Chapter 2: The Explaining of the Proposition
CHAPTER 2. The Explaining of the Proposition.
Question 1. In what sense a Christian must not deny himself?
Response 1.1. He must not deny his Promise. A Man's Promise should be sacred, he is to keep it though it be to his loss, Psalm 15:1, 4. He who makes no reckoning of his Promise, God makes no reckoning of his Profession.
2. A Christian must not deny his Grace. He must not disown any good Work wrought in him: He ought not to say, he is a dry tree, when the dew of Heaven lies upon his branches. As it is a sin for a Man to make himself better than he is; so, to make himself worse. To say he has Grace when he has none, is presumption; to say he has no Grace when he has, is ingratitude: It is a bearing false witness against the Spirit of God.
Question 2. In what sense a Christian must deny himself?
Response I Answer in general, he must deny that carnal part which is near to him as himself, that which is as the apple of his eye. But more particularly,
1. A Christian must deny his Reason, I say not, renounce it, but deny it. Some cry up the Diana of Reason, making it the rule and standard of Faith. Quod absurdum est rationi debet esse falsum, said a Socinian. Indeed that there is a God, and that this God is to be worshipped is a Law written in the heart of Man, and is consonant to Reason; but who God is, and the right mode of Worship, this is such an Arcanum that Reason can no more find out, than, the Philistines could Samson's riddle. Job 11:7. Can you by searching find out God? Reason must be denied, in 1. Credendis. 2. Agendis.
1. In Credendis, In Doctrines proposed to be believed.
1. The Doctrine of the Trinity. Puteus est profundus, The well is deep, and who can with the plum-line of Reason fathom it! The Persons in the Trinity are distinguished, but not divided; they are three Subsistences, but one Essence. The Trinity is purely an object of Faith. There are some truths in Religion demonstrable by Reason; as that we should fly vice, and do to others as we would have them do to us: But the Trinity of Persons in the Unity of Essence, is of Divine Revelation, and must be assented to by faith. Those illuminated Philosophers who could discourse subtly of the magnitude and influence of the Stars, the nature of Plants and Minerals, could not by their deepest indagation find out the Mystery of the Trinity: This is wholly supernatural, and must be adored with humble believing.
2. The Doctrine of the Incarnation; That Eternity should be born; That he who rules the Stars should suck the breasts; That a Virgin should conceive; That the Branch should bear the Root; That in Christ there should be two Natures, yet but one Person; That the Divine Nature should not be transfused into the Human, yet the Human Nature should be assumed into the Person of the Son of God; the Human Nature not God, yet one with God; here Reason must be denied.
3. The Doctrine of the Resurrection. That the body interred, nay crumbled into a Thousand Fractions, and the Ashes scattered in the Air, should rise again, is above Reason to imagine. The Epicureans and Stoics derided Paul when he preached to them of the Resurrection, Acts 17:32. Here Reason must be captivated. John 5:28. Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth. The Chemist can out of several metals mingled together, extract the one from the other, the Silver from the Gold, the alchemy from the Silver, and can reduce every metal to its own species. So when the bodies of men are mixed with other Substances, the wise God can make a sudden extraction, and clothe every Soul with its own Body; did not the same numerical Body rise, it would be rather a Creation than a Resurrection. Acts 26:8, Why should it be thought incredible that God should raise the dead? God can do it because of his Power, Matthew 22:29. And he cannot but do it because of his Truth. The Doctrines of Faith do not oppose Reason, but transcend it.
2. Reason must be denied in Agendis, In Duties enjoined to be practiced. There are many Duties in Religion which carnal Reason quarrels at. God says, it is The glory of a man to pass by an offence, Proverbs 19:11. No says carnal reason, it is Cowardice. The Heathens thought it gallantry of spirit to revenge injuries. God says, the paths of holiness are strewed with Roses, Proverbs 3:17, Her ways are ways of pleasantness. No says Reason, they are severe and Cynical, I must crucify my delights, and drown my mirth in Tears. God says, Religion is gainful, 1 Timothy 6:8, Godliness is great gain. It brings contentment arising from the favor of God, it brings Temporal riches, Proverbs 3:16, In her left hand riches and honor. The way to be prosperous, is to be pious. No says Reason, if I follow the Trade of Religion, I shall break, 2 Chronicles 25:9, What shall I do for the hundred Talents? In this case, carnal Reason must be denied and oppugned. He who will go no further than Reason, will come many Leagues short of Heaven.
2. A Christian must deny his Will. This is Brugensis gloss upon the Text, The will is the primum mobile, the great wheel in the Soul that moves all the Affections. The Will in innocency was regular, it did echo to God's Will; but since the fall, though it retains its freedom in moral actions, yet as to spiritual it is depraved. If the Will could cease from sinning (says Bernard) there would be no Hell. The greatest wound is fallen upon the Will. The Mariner's Compass being stricken with Thunder, causes the point of the Needle to stand wrong: Man's Nature being corrupted, causes the Will to point wrong, it inclines to evil. There is in the Will, not only impotency, but obstinacy, Acts 7:51, You have always resisted the Holy Ghost. Now here we must deny our Will, and bring it to God's Will. If a Stick that is crooked be laid upon ground that is level, we do not go to bring the ground even with the Stick, but to make the Stick even with the ground. So God's Will is not to be brought to ours, but our Will being crooked, must be brought to God's Will. We pray, Thy will be done. The way to have our Will, is to deny it.
3. A Christian must deny his own righteousness, his civilities, duties, good works. Philippians 3:9, That I may be found in him not having my own Righteousness. The Spider weaves a web out of her own bowels; an Hypocrite would spin a web of Salvation out of his own Righteousness: But Saint Paul, like the Bee, sucked Salvation from the flower of Christ's Righteousness. Isaiah 64:6, Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Our best duties are fly-blown with sin. Put Gold in the fire and there comes out dross. Our most golden services are mixed with unbelief. The Angel pouring sweet odors into the prayers of the Saints, Revelation 8:3, shows that they are in themselves unsavory, and need Christ's sweet odors to perfume them.
Use Duty, but trust to Christ's Righteousness for Salvation. Noah's Dove made use of her wings to fly, but trusted to the Ark for safety.
And if we must deny our holy things in point of Justification, then much more our Civilities. A Stake may be finely painted, but it has no root. A Man may be painted with Civility, yet have no root of Grace; a moral person is washed, not changed. The life may be Civil, when the heart is Wicked; as the Sea may be Calm, when the Water of it is Salt. The Pharisee could say he was no Adulterer, Luke 18:11. But could he say, he was not proud? The civilized person may have a secret antipathy against goodness, he may hate Grace as much as Vice. Civility is but a cracked Title to Heaven. A piece of Brass may shine, but wanting the King's image it will not go current. A man may shine with moral Virtues, but wanting the Image of God consisting in holiness, he will not pass current at the day of judgment. Morality is good, but God will say, Yet you lack one thing, Mark 10:31. Civility is a good Jacob's staff to walk with among men, but it is a bad Jacob's ladder to climb up to Heaven.
4. A Christian must deny all Self-confidence. How confident was Pendleton of himself! This fat of mine (says he) shall melt in the fire for Christ, but instead of that, his courage melted. The same Hebrew word signifies both confidence and folly. Self-confidence betrays folly. Peter did presume too much upon his own strength, Matthew 26:34, Though I should die with You, yet will I not deny You. But how soon was his confidence shaken, and blown down with the breath of a Maid? Matthew 26:71, 72, He denied with an Oath, saying, I know not the man. Peter's denying of Christ was for want of denying himself. Self-jealousy is good. Romans 11:20, Be not high-minded, but fear. The trembling reed oft stands, when the confident Cedar falls. Who that knows the fierceness of a Trial, or the falseness of his Heart, will not fear? How have some professors shined as Stars in the Churches Hemisphere, yet have been falling stars? Porphyry, Julian, Cardinal Pool, Gardiner, Judas. The Apostles have been called by some of the Ancients, the eyes of the World, Christ's feet, the Churches breasts: Judas was one of these, yet a Traitor. Nay, some of the Saints through God's withdrawing the influence of his Spirit, have for a time relapsed. As Cranmer, and Origen, whose heart fainted in the seventh persecution, and he offered incense to the Idol. Deny self-confidence. 1 Corinthians 10:12, Let him that thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall. 'Tis just with God, that he who trusts to himself, should be left to himself. The Vine being weak, twists about the Elm to support it. A good Christian being conscious of his own imbecility, twists by Faith about Christ. Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ strengthening me. Samson's strength lay in his hair, ours lies in our Head Christ.
