more ungodliness You doe not so much as resolve against every known sin but your hearts are fully set in you to doe wickedly you doe not watch against it before it be committed but run your selves upon temptations and after it is committed are you ashamed nay you are not at all ashamed neither can you blush none of you smiteth upon the thigh saying What have I done None of you repenteth him of his wickedness as those holy men did from whose example of sinning but not of turning from their sinne you fetch so much comfort But you hope you shall repent too at last at last Why doe you not endeavour it at present Doe you think you can repent when you will or have you any engagement upon God that whensoever you please hee should work it in you Qui promisit poenitenti veniam non promisit differenti poenitentiam He that hath promised to grant a pardon to the penitent hath no where promised to grant repentance to him that delayes to repent How can you expect it you have rather cause to feare that hee will give you over to a reprobate minde Romans 1.28 and to your owne hearts lusts Psalme 81.12 that you may live all your dayes in your sinnes and at last dye in them John 8.24 and afterwards bee damned for them 2 Thes 2.12 Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith To day if yee will heare his voice harden not your hearts lest hee swear in his wrath you shall not enter into my rest Heb. 3.7 XI There is a time even in this life after which God will shew no mercy it is possible to sinne away a day of Grace long before you dye and then though you call upon him hee will not answer though you seek him early you shall not finde him for that you hated knowledge and did not chuse the fear of the Lord you would none of his counsell you despised all his reproof Therefore you shall eate of the fruit of your owne way and be filled with your owne devices for the turning away of the simple shall slay you and the prosperity of fooles shall destroy you Prov. 1.28 32. Beware therefore of going on any longer against your light presently abandon every known sin practise every known duty necessity is laid upon you and woe be to you if you doe it not Though you should make never so glorious a profession though you should performe never so many duties if you stick but at one so that you will not performe that too it is impossible but you should bee shut out of heaven as you may see in the Story of the Young man Luke 18.22 And though you should abandon never so many sinnes if you sticke but at one so that you will not abandon that too it is impossible but you should bee turned into Hell out of which there is no redemption there you must lye and lye to all eternity Thinke upon this and then see whether it bee best to gratifie the flesh either by the forbearance of any known duty or practise of any known sinne as you doe Let not the example of the generality of the World move you better goe to Heaven with a few than to Hell in the crowd Thus much Readers I thought fit to preface as a necessary preparative to the profitable reading of this Treatise of SELF-DENIAL The blessing of the Lord goe along with it Not else but that I am Your Servant in the work of the Gospel Theoph. Polwheile To not only the Christian Reader but to any Reader that hath a mind or if not that hee may have a mind to be a Christian and that not only in shew but in truth not only in word but in deed SElf-denial bless us what a strange hard word what a prodigious and monstrous thing is this saith poor selfish man Self-denial forsooth what am not I my self Doe not I my self live and live for my self How can I bee a man and put off the man How can I be my self and deny my self Is it not to be beside my self and that 's to be mad to be without my self Thus alas doth poor man play the foole in wit he rageth and is confident as if there were such good reason for and such good sense in self-seeking as that the Doctrine of Self-denial were but a Paradox yea an absurdity a contradiction and very non-sense He highly applaudes even to admiration that by him mistaken and mis-interpreted saying of Solomon Prov. 9.12 if thou bee wise thou shalt be wise for thy self and for his part he will praise none but them that doe well unto themselves Psal 49.18 he will admit none to the name of wise and worthy persons but dismiss them for a company of un-intelligent in-significant and poore spirited Sneakes yea for dull Sots witless Dolts and God Almighties Fools that preferre not themselves before every thing else Man indeed is so dear to himself that Self-interest seemes to be his all in all the first mover the circumference and center of all he doth the principle from the rule by the end for which he acts any good or forbears to act any evil and this is natural to him but though Nature be master of this Art and can teach man to seek his owne good yet Nature is not such a Doctor in Divinity nor hath attained to such a degree of learning and wisedome as to teach man wherein his true good and interest lies so that it is no wonder that poore man is filled with indignation at such a word much more at such a thing as Self-denial is Alas in what a sad uneasie and restless condition must poor man be that hath a nature so freely inclined and strongly addicted to his owne interest and yet