against making idols is at the root of Baxter’s concern. While Ignatius also
influenced Granada, the latter’s style appears more muted and amenable to
Ambrose.^129 In reality both Ignatius and Granada were influenced by the devotio
moderna through Cisneros.^130 This again raises the critical question of influence and
continuity and discontinuity. Simply because two persons appear to use roughly the
same method does not guarantee that one borrowed from the other. Further, while
both Ignatius and Granada drew upon devotio moderna in style and content the
resulting outcomes are not identical. The roots of Ambrose’s style are more reflective
of Hall and Granada than Ignatius. One fascinating trajectory of Puritan imagination
is that John Bunyan owned a marked copy of Ambrose’s Prima, Media, Ultima.^131
Kaufmann posits one specific example from Pilgrim’s Progress that resembles
Ambrose’s approach.^132 Therefore, one can only wonder how much influence
Ambrose’s writing had upon Bunyan and his own development and use of
imagination.
Contemplation in the Writings of Isaac Ambrose
A chronological examination will now be made of Ambrose’s corpus to
determine if there was any noticeable development in his understanding of
contemplation.^ Ambrose has little to say about contemplation in his first work, but
uses the term both positively and negatively. In his sermon on the new birth he
encourages his listeners, “may your contemplations (guided by the Gods Word) go
(^129) Chan agrees that Granada’s use of imagination would have been more acceptable
to the Puritans than Ignatius. “Puritan Meditative Tradition,” 2. 130
Pourrat, Christian Spirituality, 26-9, 97; McGuire, Companion to Jean Gerson,
379131 - 82; and Cave, Devotional Poetry, 5.
132 Harrison, “John Bunyan: Record of Recent Research,” 53. Kaufmann, Pilgrim’s Progress in Puritan Meditation, 230.^