Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A86527
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Heautonaparnumenos: or A treatise of self-denyall. Intended for the pulpit; but now committed to the presse for the publike benefit.
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Hooker, Thomas, 1586-1647.
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1646
(1646)
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Wing H2649; Thomason E336_8; ESTC R18443
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63,517
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71
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HEAVTONAPARNVMENOS Or a Treatise of SELF-DENYALL Intended for the Pulpit but now committed to the Presse for the PUBLIKE BENEFIT Inutilis olim Ne videar vixisse 1 COR. 2.6 7 8 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But we speake wisdome among those that are perfect but not the wisdome of this world c. LONDON Printed by W. WILSON for RICHARD ROYSTON at the Angel in Ivy-Iane 1646. A Treatise of Self-Denyall MATTH 16.24 If any one will come after me let him deny himselfe BUt in the first place let us with all thankfulnesse adore the Divine Bounty for this inestimable Jewell of His most Holy VVord revealed to us and with all humility implore the light and aid of his most Blessed Spirit that we who can doe nothing without Him may with Him be able to see His Truth and seeing it sell all we are worth to purchase it To this alone Glory in our Eternal Good through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen THE Occasion of these words will be the best key to our Discourse And that was this Our Saviour now drawing fast upon the Catastrophe of His Life and being in the last Act thereof to expresse the Perfection of Self-denyall that the suddennesse of the Tragedy might not drive his Disciples into an unwonted extasie Verse 21. acquaints them often with it before-hand well knowing that the blow foreseene in time when it came would make the lesse impression Yet Peter it seemes Verse 22. somewhat mov'd above the rest whether by the instinct of flesh and bloud or the suggestion of the Devill or both which is most likely taking him aside began to rebuke Him saying Sir favour your selfe this barme shall not befall you Most strange audaciousnesse in a Disciple to his Master whether we looke at his words or his behaviour No such thing shall befall you and yet but just then He had flatly affirmed the contrary What else was this but with the Devill in Paradise to oppose his owne infallibility to his Masters Gen. 3.4 Jer. 5.12 that is in plaine English to give Him the Lye An intolerable presumption And yet thereupon to inferre He ought to favour that is make much of or seek Himselfe this was no other but a downe-right Devillish Temptation A true but slyer Copy of that Originall one of the Serpent who tempted our first Parents by self-love to affect a Deity But lastly the better to perswade this Gen 3.5 to take Him aside to put Him beside His course and there earnestly to advise Him this was just like the Devils tolling Adam from his Worke to the fatall Tree of Perdition All which seriously considered we cannot but though with no small admiration aknowledge Peter but even now made a Claviger of the Heavenly Kingdome Verse 19. was herein the Devills Spokes-man Such was the daring boldnesse that by long practise he was growne to No lesse Instrument could serve him to frustrate the Second Covenant then the Senior Disciple of our Saviour's who us'd but a despicable Serpent to doe as much to the First All that can bee said in Peters behalfe is he meant no harme to our Saviour in those words but good rather the reason as I suppose why he made so bold with Him as he did But this though the common pretence of blinde zeale is not enough to excuse it the Devil to be sure meant harm enough who in those words of his had no lesse matter in designe then the irrecoverable Destruction of all Man-kinde the reason as it may seem why our Saviour check'd not him Verse 23 but Satan speaking in him The best of it was this Our Saviour the Second Adam being the Lord Himself from Heaven 1 Cor. 15.17 did not like that First Adam form'd out of the earth give way to this temptation no not for a moment but forthwith repelled it bid Satan be gone And whereas Peter endeavoured in a sort to divert Him He converted Himselfe into His course againe bids Peter not stand like Satan thus before Him to oppose Him but get him behinde Him rather and become His follower in this though never so hard enterprise of Self-denyall Which that Peter might resent more kindly and not conceive himselfe hardly dealt with as if evill had been return'd him for his good our Saviour to undeceive him vouchsafes a Reason of his Reproofe Because he savourd not the things of God meaning this great matter of Self-denyall but onely the things of men to wit that traiterous sin of Self-love And not content with this that He might the better set Satan packing Verse 24 and yet keep Peter by Him by way of Antithesis He layes here the Foundation of what Peter went about to destroy such a Schools or Sect of men as should savour the things of God and not the things of men that is a Sect of Christians or self-denyers That this was the sole Designe of these words we are now upon will evidently appeare from the formost of them If any one will come after Me rightly understood for they being a Si quis of Invitation of any man to this Schoole import no more but this If any one will become my Disciple or a Christian 'T is true the Name of Christian was not then taken up but here was the Foundation layd thereof For as the Pythagoreans were so called from the first Author of their Sect Pythagoras and the Epicureans from the first Author of theirs Epicurus so were the Disciples from their first Author Christ Acts 11.26 at length in Antioch first called Christians Disciples then and Followers in this sense becomming termes Synonymous this comming after must not be so literally understood as if the Disciple were continually to tread in his Masters steps but that if he did jurare in verba that is take upon him to defend his Masters singular Dogmata or Opinions though he seldome or never bare him company 't was sufficient Thus a Metempsychosis or Transanimation being the singular Dogma of Pythagoras it became the Characteristick of the Pythagoreans who in pursuance of it abstain'd the eating Flesh Thus an Acatalepsia or Incomprebensibility of all things being the singular Dogma of Arcesilaus it became the Characteristicke of the Academicks who in pursuance of it call'd all Sciences in question Thus the maintaining Pleasure to bee our Summum Bonum being the singular Dogma of Epicurus it became the Characteristick of the Epicureans who in pursuance of it deny'd Gods Providence in sublunary matters And thus this Doctrine of Self-denyall being the singular Dogma of Christ above all others He would have it here become the Characteristick of all Christians who in pursuance of it should become Crucigeri or Cruciani as anciently they were called that is Crosse-bearers yea takers of it up This difference though wee may observe betwixt theirs and this Dogma of our Saviours their 's had no necessary influence on whatsoever else they taught but so has this
