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Show 406 t668. ~ Chap.XX. Chriftians, antlthofe of more Modern Times, in Fa· vour of this Difcourfe. 'Mat.~. No CROSS, No CROWN. §. J. JESUS CHRIST, in whofc Mouth there w~s found NoGuil;, (:fent from God, with a Teftimony of Love to M:mkt~d, and ._wh~ tud down his Life for their Salvation; whom God hath ~atfed _by his mtghry Power to be Lord of all) is of right to be firft heard m thts Matter\ for nroer J+lan fpake like bim, to our Point; !hort, clear and clofe; and all Op· pofite to the Way of this wicked World. Bkjfed (fays he) nrr the Poor'" Spirit, for r/uirs U the Kingd(mt of God: f:Ic darb ."?t f:~.y, blcifed are the Proud, the Rich, the Highminded: Here IS Humtltty and the Fear of the Lord Bleil. B!rjfed nre thq tiJnt Mourn, for thry .fhaU be Comf•rttd: He doth nor fay, Bleffed are the Feafters, Dancers ~nd Revellers of the World, whofc Life is fwallowcd up of Plcafure and Jollmy: No; as he was a Mao of Sorrows, fo he bleft the Godly Sorrowful. Bkjfed. are the Mu_k: for they jhall inherit tbe Earth: He doth not fay, Blelft.d are the Ambmous, the Angry, and thofe that are pufFed up: He makes not ~he ~an~ a Blelf~ ing to them: And tho' they get it by C~nquelt :l_nd Rapme, 1t Will at l~ft f:~ll into the H::mds of the Meek, to lnhenr. Agatn, B!effed are lhty tobJcb do Hunger and Thirfl after Rigbteoufnefi: Hu~ no Bleffing to the Hunger :tnd Thirft of the (uxurious Man. Blrffed are the Mertiful, for they jb11n obtain .Mercy: He dr:tws Men to Tendernefs and Forgivenefs, by ~ewJ~d. H:~ft ' thou one in thy Power that ha-th wronged Thee? Be not R1gorous., Exall not the utmoft Farthing; be Merciful, and .Pity the AffiiCled, for fuch tire B/dfed. Yet further, Blejfed are the Poor M Hearl1 for they foaU fee God: He doth not fay, Blelfcd are the Proud, the Covetous, the '!Jncle:m, the Voluptuous, the Malicious: No, fuch fhJll never fee c;J.od. A_gam, Blrf~ fed are tbe Peau~Jl1akert, for they foall be tlrlled.tbe CbllJrm oj" God: He doth not .fay, Blelfed are the Com~ntious B:~ck·blters, Tale-bearers, B.rawl· ers, Fighters, Makers of War; neaher fhall they be called the Gbt!drm of God, whatever they may call themfelves. Lattly, Blejftd are y~u, w~en Men jhaU revile you, tmd P~rfuute you, and fn_y aU Manner of t..vd l'lgamjl you fa/fly, for my fake; R~oyce mt:l b~ rxcudmg G_lad, for 1,rt11t u your Rt .. fDartl in Heaven: He blelfeth the Trouhles of hts People, and tranflares Earthly Sufferings into Heavenly Rewardr. He doth not fay, Bleffed Jre you when the World l}ea!u weU of you, and fawnr upon you : So that His Bleffings crofs the World's; for the World ble!feth thofe as Happy, that have the Wor]d•s Favour: He blelfeth thofe as Hlppy, that have the World's Frowns. This folveth the great Objeaion, Why nre 1ou fofoo/if/1 to expofe your fe!vu to tbe LotCI, to incur tbt Dij}/eajurt oj .Magiflraru, tmd fuff_er the tbe Loj1 of your Eflatu and Libtr.tier? CannoT a M11n ferve 1 God in h.is Heart, and do a I otbt~t do? .Art 1ou wifrr tiJan Y.our Fore· Far ten? Call to