we have disputed ourselves out of all religion .- Job. vi. 24, ' Cause me to understand wherein I have erred.' Till we come to see by divine light, carnal wisdom is always making lies and ill reports of religion ; we think it folly and preciseness to be strict, and that zeal is fury, and it is cowardice and disgrace to put up wrong. We shall still be call- ing good evil, and evil good, because we are wise in our own eyes ; there is a woe pronounced upon such • Isa. v. 21, 22, ' Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight ! ' &c. It is an excellent point of self-denial to ' become a fool, that we may be wise,' 1 Cor. iii. 18. As when we look in a perspective-glass we wink with one eye, that we may see the more clearly with the other ; so here we must put out the eye of carnal wisdom, and become fools, that we may be wise for Christ, So for all civil interests life, that is the most precious possession of the creature, and yet not too good to be denied : ver. 25, Christ instanceth — ' Whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it.' Tliat is the gospel way of thriving, to lose all for God. Now this is to be denied, not only in purpose and vow, but when it comes to trial; as it is said of the saints; Rev xii. 11, 'They loved not their lives to the death.' When it comes to a point, either they must leave their God or lose their lives on the account of re- ligion. The loving-kindness of God is better than life. So for estate : Mat. xix. 27, ' We have left all and followed thee,' say the disciples ; we must leave our coat, as Joseph did, that we may keep our conscience whole. The best usury in the world ; ten in the hundred would in the world be counted an oppression ; but now here is a hundred for one, Mark x. 32. So also for fame and esteem in the world ; though to an ingenious spirit this is exceeding precious, yet John the Baptist, speak- ing of Christ, saith, ' He must increase, but I must decrease.' We must be content to be ciphers, that Christ may rise up into the greater sum , as one in a crowd that holds another upon his shoulders, he is lost in the throng, but the other is exposed to the view of all. So for our friends ; Luke xiv. 26, ' Whosoever hates not his father, and his mother,' &c. There are many cases wherein we are to deny our friends ; as suppose, when we shall incur their displeasure, out of faithfulness to Christ. Carnal parents will frown upon us, and, it may be, withdraw maintenance, and other conveniences of life ; but it is better an earthly father should frown than that God should frown, it will be made up in spiritual relations So in case of doing justice and right we must not own father, mother, brothers, or sisters, for this is but more handsome and natural bribery. Levi was commended for this by the Lord : Deut. xxxiii. 9, ' He saith to his father and mother, I have not seen him, neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children, but observed my word, saith the Lord.' It is good to be blind and deaf to all relations in this case. Asa spared not his own mother, but deposed her, being idolatrous. See Deut. xiii. 6-9, • If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thy own soul, en- tice thee secretly, saying, Let us go serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers, . . , thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto hmi ; neither shall thy eye pity him ; neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him ; but thou shalt surely kill
Book I.] a treatise of self-denial. 185
him ; thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and after- ward the hand of all the people,' &c. We are apt to look upon these rules as calculated for Utopia, and have but a grammatical knowledge of them. So also for carnal things : if it be a right hand or a right eye, it must be plucked out and cut off, Mat. v. If it be as gainful and as profitable a sin as the right hand is profitable to us, yet it must not be spared. * We must deny all ungodliness,' Titus ii. 12, though ever so pleasing. Thus for the object, it extendeth to all things.
2. For the subject : see the extent of it, it reacheth all sorts of men ; Christ saith, ' If any will come after me, he must deny himself.' It is notable, that circumstance in Mark, when Christ gives the lesson of self-denial : Mark viii. 34, * When he had called the people unto him, with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself.' There is no calling, no sex, no age, no duty, no condition of life that is excluded, but one way or other, they are put upon self-denial. No calling: magistrates, and those who are called to public trust, they are most obliged, in regard of God and men, to deny themselves. It is notable, the self-denial of Joseph, though he were a great officer in Egypt, yet his family ran the same lot with other tribes. And Joshua, in the division of the land, he took his own lot and share last, Joshua xix. 49. Men in public places are most liable to mind private interest, to the neglect of the public ; but they ought not to feather their nests with public spoils.