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Show No cR.oss, No CROWN. VoL. I. J668. more noble among the Ju.J ent ht n~ t he m fie l ves ' n;pa, md ely,c AtYll. ttTlu. gUoy rtUE , 8SO !rtt- ~ us, Plato, JtnUfl,beief; r~:r:~[[g~/:~o:h~'-Thi~is :~dn R~c~rd,P~s e~:: Chap. XV. Senrca, &c. ~'e e 1 of the Honour of rhe Immorral6od, but of 0i 3~~ddeg~~~~~~d 0{i0~~r~ment, 31 leading into Loofnefs, Idlenefs, lg· ~~ra~ce and Effeminacy, the great Cmhers and &me of ~11 ~rates and Em· · B fi b · the Lafltudmnrum Impudence of this Age, thlt they pues.. u~ u~el~ses for S:~ints if not guilty of every 1\'eu:-gott Ft!tb, :Jnd ~:11°11":,z;-111~1=~· And the pret~ndcd]nn~ency ofthefe Things, ft~als awa_y h · M' ds from that whtch is better, mro the Love of th~m. Nay, It t i!~ th~m Confidence to ple:1d for them, :~nd by no means w1ll they think g B h ' Becaufe it is a Ltb(rty that fads the F/(jh, and t~:~~~t:h:t~'f~~ £y! ;nd Palau oj poor .Mortolzty: Wherefore they think fr a laUdable onditton to be no bener than the B(ofl that ;111~ and drmkt bur what his ature doth require, ahhough the Num~er I~ \cry fmall of rucb. So very exorbitant are Men and Women grown 1n fhts ~refent Age; for either they do believe their .AU tons a~e to be r~lefld Wb~ k•hdeu ~w_n MWIU; r lfi: ar bell tb It not to be fiained with the V1le lt e ntJS IS at~ ereof great B~<~lt;ng: And mdeed iris fo, i!' a Time when nothin.gis t?O Wicked 10 be dllne. But certainly, it is a S1gn of Umverfal Imp1~ry, m ::1 Land when not to be Guilty of Sin•, the very Heothmr lpatb, lS to~ Virtuo~, yes, and Chrifltan too, and that t? ~o fmall Degree ofRe~Ut3tl· on . A diCmal Symptom to a Country I Burts It no.t to be greatly bl1nd~d, thli.t thofe we call In.fideil fhould detefl thofe Praa1ce• as Infamous, whiCh People th.u call themfelves Chrifl10nr, onnot or Will not fee to be fuch, but gtld them over wnb the faiJ Titles of Ornttmenu, Duetuy, Rccrtnllon, and the Like~ Well, my Frzmdr, if there. were no God, . no Heaven, no Hell, no holy Examples, no Jefus Chrfft, m Crofs, Doanne ~nd L1fe tG be conformed unto; yet would Chanrltotbe pvor, Help to the 7\uJy, Peou Pfu.. 4· 6, 1. nmongfl Nett.hbollrs, Vijirs to the Stck, Core of the WtJow and Fathe~ltjr, ~· 9• with rhe reft of thofe Temporal Good Offices already repeated, be :1 J\oh~er ob. 'l4• u. Employment, and much more worthy of your Expen~e and Pa!ns .. Norm· deed is it to be conceiv'd, that the Way to Glory JS fmooth a wni'r fuch . Vanery of Carnal Pleafures; for then Convr£/ton, a Wo~tndtd Spmr, a Bro- ~r:ov; 1 :; l4- ~in Heart ,1 Rrgenerau MmJ; in a Word, lmmortalrry,«oJJ!d prove mmetr M~~ ~. ,.: 'Ft81ons ~ joJIJt mah them, and ot~rr there/ore thmk tbe"! :. No, t.hefe Luke6. 