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Halley on Ambrose 2
Wood says: 'He was then a zealous man for carrying on the beloved cause, and acting against the orthodox clergy, when he was appointed an assistant to the commissioners for the ejecting of such as they called scandalous and ignorant ministers and schoolmasters.' Isaac Ambrose was not likely to trouble any minister or schoolmaster who was competent and willing to discharge the duties of his office. On the contrary, the following certificate, found among the Ffarington papers, shows his readiness to assist those of the opposite party who were involved in trouble:
'The humble certificate of Isaac Ambrose, minister of God's word in the church of Preston, showeth,
'That to his knowledge William Ffarington of Worden in the county of Lancaster was, before these unhappy times of war, a gentleman well affected to the Protestant religion, and a constant frequenter of our weekly lectures and other ordinances of religion. As also in the beginning of those times he was a man of peaceable disposition, bending all his counsels to the accommodation and quiet of the country; and in particular out of his love and respect for the ministry engaged himself for me (body for body and all his estate) when I was taken prisoner by the commissioners of array in the said county. Whereupon he procured my liberty, and in his own person he brought me home to my wife and children, withal offering me and mine all the kindnesses in his power. And since that time he was never a soldier. Nor in the time of our exile did I ever hear that he was active against the king and parliament. To this certificate at his desire in very equity I cannot but subscribe.—Isaac Ambrose.
'Preston: May 18, 1647.'*
Amidst the incivilities common on both sides during the civil war, it is pleasing to meet with such instances of mutual courtesy and kindness. As the squire, though a Royalist, was 'well affected to the Protestant religion,' Ambrose was well affected to him. Had he been a Papist, Ambrose, if we may judge from a passage in his 'Experiences,' would not have been so ready to recommend him for a lenient composition. In his ' Media' occurs the following entry under the head of ' Experiences' (section vi.):—
'1643. Feb. 6. Preston was taken by the parliamentary forces. Several Papists slain in it; some naturally of good disposition, and, therefore, many mourned their untimely death, but rejoiced in the accomplishment of the promise.
'Text. Rev. xvi. 6, 7. "They have shed the blood of saints, and thou hast given them blood to drink. . . Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgements."
'Rev. xviii. 20. "Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her."'
'Rev. xviii. 20. "Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her."'
Notwithstanding this strange' experience,' I am sure the 'naturally good disposition' of Isaac Ambrose would have saved even a Papist from death, if he had an opportunity.
So long as Ambrose continued in Preston he was favoured with the friendship of the Hoghton family, who were among his regular and admiring hearers. The beautiful woods of the tower provided him with sequestered places sacred to devout meditation,** while frequently within its hospitable walls he was refreshed by social intercourse with 'famous ministers.' Why he left his great congregation at Preston does not appear, but it is evident, from an extract already cited from his sermon preached at the funeral of Lady Margaret, that his leaving was not agreeable to the Hoghton family. On the occasion of his preaching that sermon, the interest excited was so intense, and the crowd so oppressive, that with great difficulty the funeral procession obtained an entrance into the church. The voice of the pathetic preacher was often interrupted and overcome by the lamentations of the people.
But Ambrose, for some good reason I doubt not, left Preston and became minister of Garstang. Elected during the Commonwealth in what was afterwards thought an irregular manner—that is, by the voice of the people—his name is not inserted in the approved lists of the Garstang vicars. But vicar he was legally as well as ostensibly, on the passing of the Act of Uniformity. He could conscientiously have complied with many of the requirements of the Act; he was willing to read the Book of Common Prayer; he was rebuked for his feebleness in making concessions by Dr. Cole, his successor at Preston; but in the hour of trial the feeble grew strong, and the strong man fainted. We have already seen how Cole conformed, and we now see how Ambrose was ejected.***
We know but little of the subsequent life of the Nonconformist. He spent his later years in meditation and quietude among his friends in Preston. A lover of nature as well as of God, like his namesake the patriarch, 'Isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide.' He spent a great part of his time every summer in Widdicre wood, where, seldom seen by any, except on the Sabbath, he communed with his own heart and his God. The last time he was seen alive was by some friends from Garstang, of whom he is said to have taken leave with unusual affection and solemnity. Immediately after they left him he retired to his place of meditation, where he was found by an attendant in the moment of death. He departed in 1664 at the age of sixty-one.****
Of the Lancashire Nonconformists Isaac Ambrose is better known as a practical writer than any other. His book entitled 'Looking to Jesus' was at one time very popular with devout people in the north of England, and is still read by those who retain a relish for puritan divinity. Of the writers of his age and opinions, some who seem to me very inferior to him have been more highly recommended. Doddridge, in his account of nonconformist writers, does not notice him, although those who knew him would, I think, prefer him to Manton or Bates, whom Doddridge highly commends. He has been compared with Flavel, whom in some respects he resembles, but to whom in others he is very unlike. The great fault of Ambrose is found in the awkward arrangements and complicated divisions with which he wearies and perplexes his readers. Frequently he introduces materials remotely connected with his subject, and makes digressions of an intolerable length. Although more artificial (if it be artifice and not carelessness) in his method than Flavel, he is more easy, natural, and appropriate in his illustrations. More judicious than Flavel, he had a finer imagination and much more of true poetry. If not so sensitive, so plaintive, so ready to weep, as Flavel, there is in him deeper and more varied feeling, often restrained and often beautifully expressed. Flavel spiritualised the works of man's husbandry; Ambrose the works of God in nature. Flavel loved the garden and the corn-field; Ambrose the heath and the forest. Isaac loved to meditate in the evening in the quiet wood, and tell the people on Sunday morning what he had seen and felt in his lonely retreat. His meditations seem fragrant with the sweet hawthorn of Widdicre wood and the weeping birches of Darwen water. But at times he could leave his woods and streams, and present in their simple grandeur objects of infinite importance. Telling us to look to Jesus, how clearly and impressively he presents the Saviour alone in all the varied aspects of His character and changes of His life! Taking us to the palace of the high priest or the judgement hall of Pilate, he says, as few men ever said it, Ecce Homo! and Ecce Deus! and we see the man of sorrows and yet exclaim, ' My Lord and my God!' Many who have no love to puritan doctrine, nor sympathy with puritan experience, have appreciated with Joseph Hunter 'the pathos and beauty' of the writings of Isaac Ambrose.
* The object of this certificate was to obtain a favourable consideration for Mr. Ffarington on his compounding for his estates before the commissioners who met in Goldsmiths' Hall, London. How far it prevailed to induce the commissioners to treat the ' constant frequenter of weekly lectures' with lenity I cannot say, but his composition was fixed at £531. The list of Lancashire gentlemen assessed contains the names of one hundred and forty-six persons, of whom only seven were assessed at a larger sum. The head of the family to which Isaac Ambrose is said (though I think with little probability) to have belonged, William Ambrose of Lowick, was amerced £129.—Baines's Lancashire, vol. ii. p. 35. After the Restoration, when it was proposed to create a new order of knighthood, the estate of William Ffarington of Worden, proposed to be one of the 'knights of the royal oak,' was valued at £1000 a year.
