2. Seek self in God, this is an innocent diversion. When we cannot weaken the affection, let us change the object. What is it that' is so near to thee ? Is it honour r* seek honour in God. Do but change vain glor}- for eternal glory. That is a lawful seeking of self when we seek it in God : John v. 44, ' How can ye believe that receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God ? ' You may change your desires from vain glory into everlasting glory : John xii. 43, ' For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.' If a man did desire praise, where can we have better than to be praised with God's own mouth, in the face of all the world, at the great day of accounts, when Christ shall proclaim you to be an heir of the crown of heaven ? So for pleasure ; if thy soul be drawn
198 A TREATISE OF SELF-DENIAL. [BoOK I.
out to it, oh ! remember, there are no pleasures like to those chaste delights thou mightest enjoy by communion with God, the pleasures which are at his right hand for evermore. Affections are not abrogated, but preferred ; and we transplant our desires, that they may flourish in a better soil. If thou desirest riches, turn out thy heart toward the good treasure God hath opened in the covenant, to be rich in grace, rich towards God.
3. If thou wouldst deny thyself, resolve upon the worst, to please God, though it be with the displeasure of yourselves and all the world.' Usually we do not sit down and count the charges, we do not make our resolution large enough. When we take up the profession of religion, we look for but little trouble, therefore are soon discouraged. Usually we give God but small allowance ; we do not carry our lives and our estates in our hands, as we should do, when we take religion upon us. A man never comes to Christ rightly, unless he gives up himself and friends, and bids Christ take all. Till it comes to such a resolution as Nazianzen had concerning his human learning — I never affected riches, nor greatness in the world, only I have affected a little eloquence, and I will tell you how far I have affected it, that I have something of value to esteem as notliing for Christ. So men should give Christ liberal allowance ; then when it comes to trial, tliou wilt not be gi'udging ; it is that thou didst count upon, to part with for Christ's sake.
4. Take heed of confining thy welfare to outwai'd means, as if thou couldst not be happy without such an estate, without so many hun- dreds in the world ; beware of binding up thy life and contentment with the creature, for when we come to part with it, we can as soon part with our lives. The children of God resolve, ' Thongli the fig-tree do not blossom, and the labour of the olive fail, yet to rejoice in the Lord,' Hab. ii 17, 18. This should be a christian's resolution, not to trust to the creatures, but in God, though all these things are gone. This is a holy independency, when our hearts are taken off from the creature. The men of the world have only a candle which is soon blown out, an estate that may easily be blasted: but the children of God have the sun, which can stead them without a candle. The Lord saith, Hosea ii. 11, 12, ' I will cause their mirth to cease,' speaking of the carnal Jews. Why ? ' I will destroy her vines and her fig-trees.' All the wicked man's happiness is bound up with the vine and fig-tree, with his estate. Consider, your happiness doth not lie within your- selves, nor in any other creature, but in God alone. God in himself is much better than God in the creature; now carnal men, they prize God in the creatiu-e, but not God in himself. And therefore the first thing we must depend upon is that God is an all-sufficient God in him- self ; not God in friends, not God in wealth, but God in himself. We cannot see how it can be well without friends, and wealth, and liberty, therefore our hearts are glued to them. Oh, take heed of this. All these things are but several pipes to deliver and convey to us the influ- ence of the supreme cause ; therefore still }irize God in himself before God in the creature.
5. Direction : often act faith, and look within the veil. Send thy thoughts as spies and messengers into the land of promise. A man
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will better quit that lie hath upon earth when he hath strong expecta- tions of heaven, Eom. viii. 18. When a man seeth that God hath laid up a more excellent glory for him, he will reckon these things are not to be named the same day : 2 Cor. iv. 16, 'For which cause we faint not: but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, wliich is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.' The apostle gives an account of his valour and resolution ; how he was able to withstand the discouragements of the world — ' We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen.' Heaven will satisfy all losses and then the world is quitted with ease. Look, as the woman left her pitcher when she was acquainted with Christ ; so when a man is acquainted with better things, his heart is taken off from these outward things. When Christ said to Zaccheus, salvation is come to thy house, then he presently added, ' Half of my goods I give to the poor.' When the heart is much in heaven, the earth will seem a small thing. When we look upon the stars, they seem but as so many sparks and spangles ; but if we were above the earth, the world would seem but like a little black spot.