though to them that perish, then, as now, foolishness. That is, to thofe that were truly weary and heavy laden, and needed a deliverer; to whom fin was burdenfome and odious, the preaching of the crofs, by which fin was to be mortified, was, as to them, the power of God, or a preaching of the divine power, by which they were made difciples of Chrift, and children of God: and it wrought fo powerfully upon them, that no proud or licentious mockers could put them out of love with it. But to those that walked in the broad way, in the full latitude of their lufts, and dedicated their time and care to the pleasure of their corrupt appetites, to whom all yoke and bridle were and are intolerable, the preaching of the crofs was, and is, foolishness: to which I may add, in the name but of too many now-a-days, and the practice ridiculous; embraced by none, if they may be believed, but half-witted people, of ftingy and fingular tempers, affected with the hypochondry, and oppreffed with the power of melancholy; for all this, and more, is bestowed upon the life of the bleffed crofs of Chrift, by the very profeffors and pretended admirers of it, in the perfons of those who truly bear it.

§. III. Well, but then where does this crofs appear, and must it be taken up?

I answer, within: that is, in the heart and foul; for where the fin is, the cross must be. Now, all evil comes from within this Chrift taught. From within (faith Chrift) out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetoufnefs, wickednefs, deceit, lafcivioufnefs, an evil eye, blafphemy, pride, foolishness: all thefe evils come 'from within, and defile the man"."

The heart of man is the feat of fin, and where he is defiled, he must be fanctified; and where fin lives, there it muft die: it must be crucified. Cuftom in evil hath made it natural to men to do evil; and as the foul rules the body, fo this corrupt nature fways the whole man: but still, it is all from within.

"Mark vii. 11. 22, 23.

§. IV. Ex

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§. IV. Experience teaches every fon and daughter of Adam an affent to this; for the enemies temptations are ever directed to the mind, which is within: if they take not, the foul fins not; if they are embraced, luft is presently conceived, (that is, inordinate defires) lust Conceived, brings forth fin; and fin finished, (that is, acted) brings forth death ". Here is both the cause and the effect, the very genealogy of fin, its rife and end.

In all this, the heart of evil man is the devil's mint, his work-house, the place of his refidence, where he exercises his power and art. And therefore the redemption of the foul is aptly called, the destruction of the works of the devil, and bringing in of everlasting righteousness. When the Jews would have defamed Christ's miracle of cafting out devils, by a blafphemous imputation of it to the power of Beelzebub, he says, That no man can enter a ftrong man's houfe, and fpoil his goods, till he first bind the strong man". Which, as it fhews the contrariety that was between Beelzebub, and the power by which he difpoffeffed him; so it teaches us to know, that the fouls of the wicked are the devil's houfe, and that his goods, his evil works, can never be destroyed, till first he that wrought them, and keeps the house, be bound. All which makes it easy to know, where the cross must be taken up, by which alone the strong man must be bound, his goods fpoiled, and his temptations refifted: this is, within, in the heart of man.

§. V. But in the next place, how, and in what manner is the cross to be daily borne?

The way, like the cross, is fpiritual: that is, an inward fubmiffion of the foul to the will of God, as it is manifested by the light of Chrift in the confciences of men though it be contrary to their own inclinations. For example: when evil prefents, that which fhews the evil does alfo tell them, they should not yield to it; and if they close with its counsel, it gives them power d Mark iii. 27.

James i. 15.

1 John iii. 8.

to

to escape it. But they that look and gaze upon the temptation, at last fall in with it, and are overcome by it; the confequence of which is guilt and judgment. Therefore as the cross of Chrift is that spirit and power in men, though not of men, but of God, which croffeth and reproveth their fleshly lufts and affections: fo the way of taking up the crofs is, an intire refignation of foul to the difcoveries and requirings of it: not to confult their worldly pleasure, or carnal eafe, or intereft, (for fuch are captivated in a moment) but continually to watch against the very appearances of evil, and by the obedience of faith, that is, of true love to and confidence in God, chearfully to offer up, to the death of the cross, that evil part, that Judas in themselves, which, not enduring the heat of the fiege, and being impatient in the hour of temptation, would, by its near relation to the tempter, more easily betray their fouls into his hands.

