more he ruinateth and destroyeth himselfe 3. That whosoever would love himselâ—e and seek himselfe aright must labour to seek the things of Jesus Christ Oh that I could perswade you to this blessed Selfe-seeking to seek your owne gaine and honour in seeking the honour of God and good of Church and State But now in the third place besides this lawfull and this heavenly and blessed selfe seeking there is a sinfull cursed and devilish selfe-seeking a selfe-seeking which is complained on in the Text inconsistent and incompossible with a true Christ-seeking which is the root of all the miseries that have hapned to this Nation The great Church and State and Soul-destroyer This leads me to the second question Quest 2. What is that selfe-seeking which is inconsistent with Christ seeking Answ. It is a spirituall Monster with six heads 1. When a Christian seeks his owne things dividedly from the things of Christ when he seeks his owne case safety and interest and cares not at all what becomes of Jesus Christ and his cause when he sets up himselfe and makes himselfe the principle rule and end of all his undertakings acting from self as a principle by selfe as a rule for self as an end When a Man makes himselfe his God worshipeth himselfe and doth whatsoever he doth for his carnall selfe serves himselfe in Committees Army Parliament Ministry and cares not what becomes of Religion and Reformation This is the first head of this Monster such a selfe-seeker was Gallio the Deputy Act. 18. 17. who cared not what became of Religion If it had been a matter of wrong he would have heard it but because it was a matter of Religion he cared for none of those things Such selfe-seekers were the people of Mâ—roz and therefore the Israelites were commanded to curse them Judges 5. 23. 2. When a Christian seeks his owne things and the things of Christ also but seeks his owne things antecedently to the things of Christ When he first seeks his owne things and afterwards the things of Christ of this the Prophet Haggai complanes Hag. 1. 2 3 4 5 9 10 11. The people said It was not time to build Gods house but it was time to build their owne houses Therefore the Heavens over them were as brasse and the Earth withheld her fruit 3. When a man seeks his owne things and the things of Christ also but seeks his own things chiefly and principally not onely before but more then the things of Christ and that both in his value and esteem and in his love and affection When a man prizeth his owne profit and preferment and loveth his owne praise and glory more than the profit praise and honour of Christ and his Gospel Such were the Gaderens who preferred their Hogges before Christ Such were the Merchants and Farmers Mat. 21. 3. who made light of the call of Christ and preferred their Farmes and Merchandizing before Christ and his Gospel Such was Demas who forsook Paul and embraced the present world and such were the Pharisees John 12. 43. Who loved the praise of Men more than the praise of God 4. When a Christian seeks his owne things in seeking the things of Christ when he pretends to seek the things of Christ and yet intends no such thing but seeks himselfe even under colour of seeking the things of Christ Such a one was Jehu who pretended a great deale of zeale for the Lord of Hoasts Come said he to Jonadab and behold my zeale c. but he did but pretend a zeale for God his zeal was to purchase the Kingdome to himselfe Such a one was Balaam who pretended that if he had a house full of Gold and Silver offered him he would not goe beyond the Commandement of God and yet notwithstanding he did but counterfeit for he loved the wages of iniquity and was mad after the preserments that Balac proffered him Such another was Demetrius the Silver-Smith who pretended a zeal to the great Goddesse Diana and therefore caused an uproare against Paul to defend the Goddesse but it was the gaine he got by making Shrines for Diana that was the principle that set him on worke he pretended Diana but intended himselfe he had dolum in idolo as one saith 5. When a man seeks his owne things when they stand in competition with and in opposition to the things of Christ when things come to so narrow a bridge that either he must part with Estate Liberty and Life or with Christ and a good Conscience If he chooseth to part with Christ and a good Conscience rather than with his Liberty Estate or Life this is a wicked self-seeker Such a one was the young man in the Gospel who forsook Christ rather than he would part with his great possessions Such was Spyra who himself tels the story that he placed Wife Children Liberty Estate and Life in one part of the ballance And God Christ the Gospel and a good Conscience in the other and forsook the last to preserve the first 6. The last head of this Monster is when a Christian seeks the good of his Body to the prejudice of his Soule when he bestoweth all his time all his strength and all his cares and indeavours in providing for his perishing carcasse and neglects to provide for his eternall Soule when he layeth up all his treasure upon earth but hath no treasure layed up in Heaven when he is anxiously solicitous for his comfortable living in this world but strangely