Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/d_500.lzh/D_587.TXT

Text File | 1994-08-25 | 7KB | 133 lines

Cn^~,. XV.                                            OF SELF-DENIAL.

man to love father or mother, son or datighter, more
than Christ; but will declare such unworthy of him,
1 John ii. 15. Matt. x.
c2. The body, and its members, and things relative
to that, and all external things: about these self-de-
nial is exercised; as,--(1.) When the members of
the body are restrained from the service of sin; when
sin is not suffered to reign in the rttortal body, and the
members thereof are not yielded as instruments of un-
righteousness unto sin; but the deeds of it are morti-
tified, and no provision is made for th.e .flesh to fulfil the
lhsts thereof, Rom. vi. 12, 13. and viii. 13. and xiii. 14.
--(2.) When external houours from men are not
sought for, only the honoar which comes from God;
when a man is content to suffer' the loss of fame, name,
and credit among men for Christ's sake; to be de-
famed, made the filth of the world, and the off'scour-
ing of all things; to pass through honour and dis-
honour, good report and bad report, and suffer all in-
dignities for the sake of religion. This is self-denial;
an instance of this we have in Moses, who for forty
years lived in the court of Pharaoh, and enjoyed the
honours, pleasures, and riches of that court; yet de-
nied himself of them all, chose to visit and rank him-
selfamong his brethren the Israelites, then in a low
and despicable condition, and refused to be called the
son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God, and reproach for
Christ's sake, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin and
the riches of Egypt, Acts vii. 23. Heb. xi.
(3.) When worldly profits and emoluments are left for
the sake of Christ, and the interest of religion; this is self-
denial: as when the disciples, one andanother of them,
left their fishing-nets and boats, and worldly employ-
ments, and followed Christ; yea, Peter, in the name of
them all, could say, Belwld, we have forsaken all, and fol-
loweel thee, Matt. iv. 9-0, 22. and xix. 27. So Matthew,
at the receipt of custom, which, perhaps, was a lu-
crative and profitable employment; yet, called by
Christ, left it and followed him; Matt. ix. 9. And so
many a gospel-minister has given up himself to the
ministry of the word, when worldly offers and views
have directed him another way; and many private
Christians have j?yfu!!y suffered the confiscation of
goods, and even imprisonment of the body, for the
sake of religion and a good conscience; this is self-
denial. An instance to the contrary of all this we
have in a young man, who could not part with his
worldly substance and follow Christ, of whom he
asked, what good thing he must do to have eternal
life? and was answered, Keep the commandments;
these he thought an easy task, and what he had been
always used to, and seemed highly delighted with it;
All these things I have kept from my youth; what lack
I yet ? a hard lesson is then set him to learn; Sell
that thou hast and give to the poor; and though he was
promise.d treasure in heaven, it did did not counter-
vail; He went away sorrowful, for he had great pos-
sessions, which he could not part with and deny him-
self of, Matt. xix. 16--22.--(4.) The nearest an'd denr-
est fi'iends and relations, which are a part of a man's
self, these are to be left, when God calls for it; so
Abraham was commanded to come out from his coun-

try and kindred, and his father's house, which, though
a self-denying order, he was obedient to; and so the
people of God, when called by grace, are directed to
forsake their own people, and their father's hous%
and when these attempt to obstruct them in the ways
of God, they are not to be obeyed, but resisted; yea,
even to be hated, comparatively, that is, less love and
respect are to be shown them than to Christ, Luke
xiv. 26. a great instance of self-denial of this kind we
have in Abraham, who was called to part with his son,
his only son, his beloved son, the son of the promise,
from whom the Messiah was to spring, to offer him
upon a mount he should be shewn; this was a great
trial of faith, an hard lesson of self-denial to learn, and
yet he withheld not his son from God; by which he
gave evidence of a self-denying spirit, of his love to
God, his fear of him, and obedience to his command.
--(5.) Health and hazard of life; as when men risk
their health in the service of God and Christ, and true
religion; so Epaphroditus, for the work of Christ was
nigh unto death; and many, like the apostle Paul,
have spent and been spent in the cause of God, by
hard studies and frequent ministrations; so Paul and
Barnabas hazarded their lives, through the rage of
men, for the name of our Lord Jesus, preaching the
gospel; and Aquila and Priscilla were ready to lay
down their own necks for the apostle, that is, to risk
their lives for his sake.--(6.) Life itself is to be laid
down when called for; the apos:le Paul did not count.
his life dear to himself, but was ready to part with it
for the sake of the gospel: and of others we read, that
they loved not their lives unto death; and this is the
great instance of self-denial Christ gives, Matt. xvi.
c24, 25.
&condly, Another branch of self-denial lies in de-
nying sinful self; this lesson, not nature, but grace
teaches, even to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts,
which include all kinds of sin; internal lusts and ex-
ternal actions of sin; sins of heart, lip, and life; every
thing that is contrary to God and his righteous law.
This is a hard lesson to learn; to part with sinful self
is not an easy task, sin is so natural to men, they are
conceived and born in it, are transgressors from the
womb, and have lived in sin from their youth upward;
sin and the soul have been long companions, and are
1oth to part; sin is as natural to the sinner as blackness
to the Ethiopian, and spots to the leopard; it is as
grateful to him as cold water to a thirsty soul; and is
like a sweet morsel in his mouth, and he hides and
spares it, and cares not to forsake it; it promises him
much pleasure, though short-lived, vain, and fallacious;
some sins. are right hand and right eye-sins, as dear as
the right hand and right eye be; and to cut off and
pluck out such and cast them away is a great piece of
self-denial; and is hard work, until the Spirit of God
thorouoghly convinces a man of the exceeding sinful-
hess or sin, what an evil and bitter thing it is, and how
pernicious in its effects and consequences; and then
being called and required to forsake it, does, and says
with Ephraim, What have I to do any more with idols ?
and this self-denial appears by 1oaihing it and them-
selves for it; by detesting and abhorring it, and them-
selves on aecounto f it; and by repenting of it in deep
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