| OCR Text |
Show tifc, p. 6. The P REF A C .. E. Vot.. I. toufnifs for which they fiU the Earth with Trouble ~nd Opjlrej]ion) Tb.r re• cei:vin r'he Spirit of Chrift into their Hearts, (the l'ru!tt Of wbub areL?ve> p g Joy Temperance and Parience, Brotherly-Kmdnef~ and Chanty) tb:c~;,;a ;; Body, Soul and Spirit, m1lh a Tnp(e Leagu~ P$1/tnjl the Wo(ld• tblFte.$ and rbe Devil, the only Common ~nemtes of lr1a1tkrnd; and bavmg_ Con uercd them through a Life of Self-Demo/, by tbe Power of the C R 0 S S of jESUS, tiJey may atlajl attain to t/ie Eternal Rejl ondKzngdom of GOD. So Defireth, So Prayetb, Friendly Reader, Thy Fervent Chrillian Friend, William Penn. No Crofs, No Crow·n. CHAP. t §. I. T H 0' the Knowledge and Obedience of the D•EII'int of tbt ('rojr of CHRIST; be of infinire Momentto the Souls of Men; tor that is the only Door to True Chriftianity, and that Path the Ancients ever uod to Ble!fednefs: Yet, with extreJm Affiiaion, let me .fay, it is fo-little underftood, fo much negleaed, and what is worfe, fo bitterly contr\l.diaed, by the Vanity, Supcrftition, and Intemperance of Profefs'd Chriflians, thac we rnuft eithet xenounce ta. believe what the Lord Je[tts bath cold us, L"Nkt ~iv. 27- T.hat whpfoever doth 1JOf bear liis Crofi, and come after bim1 cannot 5{ hii Difciplt: Or, admitting that for T~uth, conclude, tbat rhe Generality of Cbri}lcndom do miferably deceive aod difappoidt themfe~_ \'es ~n the great Bufinefs of Chriftianiry, and their own,Sa.lvarion. 'l t §. II. For, let us be never fo Tender and Ch:uirable in the Survey oft110fe Nations, that intitle themlCl ves tO any l'ntereit in the Hol-y Name of Chrijl, i"f we will but be Ju!t too, we mufi: r1eeds ackrwwledgc, thay after all the Gracious Advantages of Light, and Obligations ta.l"i;deli(y..., ~hich ~hefe latter Ages of the World have received, by the CoJllirrg~ Lifo, .Ds_flrinf-, .llltraclu, Vor-. I. NoCROSS, NoCROWN. Mirnclu, Death, Refurrclliou, and ..Afce1!jion nf Cbrifl, wirb the Gifrs of 1668. Hit Holy Spirit; t~ which. add, the Writingr, Lab~JJrS, and Marry~d~m of ~ Hir Dear loUov:crs m all Ttmtr, there feems very lntle left of Chrijhanlfy Chap. 1. but the Name: Which bein_g now ufurp'd by the old Heathen Nature and Life, makes the Profeffors oj ir b11t Tr11t Heatbens in D?{guift. Fot tho' they Wor!hip not the fame Idols, they Wor!hip Chrill . with the fame Heart: And they can never ~o otherwife, "'hilfi they live in the fame Lufi:s. So thar the Unmortificd Cbriflian and the Heathen are of tbe fame Reftgion. For tho" they have differenr Objeas, to which they do direU their Prayers, th:Jt Adoration in both is but Forc'd and Ceremonious, and the Deity they uuly Wor!hip, is the God of the War!d, the Grear Lord of Lujls: To him they bow whh the whole Powers of Soul and Senfe. What jhaU we Ear 1 rflbar jh4U we Drink? What jhaU we Wtar ? .And how jhnU we pafs away 011r Ttme 1 Which Way may we gather Wealth, increafe our Power, enktrt,e our Territorie1 , 11nd Jignifie and perpetuate our Names dltd Families in the Earrh ? Which bafeSenfuality is moll pathetically exprefs'd and compriz'd by the Beloved Apollle ]olm, in thefe Words: The L•fl of the rlefh, the L•P of the Eyes, • Joluu"",. d the Pride ~f Life, which (fays he) arc not of tbe F,l/ber, but oftht World, that lieth in Wickednefs. §. Ill. It is a mournful Ref\eCiion, but a Truth no Confidence can be great enough to deny, that thefe Worldly Lulls fill up the Study, Care and Converfation of Wretched Cbriflendom! And, which aggra\'ates the Mifery, they have grown with Time. For as the World is older, it is worfe; and che Examples of former Lewd Ages,- and their miferable Conclufions, ha\•e not detcrr'd, but excited ours; fo that the People of this, feem Improvers of the Old Srock of Impiety, and hav~ carried It fo much farther than Ex· ample; that infiead of advancin~ in Virtue, upon better Times, they are fcandaloufly fallen below the Life of Heathens. Their Higb-WndedRif.r LafcivioNjnefs, Unc!eannefs, Drunkennifs, Swearing, Lying, Envy, Back; biting, Cruelty, Treachery, Coveto11jnejs, l~tjll}lice, and Opprej]ion, are fo common, and committed with fuch Invention and Excefs, that they ha\'e ftumbled and embitter'd Infidels to a Degree of Scorning that Holy Religi· on, to which their Good Example fbould have won their Affe8:ions. · §. IV. This miferablc Defeelion from Primitive Times, when the Glory of Chriftianicy was the Putityof its Profelfors, I cannot but call the Second and Worft Part c{ the Jewifb Tragedy, upon the 8/Kffed Stroiour of lUtmA:inJ. For the Jewr, from the Power of Ignorance, and the Extream Prejudice they were under to the Unworldly Wtry of liis .Appearance, would not ack· nowledge Him when he came, but for two or three Years perfccuted, and finally Crucified him in one Day. But the falfe Chrillian's Cruelry Jails long_er: They have firft, with Judas profefS'd Him, and then, for thefe rna· ny Ages, moft bafely betrayed, perfecuted, and crucified him, by a perpe• tual Apoftacy in Manners, from the Self.. denial and Holinefs of his Do8:rine i their Lives giving the Lye to their Faith. Thefe are they that the Author Qf the Epiftle to the Hebrews tells us, Crucifie to themfelves the Son of God Heb. 6. 6; tl/rt{h, and put him to open Shame: \V'hofe defiled Heans, John, in his Revt· R.ey. 11•; lation, ftiles, The Streets of Sodom and Egypt, SpirituaUy fo caUed, where be bebeld the Lord JESUS Crucified, long after he had been afcended. And asChrift faid of old, .A Man's Enemies aretlJofeofbisownHoufe ,ro Chrifi"s Enemies now, are chiefiy thofe of his own Profeffion : They Spit upon Him, ?tlat. ~~ tbey Nail and Pierce Him, they Crown Him with Thorni, and give Hi111 GtlU. tmd Vinegar to drink. Nor is it hard co ~prebend; for they that live in the fame Evil Nature and Principle the ftwi did, that Crucified Him out-ward~ y, m~t needs Crucifie Him i~wardly; Iince they that rejeCt the Grace now tn the1rown Hearn, are One 111 Stock and Generation with the Hard· hearted Jews, that refifted the Grace that then appeared io and bL Cbrifl. §. V. Sin is of one Nature all the \Vorld over; for though a .yar is not a Drunkard, nor a Swearer a Whoremonger, nor either properly a .ll1urderer; Y:nhey are all of a Church; all Branches ohhe one Wicked Roor ; all of Km. They have but one Father, the Devil, as Chrift faid to the Profefiing John s. ;~ • N n 2 ]w·r, to4s. |
