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.

SECT. XI.

I Have shewed the necessity of crucifying the world, as from Gods interest, which the world doth contradict; I shall next shew it you from your own interest. And in these conjunct con∣siderations it will appear. 1. The world is not your happiness. 2. The world is occasionally through the corruption of our na∣ture, a great enemy to your happiness. 3. God only is your happiness. 4. God is not fully to be enjoyed in this world. 5. It is by knowing, loving and delighting in him as God, that he is to be enjoyed to make us happy. 6. As therefore it is impossible to have two ultimate ends, two chief goods, and to enjoy them both, so is it impossible, that God and the world should both have our chiefest estimation and affection. All this set together doth demonstrate the necessity of being crucified to the world, unless we will renounce our own felicity.

1. For the first Proposition; that the world is not your Hap∣piness; I think all your tongues will readily confess it, I would your hearts would do so too. Do you think that God doth envy you your happiness, or that he would take the world from you, because he esteemeth it too good for you? No, it is because he pittieth your self-deceit: when he seeth you take that for your happiness that is not; and because he hath far better things to bestow. If the world were as good for you as you take it to be, and had that in it to satisfie you, as you imagine it to have, you might keep it, and much good might it do you; for God would not be about to take it from you. He that made you to be Happy, doth not grudge you that which should procure it.

Doubtless if he did not see that it is vanity, and that you have made a wrong choice, and do mistake your mark, he would never trouble you in a worldly course, nor call you off. But it is be∣cause he seeth your folly and deceit, and wisheth you much bet∣ter. Wo to you that ever you were born, if you have no better Happiness then the world can afford you. Is it not Necessary then that you discern your errour, and be brought into your right way, and spend not your time and pains for nothing? If God should let you alone to catch at this shadow, and play your selves with worldly toyes, till the time of grace were past; and then let you see that you were befooled, when it is too late; you would then be le••t to a fruitless repentance, and to the sense of that unhappiness which you chose to your selves.

2. And that the world is an enemy to your Happiness, may appear two waies. First in that it deceitfully pretendeth to be your Happiness, when it is not; and so would turn away your hearts from that which is. Secondly, in that by allurements or discouragements, it is alwaies hindring you in the way to life, and is a snare to you continually in all that you do. And is it not Necessary to your salvation that you be delivered from the ene∣mies of your salvation? and freed from such perilous snares? Can you conquer, while you are conquered? And if the world be not Crucified to you, it doth conquer you: For its victory is upon your will and affections. And if it conquer you, it will condemn you. To be servants to the world is to be servants to sin. And the servants of sin are free from righteousness, Rom. 6. 20. and free from Christ, and free from salvation. A miserable freedom!

3. The following Propositions I shall speak of together. That God only is our happiness and Chief Good, I need not prove to any that indeed believeth him to be God. That salvation con∣silleth in the ••ruition of this Happiness is past doubt. And as sure is it that God is not fully enjoyed in this world; much less in the creature, when it is loved for it self and not esteemed as a Means to him. All that believe a life after this, do sure believe that there is our felicity. And lastly, that the soul doth enjoy its own felicity, by Knowing, and Loving, and Delighting in its object, is also past doubt. So that you may see that a worldly state of mind, is in it self inconsistent with a state of salvation.

To be saved is to have the blessed vision of God, and to Love him and Delight in him perfectly to everlasting. And can you do this, when you love and delight in the world above him, or in opposi∣tion to him? Would you have God to save you, and yet not to take off your affections from the world to himself? That were to save you, and not to save you; to feed you by that which is not food; to comfort you by that which cannot comfort; If a worldling would be saved, and not be mortified, either he speaks he knows not what, but plain non-sense or contradiction, or else he meaneth one of these two things: Either that he would have an Heaven of worldly Riches, or Honours, or fleshly Pleasures; (there is no such to be had.) Or else, that he would have the world as long as he can, and have heaven when he can keep the world no longer, and so would have the world Crucified to him, when there is no such world, or when he is taken from it. But, as, 1. No man can truly desire future Grace and Holiness, that doth not desire it at the present, this being rather an unwilling submis∣sion to it as a tolerable Evil, then a true desire of it as a certain Good. So 2. God hath determined that this life only shall be the Way, and that the End: Here only must we use the means; and there must we partake of the success of our Endeavours. You may better expect that God should give you a Crop at har∣vest, who refused to plow and ••ow your Land, or that your chil∣dren should be men, before they are born, then that he should be your Happiness in the life to come, if you finally reject him in this life, and choose to your selves a secular happiness. Such as you now make choice of, such and no other shall you have. Heaven and Earth were set before you. You knew that earthly happiness was short: If yet you would choose it, think not to have heaven too: For if you do, you will prove deceived at the last.