is not owner of a judgement and discretion able and acute enough to tell him what it is and how it may be attained so that did not God who is a God of grace and mercy take pitty on poore man for so I must alwayes call him he would doe nothing but undoe himself and that by seeking himself But God God blessed and to bee blessed for evermore who is a Lover of Soules and the preserver of men who would not that they should perish but that all men should come to the knowledge of the truth and bee saved God I say hath shewn in and by his Word what is mans good and wherein his true interest and happiness doth consist how hee may love seek and save himself which is so dear unto him beside ex abundanti which is a wonder God invites and if I may so speak courts man hereunto not that hee needs man for he is God happy for evermore whether man be saved or damned but by the most obligeing and most indearing way in the World that man himself may be the gainer and injoy himself in the injoyment of a good infinitely better than himself even God himself When God exhorts and perswades man to obedience why is
I seen withjoy saith David thy people which are present here to offer willingly unto thee 1 Chron. 29.17 I have no greater joy saith John than to hear that my children walk in truth Epist 3.4 6 Wee may rejoyce in Gods works therefore in our own good works for they are the works of God 1 Wee may rejoyce in Gods works Thou Lord saith David hast made mee glad through thy work I will triumph in the works of thy hands Psal 92.4 If wee may triumph in the works of Gods hands much more then in the works of his Spirit But 2. Such are all our good works 1 Pet. 1.2.22 It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do saith the Apostle Phil. 2.13 Upon this account therefore the Church comforteth her self Isa 26.12 Lord thou wilt ordain peace for us for thou also hast wrought all our works in us This cannot bee said of any of our evill works for they are the works of the Devil 1 Joh. 3.8 and therefore wee can take no comfort in them 7 Wee may rejoyce in such works as God rejoyceth in but God rejoyceth in our good works Hee rejoyceth in his own works Psal 104.31 but our good works are his own works ut supra 8 Wee may rejoyce in such works as God accepteth therefore in our good works Go thy way eat thy bread with joy saith Solomon and drink thy wine with a merry heart for God now accepteth thy works Eccles 9.7 9 Wee may rejoyce in such works as do evidence our communion with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ therefore wee may rejoyce in our good works for they do evidence it If wee say that wee have fellowship with him saith the Apostle and walk in darkness wee lye and do not the truth But if wee walk in the light as hee is in the light wee have fellowship one with another 1 Joh. 1.6 7. 10 We may rejoyce in such works as shall bee rewarded with eternal life therefore in our good works Here note two things 1 That our good works shall bee rewarded with eternal life This the Apostle expresly affirmeth Rom. 2.6 7 10. That God will render to every man according to his deeds to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality Eternal life But to them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath c. But glory honour and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile 2 That upon this account wee may take comfort from them This the Apostle did 2 Tim. 4.7 8. I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith hence forth there is laid up for mee a Crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge shal give me at that day By all this it appears that it is no unlawful thing to take comfort from our good works as Antinomians teach and consequently no part of Self-denial 2 It is not meant that wee may not plead them unto God as expecting favour and mercy at his hands for them When God hath inabled us to bee and do that for him which hee requireth wee may warrantably pray that hee would bee and do that for us which hee hath promised And thus holy men have frequently f Not in regard of any matter of merit but in regard of Gods gracious promises See Eng. Anotat 2. Ed. upon Isa 38.3 done upon all occasions Thus Hezekiah did 2 King 20.3 I beseech thee O Lord remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight And Nehemiah chap. 5.19 Thinke upon mee my God for good according to all that I have done for this people And chap. 13.14 Remember mee O my God concerning this and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for the Officers thereof And David Psal 26.1 Judge mee O Lord for I have walked in mine integrity And Psal 86.2 Preserve my soul for I am holy And Psal 119.22 Remove from mee reproach and contempt for I have kept thy testimonies And 31. I have stuck to thy testimonies O Lord put mee not to shame And vers 38. Stablish thy word unto thy servant who is devoted to thy fear And vers 94. I am thine save mee for I have sought thy Precepts 3 It is not meant that wee may not have respect unto the recompence of reward in the doing of them It is said of Christ that for the joy that was set before him hee indured the Cross and despised the shame Heb. 12.2 And of Moses that when hee was come to years hee refused to be called the son of Pharaohs Daughter choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt because hee had respect unto the recompence of reward Heb. 11.24 25 26. And Paul saith of himself Our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while wee look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen 2 Cor. 4 17 18. the Greek is g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quand nons regardous Fren. while wee aime at them as our scope or mark according to that Phil. 3.14 I press toward the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus This is the character that is given of all good men Rom. 2.7 that they are such as by patient continuance in well-doing do seek for glory and honour and immortality And it is according to the Precept of our Saviour Matth 6.33 Seek yee first the Kingdome of God and of the Apostle 1 Cor. 9.24 So run that yee may obtain And Col. 3.1 Seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God And 1 Tim. 6.12 Lay hold on eternal life Ob. But is not this Self-seeking Ans Yes But it is such Self-seeking as hath much of Self-denial in it Consider that of our Saviour Matth. 16.25 Whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall finde it There is a Self-seeking that is stark naught and there is a Self-seeking that is very good yea our duty and such is the Self-seeking here spoken of Christ requires that wee should lose our life in order to our finding it that wee should lose our finful and sometimes our natural life in order to our finding spiritual and eternal life and so makes that which is the right Self-seeking indeed the end of Self-denial To glorifie God and to save our own souls are ends that every one ought to have in his eye and all other particular ends also that are subordinate unto
Nephews the young man charged him with hypocrisie and dissimulation to whom hee replied I am a cast away a Vessel of Wrath yet dare you call it dissembling and phrensie and can mock at the formidable example of the heavie Wrath of God that should teach you fear and terrour But it is natural to the flesh either out of malice or ignorance to speak perversly of the works of God The Natural man discerneth not the things of God because they are spiritually discerned One of his familiar friends chanced to say that certainly he was overcome with Melancholly which hee over-hearing answered Well be it so seeing you will needs have it so for thus also is Gods wrath manifested against mee you see Brethren what a dangerous thing it is to stop or stay in things that concern Gods glory especially to dissemble upon any termes what a fearful thing is it to bee near and almost a Christian Never was the like example to this of mine and therefore if you bee wise you will seriously consider thereof O that God would let loose his hand from me that it were with me now as in times past I would scorne the threats of the most cruel Tyrants bear Torments with invincible resolution and glory in the outward profession of Christ till I were choaked in the flame and my body consumed to ashes Now seemed to bee verified upon him that whereof in the beginning hee had been so seasonably fore-warned that if hee proceeded to fulfill his wicked promise of Abjuring in his owne Country hee might haply repent too late Now if God would with-draw his hand from him if it might be with him as in former dayes hee would doe and suffer any thing for-Christ but upon no termes might his wish bee granted all hope of mercy was quite cut off from him so that afterwards his purpose of mischieving himself by a Knife that hee had hastily snatched up being by his Friends prevented with indignation hee cryed out I would I were above God for I know hee will have no mercy on me And thus being in continual torment by little and little hee wasted away until at length hee appeared a perfect Anatomy expressing to the view nothing but sinews and bones and at last without any shew of hope or comfort yeelded up the ghost Let none wonder that I have been so large in telling this mans Story some it may be have forgotten it others not so much as heard of it and amongst all the examples of this kind there was none more fit that I could pitch upon whereby to make it known in what a dreadful manner God sometimes punisheth Apostate professors in this life by terrifying of their Consciences Hee punisheth them sometimes also 2 By bringing upon them those evils they thought by means of their sinfull complyance to escape u Acts and Mon l. 10.1710 Cranmer signed a Recantation as hee confessed himself afterwards contrary to the truth hee thought in his heart for fear of Death and to save his Life if it might have been but hee was forced to suffer notwithstanding his recantation as soon as ever hee had signed his Recantation the Queen signes the Writ for his Burning and then was he in a farre worse condition than before having neither inwardly any quietness in his own Conscience nor outwardly any help in his adversaries In the Story of William Wolsey a godly Martyr that was burned at Ely w Acts and Mon. l. 10.1558 this amongst other things is recorded that while hee was in Prison hee delivered some money to bee distributed amongst his friends and to one Richard Denton above all the rest besides the money that he sent him hee desired this Message might also be delivered that he