Now there be four degrees of self.
There is, 1. Natural self. 2. Civil self. 3. Sinful self. 4. Religious self.
(1.) First, Natural self is the state we are in as men. (2.) Secondly, Civil, as we are poor, or rich, or honourable, according to our several places in the commonwealth.
294 THE christian's end.
(3.) Thirdly, Sinful sW/is, aswo aro carried to sinful lusts and tlio creature.
(4.) Fourthly, Bclhjioiis self is our condition in Christ, when wo aro engrafted into him and mado new creatures.
' Now we must not live to ourselves.'
1. First, Not to our natural self. We must not live only to live. For ns all other creatures aro to serve us, so wo are to serve something else that is hotter. For that that is not of itself, cannot be for itself. Now we have not beings from ourselves, but from God. He giveth us beings, and a being in that rank of creatures wherein we are. Therefore our natural self must be to a higher end. A man is not the end of things. There is another end than he, and that is God, who is of himself, and hath mado all other things for himself, and therefore riches, and honours, and the like.
2. We should not live to our civil self. Nature teacheth us that, having spirits, we are not for anything meaner than ourselves. We do not live here to be rich, to be great, to command others ; for these things do not answer the soul of man.
[l.J First, Nothing that hath an end can be a chief end. That that hath flnem consummatum cannot be finis consummans. That that hath an end consuming itself, cannot be an end perfecting* itself. We have a journey beyond all things, and that cannot be our end that leaveth us in the way. Riches and honour are determined f in death. Let our preferments be never so great, though to the monarchy of the whole world, yet we have a being beyond them. They have consumptions in themselves.
[2.] And then they be inferior. No truth in them can fill up the under- standing ; no good in them can fill up the will. But the understanding can pierce through them. And the will, in relishing and tasting the good of them, can look on them as cast commodities. It can quickly suck out all the sweet that is in them. Therefore they cannot be a man's end, because he hath larger parts than they can fill.
[3.] That that must be a man's end must he larger than the soul; and that wherein he can rest, it must be some universal good, fit for all turns and purposes. Now there is nothing in the world that hath more than a particular service, for men's particular service, for men's particular ends. Honour can do something, but not all things. Riches cannot command health, they cannot cure a fit of an ague ; they be for a particular good only. They can command many things, but not all things. Men consider what they can do, and therefore desire them. But they consider not what they cannot do, and therefore they rest in them. That which is a man's last end must be a satisfying, general, universal good, an immortal good, of equal continuance with him, as nothing in the world is.
[4.] It must be such a good as he cannot offend or he defiled withal, such as he cannot misuse. And what is there in the world, but Christ and the best things, but a man is prone to defile himself in ? Knowledge is the best thing, but that worketh like leaven, it swells : as the apostle saith, ' Knowledge puffeth up,' 1 Cor. viii. 1. Therefore we must live to no worldly thing.
3. And much less must we live to sivfid self. Some things are to be
denied in way of competition and in opposition, but some things are to be
denied absolutely. Absolutely a man must not own, or live to a base lust,
pride, or sensuality. He oweth nothing to these but mortification. ' We
* Qu. ' perfect in ' ?— Ed. t That is, ' ended.'— G.
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are not debtors to the flesh,' saith the apostle, Rom. viii. 12. Therefore when a proud vindictive motion ariseth, say, I owe no suit or service to the flesh. What should these do in a heart dedicated to God, consecrated to Christ ? I am not mine own, much less Satan's, or lusts ' ; which be objects of mortification, but no way worthy of my service. Absolute denial is required here.
Of other things, a denial is required only as they stand in competition with Christ. In that case a man must sacrifice Isaac, not only his sinful self, but natural self also, his life and bodily liberty, the dearest thing in the world, and whatsoever is sweet, for Christ.
He having taken us ofl" from ourselves, assigneth us to a true Lord. ' We live to the Lord, and die to the Lord.' It had not been enough to say, ' We ought not to live to ourselves, or die to ourselves,' if he had not told whom we must live to, and die to. For naturally man will never leave anything, though but an apparent good, till he knoweth something better. A man will not part with a bad master till he hath a better service. There- fore he sheweth where to bestow ourselves ; namely, upon Christ, who hath care of us both in life and death.