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Show • '.l86 No C R 0 S S, No C R..O W N. , VoL, I. ~ ----------------------------------------~--- Chap. IV. C H A P. IV. Mat.20.21, 22, 23· § Wb t · t~e great Tf'ork of tbe Croft? The .Anfn·er to tbit of great .illo- • J, §11 IS The U'orkoftbeCr~J{i USelf~enial. §. 3• What'lt1M t~Citp o~ndCrojifj "T'~, 's2'4 WhatilourCup~WACr(l[il §• ~· OurDIII}istofoOowCbrijt Mllllr C•ptUn. C~· '6. o{ ,be Diftin£Iion~tpon [elf, , lnnful otni un~ar;fulfelf. §. 7• What'" 14Ul{tcl Stl{;, 1 8 'fhat ·,;,to bt de11itd inj/)fflt Clfosh,!Chr;jt s Do8rtwe..nd Ex.tmpk. §. 9• By rlt .A· idf.,;, Pam,:,, §. tO. The D.mg~rof preft~ri"g lnt1f•lfe~,.•bfJW O'f'" DUf.Jf/J God, §. u, The Jt.nt~•rd 11f Sdf-denill "' Exmemem to II• §. 12. h1s D~rme M l)fd M Ab~ha~, ~~~:., 1 , Hit o'ediuue of faitb me,orolbk. §. 14. J~b • grw Jnjtmct of Stl{-inml, b;r lonr!u~~ent. §. 1 ~. Mores •lfo•migb~ Ex.nnpk, bil Neglell•fPharaohs Coan~ §. ~6, Bit Ckiu. §. 17. The l(tl{on of it, VJz, tk i(!compe11u: of ~twmJ. li 18. If;uah "' m~ ror~fidtr•ble Jn/1-tmu, who of • Co11rtier 6~t.mte •n HolJ P~opbtt. ~. 19· hcfe lnJI•ntu ron~ rluitd ntirb rhllt of Holj DaDiCI, bU P11rer~c~ 1111d lnugr!1J• 1nd. tht Sum{1 th;J b11d U[1011 the ¥;...' § 20. there migln be m•nJ mentr~td tO ronprm tb11 ble§ei Diilrt11t. S· 21. AI (Jfbek{tj1r Cbdjt .s Men would bt{llwd. §. :2. TbtWIJO{ God U•W•J of Elith•nl. ~df·denid. §. 23. An urntft .Suppliwion ,.,d Exborwi~m TO aJ{,, Atte"d upon theft lbi"!l· Q BUT Fourthly, Wbnt ;, the great Work ond Eufinefr of the Croft rt· /}eflingMan? . . . jj•fw-. §. I. This indecfi lS of that mtghry Moment to be ttuly, platn!y and throughty anfwered, t~at ~ll .that wenr before, feems .onl~ to ferve for Preface to it; and mifcarrymg 1n u, to be no,lefs t~an a Mtfgutdance of ~he Soul ah~ irs Way to Bleffednefs. I fhall therefore purfue the Qpefhon with GOd's Help, and th~ ~eft K!'!Owledge he hath given me, in the Expt:- rience of fc\'eral Years Dtfctplefhtp. . . . The great Work and Bufinefs of the Crofs of Chnfi, 1n Man, IS .!&elfJ! Dtnial; a Word, as of much Depth in it idf, fo o.f fore C?ntradiaJOn to the World: Little under!tood, but lefs embracd by tt; yet It mutt be horn for all that. The Son of God is gone before us, and by the hitter Cup he drank, and Baptifm he fuffered, ~as left us an Example~ that we fho~ld follow his Seeps. Which made htm put tha~ ~~rd Queihon to. the Wtfe of Zebedee and her two Sons, up~n her folhcmng that one mtght fit at his right, and the other at hi~ left Hand in his Kin.gdom? .Are ye nb(e 111 drink of the Cup rhar ljholJ drm.k of,, and ro be bnpuzed wah rhe Baprijm 1 11m baptized with? It feems then bub '."'35 .ihong; they anfwered~ We ~re able. Upon which he replied, _Ye jhall. drmk mdeed. of my Cup, mul be b11pttt:· ed with the Baptifm 1 am bapnzed wllh; buc thetr R.eward he left to h1s Fa§~elit What UJaJ his GNp be ~ronk, ttnd .Bof!tifm be J~ffered? ~ ~nfwer; They were the Denial and Offe"'!'C uP. of btmj~!f by.tbe Eternttl Sp.1nt tqt~e Will of God undergoing the Tnbu!auons of h11 Life, and Jl.gomcs of b11 Deatb, upon' the Crofs, .for Man's Salt;ation. . §. IV. What U our Cup aml Crofs that we jhou!d drmkond f'~~Jfer? They are the Denial and Offering ttp of our felves, by the fame Spmr, to do.or fuffer the Will of God for his Service and Glory: VVhich is the true Ltfe and Obedience of the Crofs of Jefus: Narrow frill, but before, an unbeaten Way. For when there was none to help, not one to open the Seals, ~o give Knowledge, to aireEt the Courfe of poor Man's Recovery, .He came m the Greatnefs of his Love and Strength; and though clot bed wuh the Infirmities of a mortal Man, being within fortified by the Almigh.tinefs of an immortal God, he travelled through allrbe Sp·aitJ and Dfjjiculties of Hu~ 1!16niry; and firft, of all others, nod the umroJdcn Pa·th to Blelfednefs. . §. V. 0 come, let us follow him, the moft Unweorrt:d, the moft ViOon• om Captain of our Salvation! To whom all th"e grCa.t J.ilexon~tn and mighty Cefars of the World are lefs than the pooreftSold1er of theJr Camps could be to them. True, they were all G1·eac Princc1 of their kind .