The crucifying of the world

3. If the world were a Crucified thing in your eyes, you would not so much overvalue the Rich, and vilify or neglect the Poor as you do. An humble Godly man that walks the streets in a thread bare coat, may pass by you without the least respect: but if a shining gallant were in the place, how observantly do you behave your selves? If a poor man, though never so wise or pious, have any business with you, how cold is his entertainment? how strange is your deportment towards him? and how slightly do you shake him off? But if they be rich and honourable in the world, you are their servants, and no respect is too much for them, nor no entertainment too good. Wisdom and Piety clothed in rags may pass by you unobserved: when a silken sot is bowed to like an Idol. As reverently as you now speak of Peter, and Paul, and Christ himself, now you hear them magnified, and see not their outward appearances as they did that conversed with them on earth; I make no doubt but if you had lived in those days, and seen them of so low a presence, and walk up and down in so mean a garb, attended or regarded by few but the poor, you would have set as light by them as others, and looked at them as poor contemptible fellows; if not as the filth and the off-scouring of all things; and if you had not laid hands on them as too saucy reprovers of you, at least you would have given them one of Julian's jeers, or Hobbs his scorns. It was this worldly Spirit that caused the Jews to be such obstinate unbelievers, and to persecute Christ and his servants: Men reverence not the face of the poor. And this is it that continueth them in their unbelief to this very day. We have many of their own writings and disputations against Christ published by themselves; and we find this the very sum of all their reasonings, [Show us a Messiah that fetcheth us from captivity, that gathereth the whole Nation of the Jews to Judae•, and restoreth them to their ancient possessions and dignities, with much more, and makes the Nations stoop to them and serve them, and sets up again the Temple and the Law, and we will believe in him as the true Messiah; but in no other will we believe:] For though they cannot deny but the prophesied time of the Messiahs coming is past, yet taking it for granted that this only is his true description, they say they must look more at the description then the time:

3. If the world were a Crucified thing in your eyes, you would not so much overvalue the Rich, and vilifie or neglect the Poor as you do. An humble Godly man that walks the streets in a thred bare coat, may pass by you without the least respect: but if a shining gallant were in the place, how observantly do you behave your selves? If a poor man, though never so wise or pious, have any business with you, how cold is his entertainment? how strange is your deportment towards him? and how slightly do you shake him off? But if they be rich and honourable in the world, you are their servants, and no respect is too much for them, nor no entertainment too good. Wisdom and Piety cloathed in raggs may pass by you unobserved: when a silken sot is bowed to like an Idol. As reverently as you now speak of Peter, and Paul, and Christ himself, now you hear them magnified, and see not their outward appearances as they did that conversed with them on earth; I make no doubt but if you had lived in those daies, and seen them of so low a presence, and walk up and down in so mean a grb, attended or regarded by few but the poor, you would have set as light by them as others, and looked at them as poor contemptible fellows; if not as the filth and the off-scouring of all things; and if you had not laid hands on them as too sawcy reprovers of you, at least you would have given them one of Iulian's jeers, or Hobbs his scorns. It was this worldly Spirit that caused the Jews to be such obstinate unbelievers, and to persecute Christ and his servants: Men reverence not the face of the poor. And this is it that continueth them in their unbelief to this very day. We have many of their own writings and disputations against Christ published by themselves; and we find this the very sum of all their reasonings, [Shew us a Messiah that fetcheth us from captivity, that gathereth the whole Nation of the Iews to Judae, and restoreth them to their antient possessions and dignities, with much more, and makes the Nations stoop to them and serve them, and sets up again the Temple and the Law, and we will believe in him as the true Messiah; but in no other will we believe:] For though they cannot deny but the prophesied time of the Messiahs coming is past, yet taking it for granted that this only is his true description, they say they must look more at the description then the time: