While Ambrose does not employ the common medieval distinction between
Mary and Martha and balancing the contemplative and active dimensions of life he
and his fellow Puritans certainly understood the importance of this.^256 In chapter 3
Ambrose spoke of the proper balance of solitude that always was connected with
returning and engagement with the world. Previously Ambrose’s funeral sermon for
Lady Margaret Houghton was mentioned and the importance of balancing
contemplative practices and active living within the world.^257
Conclusion
In the previous chapter his friends and numerous scholars introduced Isaac
Ambrose as a contemplative. Both of these chapters have confirmed beyond a doubt
the contemplative nature of this Lancashire divine. His writings and experience
reflect a deeply focused beholding of Jesus. His intentional looking off of the world
so that he can look unto Jesus is motivated by love and gratitude. A careful review of
his usage of contemplation and heavenly meditation reveals no apparent change or
development in his understanding. His two largest works of Media and Looking Unto
Jesus are mystical texts in the best sense of the word and came in the middle of his
life. These two works reveal a much richer and more robust understanding than his
earlier works of Prima and Ultima. Further, his last two works, War with Devils and
Communion with Angels, completed just two years before his death, indicate a marked
reduction of contemplative themes. However, that should not suggest that
contemplation became less important for him. Rather it appears that the degree of
contemplation was directly related to the topic and texture of his works. Therefore,
the focus of Media on spiritual duties and Looking Unto Jesus, which was essentially
256
(^257) Ambrose, Hambrick-Redeeming the TimeStowe, Practice of Piety, 19. , xiii, 280. cf. Packer, Quest for Godliness, 24.^