Chapter 6: The Want of Self-Denial Lamented

Chapter 6. The want of Self-denial lamented.

In the next place we may sadly lay to heart the want of Self-denial. O Self-denial, Where have you gone? Terras Astraea reliquit We live in a knowing Age, yet few know how to deny themselves. Selfishness is the reigning sin of the World. This makes the times have a bad aspect. 2 Timothy 3:1, 2, Perilous times shall come, for men shall be [reconstructed: philautoi], lovers of themselves. Self may have diverse Actions brought against it. It is an enemy to the public. Whence come wars? James 4:1. Whence is robbery and bribery? Whence is oppression and circumvention, but from those selfish lusts which men cannot conquer? When Lentulus had in his Will declared Tiberius Caesar to be his Heir, so basely selfish was Caesar, that he sent and killed Lentulus, that he might have present possession of his Goods. Self-denial lodges but in a few breasts. It is, Rara herba, a Sacred exotic herb which is grown very scarce. Luke 18:8, When the son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? May it not be said, Shall he find Self-denial on the earth? Self-denial is gone a long Pilgrimage, and who can tell when it will return?

Chapter 6. The Lack of Self-Denial Mourned.

Next, we should grieve over the absence of self-denial. Where has self-denial gone? Justice has left the earth. We live in a knowledgeable age, yet few know how to deny themselves. Selfishness is the ruling sin of the world. This is what makes the times look so bleak. 2 Timothy 3:1, 2, Perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of themselves. Self could have many charges brought against it. It is an enemy of the public good. Where do wars come from? James 4:1. Where do robbery and bribery come from? Where do oppression and fraud come from, if not from selfish desires that people cannot conquer? When Lentulus named Tiberius Caesar as his heir in his will, Caesar was so shamelessly selfish that he had Lentulus killed so he could take immediate possession of his goods. Self-denial lives in very few hearts. It is a rare and sacred plant that has become very scarce. Luke 18:8, When the Son of Man comes, shall He find faith on the earth? Could we not also ask, Shall He find self-denial on the earth? Self-denial has gone on a long journey, and who can tell when it will return?