Grace to the Humble, Sermon 4
GRACE TO THE HVMBLE. AS Preparations to Receive the SACRAMENT. Preached by the Late famous Preacher IOHN PRESTON, Doctor of Divinity, and Chaplen in Ordinary to his Mtie. Master of Immanuel Colledge, and sometimes Preacher in Lincolnes-Inne.
LONDON Printed by Tho. Cotes, for Michael Sparke Iunior, and are to be sold at the signe of the Blue Bible in Greene Arbour. 1639.
GRACE TO THE HVMBLE. The fourth SERMON.
LVKE 9.23.
And he said to them all, if any will come after me, let him deny himselfe, and take up his Crosse daily and follow me.
IN the receiving of the Sacrament, our choise businesse is, to remember the Covenant betweene God and us, and that hath two Parts:
First, The Promise on Godspart;
Secondly, the Condition on our part.
The Promise on Gods part, and that is the gift of Christ, whom hee gives as freely, as a man gives his Lands to his heire; now Christ he comes not naked, but he comes accompanied with these three blessings.
First, Iustification, and all that followes upon that.
Secondly, Sanctification, to whom hee gives Christ, them he sanctifies with his Spirit.
Thirdly, all outward things.
Now there is a Condition required at our hands, and it is exprest by divers words in the Scriptures, sometimes by the name of repentance, Repent, for the kingdome of heaven is at hand. Sometimes by the name of Beleeving, Beleeve me; and you shall be saved. And here it is set downe by following of Christ. All these are joyned together, for if you Repent, you Beleeve, and follow Christ, and none can follow Christ, without Faith and Repentance.
Now the occasion of these words, is this: Our Saviour had told them a little before, That hee must suffer many things; he must die, & rise againe; and then tells them the consequent of this, that they must not looke for a temporall kingdome, my Disciples follow me, and I goe rough wayes: So that the maine duty that hee gives them here, is to follow him; to this hee addes two Conditions, or two causes, without the which wee cannot by any meanes follow him.
First, Hee must deny himselfe, that is, If a man will come to follow me; the flesh will propound to him many things that are pleasing and profitable; it will be as a rough byas to turne him aside, and therefore he must deny himselfe, and his owne flesh. And againe he will meete with many afflictions; and for those hee must not looke out of the way, but hee must goe through these crosses, hee must take up his crosse dayly. The Doctrine is this,
That no man can have interest in Christ, Doct.without selfe-deniall: If any man will will be my disciple, let him deny himselfe. Although before you come to Christ, there is nothing required, but a simple and bare desire. It is no matter for Sanctification; yet when we do come, he must then be our Lord and Master, and wee must follow him, denying our owne lusts; and this cannot be without selfe-deniall; and therefore it is that, that those that have failed in this point have not followed him. Demas followed him a great way, but when he came to this selfe deniall, then hee left him, and embraced this present world, and this was the reason why Paul followed him, because hee was willing to deny himselfe; What was the reason that Caleb followed God so constantly, because hee denied himselfe, and resolved whatsoever he saw, to sticke close to God, and his Commandements; and so Abraham, hee left his country and friends cleaving to God.
Indeede if our will and Christs Will were coincident, then this might be without selfe-deniall, but being at oddes, we cannot goe together, for wee cannot walke together, not being agreed, and therefore wee must conforme our selves unto Christ, his Will must not be brought downe to ours, but our will is out often, and therefore it must be wound up to his.
Now the Question will be what selfe-deniall is.Quest.
To deny a mans selfe,Answ. is not to make himselfe his end, but God onelyonly, and to renounce himselfe as sorry, hee is opposite to God and his wayes; So that to deny himselfe 'is to deny the aversement the corruption & illnesse of nature, wch is called the flesh, the body of death, and the old man, and the old leaven, which are a mans selfe; and this the Apostle meaneth, Wee preach not our selves, 2 Cor. 4.5.but Iesus Christ; that is, I preach not for applause and vaine-glory, to please my selfe by my selfe, here he meanes his flesh, which hee will not satisfie; for when the Apostle had told them of his Vision and Revelation,2 Cor. 12.5. of such a man, said he, I would rejoyce, of my selfe I would not rejoyce. Why should hee not rejoyce of himselfe? Because himselfe was nothing but a bundle of corruption in himselfe was no good but of such a man so renewed hee would rejoyce.
But why is flesh called a mans selfe?Quest.
Because it is so spread over all the faculties and powers of a man,Answ. and is predominant as the forme over the matter, for a man loves it as himselfe and fights against all things that oppose it, and nourisheth all that nourisheth it.
But how is it possible that a man can deny himselfe,Quest. for in denyall there must be one to aske, and another to deny, there must be one denying, and one denyed; himselfe must be denyed? how can himselfe deny himselfe?
Answ.To this I answer, that there is in every man that is in Christ a double selfe, and the regenerate man hath three natures. First, a common nature, neither good nor bad in it selfe. Secondly, a spirituall and renewed condition, Thirdly, the flesh and corruption. The meaning then is this; common nature guided by the spirit and renewed nature is to deny the flesh, that is, the corrupt natures petition when both stand in competition the flesh is to be denyed, if the flesh desires honours riches and preferments beside the rule, then the flesh is to be denyed, but the Spirit is to be heard in all his requests, and this is that, that every man must doe if he will be saved and there is not onelyonly necessity but much reason why wee should deny our selves, as in every command of God there is much reason if wee could see it, so here is great reason for this.
