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Show No CROSS, No CROWN. Vot.l. 1668. ~•Jntfl, and aU thefe Things fhaU be added unto you. Under which ..of Eat· ~ ing, and Drinlling, and Apparel, he comprehends all Exurnal Thmg.r whar~< Jhap. XV. foever; and fo much appears, as wen becaufe they .are oppofed to the Kingdom of God and His Righteoufnefs, w~ich are Invlfible and Hea\'enly Jhings as that thofe very Matters he enjoyns them not to be carelut a .. bout ;re the moll: Neceffary ·and the mofi: Innocent in themfelves. If then: in fuch Cafes, the Min1ds of His Difcipl~s were not t? he felicitous, much lefs in foolifh, fuperfiitious, id!e ~n~·enuons, to granfie .the Can~al Appethes and 1\.finds of Men: So certat~ lt IS, that thofe who ltve therein, are none of His Followers, but the Gentdu; and (as he e!f~whe.re .fays) 1he Luke 12• 22• Ntttions of the World who know not God. If now then the 1ifimgt~ijbmg A!ar.t to 16• between the Difciples of Jefus; and thofe of the World, lS, .That. One m1nds Rom. 14, 17. the Thiogs of fJeaven and God's Kingdom, that flands m Rtgbteollfn([S, Peau, mrd Joy in the' Holy Gbo.ft, (being not carelul of Extern.al M:ut~rs) even the moft Innocent and Necelfary, and that the other mmds Eatz'llg, Drin/Ung Apparel and the Affilirs of the World, with the Lulls, Plea· cr. .. 1. fures, Pr~fits and Honours that belong to it; b~ you intreated for yo~ Soul's Sakes, 0 Inhabitants of England, to lle Senous, t? reflect a While upon your felves, what Care and Colt you are at, ·of Ttme an_d Money,, a~?ut foclifh, nay, Vicious Things: So far are you degenerated from the Pnmmve . ChriRian Life. What Buying and Selling, what Dealing and Chaffering, wh;H Writing and Polling, what Toil and Labour, what No1fe, Hurry, Buftle and Confufion, what Study, what little Contrivanc~s. and 0\'Cr· reachings, what Eating, Drinking, Vanity of Apparel, moft ndtculous Re~ creations; in fhort, what Rifing Early, Going to Bed L;ue, Expence of precious Time, isthere about Things that perifh? View the Strccts, .Shopr, Exchanges, Plays, Parks, Cojfee~Houfes, &c. And is not the World, Tbis Fading World, wdt upon every Face? Say not within your felves, How othcrwife jhou/d A1en Live, and ibe World fuhjijl? The common, though frivolous Objetl:ion : There is enough for all; let fome content themfelves with leiS: A few Things plain and decent, ferve a Chriftian Life. 'Tis Luft, Pride, A\·arice, that thrufts Men upon fuch Fo1ly: Were God's Kingdom more the Exercife of their Minds, thefe perifhing Entertainments would have but little of their Time or Thoughts. §. III. This Self-Denyi,g DoUrine was confirm'd and enforc'd by the Apofiles in thejr Example, as we have already !hewn; and in their Precepts too, as we !hall yet evince in thofe Two .moU remarkable Pa!fages of PaN/ and Peur; where they do not only tell us, what thould be done, but allo 1 Tim. 2• what fhould be denied and avoided. Jn like Mamt(r I will, that Women adorn 2 71 10 ' rbemfe!ves in modejl .Apparel: (What's that?) with Sbamefacednefi llrrd s~ briery; nor with hroiderd Hair, or Go/J, or Pearls, or Cofi!y JJ.rray [then It feems thefe are immodefi:] hut whifh heeomtth Women prO/effing God!im[S, wirh Go()d Works: Abfolutely implying, that thofe who Attire themfelves with G()/d, Silver, Broidered Hair, P(arls, Cofl!y Array. cannot in fo doing be Women profefting Godlinefs ; making thofe very Things to be contr:ny to Modefti and what"s Good; and confequently that rhey are Evil, and unbecoming Women pro/effing God!inefs. To which the Apofile Peru joyns ::~nother Precept after the like Son, viz. Whofe Adorning Itt it nor he rbar (1/fltrard Ad()rning, of plaiting the Hair, and of n1earing of Gold, or of fill· zing on Apparel: (What then?) hut let it be rbe Hidden Man of the Ht1lrt1 in that w!Jicb n not C()rruptible, even the Ornament of a meek and ljllifl Spi~ rit, which is in the Sight ()f G()d of great Price, And as an Inducement he ·~·~~. nl;e adds, For after tbis Manner in the Old Time, the Hoff-'~'- Women,wh() fo trufl; ~en ° as ~f ed in God, adorned tbemfdves. Which doth not only intimate, that both this 'vanity Holy Women were fo adorned, and that it behoves fuch as would be Holy, belonged not and truft in the Holy God, to be fo adorned; but alfo, that they who ufed i~ :: ~; thofe forbidden Ornaments, were the Women and People in all Ages, that letTe tha~ (for all their T::~lk) were not H()ly, nor did trufl in God. Such are fo far 1 ~im.~.6. f~om t~l}fting in God, that the Apoft!e Bml exprdly f:1ys, Th111 jbe tbar l'!U. >· 20• liveth rn Plea jure zs dcaJ. (to God) wblijl fhc liverb' And the fame Apoftle farther VoL. I. No C R 0 S S, No C R 0 W N. I 355 f:lrther enjoyned, That Chri~ianr jhou!d have tbeir Conver[atiOIZ in Jle.tv~~r, J66S. tl.Rd their .Minds fix(d on Things ibt!Vt: Wa!A: bonejl!y 41 tn the Day, not tn ~ Rioting and Dr11nlunnejJ, not in Chambering and Wantonnrj!, not i11 Envy and Chap. XV, Strife: Let not Pornica~io"., Undeann~fst. or C,o;V~toll{n([r, ~e once _named ~ 4m()Jigjl you; neither F,/rbmefs, nor joo/ifh 1'_dlkmt or Jeflmg, whub a~e Col, l• r, 2, 110r convenient; bnt r~ther giving Df 1baf)./U .• And let no corrupt Communz. 3, 4• uriun proceed ~ur of yo'!r. Mo11rh, hat r1Jat fJJbich n Good, to the UJ( of ~m. 13. IJ, Edifying that 11 may mmifler Grace Ultto the Hearers. But pfli....-JC. on the h LordJESUSCH!UST, and m••kenoPruvijionforthtFitfh, toful}iltbe Ep +'•1• Dejires rbere()f And Gneve nottfJ( Holy Spirit; (intimating fuch Coover. Ch.4- 29• • fation doth) hut he ye Followers of God, a1 dear Chi/Jren: Walk circllm• ~0:· '1· 14• f}tfliy, not lU Foo!r, butm Wife; r~deeming the Time, beca11Je the Days d'. ·~~·~~~s, -~ ~ §. IV. By this meafure your felves, 0 Inhabitants of this La~d, who think your felves wrohg'd, if not accounted Chrr/lians: See what _Propor· tion your Life and Spirir bears with tbefe molt Holy and Self.deny~rg Preapes and Examples. WeD, !!1-Y Fri~ndr, my So.u/ mourns for you : 1 have leen rtJitb and amDng you: lo11r Life and Pajltm~ are nor ~!rangers to my ]l.'otice; and with G~mpa.flion, )'ea, umxpre~bl: p,r,, I h(WIUI yo11r FoUy. 0 that you would be Wife ! 