2 S· Praaices are for ever ro be exungutlbed, and expelled all Chn(han Society, Rom. 2' 7· For 1 affirm that to one who internally knows God, and bath a Senfe of ~~.4~.8;1, HIS Bleffed Prefence, an' fuch Rureallons are. Death ; yea, moJe d:u~e-Rom. 7· u. roufiy Evil, and more apt to fi:eal away the Mm~ from the Hea.venly X• Heb. u. q, ercife than gruffer lmpiedes. For they are fo b1g, they are pl3tnly feen t 14, ·~· ' 6• fo dir~y they are ealily deteaed: Which Educauon and common '!empe• ~9~m.l' 21 'to r:mce, ; 5 well as ConftHuuon in many, teach them to ~bhor; and l~ t~ey fhould be commmed, they carry wirh them a proportionable Co;IViihon. Jab~ 1, 4. 13ut thefe 1rcunded lnnocenrt, tbefe fitppc;Jed har./11/efJ Satufa81o1rr, art more S11rpnzmg, •ort Deflru01vt, for as they eafily gam an Adm1ffion hy the Senfes fothe more they pretend to Innocency, the more they fecure the Mmds of People m the common Ufe of them ; till they become fo mje~tfible of their Evil Confequences, that with a mighty Confidence they en Plead for them. §. X. Bm as this is plainly not to~deny themfelves, but, on the co_nn:uy, to employ the Vain Inventions of Carnal Men and \~omen, .to granfie ~ho !lo~;. 2 ' 1 ~' Defire of the Eye, the Defire of the Flefb, and the Pnde of Ltfe; all whxch exercife the Mind below the Divine and only True Pleafure,. or elfe, te~~!ll' what does· So be it known ro fucb, That the Heavenly L1fe and Cbn lh: Joys are of a~other Kind, as hath already been exprefi: Nty! that t Tr11t Difcipler of rbe Lord CHRIST1 muCt: be hereunto Cru~Jfied, ~to Objc!ts a.nd Employments thar. attratl: do.~nwards, and tha.t rbe1r Affe~I.0~5 fhould be raifed to a more fubhme and fptrtrual C~m"t:rfauon, ~s to .c :~~ World, e\'en in its moft innocent F.njoy~t5, aa 1f theJC ufcd. 1t nor. ~ VoL. I. No CROSS, No CROWN. if they take Pltnfurt in any Thing below, it fhould be in fuch good Offices as before~mentionetl, whereby a Behefir may redound in fome Refpetl: to others : In which God is honoured over all Vifible Tbings, the Nation relieved the Government betrer'd, Themfelves' rendred Etemplary of Good, and thereby juftly entimled to prefenr Happinefs, ·a fweer Memorial wlrh Pojlerity, as w~O ar to tt Sltl,.at His Uigbtlltt,nd, where rbert are Joyr and Fkdfures for evtr :. Than whic_h, there can be nothing more Honourable, nothing more Certam, Wo~ld wnhOut End. CHAP. XVI. 359 1668. \../""Y"'J Chap. XI'. ~~J.3~i;. P.,f,a i•H• 2h Pro\", 10. 7• Chap.XVI. §. 1. BUT the Luxury oppofed in this Difcourfe, fhould not be allowed amot Chriflians, hecauft borh tbat tvhicb invtntr it, de!igbl.r in it, Luk.:= 16. t~. 11nd pleads fo rongly for it, U inconjijfen~ ~itb rb~ ~rite Sp!rir oj Chri!tia. !8~~~.~· 17' nity; nor dot rbe very Naturt bf tbe 0Jrijllml Rcbgton aJnm thereof. For en. t 5. 