mtnd your .AnetH on. Wt!l you qutjhon_ tberr Salv_atlon by your 1\ove/tier, and forget tht [urure Good of {~ur W1fe and Ch1ldren~ 111 n:tll arfa; crifice the prtfent Comforu of your ife, to bold up the Cre1It of a Po':IY: A Langu:Jge I have more tha~ once he:ud: I fay! this .Do_flnne of Chnft IS an An1Wer and .Antidote ag::nnfi the Power of this Objeflton, He teacheth Us toembtace Truth under 3\l thofe Scandals. The Jewr ha'd more to fay of' this kind than any, whofe \Vay had a more Extraordinary InTiiturion; but Cluift minds not either Inftitution or Succeffion. He was a New Al11n, and came to confecrJte a New. Way, and that in the Will of God, and · the Power that accompanied his Miniftry, and that of his Followers, abund_antly proved the DivJOe Authority of his Miffion, who thereby w.ar.ns htS ~o ex.pc£\: and to bear Cmtradi{iimr, Reviling and Per fecit/ion: For tf they dtd it to the green Tree, much more were they to expe8: that they would do jt to the dry: H to the Lord, then to the Sen•anr. \Vhy rheo fhould Chriftians fear that Reproach and Tri~ubtion, that are the Companion!! of h.is Religion, fince they work to hts fincer7 Fol· lowers a far more Exceeding and Eternal \Veight of Glory? Hur mdec1 they have great Caufe to Fear and be a014med, who are the A_uthors. ~ fuch Reproach and Suffering, fo contr:try to the Meek aod MercJful Sp1r~t (lf Chrilt: For if they :He bleffed, who are Reviled and Perfecuted for hiS Sake; the Revilers .and Perfccutors muft be curfed. But this is not all: He bad his Difciples Follcrc !Jim, Learn fljbim, for he was Jllcek and Lowly: J!lhe t:J.l1 ~ t NO CROSS, .No CRbfiJ'N. taught rhein to bear Injuries, and .nbt fmitC again; To exce"ed in Kind;ers ~ 15 6 8~ . To go two Miles, when ask'd to go,One; To pan wich Cloak and Coat too' To Gi\'e to them th~t ~sk, and to Lead. ro them .that hoJrow; To Forgive~ ~ ay, and love Enemtes roo; cotnm:lndtng them, faying, Blefr t/Jem tbat : a~; • Curfr you J Do Godd.to them t.bat hau you; ·and Pray for them which dcj}itt• Mat. ~J fully_ufe yoJJ, and.Perjuutt you: Urging them with :i moft fenfible DemonJ. ~ranon, Thatfmtb be, you m~ he th~ Children of your Fa,ttier, ·which is l~ Hea_ven : ·Fo_r he makoth the Sun to nfe ?PO.Q the Good 3nd the Evil, and h.1s Rlm to delcend upon the J~lt and the Uojult. He alfo taught his Dif-e~ ples, to beheve and re~y upon God's ProYidence, from the Care that he had over the leaft of h1s Creatures 1 Therefote, faith be, I fay unto you · • T~ke no Thought for your Life, wliat you fhall cat, and what you fhiti . dnnk. no~ yet for your Body, wha.t you fhall pur on: Is not th~ Life mote Mat. &';J than Melt, and the ~ody, thJn Ratment? Behold the Fowls of the Air. · fot they fow not, tletther do they Reap, nor gather into Barn$;~ yet you; Heavenly Fat~er feedeth them: Are you not much better than they? Which Qf you by .takmg Thoug~t, .can add one Cubit unto his Stature? And why: t•ke you Thought for Rarmenr ' Confider the l.itlid.of rbe Field, how they gmw, they t~ll not,. netthc!r do they Spin : And y_et I fay unto you, Th:tt ~ven ~o/omon m ~11 h1~ Glory, was not arrayed like one of the.fe. Wh"ere .. fPre, 1f God fo ~lotheth the Grafil of th~ Field, which to Da,y i~,' and to M:or_row IS ~aft toto the Oven, !ha1l. lie n?t much more cloath you ? 