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A

DISCOURSE

Shewing the

NATURE and DISCIPLINE

O F THE

Holy Cross of Chrift;

AND THAT

The DENIAL of SELF, and daily bearing of CHRIST'S CROSS, is the alone Way to the Reft and Kingdom of GOD.

To which are added,

The living and dying Testimonies of many Perfons of Fame and Learning, both of ancient and modern Times, in Favour of this Treatise.

VOL. II.

In Two PARTS

BY WILLIAM

PENN.

'And Jefus faid unto his Difciples; If any Man will come after

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me, let him deny himself, and take up his Crofs daily, and follow 'me,' Luke iv. 23.

I have fought a good Fight, I have finished my Courfe, I have kept the Faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a CROWN of Righteoufnefs, &c.' 1 Tim. iv. 7, 8.

Published in the Year 1668.

THE

PREFACE.

READER,

TH

HE great business of man's life is, to answer the end for which he lives; and that is, to glorify God, and fave his own foul: this is the decree of heaven, as old as the world. But fo it is, that man mindeth nothing less than what he should most mind; and defpifeth to enquire into his own being, its original duty and end; chufing rather to dedicate his days (the steps he fhould make to bleffednefs) to gratify the pride, avarice, and luxury of his heart; as if he had been born for himself, or rather given himself being, and so not fubject to the reckoning and judgment of a fuperior power. To this wild and lamentable pafs, hath poor man brought himself, by his difobedience to the law of God in his heart, by doing that which he knows he fhould not do, and leaving undone what he knows he should do. And as long as this disease continueth upon man, he will make his God his enemy, and himself uncapable of the love and falvation that he hath manifested by his fon, Jesus Christ, to the world.

If, Reader, thou art fuch an one, my counsel to thee is, to retire into thyfelf, and take a view of the condition of thy foul; for Chrift hath given thee light with which to do it: fearch carefully and thoroughly; thy life is upon it; thy foul is at ftake. It is but once to be done; if thou abuseft thyself in it, the lofs is ir reparable; the world is not price enough to ranfom thee: wilt thou then, for fuch a world, belate thyfelf, overstay the time of thy falvation, and lofe thy foul? Thou haft to do (I grant thee) with great patience; but that alfo must have an end: therefore provoke not that God that made thee, to reject thee. Doft thou know what it is? It is Tophet, it is hell, the eternal anguish of the damned. Oh! Reader, as one knowing the terrors

of the Lord, I perfuade thee to be ferious, diligent, and fervent about thy falvation! aye, and as one knowing the comfort, peace, joy and pleasure of the ways of righteousness too, I exhort and invite thee, to embrace the reproofs and convictions of Chrift's light and fpirit in thine own confcience, and bear the judgment, who haft wrought the fin. The fire burns but the ftubble; the wind blows but the chaff: yield up thy body, foul and spirit, to him that maketh all things new; new heavens and new earth, new love, new joy, new peace, new works, a new life and converfation. Men are grown corrupt and droffy by fin, and they must be faved through fire, which purgeth it away; therefore the word of God is compared to a fire, and the day of falvation to an oven; and Chrift himself to a refiner of gold, and purifier of filver.

Come, Reader, hearken to me a while; I feek thy falvation; that is my plot; thou wilt forgive me. A refiner is come near thee, his grace hath appeared to thee it fhews thee the world's lufts, and teacheth thee to deny them. Receive his leaven, and it will change thee; his medicine, and it will cure thee: he is as infallible as free; without money, and with certainty. A touch of his garment did it of old; it will do it still : his virtue is the fame, it cannot be exhaufted; for in him the fulnefs dwells: bleffed be God for his fufficiency. He laid help upon him, that he might be mighty to fave all that come to God through him: do thou so, and he will change thee: aye, thy vile body like unto his glorious body. He is the great philofopher indeed, the wisdom of God, that turns lead into gold, vile things into things precious: for he maketh faints out of finners, and almoft gods of men. What refts to us then, that we must do, to be thus witneffes of his power and love? This is the Crown: but where is the Cross? Where is the bitter cup and bloody baptifm? Come, Reader, be like him; for this tranfcendent joy, lift up thy head above the world; then thy falvation will draw nigh indeed.

Christ's

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