58 The Crucifying Of the world, Believe it Chriftians God doth not permit your fufferings in vain. He feeth how apt you are todote upon the world ,- and how dangerous it will prove toyou, ifyou benot delivered from the fnares of this deceiver : and therefore he had rather that the world fhould make you fmart awhile, then undo you for ever and that it fhould buffet you, then befool youout of your felici- ty. The blows which the world giveth you do lightupon it felt; As it Crucified it felf in Crucifying Chrift , fo doth it inCrucify- inghis people. Itkilleth it fell by your calamities : And if it de- prive youof your lives, you will then begin to Live: but the death which it bringeth on it fell, is filch as bath noRefurredion. If it kill you, you (hall live again, yea live by that death but thereby it will fo kill it felf, as never to live again in you. The Crofs is an happy Teacher of manyexcellent truths But of no- thing more effectually, then of the conremptiblenefs of the world. If' it turn our breath into groans , we (hall groan againft and groan to bedelivered, defiring to be cloathed upon with our houle which is from heaven, z Cor. y. z. We fhall cry to heaven again{[ "this Task-mater , and our cryes will come before God, and procureour deliverance. The worldgets nothing by its hard ufage of the Saints : It maketh a Crofsfor theCruci- fying of it felt, and turneth theirhearts more effedually againft` sr. 2. And as it thus declareth it fell contemptible, and crucifyeth it fell tous, fodoth it exercifeus inPatience, and awaken us to deeper confiderations of its own Vanity , and drive us to look after better things : It forceth usalfo to leek out toGod, and to fee that all our dependance is on hint and draweth forth our holy deliresand other graces : And thus it cloth Crucifieoa alfo to the world. It makes us go into the Sanctuary, andconfider of the End bow the wicked are let in flippery places, and that at laft it will gowell with the juft : It teacheth us to confider, that while [ the Lord itour Portion, We havegroundenough of hope For he it good to them that waitforhim , to the foul that fetketb him It ugood that amanjhouid both hopeandquietly Wait for the falvationof the Lord: It is goodfor a man that he bear the yoak in kid youth : He fttteth alone, and ,keepetb (Pence, 6ec4tufe he loath born it upon him ; be putteth his mouth in the drgfl, iffo be there envy he Hope : Hegiveth bit cheek to him thatfmiteth him ; be ffe
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