are five Qualifications required to our right taking up our Crofs, viz. that we take it up, 1. Willingly, S. Matt. vi. 10. 2. Thankfully and with Chearfulness, Aft. V. 41. 3. Charitably, S. Luk. xxiii. 34. Act. vii. 60. 4. Patiently, Job i. 21. 5. Conftantly, S. Luk. ix. 23. Rev. ii. io. V. 41. 3. Why must Chrift's Difciples bear their Crofs? 1. Because Chrift bore it, Phil. iii. 10. Matt. X. 23, 24, 25. 2. Because the Way wherein we follow Chrift is a cross Way; Crofs to the World; Crofs to Sin; Crofs to our Lufts; and therefore, He that will follow Chrift, must expect Croffes before they come, and take them when they are come, 2 Tim. iii. 12. Pfal. xxxiv. 19. 3. The Crofs is Chrift's School, wherein he trains up His Difciples; teaching them to know, 1. God, Job xlii. 5. 2. The World, 1 Cor. vii. 31. 3. Their Sins, Job xxxvi. 8, 9. 4 Themselves, Dan. iv. 30, 34, &c. 5. The Art of applying Promises, Hebr. xiii. 5, 6. 6. 7. 8. 9: ΧΘ. The Duty of Self-Examination, Lam. iii. 39, 40. of Self-Humiliation, Job xxxvi. 8, 9, 10. and xlii. 5, 6. of Submitting unto GOD, Rom. V. 3, 4. of Believing, Pfal. xxvii. 12, 13. of Defpifing the World, Gal. vi. 14. The 11. The Duty of Praying, Hof. v. 15. 12. USES. iii. 20. 1. Wonder not at the Afflictions of the Righteous; for if Men be Righteous, they must look for fuch Afflictions, which are to be expected by Christ's Disciples in this World, Hebr. xii. 6. Act. xiv. 22. 2. For Chrift did not die to fave us from temporal Troubles. 3. And they are no Difcredit, A&t. v. 41. MOTIVES and ARGUMENTS to bear the Crofs. All ye that go after Christ, take up your Cross; endeavour to bear patiently, chearfully, &c. whatfoever is laid upon you for Chrift's fake. Confidering, 1. It is GOD that lays it upon you, Amos iii. 6. 2. It is less than you have deferv'd, Ezra ix. 13. 3 It is Chrift's Crofs, and we cannot fuffer fo much for Chrift, as He fuffer'd for us. Do we fuffer in Soul? fo did He, S. Matt. xxvi. 38. Do we suffer in Body? fo did He, S. Matt xxvi. 67. Do we fuffer in Name? fo did He, S. Matt. x. 25. and xxvii. 63. Do we fuffer Death? fo did He, S. Matt. xxvii. 50. and all our Sufferings are but the Sufferings of Men, whereas His were the Sufferings of One who was GOD as well as Man. 4. It is a bleffed Cross, 1 S. Pet. iii. 14. The Curfe is taken out by the Death of Chrift. We, by our Sins, turn our Mercies into M feries; but Chrift, by His Sufferings, hath tura'd our Mife-. ries into Mercies; for now Chrift's Cross is, 5. An honourable Crofs, Alt. v. 41. Phil. i. 29. Πρότερον μ' γ ὁ σαυρὸς ὄνομα καταδίκης ἦν, νυνὶ 5 πράγμα τιμῆς γέγονεν, Chryfoft. 6. A profitable Crofs, Hebr. xii. 10. Pfal. cxix. 71. it being good, 1. To wean our Hearts more from the 2. To keep us clofer to God, Pfal. cxix. 67. 2. Faith. 3. Heavenly-mindednefs, Phil. iii. 20. 4. To make us more fenfible of Sin, Job 5. To make Sin more loathfome to us, and 6. To make us long more after Heaven. 7. It is a Cross that leads to a Crown. Bear the Cross on Earth, and wear the Crows in Heaven, Act. xiv. 22. 2 Tim. ii. 12. 2 Cor. iv. 17. It is a Chriftian's Duty to follow Chrift. To imitate Him, fo as, 1. To think as He thought. 4. To fquare our Lives by His, and to make 2. Wherein muft we follow Chrift? 1. Negatively. 1. Not in what He did as GOD; for fo, 2. Nor what He did as God-Man; for 1. Qur King, to prefcribe us Laws,judge 2. A Prophet to teach us; not only our 3. A Prieft to fatisfy for our Sin, 4 both which He doth as God-Man, 2. Pofitively. But we must follow Him in thofe Thing 1. In our Understandings, growing in Wif 2. In our Wills. 1. By a perfect Refignation of them 2. By Refifting the Devil's Tempta 3. In our Affections; as, ३. 1. Love, S. Joh. xiii. 1. and xv. 13. 4. 2. Joy, Pfal. xl. 6, 7. Hebr. x. 5, 6. 3. Meeknefs and being lowly, S. Matt. xi. 29. 4. Sorrow, S. Mar. iii. 5. 5. Compaffion and pitying those that are in Diftrefs, S. Matt. xv. 32. in Danger temporal, S. Luk. xix. 41, 5. In our Behaviour to Men, 22. 1. To all in general, by doing them as much Good as we can, Act. x. 38. 2. In particular, 1. By being fubject to Parents, S. Luk. ii. 51. 2. obedient to Magiftrates, S. Matt. xvii. 27. S. Joh. viii. 46. 3. By loving our Enemies, and praying for them that curfe us, S. Luk. xxiii. 34. 6. In our Duties to GOD, 1. By being conftant and fervent in Prayer, S. Luk. vi. 12. S. Matt. xiv. 23. 2. By frequenting the Ordinances, S. Luk. iv. 16. 3. By finishing the Work He fent us into the World to do, S. Joh. xvii. 4. 4. By making it our Meat to do our Heavenly Father's Will, S. Joh. iv. 34. 7. In our Death; Dying as He did, 1. In Charity, S. Luk. xxiii. 34. 2. Patiently, Isa. liii. 7. 3. Trufting in GOD, S. Matt. xxvii. 46. 4. Committing our Souls to Him, S. Luk. xxiii. 45. 4 |