A25241:1040
Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…
Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of Jesus as carrying on the great work of mans salvation from first to last / by Isaac Ambrose ...
London: printed for Richard Chiswel, 1680
Book 5 › Chapter 3 › Section 2: Of Christs Ordination of his Apostles.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
3. The time when they wer• chosen, when it was, and after he had continued all night in prayer to God; he goes not to Election, but first he watches, and prays all the night before; this shows the singular care that Christ had in this great employment: what? to set men apart to witness his Name, and to publish to the world the Gospel of Christ? this he would not do without much prayer.1 Sometimes we find Christ praying alone, as elsewhere,2 He went up into a mountain apart to pray; and here on this mountain without any of his Disciples, or Domestics about him, he prays alone; thus, When thou prayest ⟨p. 185⟩enter into thy closet (saith Christ) and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Sometimes we find Christ praying at night: In the daytime he was teaching in the Temple, 3and at night he went out and abode in the Mount, that is called the mount of Olives: See Christ in the exercise of his double Office, he preacheth all day, and prays all night; this Text tells us, He continued all night in prayer. Night prayers have their special, spiritual advantages. 1. It is a time fitter for compunction, and heart-contrition.4 All the night make I my bed to swim, I water my Couch with my Tears. As some things are by heat parched in the day, but cooled in the night; so many sins contracted in the day, are seasonably repented at night; night tears are as sweet dews that cool the heat and pride of our spirits. 2. It is a time of silence and free from distraction; then all Tumults cease, and in the secret of our souls we may silently go and speak with our heavenly Father. In this respect we have a blessed example of Christ praying at night, and especially now; O he was about the great work of sending his Ministers through all the world, and therefore now he spends all the night long in prayer to his Father; A great and extraordinary work is not to be set upon, without extraordinary prayer.