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Show 37~ No' CROSS, No CROWN. Vot.l. t668. for Neteffories lind Convenient its of Life, devote~ themfelves to. the ~n .. ~ cermnents 9} a Celefti(d Khtgdom, more minded thet~ lmpn?vement tn R,gbtCh. XVI H. eoJJfnefs than their Increafe in Ricbes; for tbtY_ lard rhe1r Treojure up ;, Mn.2~. 21. Heaven, 'and endured Tribulation for an lnhenrance that C3nnot be taken aw§:·rx. But the Temperance I plead for, is not only Religiollj/J, bur Polit· i.e ally Good: 'Tis the Imereft of Good Governme~t to Curb ~nd Rebuk~ &. PrOY.IO. 4- uQ"es: It preYents many Mifchiefs; Luxury brmgs Effemmacy, Lazmefs, POverty and Mifery; bur Te111ptrance preferves t~e.Land. It keeps out F~ .. Eccl. 16, t6. reign Vanities, and improves our own Commodities: .N.ow we are thetr 17, 18. Debtors, rhen they would be Debtors to. us for our J!Jat,ve.M.nufaOures. By this Means, fuch Pcrfons, who by thea Excefr, not Chanty, have dee~ ly eng:lged their Etb.res, may in fhort Sp~ce be enabled to clear them f~om thofe Incumbrances which otherwifc (lt~e .Mt~ths) foon eat out plentiful Revenues. It help; Perfons of mean Subftance, to im'/r~ve their Small StM!t.s that they may not expend their Dear Earnings, an _liard·got Waget .J~pon Superjluo11s .Afparel, Foolijh Mny-G11met, Plap, D11ncmg~, Shef!Js, TaverJtt .Ji/e-Houfes, and tbe like Folly and lnttmperanu; ofwhtch thiS Land is mo~e infefted, and by which its rendred more Ridiculcm, than any Kingdom in the World: For none I know of is fo infefted, with Cheating Moun· teb(mkt Savage Morricc-Dancers, Pi&k·Pod.eu, and Prophane Players, and Stagers'; to the Slight of Relig"ion, the Shame of Government, and the &reat Idlenefs, Ex pence and Debauchery of the People: Far. which the Spi· nt of the Lord is grieved, and the Judgments of the Alm1ghty are at the Rev. 22. u. Door, and the Sentence: ready robe pronounced, Let hi111 that n Unjufl, he UnjJJjl jliU. W~ereforc it is. ~hat we cannot but ~oudly call u~on rhe ~enerality ofthe Ttmes, and teil:Jfie, both by our Ltfc and Dot\nne, aga1nft the like Vanities and Abufes, if poffib!J any may be weaned from their Folly, and chufe the Goo_d 01~ Parh of Temperantt, Wijtlom, Gravity, and Pruy. 21, 4, Holincf.r, the only Way to 1nber11 tbe Blejjing.s of Peate and Plenty here, aud 29· "ETernal Httpp_inif.r buea{ter. §. X. La/lly, Suppoilng we had none of thefe foregoing R""fons ju,IUy to reprove the Pra!tic~ of thr: Land in thefe Particulars; however, let it·~e fuf· Ecd. 12. r. ficient for us to fay, Tbar when People haue .firjlleartleJ to Fear, Worj}up, and PU.L 17· 21•; .Obty their Cre1tiOI, to pay their n11mero113 vitiom Debu, to alleviate and abate. Pfat. l o. 2• tbctr oppreffcd Tenants; but above all outward Regards, when the Pale FtUu ~~=:~~9:·12• are more commiftratcd, the Pinch'd BeOies relieved, and naked Backs doarhed; Pfal. 82. 3, t· wben tbe /amijhed Poor, the diftreffed Widow, and helplefs Orphan (Gals ~Pro.-. 'l2. 1· r-tlork.r, at1d your Ft:llow Crearure.r) are provided for; then 1 fay, (if rhen) it Ira.