of , grace, fball be fo taught ofGod, as drat in forne meafnre or ·O- : t'heti rhey fu:t1l evel:\y,one,knowl(;od .in~vardly , cle-arly, ·experi- ·mentally, fwe~tly and favimg!y. I know then~ are feveral ·degrees ~f this knowledge-; God <h-ath .feveral forme.s in this Schoole. J Joh.?. . ll,_ there are fathers for exeerience, JVtlng men for ·fireng~h , and 'bab.es '€orthe 'trurblgntl !herng. @f grac~ : .Qs one ftarf:e ditfereth · ·£rom another in ~lor-y Jo.aJtfo l1sd1elSdheol of Chrift : But here! anrbefer on 'both Gdes, 1. Many are apt to complaine, a!a;Jliey 'k.now little ofGod: £w~et?abes,confider,I It is free ·grac~ ·you ·are· ftars,lhou.gh you.are nbt.ftars oft he firft or.fecond magnieude: it is of.the Covenant ofgrace, 'that God hath let into •your foules .ca[e 't:orrtc, :a little glin~mering, thoul~h ' notifo ~uch light as others poilibly inftrrzel. may. have m pomt of no1y emulatton (as one notes well) we fhould look ar degrees of grace, but in point of thankfulnelfe and comfort we fhould look at the truth, and being of grace. . 2. If you know bur a little, you may in ~ime know mor-e; God doth not teach all his lelfons at firft ~nttance; ·it is true, the enFfa1.u9,1 J0 • trance oft hy Word giveth light, ·but this is ·as true, that God lets in his light by degrees; it is not to bedefpifed if God do but engage the heart in holy defires and longings after knowledge,fo that it can fay in fincerity, my jo11l breaketh for the longing that Pfal.119·%o. it hath unto thy jt:dgments at all· time!. 2. Others on ~he contrary, ground themfelves fo learned from this very prom!ie , that they~xclude all teachings of men. The anointing (fay r.hey ) teacheth PA ' '" thing.c, and we need not 1 Joh.:..1.7. that •anywMn teach >U :and they fh•tll teach no more everyman Jer.31.34 hu neighbour, ~tnd every man his brorhrr-, faying, lz.now the L JYd, for they {baLl all, &c. I anfwer,.the words either relate to the ,groJJnds of Religion, and [o in Gofpel-times Chriftians need not . ~

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