A Treatise of Self-Denial, Treatise · Chapter 67
CHAP. LXVII. Selfiſhneſs the powerful Enemy of all Ordinances.
5. MOreover it is ſelf that is the moſt powerful reſiſter of all the Ordinances of God; and it is ſelf-denial that boweth the ſoul to that holy complyance with them, which wonderfully furthereth their ſucceſs.
Were it not for this one prevailing eneny, what work would the Goſpel make in the world! O with what confidence ſhould we come into the Pulpit, and ſpeak the word of God to our hearers, had we any to deal with but this Carnal ſelf! God can overcome it by his victorious grace; but it's ſo blind, ſo wilful, ſo near men, and ſo conſtant with them, that it will overcome us, and all that we can ſay or do, till God ſet in. When I come to convince a ſinner of his guilt, and ſhew him the hainous nature of his ſin, becauſe it is his Own, he will be convinced of it: when I tell them of their miſery, they will not be convinced of it, becauſe it is their own. Were I to ſpeak all this to another, and tell another of his ſin and miſery, I might have theſe mens conſent, ſo it reflected not upon themſelves. Were I to wring the unlawful gains out of the hands of another, I might have their conſent: or were I to perſwade another from his Pride, or luſt, or paſſion, they would give me free leave, becauſe it is not ſelf that is concerned in it, nor ſelf-denial that is neceſſary to it in them. But when we come to themſelves, there is no dealing with them, till God by Grace or Judgement deal with them. They cannot endure to know the worſt by themſelves: much leſs to come out of it. If we tell them of their ſin and danger, they ſay, we ſpeak againſt them! And therefore they ſay, It is out of malice, or humour, or pride. And as well might all diſeaſed perſons ſay ſo of their Phyſicians, that when they tell them of their diſeaſe and danger, they ſpeak againſt them, and ſpeak out of malice or ill will. It is natural for men to think well of all that they love, and of all that they do: and whom do they love better than themſelves? Pride will not let men think ſo meanly and hardly of themſelves as the Scripture ſpeaks of them, and Miniſters muſt plainly tell them. The Prophet wept that foreſaw the cruelty of Hazael; but he had ſo good a conceit of himſelf that he would not believe he ſhould be ſo cruel, 2 Kings 8. 13. Is thy ſervant a dog that he ſhould do this?] The falſe Prophet Zedekiah could not forbear, but ſtruck Micaiah, when he made it known that he was a lying Prophet, 1 Kings 22. 24. And Ahab hated him, becauſe he propheſied not good of him but evil. It was all the Proud men that roſe up againſt Jeremiah, and contradicted his prophecie, and rejected his word, Jer. 43. 2. The word of God is quick and powerful, and a diſcerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart; and it is the plain word of that God, that feareth not the faces of the Proudeſt ſinners on earth, and will not flatter, nor daub with any of them all, but will tell them to their faces what they are, and what will become of them if they do not turn, and what they muſt truſt to: This is the word that God hath put into our mouths, and commanded us to preach to them: not the flattering words of an inferior, nor the tender language of a man-pleaſer, but the commanding words of the God of heaven, and the peremptory threatnings of everlaſting fire, againſt all unconverted, unſanctified men, denounced from him that feareth none of them all, but will make them all ſtoop at laſt to him, and fear, and tremble before his Majeſty. And is it any wonder if Proud and ſelfiſh ſinners are diſpleaſed with ſuch a word as this? They ſtand all the while they are hearing a plain and powerful Preacher, as priſoners arraigned at the bar; and ſometime are ready to tremble as Felix did, when he heard Paul dilating of righteouſneſs, and temperance and the judgement to come, Acts 24. 25. And can ſelf endure to be thus uſed and arraigned for its life? eſpecially when they think it is but by a man? For they have not the underſtanding to know that it is Chriſt that owneth all that his Meſſengers ſpeak by his Commiſſion. Hence it is that men hate thoſe Miniſters that they feel thus to judge them in their Doctrine, and take them for their enemies for telling them the truth, Gal. 4. 16. and think they are but the troublers of the Countrey, as Ahab called Elijah the troubler of Iſrael, which he had troubled himſelf, 1 Kings 18. 