** Every spring, while he was minister of Preston, he paid a visit of some days to the tower, and passed much of his time in the woods overhanging the stream, where he found, as he said, 'his best school of theology.' The Darwen was then the resort of salmon and trout, not as now of madder and indigo.
*** Calamy and Palmer refer to Cole as having subsequently conformed; but it is not certain that he was ever ejected. He favoured Ambrose with a commendatory letter which was appended to the treatise upon the Ministration of Angels. It is about as pedantic and pretentious a letter as was ever written even by a doctor in divinity. What worse can be said of it I know not. It is not surpassed in pedantry and pretence by any of Dr. Parr's letters.
**** Under the portrait prefixed to his collected works, he is said to have been fifty-nine in 1663. Calamy says, 'He died cet. 72;' but this is certainly a mistake.
Wood had, I suppose, some reason for calling him a minister's son. I find two vicars of Ormskirk named Ambrose, Richard and Henry: Richard died in 1612, and Henry succeeded in 1615. As the intervening vicar resigned in favour of the latter, I suspect the Earl of Derby, who was the patron, made the arrangement for the benefit of Henry. If it were so, he was probably a son of Richard, not of sufficient age on the death of his father to take the vicarage. As Isaac Ambrose was born in 1604, he might have been a son of Richard and a younger brother of Henry. Among the ejected ministers of Lancashire were Joshua Ambrose of West Derby, who afterwards conformed, and Nehemiah Ambrose of Kirkby. I know nothing of the parentage of either, although I cannot but think that Isaac, Joshua, and Nehemiah Ambrose were somehow related.
** Every spring, while he was minister of Preston, he paid a visit of some days to the tower, and passed much of his time in the woods overhanging the stream, where he found, as he said, 'his best school of theology.' The Darwen was then the resort of salmon and trout, not as now of madder and indigo.
*** Calamy and Palmer refer to Cole as having subsequently conformed; but it is not certain that he was ever ejected. He favoured Ambrose with a commendatory letter which was appended to the treatise upon the Ministration of Angels. It is about as pedantic and pretentious a letter as was ever written even by a doctor in divinity. What worse can be said of it I know not. It is not surpassed in pedantry and pretence by any of Dr. Parr's letters.
**** Under the portrait prefixed to his collected works, he is said to have been fifty-nine in 1663. Calamy says, 'He died cet. 72;' but this is certainly a mistake.
Wood had, I suppose, some reason for calling him a minister's son. I find two vicars of Ormskirk named Ambrose, Richard and Henry: Richard died in 1612, and Henry succeeded in 1615. As the intervening vicar resigned in favour of the latter, I suspect the Earl of Derby, who was the patron, made the arrangement for the benefit of Henry. If it were so, he was probably a son of Richard, not of sufficient age on the death of his father to take the vicarage. As Isaac Ambrose was born in 1604, he might have been a son of Richard and a younger brother of Henry. Among the ejected ministers of Lancashire were Joshua Ambrose of West Derby, who afterwards conformed, and Nehemiah Ambrose of Kirkby. I know nothing of the parentage of either, although I cannot but think that Isaac, Joshua, and Nehemiah Ambrose were somehow related.
Halley on Ambrose 1
Isaac Ambrose was,
on the passing of the Act, vicar of Garstang. Although his practical
and devotional works were very popular among the early Nonconformists,
few memorials of his life have been preserved. All who have read his
devout meditations, his sweet experiences, or his fervent prayers, must
unite in the regret and the wish expressed by Mr. Hunter in his preface
to the ' Life of Oliver Heywood :''Mr. Ambrose earnestly recommended the
keeping of diaries, as eminently serviceable to those who made it a
principal object of their lives to establish themselves in all the
thoughts and ways of piety, and in the book which he entitled "Media,"
he gives a specimen of what, in his opinion, such diaries ought to be,
by extracts from his own. With such specimens before us, we cannot but
lament that the carelessness of later times should have suffered such a
curious and valuable document to perish, for perished it is feared it
is. There is a pathos and beauty in some of the passages which he has
selected, as when he speaks of his occasional retirement to the sweet
woods of Widdicre, which make one wish for more.'
This reference is to the tenth section of the
fourth chapter of the 'Media,' in which Ambrose gives 'some example of a
daily register of a poor unworthy servant of Christ.' The date of the
year is not given, but the month of the extracts was May, in which it
was his annual custom to retire to a little hut in a wood, and in entire seclusion to spend most of his time in
meditation and prayer. There originated the meditations which long after
his death refreshed and comforted the Puritans of Lancashire.
As the 'specimen' may
interest others as it did Mr. Hunter, and as it affords a pleasing
illustration of the most meditative Puritan of Lancashire, I give it at
length:—
'May 13. I retired to a
solitary and silent place to practise especially the secret duties of a
Christian. My ground is that of Cant. vii. 11, 12: "Come, my beloved,
let us go forth into the field, &c, there will I give thee my
loves." The bridegroom of our souls (said Bernard) is bashful, and more
frequently visits his bride in the solitary places.
'May 14. In a pleasant
wood, and sweet walks in it, the Lord moved and enabled me to begin the
exercise of secret duties: and after the prolegomena, or duties in
general, I fell on that duty of watchfulness: the Lord then gave me to
observe my former negligence, and to make some resolutions. I found the
Lord sweet to me in the conclusion of the duty. Allelujah.
'May 15. I fell on the
duty of self-trial, and in the morning confessed my sins before and
since conversion, wherein the Lord sweetly melted my heart. In the
evening I perused my diary for the last year, wherein are many passages
of mercies from God, and troubles for sin, &c.
'May 16. In the morning I
went through the duty of experiences, and felt some stirrings of God's
Spirit in my soul. In the evening I fell on the duty of evidences,
when I acted faith, and found my evidences clear. Oh how sweet was my God!
'May 17. This day in the
morning I meditated on the love of Christ, wherein Christ appeared, and
melted my heart in many sweet passages. In the evening I meditated on
eternity of hell, and on eternity of heaven, wherein the Lord both
melted, and cheered, and warmed, and refreshed my soul. Surely the
touches of God's Spirit are as sensible as any outward touches.
Allelujah.
'May 19. In the former
part of this day, I exercised the life of faith, when the Lord
strengthened me to act faith on several promises, both temporal,
spiritual, and eternal; I had then sweet, refreshing, and encouraging
impressions on my soul against all the fearful, sinful, and doubtful
dreams I had the night or two before dreamed. In the evening I
considered the duty of prayer, observed some workings of God's Spirit in
my perusing the rules, and afterwards in the practice of this duty.
Blessed be God!
'May 20. In the morning I
fell on reading the word, perused the directions, and then searched into
the common places and uses of my corruptions in nature and practice; of
my comforts against the burthens of my daily infirmities; of
establishing my heart against the fear of falling away ; of directions
in my calling; of comforts against outward crosses; of my privileges in
Christ above all the wicked in the world: in every of these Christ
appeared in some measure suitably to my soul. In the evening I proceeded
in the common places and uses of sweet passages that melted my heart;
of sensible comforts, and of places hard to be understood: in the first
my heart was sweetly melted, in the second cheered; in the
conclusion the Lord struck me with a reverence of His majesty and
presence, filled my soul with spiritual refreshings, enlarged my heart
with praises of Him, and desires to live unto Him, who hath given me in
this time of love so many visits, and kisses of His mouth. Allelujah.