First in regard of God,Reas. 1. God hath no causes, therefore hee may thinke himselfe the end: but every creature hath an efficient and finall cause: therefore it must not make it selfe its order, it is against the order of nature, and rule of things that the creature which is not of it selfe should make it selfe its end, being mans efficient cause is out of himselfe, therefore his end must needes be out of himselfe, hee should make himselfe God, and God an Idoll: For if a man will set up himselfe, that is, will not deny himselfe, he sets himselfe above God, and makes a God of himselfe. We doe not worship God as wee as wee ought without wee deny our selves.
Reas. 2.In regard of our selves, because if wee doe not deny our selves wee destroy our selves, because when we yeeld to our selves wee yeeld to the disease, and when wee yeeld to the disease, wee destroy our selves; this disease is the flesh, every man is aeger inter morbum & medicum; now which is better for a a man to hearken to the Spirit, the Phisitian, or to the flesh the disease. This reason is taken out of the sixt of the Galatians, Gal. 6.6.he that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reape corruption; but hee that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reape life everlasting. He that yeeds to his flesh doth destroy himselfe, for all the wayes of sinne leade downe to the chambers of death, that is, they bring death at the latter end, that is the fruit and wages of it at the last, but he that doth deny himselfe, doth best provide for himselfe, for he hath not onelyonly the generall promise,Mar. 10.3… but also the particular promise;Mark. 10.30. there is noe man that hath left house or brethren, &c. Both in regard of our selves, and in regard of God there is equity for it: nothing is hard to a reasonable man, when hee sees a reason that it is best for him to doe it, hee is easily perswaded to it; besides it is the greatest folly in the world, to goe about to joyne God and our selves together, God and sinne, God and other respects, for you loose both by this: for God hates such an one, and you finde no content in minde, neither can you serve your selves perfectly if you joyne your selves with God, and therefore you can have no absolute content, and there will bee a reluctancy which way so ever you turne. Againe suppose they should both bee joyned, yet the more you gaine in the flesh, the more you loose of God and the Spirit. Now hee that hath any union, desires more union with God, and this cannot bee unlesse you have lesse union with the flesh Againe it is needelesse to joyne God and your selves together, you may have enough in God; you adde but a candle to the Sunne and water to the Ocean, and then you goe about an impossible thing for you cannot serve two masters,Matth. 6.24. all your labour will be lost.Mat. 6.24. Amaziah walked in the wayes of God; but hee lost all his labour because his heart was not perfect with the Lord.
Object.But now it will bee objected, how is it possible that a man should deny himselfe! In shunning sin may he not have an eye unto hell; and in walking the wayes of God, may he have an eye to heaven? To this I answer that we deny not but that a man may love himselfe,Answ. for its impossible that he should do otherwise; for i…s impossible but that the will should bee carried to that which is good, or apprehended to be good: and it is a sinne for a man to hurt himselfe, it is a sinne for a man to kill himselfe, and every hurt is a degree to that, and God would not command that which is sinfull,Matth 3.2. and againe useth those as motives to seeke salvation. Repent for the kingdome of God is at hand; If you will come in behold here is a kingdome for you,Matth. 10 28. feare not him that killeth the body, &c. The wayes of wisedome are wayes of pleasure:Prov. 3.17. And lastly it is a plant that God himselfe hath planted in the hearts of men,Matth. 15.13. and such plants as our heavenly father hath planted, no man ought to plucke up. This is the worke of nature, and that which is opus naturae est opus authoris, naturae. And grace doth not take away nature, gratia non tollit naturam, sed attollit, it doth not take it away but it reformes it; it doth not extinguish it, but sets it in order, it doth not dry up this streame, but turnes it into the right channell, it doth not extirpate these plants, but as the horse rider takes not away the nature frō the horse, but doth guide him: so it takes not the desire of nature away, but guides it aright; and if wee doe it in all desires of nature, wee must needs doe it in the chiefest desire, in the desire of salvation; but we would have a man to deny himselfe no further then the want thereof doth hurt him. Now the way to hurt your selves, is to make your selves the end, but the way for a man to doe good to himselfe, is not to follow his owne will, nor to seeke himselfe, but to seeke God, when his will comes in opposition with any command of Gods: for that is the difference betweene a regenerate and an unregenerate man, the unregenerate man thinkes his best way to get comfort, is to rely on himselfe and the creatures, not to seeke it from God: but the regenerate man seeing the vanitie of the creature, and the fulnesse of God, rejects these things and onelyonly followes God, and serves with a willing heart and minde: Both seeke their owne good but a diverse way.
Vse 1.Is it so then, that none can have interest in Christ without selfe-denyall: then first wee make this use of this. Hence wee see that both cannot stand together, seeking a mans selfe and following Iesus Christ. Hee that will follow mee must deny himselfe, there is an necessitie, chuse you which you will have, if you will follow mee you must you must deny your selves, and if you will follow your selves you must not have me; the words are put in a necessary disjunction: therefore deceive not your selves in this, to thinke you may follow your selves, and yet follow Christ. To deny a mans selfe, is if there bee any thing pleasing to him to part with it, for Christ; if there bee any thing pleasing, if a man be not willing to part with it for Christ, hee cannot have Christ and salvation: If any thing bee evill and hurtfull which hee most shunnes and avoydes, if hee cannot undergoe it, he must goe without Christ.