17. and meet them as he did the ſame Prophet, 1 Kings 21. 20. Haſt thou found me O mine Enemy? They meet not a Miniſter as the Meſſenger of God that calls them to repentance, but as an enemy in the field, to ſtrive againſt him, and raiſe up all the reaſonings and paſſions of their ſouls againſt him, becauſe he condemneth their unregenerate ſtate, tells them but what God hath charged him to tell them: when the poor ſinners conſider not, that before God hath done with them, as ſure as they breathe, he will make them either by grace or Judgement, condemn themſelves as much as any of his Miniſters condemned them, (from the word of God) at whom they were moſt offended. Ah little do theſe Proud worms that rage at us now for faithful dealing, and for telling them that which they will ſhortly find true, little do they think that they ſhall ſhortly ſay the very ſame againſt themſelves which they hated us for ſaying: Nay with an hundred times more bitterneſs and ſelf-revenge will they ſpeak theſe things againſt themſelves, than ever we ſpoke them. Hence it is that faithful plain-dealing Miniſters are commonly hated and perſecuted by the ungodly, eſpecially by the great ones and honourable ſinners. For their meſſage is againſt ſelf, and therefore ſelf will riſe up againſt them, and ſo many ſelfiſh unmortified perſons as there be in the Congregation, ſo many enemies uſually hath ſuch a Miniſter. And therefore the Lords of Iſrael petition the King that Jeremy may be put to death, Jer. 38. 4. And Amaziah the Prieſt calls Amos a conſpirator againſt the King, and tells the King that the Land was not able to bear his words, and commands him to preach no more at the Kings Chappel or his Court, Amos 7. 10, 11, 12, 13. And what was the matter that deſerved all this, yea and the death of almoſt all the Prophets and Apoſtles of Chriſt? why, it was for ſpeaking againſt ſelf and its carnal intereſt: But was it not a truth that was ſpoken? True or falſe, if it be againſt ſelf, it cannot be born! As the Biſhop of Ments that Luther ſpeaks of, meeting with a Bible, and reading an hour in it, [I know not, ſaith he, what book this is, but I am ſure it is againſt us] Meaning the Popiſh Clergy. So theſe men ſay by our preaching and by the word of God it ſelf, Be it never ſo true, we are ſure it is againſt us: Or rather [we will not believe it, becauſe it is againſt us] But if theſe men had their wits about them, they would ſee that this is for them, which they think is againſt them. It is for their healing and ſalvation, had they hearts to entertain it, though it be for the troubling of them at the preſent by humiliation. O how tender are carnal perſons of this ſelf! How quickly do they feel, if a Miniſter do but touch them! How impatiently do they ſmart, if he meddle with the galled place, and plainly open their moſt diſgraceful ſins, and moſt dangerous courſes, as one that had rather be guilty of diſpleaſing them, than of ſilently permitting them to diſpleaſe God, and undo their ſouls! They fret and fume at the Sermon, and go home with paſſion in their hearts and reproaches in their mouths againſt the Miniſters: And are of the mind of the deſperate Sodomites, Gen. 19. 9. that ſaid to Lot when he exhorted them, [Stand back: This one fellow came in to ſojourn, and he will needs be a Judge: now will we deal worſe with thee than with them] what, ſay they, can he not preach and let me alone? hath he none to rebuke before the Congregation but me! And thus will every ungodly perſon reject the Word as they are ſelfiſh, and ſelf muſt be let alone in all. But why muſt you be let alone? will you be ever the ſafer or better for that! will God let you alone if we ſhould let you alone? No, he will not be frightened from dealing with you as you are: whatever his word hath ſaid againſt you, he will certainly make good, though you ſhould never more be told of it by Miniſters. You have not ſilenced your Judge, when you have ſilenced his Meſſengers. He will handle you in another manner than Miniſters do. O how eaſie is it to hear a Preacher threatning the everlaſting wrath, in compariſon of hearing the ſentence of the Judge and feeling the execution! If we ſhould yield to your deſires, and let you alone, God would neither let you nor us alone; you would but go the quietlier to hell; and your blood will be required alſo at our hands, Ezek. 33. 6, 7, 8, 9. and then what would become both of us and you?
