A Treatise of Self-Denial, Title page – To the reader
A TREATISE OF Self-Denial.
By Richard Baxter, Paſtor of the Church at Kederminſter.
Phil. 2. 20, 21.
I have no man like minded who will naturally care for your eſtate.
For all ſeek their own; not the things which are Jeſus Chriſts.
LONDON, Printed by Robert White, for Nevil Simmons at the Princes Arms in Saint Pauls Church-yard. 1675.
A PREMONITION Concerning this Second Edition.
READER,
I Take the Love of God and Self-denial to be the ſum of all ſaving Grace and Religion; the firſt of the Poſitive part, & the ſecond of the Oppoſitive or Negative part: And I judge of the meaſure of my own and all other mens true piety by theſe two. And it is the rarity of theſe two which aſſureth me of the rarity of ſincere Godlineſs. O how much ſelfiſhneſs and how little Love of God, are too often found among thoſe contenders for, ſuppoſed, true Doctrine, true Worſhip, true Diſcipline, and the true Church! who can ſay that their Zeal for theſe things, doth eat up themſelves, their Charity, their Peaceableneſs, and their Brethren! The ſame men that will not abate an opinion, a formality, a ſingularity, for the Churches Peace and Concord, or for the intereſt of Love, and the healing of our wounds, will as hardly abate a jot of their Wealth, their worldly honour, their carnal intereſt, or ſelfiſh wills; which ſhews that their zeal and ſeeming Orthodoxneſs and wiſdom (as in them) is not from above but from beneath, Jam. 3. 15, 16, 17.
O that men knew what hearts-eaſe ſelf-denial bringeth, by mortifying all that corrupteth and troubleth the ſouls of ſinners! And if that part of Religion which ſeemeth hardeſt & harſheſt be ſo ſweet, what is our Love and Delight in God, but the foretaſte of Heaven it ſelf?
But the ſoul is ſeldom fit to reliſh this Doctrine aright, till ſome ſpecial providence or conviction have made all the world notoriouſly inſufficient for our relief. But he that in or after ſharp affliction will ſtill be ſelfiſh in a predominant degree, is next to hopeleſs. I remember that one accounted of eminent wiſdom, a little before he forſook the Land of his Nativity, made this the firſt word that ever he ſpake to me, [I thank you eſpecially for your Book of Self-denial:] AndThe la…e Lord Chief Juſtice Oliver St. John. when we are going out of the world, we ſhall all be much fitter to reliſh and underſtand the Doctrine of Selfdenial, than now we are.
But though undeniable reaſon thus preſented, by the grace of God, do much cure ſome particular ſouls, yet alas, the World, the moſt of the Church viſible & the Land is ſo far uncured, as that ſelfiſhneſs ſtill triumpheth over our innocency, piety and peace, and ſeemeth to deride our hopes of remedy. Were Profeſſion as rare as true Self-denial, I ſhould be of their mind who reduce the Church into a much narrower room than either the Roman, the National, the Presbyterian, or Independent. Alas, how few are thoſe true Believers, whoſe inordinate SELF-LOVE, SELF-CONCEITEDNESS, SELF-WILL, and SELF-SEEKING are truly conquered by FAITH, and turned into the LOVE of GOD as GOD, and of the PUBLICK GOOD, and of their NEIGHBOUR, as themſelves; and into a HUMBLED UNDERSTANDING conſcious of its Ignorance; and into a humbled ſubmiſſive WILL, which is more diſpoſed to follow than to lead, and to obey than to be Imperious and domineer; and into a LIFE entirely devoted to God and to the Common good?
But this complaint was made before: But what we moſt feel, we are moſt inclined to …r; and to preſs that on others, which we find moſt neceſſary to our ſelves. And I muſt ſay, that of all the Books which I have written, I peruſe none ſo often for the uſe of my own ſoul in its daily work, as my Life of Faith, and this of Selfdenial, and the laſt part of the Saints Reſt.
One little thing I will here tell the Reader, that no Book of mine (except the two firſt) had ever the word [Dedicatory] joyned to the Epiſtle by my conſent, but I have very oft prohibited it in vain; whether by the oblivion or ſelf-conceit of the Bookſellers or the Printers I cannot tell. Not that I condemn the word in others, but that my Epiſtles were ſtill of ſo different an importance, as did require a different Title.
R. B.