A Treatise of Self-Denial, Treatise · Chapter 64
CHAP. LXIV. Enemy to all Morality: Faith: Prayer: Obedience.
2. MOreover, this Self is the Enemy as of God himſelf, ſo alſo of all the frame of Morality: Of Every Article of your Belief, and Every Petition in the Lords Prayer, and of every one of the ten Commandments, and of the whole Word of God.
1. For your Belief, it advanceth your own Reaſon againſt it, as to the Truth of it: ſo that you cannot diſcern theſe things of God, becauſe they are ſpiritually diſcerned. It ſhutteth up your underſtandings againſt the Meaning of it; ſo that when you know the Grammatical ſenſe of the words, you know not ha… the meaning yet for all that. The words are written to ſignifie the ſpiritual apprehenſions and affections which the holy inditers had of the matter ſignified by them: And till you come by the help of thoſe words to have the ſame impreſs upon your ſouls, the ſame apprehenſions and affections which the inditers had, and intended to expreſs by them, you have not the perfect underſtanding of the Scriptures; And therefore while you are wholly without their ſpiritual Apprehenſions and Affections, you do not ſo much as ſincerely or truly underſtand them; however you may be able to ſpeak as good Grammarians, and true Expoſitors in the explaining of them to others. And alſo ſelfiſhneſs in the Will doth make you diſreliſh the Doctrine which you ſhould believe, becauſe that being Practical, either the Doctrine, or its conſequence, or the Practice that it puts you on, is againſt your carnal ſelf and intereſt.
2. And for Prayer, I might eaſily ſhew you, that ſelf contradicteth all the parts of it. You ſhould firſt Pray that the Name of God may be Hallowed, making his Glory the End of your deſires: But ſelf muſt be its Own End, and ſeek the Honour of its Own Name, and leſs regardeth the Hallowing of Gods.
You muſt pray that the Kingdom of God may come: But this Kingdom treadeth down ſelf as an enemy, and therefore no marvel if ſelf be unwilling of it. Would you be depoſed, and ſubjected to a ſpiritual government, and do nothing nor have nothing but at the pleaſure of Chriſt? The Reign of ſelf is contrary to his reign.
You muſt pray that the Will of God may be done. But ſelf hath a Will that is contrary to Gods Will; and every carnal man would be a Lawgiver to himſelf, and unto others, and had rather have his Own will done, than Gods. O… elſe whence come all the ſins of your lives, which are nothing but the doing of your own wills, and the not doing the Will of God!
You muſt pray each day for your daily bread, as children that live not on their own proviſion, but on their Fathers love and bounty, and have their addreſs to him for all they want, deſiring but ſuch ſupplies as are neceſſary or uſeful to them for his ſervice. But ſelf deſireth more than daily bread, & deſireth not ſo much to ſtrengthen you for Gods ſervice, as to delight and gratifie the fleſh; and had rather have its ſtock in its own poſſeſſion, than daily to fetch it as you uſe it from God.
You muſt pray daily for the forgiveneſs of your ſins, as people that are grieved for them, and weary of them, and hate them, and are ſenſible of the want and worth of pardon, and of the abundant Grace of Chriſt that purchaſed it, and the preciouſneſs of the Goſpel-promiſes that conveigh it, and of your own Unworthineſs by reaſon of this ſin. But ſelf is not eaſily ſo far abaſed as to be heavy-laden, and ſick of ſin; nor is it eaſily drawn to value Grace, or feel how much you are unworthy of it, or need it; nor eaſily driven to renounce all ſufficiency and conceits of a Righteouſneſs of your own, and wholly to go out of your ſelves to Chriſt for life: Self cannot ſpare ſin: for it is its darling and play-fellow, its food, its recreation and its life.
You muſt daily pray to be ſaved from temptation, and delivered from Evil; even the Evil of ſin, as well as of puniſhment. But ſelf doth Love the ſin, and therefore cannot long to be delivered from it, and therefore Loveth the temptation that leadeth to it, & indeed is a continual tempter to it ſelf. Would the Covetous worldling be delivered from his worldlineſs? Would the Ambitious Proud perſon be delivered from his Pride or Honours? or the ſenſual perſon from his ſenſual delights? No, they do not Love the Preacher or people that are againſt them in theſe ways: nor the holy ſelf-denial that is contrary to them; nor the Scripture that condemneth them; nor indeed the Lord himſelf that forbids them, and is the author of all theſe Laws and holy ways which they abhor. So that you ſee how ſelf is an enemy to every Petition in the Lords Prayer.
3. And it is a violation of all the ten Commandments. The firſt and ſecond it is moſt directly againſt, and is the very thing forbidden in them: and all the reſt it is againſt conſequentially, and is the virtual breach of them, as diſpoſing and drawing the ſoul thereunto.