5. A Christian must deny self-conceit. Job 11:12, Vain man would be wise. In the Hebrew it is empty man. Man is a proud piece of flesh. He is apt to be highly opinionated of himself.
—Ostendit avis junonia pennas—
Acts 8:9, There was a certain man named Simon, giving out that himself was some great one. Sapor writes himself, Brother of the Sun and Moon. Commodus the Emperor called himself, The Golden Hercules. The Persian Kings would have their Images worshipped of all that came into Babylon. Such as view themselves in the flattering glass of self-love, appear bigger in their own eyes than they are. They think their spark a Sun, their drop a Sea. They are highly conceited of their acumen, their wit and parts, and are ready to despise others. The Chinese say that Europe has one eye, and they have two, and all the World else is blind.
De meliore luto Titan praecordia finxit.
Deny self-conceit. Romans 12:3, I say to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. Proverbs 23:4, Cease from your own wisdom. Not cease from being wise, but from conceiting yourself wise. That you may deny all high supercilious thoughts of yourselves, consider;
1. Self-conceit is no small sin. Chrysostom calls it the mother of Hell. It is a kind of Idolatry, a self-worshipping.
2. Whatever noble endowment you have, it is borrowed. As he said of that Axe which fell in the water. 2 Kings 6:5, Alas master, for it was borrowed. All a Man's Gifts, his pregnancy of Parts, ripeness of Wit, are borrowed from Heaven, and what wise Man would be proud of a Jewel that is lent? 1 Corinthians 4:7, What do you have that you did not receive? The Moon has no cause to be conceited of her light which she is beholden to the Sun for.
3. Whatever acuteness of Wit, or sageness of Judgment you have, think how far short you come.
1. How far short do you come of that knowledge which Adam had in innocency? He was the Oracle of Wisdom, he could unlock Nature's dark cabinet, and find out those secrets which do amuse us. Adam had a full inspection into the causes of things. He was a kind of earthly Angel.
But how far short do you come of him? Your knowledge is checkered with ignorance. There are many [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], hard knots in Nature which cannot easily be untied. Why the Loadstone leaving Gold and Pearl, should draw Iron? Why Nilus should overflow in Summer, when waters are usually lowest? What way the light is parted? Job 38.24. Why the Sea should be higher than the Earth, yet not drown it? How the bones grow in the womb? Ecclesiastes 11.5. What is the reason of all occult qualities? He who sees clearest has a mist before his eyes. By eating the tree of knowledge, we lost the key of knowledge.
2. How far short do you come of that knowledge which Satan has. He is called [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] from his knowledge. We read of the [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], the depths of Satan, Revelation 2.24. And his [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] his stratagems, 2 Corinthians 2.11. Satan is an intelligent spirit. Though he has lost his sanctity, yet not his knowledge: Though he has lost his breastplate, yet not his headpiece. He has wit enough to deceive the Nations, Revelation 20.3. His understanding is nimble, and being compared with ours, is like the swift flight of an Eagle, compared with the slow motion of a Snail. Why then should any be puffed up with a conceit of their knowledge, wherein the Devil far outstrips them?
3. How far short do you come of the knowledge they have, who are perfected in glory. He who is higher than a Dwarf, may be lower than a Giant. Such as excel others in natural abilities, are of a lower stature than the glorified Saints. 1 Corinthians 13.12, We see, in aenigmate, through a glass darkly. But the Saints in bliss, have a full-eyed Vision of God. Their light which did burn here like fire when it is smothered, is now blown up into a pure flame. An Infant glorified, knows more than the most profound Rabbis on earth. In Heaven all shadows fly away, the Sun of Righteousness having risen there with his illustrious beams. This may pull down the plumes of pride and self-conceit.
4. Your dark-side is broader than your light-side. Your ignorance is more than your knowledge. Your knowledge is but as the light of a Torch, your ignorance as the Cimmerian darkness. Job 26.14, How little a portion is known of God? The Septuagint renders it, How little a drop! To think to comprehend the Deity, is as if we should go to span the Ocean. Christians, the greatest part of your knowledge, is not so much as the least part of your ignorance. This may demolish all high imaginations. You have no cause to be conceited of the knowledge you have, but rather to be humbled for what you want.
5. Think what an Hell of sin you carry about you. Sin is the accursed thing. Joshua 5.13. It is the quintessence of evil. It is like a stain to beauty. It was Typified by the menstruous cloth, which was the most unclean thing under the Law. What though you have knowledge, sin does eclipse it: As if a Woman should have a fair Face, but a Cancer in her Breast. Your knowledge does not so much adorn you, as sin does debase you.
6. Grace can never thrive where self-conceit grows. As a Body cannot thrive in a Dropsy; so neither can the Soul thrive, which is swelled with this Dropsy of Pride and Self-conceit. A proud head makes a barren heart.
7. A Supercilious conceitedness is odious, and does much lessen any worth in a person. It is like a cloud in a Diamond. The more one values himself, the less God and Angels value him. Let a Person be eminent, yet if he be self-conceited he is loved of none; he is like a Physician that has the Plague, though he may be admired for his skill, yet none care to come near him.
8. Such as are well opinionated of their own excellencies, are in the ready way to ruin. Either God infatuates them, or denies a blessing to their labours, or suffers them to fall into some great sin. Peter, who was so well conceited of himself, as if he had had more grace than all the Apostles besides, the Lord let him fall very far. He denied Christ with an Oath, nay an imprecation, Matthew 26.74. Peter wished a curse on himself if he knew Christ, nay, some think he cursed Christ.
The Lord sometimes lets vain conceited persons fall not only foully but finally. The Doves (says Pliny) take a pride in their Feathers, and in their flying high, at last they soar so high that they are a prey to the Hawk. So when men fly high in self-conceitedness, they become a prey to the Prince of the Air. Let all this make us deny ourselves, let it kill the Worm of self-conceit. If we are proud of our knowledge, the Devil cares not how much we know. Let St. Paul be our pattern, though he were the chief of the Apostles, he calls himself the least of Saints. Ephesians 3.8. and 2 Corinthians 12.11. [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉]—Though I be nothing. This illustrious Apostle, a Star of the first magnitude, did shrink into nothing in his own eyes. It is excellent to be like Moses, whose face had a lustre on it, but he knew not that the skin of his face did shine, Exodus 34.29.
6. A Christian must deny his appetite. The sensitive appetite is sick of a bulimia, it cries give, give. St. Paul did beat down his Body, 1 Corinthians 9.27. Such a proportion only is to be taken for the recruiting of Nature, as may help forward Gods service. —In licitis perimus—More are hurt by excess in lawful things, than by meddling with unlawful. As more are killed by Wine than Poison. Many make their Belly their god, Philippians 3.19. And to this god, they pour drink-offerings. Clemens Alexandrinus writes of a Fish whose heart is in its belly: An emblem of epicures whose heart is in their Belly, they are devoted to sensuality. Excess in meat or drink clouds the mind, chokes good affections, provokes lust. The rankest weeds grow out of the fattest soil. Intemperance shortens life; as too much Oil extinguishes the Lamp. Many dig their own graves with their teeth. Christ cautioned his Apostles, Luke 21.34. Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness. Seneca could say, he was born to higher things than to be a slave to his Body. What a shame is it that the Soul, that princely thing which sways the scepter of Reason, and is akin to the Angels, should be enslaved to the brutish part! Deny the sinful cravings of the flesh. What has God given conscience for, but to be a golden Bridle, to check the inordinacy of the Appetite?
