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Show ,( ~96 No c R o s s, No c R 0 W N. Yo!. I~ J668. conllrained Harfhnt[r, out of Joynt to the Rcfi of tile Cr.cation:, For s.;. ~ ciety is one great End of it, and nor ro be deftroycd for J.e~r of Ev11; hut Chap. V. Sin banifh'd that fpoils ir, by Stetidy ReproPf, :1nd a Confp1cuous EXJmple of Tried Virtue. True Godlinefs: don't ~urn M~n out of the World, bur enables them to live better in it, and excues ~he1r End~a·tou.rs to mend .i t : Not hide their Candle under a Bujhel, hut Jet 11 upon a 111b!& 111 a Cdndle_PicR, Befides, 'tis a Selfi(h Invention; an~ that.can never be the Wa)L.of raking up the Crofr, which the True Croft. IS therefore uken up to fubjeCl .. . Bu_r again this Humour runs away by lt felf, and le.ave.s the World h.~hmd t:> he loll. Chrillians fhou!d keep the Helm, and gu1de the Veffel to m Porr; not me~nly fieal out .at the Stern of the World, a~d l~a ve th ofe that are in it without a Pilot, to be driven by the J!m'J.of Ev1l Tunu, ttf!.11t rhe Red ~r Sani of Ruin. In fine, this Sort of L1fe, .'f taken up by 1~oung Peop,Je, 1s commonly to cover ldlenefs, or to pay Porw;ms; to fave the Lazy from the Pain of PunHhrnent, or Quality from the Dtfgrac: ?f Poverty. : One ~on't work, and the other fcorns it. If Aged, a long .Ltfe of 9llllt fomer~rn~ flies to Superftirion for a R.efuge; and after having had ItS ~wn W11l In other Things, would finifh it in a Wilful Rebgi011 r.o make G~d ll"!enJs. . §. XIII. Bur raking up the Oof,r of JESUS u a more mtenor Exmije: It is the Circumfpeil:ion and D1fctplme of the Soul, m ConformitY to the Divine Mind therein revealed. Does not the Body follow the Soul, anli not the Soul rhe Bodv ~ Do nor fuch confider, that no outward Cell cart thut up the Soul from'Luft, the Mind from an ~nfiniry of unrig~teous lm~· gina dons? The Tboughtr of Man'r Hurt are Ewl, and that contrnuaUy. Et1il comes from wirhin and not from without: How then Cln an Exrern(ll llpplication remove an' Internal Caufe; or a Reftraiut upon the Bcdy, work l Confinement of the Mind? Lcfs much than withom Doors: For where there is leaft of ACI:ion, there is moft Time: to think; :1nd if th ofe ThoughtS are not guided by iln higher Principle, Convenu are more mifchicvous to the World than Exchanger. And yet a Retirement is b~:~rh an excellent and' needful Thing : Crowds and Throngs were not much frequented by the Ancitnt Holy Piltrimr. §. XIV. But then examine, 0 Man, thy Bonom, what it is, and who placed thee there, leit in rhe End it !hould appear, thou haft put an Ete(· nal Cheat upon thy own Soul. I muft conftfs I am jealous of the Sah•ation of my own Kmd, having found Mercy with my Heavenly Father: I would have none Deceive thtmfelver to Perdition, efpccially about RdigiM, where People are moft apt to rake all for granted, and l o~e infinitely by their own Flatteries and NegleEt The In ward Sttady Rrtbreoufnefs of Yifrn is another Tbing, than all the contrived Devotion of poor Superftitious Man : And to ltand approved in the Eye of God, exce!ls that Bodily Ex· ercife in Religio~ refulung from the lnventiO!l rf Jl1rn. And rhe Soul th:!t is awakened and preferved by His Holy Power and Spirit, live:; to him in the \Vay of his own Inftitution, and worfhips him io his own Spirit, that is, in the lioly Stnfe, Life, and Le(1dingr of it; which indeed is the Evangelital Worfoip. Not that I would be thought to flight a True Retirement: For I Bo not only acknowledge, but admire Solirurle. Chrift himfelf was an Example of it: He lov'd and chofe to frequent .Af.ounraint, Gardenr, Sea-jiJu. They are requifite to the Growth of Piuy ; and I re\'erence the Virtue that feeks and ufes it; wifhing there were more of it in the World: But then it fbould be free, not conftrained. What Benefit to the Mind, to have it for a Punifhmenr, and not a Pleafure? Nay, I have long thought it an Errot among all Sorts, that ufe not Monaftick Livu, that they ha.ve no RtJrtltfl for ibe AffiiOeJ, tbe Tempted, tbt Solitary, and rbe D~v011r ; where the.J might undifturbedly wait upon God, pafs th'rough their Religious Exerc~ .. fes; and, being thereby firengthned, may, with more Power O\'er thelf own Spirits, entc.r inoo the Bufinefs of the World again; tho' the h:fs the better to be fare-. For Di'tine Pleafures are found in a Free S::>litude. C H A!'