2o. therefore was ir, that Immorrality and Ettrna! Life, rure brought to Light, Ch. '7· '5• that all the invented Pleafutes of Mortal Life. in which the World lives, 1.S~ '7· mlght be denied and relinquifhed: And for this Reafon it is, th<lt n?thing Heb;/ 1 ~ ~t4, lefs than immenfe Rewards and Eternal Manfions are promifed, that Me11atJd ~~m. 8~ 1'9• Women might therefore be encouraged willingly to forf3ke rhe Vanity and 2 Tim. 3• u, Flefhly Satisfatlions of the lVotld, and encoumer Witfi Boldnefs, rhe 5h:lme 12. and Sufferings rhey muft expea to recei\•c at rhe Hand of, it may be, their Heb· 12' 112' neareft Inrimttlts and Rdations. For if the Chriftian Religion had admitted the Poffeffion of this World in any other Senfi:, than the fimple and naked Ufe of thofe Creatures really Riven of God for the Neceffity and Convenience of rhe whole Grearion: hr Infiance, Did it aflow all that Pride, Vanity, Curiojiry, Pomp, l!kc!Jsm,gc Qf Apparel, Honourr, Pufermtttts, Fajhions, mtd the Cujlomory Recrttllioni ' of rbe World, witb whauver may delight an~trttti}ie rhtirSenjes; then what Need of a Daily Crofs, A Se!fDenying Lije, Working out Salvfltion witb ~tat.1~.24. Fear and Trembling, Seeking the Things that are .A.bove, Having the TredJure ~~.ke 9· 23• and Hearr in Heaven, No ldft Talking, No Vain Je}lin,g, but Fearing and 1He· co::~: ;2 ' 2 , ditaring all the Day long, Undergoing aU Reproach, Scorn, Hard Ufl,ge, Birrcr Eph. 'l• 4, 'l· llfockingr and Cruel Dearbs? What need chefe Things? And why fhould Neh. 13. they be expeaed in 9rder to that Glorious lmmorrality and Eternal Crown, ff.dl, ~~ 2· 1· if the Vanity, Prid~ Expence, ld!enifs, ConcJJpijccnu, Envy, .Ma-lia, dnd .Pf~j,21 ;~:97• whole Manner of Lving amor.g t he (called) Chriftians, v.:erc aflotved by tbe Luke ,s. 21· Chriflian Religion? No certainly, but as the Lord Jefus Chrift well knew Heb. 11-90. in whJt Foolilh Trjfies and Vain Pleafures, as well as grcffer Impieties, the ~;b·,'~7 ~~Minds of Men and Women were fixed, and how much they wc:re degenera- ·' ' ' ' ted from the Heavenly Principle of Life, into a luftful or unllwful Seeking • Luke 6• '20. after the Enjoyments of this perithing lVorld, nay, ill\·enring daily New Ch. 12• 3!. Satisfa8:ions to gratifie their Carnal Appetite,;, fo did he not Iers fo.refee Ch. 22. 29. the Difficulty that all would ha\'e to relinqui{h and forfake them lt His C.~j, 'i: 13· • Call, and with what g.reat Unwillingnefs they would take their Leave ?f ~eb.e,;~;~~· them, and be Weane~ from them. Wherefore to induce them to it, he did Jam. 2 , ~· not fpeak unto them 10 the Language of the Lnro, th:a they fhould ha\'e an Juhn '~· 14-t Eanhly Canaan, Great Dignities, a Numerous Hfue, a Long Life, and the ~~· 8 like: No, rather the contrary, at leaft ro take rhefi: Things in rheir Courfe; H~~'2.'/,~· but he fpeaks to them in .1n higher Srrairt, nJmely,""' He affitrer them of n Ch. 12• 2.' Kingdom and a Crown that are l111monn!, r!Jht neitbcr Tinu, Cru_c!ty, J?tatb, ·1 Pet. 2, 21. Grav( or Hen v.:ith all its Inflrmnr.nr.s, foal/ eva /Je able to dift7ppomt, l!r Luke 12. 29. l a/:e away, fi·o"m rhofc who fhOJt!d br!tcvc t11td obey Him. Further, That 1bry ~0fj~' ~ 6 JhoJJ/d be taken ir.to tbat 1lear .Alliance r{ L"t1ing Friends, ;co, th~ inti~ht~te Mat:. ; 9,' 27: Dz-VInc 28, 29. |