7. A Christian must deny his ease, Proverbs 1.23. Ease slays the simple. The Flesh is full of sloth and effeminacy, it is loath to take pains for Heaven. Proverbs 19.24, A slothful man, hides his hand in his bosom. He is loath to pluck it out though it be to lay hold on a Crown. Weeds and vermin grow in untilled ground, and all vices grow in an idle untilled heart. How can they expect, to reap an harvest of Glory, who never sowed any seed? Is Satan so busy in his Diocese, 1 Peter 5.8. and are Christians idle? Are they Like the Lilies which toil not, neither do they spin? O deny your ease. Seneca, an Heathen devoted himself to labour, and spent part of the Night in study. Hannibal forced his way over the Alps and craggy Rocks. We must force our way to paradise. Let us shake off sloth, as Paul did the Viper. Never think to be brought to Heaven as the passengers in a ship are brought to their port sleeping. 1 Chronicles 22.16. Arise and be doing. God puts no difference between the slothful servant and the wicked. Matthew 25.26. Those people in Etruria, who like Drones entered into the Hive, and consumed the honey, were expelled from others, and condemned to exile. Such as idle away the day of grace, and fold their hands to sleep, when they should be working out Salvation, God will condemn to a perpetual exile in Hell.
8. A Christian must deny carnal policy. This is the wisdom of the flesh, 2 Corinthians 1.12. Carnal Policy is craft. The Politician consults not what is best, but what is safest. The Politician is made of willow, he can side with all parties; his Religion is cut according to the fashion of the times; he can bow either to the East, or to the Host; zeal for truth is blotted out of the Politicians Creed. It was a speech of Sir Thomas More, he would not follow Truth too near the heels, lest it should dash out his brains. It is judged by some a piece of Policy not to declare against error, for fear of losing a party. The Politician is a Latitudinarian, he has distinctions beyond Aquinas, and can digest those things which others tremble at. The Ostriches wings help her to outrun other creatures. Sinful policy makes men run further than they can who are of purer Consciences. In short, the Politician is an Ecebolius; he like the Chameleon can change into all colours, and be as his company is. He can be either serious or feathery. He can imitate either Cato or Catiline. I grant Christian prudence is commendable, but the Serpent must not devour the Dove. That Policy is unjustifiable, which teaches to avoid duty. Deny carnal Policy; dare to be honest. The best Policy is to hold fast integrity.
9. A Christian must deny his inordinate passions. James 1.26, If any man among you, seem to be religious, and bridles not his tongue, this mans religion is vain. Every member of the Body is infected with sin, as every branch of Wormwood is bitter; but the Tongue is full of deadly poison, James 3.8. St. Augustine, compares the Tongue to a furnace, and too often, hot sparks of anger fly out of it. The Holy Ghost once descended in cloven tongues of fire, Acts 2.3. But the Apostle James, speaks of a Tongue that is set on fire of Hell, chap. 3.6. Some cannot rule their own spirit, but are carried away with their passions as a Chariot with wild Horses. Many (says Jerome) who will not be drunk with Wine, will be drunk with rash Anger. Ecclesiastes 7.9, Anger rests in the bosom of fools. Anger may be in a wise Man, but it rests in a Fool. There is (I know) an holy anger against sin, but the fury of passion, is the scum which boils off from an unsavory heart. Passion disturbs Reason, and unfits for holy Duties. Hot passions make cold prayers. O Christians deny yourselves. Pray that God will set a watch before your lips, Psalm 141.4. Labour to quench the fire of wrath, with a flood of tears. It is recorded of Mr. John Bruen, in the County Palatine of Chester, that though he was naturally of an hasty choleric spirit, yet at length he got the Victory over his passions, and grew so meek and calm, that his very nature seemed to be quite altered. Grace does to the Passions, as Christ did to the Sea when it was stormy. Mark 4.39, He said, Peace, be still, and there was a great calm. Grace turns the fierceness of the Lion, into the meekness of the Dove.
10. A Christian must deny his sinful fashions. Romans 12.2, Be not conformed to this World. (namely) to the guise and mode of it. Did the old Christians rise out of their graves, our strange fashions might fright them into their graves again. Was there ever such excess in Hair? 1 Corinthians 11.24, If a man have long hair it is a shame. More money is sometimes laid out for a Periwig to cover one head, than would clothe Twenty Poor. One asking Reverend Mr. Dod, why he did not Preach against those Ruffians who wore long hair, he replied, If Grace comes into their heart, it will make them cut their hair.
Nor can the female sex be excused, for their excess in apparel. Seneca complained of those in his time, who hung two or three patrimonies at their ears; some wear half their revenues upon their backs. Lysander would not suffer his daughters to be too gorgeously attired, saying, it would not make them so comely as common. What spotted faces and bare shoulders appear in the congregations. And that professors should symbolize, and comply with others in their antic dresses, is the reproach of religion. A tear in the eye would more adorn than a tower on the forehead. O deny yourselves. Pull down these flags of vanity. Have not God's judgments yet humbled you? 1 Timothy 2:9, I will therefore that women adorn themselves with modest apparel: let the hidden man of the heart be beautified and bespangled with grace. Psalm 45:13, The King's daughter is all glorious within.
11. A Christian must deny his own aims. He must not look askance in religion, and aim at himself more than God. He must not aim at self-enriching, at self-applause.
1. He must not aim at self-enriching. Some espouse the Gospel only for gain. They court this Queen not for her beauty, but her jewels. It is not the fire of the altar they regard, but the gold of the altar, 1 Timothy 6:5, Supposing that gain is godliness. Camero a French Divine of Bordeaux, relates of one Santangel a Lawyer, that he turned Protestant, only out of worldly respects, that he might grow rich. Judas preached, and wrought miracles, but his eye was chiefly to the bag. How do many heap benefice upon benefice, minding the fleece more than the flock: Dumb dogs are greedy dogs, Isaiah 56:10, 11. These make use of the ministerial function, only as a net to catch preferment. This is in sacred things to be profane. 'Tis sordid, and unworthy of a Christian, to make religion truckle to secular interest.
2. A Christian must not aim at self-applause. The Pharisees who were animalia gloriae, were herein guilty. They prayed and gave alms, That they might be seen of men, Matthew 6. The oil of vain-glory fed their lamp. Verse 5: Verily they have their reward. They might make their acquittance, and write, Received in full payment. 'Tis a saying of Spanhemius, That there is in every man by nature, aliquid Pharisaei, a spice of Pharisaism, a seeking after the glory and applause of the world. Luther confessed though he was never tempted with covetousness, yet he was sometimes with vain-glory. Christ's own disciples were disputing who should be greatest? O this Devil of vain-glory! The moth breeds in the finest cloth, and self-seeking is apt to breed in the best duties. Sinister aims do corrupt religion. A good aim, will not make a bad action good, but a bad aim, will make a good action bad.
To blame are they, who when they have done any glorious service in the Church, take the praise to themselves. Like those Heathens who sacrificed the wax to their gods, but kept the honey to themselves. Matthew Paris speaks of one, who having in several lectures proved strenuously that Christ was God, and being highly applauded for it, he cried out, saying, O Jesus, thou art beholden to me for thy Divinity this day. Whereupon this Doctor was stricken suddenly with such stupor and forgetfulness, that he could never after say the Lord's Prayer, but as a little child said it to him. Let this cause trembling and humility in Christians. Several ships which have escaped the rocks, have been cast away upon the sands. Many who have escaped the rocks of gross scandals, have been cast away upon the sands of self-seeking. One said, he would not have Erasmus's fame and applause for a world. Not but that to have esteem in God's Church, is a blessing: Hebrews 11:2, By faith the elders obtained a good report. Much of the honour of religion, depends upon the credit of them that profess it. But the sin is, when self-applause is the only thing hunted after. Popular acclamation, is a golden arrow, which glistens in the eye, but wounds to the heart. How many have been blown to Hell with the breath of popular applause.
