An Exhortation to the Carrying of Christs Cross, Chapter 1
The. 1. Chapter.
¶ What we be / and where we be.
FIrſt therefore, my dearlye beloued in the lorde, I beſeche you to conſyder, that thoughe ye be in ye worlde, yet you are not of ye world: Iohn. 14.you are not of them, whych looke for theyr porcion in thys lyfe, Pſal. 17.whoſe captayne is ye god of thys world: euen Satan, who nowe 2. Cor. 4.rufleth it apace, as he wer wood, becauſe hys tyme on earth is not Apo. 12.long.
But you are of them, whyche Heb. 11.loke for a citie of gods own buildyng. You are of them, whyche know themſelues to be here but 1. Pet. 2. Hebr. 13.pilgrems and ſtraūgers: for here you hauehave no dwellyng place.
You are of them, whoſe porcion is the lord, and which hauehave their Pſal. 116 119.hope in heauen: whoſe captaine is Chryſt Ieſus the ſōne of god, and gouernour of heauē & earth. VntoUnto hym is geuen all power, yea he is god almighty, with the Math. 28. Roma. 9. 1. Iohn. 5.father and the holy goſte, prayſe worthy for euer.
You are not of them, whyche receaue the beeſtes marke, whiche Apo…a. 13. Luke. 6.here reioice, laugh and hauehave their hartes eaſe, ioye, paradiſe & pleaſure: but you are of them, which hauehave receaued the an̄gels marke, Eze. 9. Math. 5.yea gods marke, whyche here lament, mourne, ſigh, ſobbe, wepe and hauehave your wildernes to wander in, your purgatorye and euen hel. You are not of them, whiche Eſa. 22. 1. Cor. 15.crye: let vsus eate and drynke, for to morow we ſhall dye. You are not of that nomber, whiche ſay, Eſai. 28.they hauehave made a couenaunte wt death and hell for hurting them. You ar not of them, whyche take it but for a vayne thyng, to ſerue Mal. 3.the lord. You ar not of thē, which are lulled and rocked a ſlepe in Ieſabels bed, a bed of ſecuritye. You are not in the nomber of thē whych ſay: tuſh, god is in heauē …z…. 8. P…. 73.and ſeeth vsus not, nor muche paſſeth what we dooe. You are not of the nomber of thē, which will fal down for ye muc… of ye world, to worſhyp the feynde: or for diſpleaſyng Lu…e. 4.of men, to worſhyp the golden ymage.Dani. 3.
Finally, you are not of the nō ber of them, whych ſet more by their pygges, then by Chryſte: Math. 8 Lu…e. …. …. …. 2whych, for eaſe and reſte in thy… lyfe, wyl ſay and doe, as Antiochus byddeth them doe or ſayr And wyll folowe the multitude to do euil, with Zedechias and y• …xo. 23. …. Reg. 22.300. falſe prophetes, yea Achab, Ieſabel and y• whole courte, and country. But you be of the nomber of them, whiche are dead already, or at leſt in dying daylye Roma. … Coloſſi. 3▪to your ſelues and to the worlde. You are of them, whyche hauehave made a couenaunt wyth god, to forſake themſelues and Sathan in thys world. You are of them, whyche ſay: nay, the lorde hath Mal. …all thynges wrytten in hys memoriall booke for ſuche, as feare hym and remember hys name.
You are of them, whyche hauehave their loynes girded aboute, and theyr lyghtes burnyng in theyr handes, like vntounto men that waite Luke. … ▪for theyr lordes commyng. You are in the nomber of them, y• ſay: the lord loketh down frō heauē, Pſal. 14. 33. 101.and beholdeth al the children of men: from the habitacion of hys dwelling he conſidereth al them, that dwell vponupon the earth.
You are of the nomber of them, Deut. 6. Math. 4.which wil worſhip the only lord god, and wil not worſhippe the workes of mans handes, though the ouen burne neuer ſo whote. You are in the nomber of them, Daniel. 3.to whom Chryſt is precious and deare: which crye out rather, becauſe …. Pet. 2.your habitacion is prolonged here, as Dauid did, whyche Pſal. 120.Mattathias folowed and ye godly …. Mac. 2.Iewes: whych knew the way to lyfe to be a ſtrayght way, and fewe to goe thorow it: which wil Math. 7.not ſtick to folowe poore Miche as, althoughe he bee racked and …. Reg. 22.caſt into priſon, hauing ye Sōne, Moone, ſeuen ſtarres and all agaynſt him. Thus therfore, dearly beloued, remember firſte, that (as I ſayd) you are not of thys world: Satan is not youre captayne: your ioye and paradyſe is not here: your companyons are not ye multitude of worldlynges and ſuche as ſeke to pleaſe men, and to lyue here at eaſe in the ſeruice of Satan.
But you ar of another world: Chryſt is youre captayne: youre Phil. 3. Heb. 13.ioye is in heauē, wher your conuerſacion and ciuilite is: your cō panions are the fathers, patriarkes, prophetes, apoſtles, Martirs, virgins, cōfeſſours, and the deare ſayntes of god, which folowed the lambe whether ſoeuer Apoc. 7.he went, dipping their garmētes in hys bloud: knowyng this life Iob. 78. 14. Pſal. 90. 102.and worlde to bee full of euill, a warfare, a ſmoke, a ſhadow, a vapour, and as repleniſh…d, ſo en…ironed with al kid of miſeries.Iacob. 4.