Holy Dedication Both Personal and Domestic, Part 1 · Chapter 6
CHAP. 6. Helps to further Perſonal Dedication.
THe ſecond thing, in which I propounded to give you ſome direction, was to ſhew you, what are thoſe means or helps, which are proper for the furtherance of this ſelf-dedication. O that ſome ſoul might be brought to an earneſt deſire of ſome faithful advice about this: that ſome poor Creature might ſay; well, I ſee what my duty is, I am convinced by what hath been ſaid, that I am bound to dedicate, and thus to dedicate my ſelf to God: But what ſhall I do, in order to the bringing of my heart, to the real performance of it? In hopes that ſome may herein deſire ſatisfaction, I will lay down a few directions. And becauſe I intend to be very ſhort upon this Head, I will only name three great helps towards it.
1. The firſt is conſideration: the firſt ſtep to ſincere dedication is ſerious conſideration; the reaſon, why ſo few come up to this, is the want of ſerious weighing and conſidering of things; 'tis inconſideracy that keeps the moſt in their non-dedicated eſtate; if men would but bethink themſelves (as 'tis 1 Kings 8.47.) and dwell upon things in their moſt fixed and retired thoughts, ſurely they would cloſe with God, and give up themſelves to him: This is the foundation upon which all is built? 'Twas the Prodigals conſideration, that brought him home to his father: Luke 15.17. when he came to himſelf, he ſaid, How many hired, &c. firſt he came to himſelf, (and ſeriouſly conſidered what his ſtate was, and how it might be bettered,) and then, he came to his father. Parallel to this, is that Hoſ. 2.7. She ſhall follow after her lovers, and ſhall not overtake them, &c. then ſhall ſhe ſay, I will go and return to my firſt Husband, for then was it better with me than now. Here is Penitential reſolution grounded upon ſerious conſideration. So David, Pſal. 119.59. I thought on my ways and turned my feet to thy teſtimonies. O what a powerful influence hath this upon an holy courſe, and indeed upon all the duties of Religion! And therefore this I would urge upon you, in order to Perſonal Dedication: Do but conſider, what God is, what a right he hath to you, how you cannot be happy but in him, what an excellency there is in his ways, what a great nothing the world is in compariſon of him, how ſin debaſes you, whilſt holineſs is your advancement, how neceſſary ſelf-dedication is to the future glory. Were theſe and other things duly weighed, certainly you would not withhold your ſelves from God, or ſtand off from him a moment longer: Do but fix your thoughts upon what hath been laid down, to preſs the duty upon you, and (by Gods bleſſing,) I truſt ſomething will be done in this great work. Some ſudden and tranſient thoughts will be ineffective, the bare reading of what I have wrote, will ſignifie but little; but if the Lord will give you an heart to dwell upon things, and to be ſeriouſly conſiderative, then there will be ſome good ſucceſs.
2. Secondly, Another great help is ſelf-denial: This, this, is the main: ſelf-denial muſt go before ſelf-dedication; ſelf muſt be deny'd, before ſelf will be dedicated: O how readily, how eaſily doth ſelf-dedication go on, upon ſelf-denial: 'Tis this ſelf that keeps us from God, and ſets us againſt God; till that be dethroned, God will never be exalted. Self-dedication, as it furthers ſelf-denial, ſo 'tis furthered by it. Our Saviour tells us, if any man will come after him, he muſt deny himſelf, Luke 9.23. this is, not only the condition of the perſon, (or laid upon the perſon that comes to Chriſt,) but 'tis the condition of the act, or that which is requiſite to the act of coming to Chriſt; for without ſelf-denial no man will come to Chriſt. And ſo 'tis in the dedicating of our ſelves to God: As any man deſires to do this, firſt he muſt deny himſelf; and this is that which makes ſelf-dedication ſo difficult; it depends upon that, which is one of the hardeſt duties in the Goſpel; he that can deny ſelf, can do any thing.
Now there is a double ſelf, which muſt be deny'd, in order to Perſonal Dedication; that which we call ſinful ſelf, and that which we call worldly ſelf, (I make uſe of it as a common diſtinction, but I know 'tis not a good and accurate one, for worldly ſelf is ſinful ſelf, and ſo the membra dividentia are not oppoſita.)
