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Show J668. ~ (i:hap. IV. H.,e.b .n.~·· f.x.od·l· 7• o6. No cRo.ss, No cR.bwd. t' ' ., I OL. I. Impiety of Egypt, and the oppreffions of his Brethren there, grew a Burden too heavy- foihim to bear. And though fo wife and good a Man· could not want thofe generous and grateful Re1entments, that became the Kindnefs of the King's Daughter ro him; yer he had alfo f een rbat God tbat. was invijible, and did not due ro live in !he Eafe and P~enty ~ f Pharaoh'• Haufe whllft his poor Breth1en were requued to make }Jrrck wabo11t StratiJ. Th~s the Fear of the Almighty raking deep hold of his He:ur, be nobly tefufed to be Galled the Son of }1JartiOI/s Daughter, an~ ~hoH: rather a Life of Alfli8ion with the moit defpifed and oppreit Jfraehtcf, and ro be the CompaNion of their Temptations and Jeop,udtes, than t o. en;oy_ 1be rleaj11ru. of Sin f or" Set~JIJ11; elteeming th.e ReproJches ?f Chrifi (which he fuif~red· for making that unworldly ChOlce) greater Rtches than all the Treafures of that l{ingdom. , §. XVIr. I'lor wJS he fo fooli!h as they thought him; he had Reafon on his Side: For it is faid, lie bad an E)'t to the Rccompence of Rcrwm/: He did hilt refufe a leffer Benefit for a greater. In this his '\Vifdom tranfcendc'd that pf the Egyptians; for they made the prefent World their Choite (as uncert:lin as the WeJthch)' and 10 loft that which h:ls no end. ltlofu lookt deeper, and weighed the Enjoyments of this Life in the Scales of Eterniry, and foun~ ,.they nlade no Weight there. He governed himfdf not b,y the irrimediate Poff'effiop, but the Nature and Duration of the Rew'nd. His Faith cOrreCl:fd· hiS AWettions, and taught him to S:iicrifice the Plea- . fure of Sel/ to the HOpe ,.he hJd of a futwe more excellent Reco m~ence. tJ~,~,b~IB in §. XVIII. Jfaiab wa5 no inconfiderable Inltance of this ble!Ied Self-denial 1 ~s ~ives hor who of a Courtier became a Prop~erJ... and left the \Vorldly Interefis of. rhc t e rop ets. one for the Faith, Patience and Sutterings of the other. For his Choice did not only lofe him the Favour of Men; but rhe.ir \¥ickedncf::;, enraged at his Inregdty to God,· in his fervent and bold Reproofs of thtm, made a .Martyr of him in the End. For they barbaroufly faw'd him afunder in the Reign of King Mnna.f!u. Thus died. rhat excellent Man, and (commonly call' d) the Evangdica/ Prophet. §. XIX. I !hall add, of many, one Example more, and .that is from the Fidelity of Daniel; an Holy and Wife· young Man, that when his external Advanrages came in competition with his Duty to Almighty God he r;t· linquifhed them all: And inftead of being follicit ous how to fecure himfelf. :~s one minding nothing,lefs, He was, with utmoft Hazard of bimfd/, rnoft careful how to preferve the Honour of God, by his Fidelity to his Will. .And though at the fidl it exp?s'd ~im t.o ruin, yet, as .an lnftance of great Encouragement to all that ltke htm wtll chufe to keep a good Confcicmc:e in an evil Time, at taft it advanced him greatly in the World. and the God of Daniel was made Famous and Terrible through his PtrJcvc~an(e even in the Eyes of Heathen Kings. ' §. XX. What !hall I lay of all the ReO:, who counting nothing dear that they ~ight do the ~ill of God, abmulon"d their worldly Comfqn's and cxpofed thetr F.afe and SJfety, as ofren as the Heavenly :Vifion called them pombt;a ib.. to the Wra.th and Mal.ice o~ de~enerate ~rinces and an Apoftare Church? More efpec tally Jerenuab, Eze)uel and Mtcab that after they had denied th.emfelv_es in Obedience to the Divine Voic~, fealed up their Tefiimony With then Blood. Thus was Sdf-Jcninlthe Prallice and Glory of the Ancients that were Pre· deoetTors to the Coming of ChriO: in t~e Flefh: And !hall we hope to go to Heaven without tt n.ow, when our Savtour himfelf is become the moft ex· cellem Example of It? And that not as fame would fain have it, viz. for t Pet. 2. 2o, tiS, thai we nuJ not; but f ortH, that we might deny our f clves and fa be u , 22. the true Followers of his blefi'ed Example. ' §. XXI. Whoever therefore thou ort, that would'(\ do the Will of God, but f:untcft m thy Defires from the Oppofition of worldly Confiderations · femember I ~ell thee, in the Na~e of Ch.rift, thlt he that prefers fat be; or A1otber, Sifter .or Brothc~·, Wife or Cbt!J, Houfo o,r f.