made great promoters of the truth, who in all their defigns endeavoured to extinguish it. Now not a vain thought, nor an idle word, nor an unfeemly action was permitted; no, not an immodeft look: no courtly drefs, gay apparel, complimental refpects, or perfonal honours; much less thofe lewd immoralities, and fcandalous vices, now in vogue with chriftians, could find either example or connivance among them". Their care was not how to fport away their precious time, but how to redeem it, that they might have enough to work out their great falvation (which they carefully did) with fear and trembling; not with balls and masks, with play-houfes, dancing, feafting, and gaming: no, not to make sure of their heavenly calling and election, was much dearer to them, than the poor and trifling joys of mortality. For they having with Mofes feen him that is invifible, and found that his loving-kindness was better than life, the peace of his spirit than the favour of princes; as they feared not Cæfar's wrath, fo they chofe rather to fuftain the afflictions of Chrift's true pilgrims, than enjoy the pleasures of fin, that were but for a feafon; efteeming his reproaches of more value than the perifhing treasures of the earth. And if the tri

bulations of chriftianity were more eligible than the comforts of the world, and the reproaches of one than all the honour of the other; there was then furely no temptation in it, that could fhake the integrity of Christendom.

§. VIII. By this fhort draught of what Christendom was, thou mayeft fee, O Christendom, what thou art not, and confequently what thou oughteft to be. But how comes it, that from a Chriftendom that was thus meek, merciful, felf-denying, fuffering, temperate, holy, juft and good, fo like to Chrift, whofe naine the bore, we find a Chriftendom now, that is fuperftitious, idolatrous, perfecuting, proud, paffionate, envious, malicious, felfish, drunken, lafcivious, unclean, ly

" Heb. xi. 32, to the end. Ifa. lxiii. 2. Dan, iii. 12, to the end. Dan. vi. 16, to the end, Eph. v. r5, 16.

ing, fwearing, curfing, covetous, oppreffing, defrauding, with all other abominations known in the earth, and that to an excess justly fcandalous to the worst of heathen ages, furpaffing them more in evil than in time: I fay, how comes this lamentable defection?

I lay this down, as the undoubted reason of this degeneracy, to wit, the inward difregard of thy mind to the light of Chrift fhining in thee; the first fhewed thee thy fins, and reproved them, and that taught and enabled thee to deny and refift them. For as thy fear towards God, and holy abftinence from unrighteousness was, at first, not taught by the precepts of men, but by that light and grace, which revealed the most fecret thoughts and purposes of thine heart, and searched the most inward part of thy belly, (fetting thy fins in order before thee, and reproving thee for them, not fuffering one unfruitful thought, word or work of darknefs, to go unjudged) fo when thou didft begin to difregard that light and grace, to be careless about that holy watch, that was once fet up in thine heart, and didit,not keep centinel there, (as formerly) for God's glory, and thy own peace; the restlefs enemy of man's good quickly took advantage of this flacknefs, and often furprized thee with temptations, whofe fuitableness to thy inclinations made his conqueft over thee not difficult.

In fhort, thou didst omit to take up Chrift's holy yoke, to bear thy daily crofs; thou waft careless of thy affections, and kept no journal or check upon thy actions; but didft decline to audit accounts, in thy own confcience, with Chrift thy light, the great bishop of thy foul, and judge of thy works, whereby the holy fear decayed, and love waxed cold; vanity abounded, and duty became burdenfome. Then up came formality, inftead of the power of godlinefs; fuperftition, in place of Chrift's inftitution: and whereas Chrift's business was, to draw off the minds of his difciples from an outward temple, and carnal rites and fervices, to the inward and fpiritual worship of God, (fuitable to the nature of divinity) a worldly, human, pompous worship

ᄉ

is brought in again, and a worldly priesthood, temple and altar re-established. Now it was that the fons of

⚫ God once more faw the daughters of men were fair?:? that is, the pure eye grew dim, which repentance had opened, that faw no comeliness out of Chrift; and the eye of luft became unclosed again, by the god of the world; and those worldly pleafures, that make fuch as love them forget God, (though once defpifed for the fake of Chrift) began now to recover their old beauty, and interest in thy affections; and from liking them, to be the study, care, and pleasure of thy life.

True, there ftill remained the exterior forms of worship, and a nominal and oral reverence to God and Chrift; but that was all; for the offence of the holy crofs ceased, the power of godlinefs was denied, felf-denial loft; and though fruitful in the invention of ceremonious ornaments, yet barren in the bleffed fruits of the Spirit. And a thousand fhells cannot make one kernel, or many dead corps one living man.