neglectfull to take care for his happy living in the other world this is a sinfull cursed and devilish self-seeking So much in answer to the second question The third question is How is it possible that there should be so many men who professe themselves to be Christans and in words at least profess love to Christ and his interest and yet notwithstanding should seek their owne interest before and more than the interest of Christ Answ. This Soule-destroying and Church destroying selfe-seeking proceedeth from six sinfull and cursed roots 1. From want of true and unfeigned love to Jesus Christ and his interest Love is a most powerfull affection the Masterwheel that carrieth the whole Soul after it Amor meus pondus meâ— saith Aug. â—o feror quoâ—unque feror As the primuÌ„ mobile in the heavens carrieth all the other Spheres about with it so Love carrieth the whole man with it Love is as strong as death many waters cannot quench love neither can the floud drown it If a man would give all the substance of his house for love it would be contemned Cant. 8. 6 7. If we did love the Lord Jesus and his Gospel in good earnest we would rather part with Liberty Estate Life and all our own things than lose the things of Christ as the blessed Martyrs did But because there are few men that love Jesus Christ in sincerity hence it is that most men seek their owne things and not the things of Christ 2 This
thou destroyest thy spirituall diseases the more thou ruinatest the Devils faction within thee weakenst the opposition of the Flesh against the Spirit He that loves his sins hates his own soul Pro. 8. 36. Gal. 6. 8. he that soweth sin shall reap hell he that makes provision for the flesh provides fuel for bel fire He that nourisheth the old Adam within him cherisheth that which tainteth and polluteth all his holy duties which indisposeth him to all good and disposeth him to all evill he cherisheth his Souls greatest enemy 1 Pet. 2. 11. he delights in that which was Pauls greatest misery and which made him cry out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Rom. 7. 24. therefore I may truly say he that is the greatest selfe-denier is the greatest selfe-seeker He that seeks to doe most service to God in his generation that seeks his own glory by seeking Gods glory is a Divine self seeker The reason is because the perfection of every thing consisteth in attaining the end for which it was made As the perfection of meat is to be eaten he that hoards it up and will not eate it destroyes it The end for which God made Man is to serve him to glorifie him here and enjoy him hereafter Therefore the more service we doe to God the more we seek his glory the more we attaine the end of our creation and therein we are the more happy He that loves himselfe for himselfe and for his owne ends destroyes himselfe because the end for which God made us is to serve him and not our selves When all the streames of self-selfe-love flow into the great Ocean of the love of God this is Divine self-selfe-love Oh that men would thus labour to love themselves and seek themselves to look upon themselves as servants and instruments unto God and his glory to say Lord how may I advance my selfe by advancing thy name how may I glorifie my selfe by glorifying of thee How may I seeke my selfe by seeking thy praise and perfect my selfe by disposing of my selfe of my understanding memory will heart affections and actions in order to thee and thy glory The more a man serves God out of pure love without reflection to selfe the more he seeks himselfe for this is a certaine truth The lesse we seek our selves and our owne ends in any holy duty the more we seek our selves because the lesse we seek our selves the more we seek God and his glory and the more we seek God his glory the more reward we shall have The lesse we look after reward for that we doe the more reward we shall have and therefore the Papists who teach men to doe good works that thereby they might merit heaven supposing their Doctrine to be true lose all the reward of their good worke He that serves God to merit by his service cannot merit by his service the more he eyes merit the lesse he meriteth He that serves God for his owne ends doth not serve God but himselfe but he that serves God for Gods sake shall be rewarded by God The lesse we eye our selves in any duty the more reward we shall have and therefore the more we seek our selves That man who seeks the glory and honour of God above his owne glory and honour is a Divine selfe seeker The reason is because the happinesse of Man is more in God than in himselfe As the happinesse of a member of the body is in conjunction with the body take it from the body it dieth So the happinesse of Man is in conjunction with God who is our chiefest good who is an universall good therefore he that seeks union with God most seeks himselfe most As the safety of the beame is more in the Sun then in it selfe and of the streame in the Fountaine then in it selfe So the safety comfort and happinesse of every Christian is more in God then in himself therefore he that seeks the glory and honour of God more than his owne glory and honour is a heavenly and blessed selfe-seeker He that loves the publique good more than his owne private good that seeks the prosperity of Sion and Jerusalem of Church and State more than his owne is a Divine selfe-seeker Oh that this word were mingled with Faith A man that is in danger to have his head cut off will willingly even out of self-selfe-love lift up his arme and suffer it to be cut off to save his head because his life is more in his head than in his arme Our safety is more wrapt up in the publique welfare than in our private and therefore they who preferre the publique before the private are the truest selfe-seekers Thus did Old Ely he mourned more for the losse of the Arkâ— than of his two Sons Thus also did David Psa 137. 