1. Sam. 20.4.12.13.30.31.32.33.34.35 but vnfainedly loued him faithfully and with danger of his life preserued him from the furie of his owne Father How could he euer haue done this if he had not learned vtterly to renounce himselfe and to offer himselfe to the will of God How many motiues and proroâ—atins would humane reason colour of right promise the glory of a kingdome the falling from his hopes how many such like were cast into his minde no doubt beeing a man but he valiantly resisted them and is become more glorious by so parting with his Kingdome then if he had swayed the Scepter not onely of that but of all the kingdomes of the world without this Denyall Fiftly 5. Naaman fit for this purpose is the example of Naaman who though at first 2. King 5.10.11.12.13.14.15 he not Denying himselfe had almost destroyed himselfe who thought it foolishnesse to goe and wash in the waters of Iordan yet in the ende being perswaded and ouer-ruled by good counsel subiecting his owne will and reason to the Prophets commaund found the benefit thereof by good experience that obedience is the best sacrifice and to harken better then the fat of Lambes Sixtly 6. Dauid 2 Sam. 23.15.16.17 well might Dauid haue a place in this ranke who had learned this Deniall 2. Sam. 23.15.16.17 when it may seeme pressed through thirst he desired the water of the well of Bethleem and that through the valour and vndaunted courage and magnanimitie of his worthies it was got he would not drinke it but powred it out as sacrifice to the Lord was not this a maruelous bridling his affection The like and much more appeares in his behauiour towards Saul that although himselfe annointed and so iniuriously persecuted by Saul 1. Sam. 24.4.9.10.11.17.19 and hauing him twise closed in his hands yet offred no violence to him Oh what a singular measure of Selse-denyall was here The like also might be shewed in many other behauiours of his as in sending back the Arke when he fled from Absolon 2. Sam. 15.25.26 and resigned himselfe wholly to the Lord. Seauenthly 7 Paul notable is the example of Paul while partly hee became all things to all men to the weake and strong not pleasing himselfe in any thing Cor. 2.9 22. but especially being newly conuerted that Christ should send him from his owne Country-men towards whom he burned in zeale and beeing sent into Arabia among Barbarous people without houses that yet he so readily obayed Gal. 1.16 whence was it but from this ground Gal. 1.16 That hee consulted not with flesh and blood but was obeydient to the Heauenly counsell Eightly 8 Iohn Baptist Excellent is the example of Iohn Baptist Iohn 1.20 21. for when the Scribes and Pharisees sent an honorable Embassage to him offering him as it were to be Messias Iohn 3.28 Iohn 1.20 21. after Iohn 3.28 When his Disciples prouoked with carnall enuy would haue had him aduance himselfe aboue Christ as beeing his Ancient and giuing him as they thought his first credit Loe there how Iohn abases himselfe how hee schooles his Disciples how he magnifies Christ how hee was but a voyce but a sprinkler of water It was Christ that baptized with fire and the Holy Ghost that is who did and was able to giue the grace signified by Baptisme euen all graces of the Spirit which is as fire Now did hee not in all these things Deny himselfe his goodnesse and his owne glory yea verily The last 9 Christ Iesus and best example of all out of the Scripture I will produce is of Christ Iesus himselfe the perfit patterne as of all other so of this duty what did the whole course of his dayes on earth from his conception to his Ascention but declare this Iohn 18.22 Iohn 19.1 2 3. Mat. 16.53 that hee could so abase himselfe be content to bee scorned hated persecuted Iohn 18.6 beeing able so easie to haue destroyed his enemies yet neuer put forth his power to hurt him Mat 26.39.42 How did hee in the Garden resigne himselfe to God his Father Vpon the Crosse commend himselfe to him and in all things committed himselfe to him that iudges righteously hee would not open his mouth to cleare his owne innocency least ours should haue beene shut for euer in silence and confusion 10 Examples out of Ecclesiasticall History of those that haue Denied themselues Not vnworthy may these Worthies haue their place heere who haue beene shining lights and renouned Pillars in Gods Church whose examples for Selfe-Deniall is vnto admiration as Ecclesiasticall Stories mention And first see this vndaunted courage in that famous and worthy Martyre Ignatius 1 Ignatius who suffered in the third persecution vnder cruell Traian the Emperour who when hee was to be deuoured of roaring Lyons Sayd I am the the Wheate or graine of Christ I shall bee ground with the teeth of wilde Beasts that I may be found pure Bread Eusibius and Hereom And likewise sayd Let the fire the gallows the deuouring of Wilde Beasts the breaking of my bones the pulling assunder of my members the pressing of my whole body or the torments of the diuell or hell it selfe come vppon mee so that I may winne Christ Iesus Behold this braue minde and Selfe-Deniall in that blessed Martyre Policarpus Bishop of Smerna 2 Policarpus who suffered in the fourth persecution vnder Antonius Verus who when he was going to the place of his Execution was by Nycetes receiued into his Chariot Eusebius lib. 4. ap 15. and perswaded by him to say by way of Saluation My Lord Caesar