COUNCIL OF PUBLICATION.
W. LINDSAY ALEXANDER, D.D., Professor of Theology, Congregational Union, Edinburgh.
JAMES BEGG, D.D., Minister of Newington Free Church, Edinburgh.
THOMAS J. CRAWFORD, D.D., S.T.P., Professor of Divinity, University, Edinburgh.
D. T. K. DRUMMOND, M.A., Minister of St Thomas's Episcopal Church, Edinburgh.
WILLIAM H, GOOLD, D.D., Professor of Biblical Literature and Church History, Reformed Presbyterian Church, Edinburgh.
ANDREW THOMSON, D.D., Minister of Broughton Place United Presby- terian Church, Edinburgh.
liBeneral >J2Ditor. REV. THOMAS SMITH, M.A., Edinbubgh.
BY THE REV. ALEXANDER BALLOCH GROSART,
THE CROWN AND GLORY OP CHRISTIANITY,,
EDINBURGH : JAMES NICHOL.
LONDON : JAMES NISBET AND CO. DUBLIN : G. HERBERT.
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Crown and Glory of Christianity, .... 1
The Epistle Dedicatory, ..... 3-34
Text Explained, [Hebrews xii. 14,] .... 35-37 Doct. That real holiness h the only way to happiness. All men must be holy on earth, or they shall never see the beatifical vision, they shall never reach to a glorious fruition of God in heaven, . 37
I. What this holiness is •, sixfold, .... 38-47 II. The truth of the proposition, that ' without men are holy,
they can never be happy :' ten arguments, . . 47-77
III. Reasons : five, ...... 77-80
IV. Uses : 1. Conviction: eight, .... 80-95
2. Trial a7id Examination : seven, . . . 95-103 How we shall know whether we have real holiness
or no: sixteen 'marks,' . . . 103-150
(1.) Motives: fifteen, ... . 150-193
# (2.) Counsels: six negative, . . .192-212
„ : ten positive, . . . 212-241
(3.) Objections, 241-323, as follows : Objection 1 . We have no power to make ourselves holy ; we are as well able to make a world, to command the winds, and to raise the dead, as we are able to cleanse our otvn hearts, or change our oum natures, or sanctify our own souls; and therefore, to what purpose should we be so strongly pressed to do that which we have no power to do? 241
Six answers, ...... 241-246
Objection 2. Hut hereafter may be time enough to look after holiness; I may yet pursue after the pleasures and profits of tlie world, I may yet spend some years in gratifying mine own lusts, and in walking after the course of tJie world; I have time enough before me, and therefore some years hence may be time enough to look after holiness, . 246
Five answers, ...... 246-249
Objection 3. JBut if we should thus press and pursue after holiness, then we must take our farewell of all joy and comfort, of all delight and pleasure, and never expect to enjoy one merry day more, for we observe that there are no persons under heaven that live such a melan- choly, sad, sorrowful, pensive life, as t/iose who press most after holiness, and who make most stir and noise
• Brooks having departed in his 'Crown of Glory of Christ' from his rule of prefixing ' Contents,' I have given above the leading divisions of the work : the lesser details, as well as the ' Table ' appended, will be incorporated in the General Index. — G.
about Iwliness, and therefore if we should resolve to follow after holiness, ive must resolve to spend our days in sorrow and sadness, in sighing and mourning, and this we Imd as lief die as do, (i;c., . . , 249
Eight answers, ...... 249-261
Objection 4. We see that no persons on earth are exposed to such troubles, dangers, afflictions, and persecutions, as those are exposed 'o who mind holiness, who follow after holiness. These are days wherein men labour to frown holiness out of the world, and to scorn and kick holiness out of the world; and do you think that we are mad now to pursue after holiness 1 . . . . 261
Twelve answers, ...... 261-300
Objection 5. We would labour after this holiness, without which there is no happiness, d:c. But if we should, then we must resolve to be poor, and mean, and beggarly in the ivorld, we must resolve then to fare Jutrd, and lie hard, and labour liard, and live low in the world, for toe shall nevei' raise an estate to ourselves by holiness and strict- ness, we shall never grow rich and great in the world by godliness; nay, by driving this trade of holiness, we shall lose our trades, our customers, and those estates we have, and quickly bring a noble to ninepence, dec, . 300
Six answers, . . . . . . 300-307
Objection 6. Should we pursue after holiness, it would be a disgrace, a disparagement, and dishonour to us who are high, and great, and rich, and honourable in the earth. We are gentlemen, we are well-bred and higlh-born, and holiness seem'i to be too poor and too low a thing for such as we are to look after, <i:c., .... 307
Five answers, ...... 307-317
Objection 7. Should we pursue after holiness, we shall be sure to be reviled, slandered, and reproached on all hands; every one will hoot and hiss at vs, we shall become a scorn and a byword to all that live in the family with us, and to all our neighbours round about us, every one will scorn us, and hate us, and we shall be their table-talk, and their song, and the butt at which they will shoot in all their meetings and discourses, dec, . . . 317
Five answers, . . .... 317-323
(4.) To shew forth the reality and power of holiness :
Eight proofs of little holiness, . 323-340
Seventeen 'provocations' to increased
holiness, .... 340-374
[3.] Five arguments for degrees of glory, . 374-379 Two objections, . . . 379-384
[4.] Eight means, helps, and directions, . 384-392 Holiness of God : eight characteristics, 392-398 Signs or evidences of increasing holi- ness : twelve signs, . . 398-412 Comfort and consolation to all who have real holiness : twelve con- siderations, . . . 412-428 Positions concerning holiness, . 428-446
Issued in the j'ear of the Ejection [1662], the 'Crown and Glory of Christianity' appears to have been limited to a single edition ; which however must have been a very large one, as scarcely any of the writings of Brooks is more frequently met with. This is the most inaccurately printed of Brooks's books. I have carefully corrected his own list of errata : but besides these, mistakes of words, texts, references, divisions abound. It may be permitted us to refer to the author's own appeal on this matter toward the close of his Epistle Dedicatory. The original title-page is given below."" — G.
* The Ceovvn ofc Glokt
HOLINESS, The only way to
Discovered in LVIII. Sermons, from Heh. 12. 14. Where you have the Ne- cessity, Excellency, Rarity, Beauty and Glory of Holiness set forth ; with the resolution of many weighty Questipns and Cases. Also Motives and Means to perfect Holiness : With many other things of very high and great importance to all the Sons and Daughters of men, that had rather be blessed then cursed, saved then damned.
By Thomas Brooks, late Preacher of the Gospel at