6 that the ]ujt Princrple rn yo11r Je!u(t were Z.erml! 0 that Eternity bad Time/() pleal a little with yo11! Why jho11/d yo11r BtJs, Jf'Mr Gla.ffes, your CltMthr, your Tables, your LoUts, your Plays, yo11r pqr~s, yo11r Treats, your Recreario11s (poor/erifbmg J~ys) bavt aU J4ur. Soulr, ]OIIr Time, your Car(, your P11rje an ConfiJtratJon? .& }t adm{}flijhed, I /Jifeecb you, in rh~ Name of 1 ~e Livi"J God, hy one t I! at, fo'jle of }'014 k'!ow, hath bad hH.S~are'" tbife Thmgs, an ~onfeg11~ntlj Trm~ to ,:noro! how !tu/e the liJ:.e Vantlles conduce to True and Solid }/appme.[s. 1\o, my Fuends, GocL Almighty ~notos (and would God, yo~ would believe and follow me) tbty end in Sbal#e and Sorrow. Fanhful IS that Moft Holy One, who hath d_e· termined, Tb11t every Man and Woman foalJ Reap what they Sow; And Will JlOt Trnble, Antuifh and Difappointment, be a fad nnd dread}ul Ht1rvejt {Dr ytJu to Reap, for t1l1 your Mij}enr Time and Subjll17tce, ahour Superjl11itiu and V11in Recreations? Retire rben; !JIItncb not the lJo!y Spirit in your Je!ves · Redeem )OUr.prtci()tJJ abufod Tmte; Fre9uenr f11ch Converfation a.r 114] bt/p you agamfl yo11r evil lndfnatiom; J! JbnO j()U foOow the Exampte.r .. tnd keep the Precepts of JESUS CHRIST, o>rd aU His FoU~w!rs. F~• hitherto we have plainly drmonfirated, that no fuch Way of L. IVIng, as 1S in Requeft atr:.ong you of the Land, ever W31, or can be Truly Cbrifiian. §. V. But the Befl Recreation is to do GooJ: And aU Chriftian Cufioms tend to Temperance, and fame good and beneficial End ; which more or ~~~s . ~ay be in every A€lior.. For lnfiance: lf Men and W()mtn r.v_ould be Drh· • Ptt. 1. ·~· gent to follow their ref!'eOive CaOi11gs, [req11tnt the A.ffemhlies ()/ Relitiom Hpb. 1o. 2~. People, Vljit Sober l!!e~tb-houn t~ be J!Aified, and Wicked Ones _ro Reform them; !o, e;;,•· 9, he Careful in theTIIttton of tbe~rCbrldren, Exemp,tary to tbetr. S~rvantr, R:~ Mac. as. a6, lieve tbt Neceffitotn, See the Srck, V'zjirrhe lmprifoneJ, ..&d":zni/ler to thetr 17• lnfirinitits and lndifpojitions, en·delf1)()11r Peace mnongfl Netgh6ours ·:· A_lfo, StUdy tn()./erately J11ch Commendahle and ' Prffitab/e .A_rrs, as N~\:Igatton, Arithmetick, Geometry, Hu!bandry, Gardentog, Handicraft, Medtcme, E:(c. . And, that Women Spin, Sow, Knit, We~ve, G_arJen, Pre/erve, and the lr!:e ~t :: 1: lionfe-r•ife and Hone/l Employments (the Prachcl: .oftheGreate!l and Nobleft Matrons, and Youth among . the very Heathens). he!pfng others, wbo.for TVaRt are unable 10 kup &rvants, /() eafe tb(m m tberr 1•lece)Jary Ajfarrs: G t.t· Often and private Reriremenu f()m all Worldly Obje[is, to enjo,y tb( .Lord ; p~~·l' 2 6~ &crttand Sundy Jrf.(ditations on the Divine Life ond Heavel)!y. Inherrtance : 6. ; 19: :,. Which to Leave undone, and ptofecute other Things, under the ~ot~on of t4i• ~· Recreations is accurfed Luft and Damnable Impiety. Iris molt vam tn any to objel\, ibarrhey can't d() tbe{e always, and tbere{ore, nthymqy'nttbty ure. tbife C()mman Viverfi()ns? For f aOt, What would fuch. be at~ WhJC would they do? And what would they have? They chat have Trades, have not Time eRough to do the Half of what hath been rec_ommended. And as for Z z :a. Jhofo |