The Crown and Glory of a Christian, Part 1
THE CROWN and GLORY OF A CHRISTIAN: Conſiſting In a ſound Converſion, and well ordered Converſation.
To him that orders his Converſation aright will I give to ſee the ſalvation of God,
Pſal. 50. 23.
Make the tree good, and the fruit will be good alſo,
Luk. 12.33.
LONDON, Printed for Dorman Newman, at the Kings-Arms in the Poultry, 1676.
To the Reader.
Courteous Reader,
THe Authors deſign was to reduce the whole of Mans Being, Buſineſs, and Bleſſedneſs into as few lines as might be, thereby to invite a ſober peruſal of them; as alſo to let men ſee, That the Chriſtian Religion is plain, its Precepts clear, and its Practiſe eaſie, to them on whom God hath wrought a ſaving change, or true converſion; which is the firſt thing treated of; the next is, to ſhew the Chriſtian how to carry himſelf in Natural, Civil and Religious duties. If thou readeſt it with a deſire of ſpiritual advantage (which was the end and prayer of the Author) God may bleſs it to thee; and both thou and the Author have cauſe (as for all his bleſſings) to praiſe him for this. Farewell.
Firſt of Preparation to Chriſtianity.
1. YOu muſt look upon true Chriſtianity to be of abſolute neceſſity, and an indiſpenſable duty: you cannot live without it, and you dare not die without it. Wo to you, if you die before you live; if you die to the world, before you live to God; and if you go out of the world, before Jeſus Chriſt come into your heart: be ſure that Chriſt be in you, ſo may he bring the hope of glory, Col. 1. 27. and that you be in Chriſt, ſo muſt be broke off from the wild olive of the old Adam, Rom. 11. 24. which two makes up the true Chriſtian.
2. You cannot attain to true Chriſtianity, until you be born again, [or from above] Joh. 3. 3, 5. until you can experience the death and burial of the old Adam, and the Reſurrection of the New. You muſt be unmade to ſin [foreign.] 1 Pet. 2. 24. and then made up again for God. 'Tis not ſcraping the walls of the houſe of the fretting Leproſie, that will ſerve the turn, Levit. 14. 41, 44. but all the timber, and all the ſtones thereof muſt be thrown down to the ground, that a new building may be erected in its ſtead.
3. Be ſure, this can never be attained until you come to a ſound and ſaving knowledg, both of your ſelf and Chriſt: 1. Of the emptineſs and vileneſs of your ſelf, ſo as to deny, abhor, and abandon your ſelf; and 2. of Chriſts excellency and all-ſufficiency, ſo as to value him you all, and above all: Indeed a full Chriſt and a vile nothing creature aggrees beſt together.
4. 'Twill be both your prudence and advantage to forbear the ſearching after the knowledg of other things, until you come to a ſolid knowledg of your ſelf, which is the one thing needful in Chriſtianity, and whereof Heatheniſm had ſome rude notion in its [foreign:] to know your ſelf to be loſt in your ſelf, and never found again till you be [found] in Chriſt, Phil. 3. 9.
5. The more that you know your ſelf, the greater will your ſelf-abhorrency be, Job 42. 6. This will make you cry out with Auguſtine, [a malo homine [meipſo] libera me domine.] From that evil man [my ſelf,] oh Lord, deliver me. You will find, that though ſatan be your great enemy, yet your own ſinful ſelf is the worſt: for Satan might ſtrike fire long enough without ſucceſs, if your own evil heart did not find him tinder: the Tempter may beſiege the City long enough to no purpoſe, if there were not a treacherous party within, that lets down the drawbridge, and ſets open the gates to his troops of temptations.
6. This knowledg of your ſelf will bring alſo greater diſſatisfaction with your preſent ſtate and ſtanding in ways of Unregeneracy, with your being without God, and without Chriſt in the world; making you cry out not only Unclean, unclean; but alſo Undone, undone; give me Chriſt or I die, and that to all eternity: I am condemn'd already, Joh. 3. 18, and the wrath of God abides upon me, ver. 36. oh, who dares live in an houſe that is haunted with evil ſpirits! or lodg in a cave that abounds with noyſome Toads and venemous Serpents! ſuch and far worſe is your lying in an unrenewed eſtate.
7. When you behold the avenger of blood to wit, Divine Juſtice) purſuing you at the heels, his heart being …ot within him, a Deut. 19. 6, then is it high time for you to haſten to that bleſſed City of Refuge, the moſt excellent and all-ſufficient Lord Jeſus, who was purpoſely provided of the Father to be a Saviour and ſanctuary to ſave us both from preſent wrath, and from wrath to come alſo, 2 Theſ. 1. 10. He is that Name of the Lord which the righteous run [into] and are ſafe, Prov. 18. 10.
8. In ſo doing, know for your encouragement, that the gates of this Sanctuary and City of Refuge ſhall not be ſhut againſt you. Firſt, the place of Chriſts birth encourages, which was an Inn, he was born [foreign,] in one of Bethlehem's Inns, a place that receives all comers; all gueſts that come, are bid welcome. 2. The poſture of his death; Chriſt died upon the Croſs with his Arms ſpread wide aſunder, as in a poſture ready to embrace all penitent ſinners that come unto him, and fall into his arms. Him that cometh unto me, I will [in no wiſe] caſt out, or keep out, Joh. 6. 37.
9. And though you cannot run, or come faſt enough to Chriſt, yet Chriſt will come and run to you, and meet you better half way. While the penitent prodigal did but [come] towards his father, his father [ran] to meet him, and had compaſſion upon him, and fell on his neck and kiſſed him, Luk. 15. 20. Chriſt will be much better to you, than you will or can be to your ſelf; for he [can] have compaſſion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way, Heb. 5. 2. And though you cannot bring your ſelf to Grace, yet Grace is [brought] to you by Chriſt.