and to sacrifice and so to saue his life but beeing nothing mooued by these wicked flatteries sayd resolutely I will not follow your counsell and when the Proconsull bid him defie Christ or else hee had fire to burne him and beasts to teare him in peeces Hee answered foure-score and six yeares haue I beene Christs seruant yet in all this time hee hath not so much as once hurt me How then may I speake euill of my King and Soueraigne Lord that hath thus preserued me As for your Beasts and fire let them come vpon me for I am not perswaded by Repentance to turn from better to worse Memorable is the example of that excellent Martyre and merror of men Martyn Luther a poore Monke who contended with the Pope and many Legions of his Creatures and tooke the prey out of their teeth 3 Luther they hauing the sword of most Maiestrates and power of most Scepters to sway at their pleasures Neither would hee be allured by the fayre promises nor terrified by the bloody threates of great Cardinall Caietan to renounce his faith formerly confessed He was the man that professed he would go to the dyet at Wormes although all the Tyles of the City were so many diuells The like denial we may behold in that good
haue not learned this poynt of Deniall and so in truth keepe themselues from being found in Christ being enemies to the grace of God and righteousnesse of Christ so that while they challenge either part of the praise as co-workers or any portion of merrit and desert they do aduance themselues by a spirituall pride and giue not glory vnto God so that this very end they propound to themselues of their owne glory is sufficient to defile it and make it to God abhominable But in the second place let vs learne this poynt euer to renounce al confidence and conceit of any thing that the Lord hath wrought in vs or by vs and say not to vs but to thy name bee the prayse the Angells in Heauen haue learnt in humility to cast their crownes downe at the feete of the Lambe and to giue al glory to him that was slayne and had redeemed him and excellert is the example of Dauid 1 Chron. 29.11 12 13 14. 1 Chron. 29.13.14 Who am I and what is my people that wee should bee able to offer so willingly for all things come off thee and of thine owne haue we giuen thee Now therefore we thank thee and praise thy glorious Name And thus much of the fift Branch the sixt followes The 6. Branch of denial it is our owne liues Vse 1 The sixt branch of our deniall is our owne Liues for this Christ teaches both in the verse following as also Mat. 10.39 for what euer might hinder vs from the constant cleauing to Christ is to bee denied and all things to bee vnder-valued for Christ Mat. 10.39 or else we are not worthy of him braue was the spirit of Paul Acts 20.24 Act. 20.24 I am not ready onely to be bound for the Lord Iesus but to dye for him neither counted hee his life deare Thus did those worthy Hebrewes in the 11 Chapter so did the Martires of God in our Land in the former ages Heb. 11. All whose stepps wee must follow as Christ vrges by many reasons as that hee that will saue his life should loose it but hee that is willing for Christs sake to loose it shall finde it Which if it bee so it reprooues all fearefull ones against which Christ giues a charge Mat. Mat. 10.28 10.28 Feare not those that can destroy the body but are not able to kill the soule but rather feare him which is able to destroy both soule and body in hell Secondly it reprooues those who are so farre from Denying their liues that they wil not deny their vnlawfull and sinfull lusts pleasures or proffits they that haue not learnt yet to part with these things for Christs sake and honor of the truth how can it bee expected that they should part with life it selfe for his sake Vse 2 It must admonish vs by serious meditation to arme our selues against the worst to be ready to giue our life for him who hath giuen his for vs that wee should not dye eternally these things must oft bee thought on for as a holy man sayes The price of Truth varies as the Market and price of Graine Some time graine is cheape some time deare so Truth is offered good cheepe to vs and hath bin a long time with ease and wealth now if the Lord should set a greater price on it wee must not then grudge And thus much for the sixt Branch The seauenth and last Branch of this Denial The 7 branch of Deniall is or wife children country friends c. is the Deniall of all things without vs or about vs that is neere and deere vnto vs as Wife Children Country Friends c. Mat. 10.37 Luke 14.26 Thus Christ himselfe did some times denyed his Parents some times forsooke his Freinds Country but especially hee left his eternall glory Mat. 10.37 the society of his blessed Father and Angells Luke 14.26 and liued as an exile one earth for our redemption so that much more are wee to doe this for this is but that equity of the Law that God himselfe his trueth and worship be loued and embraced aboue all Vse 1 The vse of which point is also for admonition to arme vs what is to bee vndergone for the Gospell all earthly thinges to be forsaken for if a whole countrie should bee infected with the Pestilence who would not by flight prouide for himselfe and his health So must wee flie from spirituall infection and carefully preserue the health of our soules and this wee may bee incouraged vnto by the comfortable promise of Christ Math. 19.29 Math. 