a He that taketh not his Cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. b Whofoever he be of you that forfaketh not all that he hath; his Father and Mother, and Wife and Children, and Brethren and Sifters ; yea and his own Life alfo; he cannot be my Difciple. If thy right Eye offend thee, pluck it out; or, if thy right Hand offend thee, cut it off, and caft it from thee; for it is profitable for thee, that one of thy Members fhould perifh, and not that thy whole Body fhould be caft into Hell. d Put off the old Man, with his Deeds; knowing this, that our old Man is crucified with Chrift, that the Body of Sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not ferve Sin. e Make not Provifion for the Flesh, to fulfil the Lufts thereof: For, they that walk after the Flesh cannot pleafe God; becaufe the carnal Mind is Enmity with God. And, if ye live after the Flesh ye fhall dye: But if ye, through the Spirit, do mortify the Deeds of the Body, ye fhall live. f The Flesh lufteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the Flefh; and these are contrary the one to the other, fo that ye cannot do the things that ye would: But they that are Chrift's have crucified the Flesh, with the Affections and Lufts. 8 Mortify therefore your Members which are upon the Earth: Keep under your Bodies, and bring them into fubjection: For, tho' we walk a Mat. 1o. 38. 29, 30. b Luke 14. 33, 26, 33. Eph. 4. 22. Col. 3. 9. Rom. 6. 6. Rom. 13. 14. Rom. 8. 8, 1, 8, 7, 13. 17, 24. Gal. S. Col. 3. 5. 1 Cor. 9. 27, 2 Cor. 10. 3. • Mat. 5. a An Inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof fhall not be bleffed. b Woe to him that ladeth himself with thick Clay. c Woe unto you that are rich; for ye have received your Confolation. d No covetous Man, who is an Idolater, hath any Inheritance in the Kingdom of Chrift. And how hard is it for them that truft in Riches to enter into the Kingdom of God! e Woe unto them that joyn House to House, that lay Field to Field, till there be no place; that they may be placed alone in the midst of the Earth. f Woe to him that coveteth, that he may fet his Neft on high; that he may be delivered from the Power of Evil. 8 Curfed Children are they, who have an Heart exercised with covetous practices. h Give me, O Lord, neither Poverty nor Riches; feed me with Food convenient for me: left I be full, and deny thee, and fay, Who is the Lord? or left I be poor, and fteal, and take the Name of my God in vain. SELF-DENIAL, and MORTIFICATION. iThus faith our Saviour, If any Man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his Crofs daily, and follow me. a Whofoever will fave his Life fhall lofe it; but whofoever will lofe his Life for Chrift's fake, and the Gospel's, the fame fhall fave it: For, what is a Man advantaged, if he gain the whole World, and lofe himself, or be caft away? b There is no Man that hath left House, or Parents, or Brethren, or Wife, or Children, for the Kingdom of God's fake, who shall not receive manifold more in this prefent time, and in the World to come Life everlasting. EDIFICATION. In general. c Build up your felves on your most holy Faith. d Take heed, Brethren, left there be in any of you an evil Heart of Unbelief, in departing from the living God. e Wherefore do ye fpend your Labour for that which fatisfieth not? Ye are careful, and troubled about many things; but one thing is needful; therefore take care of that good part, which fhall not be taken away from you. f Labour not for the Meat which perifheth; but for that Meat which endureth unto everlasting Life. 8 Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thy felf over-wife: Why shouldft thou destroy thy felf? h Sorrow is better than Laughter; for by the Sadness of the Countenance the Heart is made better. C The Sincere Word of GOD. 271 a As new-born Babes, defire the b Be ye not unwife, but understanding what the Will of the Lord is; that ye may be ready always to give an Anfwer, to every Man that afketh you a Reason of the Hope that is in you. c Take faft hold of Inftruction; attend to the Words of Wisdom; keep them in the midft of thine Heart: Then fhalt thou understand Righteoufnefs, and Judgment, and Equity; yea every good Path. d Apply thine Heart to know, and to fearch, and to feek out Wisdom, and the Reafon of Things; and to know the Wickedness of Folly, even of Foolishness, and Madness: So fhalt thou behave thy felf wifely in all thy Ways. e Enquire, I pray thee, of the former Age, and prepare thy felf to the Search of their Fathers: Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter Words out of their Heart? f Acquaint now thy felf with the Almighty: then fhalt thou have thy Delight in him; and the Light fhall fhine upon thy Ways. g The Works of the Lord are great, fought out of all them that have Pleafure therein. h Be wife unto that which is good, and fimple concerning evil: Be ye wife as Serpents, and harmless as Doves. a Whofoever will fave his Life fhall lofe it; but whofoever will lofe his Life for Chrift's fake, and the Gospel's, the fame fhall fave it: For, what is a Man advantaged, if he gain the whole World, and lofe himself, or be caft away? b There is no Man that hath left House, or Parents, or Brethren, or Wife, or Children, for the Kingdom of God's fake, who fhall not receive manifold more in this prefent time, and in the World to come Life everlasting. EDIFICATION. In general. Build up your felves on your most holy Faith. d Take heed, Brethren, left there be in any of you an evil Heart of Unbelief, in departing from the living God. e Wherefore do ye fpend your Labour for that which fatisfieth not? Ye are careful, and troubled about many things; but one thing is needful; therefore take care of that good part, which fhall not be taken away from you. f Labour not for the Meat which perisheth; but for that Meat which endureth unto everlasting Life. 8 Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thy felf over-wife: Why fhouldft thou destroy thy felf? h Sorrow is better than Laughter; for by the Sadness of the Countenance the Heart is made better. 21 |