'May 22. Occasionally,
though not in course, I fell on some parts of the duty of self-denial:
the Lord in mercy wrought in my soul some suitableness to that spiritual
gospel-duty; Lord, keep this fire up in a flame still. Oh it is a
sweet, but a very hard lesson.
'May 31. I practised (as
the Lord enabled) the duty of saints' sufferings; into which condition
as I was cast, so the Lord gave me to see my sin and to bewail it, and
to pray for the contrary, grace and God's favour. The Lord was sweet to
me in the preparations to, but especially in the improving of,
sufferings. Now the Spirit left in my soul a sweet scent and savour
behind it. Amen. Amen.'
Through the loss of his diary, I can collect only a
very imperfect biography of Isaac Ambrose. From his 'Media,' under the
head of 'Experiences,' a few incidents of his life may be gleaned, and
elsewhere a very few more.
According to Anthony Wood, he was ' a minister's
son descending from those of the name living at Lowick, and they from
the Ambroses of Ambrose Hall in Lancashire.' If this be true, of which I
am very doubtful, it would be interesting to know how, as the Ambroses
of Lowick were among the most persistent Catholics of Lancashire, Isaac
or his father, the minister, became a Protestant. Although there are in
his writings many references to
the Papists, he makes no allusion to his conversion from popery, or to
any Catholic relatives or associations. There is, however, no reason to
doubt that he was a minister's son, and a native of Lancashire. He
entered at Brasenose, Oxon, in 1621, in the seventeenth year of his age.
Having taken a degree in arts and obtained orders, he served 'a little
cure' in Derbyshire. This 'little cure,' like many others in that
county, seems to have been very little indeed, for while serving it he
was refreshed by some charitable relief of the Earl of Bedford. By the
influence of that nobleman, as Wood tells us, he was appointed one of
the king's itinerant preachers in Lancashire. Having served for a time a
curacy in Garstang, he was selected by that patroness of godly
ministers, Lady Margaret Hoghton, to occupy the important position of
Vicar of Preston.*
* 'I speak my own loss. She was pleased to cast her affections upon me, unworthiest of all my Master's messengers. In her lifetime she preferred me to this place. The Lord made her the first wheel of His providence in bringing me hither, and it was some trouble to her that I left this pastoral charge before she left the world.'—Sermon preached at Preston, at the funeral of Lady Margaret Hoghton, by Isaac Ambrose.
* 'I speak my own loss. She was pleased to cast her affections upon me, unworthiest of all my Master's messengers. In her lifetime she preferred me to this place. The Lord made her the first wheel of His providence in bringing me hither, and it was some trouble to her that I left this pastoral charge before she left the world.'—Sermon preached at Preston, at the funeral of Lady Margaret Hoghton, by Isaac Ambrose.
Wood says 'he received the appointment to Preston
in 1648,' but it must have been received earlier, as in the Ordinance
for the establishment of the presbyterian classes, dated October 1646,
he is included in the seventh classis as minister of Preston, and in a
certificate dated May 18, 1647, he calls himself minister of God's word
in the church of Preston.
Halley on Lancashire Puritans
Robert Halley (1796-1876) wrote about Ambrose in Lancashire: its puritanism and noncomformity and it can be found here (Volume 1) and here (Volume 2)
Short Memoir Part 2
The intelligence of this awful presentiment reaching his absent friends, many, particularly from among his hearers at Garstang, came to visit him. These he received with his usual cheerfulness, and after giving them pious counsel, and converging freely on the things of God, he informed them that he was now ready to depart whenever his Lord should think fit to summons him to appear before his fLice, as he had finished all that he ever intended to write, and on the preceding evening had sent away his Discourse concerning Angels to the press. When his friends were about to take their leave, he accompanied them to the door, and waited until they had mounted their horses, and having taken his leave, he came back, shutting himself in his parlour, the place of his soliloquy, meditation, and prayer. Being
thought to tarry longer than usual, the door was opened, and he was found just expiring. The state in which he was discovered rendered all assistance unavailing, his mortal course being brought
to an end. This took place in the year 1664, in the 72d year of his age.
His character may be comprised in a few expressions :— He was holy in life, happy in his death, honoured of God, and held in high estimation by all good men.
His works, which are numerous, are still read with much
respect and profit, and no doubt they will long continue in request, among the pious of all denominations. Of these works the following are the titles : Prima, Media, et Ultima; or Regeneration, Sanctitication, and Meditations on Man's Misery and God's Mercy.—Looking unto Jesus.—War with devils.—Ministration of, and communion with, Angels, &c.—These works, though they had previously appeared, were all collected and printed together in folio in the year 1689. Since that time several of them have repeatedly been published in various forms, and
in some few instances, from the liberty which has been taken with them, they have been made to speak a language which their author never intended. To this edition, these charges cannot
apply.
On the amiable spirit which these writings breathe, the important doctrines which they inculcate, and the practical godliness which they invariably enforce, but one opinion can be entertained. Like the writings of Baxter, they have a vigorous pulse beating in every page ; and it will be difficult to select a paragraph in which the author does not appear in earnest for the salvation of his readers. It is this sacred principle, rather than the learning (though even of this they are by no means destitute) which they display, that has brought them downward on the stream of time to the present hour ; while many that could boast of more splendid diction and outward decorations, have sunk to rise no more. In his treatise on Communion with Angels, he has collected together a mass of evidence in favour of his positions, much stronger than might have been expected. His conclusions he has also attempted to fortify by making an appeal to recorded incidents. Many of these, however, being taken from the dark ages and others being of doubtful authority, it is very probable, that in the eyes of several judicious readers, he will appear to have injured the cause he intended to promote. This work displays strong powers of mind, an acuteness of mvestigation, and much learning; but notwithstanding its numerous excellencies, it must be acknowledged, that fancy appears predominant in many parts, and, in its wild exuberances, attributes to supernatural agency, various phenomena which might be traced to natural causes. Many of the incidents which he has recorded are, of a very remarkable character, but by no means improbable. But there are others which are of such a nature, as to stagger eyen credulity itself.
These blemishes are however, of little moment, when compared with the life and power that he has infused into the various subjects of which he treats. These are so strong and so influential, that the most insensible can scarcely read without catching something of his pious spirit, and admiring that devotional feeling which ammates every sentence.