6. He preferred Jerusalem above his chiefe joy In a storme at Sea he that seeks the preservation of the Ship seeks most the preservation of his own Trunk for if the Ship be drowned his Trunk cannot be saved The truth is if the Church and the true Religion be destroyed to what purpose is it for a godly man to live I read of Titus Vespasian that when the Souldiers had destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem they came to him and asked him what they should doe with the Priests that did supervive Kill them said he for now their worke is at an end When Religion is destroyed what will it advantage a godly man to live therefore they that seek the good of the Church more than their owne are blessed selfe-seekers That man who had rather lose wife children estate and life it selfe than sinne against God is a Divine selfe-seeker The reason is because his happinesse is more in keeping a good Conscience than in keeping his Estate or saving his Life The holy Martyrs who loved not their lives unto the death were the greatest selfe seekers It is a most blessed selfe-seeking to suffer the fire of Martyrdome to avoid the fire of Hell to lose earthly promotions to attain everlasting honours And therefore Christ argueth from selfe-love Mat. 16. 25. Whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall finde it so also Mark 10. 29 30. the antient Martyrs did the like Heb. 10. 34. Heb. 11. 35. He that loseth all for Christ shall finde more than he hath lost in Christ From all that I have said concerning this blessed selfe-seeking I gather these three conclusions 1. That no Man is a true selfe seeker who is not a true Christ-seeker 2. That true Religion and a consciencious walking according to the rules of it is founded upon Right reason and that no man can be truely said to be a rationall man who is not a Religious man for the more Religious any man is the more he seeks himselfe and his owne happinesse the more irreligious he is the
queen of all graces it is as necessary as it is excellent For though we bestow all we have to feed the poore thouâ—h we give our bodies to be burnt yet if we have not Charity it profiteth us nothing But now a self-seeker is made up all of uncharitablenesse 1. He hath no love unto Jesus Christ his interest and there is a double curse pronounced against those that love not the Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 16. 22. 2. He hath no love to his Neighbour but for his owne ends it is amor concupiscentiae vel amicitiae it is not love but merchandize 3 He hath no love to Church nor State All his love centers in himself He is wholly compounded of self-love and creature love which is a composition God hates 5. It is a Sin that makes all our holy duties abominable in the sight of God Though the actions we doe be never so holy yet if we do them upon politique designes if we aim at our selves in what we do the Lord abhorres us and all we do as we see in the Pharisees who in their Almes Prayers and Fastings did all to be seen of men and therefore God abhorred all they did Self-aimes pollute and putrifie all holy actions 6. It is a sin of horrible Hypocrisie for it is making use of Religion as a ladder to clime up to preâ—ment and then casting the ladder away it is setting up God as a Pander to our ambitious and covetous interest which is Hypocrisie to be abhorsed This is uti Deo ut â—ruamur nobismetipsis which is no little transgression 7. It is Idolatry in the highest degree it is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a worshipping of self it is making our selves and our own interest the root rule and scope of all our undertakings which is to make an Idoll of our selves and to usurp the throne of God It is Idolatry against the first Commandement which is greater than Idolatry against the second by how much the heart is better than the knee 8. It is a sin that is the fruit of six cursed roots as you have already heard and the root of many cursed fruits It is 〈◊〉 omnium vâ—tiorum a sin and the cause of all sin the Plâ—e soâ—e oâ— Church and State the great Church-devouring and State destroying sin To give some few instances What is the reason that the Government of the Church so happily began is now obstructed and almost quite broken in 〈◊〉 Is it not because all men seek their owne and no men the things of Christ What is the reason that the house of God lieth wast and every man labours to build his own house Why is it that men complain of taxes and want of trading but no man complaines that the House