marvelled he tarried so long behind him seeing hee was the first that did deliver him the Book of Scripture into his hand and told him that it was the Truth desiring him to make hast after as fast as he could This Message being delivered Denton returnes this answer I confesse it is true but I cannot burne But hee that could not burne in the Cause of Christ was afterwards burned against his will when Christ had given peace to his Church for some years after his House was set on fire and hee going in to save his goods was burnt in it Thus God sometimes punisheth Apostates here howsoever if they repent not hee will bee sure to punish them hereafter 3 By appointing them their portion with unbeleevers and hypocrites in the Lake that burnes with Fire and Brimstone where shall be weeping and wayling and gnashing of teeth for ever So it is fore-told Revel 21.8 The fearful and unbeleeving shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death And it cannot be otherwise for Christ hath said Whosoever shall deny mee before men him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven Matth. 10.33 and if so there is no remedy but hee must to hell How much better were it for us then by hearkning unto Christ and doing our duty to expose our selves to the greatest of those evills which men can only bring upon our Bodies and are but for a time than by hearkning unto Self and committing of Sin to make our selves obnoxious to the least of those evills which God can bring both upon our Bodies and Soules and also are for eternity Without doubt did wee but beleeve it wee should not bee so averse from them as to endeavour by any sinful means to decline them which is the Second particular required by way of Self-denial in respect of worldly sufferings The next is 3 Not to be so sensible of them as either to bee impatient under them or by any sinful means to endeavour to come out of them It is our duty to bee sensible of our sufferings but wee must take heed wee be not over-sensible Self will bee murmuring and repining against God and quarrelling with Instruments but wee must by no means give way unto it but labour with quietnesse and calmness of spirit whatever our crosse be to bear the burden of it So Paul exhorteth the Romanes Rom. 12.12.14 Be patient in tribulation bless them that persecute you blesse and curse not So hee himself practised 1 Cor. 4.12 13. Being reviled we blesse being persecuted we suffer it being defamed wee entreat So Peter exhorteth servants 1 Pet. 2 18 19 20. Servants be subject to your Masters with all fear not only to the good and gentle but also to the froward for this is thank-worthy if a man for conscience towards God endure grief suffering wrongfully for what glory is it if when yee are buffered for your faults ye shal take it patiently but if when yee doe well and suffer for it yee take it patiently this is acceptable with God What an hard lesson is this to flesh and bloud and how few professing Servants are there to say nothing of others that make
any conscience of learning it yet it must bee learnt it must bee practiced and therefore the Apostle addes vers 21 22 23. For even hereunto were yee called because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth who when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously Nothing is more grievous to us than to suffer wrongfully to think we should bee so abused when wee doe not deserve it this goes to our very heart I but let us look upon the Lord Jesus let us consider how undeservedly hee was abused and then it will not bee so grievous hee did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth hee never injured any but went about every where doing good and yet what base usage had hee in the World how ill was hee requited He was scorned reviled betrayed falsly accused blindsolded buffeted spit upon crowned with a Crowne of thornes and at last most shamefully Crucified and yet took all this patiently shall wee then think much to suffer a little when our Saviour hath suffered so much before us Why the Disciple is not above his Master nor the Servant above his Lord It is enough that the Disciple bee as his Master and the Servant as his Lord. If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub how much more shall they call them of his houshold Mat. 10.24 25. I have read of one Elzearius a Noble man that when his Wife wondred at his exceeding great patience in bearing injuries hee thus answered her You know sometimes my heart is ready to rise with indignation against such as wrong mee but I presently begin to think of the wrongs that Christ suffered and say thus to my self desiring to imitate him Although thy Servants should pluck thy beard and strike thee on the face this were nothing to what thy Lord suffered hee suffered more and greater things and assure your self Wife I never leave off thinking of the injuries done to my Saviour till such time as my minde is still and quiet There is enough in this consideration to quiet our spirits in the greatest sufferings But besides it cannot bee said of any thing that wee suffer as it might of all that Christ suffered that it is not deserved It may be said so in allyes sometimes in respect of men but never in respect of God wee have sinned and thereby have deserved worse than the worst