On the amiable spirit which these writings breathe, the important doctrines which they inculcate, and the practical godliness which they invariably enforce, but one opinion can be entertained. Like the writings of Baxter, they have a vigorous pulse beating in every page ; and it will be difficult to select a paragraph in which the author does not appear in earnest for the salvation of his readers. It is this sacred principle, rather than the learning (though even of this they are by no means destitute) which they display, that has brought them downward on the stream of time to the present hour ; while many that could boast of more splendid diction and outward decorations, have sunk to rise no more. In his treatise on Communion with Angels, he has collected together a mass of evidence in favour of his positions, much stronger than might have been expected. His conclusions he has also attempted to fortify by making an appeal to recorded incidents. Many of these, however, being taken from the dark ages and others being of doubtful authority, it is very probable, that in the eyes of several judicious readers, he will appear to have injured the cause he intended to promote. This work displays strong powers of mind, an acuteness of mvestigation, and much learning; but notwithstanding its numerous excellencies, it must be acknowledged, that fancy appears predominant in many parts, and, in its wild exuberances, attributes to supernatural agency, various phenomena which might be traced to natural causes. Many of the incidents which he has recorded are, of a very remarkable character, but by no means improbable. But there are others which are of such a nature, as to stagger eyen credulity itself.
These blemishes are however, of little moment, when compared with the life and power that he has infused into the various subjects of which he treats. These are so strong and so influential, that the most insensible can scarcely read without catching something of his pious spirit, and admiring that devotional feeling which ammates every sentence.
Mr. Ambrose was one of those excellent divines, by which the turbulent age in which he lived was distinguished. These, in their combined effulgence, irradiated the gloom of moral darkness which then prevailed, and it is to their indefatigable exertions that we are indebted for many blessings which we now enjoy. He was a star of no common magnitude, in that bright constellation of worthies, who have enriched the world by their writings, and bequeathed their example to posterity.
Short Memoir Part 1
A short memoir appears in the Works. The first part says
The subject of this Memoir, a native of Lancashire, was a descendant of an ancient and respectable family of Ambrose Hail in that County. His father was a clergyman ; but of his personal history little is known. His situation in life, however, enabled him to favour his son with a liberal education, every way suited for the ministerial functions which he was trained up to discharge.
Having obtained a competent degree of learning from local seminaries, Isaac was sent to the University of Oxford, and in 1621 was admitted into Brazen Nose College, where he took a degree of Bachelor of Arts.
In Mr. Rees' Cyclopedia it is asserted, "that in 1641 he left the Established Church, joined the Presbyterian Party, took the covenant, and preached first at Garstang, and afterwards at Preston, in his native county ; and that his zeal against the established Clergy, recommended him to the office of assistant to the commissioners, for ejecting such as were called scandalous and ignorant ministers, and schoolmasters."
Of these particulars, which, although they compliment his piety and zeal, indirectly charge him with being influenced by the fanatical spirit of the times. Dr. Calamy, in his account of the Ejected Ministers, takes no notice, with the exception of his preaching at the two places above mentioned; but even of these, the order is inverted. In the Nonconformist Memorial, we are informed, that he was for some time minister of Preston, that from thence he removed to Garstang, where the act of Uniformity found him in 1662.
It appears, that soon after the Restoration of Charles II. when the clouds began to gather round the Church, which led to the tempest, from the awful effects of which she has not yet recovered, a meeting was held at Bolton by about twenty ministers, of which number Mr. Ambrose was one, to consult what course they should take in the present alarming crisis. At this meeting Mr. Ambrose and Mr. Cole of Preston declared, in the presence of their brethren, that they would read the Common Prayer and should do it, the state of their respective places requiring it; and that otherwise their services among their congregation would necessarily be at an end. The ministers present, considering the circumstances of their case, approved of this decision. But Mr. Cole, afterwards Dr. Cole, declaring that he could not thus far comply, was turned out from Preston, he, however, found some stronger motive in Essex than operated in Preston, since he finally conformed, and became a lecturer at Dedham in that county.
With respect to Mr. Ambrose, notwithstanding the preceding declaration, it is well known that he lived and died a Nonconformist; but of the particular circumstances which led to the steps in which his character became decided, we have no account. We are, however, in possession of facts that are of much more importance; namely, that he was a man of substantial worth, of eminent piety, and that, for his exemplary life, he was highly respected both as a private Christian, and an approved minister of God. It is to be lamented, that his contemporaries had not collected and preserved a narrative of the various incidents which marked his life, of his unwearied assiduity in composing his various publications, of his manner of living, of his family, and associates, and of the superintending providence of God over him, when for conscience sake he abandoned his prospects of aggrandisement, and even surrendered his livelihood.
In his manner of life, there is one particular circumstance that deserves to be recorded. It was his custom, once in every year, to withdraw from all human society for about a month, which time he spent in a small hut that w\as erected in a wood not far from his dwelling, giving himself up to meditation, prayer, and divine contemplation. Much of this spirit, which may be supposed to be cherished by a holy man in solitude, appears in his writings; and no doubt, by this means he became better qualified for the discharge of his ministerial duties throughout the rest of the year.
The latter part of his life was spent at Preston, in warning and exhorting those around him, to make preparation for their approaching dissolution, enforcing, by his pious example, the precepts which he taught. As his end drew near, he appears to have had a strong presentiment of the solemn event. Though in perfect health, on paying a visit to his distant friends, he took his leave of them under a serious conviction that he should see them no more ; and on his returning to his home, he proceeded to set every thing m order against the termination of his mortal career.
Having obtained a competent degree of learning from local seminaries, Isaac was sent to the University of Oxford, and in 1621 was admitted into Brazen Nose College, where he took a degree of Bachelor of Arts.
In Mr. Rees' Cyclopedia it is asserted, "that in 1641 he left the Established Church, joined the Presbyterian Party, took the covenant, and preached first at Garstang, and afterwards at Preston, in his native county ; and that his zeal against the established Clergy, recommended him to the office of assistant to the commissioners, for ejecting such as were called scandalous and ignorant ministers, and schoolmasters."
Of these particulars, which, although they compliment his piety and zeal, indirectly charge him with being influenced by the fanatical spirit of the times. Dr. Calamy, in his account of the Ejected Ministers, takes no notice, with the exception of his preaching at the two places above mentioned; but even of these, the order is inverted. In the Nonconformist Memorial, we are informed, that he was for some time minister of Preston, that from thence he removed to Garstang, where the act of Uniformity found him in 1662.
It appears, that soon after the Restoration of Charles II. when the clouds began to gather round the Church, which led to the tempest, from the awful effects of which she has not yet recovered, a meeting was held at Bolton by about twenty ministers, of which number Mr. Ambrose was one, to consult what course they should take in the present alarming crisis. At this meeting Mr. Ambrose and Mr. Cole of Preston declared, in the presence of their brethren, that they would read the Common Prayer and should do it, the state of their respective places requiring it; and that otherwise their services among their congregation would necessarily be at an end. The ministers present, considering the circumstances of their case, approved of this decision. But Mr. Cole, afterwards Dr. Cole, declaring that he could not thus far comply, was turned out from Preston, he, however, found some stronger motive in Essex than operated in Preston, since he finally conformed, and became a lecturer at Dedham in that county.
