The great corruption of subtle self, discovered, and driven from it's lurking-places and starting-holes…The great corruption of subtile self, discovered, and driven from it's lurking-places and starting-holes…

Matth. 16. Verse 24. Then said Jesus to his di• ciples, If any man will come after me, let hi• deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

THE business of following Christ aright, is one of the greatest, and gravest, of the most concerning, and highly momentuous businesses in the World, in comparison with which, all others are but businesses in the By; which our Lord knowing infallibly well, would have all His Disciples to know it also, and to acknowledge it; and therefore insists the more in it, holding forth the indispensably requisite qualifications of his followers, viz. That they must deny themselves, and take up their cross, which two qualify, fit, and prompt for the third, to wit, following of him.

THE bussiness of following Christ aright, is one of the greatest, and gravest, of the most concerning, and highly momentuous bussinesses in the World, in comparison with which, all others are but bussinesses in the By; which our Lord knowing infallibly well, would have all His Disciples to know it also, and to acknowledge it; and therefore insists the more in it, holding forth the indispensablie requisit qualifications of his followers, viz. That they must deny themselves, and take up their cross, which two qualifie, fit, and prompt for the thrid, to wit, following of him.

We spoke somewhat of taking up the Cross, as it holds forth the case that Christs followers are in, ordinarily in the World, and it is to have the Cross, some one sad affliction, or another, ⟨p. 147⟩where we considered it, as a Duty that they are called to; being commanded to take it up, when they meet with it, not to shift it, but to stoop pleasantly to the taking of it on, and to bear it cheerfully after him; Now ere we come to speak of the Uses, that Christ aims at in all this; we would take notice of that word ast in, not sure y guess, but purposely, His Cross; whereby it eems, he puts a difference betwixt the common afflictions of all, and the more particular afflictions of this and that Believer; as if he had said, it is not enough, that Believers should submit to afflictions in common, but they must submit to hese particular afflictions that are theirs, or shaped out to them in particular, this, and that, and he other; every Believer hath his own particular affliction, or cross, beside that which is common to all, which he is called to submit unto and take on, Whence Observe, That these who would follow Christ aright, must not pitch upon wail, or make choice of their own Cross, but submit unto that Cross that is particularly carved out for them, and allotted to them; Which leads us to touch on these two things; one whereof is, that beside the lot which all Believers have in common, under public calamities, every Believer, and Follower of Christ hath his own Cross, particularly shaped out for him; whether it be a distinct particular Cross, or that which is common and public but accompanied with some peculiar circumstances, in reference to him; The other is, That the Believer in Jesus Christ, should welcome the Cross, as it is circumstantiated to him, and as it is his particular Cross; we need not speak of the first of these distinctly by it