A Treatise of Self-Denial, Chapter 4 · Section 2 · Subsection 2 · Sub-subsection 2 – Sub-subsection 6
The ſecond Direction.
2 When upon Examination you have diſcovered in this or that particular, how much you are acted by a ſelf-intereſs, then enter into a ſerious and ſolemne conſideration of the horrible evil, and the exceeding ſinfulneſs thereof.
I thought on my wayes, and turned my feet unto thy teſtimonies, ſaith David, Pſal. …1 19.59. Though it bee onelyonly expreſſed here, that David turned his feet unto Gods teſtimonies, yet it is implied that he denied himſelf, this being a neceſſary antecedent to it; but how came it to paſs that hee did ſo? why hee tells us in the former words; I thought upon my wayes, I conſidered the evill of them, and then turned out of them. Hee went on very confidently and contentedly before, but it was becauſe hee did not conſider whither hee was going, hee did not ponder his paths; but as ſoon as he began to reflect upon himſelf, and to conſider where hee was, and whither hee was going, how hee diſhonoured God, and defiled his own ſoul in thoſe wayes, hee preſently makes a ſtop, and turns about unto Gods teſtimonies. This is the reaſon why men go on ſo long time together in a ſinful courſe, why they walk in the way of their heart, and the ſight of their eyes, without any regret of conſcience: It is becauſe they do not conſider what they are doing, nor whither they are going, like the young man, Prov. 7.22.23. that being inticed by the lewd woman, hee goeth after her ſtreightway, as an Oxe goeth to the ſlaughter, as a Bird haſteth to the ſnare, and knoweth not, i. e. conſidereth not that it is for his life. God notes this as the cauſe of his peoples rebelling againſt him, and their continuance in their rebellion, Iſa. 1.3. Iſrael doth not know, my people doth not conſider. Oh! if ever wee mean in good earneſt to deny our ſelves, and to follow the Lord fully in the paths of righteouſneſs and holineſs, let us every day ſteep our thoughts in a ſerious meditation of the exceeding ſinfulneſs of ſelf-pleaſing, and ſelf-ſeeking, of making proviſion for the fleſh to fulfil the luſts thereof. As a man will not come after Chriſt in obedience to his call in the Goſpel, till hee apprehend it to be good, yea abſolutely beſt for him ſo to do; ſo hee will not give a peremptory denial to the requeſts and commands of Self, till hee apprehend it to bee evill, yea the greateſt evill in the world to yeeld unto them. Therefore whenſoever wee diſcover any thing of ſelfiſhneſs in any of our actions, that wee are byaſſed in any particular by a ſelfiſh principle to the promoting of a ſelfiſh intereſt, in oppoſition to the intereſt of Chriſt, let us not think on it ſſeightly, but ſeriouſly, let our thoughts dwell upon it, debating and diſcuſſing the matter in and out to the uttermoſt, conſidering the nature, the cauſes, the effects, and aggravating circumſtances of it.
I have ſhewn you before the Excellency of Self-denial, now conſider the evill of ſelfiſhneſs.
1 As the Apoſtle ſaith of the Love of money, 1 Tim. 6.10. ſo it may bee truly ſaid of Self-love, that it is the root of all evil. This is the moſt breeding ſin, you may graft any wickedneſs upon this ſtock. See 2 Tim. 3.1. there the Apoſtle brings in a black Catalogue of the vileſt ſinners, and hee puts ſelfiſh men in the front. In the laſt dayes (ſaith hee) perillous times ſhall come, for men ſhall bee lovers of their own ſelves, covetous, beaſters, proud, blaſphemers diſobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection. This is a ſin with an Imprimis, the Commander in chief in the black Regiment of Luſts; It is the Devils Generaliſſimo.
See what akHinc ficae, hinc venena, hinc falſa teſtamenta na ſcuntur; hinc furta, hinc peculatus, expilationes, direptioneſque ſociorum & Civium; hinc opum nimiarum potentiae non ſerendae; poſtremo etiam in liberis civitatibus exiſtunt regnandi cupiditates, quibus nihil nec …e trius, nec ſaedius excogitari poteſt. Cic. number of Evils are wrapt up in this one Evil.
