5th. Lay up several gracious maxims and principles in the soul.
1. None ever trusted in the world, but they had cause to complain. Mammons drudges have hard work, and worse hire and wages ; as Jacob after he served seven years, and when he expected beautiful Kachel, he receives Leah. Eiches will surely disappoint the trust you put in them ; they promise contentment, but that promise is but a lie ; they do but distract the head and heart with cares. They promise peace, plenty, and security, which they can never bring to you. They
240 A TREATISE OF SELF-DENIAL. [BoOK I.
are called 'deceitful riches.' A man should not trust in any creature, luiless he had a mind to be deceived. At death especially we shall see how the world hath beguiled us : Job xxvii. 8, ' What is the hope of the hypocrite, when God shall take away his soul? ' a sorry gain and purchase. When our service is ended, we see what kind of wages mammon giveth us in the day of wrath: Zeph. i. 18, 'Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath.' Justice will not be bribed with money, we cannot buy a pardon. Consider, if a man had taken a long voyage to the Indies, and had brought many commodities with him, and not one fit for the traffic of that place; just so it is here, we are bound for a city where gold and silver will make no traffic, thou canst not buy one hour for repentence. Consider how justly the saints and blessed angels may laugh at thee when thy foolish trust is disappointed — Lo, this is the man that trusted in his riches, and would not make the Lord his por- tion. (2.) The more wealth, the more danger. In a net, when great fishes are taken, the lesser escape ; so it is in public calamities, they that are the poorest, many times have the best portion. A tree that hath largeness and thickness, being loaden with boughs, provoketh others to lop it, or else it falleth by its own weight. Nebuchadnezzar, when he had forced Jerusalem, he carries away the princes and noble captains, but the poor were left in the land. Therefore never believe the world, it promiseth life, continuance, advancement of families, but no man can assure himself to hold his wealth one night; remember, you have to do with a cheater. (3.) Thy estate, it is not thy life. Thy life and happiness is not bound up with thy estate ; Luke xii. 15, it lies not in abundance, but in the providence of God. (4.) Remember, Cfod is the author of all the wealth we enjoy. This will draw off the heart from the creature, that it may M'ith more entire trust fix and ffisten upon God himself. In want and distresses we see the creature is vain, but few will own this in abundance : Prov. x. 22, ' It is the blessing of the Lord that maketh rich.' By what means soever thou hast thy estate ; if it comes to thee by inheritance, yet it is God that gave it to thee ; it is of God's grace, that a man was born of such rich friends, not of beggars. If thy estate comes by gift, remember, the hearts of men are in God's hands, and it is he that can make them able and willing. If thy estate comes by industry and skill, and dili- gence in thy calling, bless God that gives thee thy skill and success ; many have not the skill, and many have not the success that have as great skill as thyself.
I now come to speak to that branch of denying, self-will. As God is the supreme lord and law-giver, so we are to deny our self-will. Now our submission to God is double, to his laws, and to his provid- ence ; we submit to his laws by holiness or obedience ; we submit to his providence by patience.
First, We submit to his laws by obedience. Our will is to give place to the will of God : Col. iv. 12, ' That you may be perfect and complete in all the will of God.' This was the prayer of Epaphras, and this should be the aim of every christian, to bring his will to a perfect conformity to the will of God.
1. I shall show the difficulty of this part of self-denial.
Book I.] a treatise of self-dexial. 241
2. Give some motives to enforce it.
3. Give some rules, which may serve both for direction and trial. First, For the difficulty of this part of self-denial ; that will appear
if we do but consider —
1. That man's will is the proudest enemy that Christ hath on this side hell, it resisteth Christ in all his offices. In his kingly office and reign : Luke xix. 14, ' We will not have this man to reign over us.' God hath set up Christ as king, and the world votes it in the nega- tive— ' We will not have this man.' The great contest between us and God is, whose will shall stand, God's or ours. The soul cannot endure to hear of another king and another sovereign, because it affects a supremacy, and it cannot endure that any should lord it over us : Ps. xii. 4, ' Our tongues are our own ; who is lord over us ? ' Man would have the command of his own actions. A proud creature cannot en- dure to hear of fetters and restraints. The rebellion of the world against Christ was *to cast away his bands and cords,' Ps. ii. ; so Jer. ii, 31, ' We are lords, we will not come at thee.' They would be absolute, and without God. This is so rooted in our nature that Satan, when he sets heretics at work, he puts them upon holding out this bait of worldly liberty and freedom from the reign and sovereignty of God : 2 Peter ii. 18, ' They promise liberty, but are themselves servants of corruption.' The great rage and tumult of the world is to break the bands and cords, and to loosen us from our obedience to God. The proud Avill of man cannot endure to hear of an higher lord ; this hindereth his reign in the heart, and slighteth the offers of his grace : John v. 40, ' You will not come to me, that you might have life.' Christ comes with riches of grace, and desires entertainment, and we neglect him, and are taken with the basest creatures. If a king should come to a subject's house and desire entertainment, and he should ne- glect him, and talk with base fellows, this were a mighty affront put upon him. Yet this is our disposition towards Christ; he comes to dispense comforts and graces, and we will not entertain him, but are taken up with the creature. All that Christ hath done is, to us, lost for want of our consent. All things are ready prepared, decreed in heaven, only the guests are not ready, they will not come, will not con- sent, and ratify the decrees of heaven. In short, this is the cause of all sin, and of all the disorder of the creature : James i. 14, ' Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts, and enticed.' Man taketh himself to be lord over his own actions, and enacts con- trary laws to God, in the court of his own heart, and is so wedded to his own affections, that he accounts his lusts himself, and can as well endure to have his sin reproved as a member of his body to be cut off.