Ambrose - BT200 A42 1658

; i IO Book. I. Chap. z.Sed. r. as if a man fhould run up and down ftreets after a feather flying in the aire, and to !fed hither and thither with the gull:s and blafts of infinite mens mouths; it is a queftion whether ever he get ir, but if he do, it is but a feather; fuch is this pride oflife, honour, vain-glory; itishard toobtaineit, but if obtained, it is but the breath of a few mens mouths, that alter upon every light occolion ; bur that which is worft of all , it hinders our fight of jdi1s Ch~· ill., >W liN n_Y lvife men after theflefh , not many 1 Cor. 1. 16. mighty, not man.1 r;nh:r • . .:. tied ; woridl·y honour keeps many back from Chrill: ; ~ .. u there(ore MofeJwhtn he was come to year>, Hrb 11 _14 , 16 ; refufed to bhe c~(lcihltifl?e {otme CJ • Phharahohs d 1ath~ghter, --efleeming the reproac es o 1 C rr greai'Pr rrc .eJ z en 4 t .e treafu1'eJ of Egypt . Jfthe bimde man in the way to 'ferico had depended on the breath, or liking, or approbation of the multitude, he had never rec-eived thebenefitofhis figh t,for they (faith the text) which Luko8. ~9- · 1 z.. b h l 'J h ·Jh went before mm~d him t .at e jh011 a · ola u pettcr · they diffwadcd him from· running and crying fo vehem~ntly after Chrill; experience tells us, how the(e things pull and draw us off. from Jefus (hrift~the tufts of the eyes, the tufts of the flefh, and p~idc oftife. . - ~eft· 2~ But why muft we /()()k..off every thing that diverts our looking unto ]-'tfzu? r I. Becaufe we cannot look fixedly on Chrift, and fuch things. together, and at once ; the eye cannot look upwards and downwards, at once in - a direct line~ w..: cannot ferioufly.minde hea. Mat.6, 14 ven and earth in one thought; noman canferve two maflers,faith Chrill,efpecially fuch as jar,and who have contrary imployments. as Chrift.and Mammon have. 2. Becaufe whiles we look on thefe things we cannot fee the beauty that is in Chrift; fuppofe a fquint look on Cbrift, while 't we have a dired look on other things, al as Chrift will be ofno efteem that while ; this was the voice offinners concernB[~y B· , . ing <~ hrift, hehtttb no j&rme, nor comelineffc, and w!;rrJ we fee him-, there is no b~aaty that we fhould dejire him. Indeed be~uty is the attradive of the foule, the foul~ muft fee a neauty in that which it lets out it felfe to in deGring: but our wilhing~ looks on other thir.gs, makes Chrift but mean and contemptible inour eyts. 3. Becaufe all othenhings, in comparJfon ofChrift, are not: · · worthy: .

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