1 The Evil of Injuſtice. Juſtitia eſt ſuum cuique dare, Juſtice conſiſts in giving to every one his due, according to our Saviours rule, Matth. 22.21. Render unto Caſar the things that are Caeſars, and to God the things that are Gods, and that of the Apoſtle, Rom. 13.7. Render unto all their dues, tribute to whom tribute is due, cuſtome to whom cuſtome, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour. Now Self keeps back both from God and man that which is their due. 1 From God. Our ſoules are his, Ezek. 18.4. our bodies his, 1 Cor. 6.19. but Self keeps back both from him, it imployes all the powers and faculties of both as inſtruments of unrighteouſneſs unto ſin. 2 From men. Self is the cauſe of all that unjuſt dealing, that defrauding and going beyond one another; of all that extortion and oppreſſion that is in the world. Self will not ſuffer the proud man to give honour to whom honour is due, nor the covetous man to give tribute to whom tribute is due; nor the envious man to give love to whom love is due; nor the mercileſs man, mercy to whom mercy is due.
2 The Evil of Idolatry. A Selfiſh man is the man of ſin, that exalts himſelf above all that is called God; he makes himſelf his god, hee falls down and worſhips himſelf, making himſelf his ultimate end in every thing hee doth, and walking by his own rule, &c.
3 The Evil of Unthankfulneſs. If hee hath any thing more than others, hee boaſts as if hee had not received it, if hee hath any thing leſs, hee murmures as if hee had not his due.
4 The Evil of Unbeleef. Chriſt hath ſaid, Whoſoever will ſave his life ſhall loſo it, and whoſoever will loſe his life for my ſake, ſhall finde it, Matth. 16.25. And that it is better (for him) to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands, or two feet, to bee caſt into everlaſting fire, Matth. 18.8. but hee will not beleeve it, and ſo makes Chriſt a lyar.
5 The Evil of Unmercifulneſs. By ſeeking himſelf hee loſeth himſelf, by endeavouring to ſave himſelf, hee deſtroyes himſelf. This is the greateſt cruelty in the World. See Prov. 11.17.
6 There is much of the Devil in it: When Peter tempted our Saviour to ſave himſelf from the ſhameful death of the Croſs, hee ſaid, Get thee behinde mee Satan. Hee calls him Satan, not only becauſe hee tempted him, but becauſe of the ſin to which hee tempted him. All ſin is the Devils, Vel per modum imaginis, vel per modum ſervitutis, either by way of likeneſs, or ſervice to him, ſelfiſhneſs is ſo in both reſpects.
7 It is the great Make-bate in the world, the great divider, it divides men from God, and men one from another.
8 It is the onelyonly hindrance of mens cloſing with Chriſt. The young man could not cloſe with Chriſt, becauſe hee could not deny himſelf.
9 This cauſeth God to reject all our ſervices, Iſa. 58.5.
10 It is a contradiction to our prayers. Latimer ſaid of Peter, that when hee tempted Chriſt, hee forgot his Pater noſter, for that was, Thy Kingdome come, Thy will bee done.
By theſe, and ſuch like conſiderations, the horrible Evil of Selfiſhneſs may bee diſcovered, which is the ſecond thing to bee done in order to the practice of Self-denial.
The third Direction.
3 When upon ſerious conſideration you have diſcovered the horrible Evil, and exceeding ſinfulneſs of your Selfiſhneſs, bee much in the duty of Humiliation, labour in the ſtrength of Chriſt to affect your hearts with godly ſorrow for it.