(' '4• ·~· will he Time enough for you to plead the lndifferency of. your Pleafures. ~2n~o~ ~~-~~~· But that the Sweat and rediom Labour .Of the li1'!band-Mrn, early .and late, 1~. . cold and hot, wet and dry, fbould be convened Into the Pleafure, Eafe and. frl' 8. 4- 7· ~· .PJfiime of a fmall Number of Men; that the Cart, the Plou~b, the Tbrejh, 'I 8 ' 1 ' 16·.'1· !hould be in that continual Severity laid upon Nineteen Parts of the Land, ·" ; -'" • I to feed the inordinate Lufis and delicious Appetites of the Twentierh, is fo Jer. 7· 61 Ja.r from the Appointment of the Great Governour of the World, and God. R~~ ~2 ' ~o. of the Spirirs of all Flefh, that to imagine fuch horrible lnjufiice as the: Ef. ;ral. ~·4.' j:Ets of his Detenninations, and not the Intemperance of Men, were Wretch• Alb 10.34· ed and Bl3fphemous. As on the other Side, it would be to deferve no Pity, 13.~m,. 2, 1 '" , no Help, no Relief frqm God Almighty, for People to continue that ..Ex· €-~~:::;; . pence in Vanity and Pleafure, whilft the great Neceilitiea of fuch ObjeEls I r~e. 0 Jo ;'1· go unanfwered ; ef.pecially, fince God hath made the Sons of Men but SterJJ.o J~ut. S· 4. S· 11rd: ro each others Exigencies and Relief. Yea, foftria ii.it enjoyn'd, tha.t · 1 on the Omiffion of thefe Things, we find this dreadful Sentence panly to Pf"ll. 4{, t. be grounded, Depart from me, ye CurfeJ, into Everlafling Fire, &c . .As on Mat. 2~· 34 .. the con. crary, To vijitth~ Sick,futbe Imprif#ned, relieve tbe .Jileedy, f'ic, are H• 36• fuch excellent ProJ.enies in Chrift's Account, that thereupon he wil~rcr i"OO: :~'2~·~~, nounce fuch Bl~fft , faying, Come ye Blejfed of my Father, inherit the inga dom pr~pared for )'Ou, tl<:c. So that the _Great are not (with the :Uviillb'J: VoL• I. No CROSS, M CROWN. in th< Deep) to Prey upon the Small, much lcfs to make a Sport of the 1668. Lives and LaboLirs of the leffer Ones, to grati6e their inordinate Senfes. ~· 37~ §.,XI. 1 therefore humbli offer an .Mdrifr ro the S.riom Confilkr.ti01f of Ch. XVIII. tbeClvt~ Mt~.gijlrare, That tJ. rhe Money wbzcb is expended in every Parijh in Prey. 14. 21,.. f6.ch vam FafhJO~.s, at weanwg ~~ Loce.r, Jewels, EMbroideries, Unneu.ffary ldat. 19. 21" Rtbbont, Trzmmlllg, Coi_ly F11rmrur~ and Attendance, together with r.qbat H commonly conjJmted in Taverns, Feajls, Gaming, &:c. could be colleEled into a Publick Srock, or fOmething in Lieu of this extravagant and ftuidefs Ex .. pence::, there might be Reparation to the broken Tenants, Work·Houfeifor the Able, and ..AI"!s-Houfes for the Aged and Impotent. Then fhould we · have no Beggars. m the Land, the Cry of the Widow and the: Orphan would· c.eafe, and Cha!Ita_blc: Reliefs might eafily be afforded towards the Redem~ tton of P~or ... Capft.pes~ 3rld Refreflul'_lent. of fUch 1JiflreffeJ Proujlanrs as labou~ ~nderr the Md!mes of Perfec~tton I'} olher Countries: Nay, rile&. cbe1uer s !