O let us deny, yea, abhor this vain-glorious humour. We have a famous example in John Baptist, who sought to lift up Christ, and beat down himself. John 1:15, He that cometh after me is preferred before me. As if he had said, I am but the Herald, the voice of one crying, Christ who cometh after me is the Prince. I am but the morning-star, he is the Sun; I baptize only with water, he with the Holy Ghost. Thus he sets the crown of honour upon Christ's head. As Joab when he had taken Rabbah, did not arrogate the praise to himself, but sent for King David, that he might carry away the glory of the victory, 2 Samuel 12:27. So when any eminent service in Church or State hath been done, the glory of all should be given to Christ and free grace. It is better God should approve, than the world applaud. If we are faithful, we shall have honour enough in Heaven. Let this be our chief aim in duty, that we may grow more in love with God, and be made more like him, and have more communion with him, and bring more revenues of honour to him. 1 Peter 4:11, That in all things, God may be glorified. We should not only advance, but design God's glory. It was a worthy speech of Philip de Mornay upon his deathbed, That he had through the course of his life, made God's glory his end and aim. As all the rivers run into the sea, so all our actions must run into God the Infinite Ocean.
12. A Christian must deny all ungodliness. Titus 2:11, 12, The grace of God hath appeared to all men, Teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, etc. The Turks say in their Quran, That God did not give men lustful desires to be frustrated. But let their Quran go with the Papists' legend. The Scripture seals no patents for sin. It bids us deny ungodly lusts. It is not likely he will sacrifice his Isaac, his worldly profits, who will not sacrifice the ram, his vile lusts. A Christian must deny his malice, revenge, covetousness, uncleanness, superstition, heterodoxy. A man may as well go to Hell for a drunken opinion, as a drunken life. And let me especially instance in two sins a Christian must deny.
1. The sin of rash censuring, James 4:11, Speak not evil one of another. Some make it a part of their religion to criticize upon others, and clip their credit to make it weigh lighter. You shall hear them say, such a one is proud, factious, hypocritical, James 4:12, Who art thou that judgest another? Saint Augustine could not endure any should detract from the good name of others, therefore wrote these two verses upon his table.
Quisquis amat dictis absentum rodere famam, Hanc mensam vetitam noverit esse sibi.
The root of censoriousness is pride. A person thinks by taking from another's reputation, he shall add something to his own. But let him look to it, who shall raise himself upon the ruins of another's fame. Is it no sin think you to murder a man in his name? You who are such a critic, it is to be feared, you can spy all faults but your own. Like the Lamiae who could see well abroad, but were blind at home. O Christian look inward, did you view your own spots more, in the looking-glass of the Word, you would not be so ready to throw the stone of censure at others. Deny this sin of rash censuring, or smiting with the tongue, Jeremiah 18:18. You who speak reproachfully of your brother without a cause, the time may come that he may be accepted, and you rejected, he may be found gold, and you reprobate silver.
2. A Christian must deny his peccatum in delitiis, his complexion-sin. Psalm 18:23, I have kept myself from mine iniquity. As there is one master-bee in the hive, so there is naturally one master-sin in the heart, this must be denied. The Devil can hold a man fast by one sin. A jailer can hold the prisoner fast by one fetter. One sin is enough to stop the current of mercy; one sin may damn as well as more. As one millstone is enough to sink a man into the sea. If there be any lust which we cannot deny, it will be a bitter root, either of scandal or apostasy.
13. A Christian must deny his relations. Luke 14:26, If any man come to me, and hate not father, and mother, and wife, and children, he cannot be my disciple. The meaning is, when carnal relations come in competition with, or stand in opposition to Christ, we must hate them. When our friends would prove snares, and hinder us from doing our duty, we must either leap over them, or tread upon them. Here, odium in suos, is, pietas in Deum. If my wife (saith Jerome) should hang about my neck, if my mother should show me her breasts that gave me suck, and persuade me to deny Christ, I would break from them and fly to the Cross. When Peter would be a tempter, Christ said, Apage, Get thee behind me Satan.
14. A Christian must deny his estate for Christ. A carnal heart will commend Christ, and profess him; but will part with nothing for him. The young man in the Gospel was Christ's hearer, but not his follower. He did, superna probare, but terrena appetere as one saith. When Christ said to him, Sell all and give to the poor, abiit tristis, he went away sorrowful, Matthew 19:22. When Mercury is in conjunction with a bad planet, it hath a bad influence: So when riches are joined with a bad heart, they do much hurt. The world lay nearer the young man's heart, than Christ. Have some of the Heathens denied the world? Epaminondas a Grecian Captain, who obtained many glorious victories, yet he was a great contemner of the world; he refused vast sums of money sent him from the King of Persia, insomuch that when he died, he left scarce enough to defray the charges of his funeral. Did a Heathen go thus far in denying the world, and shall not Christians much more? Let the wedge of gold be denied for the pearl of price. Matthew 19:27, We have forsaken all, and followed thee. A true saint esteems the gleanings of Christ, better than the world's vintage. Philippians 3:8, For whom I have suffered the loss of all things. Galeacius Marquess of Vico parted with a fair estate, to enjoy the pure ordinances of Christ at Geneva. When a Jesuit persuaded him to return to his Popish religion in Italy, promising him an huge sum of money, he said, Let their money perish with them, who esteem all the gold in the world worth one hour's communion with Jesus Christ and his Holy Spirit.
15. A Christian must deny his life for Christ. This is in the Text, attollat crucem, Let him take up his Cross. Suffering for Christ must be free and spontaneous. He who suffers against his will bears the Cross, he who suffers willingly takes up the Cross. A fair Virgin falling in love with Crates for his learning, he showed her his staff and his scrip; this, says he, is your dowry. Christ shows us his Cross, if we will not have him upon these terms the match is not likely to go on. Sufferings will abide us. 2 Timothy 3:12. The Devil is not grown kinder now than he was. Some think of reigning with Christ, but not of suffering. Joseph dreamed of his advancement, but not of his imprisonment. The flesh cries out the Cross is uneasy, there are Nails in the Yoke which tear; but life must be denied, yea hated for Christ. Luke 14:26, If any man come to me, and hate not father, and mother, and his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Love to Christ must out-weigh life. Revelation 12:11, They loved not their lives to the death. Paul carried the image of Christ in his heart as a Saint, the message of Christ in his mouth as a Minister, and the marks of Christ in his body as a Martyr. Galatians 6:17. The primitive worthies snatched up torments as so many Crowns, and were content to shed their blood for Christ, knowing they should exchange their sanguine for white Robes. The Prophet Isaiah was killed with a Saw, Jeremiah with Stones, Amos with an Iron-Bar, Luke was hanged on an Olive-tree. I read of Irenaeus, that he was carried to a place, where was set a Cross on one side, and an Idol on the other, where he was put to his choice, either to bow to the Idol, or suffer on the Cross, he chose the latter. Basil speaks of a Virgin condemned to the fire who having her life and estate offered her, if she would bow down to an Image, answered, Let life and money go, welcome Christ. Though every Christian is not actually a Martyr, yet he has a preparation of mind, and is ready to suffer if God calls. Luther said, he had rather be a Martyr than a Monarch. Let us then take up the Cross. Can wicked men be content to suffer for their lusts, and shall not we suffer for Christ? We are to look upon our sufferings as a badge of honour. If when we are reproached for Christ, much more when we die for him, A Spirit of God and of glory rests upon us. 1 Peter 4:14. Our sufferings for Christ propagate Religion. Paul's being bound made the Gospel to be more enlarged. Philippians 1:12. Justin Martyr was converted to the Faith, by beholding the heroic patience and courage of the Christians in their sufferings. — Patiamur ut potiamur — The Cross leads to the Crown. 2 Timothy 2:12, If we suffer, we shall also reign with him. Who would not be willing to venture on the Seas, though rough and tempestuous, if he were sure to be Crowned as soon as he came ashore? Persecutors may take away from us our goods, not our God; our liberty, not our freedom of Conscience; our head, not our Crown. Revelation 2:10.
