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Show J668. ~ im...• / V"'V 66.s. No CROSS, No CROWN. Vox.. I. But the Prophet lfaiab carries it a little further than is cited by Stephen. For after having declar'd what is not God's Houle, The Pl~ce where !fir lionour dwells, immediately follow thefe ~ords. :. Bur to tbrs Mnn wriJ I look, even to him that is Poor, .m4 of,a Contnte Sptrtt, and Tref!Jbleth ot my Word, Behold, 0 Carnal and Superlt:iuous Man, the True Worjhrpper and the Place of God's Reft! ThH is the Haufe and Temple of him whom the Hea\'en of Heavens cannot contain : An Haufe Self canpot build, nor the Art nor Power of Man Prepare or Confe,rate. §. VI. Paul, that GreatApoftle of the Gt!ltile.r, twice exprefiy refers the 1 Coc.6.19- Word Temple roMan: Once in his Firft Epifile to the Church at Corimh; Know )'C nor (fays he) that JON are tbe Temples of the Holy Ghofl, wbi(b is in you, whicb ye have of God ? &:c. and n~t th~ Building of .Man's Hand 2Cor.6.16. and Art. Again, he telfs the fame People (m h1~ Second Ep1fi:le) For ye nrc the Temple of the Living God, 41 God bath fmd; (and then cites God's Words by the Prophet) 1 will dweO in tbtm, and walh in' them ; and I will he their God, and they jhnll be my People. This is the Evangelical Temple, the Chrijlian Church, whofe Ornaments are not the Embroideries and FuJnitures Prov. s. u 1 of Worldly Art and l"'calth, but the G.races oft he Spirit; Mecknifs, Love, 23,2SI3 1• Pait!J, Patience, Se!f·Denia!andCbariry. Here it is, tbattbe Eterndl Wtf. Jom, tbat WtU with God from Everlafl_in,g, before the Hills were brougbtfonh, cr the .Mountains laid, chufes to dwell, rejfl)'cing (fays W'ifdom) in the H11~ hit able Pilrt of the Earth, and my Debgbts were with the Sons of JUett 4 not in Houfes built of W'ooil and Stone. Thi:; Living Houfe is more Glortous than Solomon's Dettd Houft; and of which his was bu,r a FigureJ as he, the ·Builder, was of Chdfr, wfl.o builds 111 up an Holy Temple tt; God. 'Twas Ra~·'·?· promifed of Old, Thar tbr Glory of tbr lntttr Houfr jhou/d rrnnfcend the Glory of the former ; which may b,e applied t<> this : Not one outward Temple or Houfe to excel another in outward i.ufire, for where i~ the Benefit of that? But the Divine Glory, the Beauty of Holinefs in the Gofpel· Haufe or Church, made up of reneWed Believers, fhould exce~ tile ou, .. ward Glory of Solomon's Temple, whith in Comparifon of the l:ntcr.DaYs, was but Flefh to Spirit, fading Refemhlai_!ces to the Eternal Subihnee, · Bur for all this, Chrljlians have Meeting-Places, yet not in ]etvifhor Hut ben Store, but Plain ; void of Pomp and Ceremony; fui,ing_ the Simplicity of their Bleffed Lord's Life- and Do8:rine. For God's Prefence is not wirh the Houfe, bur with them that are in it, who are the GoJpei-Cburcb, and not the Haufe. 0! 'that fuch as call themfelves Orijlians, .knew h1,1t a Real San8iiy in themfelves, by th·e Wafhing of God's Regenerating Gr.tce, inftead of th.at imagin:u"y SanCtity afcrihed. to Places: ·They would then know what the Church is, 'and where, fn rhefe Evangelical Days, jt the Place of God's AppearanCe. This ma~e the Prophet Dt~vid fay, The J,<i11g's Daughter is all Glorious wfthin, Her C!oa1bing U of WNJigbt Gold~ . What is the Gkry that is within the True Church, and that.· Gold thar·makes up that Inwttrd Glory ? Tell me, 0 Superfiitious Man f Ish thy Stauly Tefl/ples, .., .Altars, TaQlcs, Carpets, TaJ.eflries : Thy Yejlmentr, Orgttns, Voicct Cnndlu: I.mnps, CeHje~s, Plate and Jewel;, witb the like Furniture of thY .W,rldly 'Tt1»ples? No fuch Matter'; they bear no Proportion with the Divine .Adonlmenr qf the King of Heaven's Daugh,ter, the Bleffed and Redeemed Churc_h ofChrill. Mifer'!_ble Apoft;lcph,l<.it i• I J\nd a1wrerched SQppletnent .~n r.~e,Lofs and Abfi0ce o~ the Apolloltck Life,. tbe·,Spiric4al G!Qry of ~he Pnnltttve Church. · •1 ,. .:- - :4 " ']" ~ L §. VII. , Bur ·)'er fome .of. 