The crucifying of the world

3. Another most mortal wound which the world received by the Cross of Christ, was this. By his Cross did Christ purchase that Glorious Kingdom, which being revealed and propounded to the sons of men, doth abundantly disgrace the world as a Competitor. If there had been no greater good revealed to us, or the revelation had been obscure and insufficient, or no Assurance of it given us, then might the world have easily prevailed. For he that hath no hopes of greater, will take up with this: And he that looketh not for another life, will make as much of the present as he can. When the will of a man is the fort that is contended for, the assault must be made by Allurement and not by force. The competition therefore is between Good and Good: ⟨p. 53⟩and that which appeareth the Greater Good to us, will carry it, and have admittance. If God had not set a Greater Good against the world, it would have been every mans wisdom and duty to have been worldlings. But when he revealeth to us another world of infinite value, yea when he offereth us the fruition of himself, this turneth the scales with wise men in a moment, and shameth all competitors whatsoever. Now it is the Cross of Christ that opened the Kingdom of heaven to all true Believers, which sin had before shut up against all mankind. This mars the markets of the world: Its nothing worth to them that have tasted of the blessedness of this Kingdom. Were it not for this, the temptations of the world and flesh might prevail. What should we say to them? or how should we repulse them? Reason would say, Its better have a small and unsatisfactory Good, then none. But now we have enough to say against any such temptation. One argument from the everlasting Kingdom is sufficient (where grace causeth a right apprehension of it) to confound all the temptations, by which the enemies of our happiness can assault us. What I Shall we prefer a mole-hill before a Kingdom? a shadow before the substance? an hour before eternity? Nothing before all things? Vanity and Vexation before Felicity? The world is now silenced: It hath nothing to say, which may take with right Reason. It must now creep in at the back door of sense, and bribe our brutish part to befriend it, and to entertain it first, and so to betray our reason, and lead it into the inner rooms.

3. Another most mortal wound which the world received by the Cross of Christ, was this. By his Cross did Christ purchase that Glorious Kingdom, which being revealed and propounded to the sons of men, doth abundantly disgrace the world as a Competitor. If there had been no greater good revealed to us, or the revelation had been obscure and insufficient, or no Assurance of it given us, then might the world have easily prevailed. For he that hath no hopes of greater, will take up with this: And he that looketh not for another life, will make as much of the present as he can. When the will of a man is the fort that is contended for, the assault must be made by Allurement and not by force. The competition therefore is between Good and Good: