supplies. Secondly, Specially, in regard of these personal corruptions, which we, in our particulars, are more notably carried unto; which David calls the keeping of himself from his own iniquity.' (Psalm xviii. 23) For though natural corruption, wherever it is, be a seminary of all sin, yet in particular persons it usually putteth itself forth more notably in some particular sins: as the sap of the earth is the 'fomes' and matter of all kinds of fruit, yet, in one ground, it sorts better with wheat; in another, with barley; in this tree, it becomes a grape; in another, an olive;-so original sin in one man runs most into avarice; in another, into sensuality; in a third, into pride and vain-glory, and the like. We read of national sins, the lying and laziness of the Cretians; (Tit. i. 12) the curiosity and inquisitiveness of the Athenians; (Acts xvii. 11) the pride and cruelty of the Babylonians; (Isai. xlvii) the robbery of the Sabeans and Chaldeans: (Job i. 15, 17) and we read of personal sins, the stubbornness of Pharaoh, the gainsaying of Korah, the envy of Saul, the churlishness of Nabal, the ambition of Absalom, the intemperance of Felix, the sorcery of Simon Magus, &c. Thus particular persons have their more proper sins, whereby they have most of all dishonoured God, withstood his spirit, neglected and resisted his grace, and defiled their own consciences; and therefore, in conversion, though repentance, as a hound, drives the whole herd of sin before. it, yet the dart of the word sticks most in this sin, which is thereby singled out for a more particular detestation.

2. Conditionally, and upon supposition of God's special call; and, in that sense, we are to deny our natural self. Which we are the rather to do; first, because God calls no man to deny his whole self, and wholly to all purposes, at any time or in any case. He allows us, yea, he requires us, to seek the good of our souls; to seek any thing, without the which we cannot be happy; to promote by all means our own salvation; to seek ourselves out of ourselves, in Christ and in his righteousness. Secondly, because he never calls us unto any either morose and cruel, or superstitious selfdenial; such as is that of the covetous worldling, who when he wanteth nothing that he desires, wanteth power and a heart to eat thereof, and bereaveth himself of good; though the things which God gives, he gives them unto us to enjoy.

(Eccles. iv. 8. and vi. 2. 1 Tim. vi. 17) Or as that of Baal's priests, and the sect of the Flagellantes,' who cut and whipped themselves in their frantic devotions, as Saire the Casuist telleth us of Francis and Benedict, two founders of the regular devotions or superstition in the Church of Rome, that they were wont to cast themselves naked into the snow, and amongst thorns, to vex their bodies. A notable relation of which kind of self-denial (I know not whether more nasty or superstitious) a learned and grave divine" of ours hath largely collected out of Climacus and Lewes of Granada, in the fourth part of his Christian Warfare.

But we are then called by God to deny ourselves, our reason, wisdom, parts, learning, ease, wealth, lands, houses, honour, favour, credit, applause, father, mother, wife, children, life, whatsoever is dearest unto us,-whensoever it stands in opposition unto or in competition with Christ, his glory, kingdom, or command. In which sense we are to deny ourselves always, and 'præparatione animæ:' and actually, whensoever any thing, dear unto us, is inconsistent with the conscience of our duty to God. And thus (to instance only in our own profession) Paul regardeth neither liberty nor life, in comparison of the Gospel of grace and of the name of the Lord Jesus. (Acts xx. 24. Acts xxi. 13) Nor Micaiah, his safety or reputation. in Ahab's court. (1 Kings xxii. 14) Nor Levi, his father, or mother, or brethren, or children in the zeal of God's honour. (Deut. xxxiii. 9) Nor Ezekiel, his dear wife, the delight of his eyes, when God took her away with a stroke, and forbad him to mourn for her. (Ezek. xxiv. 16, 17, 18) Nor Matthew, his receipt of custom. (Luke v. 27) Nor James and John, their nets, their ships, their father, when they were called to follow Christ. (Matth. iv. 21, 22)

In this case, things are to be denied two manner of ways: First, as temptations and snares, when they are either baits to draw us into sin, or are themselves the fruits and wages of sin. When they are baits unto sin: "If thy brother," saith the Lord," the son of thy mother, or the son of thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend which is as thine own

Vid. Hospinian de Orig. Monach. 1. 6. c. 30. et de festis lib. 2. cap. 30. Clavis Reg. Sacerd. lib. 8. cap. Downham, part 4. lib. 1. cap. 4.

Sect. 4.

Sect. 5.

soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other Gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers, &c. thou shall not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him, neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: but thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first against him to put him to death," &c. (Deut. xiii. 6, 9) Though an idol be made of silver and gold, yet being an idol, it must be thrown away with detestation, like a menstruous cloth. (Isai. xxx. 22) If Simon Magus offered money for the gifts of the Spirit, the Apostle doth abhor so abominable a negotiation. (Acts

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viii. 20) Even the brazen serpent, when it becomes a snare by the abuse of men, is no longer preserved as a monument of mercy, but broken in pieces as Nehushtan,' a piece of brass. (2 Kings xvi. 4) When they are themselves the fruits and wages of sin: so Zaccheus denies himself in all his unjust gain, which he had gotten by sycophancy and defraudation; and, when Christ offers to come into his house, will not suffer Mammon to shut the door against him. (Luke xix. 8) Restitution, as it is a most necessary, so it is one of the hardest parts of self-denial, when a covetous heart must be forced to vomit up all its sweet morsels again. Unjust gain is like a barbed arrow; it kills, if it stay within the body; and it tears, and pulls the flesh away with it, if it be drawn out. As the fox in the fable, which, having crept in at a narrow hole to feed on a prey, and being filled, was grown too big, to make an escape at the same passage, was constrained, for saving his life, to empty and starve himself again, that he might go out by the same way that he came in.

