1.  In the doctrine of justification there is a great deal of the cross.  In that, a man is forced to suffer the destruction of his own righteousness for the righteousness of another.  This is no easy matter for a man to do.  I assure you it stretcheth every vein in his heart, before he will be brought to yield to it.  What! for a man to deny, reject, abhor, and throw away all his prayers, tears, alms, keeping of sabbaths, hearing, reading with the rest, in the point of justification, and to count them accursed; and to be willing, in the very midst of the sense of his sins, to throw himself wholly upon the righteousness and obedience of another man, abhorring his own, counting it as a deadly sin, as the open breach of the law!  I say, to do this indeed and in truth, is the biggest piece of the cross; and therefore Paul calleth this very thing a suffering; where he saith, “And I have suffered the loss of all things,” (which principally was his righteousness,) “that I might win Christ, and be found in him, not having (but rejecting) my own righteousness.”  That is the first.

2.  In the doctrine of mortification is also much of the cross.  Is it nothing for a man to lay hands on his vile opinions, on his vile sins, on his bosom sins, on his beloved, pleasant, darling sins, that stick as close to him as the flesh sticks to the bones?  What! to lose all these brave things that my eyes behold, for that which I never saw with my eyes?  What! to lose my pride, my covetousness, my vain company, sports and pleasure’s, and the rest?  I tell you this is no easy matter; if it were, what need of all those prayers, sighs, watchings?  What need we be so backward to it?  Nay, do you not see, that some men before they will set about this work, will even venture the loss of their souls, heaven, God, Christ, and all?  What mean else all those delays and put-offs, saying, ’Stay a little longer; I am loath to leave my sins while I am so young, and in health?’ Again, what is the reason else that others do it so by the halves, coldly, and seldom; notwithstanding they are convinced over and over, and over, nay, and also promise to amend; and yet all is in vain?  I will assure you, to cut off right hands, and pluck out right eyes, is no pleasure to the flesh.

3.  The doctrine of perseverance is also cross to the flesh; which is not only to begin, but to hold out; not only to bid fair, and to say, ‘Would I had heaven,’ but so to know Christ, to put on Christ, and walk with Christ, as to come to heaven.  Indeed it is no great matter to begin to look for heaven; to begin to seek the Lord; to begin to shun sin.  Oh! but it is a very great matter to continue with God’s approbation!  “My servant Caleb,” saith God, “because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully,” (followed me always:  he hath continually followed me,) “him will I bring into the land.”  Almost all the many thousands of the children of Israel in their generation, fell short of perseverance when they walked from Egypt towards the land of Canaan.  Indeed they went to work at first pretty willingly; but they were very short-winded, they were quickly out of breath, and in their hearts they turned back again into Egypt.