• and Conquerors too, but on very differing Principles. For Cbrifl made Jmnfdf of flo Reputation to Jove .Mankind; buc thefe plentifully ruin'd People, to augment theirs. They vanquifh'd others, nor rbemfelvu; Chrift conq;e)t VoL. I. No CROSS; No Ck.OWN. .felf that ever vanqulfh'd them: Of M~tit therefore the moj! exceUtilt Prin;e and Conqueror. Befides, They advanc'd their Empire by Rapine and · Blood but He by Suffering and Perfwafion: He never by Compulfion, They alwaYs by Force, prevail'd. Mifery and. ~lav(ry follow'd all their Victories ~ his brought greater Freedom and Felicity to. thofe he overcame. In all they did, they fought to pleafe rbemfelves; in all he did, he aimed to pleafe His Father, who is God of Gods, Kinq of KifllJ, and Lord of Lords . 'Tis this mo/l p(rfe8 Pattern of Se/f-Jemal we muft follow, if ever we will come to Glory : To do which, let us confider Se/f·dtnia/ in its trueDi~ ftin8ion and Extent. 1668. ~ Chap. IV' §. VI. There is a Lawful and Unl,wfui Se!fi and both muft be denied for the Sake of him, that in Submilf10n to the Will of God, counted nothing dear, that he might fave us. And tho' the World be fcarcely in any Parr of it at that pafs, as yu to need that Leffon of the Denial oj Lawful Self, that every Day moft greedily Sacrifices to the Pleafure of lln!awfu! Self.• Yet to take the whole Thing before me, and for that it may pollibly meet with fame that are fo far advanced in this Spiritual Warfare, as to receive fome Service from ir, I !ball at lea it touch upon it. §. VIJ. The Lawful Self, which we are to d(lny, is that Conveniency, Eafe, Enjo)'mcnr and Plenty, wblcb in themfelves are fo far from heihg Evil, ihot they are tbe Bounty and Blej}ings of God to 111: As Hujbahd, Wife, Child, Houft, Land, Reputation, Liberty, and Life it fe/f: Thefe 3re God's Favours, which we may enjoy with lawful Pleafure, and ;'u}Uy improve as our honefi Interefi:. But when God requires them, at what Time foever the Lender calls for them, or is pleafed to try our Affeaions by our part- ~ ing with them; I fay, when they are brought in Competition with him they muft not be preffrr'd, they muft he deny'd. Cbrifl: himfelf defcend~ ed from the Glory of his Father, and willingly made himfelf of no Reputation among Men, that he might make us of fome with God; and from the Quality of thinking ic no Robbery to he equal with God, be humbled Phil. 2. f,6; bimfelf to the poor Form of a Servant; yea, the ignominious Death of the 7, s. ero(t, that he might deliver us an Example of pure Humility, a1td entire Submi.ffion to the Will of our He:tv~nly Father. §. VIII. It is the Dofhine he reaches us in thefe Words: He that lover If Farber or Mother, Son or Daughter, more than me, is not worthy of me. Again~ Mat, to. 37• Whofoev~Jr be he of )014, that forfa!utb nor aU that he hath, con not b( my Di- Luke i4. 31· Jciple. And he plainly told t'be Young Rich Man, That If he would have Mark ro. 2r; Eternal Life, be jhou/dfeU all, and follow Him: A Dotlrine fad ro him, as 22. 'tis to thofe, that like him (for all their high Pretences to Religion) in · Truth love their Poffeffions more than Chrift. This Dotl:rine of Seif-denial is the Condition to Eternal Happinefs: He char will come afur me, Itt him M:tt. 16, 24. deny bimfe/f. and take up lm Crofs, and follow me. Let him do as I do: As if he had faid, He mufi: do as I do, or be cannot be as I dm, the Son of God. §. IX. This made rhofe honeft Fijhermen quit their Lawful Trades, and follow Him, when he called them to ir; and others, that waited for the Confolation of !frat!, to offer up their t"jl_aru, RepliCations, Liberri!s, and alfo Lives, to tfte Difpleafiue and Fury of their Kindred, and the Government they liv'd under, for the Spiritual Advantage that accrcw'd to them, by their Faithful Adherence to His Holv Doctrine. True, many would have " excus'd their following of Him in the Parable of the Fea!1: Some bad hougbt i.uke tf. aS.Lmd, fome bad married w;ves, and others had hought jOkes of Oxert, a·nd i.9a 20' could not come; that is, an immoderate Love of the "'orld hind red them: Their Lawful Enjoyments, from Servants, became their Idols; they worfhip· pe~ t_hem more than G~d, and would not quit them, to come to God. But th1s 1s Recorded to their Reproach ; And we may herein fee the Yower of Stlf upon the Worldly Man, and the Dlnger that comes to him by the A· bufe of Lawful Things.. 'Vh:It, thy Wife dearer to thee than thy Saviour! And thy Land and Oxen preferred before thy Soul's Salvation! 0 beware, that thy Comforts prove not Snares firft, and then Curfes : To over-rare them;- |