With respect to Mr. Ambrose, notwithstanding the preceding declaration, it is well known that he lived and died a Nonconformist; but of the particular circumstances which led to the steps in which his character became decided, we have no account. We are, however, in possession of facts that are of much more importance; namely, that he was a man of substantial worth, of eminent piety, and that, for his exemplary life, he was highly respected both as a private Christian, and an approved minister of God. It is to be lamented, that his contemporaries had not collected and preserved a narrative of the various incidents which marked his life, of his unwearied assiduity in composing his various publications, of his manner of living, of his family, and associates, and of the superintending providence of God over him, when for conscience sake he abandoned his prospects of aggrandisement, and even surrendered his livelihood.
In his manner of life, there is one particular circumstance that deserves to be recorded. It was his custom, once in every year, to withdraw from all human society for about a month, which time he spent in a small hut that w\as erected in a wood not far from his dwelling, giving himself up to meditation, prayer, and divine contemplation. Much of this spirit, which may be supposed to be cherished by a holy man in solitude, appears in his writings; and no doubt, by this means he became better qualified for the discharge of his ministerial duties throughout the rest of the year.
The latter part of his life was spent at Preston, in warning and exhorting those around him, to make preparation for their approaching dissolution, enforcing, by his pious example, the precepts which he taught. As his end drew near, he appears to have had a strong presentiment of the solemn event. Though in perfect health, on paying a visit to his distant friends, he took his leave of them under a serious conviction that he should see them no more ; and on his returning to his home, he proceeded to set every thing m order against the termination of his mortal career.
Thesis on Ambrose by Tom Schwanda
SCHWANDA, TOM (2009) Soul Recreation: Spiritual Marriage and Ravishment in the Contemplative-Mystical Piety of Isaac Ambrose. Doctoral thesis, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/55/
Abstract
This thesis examines the theology and piety of Isaac Ambrose
(1604-1664), a moderate Lancashire Puritan minister. More specifically
it raises the question about the nature of his spiritual practices and
whether they reflect what Bernard McGinn calls the “mystical element” of
Christianity? This research is distinctive since Ambrose has never
been the primary focus of research. There are six chapters to this
thesis.
Chapter 1 examines the definition of three key terms: “mysticism”, “Puritanism”, and “Puritan mysticism” and then substitutes “contemplative-mystical piety” for McGinn’s mystical element since this language is more familiar to the Reformed community. A review of the literature reveals the prevalence of contemplative-mystical piety within mainstream Puritanism.
Chapter 1 examines the definition of three key terms: “mysticism”, “Puritanism”, and “Puritan mysticism” and then substitutes “contemplative-mystical piety” for McGinn’s mystical element since this language is more familiar to the Reformed community. A review of the literature reveals the prevalence of contemplative-mystical piety within mainstream Puritanism.
Chapter 2
explores the biblical and theological foundations of union with Christ,
which the Puritans often called spiritual marriage. Contrary to common
perception, the Puritans encouraged intimacy and sexual enjoyment in
their godly marriage that they often perceived as a reciprocal
relationship with their spiritual marriage.
The third chapter creates a
contemplative biography of Ambrose through his diary entries and
examines his relationship with God and his neighbor through his annual
retreats, the struggles of his soul, serving as a physician of the soul,
times of public fasting and worship, and the significance of specific
places or environment to his piety.
Chapter 4 narrows the focus to
Ambrose’s teaching on meditation and contemplation. The influence of
Bernard of Clairvaux is clearly evident as Ambrose contemplatively looks
at Jesus throughout all the manifestations of Jesus’ life.
The fifth
chapter considers Ambrose’s use of ravishment and examines the nature,
dynamics and benefits of this ambiguous term of delight and enjoyment.
The final chapter moves from the seventeenth-century to the present and
inquires whether Ambrose’s contemplative-mystical piety can guide
contemporary Reformed Christians. That requires an examination into the
resistance of Karl Barth as well as the more receptive possibility of
retrieval through Herman Bavinck. This work concludes with seven
principles from Ambrose to encourage those who are members of the
Reformed tradition.
(more on Tom Schwanda here)
(more on Tom Schwanda here)
Works
As listed by Tom Schwanda
Prima, The First Things or Regeneration Sermons. 1640.
______. Ultima, The Last Things or Meditation Sermons. 1640.
______. Media, The Middle Things, in Reference to the First and Last Things: or,
The Means, Duties, Ordinances, Both Secret, Private and Publike, for the
Continuance and Increase of a Godly Life, Once Begun, Till We Come to
Heaven 1650.
______. Prima, Media & Ultima. The First, Middle and Last Things: in Three
Treatises. Wherein is Set Forth, I. The Doctrine of Regeneration or the New
Birth. II. The Practice of Sanctification, in the Means, Duties, Ordinances,
Both Secret, Private and Publike, for the Continuance and Increase of a Godly
Life. III. Mans Misery, in His Life, Death & Judgement. Gods Mercy, in Our
Redemption & Salvation. 1650.
______. Ultima, The Last Things. In Reference to the First and Middle Things: or
Certain Meditations on Life, Death, Judgement, Hell, Right Purgatory, and
Heaven. 1650.
______. Media: The Middle Things, in Reference to the First and Last Things: or,
The Means, Duties, Ordinances, both Secret, Private and Publike, for the
Continuance and Increase of a Godly Life, (Once Begun,) Till We Come to
Heaven. 2nd rev. ed. 1652.
______. Prima, Media, & Ultima: The First, Middle and Last Things: in Three
Treatises. Wherein is Set Forth, I. The Doctrine of Regeneration or the New
Birth. II. The Practice of Sanctification, in the Means, Duties, Ordinances,
Both Secret, Private and Publike, for the Continuance and Increase of a Godly
Life. III. Mans Misery, in His Life, Death, Judgement & Execution. Gods
Mercy, in Our Redemption & Salvation. 1654.
______. Media: The Middle Things, in Reference to the First and Last Things: or,
The Means, Duties, Ordinances, both Secret, Private and Publike, for the
Continuance and Increase of a Godly Life, (Once Begun,) Till We Come to
Heaven. 3rd rev. ed. 1657.
321
______. Looking Unto Jesus: A View of the Everlasting Gospel; or, The Soul’s
Eying of Jesus, As Carrying on the Great Work of Mans Salvation from First to
Last. 1658.
______. Redeeming the Time, A Sermon Preached at Preston in Lancashire, January
4th, 1657 at the Funerall of the Honourable Lady, the Lady Margaret
Houghton. 1658.
______. Prima, Media, & Ultima: The First, Middle and Last Things: in Three
Treatises. Wherein is Set Forth, I. The Doctrine of Regeneration or the New
Birth. II. The Practice of Sanctification, in the Means, Duties, Ordinances,
Both Secret, Private and Publike, for the Continuance and Increase of a Godly
Life. III. Certain Meditations: Mans Misery, in His Life, Death, Judgement &
Execution. Gods Mercy, in Our Redemption & Salvation. 1659.
______. Three Great Ordinances of Jesus Christ. War with Devils, Ministration of,
and Communion with Angels, Looking Unto Jesus. 1662.
