Ambrose - BT200 A42 1658

Looking ru:1to :feftU, Book IV• ------ Chrift; he is thu:..:prtJTe image of thr prrfon ~f ~t5 Father; an he Heb. x. 3• print of the fealeon the wax tS the expreffe 1mage of the feale 1t fe!f"e,fo is Chrifi the higheft reprefentarion of God; he makes . !imiliwde to him,who oth~rwi.fe 1s without al l iimilitude . And h~nce is it that Chrift is ca !led the fl anderd-beam· of trn t h1u{and f ; c1n . i. , · 0 • • all excellencies are gathered upinChnfl:, as bean:es in t he Sun: co:ne poore foul! thy eyes nm to and fro in the world to finde comfort ;tnd happmeffe; thou defiretl: afrer world ly honour, worldly pleafure, \Vorldly profits; ca ft thy eyes back, and fee heaverr and earth in one; look if thou wtlt at what thy va!t t houghts can faney, · nor only in this HIOrld, bur in the world to come; or if thou canfr imagine more variety, fee that, and infini tly more, iliining forth from the perfof! ofrbe Lord Jefus Chrift: no wonder if the Saints adore him, no wonder if the Angels fl:and amazo;:d at hirn, no wonder if all creatures vade all their glory to him. Oh what are all things in the world to Jef:JS Chrifl:? Paul compares them together,""' wt.tvnt, all thii1gs wi.t h th is one thir.g; . A;td I account all thir~gi but l~fJe for the exce/lrncy of the k_nowledge PIIII.-J.·8,. ~f Cho/f. AndlcountallthingJ]fure!y allrhin;,s isthegreatdl count that can be cafi up, for it includeth all .prices, all fummes, it takes in earth, and heaven, and all therein, that are but .as created things, q. d. Nations, and all nations; gold, and all gold; jewels, and all jewels; Angels, and all Angels ; all thefe, 2nd every all beGdes all thefe; what are they in comparifon of Chrift, but as feathers, dungJbaddows, nothing? if there be afly thing worthy a wiili, it is eminently, tran\cendently, originally in the Lord J efus Chrift : there is no hof:lour, no felicity like that which Chrift bath; fome are fonnes, Chrifl: is an only Sonne; fome are Kings, but Chrifl: is King of Kings; fome are honourable , none above Angels, Chrift is above Angels and ,A, rchangels; towhichoftheAngelsfaidhe at anytime, thou,trtmySon,thu day H b . have I begotten t~ee ? fome are wealthy, Chrifi hath all the ilieep e · 1 ' r•. on a t·houfand bl'lls, the very utmoft parts of the earth are his . fome are beautiful, Chrifl: is the fairelt of all the children of men: he is fpiritually fa ire; be is all glorious within; if the beauty of the Angels (which I beleeve are the beautiful! eO: creatures the · world has ) {hould be compared with the beauty of.Chri!t, which · confiih in the perfection of the divine nature, and in the·perfetl:i. on.ofhis humane nature, and in the perfectio nof the graces of his · Q..q_ q 3 ~S pirir,,

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