Ambrose - BT200 A42 1658

-~--------- 458 Boo~ IV. Lo~k~ng rmto '.fefm. Chap.4.Seet.4 ------------------------- 0 mercy ! that Chrifi fhould black his faire hands in wafhing foule an.d defiled dogs ! what a motion of free mercy was this, that ChriH fhould lay his faire, fpotleife, and chafi love, upon the black, defiled , and .whoriih fouls ? 0 what a favour , that Chrill: maketh the Leopard and Ethiopian white f<?:: heaven? 4· Now he difcovered his bounty; in giving the k!:;e.s of the )imh. 16. l 9' Kingdome of heaven to his Apoftles, and to_their fucceflours; this was a power which he had never commumcated before; it was a gift greater than the great cbarrer of nature, and the donative of the whole creation. Indeed at firft God gave unto man adomi- ~en . 1 ; 10 , , nion over the fifh of the fea, and ovcr thejoule of tbe ayre, andover the cartel, and ov.er the earth; but till now heavm it felje was never fubordinate to huma.ne miniftration; herein was the aCting ofCh1'iil:s bounty, he gives unto his Minifters the keyes of heaven, that whatfoever thry fh+~ll bind on earth, [haiL be found in heaven, and whatfoever they jhafl/qofe on earth, /ball be loojed in heaven. s. Now he difcovered his patience in fuffering all injuries; from hence forward to the death ofJefus, we muft reckon his dayes like the Vigils, or Eves ofhis paffion; for now he began and often did ingeminate thofe fad predictions of the ufage h~ Matth 18 - ~ 1 fhould fhort!y finde, that he fhould be rejeElcd of the elders, and · ' ' 'chiefe Priefls, andfcribeJ, and fujfer many thingutt 'fmtjalem, Jtnd be kjlled, and be rttifed np the third day, and in the meane time he fuffers both in word and deeq ; they call him a glutton, a drun~ kard, a deceiver, a Gnner, a mad-ma-n, a Samaritan, and one poifetfed with a.devil; fometimes they take up ftones to ftone ' nim, and fometimes they lead him to an hill, thinking to throw him down headlong, and all this he fuffereth with patience ; yea with much patience he poffeffeth his foul. 6. Now he difcovered his glory in being transfigured on the mount; however the perfon of Chrift was ufualJy deprelfed with poverty, difgrace, ignominy; fo that neither }ewes nor Gen~ tiles, nor the Apofiles themfelves could at firft difcerne the bright~ neffc of his divinity; yet now Chrift g:tve an excellent probation Luk. 9 • 1$, : 9 of that great glory, which in due time muft be revealed to all the 3"• 3' ' Saints; for takjng with him Peter, [ames, and [ohn, ke went np into tbt:

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