X

II. As oblations and sacrifices, whensoever Christ calls us to dedicate them unto him. When Abraham was called from his country into a land of sojourning, which he knew not; when Daniel was called from a king's court to a den of lions; when Moses, from the honours of Egypt, to the afflictions of God's people; when the disciples, from their nets and their ships, to follow Christ, and wait upon a persecuted ministry; when Paul, from an active to a passive persecu

x Forte per angustam tenuis vulpecula rimam Repserat in cameram frumenti, &c. Hor. 1 Ep. vii, 29.

tion;-immediately they consulted not with flesh and blood, but willingly left their own comforts to obey God's commands. In conversion, the uses, the property of all we have, is altered; all our vessels, all our merchandise, must be superscribed with a new title, "Holiness to the Lord." (Isa. xxiii. 18. Zech. xiv. 20, 21) Then men's chief care will be to honour the Lord with their substance; (Prov. iii. 9) to bring their sons, their silver, their gold, to the name of the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. (Isa. lx. 9) All we are, or have, we have it on this condition,-to use it, to leave it, to lay it out, to lay it down, unto the honour of our master, from whose bounty we received it.

III. Comparatively; and, in some respect, so we are to deny our renewed self, our very virtues and graces. In the nature and notion of duties, so we are bound to seek, to pray for, to practise, to improve, to treasure up, and exceedingly to value them. But in relation unto righteousness, in the notion of a covenant of life and salvation, and in comparison of Christ, so we must esteem "all things loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Phil. iii. 8, 9, 10) It is a dangerous thing to hang the weight of a soul upon any thing which hath any mixture of weakness, imperfection, or corruption in it, as the purest and best of all our duties have. Væ etiam laudabili vitæ hominum, si, remotâ misericordiâ, discutias eam." It is a dangerous thing to teach, that faith, or any other evangelical virtue, as it is a work done by us, doth justify, or succeed in the place of, legal obedience unto the purpose of life. There is nothing to be called our righteousness, but "Jehova Tzidkenu." (Jer. xxiii. 6) Faith justifies, as the window may be said to enlighten, because it alone is apt (which no other part of the structure is) to convey and transmit that light which ariseth out of, and belongeth unto, another body, and not unto it: therefore it doth not justify habitually, as a thing fixed in us; but instrumentally, as that which receives and lets in the righteousness of Christ, shining through it upon us :—as the cup feeds by the wine which it conveys; as the lookingglass maketh the wall to glister, by reflecting the beams of the sun from itself upon it.

y Qui docet in operâ confidere, is negat meritum Christi sufficere: Ferus in Acts xv. 2 August.

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The sum of all, in one word, is this: We all profess ourselves to be disciples of Christ, and candidates of glory and immortality by him; and we have all promised to follow him whithersoever he leads us. Now whosoever will be in truth, what he is in promise and profession, must learn this fundamental duty, to deny himself; willingly and obediently to forsake all sin; to subdue all general concupiscence, with his own proper and personal corruptions, absolutely, without any limitation or exception. To cast away and forsake, always, in preparation of heart; and actually, whensoever Christ calls thereunto, whatsoever is near or dear unto him, whensoever it becomes either a snare to conscience, as a bait unto, or fruit of sin; or a sacrifice unto God, as a matter of duty to undervalue and disesteem the best of all his graces in respect of the righteousness of Christ, and in order to justification in the sight of God: looking on every thing, being, well being, outward enjoyments, inward abilities, virtues, graces, as matters of no rate or estimation, when Christ and the conscience of duty standeth in competition with them.

I have done with the doctrinal part of this point, and am sorry to have so long detained a learned auditory with things so fully known unto them before. I now proceed to application.

It is said, when Christ preached this doctrine, that he called the people unto him with his disciples. (Mark viii. 34) My exhortation proportionably unto you and myself shall be double: one, as we are the people of Christ; the other, as we are his disciples and ministers.

As the people of Christ, let us be exhorted,

I. To take heed of that sin, which is formally opposite unto self-denial, as a sin most pernicious and obstructive to salvation, which is the sin of self-love, or self-estimation; a most comprehensive and seminal lust, which lies at the root of every other sin. For unto the formality of every sin belongeth an inordinate conversion of a creature unto himself: and therefore it is set by the Apostle, as commander-in-chief in the head of a whole regiment of sins, 2 Tim. iii. 1, 5. It branches itself into two great sins, self-seeking, as an end; and self-depending, as a means unto that end; for he that worketh for himself, will work from himself too.

Self-seeking; when men neither regard the will and call of