Without deep humiliation, the conſideration of the Evil of Selfiſhneſs, will bee to little purpoſe. Turn yee to the Lord with weeping, ſaith the Prophet, Joel 2.12. It is promiſed, Jer. 50.4. In thoſe dayes and at that time, ſaith the Lord, the children of Iſrael ſhall come, they, and the children of Judah together, going, and weeping, or weeping as they go, and ſeek the Lord. If yee will return unto the Lord in the practice of Self-denial, yee muſt go weeping as yee go. Know this, that a thorough reformation of any evill, muſt have the foundation of it laid in a deep humiliation. Many perſons have attempted the denial of themſelves in ſome particulars, but becauſe they have not been firſt thoroughly humbled with the conſideration of their ſin in ſeeking themſelves in a ſinful way, they have fallen off again to an eager and hungry proſecution of their own ends, though in oppoſition to the intereſt of Chriſt, as much as ever before.
The fourth Direction.
4 Lay the Axe to the root of the tree, endeavour as much as in you lyes to abate the ſtrength of Original corruption.
It is but in vain to ſtand lopping off ſome particular branches, and let the root alone, though you lop off never ſo many, it will bring forth as many more.
1 Conſider the …oot beareth the branches, the branches do not bear the root, Rom. 11.18. that is, the root is the main ſupport of the branches; ſo here. All manner of actual ſins are dependent upon the root ſin. The root adminiſters ſtrength, and ſufficiency to all the branches; it is the onelyonly ſelf-ſufficient ſin. The branch cannot bring forth fruit of it ſelf, Joh. 15.4. As the branch hath its being from the root, ſo likewiſe its fruit, therefore when once cut off from the root, it withers; But though the branches wither, the root withers not, but brings forth new branches, and new fruit in them. There is hope of a tree if it bee cut down (ſaith Job) that it will ſprout again, Job 14.8. There is fear that this will ſprout again. Nebuchadnezzar ſaw in a Viſion, a goodly Tree, concerning which one cryed, Hew down the Tree, and cut off his branches, ſhake off his leaves, and ſcatter his fruit; Nevertheleſs leave the ſtump of hu roots in the earth with a hand of iron and braſs, Dan. 4.14, 15. This Daniel thus explains unto him, verſ. 26. whereas they commanded to leave the ſtump of the tree roots, thy Kingdome ſhall bee ſure unto thee; So though you hew down the branches, yet if you leave the root, the Kingdome of Self will bee ſure for ever.
2 Conſider the root hath as many branches under ground as above ground, Hoſ. 14.5. Hee ſhall cast forth his roots as Lebanon. Now in Lebanon there were very goodly trees, and they caſt forth their roots far and wide under ground. Thus doth original ſin; It is a certain truth, that ſo much corruption as at any time diſcovers it ſelf in any of our actions, ſo much corruption there is in our hearts. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh; and out of the heart proceed murders, adulteries, &c. ſaith our Saviour. The only way then to abate the ſtrength of ſin in the branches, is to abate it in the root.
The Fifth Direction.
5 Single forth thy darling ſin, thy peccatum in deliciis, thy Delilah-ſin. In a ſenſe I may ſay (as the King of Syria to his Captains, when hee joyned battel with the King of Iſrael) Fight neither with ſmall nor great, ſave onelyonly with the King, this King-ſin, this Maſter-corruption. I fight, ſaith the Apoſtle, not as one beating the ayre, 1 Cor. 9.27. Unleſs yee fight againſt this ſin, yee do but beat the ayre.
Though the root bear all the branches, and ſend up ſap into them, yet there are ſome that partake of the root more than others, there are ſome that are fruitful branches, there is a branch of corruption makes ſtrong for it ſelf; This darling fin is a kinde of root. Though all the branches bee from the root, yet one branch hath many ſprigs growing forth of it, which it doth maintain, 1 Tim. 6.10. ſaith the Apoſtle, The love of money is the root of all evil. If you can deny this, you will bee able to deny all the reſt, therefore Davids chief care was to keep himſelf from this ſin, I have kept my ſelfe from mine iniquity, Pſal. 18.23.
The Sixth Direction.
6 Take heed of ſinning against light, either by committing any known ſin, or omitting any known duty.
This may provoke the Lord to give you up to your luſts, and then it will bee impoſſible for you to deny your ſelves. See Rom. 1.21.24.