The two Tables have two Great Commands, which are the ſum of the whole Law, and all the other Commandments are conſequents or particulars from theſe. The ſum of the firſt Table is [Thou ſhalt Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart] or above all] This is the firſt Commandment] Thou ſhalt have none other Gods before me] which is put firſt as being the Fundamental Law, commanding ſubjection it ſelf to the ſoveraign Power of God, which neceſſarily goes before all actual obedience to particular precepts. But ſelf is directly againſt this, and ſets up man as a God to himſelf: And all the unſanctified Love themſelves better than God, and therefore cannot Love him above all.
And therefore neither ſecond, third or fourth command can be ſincerely kept by ſuch: For when ſelf is ſet up, and God denied, in ſtead of the right worſhipping of God, they are worſhipping themſelves, or ſuiting God worſhip to the conceit and will of ſelf. Inſtead of the Reverent uſe of his name, they are ſetting up their own names, and will venture on the groſſeſt abuſe of Gods name, rather than ſelf ſhall ſuffer or be croſſed. And inſtead of hallowing the Lords day, they devote both that and every day to themſelves.
The ſum of the ſecond Table is, Thou ſhalt love thy neighbour as thy ſelf] and this is the meaning of the tenth Commandment, which forbiddeth us to covet any thing from him to our ſelves: that is, that we ſet not up ſelf and its intereſt againſt our neighbour and his good; and be not like a bruiſed or inflamed part of the body, that draweth the blood or humors to it ſelf, or like a Wen or other Tumor, that is ſucking from the body for its own nutrition: ſo that it is but plainly this [Be not ſelfiſh, or drawing, or deſiring any thing to thy ſelf, which is not thy due, but belongeth to another: but let Love run by even proportions, between thy neighbour and thy ſelf, in order to God and the publick good.] And this Commandment brings up the rear, that it may ſummarily comprehend and gather up all other particulars that be not inſtanced in, in the foregoing Commandments. Now ſelfiſhneſs being the very ſin that is here forbidden, I need to ſay no more to tell you that ſelf is the breaker of this Law.
Next to this ſummary concluding Precept, the greateſt in the ſecond Table (if not one of the firſt) is the fifth Commandment; which requireth the preſervation of Relations and Societies, and the duties of thoſe Relations, eſpecially of inferiors to ſuperiors, for the Honour of God and the Common good. And this is ſet before the reſt, becauſe the publick good is preferred to the perſonal good of any; and Magiſtrates and Superiors being Gods Officers, and for the Publick good, are to be prefered before the ſubjects. But what an enemy ſelfiſhneſs is to this Commandment, I intend anon to ſhew you diſtinctly, and therefore now paſs it by.
And for the following Commandments, who ever murdered another but out of ſome inordinate reſpect to himſelf, either to remove that other … of his ſelfiſh Ends, or to be revenged on …riving ſelf of profit, or honour, or ſom… it would have had, or in ſome way or other …in your Own Ends by anothers blood?
And what is it but the ſatisfaction of your Own … thy luſts, that cauſeth Adultery and all uncleanneſs? And what is it but the furniſhing and providing for ſelf that provoketh any man to Rob another? And what is it but ſome ſelfiſh End that cauſeth any man to pervert Juſtice, or ſlander, or bear falſe witneſs againſt his neighbour? ſo that nothing is more plain than that ſelfiſhneſs is all ſin and villany againſt God and man, comprized in one word.
And therefore you need not ask me, which Commandment it is that doth forbid it: For it is forbidden in every one of the ten Commandments. The firſt condemneth ſelf as it is the Idol ſet up, and Loved, truſted, and ſerved before God: the ſecond condemneth it as the Enemy of his worſhip; and the third condemneth it as the Prophaner of his Name; and the fourth, as the Prophaner of his Hallowed time: The ſecond Table in the tenth Commandment condemneth ſelf as it is the Tumor and gulf that is contrary to the Love of our neighbour, and would draw all to it ſelf. The fifth Commandment condemneth it as the Enemy of Authority and Society: the ſixth as the Enemy to our Neighbours life; the ſeventh, eighth, and ninth condemn it as the enemy to our neighbours chaſtity, Eſtates, and Cauſe, or Name.
So that if you ſee any miſchief done in Perſons, Families, Towns, Countrys, Courts, Armies, or any where in the world, you need not ſend out Hue and Cry to find out and apprehend the actor: It is ſelfiſhneſs that is the Author of all. If the poor be oppreſſed by the rich, and their lives made almoſt like the life of a labouring Ox or Horſe, till the Cry of the oppreſſed reach to heaven, who is it that doth all this but ſelf? The Landlords and rich men muſt Rule and be ſerved by them. I warrant you they would not do thus by themſelves.
