Page images
PDF
EPUB

of us, and what our Maker defigns us for, hath pointed out the only wife Method; that we deny ourselves, and follow Him: that, renouncing the Indulgence of our own Inclinations, we take his Example and his Laws for our only rule; and, without standing to compute what we may lofe or fuffer by it in this or that Cafe, venture to give up Body and Soul in all Cafes to his Government; and fecking Happiness by no other Means than Obedience, truft God for the Confequences. Were we but in fuch a State of Mind, we should have one invariable Rule to act by, "This is my Duty, therefore nothing shall feduce me from it: this is contrary to my Duty, therefore nothing shall engage me in it." We should have one general and full Anfwer conftantly ready for all Temptations, inftead of the manifold Difadvantages and Hazards of debating Particulars with each of them fingly. Their force must be unspeakably leffened, would we but follow this Direction in earnest; never admit an enfnaring fecond Thought to creep in and puzzle a plain cafe, nor afford Time to a vicious Defire to argue the Point with us, and paint itself out in plaufible and inviting Colours to deceive us; but, the Moment

Moment we fee it to be vicious, look on it in that fole View, reject it without Delay for that fole Reason, and think no more of it. Else we shall be all Inconftancy and Irrefolution, distracted between the Services of two Masters; sometimes preferring one, sometimes the other; then contriving a thousand filly Schemes to reconcile both, and entangled by every Endeavour in fresh Perplexities. Whereas, would we thoroughly give up our whole Selves into the Hands of our rightful Sovereign, and fix the Regard we owe Him for the one Principle of our Conduct; the Prefence of that Thought would awe into Silence whatever was oppofite to it; our bad Inclinations would die away and be forgotten; good ones would spring up, and have nothing to oppofe their Growth; a better Self, a new Man created after the Image of God would be formed within us, inftead of that which we had put off; and our Advances in Goodness would be astonishing : like those of the pious Corinthians, whose charitable Contributions, the Apoftle declares, were beyond his Hopes: but, faith he, they firft gave their own Selves to the Lord, and then to us by the Will of God.

[blocks in formation]

This indeed is the only Way to be religious: and Religion is the only Way to be happy. For, the true Good of Man, let us fearch for it ever fo long, or fancy about it what we please, can never be found where it is not; and is only where our Maker hath placed it. All our Capacities for it are of his bestowing: our whole Being is at his Difpofal. If we withhold any Thing from him, the Holiness of his Nature, the Honour of his Government, bind him to convince us of our Guilt and Folly. If, on the contrary, we refign all to him, he will give us back richly to enjoy, as the Scripture expreffes it, all that is innocent and fafe: he will reward us eternally hereafter for abstaining from what would hurt us even here: and it is inconceivably abfurd to imagine we can provide for our own Interests better, than by intrusting them with Him. Nor perhaps in general do Men imagine they can: but they fee what is right, and dare not attempt it.. A cowardly Apprehenfion of Pain in the Effort keeps us in the far worse Pain of a divided State of Mind and Life. We avoid fome Faults, and cannot prevail on ourfelves to avoid others. We refolve against all Sin, it may be: but

Tim. vi. 176

cannot

cannot refolve against the Things that we know will lead us into Sin: fo we leave Stumblingblocks in our own Way, and undo every Thing as faft as we do it. Then for a while Selfreflection caufes bitter Remorfe, but immediately Self-indulgence brings forth new Tranfgreffions: and, in this wretched Circle, we go round and round to our Destruction: whereas one thorough Determination, well kept, of yielding up all without Referve to God, would extricate us from this Labyrinth, and fettle us in a firm State of inward Peace: the prefent Advantages of the Change would be great beyond Belief; the future, infinite: and thus the Self-denial our Saviour enjoins would

to be the only true Self-love.

appear

But then we must not think, that forming fuch a Refolution is all that we need in order to accomplish it. A vain Opinion of our own Strength is one Part of the Self that we are to deny: elfe we shall never have Strength to any real good Purpofe. Our bleffed Lord affures us, that without him we can do nothing. St. Paul affures us, that we are not fufficient to think any Thing as of ourselves. And repeated Experience hath given us all, I fear, too many

• John xv. 5.

f 2 Cor. iii. 5:

Proofs

If then we are wicked,

Proofs of this Truth. our only Way is, that, yielding to the Convictions of God's Word and Spirit, we apply in the Name of our bleffed Redeemer for Power to deny ourselves and follow him: that through him, as our High Prieft, we prefent our Souls and Bodies a Sacrifice to God, befeeching him to accept the Gift, to take and keep Poffeffion of us. And though we think ourfelves ever fo good, yet if we imagine we are become fuch, or hope to continue fuch, by our own Abilities, we deceive ourselves, and know nothing yet, as we ought to know. By the Grace of God I am what I am, faith the Apoftle; I laboured more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the Grace of God, which was with me. I am crucified with Chrift, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me, and I live by the Faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Nay, lastly, if we flatter ourselves, that even by the Means of Help from above we have attained to a Perfection of Self-denial, or of any other Virtue, we mistake our Condition, endanger our Humility, and neglecting to prefs forward,

Rom. xii. 1. * Gal. ii. 20.

h 1 Cor. viii. 2.

i 1 Cor. xv. 10.

fhall

« PreviousContinue »