19.29 Whosoeuer shall forsake any thing as friendes howses brethren sisters father mother wife children countrie or lands for my names sake he shall receiue a hundreth fold more with persecutions Mark 10.30 and in the end euerlasting life And thus much may suffice to haue spoken of the duetie it selfe and the seuerall branches Now it remaines that we speak of the Necessitie thereof The secoud generall head containes the necessitie of Denying our Selues Albeit the necessitie of this Duetie may appeare by that which hath already bene spoken yet it comes further to be declared There are 2. partes of christian profession to which we are called The 1. concernes things to be beleeued Faith Obedience The 2. dueties to be performed Faith Obedience Now either of these doeth require the practise of this duetie For the first seing many misteries of christian faith 1. Faith and the dispensation thereof is such as agrees not with flesh and blood is not subiect to the capacity of fleshly reason nay may seeme absurd and foolishnes vnto it therefore no maruaile if Christ said Deny your selues And Samuel sayd If yee turne to the Lord put away those thinges But let vs see a more particular declaration of this point which is most profitable that so wee may bee directed to knowe in what particular cases or at what times this Selfe-Denyall is to be practised and is of speciall vse First then this Denyall of our selues Reason and Wisedome is most necessary to the beleeuing and subiecting our selues to the Articles of faith for the most of them being such as are aboue if not contrary to naturall reason and comprehension wee shall neuer stedfastly and soberly beleeue the same if wee examine them and reduce them to tearmes of Logick or argument of Reason If we should go through all the Articles of faith and aske aduise and consult with flesh and blood concerning the intertainement of them how many of them would be receiued or beleeued 1. 1 Trinitie That great hid and sacred Mistery of the blessed Trinity of persons in an vnity of Nature and Essence How impossible a thing to the conceit of flesh and blood 2. The Creation of the world all things therein of Nothing 2. Creation It cannot be sayth the Philosopher 3. The Doctrine of particular Prouidence 3. Prouidence That all things
Martyre Bishop Hooper whose words were these 4 Bish Hooper Pray we vnto God so to furnish vs with Faith and patience that wee may rather dye ten times then deny Christ once what though man hate vs so God loue vs if man kill the body and God bring both body and soule to eternall life the exchange is good for vs and profitable The same spirit wee haue in that Reuerend Martyre of Christ Iesus Bishop Ridley 5 Bish Ridley who let euer bee a patterne for our immitation in this chiefe worke of Selfe-Deniall who sayd Wee neuer had a better or more iust cause eyther to contemne our life or shed our blood Wee cannot take in hand a more certaine cleare and manifest truth For it is not for any Ceremony for which wee contend but it toucheth the very substance of our whole Religion yea euen Christ himselfe for the which by Gods grace I will willingly ieopard here to loose life lands and goods name and fame and what is or can be vnto me pleasant in this world rather then Deny my Maister Christ Iesus So then if these seuerall and singular workes in all these Worthies bee duly considered it will plainly appeare they had perfectly learned this Lesson of Selfe-Deniall and shewed themselues to bee couragious and vndaunted Souldiers of Christ Iesus who therefore can deny but that this duty is most excellent Briefly whosoeuer haue euer renounced glory and greatnesse in the world or haue vndergone ignominy and rebuke for Christ and a good conscience beeing content to bee counted fooles in the world It is manifest that with Paul they consulted not with flesh and blood Gal. 1.16 Gal. 1.16 Yea this was the cause of that absolute obedience in Christ and by this euery Christian offereth vp spiritual Sacrifices farre more acceptable then the Iewish Insteed of a Ram wee killeth our irefull passions Insteed of a Goate Our vncleane affections Insteed of Birds Our wandring imaginations And briefly by suppressing the motions of sinne make Martyres of our selues Oh then how aboue all things must this excellent duty be learned and enquired how it may be taken forth For who hearing a thing to be necessary and excellent doth not desire it and to that end seekes how it may be attained Now then the Meanes briefly may bee these Meanes to attaine to this deniall 1 Prayer Surely first by earnest Prayer to God in this behalfe as Christ taught in two Petitions Of the comming of his Kingdome in vs And that wee may do his Will For of our selues wee can do nothing in this high poynt Secondly 2 Acknowledgment of our corruption vnto prayer there must bee adioyned a sight and acknowledgment of our owne naturall corruption and a diligent obseruation of our daily sinnes and a suppressing of them by a continuall pressing and vrging of the authority of God vppon the conscience for that must make the rest to heare for by reason of our naturall corruption the minde reason and iudgment the wil and afections are so corrupted blinde peruerted and euery way distempered that they are altogether vnfit to iudge of heauenly and spiritual things and so not to bee conceited of them nor to trust them in that kind