But if you aske what neede there shall bee of so generall denyall.Quest.
I answer, these very words to deny a mans selfe shewes us so much:Answ. for to deny himselfe, is to deny the whole body of himselfe: wee must not deny some part of our selves, as pleasure and profit, which are but some branches, but we must deny all. And therefore you see in Peter, that was the profession that hee made. Lord wee have forsaken all and followed thee:Mark. 10.28. If wee hold any thing betweene our teeth, wee must let goe our hold of Christ. Hee that will seeke praise and credit among men, must not have interest in Christ. How can yee beleeve which seeke honour of one another, and seeke not the honour that commeth from God;Ioh. 5.44. onelyonly it will make him st…ll bee out of the way, when any such thing comes in competition. So the rich man in the Gospell, because hee had set his heart upon his wealth, Christ told him that time that he could not follow him. The light of the body is the eye, if the eye be single the whole body is light,Matth. 6.22. but if the eye shall be darke, marke what is said there of a single eye, and what opposition is made; An eye is sayd to be single in respect of the object, that is, if the eye bee single & look only on God, then all the body is light, that is, all his life is good, God counts his sinnes but infirmities. But if a man have a wicked eye, the opposition is if the eye bee double, but it is put in wicked, because a double eye is a wicked eye, that is, looking partly upon God and partly upon himselfe, then the body is darke; and there is good reason for this: For it is impossible if a man doe not make God his utmost end to be saved, if he make himselfe his coordinate end, he then makes himselfe joynt God, besides this man will bee constant in all his wayes, and therefore is not pleasing to God. The reason why God regards them not is because they are not constant:Iam. 1.8. A double minded man is unstable in all his wayes: who will regard him that is a friend to day and none to morrow? God loves not such whose hearts are not perfect with him; now no man is such that does not deny himselfe perfectly, if there bee any sweet morsell that he keeps under his tongue and will not part with it.
If we have not interest in Christ without selfe-deniall,Vse 2. then this should teach us to judge of things aright: it may seeme to rectifie our opinions; it should teach us what to thinke when wee begin to give up our names to Christ: wee must not thinke to goe to heaven in a Feather bed, where wee may have elbow roome enough as it was our Saviours precept we must lay the foundation before wee begin to build. So it was his practise, if any man came to him to tell him before what he should suffer afterwards: So when any one comes to him saying, good master I will follow thee, hee presently answers him,Matth. 8.19, 20. the Foxes have holes, and the Birds of the ayre have nests, but the Sonne of man hath not whereon to lay his head: Mark. 10.2.And when the young man came so prepared that Christ began to love him. I but mistake me not saith Christ, if you come to me you must deny your selfe, and that which is most precious to you which was his wealth: you must prepare your selfe for crossses, and not for crosses which should come now and then, but for daily crosses; you must keepe your selfe for a rough way, that is, you must bee ready to goe up the hill; you must be busie when your flesh would bee at ease, you must endure infamy and reproach when your flesh would have an applause, we must bee contented to bee hated among all men: A course of Godlinesse is nothing but a continaull opposition of the flesh to doe something contrary to our selves. To thinke upon this aforehand will helpe us much, we are to resolve and say in the morning this flesh will put many sinnes against the Spirit, but we must resolve to crosse our selves▪ and at night let a man examine himselfe and say, what is it that my flesh did desire, and how have I denied my selfe. This should bee the course of a Christian: If you will doe no more then that you are willing to doe its no thankes: Such as serve God with their ease so long as it stands with their flesh, what thankes have they? but wee must deny our selves and crosse the flesh, neither must wee doe this of necessitie, but chearefully: but wee must bee content to part withall, and thinke wee have a good bargaine too: as the Mercant man sold all his possessions and went away rejoycing: that is, we must not onelyonly doe a thing for Christ for necessitie, because wee cannot otherwise have salvation, but also wee must thinke wee have got a good purchase; many will say, rather then I will goe to hell I will deny my selfe: But wee must labour to see an amiablenesse in Christ, a worth in Christ to draw us along, or else wee shall faint, and count it an hard way, we must think the gaine of Christ with the losse of all a good bargaine.
But how shall a man bring his heart to this hardQuest. thing? it seemes almost impossible, but if we were inlightned and could see things as they are, wee should doe it willingly, for that amiablenesse that is in Christ.
Answ.There are foure considerations why we should doe this and thinke it a good bargaine.
Consider the equity and justice of it, how unreasonably and unequally you deale with Christ if you doe it not: Christ hath bought us of our selves, not onelyonly of the world and the devill, but also of our selves. Wee are not our selves, we are bought with a price:2 Cor. 6.16. wee are the temples of the living God, as God hath sayd, I will dwell in them, and I will walke in them, and they shall bee my people, and I will be their God: If a man will goe and sell himselfe to another man hee must not doe his owne worke, for then he shall wrong him that bought him.
But I make no such bargaine with Christ you will say?Object.
