Epistle Dedicatory to the Reader
The corruption of Nature is exceeding great; it appears sundry ways, in none more than in selfishness: that which at first was made altogether for God, is now altogether for himself. The disease is catholic and spreads to the end of the earth, Phil 2:21. All seek their own. The people flocked after Christ by sea and Land, here was great seeming self-denial, Christ they must see, Christ they must bear, a Christ they must have, but this Christ-seeking was altogether self-seeking; Christ tells them that it was not himself, his Doctrine or Miracles that drew them, it was the loaves, they found more virtue in that bread, than in the bread of life.
It was selfishness that made Laban change Jacob’s wages ten times, and become a deceiver. This made Naball churlishly deny relief to David and his, in their distress. This made Gehezi, run after Naamon, and take talents of silver, and change of garments. Elisha’s excellency appeared in his self-denial, and Gehezies baseness in his self-seeking. This humour is in all, and predominant in most parties.
Some great pretenders of holiness are polluted and poisoned with this venom. You may see it in the Jesuits Maxims and practice: They say there is not a mixture in every congregation, Their society is without spot or wrinkle, they have all living, and no dead members. And again, their society exceeds all others in this, that they have Antidotes and spices, which will preserve them from corruption, so that there are no danger of their degenerating after some centuries of years, as other orders have done: Happy men, if their sayings and societies were the same. When they deal with Princes and Potentates, they tell them not of their faults, but those opinions Que liberiorem faciunt conscientism.
Thus they do advance themselves and their cause, that they may be thought the Non-suchs of the world; they boast of their grace, and say the Monks come short of them, they can dally with the fairest women without danger. Paul himself was not so perfect in that kind as they are. Here is self-seeking with a witness, they throw down an Apostle to lift up themselves; they care not who fall, so they may rise; but blast all others to beautify themselves: But God in justice hath made them odious even among papists as well as Protestants.
Great self-seekers in a Church or State ever gain great hatred. If men will pollute God’s worship with their devices, he will make their names to stink. Nothing makes us more honourable in the eyes of God and man, than the advancing of his worship, and preserving it unmixed. If temporals come in the place of eternals, and that which is mans instead of that which is God’s, God will make the authors of such evil contemptible before all the people, Mal. 2: 8, 9. It is not unknown how divine providence proceeded against Danish prelates; Had they denied themselves, maintained the pure worship of God, sought the public good of Prince and people, they might have stood till this day; but because they were shamefully wicked, and sought themselves too much, they were wholly cast out by Prince and people, in the year 1537. Self-seeking is self-undoing; Absalom and Adoniah whilst they sought themselves, they lost their lives.
The argument of this book, is self-denial, a hard, yet a safe lesson; it is no other than Christ taught and practiced; if any man will be my Disciple, let him deny himself and follow me, Matt. 16:24. There’s the doctrine, see his practice, John 6:15. when they would make him a king he withdraws; the greatness and glory that was in royal Majesty, could nothing prevail with his Spirit; He did not his own will, but the will of his Father. It liked not him to have his works blown abroad; his whole life and death were absolute self-denial. This way would he have all his to go, and it is a way wherein is no death. He that doth most deny himself, he lives most free from sin. Take a true self-denying man and passion is a stranger to him; he sins not with anger, because he rejoices in his wrongs; he swells not with pride, because he is content to be contemned; he frets not at afflictions, because he deems himself worthy of all punishments. Self-denial breeds great joy, and brings great ease. It unburdens a man of himself, his sinful self. What joy, what ease was it to Joseph to be rid of his enticing mistress he let go of his coat, and saved his innocency. And let a Christian rid himself of his sinful self, and his joy and ease will exceed Joseph’s; if he let go of his flesh, he shall advance his spirit.
Would it not be another Heaven to be rid of our sinful opinions, sinful wills and affections? Deny thyself, and this Heaven is thine. A self-seeker only make himself miserable; he is an absolute tyrant, and his self-love turns charity out of doors, and eats up all the love that God and man should have; neither others good, nor God’s glory are dear to him, he is a clod of the earth that sucks up the sap of his soul only to himself. It is the self-denying man that is the man for God and public good. Such a one was Moses, Heaven and earth have been honoured to have him; such a one will venture even where danger and difficulty is, self shall not hinder public good. A self-denying man will stand by God’s cause and people, when others shrink for fear and shame. One Douglas, a Scottish knight having heard Master Wishart preach, said, I know the governor and cardinal shall hear of it, but say unto them, I will avow it, and not only maintain the Doctrine, but also the person of the teacher, to the uttermost of my power. Had he minded his credit with great ones, his estate or liberty, he would not have appeared for a persecuted truth and man; self-denial had stripped him of private respects. Antonius Pius when he undertook the title of Emperor, said he did then forgo the property and interest of a private person; and when we take the name of Christ upon us, we should then forgo all selfish and domestic respects.
It is the honour of a Christian to be like unto his Master Christ; he denied himself thoroughly, and was acted altogether by the Father; let us do the like, and be acted wholly by Christ. I live not, Says Paul, but Christ lives in me: his judgment, will, affection, life, were transformed into Christ’s: here was no halving, himself was fully laid down and Christ was all in all, and he gained enough by it; there is no better way than to deny ourselves, and to do it fully. It is a saying, and that a great one in many, they will deny themselves in some things, in many things, but not in all; if they mortify most lusts, yet to someone they will shew mercy. This mercy to thy lust is cruelty to thyself. Iron fetters, thou knockest off with indignation, but pleadest for golden shackles, some petty beloved corruption. Why dost thou deny thy self in part and not altogether? Limitations here, will prove thy Lamentations; deny thyself wholly, or not at all, as there be no thorough self-denial, ere long, there will be God-denial. Hat thou loved they self too much heretofore? Now hate thyself, the nearer thou art to God. Self-seeking sets us at the borders of hell, and self-denial sets us at the gate of Heaven.
Reader would thou have two heavens, live in heaven on earth, and go to Heaven at death, study this book of self-denial. Pighius by reading Calvin was brought to be of his mind in point of justification. Who knoweth but thou mayest be reading this learned treatise of self-denial, b e brought off from all thy self-love and self-seeking. This author would poll from thee that which would ruin thee. If thou wilt let the physic purge out ill-humours, take away ill-blood, to save thy life, be not unwilling that a grave and godly divine should purge out thy self-love, and take away sinful humours to save thy soul. It his aim to do thee good, follow his counsel, and thou shalt never be troubled with soul sickness. It is our sinful self-seeking, that breeds all distempers of our spirits. Let us deny our selves, and then we are as God would have us to be; we shall make high account of God, and find great sweetness in the things of God. They that taste most, find the greatest sweetness in their meat; And those that are the greatest self-deniers, find the greatest content in God, and most blessings from God. They are never in the valley of Berachah, in the place of blessings and rest; and what the prophet crowns true tasting withal the same will God crown self-denial withal, joy, gladness, and cheerful feasting. So prayeth.
Thy friend in Christ
W. GREENHILL