He who cannot deny his life for Christ, will deny Christ. And he who is ashamed of Christ, Christ will be ashamed of him. Mark 8:38. Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him shall the son of man be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father with his holy Angels.
CHAPTER 2. Explaining the Proposition.
Question 1. In what sense should a Christian not deny himself?
Response 1.1. He must not deny his Promise. A person's promise should be sacred. He must keep it even if it costs him something, Psalm 15:1, 4. Whoever breaks his promise will find that God rejects his profession of faith.
2. A Christian must not deny his Grace. He must not disown any good work that God has done in him. He should not call himself a dry tree when the dew of Heaven rests on his branches. Just as it is sin for someone to make himself appear better than he is, it is also sin to make himself appear worse. Claiming to have Grace when you have none is presumption. Claiming to have no Grace when you do is ingratitude -- it is bearing false witness against the Spirit of God.
Question 2. In what sense should a Christian deny himself?
Response In general, he must deny that sinful nature which is as close to him as himself -- that which is as precious to him as the apple of his eye. But more specifically,
1. A Christian must deny his Reason. I do not say abandon it, but deny it. Some people elevate the idol of Reason, making it the rule and standard of faith. What is absurd to reason must be false, said a Socinian. It is true that the existence of God and the duty to worship Him are laws written on the human heart, consistent with reason. But who God is and the right way to worship Him -- this is such a mystery that reason can no more discover it than the Philistines could solve Samson's riddle. Job 11:7. Can you by searching find out God? Reason must be denied in two areas: 1. What we believe. 2. What we do.
1. In what we believe -- in doctrines proposed for our faith.
1. The Doctrine of the Trinity. The well is deep, and who can measure its depths with the measuring line of reason! The Persons in the Trinity are distinct but not divided. They are three persons but one essence. The Trinity is purely an object of Faith. Some truths in religion can be demonstrated by reason -- for example, that we should flee vice and treat others as we would want to be treated. But the Trinity of Persons in the Unity of Essence comes from divine revelation and must be accepted by faith. The most brilliant philosophers, who could speak skillfully about the size and influence of the stars and the nature of plants and minerals, could never discover the mystery of the Trinity through their deepest investigation. This truth is entirely supernatural and must be received with humble faith.
2. The Doctrine of the Incarnation. That Eternity should be born. That He who rules the stars should nurse at a mother's breast. That a Virgin should conceive. That the Branch should bear the Root. That in Christ there should be two natures yet only one Person. That the divine nature was not converted into the human, yet the human nature was taken up into the Person of the Son of God. The human nature is not God, yet it is one with God. Here reason must be denied.
3. The Doctrine of the Resurrection. That the body, once buried and crumbled into a thousand pieces with its ashes scattered in the air, should rise again -- this is beyond reason to imagine. The Epicureans and Stoics mocked Paul when he preached the Resurrection to them, Acts 17:32. Here reason must submit. John 5:28. Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice and shall come forth. A chemist can take several metals mixed together and separate one from the other -- the silver from the gold, the base metal from the silver -- and restore each metal to its own kind. In the same way, when the bodies of people are mixed with other substances, the wise God can make a sudden separation and clothe every soul with its own body. If the exact same body did not rise, it would be a Creation rather than a Resurrection. Acts 26:8, Why should it be thought incredible that God should raise the dead? God can do it because of His Power, Matthew 22:29. And He must do it because of His Truth. The doctrines of faith do not contradict reason; they go beyond it.
2. Reason must be denied in what we do -- in duties we are commanded to practice. Many duties in religion provoke objections from sinful reason. God says, it is The glory of a man to pass by an offense, Proverbs 19:11. But sinful reason says it is cowardice. The pagans thought it showed great spirit to take revenge for wrongs done to them. God says the paths of holiness are covered with roses, Proverbs 3:17, Her ways are ways of pleasantness. But Reason objects: Those paths are harsh and joyless. I must crucify my pleasures and drown my happiness in tears. God says religion is profitable, 1 Timothy 6:8, Godliness is great gain. It brings contentment from the favor of God, and it brings earthly riches, Proverbs 3:16, In her left hand riches and honor. The way to prosper is to be godly. But Reason objects: If I follow the path of religion, I will go bankrupt. 2 Chronicles 25:9, What shall I do for the hundred Talents? In cases like these, sinful reason must be denied and resisted. Whoever refuses to go further than reason will fall many miles short of Heaven.
2. A Christian must deny his Will. This is Brugensis's interpretation of the text. The will is the prime mover, the great wheel in the soul that drives all the emotions. In the state of innocence, the will was in proper order and echoed God's will. But since the fall, though it keeps its freedom in moral actions, it is corrupted in spiritual matters. If the will could stop sinning (says Bernard), there would be no Hell. The deepest wound has fallen on the will. When a sailor's compass is struck by lightning, it causes the needle to point the wrong way. In the same way, human nature being corrupted causes the will to point the wrong direction -- it leans toward evil. The will has not only weakness but stubbornness, Acts 7:51, You have always resisted the Holy Ghost. So here we must deny our will and bring it into line with God's will. If a crooked stick is laid on level ground, we do not reshape the ground to match the stick. Instead, we straighten the stick to match the ground. God's will should not be bent to match ours. Our will, being crooked, must be brought to match God's will. We pray, Your will be done. The way to get what we truly want is to deny our own will.
3. A Christian must deny his own righteousness -- his good behavior, religious duties, and good works. Philippians 3:9, That I may be found in Him not having my own Righteousness. A spider weaves a web from its own body. In the same way, a hypocrite tries to spin a web of salvation from his own righteousness. But Saint Paul, like the Bee, drew his salvation from the flower of Christ's Righteousness. Isaiah 64:6, Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Even our best efforts are contaminated with sin. Put gold in the fire and impurities come out. Our finest acts of service are mixed with unbelief. The angel pouring sweet incense into the prayers of the saints, Revelation 8:3, shows that our prayers are unpleasant on their own and need Christ's sweet fragrance to make them acceptable.
Practice your duty, but trust in Christ's Righteousness for salvation. Noah's Dove used her wings to fly, but she trusted in the Ark for safety.
If we must deny even our holy acts when it comes to justification, how much more must we deny our mere good behavior. A wooden post may be beautifully painted, but it has no root. A person may be painted over with good behavior yet have no root of Grace. A moral person is washed but not changed. The outward life may be respectable while the heart is wicked -- just as the sea may look calm while its water is salty. The Pharisee could say he was no Adulterer, Luke 18:11. But could he say he was not proud? A well-behaved person may secretly despise true goodness. He may hate Grace as much as he hates vice. Good behavior alone is a weak claim to Heaven. A brass coin may shine, but if it does not carry the King's image it will not be accepted as currency. A person may shine with moral virtues, but if he lacks the Image of God -- which consists in holiness -- he will not be accepted on the day of judgment. Morality is good, but God will say, Yet you lack one thing, Mark 10:31. Good behavior is a fine walking stick for getting along with people, but it is a poor ladder for climbing up to Heaven.
4. A Christian must deny all Self-confidence. How confident Pendleton was in himself! This fat of mine (he said) shall melt in the fire for Christ. But instead, his courage melted. The same Hebrew word means both confidence and folly. Self-confidence reveals folly. Peter relied too much on his own strength, Matthew 26:34, Though I should die with You, yet will I not deny You. But how quickly his confidence was shattered -- blown down by the words of a servant girl? Matthew 26:71, 72, He denied with an Oath, saying, I know not the man. Peter's denial of Christ came from his failure to deny himself. Healthy self-distrust is good. Romans 11:20, Be not high-minded, but fear. The trembling reed often stands while the confident Cedar falls. Who that knows the fierceness of a trial or the deceitfulness of his own heart will not be cautious? How many professors have shone like stars in the church's sky, yet turned out to be falling stars? Porphyry, Julian, Cardinal Pool, Gardiner, Judas. The Apostles have been called by some of the early church fathers the eyes of the world, Christ's feet, the Church's nourishment. Judas was one of these, yet he was a traitor. Even some of the saints, when God withdrew the influence of His Spirit, have temporarily fallen away. Like Cranmer and Origen, whose heart failed during the seventh persecution, and he offered incense to the idol. Deny self-confidence. 1 Corinthians 10:12, Let him that thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall. It is just for God to abandon the person who trusts in himself. The vine, being weak, wraps itself around the elm for support. A good Christian, knowing his own weakness, wraps himself by faith around Christ. Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ strengthening me. Samson's strength was in his hair; ours lies in our Head, Christ.