You have,Answ. or ought to doe it, you have done as much in effect: for Christ hath shed his blood for every man in this sense; so that it is propounded before all; and every man shall answer for the neglect of it: as it is, 2 Pet. 2. there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, & bring upon themselves swift destruction.Rom. 14.15. Destroy not thy brother with thy meat for whom Christ dyed: So for every man that it lies exposed to him, and he commits a double sinne that doth not receive him, &c.
1. He doth neglect him.
2. He doth not as hee is commanded. In the Leviticall Law if one bought a servant, and he in punishi…g him dyed under his hands, there was no Law against him, for he was his mony. So wee may say of every man to whom the Gospel is revealed, that hee is Christs money; yea Christs blood; for that is the price that hath beene payd for him, and layd out for him, and it is his fault that hee takes it not; and hee shall be accused one day for one that tooke such a great price, & yet would not serve the Lord Iesus Christ: For as much as yee know yee were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and Gold from your vaine conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the pretious blood of Christ. When Christ saw you walking idle in vanity hee comes and buyes you to his service not with silver and gold, but with his owne blood, and this hee hath done to redeeme you from your vaine conversation; but if any man walke vainely still, and does not follow Christ, hee rejects Christs price, and at the last day it will bee objected against him, that hee did not serve God for the price that hee had received. Therefore let this move you to serve Christ.
Object.But you will say, I see there is reason and necessitie for this, but I will not doe it yet, I will doe it hereafter.
Answ.But consider Christ hath payd the price for you, and hee hath bought all your life, not some one part, and as a man hired for a day doth not begin it til noone, hee doth the man wrong that hired him: So every man that doth not serve God in his youth wrongs God, let us not therefore deferre it, but doe it as sodainly as we can.
It is good for a man to deny himselfe, for his life is more preserved in God then in himselfe, for else there were no reason for that commandement, love me more then thy selfe, and againe the perfection of every thing is in the end; every thing is then perfect when it attaines its end; now God is that end of every thing, and therefore of man, and man is to serve him though it bee with the losse of goods and losse of life, yea of life eternall; for yet mans happinesse consists in the attaining of God his end, and so those places of Moses and Paul are to be expounded;Exod. 32.32. If thou willt not forgive them blot mee out of the booke of life, so it may bee to Gods glory. So Paul, Rom. 9.3.I could wish that my selfe were accursed from Christ, for my brethren, my kinsmen in the flesh, so long as any advantage would come to God, they cared not what became of themselves, and besides if a man should seeke his good in himselfe, he could not get it, for there is no bottome. And againe besides th…se reasons the Scripture is plaine for it; if a man would loose his life for me he shall finde it. This is the best way to provide for himselfe: the best way for a man to doe good to himselfe is by way of reflection to serve God and man with his fatnes, so he shall have a full recompence, a measure pressed downe and running over; so that if a man would thinke with himselfe, what shall I doe now to get happinesse in this world, the way is not to get honour and riches, but to learne to deny my selfe, and how I may honour God, and how I may spend my life for his glory and his service, this is the wisest way to make our selves happy; labour therefore to bee perswaded of this, and you will easily be perswaded to doe it.
Consider the emptinesse of these things that draw us out of the way, that sue to us, and are the byasses of our life, that carry us wrong, the sight of their emptinesse is a great helpe to us to deny our selves, for a man should consider what hee seekes, and that is happinesse, and where it is to be found, certainly not in our selves, for how many thousand are there who are still seeking to other creatures, and if wee finde nothing in our selves, then surely in nothing below our selves, as riches, pleasures, and honours, therefore wee must seeke something above ourselves and that is God, those things are called vanitie and emptie things that seeme to promise something and performe nothing, as those things are sayd to bee emptie which promise some satisfaction but deceive us, as an empty well, and empty clouds that seeme to promise raine but there comes none: so it is with the creatures; all the world looke for some thing from the creatures, but that which wee seeke for is not in them, and God calls them empty. So the multitudes of them will shew that there can bee no perfection in them, for if they had any perfection, they neede not be so many, and though they would have contentment in them, yet they are but brittle as glasse, holding some comfort in them, which is quickly broken, and then our comfort falls like water upon the ground, which cannot bee gathered up againe. Now if wee would bring our hearts to be perswaded of the emptinesse of these things, then surely we should doe it with ease: it was easie with Salomon to deny himselfe in repenting, for hee saw the vanitie of all things, no argument will make us doe this, but onelyonly the Spirit of God when we are convinced by it, and then wee shall doe it with ease.
By denying your selves you shall weaken the flesh and strengthen the Spirit, that is, the more you yeeld to the flesh, the more you strengthen it, and the more you resist it the weaker it growes, and the more the Spirit is strengthned, that is, the renewed qualitie that is in you.
I but what motive is this?Object. what though the flesh doe get the superioritie and the Spirit decay?
O but if you had eyes of judgement to see the excellency of grace and renewed nature,Answ. and the basenesse of the flesh, it would bee a very good argument. Paul thought he had said enough to enforce the Galatians, when hee had told them that the workes of the flesh were adultery,Gal. 5.9.22. fornication, uncleannesse, wantonnesse, Idolatry, &c. This is enough to make a man strive against the flesh for the workes of it are vile, not worth a man, but the worke of the Spirit it is love, joy, peace, &c. Some men seeke excellency in health, wealth, earthly wisedome, but yours lies in the Spirit, the more you enlarge the health of your soule, and the more you deny your flesh, the more you weaken your disease, for the flesh is but a disease, and therefore Christ is sayd to come and heale the sicke, and the word of God is called balme: now where there is mention made of a Phisitian and a remedy there must bee a disease, and that disease is this flesh.