that can bee suffered in this world Have we then any reason to complaine Wherefore saith Jeremy doth a living man complaine a man for the punishment of his sins Lam. 3.39 It is of the Lords mercies that wee are not consumed because his compassions faile not vers 22. if he should deale with us according to our deservings hee might justly cast us into Hell Were wee but throughly convinced of this had wee but once the real sence and feeling of it in our selves there would bee no such anguish and vexation in any of our sufferings here as many times we finde to bee in them and wee should bee much strengthened against those temptations whereby Self and Sathan joyning with it would carry us into any sinful way to ease our selves of them which is another thing that wee must have a special care while wee are in a suffering condition to watch against The Crosse is very irksome and tedious to the flesh and therefore as it is unwilling to come under it so it is unwilling to continue under it but as wee must willingly take it up so wee must patiently bear it as wee must not refuse it when Christ will lay it on so wee must not reject it till Christ will take it off It is lawful to use means to free our selves of our troubles but all means are not lawful to bee used Wee must resolve to abide them all our dayes rather than by the committing of the least sin to free our selves of them This was the resolution of that most learned and pious Martyr x Acts and Mon. l. 11.1664 Mr. Philpot as he expresseth it himself in a Letter to Iohn Carelesse written while he was in the Stocks in Bonner's Coal-house The Devil rageth against mee I am put in the Stocks in a place alone because I would not answer such Articles as they would charge me withall in a corner at the Bishops appointment and because I did not come to Masse when the Bishop sent for me I will bee all the dayes of my life in the stocks by Gods grace rather than I will consent to the wicked generation In the eleventh of the Hebrews we read of the Jewish Martyrs in the time of the Old Testament that they were tortured not accepting deliverance they might have had their lives if they would but have complied with their Adversaries in their wicked Idolatrous practices but they would not accept of their lives upon such termes they thought it much better to bee tortured upon the rack of this World than upon the rack of a damnable Conscience The like we read of our English Martyrs y l. 8.1130 Mistris Anne Askew when shee was at the Stake had Letters sent her by the Lord Chancellor offering her the Kings Pardon if shee would recant but shee refusing so much as to look on them returned this answer That shee came not thither to deny her Lord and Master z l. 14.1372 Bishop Hooper when a Box was laid before him with a Pardon in it as was said from the Queen at the sight thereof cryed out If yee love my Soul away with it if you love my Soul away with it a 〈…〉 George Marsh when the Deputy Chamberlaine of Chester shewed him a writing under a great Seal saying that it was a Pardon for him if hee would recant answered That hee would gladly accept the same but for as much as it tended to pluck him from God he would not receive it upon that condition b l. 11.1459 Master Bradford when the Lord Chancellour promised him that if hee would returne againe and doe as they had done hee should have the Queens Mercy and Pardon made this reply My Lord I desire mercy with Gods mercy but mercy with Gods wrath God keep mee from Many more might bee instanced in but these may suffice I shall now pass on to the next Sub-section which is SVBSECT VI. Of denying Self in respect of our Relations THis is the last particular to bee explained and I shall dispatch it in a word 1 Negatively it is not meant that wee should deny the workings of Natural affection towards them God requires that wee should love all men Rom. 13.8 9. even our very enemies Luke 6.32 35. and that wee should express our love by doing good to all men Gal. 6.10 even to our enemies Prov. 25.21 Rom. 12.20 now if wee bee thus bound to all much
and calamity that is now upon us and surely it is not for nothing Wee cannot expect that the Lord should turn unto us in a way of mercy and blessing unless wee turn unto the Lord in a way of repentance and obedience Let us therefore consider our wayes if they bee not the wayes of the Lord that wee now walk in we must of necessity turn out of them before wee can turn unto the Lord and this wee cannot do unless wee search and try them for those that are out of their way and yet think they are right will never turn back but go on further and further till they quite lose themselves It is evident then from this Scripture how needful it is in order to the practice of Self-denial that wee search and try our wayes And certainly if ever wee mean to do any thing to purpose herein wee must make a thorough search and scrutiny into our hearts and wayes an exact inquiry into our principles our rules our ends and aimes in all our undertakings wee must throughly sift our thoughts affections that wee may see what bran of selfishness lyes at the bottome For how can a man deny himself that doth not understand any thing in himself that should bee denied The first step toward a cure is to finde out the disease It would bee