______. The Compleat Works of Isaac Ambrose, Consisting of These…Treatises,
Prima, Media, et. Ultima; or. The First, Middle, and Last Things … with a
Sermon Added Concerning Redeeming the Time. Looking Unto Jesus … War
with Devils. Ministration of, and Communion with Angels. 1674.
______. Looking Unto Jesus: A View of the Everlasting Gospel; or, The Soul’s
Eying of Jesus, As Carrying on the Great Work of Mans Salvation from First to
Last. 1674.
______. 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.
1680.
______. The Compleat Works of that Eminent Minister of God’s Word Mr. Isaac
Ambrose, Consisting of These Treatises, viz. Prima, Media, & Ultima, or, The
First, Middle, and Last Things …; with a Sermon Added Concerning
Redeeming the Time: Looking Unto Jesus as Carrying on the Great Works of
Mans Salvation: War with Devils, Ministration of, and Communion with
Angels. 1682.
______. The Works of Isaac Ambrose, Sometime Minister of Garstang, in
Lancashire. To Which is Prefixed Some Account of His Life. New ed. 4th ed. 2
vols. Edited by John Wesley. Manchester: J. Gleave, 1813.
______. Looking Unto Jesus: A View of the Everlasting Gospel; or, The Soul’s
Eyeing of Jesus. Reprint, Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications, 1986.
______. The Christian Warrior: Wrestling with Sin, Satan, the World, and the Flesh
[1662,incorrectly cited as 1660]. Reprint, Morgan, PA: Soli Deo Gloria
Publications, 1997.
Prima, The First Things or Regeneration Sermons. 1640.
______. Ultima, The Last Things or Meditation Sermons. 1640.
______. Media, The Middle Things, in Reference to the First and Last Things: or,
The Means, Duties, Ordinances, Both Secret, Private and Publike, for the
Continuance and Increase of a Godly Life, Once Begun, Till We Come to
Heaven 1650.
______. Prima, Media & Ultima. The First, Middle and Last Things: in Three
Treatises. Wherein is Set Forth, I. The Doctrine of Regeneration or the New
Birth. II. The Practice of Sanctification, in the Means, Duties, Ordinances,
Both Secret, Private and Publike, for the Continuance and Increase of a Godly
Life. III. Mans Misery, in His Life, Death & Judgement. Gods Mercy, in Our
Redemption & Salvation. 1650.
______. Ultima, The Last Things. In Reference to the First and Middle Things: or
Certain Meditations on Life, Death, Judgement, Hell, Right Purgatory, and
Heaven. 1650.
______. Media: The Middle Things, in Reference to the First and Last Things: or,
The Means, Duties, Ordinances, both Secret, Private and Publike, for the
Continuance and Increase of a Godly Life, (Once Begun,) Till We Come to
Heaven. 2nd rev. ed. 1652.
______. Prima, Media, & Ultima: The First, Middle and Last Things: in Three
Treatises. Wherein is Set Forth, I. The Doctrine of Regeneration or the New
Birth. II. The Practice of Sanctification, in the Means, Duties, Ordinances,
Both Secret, Private and Publike, for the Continuance and Increase of a Godly
Life. III. Mans Misery, in His Life, Death, Judgement & Execution. Gods
Mercy, in Our Redemption & Salvation. 1654.
______. Media: The Middle Things, in Reference to the First and Last Things: or,
The Means, Duties, Ordinances, both Secret, Private and Publike, for the
Continuance and Increase of a Godly Life, (Once Begun,) Till We Come to
Heaven. 3rd rev. ed. 1657.
321
______. Looking Unto Jesus: A View of the Everlasting Gospel; or, The Soul’s
Eying of Jesus, As Carrying on the Great Work of Mans Salvation from First to
Last. 1658.
______. Redeeming the Time, A Sermon Preached at Preston in Lancashire, January
4th, 1657 at the Funerall of the Honourable Lady, the Lady Margaret
Houghton. 1658.
______. Prima, Media, & Ultima: The First, Middle and Last Things: in Three
Treatises. Wherein is Set Forth, I. The Doctrine of Regeneration or the New
Birth. II. The Practice of Sanctification, in the Means, Duties, Ordinances,
Both Secret, Private and Publike, for the Continuance and Increase of a Godly
Life. III. Certain Meditations: Mans Misery, in His Life, Death, Judgement &
Execution. Gods Mercy, in Our Redemption & Salvation. 1659.
______. Three Great Ordinances of Jesus Christ. War with Devils, Ministration of,
and Communion with Angels, Looking Unto Jesus. 1662.
______. The Compleat Works of Isaac Ambrose, Consisting of These…Treatises,
Prima, Media, et. Ultima; or. The First, Middle, and Last Things … with a
Sermon Added Concerning Redeeming the Time. Looking Unto Jesus … War
with Devils. Ministration of, and Communion with Angels. 1674.
______. Looking Unto Jesus: A View of the Everlasting Gospel; or, The Soul’s
Eying of Jesus, As Carrying on the Great Work of Mans Salvation from First to
Last. 1674.
______. 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.
1680.
______. The Compleat Works of that Eminent Minister of God’s Word Mr. Isaac
Ambrose, Consisting of These Treatises, viz. Prima, Media, & Ultima, or, The
First, Middle, and Last Things …; with a Sermon Added Concerning
Redeeming the Time: Looking Unto Jesus as Carrying on the Great Works of
Mans Salvation: War with Devils, Ministration of, and Communion with
Angels. 1682.
______. The Works of Isaac Ambrose, Sometime Minister of Garstang, in
Lancashire. To Which is Prefixed Some Account of His Life. New ed. 4th ed. 2
vols. Edited by John Wesley. Manchester: J. Gleave, 1813.
______. Looking Unto Jesus: A View of the Everlasting Gospel; or, The Soul’s
Eyeing of Jesus. Reprint, Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications, 1986.
______. The Christian Warrior: Wrestling with Sin, Satan, the World, and the Flesh
[1662,incorrectly cited as 1660]. Reprint, Morgan, PA: Soli Deo Gloria
Publications, 1997.
ODNB 1885-1900
AMBROSE, ISAAC (1604–1662-3), a Lancashire divine whose works were
long held in esteem, was descended from the Ambroses of Lowick, Furness,
and was baptised 29 May 1604 at Ormskirk, where his father was vicar.
He entered Brasenose College, Oxford, 1621, in 1624 he proceeded B.A.,
and having been ordained was presented by Bishop Morton to the ‘little
cure’ of Castleton, Derbyshire, 1627. Ambrose attracted the notice of
William Russell, afterwards earl of Bedford, and was by the king's
influence incorporated at Cambridge University 1631–2. Having resigned
his small living in 1631, he was made one of the king's four preachers
in Lancashire, and took up his residence at Garstang. About the year
1640 the interest of the religious Lady Margaret Hoghton obtained for
him the vicarage of the corporate town of Preston in Amounderness. In
November 1642 he was for a time taken prisoner by the king's
commissioners of array, and he was again arrested 20 March 1643; but in
both cases was released by the influence of neighbouring gentlemen. On
the taking of Bolton, May 1644, he took refuge at Leeds. He associated
himself with the establishment of presbyterianism in the county, and
held important positions by the favour of the House of Commons or his
neighbouring brethren. Having set his hand to the ‘Agreement of the
People taken into consideration,’ the committee of plundered ministers
ordered him to be sent a prisoner to London (April and May 1649), where
he made the acquaintance of Lady Mary Vere and other persons, who, with
the Earl of Bedford, relieved his necessities. He was still the
‘painful’ minister of Preston in 1650. The prominent connection of this
town with the war, and the strong party feelings of the inhabitants, led
him to remove to Garstang in 1654; and thence, in 1662, he was ejected
for nonconformity. Having retired to Preston, he died suddenly of
apoplexy in 1663–4, and was buried 25 Jan.