5. A Christian must deny self-conceit. Job 11:12, Vain man would be wise. In the Hebrew the word is empty man. Human beings are proud creatures. We are naturally inclined to have an inflated opinion of ourselves.
-- The peacock displays its feathers --
Acts 8:9, There was a certain man named Simon, giving out that himself was some great one. Sapor styled himself Brother of the Sun and Moon. Commodus the Emperor called himself The Golden Hercules. The Persian Kings demanded that everyone entering Babylon worship their images. Those who view themselves in the flattering mirror of self-love appear bigger in their own eyes than they really are. They think their spark is a sun and their drop is an ocean. They have an inflated opinion of their intellect, their wit and abilities, and are quick to look down on others. The Chinese say that Europe has one eye and they have two, while all the rest of the world is blind.
As if the gods crafted their hearts from finer clay.
Deny self-conceit. Romans 12:3, I say to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. Proverbs 23:4, Cease from your own wisdom. This does not mean stop being wise, but stop thinking of yourself as wise. To help you deny all proud, arrogant thoughts about yourself, consider the following:
1. Self-conceit is no small sin. Chrysostom calls it the mother of Hell. It is a kind of idolatry -- a worshipping of self.
2. Whatever noble gift you have, it is borrowed. It is like the axe that fell into the water. 2 Kings 6:5, Alas master, for it was borrowed. All of a person's gifts -- his quick mind, his sharp wit -- are borrowed from Heaven. What wise person would be proud of a jewel that is only lent to him? 1 Corinthians 4:7, What do you have that you did not receive? The moon has no reason to boast about her light, since she owes it all to the sun.
3. Whatever sharpness of mind or depth of judgment you have, consider how far short you fall.
1. How far short do you fall of the knowledge that Adam had before the fall? He was the source of wisdom. He could unlock nature's hidden secrets and understand things that baffle us. Adam had full insight into the causes of things. He was like an angel on earth.
But how far short do you fall of him? Your knowledge is streaked with ignorance. There are many hard puzzles in nature that cannot easily be solved. Why does the loadstone ignore gold and pearl, yet attract iron? Why does the Nile overflow in summer, when rivers are usually at their lowest? What way the light is parted? Job 38:24. Why is the sea higher than the land, yet does not flood it? How do the bones grow in the womb? Ecclesiastes 11:5. What explains all the hidden properties of nature? Even the person who sees most clearly still has a fog before his eyes. By eating from the tree of knowledge, we lost the key of knowledge.
2. How far short do you fall of the knowledge that Satan has. He gets his name from his knowledge. We read of the depths of Satan, Revelation 2:24. And his schemes, 2 Corinthians 2:11. Satan is an intelligent spirit. Though he has lost his holiness, he has not lost his knowledge. Though he has lost his armor, he has not lost his cunning. He has enough intelligence to deceive the Nations, Revelation 20:3. His understanding is quick, and compared with ours, it is like the swift flight of an eagle compared with the slow crawl of a snail. Why then should anyone be puffed up about their own knowledge, when the Devil far surpasses them in it?
3. How far short do you fall of the knowledge that those who are perfected in glory possess. A person who is taller than a dwarf may still be shorter than a giant. Those who surpass others in natural abilities are still smaller in stature than the glorified saints. 1 Corinthians 13:12, We see in a riddle, through a glass darkly. But the saints in Heaven have a full, clear vision of God. Their light, which burned here like a smothered fire, is now blown into a pure flame. A glorified infant knows more than the most learned scholars on earth. In Heaven all shadows fly away, for the Sun of Righteousness has risen there with His brilliant beams. This should strip away the feathers of pride and self-conceit.
4. Your dark side is broader than your bright side. Your ignorance outweighs your knowledge. Your knowledge is like the light of a torch, but your ignorance is like total Cimmerian darkness. Job 26:14, How little a portion is known of God? The Septuagint translates it, How little a drop! Trying to fully grasp the Deity is like trying to measure the ocean with your hand. Christians, the greatest part of your knowledge does not even equal the smallest part of your ignorance. This should tear down every proud imagination. You have no reason to be proud of what you know. Instead, be humbled by what you lack.
5. Consider what a pit of sin you carry within you. Sin is the cursed thing. Joshua 7:13. It is the essence of evil. It is like a stain on beauty. It was pictured by the unclean cloth, which was the most impure thing under the Law. What good is knowledge when sin darkens it? It is like a woman with a beautiful face but cancer in her chest. Your knowledge does not adorn you nearly as much as sin degrades you.
6. Grace can never thrive where self-conceit grows. Just as a body cannot thrive when swollen with disease, the soul cannot thrive when it is swelled with this disease of pride and self-conceit. A proud head produces a barren heart.
7. An arrogant, self-important attitude is offensive and greatly reduces any real worth in a person. It is like a flaw in a diamond. The more someone values himself, the less God and the angels value him. A person may be talented, but if he is full of self-conceit, no one wants to be around him. He is like a doctor who has the plague -- people may admire his skill, but no one wants to come near him.
8. Those who have an inflated opinion of their own gifts are on the road to ruin. Either God makes them foolish, or He withholds His blessing from their work, or He allows them to fall into some great sin. Peter, who was so confident in himself -- as if he had more grace than all the other Apostles combined -- the Lord allowed him to fall hard. He denied Christ with an oath and even a curse, Matthew 26:74. Peter called down a curse on himself, swearing he did not know Christ. Some think he even cursed Christ.
The Lord sometimes lets vain, conceited people fall not only shamefully but permanently. The doves (says Pliny) take pride in their feathers and in flying high. Eventually they soar so high that they become prey to the hawk. In the same way, when people soar high in self-conceit, they become prey to the Prince of the Air. Let all this drive us to deny ourselves and kill the worm of self-conceit. If we are proud of our knowledge, the Devil does not care how much we know. Let Saint Paul be our example. Though he was the chief of the Apostles, he called himself the least of Saints. Ephesians 3:8 and 2 Corinthians 12:11. Though I be nothing. This brilliant Apostle, a star of the highest rank, shrank into nothing in his own eyes. It is excellent to be like Moses, whose face had a glow on it, but he did not know that the skin of his face was shining, Exodus 34:29.
6. A Christian must deny his appetite. The physical appetite has an insatiable hunger -- it constantly cries give, give. Saint Paul disciplined his body, 1 Corinthians 9:27. We should only take enough food and drink to sustain the body so that it can serve God. -- More are harmed by excess in lawful things than by involvement in unlawful ones -- Just as more people are killed by wine than by poison. Many make their Belly their god, Philippians 3:19. And to this god they pour out drink offerings. Clement of Alexandria writes about a fish whose heart is in its belly -- a picture of pleasure-seekers whose heart is in their stomach, devoted to indulgence. Excess in food or drink clouds the mind, smothers good desires, and stirs up lust. The thickest weeds grow in the richest soil. Overindulgence shortens life, just as too much oil puts out the lamp. Many dig their own graves with their teeth. Christ warned His Apostles, Luke 21:34. Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be weighed down with overeating and drunkenness. Seneca could say he was born for higher things than to be a slave to his body. What a disgrace it is that the soul -- that noble thing which holds the scepter of reason and is related to the angels -- should be enslaved to the animal part! Deny the sinful cravings of the flesh. What has God given conscience for, if not to be a golden bridle to restrain the unruly appetite?
