A69449:180
The doctrine & directions but more especially the practice and behaviour of a man…The doctrine & directions but more especially the practice and behavior of a man…
The doctrine & directions but more especially the practice and behaviour of a man in the act of the new birth A treatise by way of appendix to the former. By Isaac Ambrose, minister of Christ at Preston in Amounderness in Lancashire.The doctrine & directions but more especially the practice and behavior of a man in the act of the nevv birth A treatise by way of appendix to the former. By Isaac Ambrose, minister of Christ at Preston in Amounderness in Lancashire.
London: printed by J.F. for Nathanael Webb and William Grantham, 1650
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
Thirdly, the greatness of the freeness of this mercy of God, being settled upon the heart, inflames it, the sweetness warms the heart, this freeness kindles the fire, and when the greatness of the sweetness comes to be valued, this sets the heart all on a flame; the Apostle desires, that the Ephesians being rooted and grounded 1in love, might be able to comprehend with all Saints, what is the breadth and height of the love of God in Christ; as if he had said, The unmeasureablenes of Gods mercy will blow up the soul, and inflame the heart with admirable love of God again, and ⟨p. 54⟩will make the soul say, What, I that have done all that I could against this good God? O it breaks my heart to think of it! there was no Name under heaven that I did blaspheme and tear in pieces, more then this Name; no Command under heaven I so much despised, as the Command of God and of Christ; no Spirit that I grieved, so much as the good Spirit of God; and therefore had the Lord only given me a look, or spoken a word to me, it had been an infinite Mercy, but to send a Son to save me, it is incomparable: I could not conceive to do so much evil against him, as he hath done good to me: O the breadth of that Mercy beyond all limits! O the length of that Mercy beyond all time! O the depth of that Mercy below a mans misery! O the height of that Mercy above the height of my understanding! If my hands were all love, that I could work nothing but love, & if mine eyes were able to see nothing but love, and my mind to think of nothing but love, and if I had a thousand bodies, they were all too little to love that God that hath thus unmeasurably loved me a poor sinful Hell-hound: I will love the Lord dearly (saith David) O Lord my strength. Have 2I gotten the Lord Jesus to be my comfort, my buckler and my shield? if I have any good, he begins it; if I have any comfort, he blesseth it: Therefore I will love thee dearly, O Lord my strength, O how should I but love thee!
Thirdly, the greatness of the freeness of this mercy of God, being setled upon the heart, enflames it, the sweetness warms the heart, this freeness kindles the fire, and when the greatness of the sweetness comes to be valued, this sets the heart all on a flame; the Apostle desires, that the Ephesians being rooted and grounded