He wrote Prima, Media, Ultimo 4to, 1650, 1659; funeral sermon on Redeeming the time (on Lady Houghton), 1658, 4to; Looking unto Jesus 1658, 4to; War with Devils - the minstrtion of angels, 1661, 4to. These were reprinted in folio, with a portrait, 1674, 1682, 1689; and the smaller treatises have frequently been reprinted. He has letters prefixed to some of the works of his friend Henry Newcome.
‘Ambrose,’ says Calamy, ‘was a man of that substantial worth, that eminent piety, and that exemplary life, both as a minister and a christian, that it is to be lamented the world should not have the benefit of particular memoirs of him.’ His character has been misrepresented by Wood. He was of a peaceful disposition; and though he put his name to the fierce ‘Harmonious Consent,’ he was not naturally a partisan. He evaded the political controversies of the time. His gentleness of character and earnest presentation of the gospel attached him to his people. He was much given to secluding himself, retiring every May into the woods of Hoghton Tower and remaining there a month. Dr. Halley justly characterises him as the most meditative puritan of Lancashire. This quality pervades his writings, which abound, besides, in deep feeling and earnest piety. Mr. Hunter has called attention to his recommendation of diaries as a means of advancing personal piety, and has remarked, in reference to the fragments from Ambrose's diary quoted in the ‘Media,’ that ‘with such passages before us we cannot but lament that the carelessness of later times should have suffered such a curious and valuable document to perish; for perished it is to be feared it has.’
[Wood's Ath. Oxon. (ed. Bliss), iii. 659, and Fasti. i. 414; Calamy's Abridgement of Baxter (1713), 409, and Contin. 566; Newcome's Autobiog. and Diary passim; Faringdon Papers, 107; Halley's Lanc. Nonconformity, i. 194 seq.; Chetham's Ch. Libraries, p. 170; Fishwick's Hist. of Garstang, 161 seq.; Cox's Derbyshire Churches, iv. 499.]
He wrote Prima, Media, Ultimo 4to, 1650, 1659; funeral sermon on Redeeming the time (on Lady Houghton), 1658, 4to; Looking unto Jesus 1658, 4to; War with Devils - the minstrtion of angels, 1661, 4to. These were reprinted in folio, with a portrait, 1674, 1682, 1689; and the smaller treatises have frequently been reprinted. He has letters prefixed to some of the works of his friend Henry Newcome.
‘Ambrose,’ says Calamy, ‘was a man of that substantial worth, that eminent piety, and that exemplary life, both as a minister and a christian, that it is to be lamented the world should not have the benefit of particular memoirs of him.’ His character has been misrepresented by Wood. He was of a peaceful disposition; and though he put his name to the fierce ‘Harmonious Consent,’ he was not naturally a partisan. He evaded the political controversies of the time. His gentleness of character and earnest presentation of the gospel attached him to his people. He was much given to secluding himself, retiring every May into the woods of Hoghton Tower and remaining there a month. Dr. Halley justly characterises him as the most meditative puritan of Lancashire. This quality pervades his writings, which abound, besides, in deep feeling and earnest piety. Mr. Hunter has called attention to his recommendation of diaries as a means of advancing personal piety, and has remarked, in reference to the fragments from Ambrose's diary quoted in the ‘Media,’ that ‘with such passages before us we cannot but lament that the carelessness of later times should have suffered such a curious and valuable document to perish; for perished it is to be feared it has.’
[Wood's Ath. Oxon. (ed. Bliss), iii. 659, and Fasti. i. 414; Calamy's Abridgement of Baxter (1713), 409, and Contin. 566; Newcome's Autobiog. and Diary passim; Faringdon Papers, 107; Halley's Lanc. Nonconformity, i. 194 seq.; Chetham's Ch. Libraries, p. 170; Fishwick's Hist. of Garstang, 161 seq.; Cox's Derbyshire Churches, iv. 499.]
Modern Reprints
Modern Reprints
The Christian Warrior: Wrestling with Sin, Satan, the World, and the Flesh (SDG;
150 pages; 1997). In this work on spiritual warfare, originally written
in 1661 but apparently first published
with the Works in 1674, Ambrose presents three key truths: (1) all
God’s people must be warriors, (2) we have powerful and malicious
enemies to contend with, and (3) we must wrestle and strive against
these enemies.
Basing his work on Ephesians 6:12, Ambrose explains how a Christian
must wage spiritual battle against sin, the world, the flesh, and Satan.
He shows how Satan attacks us at different times and under different
conditions in life, and how we can prepare to withstand his assaults.
His ten ways to cope with sinful anger are extremely helpful (pp.
110-116).
Ambrose’s directives are insightful, probing, and succinct. For
instance, Ambrose advises, “Be not satisfied with sudden pangs of
affection, but labor to preserve those impressions which the Spirit has
made on your soul” (pp. 64-65).
Looking Unto Jesus (SPR; 694 pages; 1986).
After a serious illness in the early 1650s, Ambrose wrote a devotional
on what the Lord had done for his soul, titled Looking unto Jesus, or
the Soul’s Eyeing of Jesus as Carrying on the Great Work of Man’s
Salvation (1658). The book, which stresses experiential identification
with Jesus in thought and behavior, soon became a classic of
Christ-centered divinity. Its readers feel they are standing on holy
ground.
Ambrose describes numerous aspects of Christ’s ministry. For example,
he presents Jesus’ ministry from eternity and during His life from a
nine-point perspective: knowing Jesus, considering Jesus, desiring
Jesus, hoping in Jesus, believing in Jesus, loving Jesus, rejoicing in
Jesus, calling on Jesus, and conforming to Jesus in a particular aspect
of His ministry. Regarding
conformity to Christ in His resurrection, Ambrose writes, “Look much
at Christ raised, Christ glorified. [Let us] see our own personal
vivification linked inseparably unto, and bottomed immovably upon the
resurrection of Christ. When we can by faith get a sight of this, how
courageously and successfully the soul will grapple in the controversies
of the Lord against the devil, and our own deceitful hearts…. O that I
could set my faith more frequently on Christ’s resurrection, so that at
last I could see it by the light of God to be a destinated principle of
my vivification in particular!” (pp. 490-91).
This book has been reprinted many times, influencing many Christians
over the centuries to pursue a closer walk with God. It equals Samuel
Rutherford’s Letters in its Christcenteredness.