-ted:, on Ju.ft EmergenCies, m1ght be fupplied by fuch a Bank: Th1s Sacrifice :1nd Servue would pleafe the Juft and Merciful God: It would be a Noble Example of Gravity and Temperance to Foreign Starer, and an unfpealwb/e Benefit to_ our fe/ve.r at Home. Alas ! Why lhould Men need Perfwajiom to what their own Felicity fO' neceifanly' leads them to? Had tbefe Vitiofo's Of the Times but a Senfe of Heathen Caro's Generofi~y, they would r~ther deny their Carnal Appetites tha_n leave fuch Noble Enrerprifes un~tternpted.- But tharthey fbould Ear: Drznk, Play, Game and Sport away tbttr Health, Eflaus, and above all their Irrevo&able 'Preciom Time, which fbould be dedicated to the ·Lord a; a nece! far~ IntroduE\ior to a Blej/ed Eurnity, and than which (did 't~ey but k,now lt) no W~rldly So/ate co~ld come m Competition; I fay, that they tliould be conh!JuaJly emp~oy d a~out thefe poor, low Things, is to have the Heathens JUdge them m Gods bay, as weB as Chriftian Precepts and ~:lmR~e~ cqndem_n the~. And their Final Doom will prove the more afton· Ifhmg, tn that ·thts Vamty and Excefs are atl:ed under a Profeffion of theSelf- Denying Religion of JESUS, whore Life and DoE\rine ore a perpetual l<eproach to the moll of Chril\ians. For he (Ble!fed Man) was Humble b~t. they are ~roud; He Forgiving, they Revengeful ; He Meek, theY Fterce; f!e.Plam, they ~aw~y; He _Abftemious, they Luxurious; He:: Chaft~ they Lafctvtous ; He a Ptlgnm on Earth, they Citi~ecs of the World : In ~ne, He ~as meanly Born, poorly attended, and obfcurely brought up: He hved defp1fed, and dyed hated of the Men of his own Nation, 0 you pr~ tended Followers of this Crucified ]ESV S! Examine JOur.felt•ts, .trJ youT 2Cor. 11, '; felves ; know you '7lot your ~n /elves, if He tlweli not (if He Rule not) In you, that yQu art Reprobates ? Bl' ye 7101 deceiwl, . for God will not be .Mocked, (at _13ft w!th forced Repentances) ftub at yo11 Sow, jucb (fuch yoa Ga.l. 6. 7, a, mu~) J\eap m Gods Day. I .befeech you hear me, and remember you were lnvtted and Entr~ated to the SJlvation <?f God. I fay, myou Sow, you Rtap: If y~u are Enc:nnes to the Crofr af Chrlj1, (and you are fo, if you will not !>eartt, but do as you hft) and (nor as you oughr) if you are Uncircumcifed. · In Heart and Ear (and y.ou are fo, if you wjll not hear and open to Jiim that Rnodu at the DlJOr fl)ithin) and if you Rtfift and $/..11encb rbe Spirit in your felve.s, rhat ftrives _with_you, t~ bring you to God) and tltat you certainly lio, who Rebel agamft ltS Monons, ReQroofs and InftruElions) then you Soro.to the F!efo, t.o /u!.fii th' Lujls thereof. and of the F!efo wiD you Reap the R.QIA.2o fJ. FrJJ_tt.s of Corr11ptzon, Wo, ilnguifl, and Trihulatio!l, ftom God the Judge of ~ul<k and Dead, by Jifm Chrijl. But if you will Daily bear tho Holy Crofs of Chrtft, and Sow to the Spiric ; if you willliften to the Lighr and Gr~ce that comes by JEsus, atld which He has given to all People for SJl· vauon, and fquare your Thoughts, Words and Deeds thereby (which leads and te~c~es the Lover~ of it, to deny all Ungodli11ejs, and the World's Lufls, and to Ltve.Sohuly, Rrghteo11jly and Godly in thH prefont Evil World) then may.you With Confidence look for the Bleffed Hope, a•d J•Jfu/Coming, and. .Qim,us Appc.rnJt<l of tba Gn•t G 0 D, •ml our Saviour JESUS CHRIST. Tl~ •·"•''" , ; Let '"' |