And the more you begin to deny this flesh, the more you escape that which you most abhorre and are ashamed of, namely death and sinne, first sinne, what fruite have you then of those things whereof you are ashamed:Rom. 6.24. for the end of those things is death. Shame indeede is the correllative of sin, and where sinne is there is shame, and no where else: the second is death and sicknesse, and death and trouble, and all steps and degrees thereto, but if you walke in the Spirit you have glory and life eternall, and all the comforts of this life, as steps and degrees thereto, to conclude all therefore resolve to deny your flesh and all his requests. And know thus much, that it is a very difficult thing, for the flesh is very neare and deare to us: Its hard to deny a stranger or a friend, harder to deny a childe or a wife, and therefore much more hard to deny our selves: Againe the flesh is importunate, & comes with a bribe in his hand, as ease, or profit, or pleasure or such like, & our hearts are quickly drawne to such; as Iron to the loadstone; againe its cunningly helped by the slight & pollicy of the divell, and therefore it is that S. Iames calleth sensuall wisedome,Iam. 3.15. devilish wisedome, because the divell joynes his wisdome with it. Therefore goe about this as an hard worke, deale hardly with it: as the Prophet bids them with the messenger that came from Ahab, shut the dooers on him, admit no conference with him, shut thy eares against the perswasion of the flesh, and wicked men, give it no hearing. The flesh is ready to suggest reasons, but we must not hearken to it: So Paul when hee was to goe about a hard matter, I did not conferre with my flesh saith he: we see that it was his practise when his friends entreated him not to goe up to Ierusalem, what meane you to weepe, and to breake my heart, for I am ready not to be bound onelyonly,Act. 21.13. but also to dye at Ierusalem for the name of the Lord Iesus: he would admit of no conference with them. So David when Ioab and Abishas would have taken off Shimeihs head for cursing him, what have I to doe with you yee sonnes of Zerviah saith he:2 Sam. 16.9, 10. And so did Iesus Christ when Peter came to him Master pitty thy selfe,Mark 8.32. Matth. 16.23. what have I to doe with thee saith he? thou knowest not the things that belong to God, he would admit of no conference with him, the best is to deny our selves, to give peremptory deniall, have no more strength then our Mother Eve, shee was tempted by admitting plea wih the divell and the flesh: If wee thinke of our sinnes Sathan will bee ready to suggest reasons, distinctions and evasions to make us walke upon the brinke side, and then wee fall unawares into the pit.1 King. 13.1. So the Prophet which God sent to Bethel, when hee had conferred with the old Prophet, hee was enticed to come backe and eate with him, which was his destruction; when as indeede hee should not have conferred with him, kept himselfe close to the commandment of God: nothing is worse then a peremptory will in a bad cause, and nothing better in a good cause. Casta est quam nemo rogavit, shee is a chast woman that carries herselfe so, as that shee admits of no man to sollicite her. So wee should carry of selves so that the devill dare not to attempt us. Thinke that you shall be overcome it is hard and difficult, it is good to bee jealous over our selves in doubtfull things.
Vse 3.If all that are Christs disciples must deny themselves, hence then this will follow that our selves are prone exceedingly to evill: we are ready in every thing to act our selves, wee are ready to preach our selves; our flesh will have one hand in every thing, it will have an Oaer in every Boat. There is nothing to doe but the flesh will put it selfe forth; what the Apostle saith of envy the flesh lusteth after envy; wee may say of every sinne that the flesh lusteth after it. Take heede therefore to your selves;Iam. 4.5. as our Saviour bids us take heede of men. So we must take heede of our selves, nothing will …eceive us so soone as our owne hearts.Ier. 17.19.
The heart is deceitfull and wicked above all things, who can know? looke on the most deceitfull thing that is, the heart is more deceitfull then that. If you have a servant that will deceive you, you have an eye continually upon him. If there be any thing, wherein you may get applause and credit; how ready are wee to doe it, but if there be any things that appertaine to the glory of God, how backward are we, how ready to finde out excuses, twenty Lyons are in the way in such a case; if wee have a minde to doe any thing though the lawfulnesse bee doubtfull, yet we have distinctions and evasions for it, otherwise Christ would not command us here to deny our selves;Object. I but you will say, how shall I come to discerne this medling of the flesh?Answ. It is true some things are evidently good, and some things evidently bad, but in things ambiguous it is hard to discerne the flesh, a man may desire such a preferment, and think he does well, but yet this desire may be from the flesh, and therefore there are some rules whereby wee may discerne whether our desires come from the flesh, or no, and how wee may doe them.
If you finde the desires turbulent, it is a signe they come from the flesh; for the desires of grace are like them that come from pure nature;Gen, 30.1. as Rachels desire, give mee children or else I dye: The vehemency shewes it came from the flesh.
When the desires are hasty, it is a signe they come from the flesh, for it is the property of the flesh to runne without his errond, to goe without his rule, the foole rageth and is carelesse, where is a wise man saith Salomon that ponders his wayes: we cannot goe about that which is good, without consideration.Psal. 119, 59. I considered my wayes saith David, and turned my feete into thy testimonies, If our nature were good, the more hasty it is to any thing the better it would be, but being our nature is bad it is likely the hastier it is to any thing the worse the things.