7. A Christian must deny his comfort and ease, Proverbs 1:23. Ease kills the foolish. The flesh is full of laziness and softness. It hates to work hard for Heaven. Proverbs 19:24, A lazy man buries his hand in his pocket. He will not pull it out even to grab a crown. Weeds and pests grow in untended ground, and every kind of vice grows in an idle, untended heart. How can those who never planted any seed expect to reap a harvest of glory? Is Satan so busy in his territory, 1 Peter 5:8, while Christians sit idle? Are they Like the Lilies which toil not, neither do they spin? Deny your comfort and ease! Seneca, a pagan, devoted himself to hard work and spent part of the night in study. Hannibal forced his way over the Alps and their jagged rocks. We must force our way into paradise. Let us shake off laziness the way Paul shook off the viper. Never think you will be carried into Heaven the way passengers on a ship are carried to port while sleeping. 1 Chronicles 22:16. Arise and get to work. God draws no distinction between the lazy servant and the wicked one. Matthew 25:26. Those people in Etruria who, like drones, entered the hive and consumed the honey were expelled from the community and condemned to exile. Those who waste the day of grace and fold their hands to sleep when they should be working out salvation -- God will condemn them to a permanent exile in Hell.
8. A Christian must deny sinful scheming. This is the wisdom of the flesh, 2 Corinthians 1:12. Sinful scheming is craftiness. The schemer does not ask what is right, but what is safe. The schemer is made of willow -- he can bend with any party. His religion is tailored to fit the fashion of the times. He can bow either to the East or to the Host. Zeal for truth is deleted from the schemer's creed. Sir Thomas More once said he would not follow truth too closely, for fear it would knock out his brains. Some think it is shrewd not to speak against error, for fear of losing allies. The schemer is a Latitudinarian. He has more rationalizations than Aquinas and can stomach things that make others tremble. The ostrich's wings help it outrun other creatures. Sinful scheming helps people run further ahead than those with purer consciences. In short, the schemer is an Ecebolius. Like the Chameleon, he can change into any color and become whatever his company requires. He can be either serious or frivolous. He can imitate either Cato or Catiline. I agree that Christian wisdom is commendable, but the Serpent must not swallow the Dove. Any scheming that teaches you to avoid duty is unjustifiable. Deny sinful scheming. Dare to be honest. The best strategy is to hold fast to integrity.
9. A Christian must deny his uncontrolled passions. James 1:26, If any man among you seems to be religious, and does not bridle his tongue, this man's religion is worthless. Every part of the body is infected with sin, just as every branch of wormwood is bitter. But the tongue is full of deadly poison, James 3:8. Saint Augustine compares the tongue to a furnace, and too often, hot sparks of anger fly out of it. The Holy Spirit once descended in divided tongues of fire, Acts 2:3. But the Apostle James speaks of a tongue that is set on fire by Hell, chapter 3:6. Some people cannot control their own spirit. They are carried away by their passions like a chariot pulled by wild horses. Many (says Jerome) who would never get drunk on wine become drunk on reckless anger. Ecclesiastes 7:9, Anger rests in the heart of fools. Anger may visit a wise person, but it takes up residence in a fool. There is, I know, a holy anger against sin. But the fury of uncontrolled passion is the filthy froth that boils over from a corrupt heart. Passion disrupts reason and makes a person unfit for holy duties. Hot passions make cold prayers. Christians, deny yourselves! Pray that God will set a guard over your lips, Psalm 141:4. Work to put out the fire of anger with a flood of tears. It is recorded of Mr. John Bruen in the County Palatine of Chester that, although he was naturally hot-tempered, he eventually gained victory over his passions and grew so gentle and calm that his very nature seemed completely changed. Grace does to our passions what Christ did to the sea when it was storming. Mark 4:39, He said, Peace, be still, and there was a great calm. Grace turns the fierceness of the lion into the gentleness of the dove.
10. A Christian must deny his sinful fashions. Romans 12:2, Be not conformed to this World -- that is, to its style and trends. If the early Christians rose from their graves, our strange fashions might frighten them back into them. Was there ever such excess in Hair? 1 Corinthians 11:24, If a man have long hair it is a shame. More money is sometimes spent on a wig for one head than would clothe twenty poor people. Once someone asked the Reverend Mr. Dod why he did not preach against those who wore long hair. He replied: If Grace enters their heart, it will make them cut their hair.
Nor can women be excused for their excess in clothing. Seneca complained about people in his day who hung two or three fortunes from their ears. Some people wear half their wealth on their backs. Lysander would not allow his daughters to dress too lavishly, saying it would not make them so much attractive as common. What spotted faces and bare shoulders appear in the congregations! And the fact that professing Christians copy others in their outlandish outfits is a disgrace to religion. A tear in the eye would be more beautiful than a tower on the forehead. Deny yourselves! Pull down these flags of vanity. Have God's judgments not yet humbled you? 1 Timothy 2:9, I will therefore that women adorn themselves with modest apparel: let the hidden person of the heart be beautified and decorated with grace. Psalm 45:13, The King's daughter is all glorious within.
11. A Christian must deny his own ambitions. He must not look sideways in religion and aim at himself more than at God. He must not aim at enriching himself or winning applause for himself.
1. He must not aim at enriching himself. Some embrace the Gospel only for profit. They court this Queen not for her beauty, but for her jewels. It is not the fire of the altar they care about, but the gold of the altar, 1 Timothy 6:5, Supposing that gain is godliness. Camero, a French theologian from Bordeaux, tells of one Santangel, a lawyer, who became a Protestant only for worldly advantage, so that he might grow rich. Judas preached and worked miracles, but his eye was mainly on the money bag. How many pile one church position on top of another, caring more about the profit than the people! Mute dogs are greedy dogs, Isaiah 56:10, 11. These men use the ministry only as a net to catch advancement. This is to be worldly in the handling of sacred things. It is cheap and unworthy of a Christian to make religion serve selfish financial interests.
2. A Christian must not aim at self-applause. The Pharisees, who were creatures obsessed with glory, were guilty of this. They prayed and gave to the poor so that they might be seen by others, Matthew 6. The oil of vanity fueled their lamp. Verse 5: Truly they have their reward. They could write out their receipt and mark it, Received in full payment. Spanhemius once said that there is in every person by nature a dose of Pharisaism -- a craving for the glory and applause of the world. Luther confessed that although he was never tempted by greed, he was sometimes tempted by vain glory. Christ's own disciples were arguing about who should be greatest. What a powerful temptation this desire for vain glory is! Moths breed in the finest cloth, and self-seeking tends to breed in the best duties. Hidden selfish motives corrupt religion. A good motive will not make a bad action good, but a bad motive will make a good action bad.
Those who take credit for themselves after performing some great service in the Church deserve blame. They are like the pagans who sacrificed the wax to their gods but kept the honey for themselves. Matthew Paris tells of a man who, in several lectures, powerfully proved that Christ was God. When the audience praised him highly, he cried out, O Jesus, You are indebted to me for Your Divinity this day. At that moment, this scholar was suddenly struck with such confusion and memory loss that he could never again recite the Lord's Prayer without a small child saying it to him. Let this produce trembling and humility in Christians. Several ships that have escaped the rocks have been wrecked on the sandbars. Many who have escaped the rocks of obvious scandals have been wrecked on the sandbars of self-seeking. One person said he would not want Erasmus's fame and applause for anything in the world. It is not wrong to have a good reputation in God's Church -- that is a blessing. Hebrews 11:2, By faith the elders obtained a good report. Much of the honor of religion depends on the reputation of those who profess it. But the sin is when self-applause becomes the only thing pursued. Popular praise is a golden arrow that glitters in the eye but wounds the heart. How many have been blown into Hell by the wind of popular applause!