1. Sinful ſelf muſt be denied: Till the heart be diſengaged and diſintangled from ſin, and freed from the love and dominion of ſin, a man will never give himſelf to God; ſo long as there is any one luſt predominant, (let it be what it will,) there will be a keeping off from God: Never did any dedicate himſelf to God, but firſt ſin was ſubdued in him: after this is once done, ſelf-dedication follows in courſe. Therefore begin with the heart, ſee that the power of ſin be broken there; as the Prieſts in the cleanſing of the Temple, 2 Chron 29.16.they firſt began with the inner part of it, and fetch'd out all the uncleanneſs that was there: So do you, if you would be the Lords, by donation and reſignation of your ſelves, look into the heart, purge out that ſin that is there, get every corruption maſtered, put it away with deteſtation, and then you are in your way: A man ſhall find, if at any time he doth but think of dedicating himſelf to God, if there be any one ſin reigning in him, this will make him hang off from God, and it will ſmother all inclinations in him to that which I am upon. O therefore down with ſinful ſelf; as ſin goes down, God goes up in the ſoul.
2. Farther, worldly ſelf muſt be denied: for the carnal worldly part in the ſinner, always ſets it ſelf againſt God: O what ſuggeſtions, reaſonings, ſolicitations, doth this follow him with, to keep him off from God! Till a man therefore be crucified to the world,Gal. 6.14. and that earthly part, that is in him be removed, there's nothing to be done. The young man in the Goſpel, did ſeem to bid fair for this dedication, but his heart being unmortified to the world, that ſpoil'd all: Luke 18.22, 23. God and the world cannot have the heart at the ſame time; the heart cannot be given to God, if the world hath the prepoſſeſſion of it. O begin your work at the right end, take a right method, that you may make ſomething of it. Would you ſet upon dedication-work? begin with crucifixion-work; Gal. 5.24.let thoſe earthly affections that are in you be crucified, get the Moon under your feet; Rev. 12.1.be dead to preſent things;Col. 3.3. look upon all here below,Philip. 3.8. as droſs and dung; pull the world off from the throne; do this firſt, and then you will certainly ſurrender up your ſelves to God. This is the ſecond means: I am the ſhorter in it, becauſe you have ſo many helps elſewhere about it.
3. The third is Prayer: In conſideration you plead with your ſelves, in Prayer you plead with God; the former will not avail without the latter: A man may think and think to eternity, and yet be but where he was, if God by his mighty power doth not do the work: Self-dedication is our act, but 'tis done in Gods ſtrength: Iſa. 26.12. Thou haſt wrought all our works in us. The deſire of it is of God; the actual performance of it is of God; He worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleaſure, Philip. 2.13. As none can come to the Son, unleſs the Father draw him, (Joh. 6.44.) ſo none can dedicate himſelf to the Father, without the efficacious, Almighty drawings and workings of the Spirit. First the heart is framed to this by divine grace, and then the perſon gives himſelf to God. The giving, ſelf ſurrendring, reſolving, ſeparating, covenanting, God-glorifying part of dedication, are each of them, all of them of God; all brought about by a ſupernatural power: Reaſon may ſuggest much to further this, but it will never produce it in the ſoul: O therefore pray, call in Gods help, ſet your ſelves to beg this frame, and you ſhall prevail. The work is as good as done, when your hearts in prayer are drawn out after it. Go often to the throne of Grace, and plead thus with the God of all Grace: Bleſſed Lord, I would fain dedicate my ſelf to thee, the deſire of my ſoul is, that I may live and act that, of which here I have read ſo much; I have been my own too long, now I would be thine, entirely thine, everlaſtingly thine; but I'm a poor weak creature, and not only unable to come up to this, but naturally I'm averſe to it; O do thou help me, do thine own work in me; give to me, that I may give my ſelf to thee: draw me, and I will run: O illuminate my underſtanding, bow my will, rectifie my affections, work me up to ſelf-denial, ſet in with conſideration, and fully convince me: O for Chriſts ſake do not leave me in my natural nondedicated condition; encline mine heart to an univerſal ſubjection to thee: Do that in me and for me, which all creatures in Heaven and Earth cannot do: Let my condition in the world be what thou pleaſeſt, but (Lord) let me be in the number of thoſe few, who do ſincerely devote themſelves to thee: O glorifie the riches of thy grace towards me, and let the day of thy power ariſe upon my ſoul: and in ſpight of all oppoſition, do thy work in me, that Perſonal Dedication may end in eternal glorification. Thus Pray and God will hear.