If you finde the thing desired to strengthen the flesh; it is from the flesh; if it strengthen the Spirit then it is from the Spirit; if it weakens the Spirit and workes in us any indisposition to doe any good, as to pray, toward the word and such like, then it doth not come from the Spirit.
Consider what you doe in like cases, where you have no selfe respect, wee may do many good things, and yet have selfe respect in them: for example Iehu was zealous enough for God, so long as he expected a kingdome, that pricked, but when it was gotten he fell to Idolatry. And so those they were ready to fast and pray, but there was selfe respect in it:Hos. 7.14. They assemble themselves together, but the Prophet saith it was for corne and wine: and so they were ready to follow Christ, but it was because they eate of the loaves and were filled,Ioh. 6.26. many in sicknesse and trouble are ready to pray and to seeke God, but when the storme is blowne over, what doe they then? by this wee may learne somewhat to judge whether the desires come from the flesh or no.
Hence learne how to judge of your condition,Vse 4. whether you are in Christ or not. Christ puts it as a necessary condition to deny your selves. It is a sure rule if you deny your selves you are in Christ, if not you have no part in him, but here every man (as it is the part of the most unsound to flatter themselves) will say he doth not professe himselfe, no body will grant that hee doth please himselfe. Therefore for the tryall of this, take these rules. If you will know whether you deny your selves or not, first consider whether you are throughly humbled, vile & little in your owne eyes: such a man is not angry because hee hath no more grace but wonders he hath so much. He lets God deale with him as hee lists, if hee will have him to be disgraced willing to be shifted from vessell to vessell, from condition to condition, so hee have God in heaven, what becomes of him hee cares not. He counts Christ his greatest good, and sinne his greatest evill; He cares not what he looseth so hee can get God, such a man will deny himselfe, and no man else; we may see this disposition in Paul, if God will not have him preach in Bithinia, what desire soever he hath, he will not doe it; if God will have him shut up in prison hee is content, whatsoever it was hee would doe it. So in David we shall finde the same disposition; if God will take away his kingdome from him let him doe what seemes good in his sight: If God send Shimeah to curse him,2 Sam. 16.10. God the Lord hath bidden him curse David and let him doe it: and when hee was loaden with reproaches, hee was a dumbe man because God did it. And his words to M…chal shew the reason of it, I will bee more vile then this, and will be low in mine owne eyes and sight:2 Sam. 6.22. This shewes he thought himselfe vile before, but yet because God called him to it hee will bee more vile, but take a man of a contrary disposition, that hath a proud heart, that will have such a thing or else all is marred, such a man will not deny himselfe; if God come to him aske his credit or riches or any thing else, hee will not doe it, hee resists God, and God resists him. But God gives grace to the humble, that is, he shews favour to him,1 Pet. 5.5. & whatsoever he asketh he will grant him.
Secondly, if you would know whether you deny your selves, consider whether you doe it in time of difficultie, when lust and oppertunity meete together; it is no matter what you say in cold blood, A Pilots skill is in time of tempest, and a souldiers valour is in the heat of a battle, when you have no occasion to bee intemperate it is nothing, but when a faire way is layd open to you, and you can deny your lust his opportunity, it shewes you deny your selve. To professe Christ in a wicked and adulterous generation, when he hath some opposition to the contrary, is a tryall to a man. If a man can hate all sinnes, so as hee would not commit any for the greatest gaine; As David would not touch the Lords annointed for a kingdome:1 Sam. 24.7. when he would not omit the least good to avoyd the greatest evill; as Daniel would not omit prayer for the saving of his honour and of his life.Dan. 6.10.11. See what you would doe when the Lord and your flesh stand in competition; when the conscience shall bring you a message, the Lord hath neede of such a thing, and the flesh shall say, I have neede of such a thing contrary to it, what should wee doe in such cases? Indeede it is no tryall else except a man bee earnest with himselfe, when hee importunes hims…lfe, when a man is easie to deny himselfe i…s no tryall, set your particular humors, your personall sinnes; if you set your selves to deny them; when God would try Abraham whether hee preferred his will, before his owne will, he tries him in that whereon his affections were most set, the offering of his sonne Isaac and thereupon God pronounceth the sentence I know that thou lovest me seeing for my sake thou hast not with held thy onelyonly sonne.Gen. 22.12. If there bee any thing on which our hear…s are more set, God tries us there, if we deny our selv…s there, then wee have the selfe denyall.
Consider whether you are willing to bee fully enlightned: whether you are content to have a through information to sift the matter to the branne, then you have this selfe deniall, but when he hath secret whisperings in his conscience, and yet will shut his eyes, will not see to and fro, this man whatsoever he pretendeth hee sinneth against his conscience:Num. …2.23. therefore consider this in Balaams case, if wee looke upon Balaams carriage he seemed to deny himselfe as much as a man could doe, if thou wouldest give mee this house full of gold and silver, I could not doe except God commanded mee: but he would not seeke this out, hee sought the wages of Iniquity, there was a crevis of light, but hee would not search out the truth, such a case was that of Iohanan, hee came to Ieremiah and said unto him according to all things for which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us, whether it bee good or evill, wee will obey the voyce of the Lord God:Ier. 42.5.6. Ver. 20. Ieremiah comes and tels him againe, this is the businesse, but withall I must tell thee you dissembled in your hearts when you sent me to the Lord your God, he discovers his hypocrisie to him. To bee throughly informed, to sift the things before you doe it is a signe of selfe denyall, it is ill halting before men, but God hee knoweth the Spirit, so the meaning of the flesh and mans conscience,2 Cor. 4.2, Gods witnesse will finde us out. Therefore of the Ministers of the Word saith Saint Paul, we approve our selves to the consciences of men, not to the wits, humors, and wills, but to the consciences, and the truth will alwayes joyne together.
