A25241:1814
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 7 › Chapter 1 › Section 7: Of Christ's Apparition to all 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.
1. It sees God in his Glory and Majesty, in his Greatness and Goodness, and all other his attributes; it sees God as the infinite fountain of all good, and it considers what an infinite dreadful thing it were to be separated from this God; it sees God, and the sight makes a deep impression on that very soul; the love of that God is more to the soul than all the world; and the least displeasure of that God is more trouble to that soul, than all the miseries that all creatures under heaven are able to bring upon it.
2. It discovers the reality of this Glory and Majesty, of this greatness and goodness of God. Before any faith is planted in a soul, the very use of reason may come to understand much of God and Christ, but in comparison it looks upon God and Christ as notions, conceits, and imaginary things; only faith convinces the soul throughly of the certainty and truth of such things; where true faith is, the things we believe are more certain to us than things we see, or feel, or handle; faith is so sure in its apprehensions of God and Christ, that it will venture soul and body, the loss of all upon that account; it will bear any hardship, yea it will venture the infinite loss of eternity upon them.
3. It enables the soul to cast it self upon God in Christ for all the good and happiness it ever expects. Alas, saith the soul, I have formerly rested on worldly things, I looked upon them as the only, real, sure excellences that I had to enjoy; but now I find they are vain things, deceitful things, no better than reeds of Egypt, vanity of vanities; and nothing is real, sure, excellent on this side God and Christ,1 and therefore I will rely upon him, and none but him; it is only God is an all-sufficient good, it is only Christ that is the rock that will never fail, on him will I role my self, unto him will I make an absolute resignation of all, I will betrust him with all I have, and all I am; I will commit all unto him for ever, and ever.