§. VI. O this fhews to every experience, how hard it is to be a true difciple of Jefus! the way is narrow indeed, and the gate very ftrait, where not a word, no not a thought muft flip the watch, or escape judgment: fuch circumfpection, fuch caution, fuch patience, fuch conftancy, fuch holy fear and trembling. This gives an easy interpretation to that hard faying, flesh and blood 'cannot inherit the kingdom of God:' thofe that are captivated with fleshly lufts and affections; for they cannot bear the crofs; and they that cannot endure the cross, must never have the crown. To reign, it is neceffary first to fuffer.

CHA P. IV.

§. 1. What is the great work of the crofs? The answer to this of great moment. §. 2. The work of the cross is felf-denial. §. 3. What was the cup and cross of Chrift? §. 4. What is our cup and crofs? §. 5. Our

Mat. xxiv. 42, XXV. 13. 1 Th. iii. 5. 1 Cor. xv. 59.

xxvi. 38. 42.

↑ Phil. ii. 12.

duty

Q.

duty is to follow Chrift as our captain. §. 6. Of the diftinction upon felf, a lawful and unlawful felf. §.7. What the lawful felf is. §. 8. That it is to be denied in fome cafes, by Chrift's doctrine and example. §. 9. By the apoftles pattern. §. 10. The danger of preferring lawful felf, above our duty to God. §. 11. The reward of felf-denial, an excitement to it. §. 12. This doctrine as old as Abraham. §. 13. His obedience of faith memorable. §. 14. Job a great inftance of self-denial, his contentment. §. 15. Mofes alfo a mighty example, his neglect of Pharaoh's court. §. 16. His choice. §. 17. The reafon of it, viz. the recompence of reward. §. 18. Ifaiah no inconfiderable inftance, who of a courtier became an holy prophet. §. 19. Thefe inftances concluded with that of holy Daniel, his patience and integrity, and the fuccefs they had upon the king. §. 20. There might be many mentioned to confirm this bleffed doctrine. §. 21. All must be left for Chrift, as men would be faved. §. 22. The way of God is a way of faith and felf-denial. §. 23. An earnest fupplication and exhortation to all to attend upon thefe things.

UT fourthly, what is the great work and bufinefs of the cross respecting man?

BU

Anfw. §. I. This indeed is of that mighty moment to be truly, plainly and thoroughly anfwered, that all that went before feems only to ferve for preface to it; and miscarrying in it, to be no less than a misguidance of the foul about its way to bleffedness. I fhall therefore purfue the question, with God's help, and the best knowledge he hath given me, in the experience of feveral years difcipleship.

The great work and business of the cross of Christ, in man, is felf-denial; a word, as of much depth in itself, fo of fore contradiction to the world; little understood, but lefs embraced by it; yet it must be borne for all that. The Son of God is gone before us, and by the bitter cup he drank, and baptism he suffered, has left us an example, that we fhould follow his fteps. Which

made

made him put that hard question to the wife of Zebedee and her two fons, upon her foliciting that one might fit at his right, and the other at his left hand in his kingdom; are ye able to drink of the cup that I 'fhall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptifm I 'am baptized with?' It feems their faith was ftrong; they answered, we are able. Upon which he replied, Ye fhall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptifm I am baptized with;' but their reward he left to his Father.

§. III. What was his cup he drank, and baptifin he fuffered? I anfwer; they were the denial and offering up of himself by the eternal spirit to the will of God, undergoing the tribulations of his life, and agonies of his death upon the crofs, for man's falvation.

§. IV. What is our cup and crofs that we fhould drink and fuffer? They are the denying and offering up of ourselves, by the fame spirit, to do or fuffer the will of God for his fervice and glory: which is the true life and obedience of the cross of Jefus: narrow ftill, but before, an unbeaten way. For when there was none to help, not one to open the feals, to give knowledge, to direct the courfe of poor man's recovery, he came in the greatnefs of his love and ftrength; and though clothed with the infirmities of a mortal man, being within fortified by the almightiness of an immortal God, he travelled through all the ftraits and difficulties of humanity; and first, of all others, trod the untrodden path to bleffedness.

§. V. O come let us follow him, the most unwearied, the most victorious captain of our falvation! to whom all the great Alexanders and mighty Cæfars of the world are lefs than the pooreft foldiers of their camps could be to them. True, they were all great princes of their kind, and conquerors too, but on very differing principles. For Chrift made himself of no reputation to fave mankind; but these plentifully ruined people, to augment theirs. They vanquished others,

VOL. II.

Mat. xx. 21, 22, 23.
C

not