Let us deny -- and even despise -- this craving for vain glory. We have an excellent example in John the Baptist, who sought to lift up Christ and lower himself. John 1:15, He that comes after me is preferred before me. It was as if he said: I am only the Herald, the voice of one crying. Christ who comes after me is the Prince. I am only the morning star; He is the Sun. I baptize only with water; He baptizes with the Holy Spirit. In this way he placed the crown of honor on Christ's head. Just as Joab, after capturing Rabbah, did not claim the credit for himself but sent for King David so that the king could receive the glory of the victory, 2 Samuel 12:27. In the same way, when any great service has been accomplished in Church or nation, all the glory should be given to Christ and free grace. It is better to have God's approval than the world's applause. If we are faithful, we will have more than enough honor in Heaven. Let our chief aim in every duty be this: that we may grow more in love with God, become more like Him, have deeper fellowship with Him, and bring more glory to Him. 1 Peter 4:11, That in all things, God may be glorified. We should not only promote God's glory but pursue it as our goal. It was a worthy statement by Philip de Mornay on his deathbed: that throughout the course of his life, he had made God's glory his purpose and aim. As all the rivers flow into the sea, so all our actions must flow into God, the Infinite Ocean.
12. A Christian must deny all ungodliness. Titus 2:11, 12, The grace of God has appeared to all men, Teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, etc. The Turks say in their Quran that God did not give men lustful desires only to have them go unfulfilled. But let their Quran go with the Papists' legend. Scripture grants no permission for sin. It commands us to deny ungodly lusts. The person who will not sacrifice the ram -- his vile lusts -- is unlikely to sacrifice his Isaac -- his worldly profits. A Christian must deny his malice, revenge, covetousness, sexual immorality, superstition, and false doctrine. A person can go to Hell just as easily for holding a sinful belief as for living a sinful life. And let me especially highlight two sins a Christian must deny.
1. The sin of harsh judging, James 4:11, Do not speak evil of one another. Some make it part of their religion to criticize others and clip their reputation to make it weigh less. You will hear them say: that person is proud, divisive, hypocritical. James 4:12, Who are you to judge another? Saint Augustine could not stand it when people attacked the good name of others. So he wrote these two lines on his dining table:
Whoever loves to tear apart the reputation of those who are absent should know that this table is off-limits to him.
The root of harsh judging is pride. A person thinks that by tearing down another's reputation, he can build up his own. But let him beware who raises himself on the ruins of another person's good name. Do you think it is no sin to murder someone's reputation? You who are so quick to criticize -- it is likely that you can spot every fault but your own. Like the Lamiae, who could see well outside their home but were blind inside it. Christian, look inward! If you examined your own flaws more carefully in the mirror of the Word, you would not be so quick to throw the stone of criticism at others. Deny this sin of harsh judging, or striking with the tongue, Jeremiah 18:18. You who speak badly about your brother without cause -- the time may come when he is accepted and you are rejected. He may prove to be gold, and you worthless metal.
2. A Christian must deny his favorite sin, his pet transgression. Psalm 18:23, I have kept myself from my iniquity. Just as there is one queen bee in the hive, there is naturally one ruling sin in the heart, and this must be denied. The Devil can hold a person captive by just one sin. A jailer can hold a prisoner with just one chain. One sin is enough to block the flow of mercy. One sin can condemn just as easily as many. A single millstone is enough to sink a person into the sea. If there is any sinful desire we refuse to give up, it will be a bitter root that leads either to disgrace or to falling away from the faith.
13. A Christian must deny his relationships. Luke 14:26, If any man come to Me, and hate not father, and mother, and wife, and children, he cannot be My disciple. The meaning is this: when earthly relationships compete with or stand against Christ, we must set them aside. When our friends become traps and try to keep us from doing our duty, we must either leap over them or push past them. Here, hatred toward loved ones is really devotion toward God. If my wife (said Jerome) should hang around my neck, if my mother should show me the breast that nursed me, and they tried to persuade me to deny Christ, I would break away from them and run to the Cross. When Peter tried to be a tempter, Christ said, Get behind Me, Satan.
14. A Christian must deny his possessions for Christ. A worldly heart will praise Christ and claim to follow Him but will part with nothing for Him. The young man in the Gospel was Christ's listener but not His follower. He approved of heavenly things but craved earthly ones. When Christ told him, Sell all and give to the poor, he went away sad, he went away sorrowful, Matthew 19:22. When Mercury is in alignment with a harmful planet, it has a harmful influence. In the same way, when riches are joined with a corrupt heart, they do great damage. The world was closer to the young man's heart than Christ. Have some of the pagans denied the world? Epaminondas, a Greek captain who won many great victories, was a great despiser of worldly wealth. He refused vast sums of money sent to him from the King of Persia, so that when he died, he left barely enough to pay for his funeral. If a pagan went this far in denying the world, should not Christians go much further? Let the gold bar be given up for the pearl of great price. Matthew 19:27, We have forsaken all, and followed You. A true saint values even the leftovers of Christ more than the world's best harvest. Philippians 3:8, For whom I have suffered the loss of all things. Galeacius, Marquess of Vico, gave up a large estate to enjoy the pure worship of Christ at Geneva. When a Jesuit tried to persuade him to return to his Catholic religion in Italy, promising him a huge sum of money, he said, Let their money perish with them who consider all the gold in the world worth one hour's fellowship with Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit.
15. A Christian must deny his life for Christ. This is in the text: Let him take up his Cross. Suffering for Christ must be free and willing. The person who suffers unwillingly merely carries the Cross. The person who suffers willingly takes up the Cross. A beautiful young woman fell in love with Crates for his learning. He showed her his walking stick and his bag and said: This is your dowry. Christ shows us His Cross. If we will not accept Him on these terms, the arrangement will not go forward. Sufferings will come to us. 2 Timothy 3:12. The Devil has not grown kinder than he used to be. Some dream of reigning with Christ but not of suffering. Joseph dreamed of his promotion but not of his imprisonment. The flesh cries out that the Cross is painful -- there are nails in the yoke that tear. But life must be denied, even hated for Christ. Luke 14:26, If any man come to Me, and hate not father, and mother, and his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Love for Christ must outweigh love for life. Revelation 12:11, They loved not their lives to the death. Paul carried the image of Christ in his heart as a saint, the message of Christ in his mouth as a minister, and the marks of Christ in his body as a martyr. Galatians 6:17. The heroes of the early church seized their torments as if they were crowns and gladly shed their blood for Christ, knowing they would exchange their bloodstained clothes for white robes. The prophet Isaiah was killed with a saw, Jeremiah with stones, Amos with an iron bar, Luke was hanged on an olive tree. I have read that Irenaeus was brought to a place where a Cross stood on one side and an idol on the other. He was given a choice: bow to the idol or suffer on the Cross. He chose the Cross. Basil tells of a young woman condemned to the fire who, when offered her life and her property if she would bow to an image, answered, Let life and money go. Welcome, Christ. Though every Christian is not actually a martyr, every Christian has a prepared mind and is ready to suffer if God calls. Luther said he would rather be a Martyr than a Monarch. Let us then take up the Cross. Can wicked people willingly suffer for their sinful desires, while we will not suffer for Christ? We should view our suffering as a badge of honor. If we receive a Spirit of God and of glory when we are insulted for Christ, how much more when we die for Him. 1 Peter 4:14. Our suffering for Christ spreads the faith. Paul's imprisonment caused the Gospel to advance even further. Philippians 1:12. Justin Martyr was converted to the faith by witnessing the heroic patience and courage of Christians in their suffering. -- Let us suffer so that we may gain -- The Cross leads to the Crown. 2 Timothy 2:12, If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him. Who would refuse to brave the rough and stormy seas if he knew he would be crowned the moment he reached the shore? Persecutors may take our goods but not our God, our freedom but not our freedom of conscience, our head but not our Crown. Revelation 2:10.
Whoever cannot deny his life for Christ will end up denying Christ. And whoever is ashamed of Christ, Christ will be ashamed of him. Mark 8:38. Whoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with His holy Angels.