one therefore enjoying those or such like things uses them as the Meanes whereby to obtaine their End Happinesse But now we have a Generall Rule The Meanes are to be sought after not for themselves but onely for the End It must needs therefore be he that helps us to the end though he does not withall to the Meanes yet gives us the Meanes too because he gives us that for which onely the Meanes are good and desireable If then Christ promises and gives us the end we seek for in those things as He does and that in this Life to wit Happinesse Hee must needs therewithall by consequence give us the Meanes the Things themselves But does He moreover and above give us an Hundred fold in too Yes that he does and more For we must know that though we seek for Happinesse by such Meanes yet they are not the true Meanes to obtaine it for then some time or other in them we should finde it But that no man ever yet could doe but still having enjoy'd any or all of them they were faine to complaine with St. Augustine Cor irrequietum est donec veniat ad Te That Mans desire cannot be satisfi'd in any Creature not till it come at God And so much we find wittily insinuated by a Spanish Author Mat. Aleman 1 Book ch 7. in his Fable of Jupiter who being offended with Men for worshipping their Petty God Content to a neglect of himselfe took Content away from them unto himselfe and clapt his Brother Discontent into his clothes that so men finding no Content on Earth might seek for it onely with him in Heaven The Fable does Moralize it selfe and signifies nor more nor lesse unto us then what is the Subject of Solomon's Ecclesiastes Eccles 1.1 Vanity of Vanities all is but Vanity that therefore here we must not set down our staffe but seek further to that City in the Heavens whose Maker and Builder is God But now thither those Meanes wee spake of would never lead us for then our Saviour would never have bidden us forsake them to follow Him A plaine Argument they are not Meanes and Helpes but Remoraes and Hindrances rather from Following Him and obtaining Happinesse And then I hope it cannot bee but Christ in bestowing on us that Happinesse we seek after but being blinde and erring cannot arrive unto and this too by making us forsake what we mistake for Happinesse but is indeed our Shame and Misery does bestow on us the full worth of those Meanes and an Hundred fold to boot But now to the maine Point That Christ promises and bestowes even in this life true though not full Happinesse on all those that forsake all and Deny themselves This we think possible to make appeare the Promise out of the Text the Performance out of the Nature of Self-denyall The Promise we say is contain'd in the Text not in so many words indeed but by most plaine and infallible Consequence For the Text sayes If any one will follow Christ he must Deny himselfe to doe it I hope then if he does so if he does Deny himselfe He promises hee may and shall follow him But now what is it to follow Christ It is to be wheresoever Christ is So He Himselfe expounds it John 12.26 But how does He meane that by a locall Motion Certainly Nothing lesse for then all Christians must get them wings and flye up to Heaven where now our Saviour is But in Spirit for He sayes they are to be with Him to see His Glory 2 Cor. 3.18 John 17.24 That is as the Apostle expounds it to be transform'd from Glory to Glory as by the Spirit of the Lord which is nothing else but to be spiritually Happy For the Performance of this Promise that will bee evident in the Act of Selfe-denyall Which that wee may see you must know that Happinesse is the Fruition of and Vnion with God Himselfe That that Vnion must be by Love the Vniting affection Now if there be nothing in the whole world beside God and the Creature If these two make up every thing then certainly he that Denyes and forsakes the Creature must needs love God or not love at all That the Will should not love at all is impossible for then it should not be a Will seeing to Will and to Love are both one Therefore Denying the Creature 1 John 4.16 it must needs love God therefore be Vnited to Him therefore be Happy Againe God being our Summum bonum as we all grant the Perfect Good he must needs attract proportionable that is Perfect Love If He does not attract such love every where as 't is plaine He does not very few loving God in Sincerity there seemes to be no other Reason of it but this the defect of mens sight that they see Him not to be such that is their Perfect Good Now of this Defect there can be no other Reason rendred but this The interposition of the Creature betwixt us and God and our beholding and loving of it more then Him These are the Clouds that hinder us from beholding and admiring the Glory of the Sunne of Righteousnesse this that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 12.1 Aquin. Lect. 1◠in locum the Apostle speakes of that sinne or as Thomas that Occasion of sinne that does so easily so every way beset us and therefore must be put away before we can runne the race of Happinesse that is set before us So then it must needs be If wee shall put away that sinne if we shall doffe our Selves and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 12.2 look off the Creature to look on Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith and so see God onely in every thing then wee shall be united and one with Him as He with us then our Will shall no longer be ours but swallow'd up of His and we shall no longer be rul'd by it but His Will shall rule within us In a word we shall be in this World as we were in Paradise that is enjoy true solid Happinesse But marke yee with this difference it is Our Happinesse here is but Inchoate not as hereafter it shall bee Consummate Here our Paradise is beset with Bryars and Thornes not as the First where was nothing but what was profitable and delightfull Therefore though our Saviour promises a Hundred fold here yet 't is with Persecution and therefore the Apostle tells us we must runne our Race with Patience Heb. 12.1 Heb. 10.36 for in another place hee sayes We had need of Patience that so we may attaine the Premise For the need we have of this Patience arises hence because of that Crosse we must beare as soon as we begin to Deny our Selves for so it followes in the Text Let him Deny himselfe and take up his Crosse What Crosse is that it is no other but that which wicked Selfe-will'd men will lay upon our backs For though we for our