Ambrose - BT200 A42 1658

- ---- ---. -;=-...; ~ at the roote it{lhis [uppoftt~?~• -if thou be lbf. •tonne cfGqd: furely al\'tn~)wqrk of ~ur. redernpt!on, and all the WQrk of our f:~lvation d.epenM upon this one nece!fary truth, that ref 1M Chrifl io·the S onne of God. IfChri£\: had not been the Son ofGod how fbould he have ranfomed the world? how fhould he have done or how {hould he have fuffcred that which was fatisfactory to hi~ Fathers, wrath? how fhoD!d .his life or_death have been valuable ro the·· fins ofall the world? if Chri£\: be not the Sonne ofGod we are · all gone, we are lo£\:, we !Ire undone, we are damned for ever; 0 alas! farewell glory, farewell ha.ppine!fe, farewell heaven if Chri£\: be not the Sonne of God we muil: never come there'. ~ell Sathap,thou beginelt thy af!ault like a Devil ipdeed, if thou'6e th~ Sonne ofGod: but what then? c?mmand that theft jfone.t be made bret~d. He knew Jefus was.hungry; and therefore he invites him to eat bread onh· qf his own providing, that fo he might refrefh his humanity, and prove his divinity; (ome, fayes he, break_rhy [11ft 11pcn the ex,.Per.t·e 'of a.miracle, turnethefe jfones into bread, af!d, it will befome ttrgument th .t~ thai! t~rt the ~onne Bf God. Tberejs nothing more ordinary with our fpiritual enemy, then by occa... (ion of want tO move us to unwarr.a_ntable courfes, if thou art. poore then flealt, if t ho11 canH not rife by honeft meanes, thm ufe in~ direR meanes; I know Chn£\: mtght as lawfully _!)ave .turned flonesinto bread, as be rurnt:d water iqto wine, but to .do this in ..a diftrufr of his Fatl~ers providence, to work a miracl.e of ~at hans, choyce,and at Sathans btdding, it could nor be agreeable w-ith the Sonne ofGod; And hence Jefus refufeth to be releeved. -,be would rather deny to manife£\: the divinity of his perfon, th;~ he would do any act which bad in it the in,timacion of a differ~nt fpirit. 0 Cbriftia~s! it is a llnful. ~mp , ous, wicked care , to take' evil'courfes to .provtde for our necefiwes ; Come tt ma i be thou ' haft found a way to {thrive ,_ ~bich thou could!t nor b~fore; 0 take heed was it not ofcheDevi!s·promp cing to change fiones into bread? t;dne!fe into fenfual comforts? if [o, the n Sa than ha's prevai led : alas, alas ! h~ cannot endure_thou fbo ~dq li ve a life of au£\: eriq:, or felfe-dc:m31, or-of morttficatwn; tf .1e c:tn but get thee to fatisfie thy fenfes, a11d to pleafe thy natural def ires, he then hath a fa ire field for the battle; ic were a tl:loufand rimes better for us to make fionesourmeat, and tea res our drink, then to fwim in our til-gotten go,ods,_and in the fulne1fe of voluat uoufne!fe, But

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=