And till we do thus universally deny ourselves, our lives will be a _ridiculous mixture_ of I know not what; _sober_ and covetous, proud and _devout_, _temperate_ and vain, _regular_ in our forms of prayer, and irregular in our passions, circumspect in _little modes_ of behaviour, and careless of tempers the most essential to piety.
XXVI. A little attention to that great principle of _reason and religion_, that God is our only good, will convince us still farther of the necessity of universal self-denial.
For what can be a greater self-denial, or more contradictory to all our natural sentiments, than to live and govern ourselves by a happiness that is to be had in God alone? A happiness which our senses, our old guides, neither see, nor feel, nor taste, nor perceive: a happiness which gives us neither figure, nor dignity, nor power, nor glory, among one another?
Look at man in his natural state, acting by the judgment of his senses, following the motions of his nature; and you will see him acting as if the world was full of infinite sorts of happiness.
He has not only a thousand imaginary pleasures, but has found out as many vexations; all which shew, that he thinks _happiness_ is every where to be found. For no one is vexed at any thing, unless he thinks he is disappointed of some possible happiness.
A happiness therefore in God alone, is the greatest contradiction to all our natural tempers. Not only as it proposes a good which our senses cannot relish, but as it leads us from all those imaginary enjoyments on which our senses have fixed our hearts.
XXVII. If then we think of religion, without self-denial, we know nothing at all of it. For its whole nature is, to direct us by a light and knowledge and wisdom from God, which is all contrary to the darkness, ignorance and folly of our natures.
It is therefore altogether impossible for any man to enter into the spirit of religion, but by denying himself, by being divested of all his _natural tempers_ and judgments, which have been formed by the blind motions of flesh and blood, and strengthened by the example and authority of the world. He cannot walk in the light of God, unless he reject the _dreams_ of his senses, and the _darkness_ of worldly wisdom.
*We may let our senses tell us, what we are to _eat_ and _drink_, or when we are to sleep. We may let them teach us, how near we may draw to a _fire_, how great a _burden_ we may carry, or into how deep a _water_ we may go. In these things they are our proper guides.
But if we appeal to them to know the _true good_ of man, or the proper happiness of our rational nature; if we ask them what _guilt_ there is in sin, or what _excellence_ there is in piety; if we consult them as guides in these matters, we act full as absurdly as if we were to try to _hear_ with our _eyes_, or to _see_ with our _ears_.
XXVIII. *While we forget this, all our judgments of things are corrupted by the grossness and errors of our senses.
We judge of every thing in the same manner as the child judges of his _play things_. It is by our _senses_ alone we pass the judgment, tho’ we think we act with the _reason of man_.
The world is made up of _fine sights_, sports, shew and pageantry, which please and captivate the minds of men, because men have still the minds of children, and are just the same slaves to their senses that children are.
As children and men see the same _colours_ in things, so children and men feel the same sensible pleasures, and are affected with external objects in the same manner.
But the misfortune is, that we laugh at the _little_ pleasures, _poor_ designs, and _trifling_ satisfactions of children; while at the same time the _wisdom_ and _greatness_ of men, is visibly taken up with the _same trifles_.
A _coach_ and _six_ and an _embroidered suit_, shall make a great _statesman_ as happy, as ever a _go-cart_ and _feather_ made a child.
Ask a child, what he thinks he would do with a great sum of money? Why, he would buy twenty _little horses_, he would have twenty _fine coats_, see all _fine sights_, and the like.
Now promise but a man a great estate, and you will raise all these same thoughts and designs in his mind.
And whence is this, but from hence, that men act with the same _vanity_ of mind, are under the same _poor guidance_ of their senses, are as ignorant of their _true happiness_, as great strangers to their own nature, as when they first set out in life.
And is not this a plain reason for self-denial? For to indulge ourselves in our _natural tempers_, is to grow old in the follies of _childhood_.
XXIX. *Let us take another view of the disorder of our nature, that we may see a still greater necessity of not walking according to it.