Heereuppon wee must labour for Regenneration whereby our minde iudgment will 3 Regeneration affections are renewed ordered and made conformable to the minde and will of God so that the more wee are Regenerate the more wilingly wee subiect our sence and reason to God and minde and affect the same things with him Fourthly 4 Faith Faith is an excellent meanes to make vs deny our selues for when wee shall by it haue learned to liue not by sence or light or reason but to shut the eye of all these and to open the eare to follow the voyce and direction of God then it wil bee no hard taske as wee haue seene in all the former examples who the more strong in faith the more ready in the practise of this Fiftly 5 The consideration whose we are by couenant the consideration whose we are and how wee haue entered a couenant with God wherein wee promised to renounce the World the Flesh and Sathan and all the vanityes and pleasures of this life and to consecrate our selues both soules and bodies wholy to God and being his seruants to resolue to doe his will so that it is not free to vs and in our power to dispose of ourselues as wee would but remembering that both by couenant on our part wee owe whatsoeuer wee are and are to bee nothing in our selues of our selues and for our selues but all things in God by God and for God Seeing this is so chiefe a duty of Christianity 1 Vse of reproofe it serues first to reprooue sundry sorts who professe Christianity yet are farre from this such as liue in open prophanesse as swearing lying drunkennesse breach of Gods Saboths vncleannesse wantonnesse and pleasures for if they haue not learned to Deny vngodlinesse and worldly lusts how shal they deny themselues for a man may so farre proceede and yet come much short of a Deniall of himselfe it serueth also to reprooue al those the ground and rule of whose religion is either their good meaning or humane reason Secondly 2 Vse of instruction this shewes how difficult the practise and workes of Christians are euen a fighting and an offering of violence to themselues reiecting and denying of al the suits motions placets and requests that arise of our selues and are made plausible as tending to our owne content this whosoeuer tryes shal finde it a most hard thing as to bee thus and thus conceited of himselfe and yet to giue no regard vnto it to be carried with a strong inclimation of Will to such a thing as is presented vnto vs as good and yet to refuse and deny the same to renounce that which the bent of affections and the earnest suite of desire hath carried vs after as was the worthy example of Dauid who when hee had earnestly desired the water of the well of Bethelem powred it out vppon the ground and would not drinke thereof as on the contrary when our affections carry vs to the mislike off and flying from a thing as grieuous yet to imbrace that with ioy and delight oh how happy a thing it is this is a worke farre passing the feuerest Popish discipline which in their blinde deuotions men inflict on themselues As to wallow in the snow and to cast themselues into the cold of waters or to lye in hayre cloath or in shirts of male yea or with Baals Preists to lanch their owne flesh yea or this also to sacrifice our owne Children to an Idol Thirdly 3 Vse of triall this serueth to bee as a touch-stone to try our estates by for if we haue not attained this denyall in some measure wee are yet to learne and to lay the first foundation of religion but if by Gods grace wee are inabled to this worke wee haue cause of much comfort in our selues Lastly 4 Vse of exhortation seeing this is so necessary and excelent a duty let these bee as two spurres in our sides to stirre vs vp and put vs forward to a labouring with our selues the practising of the same as being that whereby we enter the schole of Christ as also being that whereby we continue in the same without offence oh how singular and worthy fruits would ensue of glory and obedience vnto God and of Loue and Vnity amongst our selues when all and euery of our owne Wills would meete in the one onely will of God as in a center what though it bee as greuious to vs to Deny our selues as it was to old Iacob to part with his beloued Beniamine yet when he heard there was no remedy but either dye or yeald then hee willingly refignes himselfe Gen. 42.36.38 Gen. 43.8.10 Simile and his sonne to God and as Iacobs sonnes told their Father that had it not bin for that they had returned againe fresh victualed so certainly were it not that our beloued sinnes and inamored affections did restrayne vs wee had bin richly leaded with all spirituall grace but if at last wee shall willingly yeald as Iacob met with ioy he looked not both in hearing of his sonne Ioseph and in seeing him in honor so if we would resigne our selues ouer to the Lord the Lord would aboundantly bleffe vs and fill our hearts with ioy and at death send his chariot of angells to fetch vs to himselfe to inioy his glorious presence who is more deare and honorable then Ioseph and that not in an earthly and fickle glory but in that eternall and vnchangable happines in Heauen to which end pray wee the Lord that Lee would make the weapons of our Spirituall warfarre 2 Cor. 10.5 soe mighty to cast downe all strong imaginations and bring euery thought into the subiection of Iesus Christ that so in the end God may bee All in All. Amen Glory to God alone FINIS