God through this situation. However, it does illustrate that sometimes we meet God
through others and sometimes we might miss God through the same relationships.
Whether Ambrose was offering spiritual counsel to a troubled or anxious
conscience, or coming alongside one who was struggling to receive assurance of
conversion, or providing the comfort of grace and peace through his prayers he was a
gifted soul physician. Clearly his effectiveness was not dependent upon his own
abilities but rather his reliance upon the Holy Spirit, his blending of contemplation
and action and being a Barnabas and a Boenerges, that enabled him to guide others
into experiencing God’s transforming presence. Further, he wisely acknowledged,
“[t]here lies many times a great deal of spiritual wealth, in some obscure and
neglected Christians, which many supercilious and conceited professors do pass by
and neglect.”^148 This discovery comes only through consistent contemplative
listening that is attentive to the unexpected and recognizes that God may speak
through any one anywhere and when God does, to give praise and thanks to God
alone.
Structural Dimension
While his annual retreats occupied a cornerstone in his spiritual life, Ambrose
also recognized the value and importance of communal spiritual duties. Cohen
accurately notes that, “Puritan saints found their faith as much through social
communication as through introspective wrangling.”^149 The frequent diary entries of
public and private fasts with both ministers and laity reveal the great importance of
148
149 Ambrose, Media (1657), 337.^
Webster, Cohen, Godly ClergyGod’s Caress. , 151. Socialibility in Puritan piety is a central theme in Tom