O were it not for the Powerful reſiſtance of this ſelfiſhneſs, what work would every Sermon make that we preach to you? O what abundance would be converted at a Sermon! for what ſhould hinder it? I ſhould make no doubt of perſwading you all to cloſe with the Lord upon his reaſonable terms, and to become a holy and heavenly people, and preſently to forſake your former ſin, even this hour. Nay ſome ordinances there are that ſelfiſhneſs hath almoſt ſhut out of the Church: as moſt of the exerciſe of the antient Diſcipline, in open and perſonal admonitions, and publick confeſſions and lamentation of ſin, with rejection of the impenitent, and the Abſolution of the penitent: Beſides moſt of that private addreſs to Paſtors for their advice in caſe of falls, and ſpiritual decays, or weakneſſes, and difficulties that meet them in doctrine or duty. Self will not ſuffer men to ſtoop to moſt of theſe! What, will they be brought to open confeſſions and lamentations of ſin, and to follow the guidance and perſwaſions of a Prieſt? no, all the Prieſts in England ſhall not make ſuch fools of them: ſo wiſe are theſe ſelfiſh men for a little while! But how long will this hold! and how long will madneſs go for wiſdom! when they are dying, then they will ſend for the Miniſter and confeſs: and when ſome of them come to the Gallows, they will confeſs: And every one of them ſhall confeſs at laſt whether they will or no; and God will indite their confeſſion for them, and open their ſhame to all the world in another manner than Miniſters required them to open it: But then Confeſſion will do nothing for Remiſſion, and the preventing of execution, as now it might have done.
So alſo the duty of brotherly reproof and admonition of offendors, is almoſt quite caſt out by ſelfiſhneſs: and eſpecially, the patient and thankful receiving of it: And thoſe ordinances that are continued, are very much fruſtrated by the oppoſition of ſelfiſhneſs. It is a very hard task that Scripture and good books, and preachers have to do; when we ſpeak every word to enemies of the Doctrine which we preach, and we can do them no good but by their own conſent: And who will conſent to that which he is an enemy to? Our work is to ſubdue their Fleſh and Carnal wills to Chriſt: and this fleſh is ſo dear to them that it is themſelves: ſo that they take all that Doctrine to be againſt them which ſhould ſave them: And we have as many Enemies as unconverted hearers in our Aſſemblies: No wonder therefore if they carp, and quarrel, and ſtrive, when the ſelfdenying humbly ſubmit and obey.
Self-denial openeth the heart to Chriſt, and giveth the Ordinances leave to work: It taketh down all oppoſition and contradiction; ſo that though the ſoul may ſtay to ſearch the Scripture, and ſee whether the things that are taught be ſo, yet it ſearcheth with a childlike charitableneſs, and willingneſs to learn, and know, and obey. It hath no mind to quarrel with God; how eaſily will a ſelf-denying man ſubmit to thoſe duties which another man abhors? How eaſily will he be perſwaded to forgive a wrong, to part with his right for a greater good to others, to let go a gainful Trade that is unlawful, or any ſinful way of thriving: How eaſily is he brought to ask forgiveneſs of thoſe that he hath wronged, to make a publick confeſſion of his ſins, if the greatneſs of them, or his duty to God, or the good of others, do require it; to make reſtitution of all that he hath gotten wrongfully; to bear a plain and ſharp reproof; to part with his own for the relief of the poor; to lay out his eſtate to the beſt advantage of the Cauſe and Church of God, and the common good; to let go any unlawful vanity; any exceſs in meat, and drink, or ſport, or ſleep, or any vanity in apparel or other work of Pride: How eaſily can he bear all rebukes, reproaches, and neglects, and undervaluing ingratitude from others! But what ado ſhall we have with carnal, unſanctified wretches to perſwade them to all or any of this? From them a Preacher hath ſuch a work to pull their beloved profitable ſins (they ſeem profitable to them till the reckoning comes) as a man hath to pull the prey from the jaws of a hungry Wolf, or meat from the mouth of a greedy Dog: But when we require the ſelf-denying to do the ſame thing, it is but as to bid a child obey his Father whom he loveth and honoureth. The doing of theſe duties, and forſaking theſe ſins, is to an ungodly man as the parting with a right hand, or a right eye, or the skin from his back, or the fleſh from his bones, as we ſee by the rarity, and the unſucceſsfulneſs of the plaineſt reaſons, and great Authority of God himſelf, and the few works of Piety, charity, or ſelf-denyal that are done by ſuch at any great coſt. But to the ſelf-denying, it is but as the caſting away a handful of earth, or caſting off an upper garment, for the doing of their work.