of God is neglected the pure Ordinances despised and the godly Ministry undervalued Is it not because all men seek their own and not the things of Jesus Christ What is the reason that the truths of Christ are trampled under feet and men are suffered to deny the Divinity of Christ and of the Scriptures and no man saith why do you so But let a man but speak a word against the lawes of men he shall be severely punished Is not this because all men seek their own and not the things of Jesus Christ What is the reason that so few Gentlemen Citizens and Ministers appeare for the things of Christ that so many silence themselves and suffer Religion to be almost lost and yet dare not appeare for it Why is it that our Lectures are so little frequented in most placesâ— that many think nothing too much to give to their 〈◊〉 but any thing too much for their Minister that 〈◊〉 Master will be very exact to see his servant do his business upon the week daâ—es but indulge him to do what he will upon the Lordâ— day Is it not because all men seek their own and not the things of Jesus Christ What is the reason that the things of the Church drive on so slowly like the Egyptian Chariots when the wheeles were taken off what is the reason that there is so much oppression and injustice in places of judicature So much cousenage and false dealing in our commerce one with another in a word what is the cause of all our miseries both in Church and State Is it not because all men seek their own and not the thinâ—s of Jesus Christ thus you have the greatnesse and the mischievousnesse of this sinfull selfe-seeking So much for the Explication of the Doctrine I come now to the Application Is this be so that amongst the multitude of Christians that professe love to Christ and his cause there are many yea very many that â—ek their owne and not the things of Christ Let us then 〈◊〉 beseech you behold as in a glasse the sinfulnesse and miserablenesse of the times wherein we live for if the Apostle complaâ— of his times which were the first and the best times the golden Age the Primitive Apostolical Virgin-Church when the Saints of God met together in one place with one accord much more may we of our times which are the last and worst the iron age wherein the Church of Christ is wofully divided and wonderfully Apostatized How justly I say may we take up this sad complaint against our tâ—es All men seek thâ—i owne not the things of Jesus Christ And yet I dare not say all men collectively I believe there are a few names even in England which have not defiled their garments and have not bowed their knees to Baal some Magistrates some Gentlemen some Ministers and Citizens yet remaining who seek the things of Jesus Christ more than their owne yea with the neglect and losse of their owne who seek the prosperity and welfare of Sion more than their own Some Ezra's Nehemiah's and Daniel's that lay to heart the desolations of the Church and with Old Ely are more troubled about the Arke of God than their owne private relations But these are a very few in comparison It is certaine that most of all sorts are guilty of this sinfull selfe-seeking most Magistrates most Gentlemen Ministers and Citizens Now then let us examine our selves whether we be not amongst the number of this multitude To quicken you to this consider 1. That this sinne is both a New and an Old Testament sinne It reigned not onely in Pauls time but in Debora's and Baraks who tell us that for the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart because he abode among the Sheep-folds and cared not what became of the Church of God Judges 5. 15 16. 2. It is a common and ordinary sinne few are free from it 3. It is a great and crying abomination as you have heard 4. It is a great and hidden iniquity an inward invisible and spirituall sinne that consumes England as a moth not as a Lion It is threatned Hos. 5. 12. 14. That God would be to Ephraim as a
THE MONSTER OF SINFUL SELF-SEEKING ANATOMIZED TOGETHER WITH A description of the Heavenly and Blessed SELFE-SEEKING In a SERMON Preached at Pauls the 10. of December 1654. By EDM CALAMY B. D. and Pastor of Aldermanbury London 1 COR. 10. 24. Let no man seek his owne but every man anothers wealth 1 COR. 13. 5. Charity seeketh not her owne ROM. 15. 2 3. Let every one please his neighbour for his good to edification For even Christ pleased not himselfe Qui neglectâ proximorum curâ sui tantùm amator est id assequitus ut ne seipsum quidem verè amet Quemadmodum enim in membris unius detrimentum ad alia quoque membra pervadit in aedificiis unius partis ruina ad alias extenditur sic in Ecclesiâ qui fratrem suum negligit se seque tantummodo suam procurat utilitatem sibi etiam ipsi vel invitus damno est Nam qui in rebus necessariis periclitantem vidit fratrem manumque non porrigit in gehennam mittitur majori detrimento quam erat illud quo frater afficiebatur c. Theophyl. LONDON Printed by I. G. for NATH WEBB and WILL GRANTHAM at the Bear in St. Pauls Church-yard neer the little North door 1655. PACK Mayor A speciall Court holden on Tuesday the 19. day of December 1654. ORdered that Mr. Calamy be desired from this Court to print his last Sermon at Pauls SADLER TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE CHRISTOPHER PACK Lord Major AND The Right VVorshipfull Aldermen of the famous City of London RIGHT HONOURABLE THis ensuing Sermon was ordered by you to be printed it hath stuck long in the birth by reason of multitude of intervening impediments Now at last it is come into the world and is here humbly presented to you as an expression of that respect and service which I acknowledge to be due and shall ever be ready to pay The subject matter of it is to discover and Anatomize that ugly and deformed Monster of sinfull selfe-seeking and â—o shew the sinfulnesse and cursednesse of it There are two Cities saith Austin The City of God and the City of the Devill The City of God is begun and built up by the love of God and increaseth even to the hatred of our selves but the City of the Devill begins from the love of our selves and increaseth even to the hatred of God by the contempt of our brethren for he that hateth and contemneth his brother will in a litle while hate and contemne God It cannot be denied no not by one made up of Charity that there are many Citizens of this City of the Devill Many who instead of loving God to the contempt of themselves love themselves to the contempt of God Many who seek their owne and not the things of Jesus Christ ' or which is as bad if not worse who seek their owne under the hpocriticall pretence of seeking the things of Christ It is reported of Cnidius a great Architectist who building a sumptuous Watch-Tower for the King of Egypt to discover the dangerous rocks by night to his Marriners caused his owne name to be engrav'd upon a stone in the wall in great letters and afterwards covered it with Lime and Morter and upon the outside wrote the name of the King of Egypt in Golden Characters as pretending that all was done for his glory and honour But herein was his cunning he knew that the water in a little time would consume the plaistering as it did and then his name and memory should abide continue to after Generations There are many such in this Nation who in their outward discourse and carriage pretend to seek onely the glory of God the good of his Church and the happinesse of the State But if we had a window to look into their hearts we should finde nothing there written but self-selfe-love and selfe-seeking My care hath been in the following discourse to set out the greatnesse and grievousnesse of this sinne and how destructive it is both to Church and Common-wealth Besides what is there said give me leave to adde 1. That it is one of the greatest curses under Heaven for God to give a man over to his owne hearts lust to doe whatsoever seems good in his owne eyes to make himselfe the principle rule and end of all his actions Better be given over to the Devill then to our selves I read of one given over to Satan for his Salvation but never of any given over to himselfe but for his ruine and destruction 2. That this sinfull selfe-seeking is not onely a sinne that makes the times perillous but our condition damnable It shuts the man who is guilty of it unavoidably out of Heaven When he dyes his Motto may be Here lies a Man-pleaser and a selfe-pleaser but not a God-pleaser who sought himselfe while he lived and lost himselfe when he died Who loved himselfe for a minute and hated himselfe to all eternity Or thus Here lies a man who lived in ease while he lived and now lives in easelesse torments Who by over-pampering his body destroyed his Soule Who lived undesired and dyed unlamented who lived to himselfe and thereby undid himselfe The Lord preserve you from this sinne and make you true Common-wealth not private-wealth men It becomes him saith a wise Heathen who would be a great man to love neither himselfe nor any thing that is his but just things whether done by himselfe or by another I have made bold to adde a few lines to that discourse which I had before you concerning the blessed and heavenly self-seeking wherein I shew That a selfe-denying selfe-examining selfe-judging Christian is the truest selfe-seeker That he that preferres the keeping of a good Conscience before the keeping of his Estate or Life the good of Church and State before his own good is a blessed selfe seeker He that loves himselfe and not God loves not himselfe and he that loves God and not himselfe loves himselfe according to that excellent saying of Aâ—st Nescio quo inexplicabili modâ— c. I know not by what unexpressable way but sure I am of this truth That he that loves himselfe and not God loves not himselfe and he that loves God and not himselfe he loves himselfe For he that cannot live of himselfe dies presently by loving himselfe but when he is loved from whom and by whom we live in not loving himselfe he loves himselfe the more because therefore he loves not himselfe that he might love him by whom he lives The Lord make you such selfe-seekers Such a one was Nehemâ—ah of whom it is said that he sought not his owne but the welfare of the people of God Such another was David who preferred Jerusalem before his chiefe joy Such were Old Ely Ezra Jeremiah Daniel c. Such ought you to be It is not long since you kept a Fast to humble your selves before the Lord in reference to the many