Fouiihhi, It is a difficult and hard piece of self-denial. It is natural to us — 'AH men seek their own things,' Phil. ii. 21. All our mark, naturally, is at some aim of our own, at our own profit and credit. It is very hardly laid aside, for base and unworthy desires are very im- portunate, and do recoil upon us after mortification, and after resolu- tions to the contrary. We often find that we begin well ; we aim at the glory of God, it is our habituated aim, but thoughts of pride grow upon us, in the very middle of the action, or else after it is ended. It is an impudent sin, that will assault us again and again,
Fiftldy, Let me give you some remedies against this sin, by way of consideration and practice.
1. By way of consideration.
[1.] Self is a base and unworthy mark to be aimed at. He that shoots at a shrub, will never aim so high as he that shoots at a star. That service must needs be base that doth not intend Christ, and cen- tre in him. All actions savour of their end. How low-spirited are they that seek themselves ! How soon they are apt to warp ! It doth but expose you to temptation. They that have an ill end will not scruple at an ill way. He that hath a right mark in his eye will hardly miscarry so much as he that takes a wrong mark.
[2.] Consider the greatness of the sin in making other things our end besides God ; you use the name of God that you may enjoy the world ; you make him a minister of sin. You make religion a bait, and Christ a means to accomplish your carnal purposes. It is a ques- tion who sins more, he that makes use of wrong means, or he that pro- j)0seth a wrong end. He that makes use of wrong means makes the devil serve God ; but he that hath a wrong end makes God serve the <levil. You make the end serve the means ; nay, though it be but in a glance and in a thought, it is a de^rree of whoredom. God would
286 A TREATISE OF SELF-DENIAL. [BoOK I.
have Israel to have the ' law written upon the fringes of their gar- ments,' Num. XV. 39, that they might look upon it, and remember the commandments of the Lord, and ' do them ; ' and that ye seek not aftei- your own heart and your own eyes, after which you used to go * a- whoring.' You know the glance of the eye outwardly, and a thought in the heart, it is whoredom — ' He that looks on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.' Evil suggestions that draw us away from God, are Avhoredom ; you break the vows' of loyal love and affection to Christ. As a man may be an adulterer in thought, so he may be a spiritual adulterer too : James iv. 4, ' Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God ? ' The devil for one sin of thought, for aspiring after the dignity of God, was turned out of heaven. Now in your own thoughts you make j^our own praise your end.
[3.] It is an ill sign. To know the end doth distinguish a man from a beast, and to choose the end doth distinguish man from man. Survey all the world, wherever the name of christian is heard, you will find, here is the great difference between man and man, in what they make their utmost end and chiefest good , therefore when you make self your end, it is an ill cliaracter and sign.
[4.] No man doth less enjoy himself than he that doth most seek him- self. .Self-seeking is always attended with self-losing, for we cannot expect wages from God and mammon too. And worldly rewards are very uncertain ; God is wont to disappoint carnal aims, and the event is not suitable to the intention.
[5.] You shall have the greater judgment : Mat. xxiii. 14, ' Woe un- to you scribes a,nd pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers, therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.' The pharisees, that they might be counted great devotionaries, would make long prayers, that they might have the dis- posing of orphans, and be trusted with widows' portions. All sin is out of measure sinful, yours especially ; your very pretence, when you would seem to be good, and are stark nought, it aggravates the sin be- fore God. If we would be accounted good when we have an evil aim within ourselves, when we take up religion for an ill purpose, and for a cloak only, the sin is the greater, and so will the judgment be also.
[6.] Consider the dishonour that comes to Christ by self-seeking. There are no greater enemies to the gospel than self-seeking christians : Phil. iii. 18, 19, ' For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you, even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly.' None greater enemies than they that make a god of their belly. What is the reason few or none are now converted, that ordinances are not so powerful as they were wont to be, but because many shroud themselves under the name of christians, and yet mind nothing but their own pro- fit and gain ? Testify against them we must, though with grief, that we may keep up the honour and repute of religion, that is mightily stained by them. It is an honour to God when we serve him out of pure love, not for pay and gain. But when men merely make a market of religion, Satan and his instruments make an advantage of this; they will say they profess religion, only to get great places. God may have