A Treatise of Self-Denial, Chapter 4 · Section 2
SECT. II. Of Exhortation.
TO all you who have not as yet begun to deny your ſelves, that you would now begin to doe it. You have yeelded long enough, yea too long; the time paſt of your life may ſuffice you to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when yee walked in laſciviouſneſſe, luſts, exceſſe of wine (Witch-craft, Hatred, Variance, Emulations, Wrath, Strife, Seditions, Hereſies, Envyings, Murders, Gal. 5.20, 21.) Revellings, Banquetings, and abominable Idolatries, 1 Pet. 4.3. Oh! for the Lord Jeſus Chriſt his ſake, for your owne precious ſouls ſake yeeld no longer, though you have never in all your life denyed your ſelves hitherto, yet now take heart to doe it; To day if yee will hear his voyce, harden not your hearts, Heb. 4.7. If you meane not to deny Chriſt, then deny your ſelves; if you will not deny your ſelves, you muſt needs deny him, for hee askes for Self-denial. And who would deny Chriſt? Who in this Congregation can finde in his heart to deny the Lord Jeſus? Doe you not ſay he is your Lord, and your King, your Saviour, and your Redeemer? one that ſhed his moſt precious Bloud for you, and can you finde in your heart to deny ſuch an one? Nay if you would not have Chriſt deny you, if you would not have him laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh, when your fear cometh as a deſolation, and your deſtruction cometh as a whirlwind, when diſtreſſe and anguiſh cometh upon you, being ready to receive the dreadful Sentence of your eternal Condemnation before his terrible Judgement-ſeat, if then you would not have him profeſſe unto you that hee never knew you, nor ſay, Depart from mee yee that work iniquity, Matth. 7.23. Depart from mee yee curſed into everlaſting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels (Matth. 25.41.) take heed that you deny him not now, by not denying your ſelves. I have ſpoken already by way of conviction to your judgements, I ſhall now ſpeake by way of perſwaſion to your affections; and oh! that by perſwading I could perſwade!
The Poets feigne of Orpheus, a Muſician of Thrace, that in playing of his Harp, hee was ſo skilful that hee would ſtop the current of Rivers, tame wilde Beaſts, and make Woods and Mountains follow after him. How happy ſhould I think my ſelf if any thing that I ſhall ſay might bee of that powerfully-moving vertue, and efficacy upon the ſtocks and ſtones, and beaſts in mens likeneſſe, that are before mee, as (contrary to their Natures) to make them follow after Jeſus Chriſt! Could I ſay much more than I can, nay, could I ſay whatſoever can bee ſaid by the tongues of men and Angels, to perſwade you, it would bee more than needs, there being nothing that man naturally is more averſe from, than the practiſe of this duty.
Were I to perſwade to Self-love, and Self-ſeeking, a word would ſuffice in any Aſſembly, the motion would bee as readily embraced as made; but to perſwade men againſt themſelves, to perſwade them to pluck out the right eye, to cut off the right hand, and to crucifie the old man with the luſts thereof; Hic labor hoc opus eſt, this is the moſt difficult thing in the world; and therefore unleſſe the Lord, together with that which ſhall bee ſpoken to the ear, bee pleaſed to ſpeake effectually by his Spirit to the heart, I ſhall but ſing to the deaf, Cathedram habet in coelis qui corda docet. Hee hath his Pulpit in Heaven that teacheth hearts. He hath your hearts in his hand, and hee can turn them as the rivers of water, Prov. 21.1. It is hard to convince the judgement that it is a duty, and harder to perſwade the will to practice it; but in the day of his power who can doe whatſoever hee will, Eccleſ. 3.14. Who worketh both to will and to doe, Phil. 2.13. Yee ſhall bee both willing and able to performe it, Pſalm 110.3. in confidence of his aſſiſtance therefore I ſhall endeavour to worke your affections to a liking of this duty; you have heard in the Demonſtration of the Doctrine the neceſſity of it, and that were argument enough (me thinks) to move you forth-with to begin, if you would but conſider it, Neceſſary things doe not come under deliberation.
One that hath a Gangrene in his Arme or Legge, doth not deliberate (unleſſe hee be a Mad-man) whether it be beſt to cut it off, for he knowes that otherwiſe it will periſh his whole body, and therefore cryes out, Enſe recidendum eſt, ne pars ſincera trahatur. And this is that which our Saviour told his Diſciples, Woe be to the World becauſe of offences, for it muſt needs be that offences come — Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and caſt them from thee, it is better for thee to enter into life halt and maimed, rather than having two hands, or two feet, to bee caſt into everlaſting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and caſt it from thee, it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather then having two eyes to be caſt into Hell-fire, Matth. 18.8, 9. There is no remedy, but either you muſt doe the one, or ſuffer the other; either you muſt deny your ſelves, or you muſt to Hell; for ſo he tells you, who knows what will become of you in the other world. Now indeed, if you think it better to be in Hell to all eternity hereafter, than to bee in the Purgatory of Self-denial now for a time; if you had rather undergoe thoſe everlaſting Torments that are there, than endure the paine and anguiſh of denying your ſelves here, then walk in the ſight of your eyes, and the way of your heart, doe evil as you can, with both hands greedily, till the meaſure of your iniquities bee full; but if you think you ſhall not bee able to abide the gnawing of the worme that never dyes, nor the burning of the Fire that never goes out; Oh! then immediately reſolve upon the practice of Self-denial, for neceſſity is laid upon you, and woe be to you if you deny not your ſelves; There remaines nothing for you, but a certaine fearful looking for of Judgement, and fiery indignation, which ſhall devour the adverſaries, Heb. 10.27. For we know him that hath ſaid, vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompence ſaith the Lord. And againe, The Lord ſhall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, verſ. 30, 31. For our God is a conſuming fire, Heb. 12.29. I ſhall adde no more to this, but that which I ſhall now inſiſt upon as the maine thing to perſwade you, is, The excellency of Self-denial.
The more excellent any thing is, the more taking it is, every one would have that which doth excel; an excellent countenance, an excellent carriage, an excellent ſpeech, an excellent attire, &c. why now, if you would have that which is moſt excellent, and that which will make you moſt excellent, here is ſomething for you, The moſt excellent duty of Self denial.
In the Church of Corinth they were very ambitious of Gifts; ſaith the Apoſtle to them, yee doe well to covet Gifts, but yet I ſhew you a more excellent way, 1 Cor. 12.31. and that is it which I ſhall now ſhew unto you.
The way of Self-denial is the moſt excellent way, there is a manifold excellency in Self-denial, as will appear in the particulars that follow.