very advantagious therefore and that which would much conduce to our success in this work to have much in our thoughts these two things The possibility of being deceived and the difficulty of the discovery The one would provoke us to jealousie the other would quicken us to diligence 1 The possibility of being deceived Wee should enter upon the examination of ourselves with such a supposition as this ' There may be much more of Self in mee than I have ever yet taken notice of It is good to have a holy jealousie of our selves this would make us very cautelous and wary in the trial of our selves as when a Magistrate meets with a suspicious person it makes him inquire the more narrowly into him that so hee may discover the better what hee is Object But I have been of the opinion a long time that I have denied my self and have had much peace and comfort in it why then should I suspect my self and thereby create new troubles in my conscience Answ 1. When the strong man keeps the house all is in peace Luke 11.21 So long as Self bears rule and there is nothing to disturb him no wonder that all is quiet 2 Some that have thought so have notwithstanding at the last found that they were deceived Matth. 7.22 3 It is more than probable that thou art the man because that thou art unwilling to come to the trial Joh. 3.20 21. 4 Unless thou hast very good grounds so to think of thy self it is but a meer fancy and imagination Jer. 44.20 5 The comfort that this gives will quickly vanish Eccles 7.6 and leave the greater anguish and vexation behinde it Isa 50.11 But 6 Grant it bee true as thou sayest yet let him that standeth take heed lest hee fall 1 Cor. 10.12 A self-doubting Christian will stand when a self confident one will fall Give mee leave therefore to set before you a few instances out of the word the serious consideration whereof may provoke you to jealousie 1 It is possible for a man to have a forme of godliness and yet to bee altogether under the power of Self 2 Tim. 3.2.5 For men shall bee lovers of themselves having a i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speciemant imaginem Grot. L'apparerce Fren. A lively image or face of godliness drawn to the life form of godliness Self and the Form do very well agree wheresoever they meet for though to live in the least sin cannot consist with the power of godliness yet to live in the greatest may consist with the form of godliness because there is nothing in the form to contradict self 2 It is possible for a man to hear the Word and to receive it with joy and yet not to have learnt in any respect truly to deny himself as hee that received the seed into stony places Mat. 13.20 21. Herod heard John Baptist gladly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sweetly Mar. 6.20 yet hee could not deny himself hee kept his Herodias still and for her sake afterwards beheaded him vers 27. 3 It is possible to bee much conversant in the performance of the strictest duties and yet to have respect to the satisfying of some base self-end in all that is done as they Isa 58. of whom God saith They seek mee daily and delight to know my wayes as a Nation that did righteousness and for sook not the Ordinance of their God they ask of mee the Ordinances of Justice they take delight in approaching to God vers 2. and yet hee tells them Behold in the day of your East yee finde pleasure and exact all your labours Behold you fast for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickedness vers 3.4 4 It is possible to desire and endeavour after spiritual gifts and yet to aime at nothing else but self-advancement in ones endeavours after them as Simon Magus Act. 8.19 5 It is possible to be a zealous preacher of Christ and yet to preach onely out of envy and strife and not of good will Phil. 1.15 16. 6 It is possible to pretend much to liberality and to speak much on the behalf of the poor and yet bee very covetous as Judas Joh. 12.6 7 It is possible to bee zealous and active in reformation and the execution of justice and yet to do all to serve ones own turn as Jehu 2 King 10.16 8 It is possible to bee zealous in reproving of others and yet continue in the same or worse evils at the very same time as the Hypocrite Matth. 7.3 4 5. and the hypocritical Preacher Rom. 2.21.22 9 It is possible to bee very confident of cleaving unto Christ and yet afterwards to deny him to save ones self as Peter who when our Saviour told the Disciples that they should all bee offended because of him presently returned this answer Though all men shall bee offended because of thee yet will I never bee offended and yet afterwards hee denied him thrice and twice with cursing and swearing Matth. 26.70.74 Many more instances might bee given but these may suffice to shew how easily wee may bee mistaken in our selves and our actions and therefore how needful it is to begin and to proceed in this work of self-trial with a godly jealousie More may possibly bee discovered than at first wee could have imagined was in us and yet when wee have done all much will lye hid And therefore there is another thing that should also bee much in our thoughts and that is 2 The difficulty of the discovery The heart of man is deceitful above all things who can know it Jer. 17.9 Two things there are which render it very