Ambrose - BT200 A42 1658

Book. IV. Looking un'to 1eftts. Chap.2. Sed. .9 and ofGodsSpint,fpeaking to my foul; as aman I nave bodily feet,. and by them I move in my own fecular wayes, but as a Chrillian I have fpiritual feet, and on them I walk with God in all the waies of his coromandements; as a man I have natural affections, and fo I love beauty, and feare paine, and hate an enemy, and J rejoyce in outward profperity or the like; but as a Chrifrian I have renewed affections, and fo !loved goodneffe, and hate nothing but fin, and I feare above all the difpleafure ofmy God, and I re joyce in Gods favour, which is better then life. Surely this is ablelfed life ; and a5 foon .as ever I am united to Chrifl:, why then I live, yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me. Firft, Chrifl: is conceived, and then Chrift is formed, and then Chrifl: is borne, and then Chriil: growes in me to a blelfed fulneffe : mJ G.1l!4. 1~· utt/echildrmef whom ltrllvile in birth againe HltJtilt Chrif! be formed inyou ; formation foilowes conception, and travel implies "Cor,3.J· a.birth:thenafter this we arcb11lm in Chrijf,or Chrift is as a babe in us; from thence we grow ap to fl:rength of yo\lth, I have ·I,Jphn:r.,J4· writttnunto youyoungmen becaufe Jeareftrong; and at laftwe Eph. •ll '3· come to Gofpel perfection, even towards the tma[ure if the ftature ofthefulnejfeofChri.ft. Is this all? nay, if my union be firme, and Chrifl: live in me,why then 1go on, and in this condition I am dead with Chrift; 11mtl am buried with Chrijf, and I 11m alive ltom•.6. 8; againe unto God through Chrijf; and I am•rifen with Chri.ft; and I Rom. 6: 4, II· am glorified with Chrift. Nay,yet more, my fufferings are Chrifl:s, Col.3.s 1 Col. r. 24 ~nd Chrifis fufleringsare mine, ~o"?· ~· r7. I am in Rom. • '1. chrtil: an heIre of glory' Rom. 8. I 7. and (!mil IS 10 me the hope ot glory, Col. I. 27. 0 my Chrifr, my life, what am I,or what is my fath~rs houfe that thou fhouldeft come down into me, that thou fhouldefr be conceived in the womb of my poore Gnful heart, that thou fhouldefi give my foul a new and fpirituallife, a Iife begun in grace and ending in eternal glory ! I fhall not reckon up any more priviledgfsof this union, me-thinks I fhould. not need; if I tell you of grace and glory, what can I more? glory is the highefi pitch, and Chrifl: tel ls you concerning it, the glcry which thou {[av ejf me, J h.1ve t)ven them, that they may be one, Jjlhn ry, :u. · evrn liS we are on;, Ah my brethren ! to be.fo like Chrifl: as to be one with Chrifr; it is neare indeed; 0 let us conforme tO· Chriftin rbjs; he is one with our nature in an hypofl:atical, F.erfo11al union; ' let us be one with him in a fpiritual, holy, and a .

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