A26905:254
The crucifying of the world
The crucifying of the world by the cross of Christ with a preface to the nobles, gentlemen, and all the rich, directing them how they may be richer / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed by R. W. for Nevill Simmons, 1658
The Crucifying of the world, BY The Cross of CHRIST. › Part 1 › Section 5
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
2. And then you need but one thing more to the discovery of the Enmity; and that is, the Constant experience of your souls. A real living Christian doth live for God, and is upon the motion to his eternal home: There is his heart; and that way his affections daily work: When he findeth his soul down, he windeth it up again, and straineth the spring of faith and love. And therefore his life and business being for heaven, he cannot but be sensible of the rubs that are in his way, and take notice of those things that would stop him in this course. Whereupon he must needs find by constant experience that the world is that great Impediment, and so must be apprehensive of the enmity of the world. For as he that Loveth God and waiteth for the sight of his face in Glory, must needs take all that to be against him, and naught for him, that would keep him from God, and deprive him of that beatifical vision, so he that knoweth what it is to ⟨p. 33⟩love God, must needs know by constant sad experience, that the world is the great with-drawer or hinderer of that love. When he sets himself in any holy employment to mount his soul into a more heavenly frame, and to get a little nearer God, he feeleth himself too much entangled with inferior objects; these are the weight that presseth down, and the water that quencheth the sacred •lames; and were it not for these, O how much higher might our souls attain, and how much freer might we be for God. For it is a thing most certain to us by our constant experience, that the more of the world is upon our hearts, the less is there of God; and the more of God, the less of the world. So that these two means alone, The sincere Intending of God, and Glory as our End, and daily observation of our own hearts, will easily convince us that the world is our great enemy. And when we throughly apprehend it to be our enemy, we have begun to crucify it.
2. And then you need but one thing more to the discovery of the Enmity; and that is, the Constant experience of your souls. A real living Christian doth live for God, and is upon the motion to his eternal home: There is his heart; and that way his affections daily work: When he findeth his soul down, he windeth it up again, and straineth the spring of faith and love. And therefore his life and business being for heaven, he cannot but be sensible of the rubs that are in his way, and take notice of those things that would stop him in this course. Whereupon he must needs find by constant experience that the world is that great Impediment, and so must be apprehensive of the enmity of the world. For as he that Loveth God and waiteth for the sight of his face in Glory, must needs take all that to be against him, and naught for him, that would keep him from God, and deprive him of that beatificall vision, so he that knoweth what it is to