If the poor be diſcontented and murmur at their condition, and ſteal from others, who is it that is the cauſe of this but ſelf? If another were in poverty, they would not murmur nor ſteal for him.
It is ſelfiſhneſs that blemiſheth Judges, and Juſtices and Officers with the ſtains of partiality, avarice, and injuſtice: It is this that diſturbeth the peace of Nations; that will not let Princes Rule for God, and conſequently overthrows their Thrones: that will not let ſubjects Obey them in the Lord, but lets in wars and miſeries upon them: that ſets the Nations together by the ears, and ſo continueth them: yea it is ſelf that will not let neighbours live together in Peace: that provoketh people to diſobey their Teachers, and Teachers to be man-pleaſers, and neglect the people; that will not let Maſters and Servants, Parents and Children, Husband and Wife, live peaceably and lovingly one with other; It is the common make-bate and troubler of the world.
Nay it is ſelf that cauſeth moſt of the new Opinions and practiſes in Religion: that ſets up Popery, and moſt other Sects; and cauſeth the Paſtors to contend for ſuperiority to the troubling of the Church after all the plain prohibitions of Chriſt.
In a word, ſelfiſhneſs is the grand enemy of God and man; the Diſeaſe of Depraved lapſed nature: the very heart of Original ſin, and the old man; the root of all the Iniquity in the world: the breach of every Commandment of the Law; the enemy of every Article of Faith, and every Petition in the Lords Prayer; and by that time we have added the reſt of its deformity, you will ſee whether it be not the very Image of the Devil, as the Love of God and our neighbour which is its contrary, is the image of God.
But now on the contrary ſide Self-denial complyeth with all Divine Revelations, and diſpoſeth the ſoul to all holy Requeſts, and to the obſervation of every Command of God.
It humbly ſtoopeth to the myſteries of Faith, which others proudly quarrel with in the dark. It makes a man ſay, O what am I that I ſhould ſet my wit againſt the Lord, and make my Reaſon the Touch-ſtone of his truth, and think to Comprehend his judgements that are incomprehenſible! It cauſeth a man to ſit as a little child, at the feet of Chriſt to learn his will, and ſay, Speak Lord, for thy ſervant heareth. It ſilenceth the carpings of an unſatisfied underſtanding, and limiteth the enquiries of a buſie, prying, preſumptuous wit; and ſubdueth the contradictions of fleſh and blood: It caſteth off that Pride and ſelf-conceitedneſs that hindreth others from believing.
In Prayer it bringeth an emptied ſoul, that is not ſtopped up againſt the grace and bleſſings of God; It layeth us low in a receiving poſture: It emptieth us of our ſelves, that we may be filled with God: It hath nothing to ſay againſt any one of thoſe Requeſts which Chriſt hath put into our mouths, but ſubſcribeth to them all. It is the higheſt ambition, the greateſt deſire of a ſelf-denying ſoul, that Gods Name may be hallowed and honoured, whatever become of his own Name or honour; and that the Kingdom of God may flouriſh, in which he deſireth to be a ſubject; and that the will of God may be done, and the will of himſelf and all the world conformed and ſubjected to it: And ſo of the reſt of the Petitions. Self-denial is half the life of Prayer.
And it is a dutiful obſerver of all the Commandments. It giveth up our Love to God as his Own, and conſequently worſhippeth him in Love, and Reverenceth his name, and obſerveth his time, and indeed is wholly devoted to him. And it giveth our neighbour that part of our Love which belongeth to him; and therefore will not diſhonour ſuperiors, or encroach upon the poſſeſſions of others, or injure them for his own ends.
And indeed what ſhould draw a ſelf-denying man to ſin, (were he but perfect in ſelf-denial?) when the poiſe is taken off, the wheels all ſtand ſtill: Self-denial doth fruſtrate Temptations, and leave them little to work upon. What ſhould move a ſelf-denying man to be Proud, or covetous, or injurious to others? no man doth evil, but it ſeemeth good, and for ſome good that he imagineth it will do him: And this ſeeming good is to carnal ſelf: And therefore a ſelf-denying man hath taken off the byaſs of ſin, and turned out the deceiver, and when Satan comes he hath little in him to make advantage of. O how eaſily may you take ſin out of the hands of the ſelf-denying, and make them caſt it away with lamentation, when other men will hold it as faſt as their lives! O try this ſpeedy way of Mortification. Would you but deſtroy this Original breeding ſin, you would deſtroy all. All the ſins of your lives are the fruits of your ſelfiſhneſs; kill them at the heart and root, if you would go the neareſt way to work. What abundance of ſin doth ſelf-denial kill at once? Indeed it is the ſum of mortification. And therefore be ſure that you deny your ſelves.