. VoL. I. No CROSS; M .CROWN. CHAP. VI. §.u~ia~f~f /e!f:boif;:J~;kn~e~~;~ ·~~sli:f/:i·~e:p:f';r:c~~rj;,!Jn~: ~~~V:r~~ ~~'%~ gvds. S·l· TrueWorfhipilo,r, from~~nHun ''tpared bJ Gfli'JSpirir. §.4. TheSour ~o~in§~{."U::~t::u;0~b:0DA~;e :;;:'::tp~1;·f~;." J;;;r ?l:~fa:~ ~~;~i)f);t, '\~~~~~ the) b.zvt: from G~d. §. 6 •• The W~y ~f obtai,ing. tf>is PrtpJr.ttion: 'til hJ Waiting, M ~~i~h~1e0~~~t~~ 1u~~~~b;;~ ~~~e~~e~~~:b;:~Va~~~;:a:~~ '[; !jJPJ;e~o~'~ b;~/:::;·Pot·r ?~ ~t;~,:'!e% ::~t~ :!!;:,!,~!:'~~'j;:i~~i~~~ ;;~,fr~:~~t::t:;:r!:/:&;;:!1 ~~"J'Spirf;~~~i !:!o~bt::rt// ~[:{ t:V.;h~~D~;:i:,ir:i!~;t:~c."'u§~ ~~e ;;dn:; o,.~·Jo~:,sa;;~~/;~~~~~:~;~~~Y_ f~,;;,~·:v:r"':fe~ ~~~; ~!r~at ~:e~k;~~~or:;r~~ ~~~~J~a~~~~vi:f:.z1:{o~~J c;;;; A11d. Comfort. In j eremiah."s Time ie WM tbe [am~ ; His Got1d114s wM '"'"iftftt:d to Hit Cbildrt:n thAt wJittd tru!f 11pon him : 'Twas an inward Senre and Enjo;ment of Him they thidt:ed after. Cbrift ebvgt:d Hil Di[tiplts Alfo to wait for tht Spirit. :~; 12. This Doltrin~ tr~:jt;~~fr~";afft:~~',dd;::";~;~h ;n-:a~.ufio§. ': 1:b~:uo;~~a!~~~:~ffv~ ~~ ~~~%i:'; rbe Sannification of Jbe Worfhipper, and tbt Conrecration of the Offering, and rbe Thing roll: prayt:d for: And lajl!f, Faith to prapin: .AndAOmufl btrifbt, tb.u il, 11J God's Giving. ~i~:;d ~~~ ~;re!~t ~~;,e~n~fR~~~v:~ot:a;~r~~.%~"%~.1bt:Bu~fa~~n:!~ ~i~d~~~e g;_ Spring, rht:FoUIJJIIefsf{hisFaitb, prevail. S. 1~. This/btws, whJCbrift MphrJidtdHiiDif tiplt:twith thtir Little Faith. The Neceffit}· of Faith. Cbrifl worllno Good on Mt:s without it. §. t6. This F~ith il not onlf pollible nono, but neceffary. §. 17, Wh.n # il, Junht:r unfolded. S· 18. Wb1 tbt: Heirs of thiS Faith art ; Ad wb.zt w:rt tb~ Noble Works of # il, Jbe jorrrUr .Aguoftbe'Ju.fl. §. I. BUT there be others, of a more Refintd Speculation, and Reformei ~97 1668, ~ Chlp. Vl. PraOict, who dare not ufe, and leiS adore, a Piece of Wood or Stone, an Image ofSilveror Gold; nor yet allow of that ]ewijh, orrath'cr Pagan Pomp in Worfhip, prattifed by others, as if Chrift's W or{hip were of this World, tho' his Kingdom be of the other; but are Dotlrinally Averfe to fuch Supedlition, and yet refrain not to bow to their own Religious Duties1 and efteem their Formal P.crformance of feveral Parts ofWorfhip, that go againft the Grain of their Flefhly Eafe, and a Precifenefs therein, no ~ . .f. SmaU Crofr unto them ; and that if they abftain from grofs and fcandalous Sins, or if the Ad: be not committed, though the Thoughts of it are em-bnc'd, and that it has a full Career in the Mind, they hold themfelves fafe enough, within the Paleo{ Difciplcfoip, and Wa/J of Cbriflianity. Hut this· alfo is too mean a Charae1er of the Difcipline of Chrifl's CrQ[r: And thofe that flatter themfelves with fuch a Sort of Tak.jng it\ up, will in the End hs deceived with a Sandy Foundation, and a 111idnight Cry. For faid Chrift, BJJt 1 fay unto you, that tvery idle Word that Men jhalJ fpeak, tbty jhalJ give Mat. 12, 3;; an Auottnt thereof in the Day of Judgment. . §. II. For Frrft, 'tis not Performing Dutier of Religion, but the Rife of the Performance, that God looks at. Men inay, and fome do, crofs their ·' own WiOr, in their own Wills; voluntary Omiffion{ or Commiffion : Who Ifa; r. 12; bat required tbH at yaur HJndr ? Said the Lord o old to the Jews, wheri they feemed Indufirious to have ferved him ; hut it was in a Way of rheir own conniving or inventing, and in their own Time and Will ; not with the Soul truly rouch'd :1nd prepar'd by the Divine Power of God; but Bo-dily Worfhip only, that the Apoftle tells us, Projirr lillie. Not keeping to the Manner of taking up the Crofr in Worjhip, as well as other Things, has been a great Caufe of the trouhlefome Superfiition that is yet in the lV~rld. For Men have no more brought their Worrhip. to the Te£1:, thao their Sms: Nay, lefs; for [hey have if?norantly thought the one a Sort of Excufe for the other ; and not that their Religiollf Puformancer fhoulcl noed a Crofs, or an Apology. • • * Qq §.Ill. |