Let us not shut up this truth in darkenesse, he that doth truth saith our Saviour commeth to the light that his deedes might bee manifest.Ioh. 3.21. It is a Metaphor taken from such who when they would throughly know what cloth it is they hold it up against the Sunne, to see if it bee moth eaten or not, or whether it have any other fault, therefore take heede of false pretences. A man if hee were convinced of them hee would bee more carefull and religious in his wayes, but he thinkes it superstitious, hee would bee more wary of his company but hee …akes it, for morosity and nicenesse, but if you would sift your selves there would be some signe of selfe denyall; but now for what end is all this? it is not to discourage any, it is not for the end that any should bee dejected in the wayes of God, it is not for destruction, but for instruction; It is for this that you may judge aright of your selves,Quest. but now at last you will beginne to s…y, I would doe this duty if I knew how to performe, and therefore I will shew you how to deny your selves.
If you will bee enabled to deny your selves you must get another man into your selves then you have by nature. If a man hath nothing but that which hee hath by nature, his flesh, sinne, and corruption and the outward bulke of soule and body, whereby he consists when there is nothing else in a man, when he hath no other selfe in himselfe, then it is impossible for him to deny himselfe, but if a man hath another man in himselfe if hee have the regenerate part in him then this is easy, let a man reckon the regenerate himselfe, then hee will let all goe, rather then let himselfe be destroyed: he will bee sure to keepe sinne off, for that is it which destroyes him, hee will be sure to maintaine a good conscience. But now take another man a common man, that hath nothing given him but the bulke of the body, that is satisfied with meate, drinke, and cloathing, and house and friends, and the flesh and sinne, hee will let all goe that destroyes himselfe, God, Christ, faith, and a good conscience, and all, and therefore wee are to judge aright of ourselves, as the Apostle, It is no more I that doe it but sinne that dwels in mee: Rom. 7.17.The Apostle counts the flesh a troubleblesome guest, hee would gladly be rid of him:2 Cor. 5 1. and so we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle bee destroyed, we have a building given us of God, that is, an house not made with hands but eternall in the heavens, That is the regenerate part so long as that is going up it makes no matter, though the outward man suffer much: So long as this new building is goeing up it makes no matter though the old one be pulled downe, but when a man hath no such new building going up, he hath reason to keepe up the old, let a mans judgement bee right, let him conceive that to bee himselfe which is in himselfe, and then it is easy to deny himselfe.
You never deny your selves but you are great gayners by it, and let a man yeeld to the flesh and hee looses by it, and that is the reason that is given verse the 24. and in other Gospels who soever shall lose his life for my sake shal save it, but when a man shall save his life, his libertie, his credit when God calls for it, shall be but as a flower: God wil blow upon it & he shall quickly loose it,Matth. 19.39. Matth. 16.25.hee that will save any of those he shal quickly loose them, God will so bring it to passe in the end, if you would consider that promise,Mark. 10.30. whosoever shall forsake houses or brethren,Matth. 19.29. or sisters, or fathers, or mothers, or wives, or lands for my sake shall receive an hundred fold and shall inherit life everlasting, there would bee no difficultie in this thing.
Object.But you will say wee see such as wal…e most perfectly most deny themselves, a…e most despised, most trampled on, but this is no good argument.Answ. For as in the midst of all contents God can fill our hearts with bittern…sse, so in the midst of all wants God can fill our hearts with all comforts, as tribulations abound so comfort abounds, the Apostle Paul found this so, he had his consolations abounding when his afflictions increased. Consider with your selves whether any man lost any thing by denying himselfe to honour God. Did Abraham loose by it, by denying himselfe in his sonne Isaack? no his sonne was given him; was Salomon a looser by denying himselfe in riches and honour, when he asked wisedome to governe the commonwealth?1 King. 3.9. No, he gained all; did Ioseph loose by denying himselfe in his lust.Gen. 39.20. Though for the present to lose by it being cast into the prison, yet that was but a step to his honours. None ever gained by yeelding to the flesh:Gen. 49.3.4. As Ruben by yeelding to his lust, his father tells him, Rueben thou art my might, and the beginning of my strength. Thou shalt not be excellent because thou wentest up to thy fathers bed, thy excellency is gone: Hee should have had a Priesthood because hee was the first borne, but hee lost it, for Levi had it: he should have had the kingdome but lost it, for Iudah had it: Hee being the first borne should have had a double portion, but he lost it, for Ioseph had it; thus he was a loser in it, though at first he seemed to gaine. Now if these things be setled in us we shal come easily to deny our selves; now that you may be perswaded to this, cōsider two things.