'thefe,Adt\lir;rs of exterh\ Polj1p ond •. Gio~y in .'l'br/hrp, wou)a be thought 'I.ovcrr of ili< tR 0 S S. and to that :E~lL ~ave ~a.c!e to t~~~.fetv~s p13~oy; . Bui: Alas ( 1'fhat Hopes C.,n there be of.,s:t:con· CJltng that ;to ~hylfham~y,'th.at the ne~re~ '\t comes t~dts ReiC!mbl:v~e, the t;nher ofr \t_ ISm Rea\lty? For the1r very Crofs ~nJ.)Sflf·Denial~ are moit ,LJII/uwfui'srif' J\nd whi!ll rhcy fancy to. Worlhip God rhereby, t~ey moft ,ittngerdufl:Y m. from lh~ True Ctoj1 of Chrijl, and 1har Holy Almtg~rion tb~t: was· ~f\Hi.s ~lefTed~oAppointl!Jen~ 'Tts true, they have go.r,a Craj;, ~~ 1t feems to be m the Room of the True One 1 and fo mmzner/L· that it • ~ /, wiU I, VoL. I. NoCROSS, NoCROT:Yf./. will do :t~ they will h.;~e it that ~ear it: _For infte:td of mortif}·ing their \¥ills by 1r, they mad~ tt, and ufe It accordmg to them. So rhar the Crofs is become their Enfign, that do nothing but what they lift. Yet by th<\t they would be thought his Difciples that never did his own '¥i!J, but the Will of his Heavenly Farher. . §. Vlll. This is fuch a Croj1 ~s Flelh and Blood can cmy, for Flelh and Bloed im'ented it; therefore not the Crofs of C H R I S T, that is to cru~ cifie Flefh and Blood. Thoufan.ds of them have no more Virtue than a Chip: Poor empty Shadows, nor fo much as-Images of the True One. Some carry them for CbaTm$ about them, but never relfel one Evil with them. They Sin with them upon rheir Backs; and though they put theQl in their Bofoms, their Belovtd Lu_fls lie there too without the leaft Dif· quiet. They are as dumb as E!i;ab's Mock·Gods ; no Life nor Power in them: And how !hould they, whofe Matter is Earthly~ and whofe Figure :md Workrnan!hip are bur the Im•enrion and Labour of Worldly Artifts? Is it pofiible that fuch Crojfes !hould mend their Makers? Surely not. §. X. Thefe are Yokes without Reftraint, and Cro.ffu that nen:r con-. rradict: A whole Cart· Load of them would leave a Man as umortified. as they find him. Men may fooner knock tht:ir Bnins out with them, than their Sins : And that., 1 fear, too many of them know in their very Con~ fcience's that ufe them, indeed, Adore them, and (which cao only hape._en to the Fttlft CroJs) are proud of them too, fince the True One leaves no rride, where It is truly born. §. X. For as their Relit;on? fo their Crofs is very Gawdy mtd Tri11mpbant: Rur in what? In Prcciom ftletnls and Gemr, the Spoil of Superftition upon the People's Pockets. Thefi:~ Cro.ffes are made of Earthly Treafure, inftead of Learrting their Hearts that wear them to deny it: And like Men, they are refpe8:ed by their Finery. A Rich Crofs fhall have many Gners and Admirers; the Mean, in this, as other Things? are more negle8:ed. 1 could appeal to themfelves of this great Vanity and Superl}:irion. 0! Ho'V very !hnrt is this of the Bi<J!cd Crofs of JESUS, chat takes owny tbr Sinr of the World! · §. ·XI. Nor is~ Rcciufe Life, (the boalled Righteoufnefs of fome) much more commendable, ot one Whit nearer to the Narure of the True Cr~{s: For if it be not Unlawful as other Things are, 'tis Unnntural, which 'true Religion u:achcs nor. The Chrifiian Convert and Monall:ery are witQin, w~ere the Soul is encloiftered (rom Sin. And this Religious Haufe tb.e True Followers of Chrift carry about with them, who exempt not them~ felves from the Converfation of the World, though they keep themf~l vett from the Evil of th~ World in their Converfarion. That is a lazy1 t•~tflY; unprofitoble Self-Demttl, burdenfome to others to feed their Idlenefs: Re!igiorH Bedlams, where People are kept up left they fhould do Mifchief abroad: Patience per Force: Self-Denial againft their Wil11 rather ignorant than Virtu0us; and out of the Way of Temptation, than cooftant in jt. No thanks if they commit not, what they are noc tempted to commit • Whtlt rhe Eye views not, the Heart craves not, 41 «'eO tU t"ll1&s not. §. XI. The Croj1 of Cbrijl is of another Nature : h trulY' overcomes tho World, and leads a Life of Purity in the Face of itr .J!O~rcments: They that bear ir, are not tbus chained up, for fear they fhould bite; nqr loclu 11p, left they fhould be ftole aw3y: No, they receive Power from Chrift theit. Captain, to refift the Evil, and do that which is Good in the Sight of (J~d f ·to defpife the World, and love its Reproach above irs Praife: And not onl)l." not to offend others, but love thofe that offend them, though not for of· fending them. What a World jhou/1 we b~v<, if every flody for Frar of . Tranfgre/fing, jhould M<w bimftif up within Four WaDI? No .[uch Marrer 1 the Perfe8:ion of Chrifiian Life extends to every_ honeft Labour Of Traffic.k ufed among Men. This Severity is nor the. EffeEl: of Chrifi"s Free Spirit1 but 3. Voluntary, Flefh_Jy Hu111ility; meer Trammels of. their own making and putJin~ on, without Prefcription or Reafon. In all which, 'tis plain, they - a·re theu own Laurgivers, and fer their awn Rule, i11u/O and Ronfom: A conftr:~"ined.. c rlJl~ 1668. ~ Chap. V. |