0 ye of htt~ F:mh! -:r:herefore take ~o Thought, fayillg, What fh:JIJ we eat, or what ma~_l we dnnk7 or wh.ereW1thal fhall We be Clothed ? (For after aU· thofe Thmgs do the GentJ!er feek) For your Heavenly Father knoweth ' 1har you ha~e need of all thefe Things ... Btitfeek you firfl the Xingdomoj God, and bx Rtgbteoufnifr, and a/J tbefe Things jhnD be added unto you Take therefore ne _Thought for ro Morrow, for to MorroW {hall tak~' Thought for the ~htngs of it felf; fufficient is theDa}t for the Evil there-of. Oh! how Platn, how Sweet, how ·ful1, yet how Brief are his blelfed' ~entences! They thereby !hew from whence they c:~me, and tlrat Divinity ~t felf ft?oke them: Wh.at are Dabour'd, }'Yha; a're Forced and Sca'rtered m the heft of o0er Wrl[~rs, and not all neither, is here c;ompriz'd after a natur:ll, eafi~ .a~d. co~f~tcuous Man_ner. He fets )btute aboVe Art, ancf Tru~ Jbo.ve ~are. 'thts 11 He that h1mfelf c:tme Poor into tfie' Wotld and {9 hved In. 1t: He lay iit a' Mnnger, converfed witli Mechanicks; Fatted ~HciJ! Retaed,often : And wht'tl He Feafted, it Was with Barley Loaves an~ Ft~, ~refs'? doubtlefs in a'ri' ea~e and homely Manner. H'e WJS Solita .. 'kb 'A,ff!s l;)fe; to his Dea~ lihominiom: The Foxer bad Holtr, ' the Bird1 0£ e 1' .ba 1\ejlt,· bu.t_ the Son of Man bad not a Place whereon to Ia} bil Head• e that ma~e. ~II :rh.mgs as God, had Nothing as Man ; which hath this blelfed lnltruaJOnr." It, .rhat the Meanelt an~ l'oorelt !hould not be dejelled, oor yet the Rrcheft and ~ghelt be exalted. In nne havlog taught thlS p oanne, and Lived as he fpOll:e, he dyed to Confir~ it. and offer•d up t'mfrlf a Propitiation/or the Smr' tf the Whole World, "'hen 'no other Sa· crl ce could be found, that could a'tone for Man With God: Who rijin ' above the Po~tr of D~atb and tbe.Grave;hatb ltd Captivity Captive, and is be~ cpome the f!rfl Born from tbt Dett'd; and Lord of the Living· and IriS. Living eople pra1(e him~ who is worthf fOr eVer.• ' i ,§. II. J~IJI1 the .Bflptifl, who was the Fore·rnnner of thrift's A~ppe:uanco . n Flefh, did by hts own Ahftinence fufficiently declare what Sort of Perfori f{.;~s h~ qmc to prepare and befpeak People to receive. For tho' fa08:ie Ill h1s Mother's Womb, and declared by Chrift to be th1e !!;:re:neft of ~lltropltets,. yet h~s Cloathing.was but a Courfe Garment of Ca11ld'r Hair, L~~ 3 Leathern G1rdle, and h1s Food only Locufts and Wild Holley: A • 1 every Narural and of great Simplicity. This was all rh'e Pomp andRettnue, w~ich the greateft Ambaff.ador that ever cam~ to the World was atJ {~e~ ~uh, about the be~. of Melf:~ges, r'o wit, Repent, fpr t.bt .Klngdoni [ 0 'H nt Hand. And, Tbtie is one cominj after 111~ who.fe Shou'..f,Jtcbd lflnnor r~.·on [Jy 10' lin Iooft , wlJojhaO Baptize )'0'11 witb Flrt, n!ld f.~irb tbe H11- Mark i , i. !J . . ~ |