Consider all these creatures, wherein you see comfort can neyther doe you good nor hurt without God, there is nothing that doth good but the blessing of God, or the cursing of of God, that is, no creature can comfort unlesse God bids it comfort us: for that is the blessing of it when God must say refresh him, comfort him, strengthen him, or else it cannot doe no good.Ier. 4.24. I am the Lord who shew mercy, judgement and righteousnesse, he shewes mercy not the creatures, Therefore wee had neede to deny our selves in any thing that is contrary to him. The creatures are but instruments, and you know all instruments worke by some efficacy, which they receive from their efficient cause, they comfort with borrowed comfort, as the ayre inlightens with borrowed light, and the water heats with borrowed heate.
If you get your requests, riches and honours, and pleasures to you, eyther they will be snares to you, or crosses to you, we cannot promise our selves good from them as they come from Gods promise, but onelyonly from his mercy. So on the other side, when we deny our selves, we can have no hurt by them, unlesse God bids them hurt us: let the Axe be never so keene, yet it will never doe any thing, except the carpenter takes it in his hand and sets to the work, so the tongues of men, though they bee as sharpe as a sword, yet Shimei cannot curse David till God bids him curse him.
Put case that they will hurt you or doe you good, yet all things wherein God bids you deny your selves you must, God hee keepes all things, commit therefore what thou hast to him, put them into his hand. It was the speech of a great and wise man when he fell from the favour of the King, if I had served God, as I have served the King, I had not come to this, that is, had I committed the Kings favour to Gods keeping I should not have lost it: There is no change here upon earth but there is first a change in heaven: except there bee an eclipse first there, you shall finde none here to helpe you to deny your selves, labour to act these three graces.
First the knowledge of God.
Secondly Faith.
Thirdly love.
Labour to act them, stirre up in you first the knowledge of God, consider that you shall finde him worthy, that you should deny any thing for him; consider that hee is the fairest often thousand: As a man faith of a friend that hath done much for him, that hath ventured his life for him, if that friend should come to him, and aske him any thing, if he have any ingenuity in him, he will say let him have it, for hee is worthy of it, so must wee doe with Christ.1 Cor. 1.12 Thus Paul argues this, I saith that every one of you saith, I am Paul, I am Apollo, I am Cephas, & I am Christ: is Christ divided? was Paul circumcised for you, that is, those men are not to bee named with Christ, hath not hee beene crucified for you? is not worthy to be looked after before other men: So David when hee offered a masse of Gold to the building of the temple, out of my poverty saith he I have offered unto thee. Why, because hee thought God worthy of all, and more then hee had, therefore he thought himselfe poore.
Secondly Faith, labour to act that, consider the reasons of those great denyers of themselves, they did so more then wee because they beleeved more; what was the reason of Moses selfe denyall; Hee feared not the fiercenesse of the crosse, because hee saw him which was invisible; that is, hee beleeved the anger of God was greater then the anger of, Pharaoh. And that the love of God was greater then the love of Pharaoh, and therefore hee had an eye unto the recompence of reward; Goe and sell all that thou hast, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; Christ bids the young man in the Gospel, if hee had beleeved he would have done it,Matth. 19.21. for the Saints they suffered with joy the spoyling of their goods, knowing in themselves how they have a better and more enduring substance:Heb. 10.34 So Paul they wondered that hee had endured so much, but he saith therefore wee labour, and are rebuked because wee trust in the living God, which is the Saviour of all men, especially of such as beleeve.
Let a man stirre up his love, that will make him move him to deny himselfe, we know what is sayd of love there.1 Cor. 13.4.5. Love suffers long, it is bountifull it seeks not her selfe, it will deny her selfe for Christs sake as Paul did. The love of Christ carryed him thorough all bonds;Act. 21.33. and afflictions were nothing to him; if a man would labour to encrease his love, the more love the more selfe denyall, and the more knowledge the readier wee are to deny our selves. Lastly, when you come to any particular case wherein you come to deny your selves, bring arguments, give not over till you have brought your selves to some conclusion. For this consider these things.
First, put case you deny your selves in any pleasure, you gaine more pleasure by it, for no man ever loosed by denying himselfe, for he doth gaine peace of conscience and joy in the holy Ghost.
Secondly, consider if you deny your selves you doe wipe away your blot, and it is a great matter to keepe your selves blamelesse with God and spotlesse with the world.
Thirdly if you give way to your inordinate desires you shall bee subject to a hundred indigences, and it is a mans happinesse that he meets as little as he can, but to stand on his owne bottome.
Againe consider if you deny your selves, in such a case, you are freed from the greatest bondage that can be: as Paul said, you will not be brought under the power of any thing by denying your lusts,1 Cor. 6.12 you gaine the greatest freedome that can be.
Againe consider if you yeeld to your selves in any thing, where your affection is inordinate there your crosse will be; as Ammons crosse was in his Tamar, 2 Sam. 13. 2 Sam. 18.33.Absoloms in his kingdome, David in his Absolom, 2 Sam. 18.strong affections bring strong afflictions.
Last of all consider, if you yeeld to such a desire it will never make an end, for you doe but adde fewell to the fire; the greater the fire is, the more fewell it requires, and there is no way to extinguish our desires, but to put out the very sparkes of our lust; therefore in any particular case of lust, never give over till you have brought your selves to this resolution, whether it is best to deny my selfe or not to deny my selfe.
FINIS.