§. IX. Thus religion fell from experience to tradition, and worship from power to form, from life to letter; that inftead of putting up lively and powerful requests, animated by the deep fenfe of want, and the affiftance of the Holy Spirit, by which the ancients prayed, wrestled and prevailed with God; behold, a by-rote mumpfimus, a dull and infipid formality, made up of corporal bowings, and cringings, garments and furnitures, perfumes, voices and mufick; fitter for the reception of fome earthly prince, than the heavenly worship of the only true and immortal God, who is an eternal, invisible spirit.

But thy heart growing carnal, thy religion did fo too; and not liking it as it was, thou fashionedft it to thy liking; forgetting what the holy prophet said, the ⚫ facrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord',' and what James faith, Ye afk, and ye receive not, (why?) because ye ask amifs';' that is, with an heart that is not right, but infincere, unmortified, not in the

• Gen. vi. 2.

faith that purifies the foul, and therefore can never receive what is afked: fo that a man may fay with truth, thy condition is worfe by thy religion, because thou art tempted to think thyfelf the better for it, and art not.

§. X. Well! by this profpect that is given thee, of thy foul fall from primitive chriftianity, and the true cause of it, to wit, a neglect of the daily crofs of Christ, it may be easy for thee to inform thyself of the way of thy recovery.

For look, at what door thou wenteft out, at that door thou must come in: and as letting fall, and forbearing the daily cross loft thee; fo taking up, and enduring the daily cross, must recover thee. It is the fame way, by which the finners and apoftates become the disciples of Jefus. • Whofoever (fays Chrift) will come after me, and be my difciple, let him deny himself, and take up his daily crofs, and follow me. Nothing fhort of this will do; mark that, for as it is fufficient, fo is it indifpenfable: no Crown, but by the Crofs; no life eternal, but through death: and it is but just, that thofe evil and barbarous affections, that crucified Chrift afresh, should, by his holy crofs, be crucified. Blood requires blood; his crofs is the death of fin, that caufed his death; and he the death of death, according to that paffage, O death! I will be thy death'!

CHA P. III.

§. 1. What the cross of Chrift is? A figurative fpeech, but truly, the divine power, that mortifies the world. §. 2. It is fo called by the apostle Paul to the Corinthians. §. 3. Where it is the crofs appears, and must be borne? Within, where the lufts are, there they must be crucified. §. 4. Experience teaches every one this, to be fure Chrift afferts it, from within comes murder, &c. and that is the house where the strong man must be bound. §. 5. How is the cross to be

Mat. xvi. 21. Mark viii. 34. Luke xiv. 27. 14. 1 Cor. xv. 55.

t Hof. xiii.

borne ?

borne? The way is fpiritual, a denial of felf, the pleasure of fin, to please God and obey his will, as manifested to the foul by the light he gives it. §. 6. This fhews the difficulty, yet the neceffity of the cross,

TH

HE daily crofs being then, and still, O Chriftendom, the way to glory; that the fucceeding matter, which wholly relates to the doctrine of it, may come with most evidence and advantage upon thy confcience, it is most seriously to be confidered by thee, First, What the crofs of Chrift is?

Secondly, Where the crofs of Chrift is to be taken up? Thirdly, How, and after what manner it is to be borne ?

Fourthly, What is the great work and business of the crofs? In which

The fins it crucifies, with the mischiefs that attend them, will be at large expreffed.

Fifthly, and lastly, I fhall add many teftimonies from living and dying perfons, of great reputation either for their quality, learning, or piety, as a general confirmation of the whole tract.

To the firft, what is the cross of Christ?

§. I. The cross of Chrift is a figurative fpeech, borrowed from the outward tree, or wooden crofs, on which Chrift fubmitted to the will of God, in permitting him to fuffer death at the hands of evil men. So that the cross myftical is that divine grace and power, which croffes the carnal wills of men, and gives a contradiction to their corrupt affections, and that conftantly oppofeth itself to the inordinate and fleshly appetite of their minds, and fo may be juftly termed the inftrument of man's holy dying to the world, and being made conformable to the will of God. For nothing elfe can mortify fin, or make it easy for us to fubmit to the divine will, in things otherwise very contrary to our own.

§. II. The preaching of the cross therefore in primitive times was fitly called by Paul (that famous and skilful apostle in fpiritual things) the power of God,

though