(From Beeke and Pederson)
Meet the Puritans Excerpt
Isaac Ambrose (1604-1664)
Isaac Ambrose was born in 1604, the son of Richard Ambrose, vicar of
Ormskirk, Lancashire. Entering Brasenose College, Oxford, in 1621, he
graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1624, and was ordained to
the ministry. He became vicar of the parish church in Castleton,
Derbyshire, in 1627, then served at Clapham, Yorkshire, from 1629 to
1631. The following
year he received a Master of Arts degree from Cambridge.
Through the influence of William Russell, Earl of Bedford, Ambrose
was appointed one of the king’s four itinerant preachers for Lancashire,
and took up residence in Garstang, a Lancashire town between Preston
and Lancaster. The king’s preachers were commissioned to preach the
Reformation doctrines in an area that was strongly entrenched in Roman
Catholicism. Shortly thereafter, he was married.
About 1640, Lady Margaret Hoghton selected him as vicar of Preston in
Amounderness. As long as Ambrose lived in Preston, he enjoyed the warm
friendship of the Hoghton family. It was to their ancestral woods and
tower near Blackburn, east of Preston, or Weddicre Woods near Garstang,
that Ambrose retired each May to be alone, searching the Scriptures,
praying, and meditating upon God. His sermon, “Redeeming the Time,”
preached to the large congregation assembled for Lady Hoghton’s funeral,
was long remembered in Lancashire.
At the time of the Reformation, many in Preston, especially the local
gentry, had clung to the Roman Catholic faith. When the first civil war
began, Preston remained loyal to the king and became the headquarters
for the Royalists in Lancashire. Nonetheless, Ambrose declared himself a
Puritan and a Presbyterian when he subscribed to the Solemn League and
Covenant of 1643, and he was one of the ministers who served on the
committee of Parliament appointed to oversee the ejection of “scandalous
and ignorant ministers and schoolmasters” during the Commonwealth.
Preston became a battleground between the opposing forces of king and
Parliament. Ambrose was arrested twice (1642 and 1643) for his
Presbyterian beliefs, but he was quickly released on both occasions
because of his friendship with the Hoghtons and other neighboring
gentlemen and his own reputation for godliness. When Bolton was taken by
the Royalists in 1644, Ambrose took refuge in Leeds. Cromwell defeated
the Royalist troops at the battle fought in Preston in 1648. This
victory concluded the second civil war.
Presbyterianism in Lancashire was served well by Ambrose in the 1640s
and early 1650s, though not without strife. On several occasions he
served as moderator of the Lancashire classis, and, in 1648, was a
signatory of the harmonious consent of the Lancashire Presbyterian
clergy, which expressed solidarity with the Westminster Assembly and
opposed calls for toleration. In 1649, the local committee for the
relief of plundered ministers ordered him to be briefly imprisoned in
London. When Ambrose returned to minister in Preston, he faced ongoing
persecution. Finally, in 1654, he gave up his post there, perhaps due
in part to illness (Oxford DNB, 1:921).
Ambrose moved north to become minister of Garstang, where he was
ejected from his living in 1662 because of non- conformity. He lived in
retirement among his friends at Preston, dying suddenly of apoplexy on
January 23, 1664. It was said of him: “He was holy in life, happy in his
death, honored of God, and held in high estimation by all good men.”
Ambrose was a Christ-centered and warmly experiential author. He
spoke of himself as a son of Boanerges and Barnabas, though his writings
and ministry appear to have reflected more of the latter than the
former. His writings are remarkably free of polemics. “As a religious
writer Ambrose has a vividness and freshness of imagination possessed by
scarcely any of the Puritan nonconformists. Many who have no love for
Puritan doctrine, nor sympathy with Puritan experience, have appreciated
the pathos and beauty of his writings, and his Looking unto Jesus long
held its own in popular appreciation with the writings of John Bunyan”
(Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed., 1:800). A collection of his works
appeared in 1674 and was reprinted at least seven times over the next
two centuries.
Several of Ambrose’s significant books have not been reprinted for
more than a century. These include the first works from his pen, Prima
and Ultima, written in 1640. Prima presents the message of regeneration
and Ultima deals with the last things, including life, death, judgment,
hell, a correct understanding of purgatory, and heaven. These works were
followed by Media, written in 1650. This lengthier treatise on
sanctification examines the spiritual duties that the believer should
engage in to grow in grace and deeper union with Christ. Ambrose was a
strong proponent of keeping a diary to record daily experiences with
God. Unfortunately, his diary
has been lost, though he did include two lengthy samples in Media.
These reveal his deep passion for seeking and experiencing the “joy
unspeakable and full of glory” of Jesus Christ, our divine bridegroom.
Ambrose’s Communion with Angels was first published with his Works in
1674. This work traces the ways in which God’s divine messengers assist
the believer at the various periods of life from birth to the judgment.
According to Ambrose, angels defend and keep us safe from the
temptations of the devil and act as God’s servants and instruments of
providence. Angels may work in our dreams and therefore we must be
careful to discern the origin of our dreams to see if they are of God.
While still strongly experimental in nature, this is Ambrose’s most
speculative work.
Excerpt from Meet the Puritans
by Dr. Joel Beeke and Randall J. Pederson
20120606
Wikipedia
Isaac Ambrose (1604- January 20, 1663/1664) was anEnglish Puritan divine, the son of Richard Ambrose, vicar of Ormskirk, and was probably descended from the Ambroses of Lowick in Furness, a well-known Roman Catholic family.
He entered Brasenose College, Oxford, in 1621, in his seventeenth year. Having graduated BA 1624 and been ordained, he received in 1627 the little cure of Castleton, Derbyshire. By the influence of William Russell, Earl of Bedford, he was appointed one of the king's itinerant preachers in Lancashire, and after living for a time in Garstang, he was selected by the Lady Margaret Hoghton as vicar of Preston. He associated himself withPresbyterianism, and was on the celebrated committee for the ejection of "scandalous and ignorant ministers and schoolmasters" during theCommonweatlh.
So long as Ambrose continued at Preston he was favoured with the warm friendship of the Hoghton family, their ancestral woods and the tower nearBlackburn affording him sequestered places for those devout meditations and "experiences" that give such a charm to his diary, portions of which are quoted in his Prima Media and Ultima (1650, 1659). The immense auditory of his sermon (Redeeming the Time) at the funeral of Lady Hoghton [sic] was long a living tradition all over the county. On account of the feeling engendered by the civil war Ambrose left his great church of Preston in 1654, and became minister of Garstang, whence, however, in 1662 he was ejected with the two thousand ministers who refused to conform. His after years were passed among old friends and in quiet meditation at Preston. He died of apoplexy about 20 January 1663/4.
As a religious writer Ambrose has a vividness and freshness of imagination possessed by scarcely any of the Puritan Nonconformists. Many who have no love for Puritan doctrine, nor sympathy with Puritan experience, have appreciated the pathos and beauty of his writings, and his Looking to Jesus long held its own in popular appreciation with the writings of John Bunyan.
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