-and, Reputation, Jionour, O;Jce, Lzbmy or L;fe, before the Te(\imo~y Jlf the L;g!Jr if Je-f• t Vot,. I. No C R 0 S s, No C R 0 W J.!. . fur in his oWn Confcience, !hall bo rejct\ed of h' . !i9 f gene.ral lnqueO: upon the World, when all !hall be !:;cl• 1d the fole!lln and 1668. cordmg to the Deeds done, not the .Profefiion m J pe ; ~nd ~ecetve ac- ~ the DoEhine of Jefus, rbat if thy right liand ojfen~d~b:," thts L1fe. It wa.~ Chap. IV; off; and if thyngbt Eyt of{endtbee, lhou mujfpl ,t . ' 1.b'; m»_ftcut 11 Mat•i•2!1• rnofi Dear, the moft ufefill and tenci~r Comfort fl( h11 0111 •• hat IS, If the 30. rhy Soul's Way, and interrup_t thy Obedience : t ou e~Joyeft, fraud in thy Conformity to his holy Will revealed in thy S~u~hc hVolce of God, and dcr the Penalty of Damnation ro part with them. ' t ou art engaged un· §. XXII. The Way of God is a Way f F.· h mortal to· Self. "Tis the ChildrCn of Ob 0d. 011 ' as dark t~ Senfe, a$ ~~~ul, all ~bing~ Drofs, and Dung, thar th:y ~nace, ~h{:hc?unr with holy and walk 10 thti narrow Way SpFculation , Y Win nft, and knoW ons enter, 1he Obedient only ea~ the G d if w~n t do, nor can refined Noti- (fays the bletTed Jefus) !hall know of %/n''a Lmzd 'h Thq that do M w;a I fa •· , 9• There is no Room ~or lnft~uaion, whefe l:t~f~l"~e•if\s em he will initrua. Joh. 7• t7~ vant. For Self can r recelve it : That which !ho ld . Lord, and not Sec-fearful and dares not. 0 what will my F. th u M 1S opprelt by Self; lPY Husbmtd ure me ? Or finally what ~ill~~·h~r .M Ot'flber fay? How will For though I have a moft powcrf~l Eerfwafi d ~f rate . d? l~ith me? my Soul, of this or that Thing yet confid 0.n~ a~ c ear Convttbon upon Enemi~s it. has, and how flrnn'i,e and fin;u~~~"f lh0 Nfi unmodijh it is, what God wtll ptry my Wcaknefs. If I fink Iamb Fl a eem to them, I hope hereafter he may better enabic me. a~d th l!t T'efh and Blaodi:· it may ·be Fearful Mmr. ' ere 15 tme enough. 'bus Se/fifo, Bttt Deliberating is ever worfl· for the So 11 fi . fellation .brings Power with it. N~ver did G~ Co es.m Parly: The Mani· ~nSubmtffion, he impower'd them. He re u· - onv1D.ce Pec:ple, but, up-to perform it: That were tnocking, nor t.~vfn tre~f Mthtns: Wl!hout AbilitY .~ thee to do thy Duty, that God !hews thee th g en. !t. IS enough for with that Light and Spitit, by which he iv!s ~b:Y ;h prl{tded thou clofe(f that want Power, are fuch as don't rece~e Ch ·ft .r a~ nowl.edg:e. They the _Soul; and fuch will always wam it. B t :(i r~ 10 hts Convtatons uporr '(like thofe of old) rg be(omc Ibt Cbildr; ~'Gu~ ahs do, th.ey receive Power ·ence of Faith. no; ou, 1 rough the P.urc Obedi"' §. XXIII. Wherefore let me hefeech . o b h L . God, by the Life and D;ath of Chriil by ~h u,p Y t \ ovc a~d. Mercy of Hope of Immortality that ou Whofi e ower o hts Spmt, and the poral Comforts, and fo Lovlrs d( Srlf ~~~~~~s are feft;bJifhH'd in your Ten:.z would Ltt fhe Timt pojl J•.fli . Th an O t e e eavenly Things, clear of fuch Impieties as t(~o· m at youfiwoul~ not thtnk it enough to be Love of Lawful Things'has defil'd ;ny af.e. ound 10• whilft your inordinate Heansfrom the Fear, Love, Obedie~~~ :~~Y~ff.bof ~hlemf and drawn your fl~ ]tfw. Tack about then and h ~k - -· em~ 0 ~ T.rue Difciple fcJeQce; it tells thee th Si~s and e; rJ.{; to !he Sttll Vmce tn thy Con .. Difcovery of the very Vanity 'of rh~ w~~~~y md them. It gives a livety ProfpeflofEternity and the Com~ 'an opens to thy Soul fame !ldhe.reftto this, h ~ill divorce theefr~~fs~~e/dfts trr~ Teat R~ft. If thou Bthat the Power of its Charms, exceed thac of the W rahu wijr foon find ea.uty of the World and fi 11 ·n . e eat ' Honour, and !he Storms of Time c;n never n~iJw~~ck gtve tg.~ ~at Tranquility;. whiclt JOYffieJ)U are bleft, though fma]J yet 'gr~~~ b' ohr erp. Hfiere a-ll t~tne En· tn them. ' · Y t at se ence thac 1s with· ... Even in this World the Righteou 'h h be ~orld withoUt Rebuke, becaure the~ d~v~/ab fi t~er Tofhir, for they ufe the !-laud th:u feeds and c1 th d u e lt. ey fee ~nd blelS the ~m"in all his Gifts, t~e/Jon1: :darep:~ferveb the~. And as by beholding bJs .Bleffings thar gives them 1.5 an Ad em1 n~htm, fo the Sweetrlefs of fee·hilli oot, Befides in thei; if< v~ntage, uch have upon: thole that . ~ ' ,_ ncrep e t ey are not lifted up, nor in their' P .2 Adver}itifli |
