his Father, obeying him to the death, and pleasing him in all things. He denied himself in love to mankind, in bearing our transgressions, and redeeming us from the curse, by being made a curse for us; Gal.iii. 13. "He made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross;" Phil.ii.6-8. And this he did to teach us by his example, to deny ourselves, to "be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind, that nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, that each esteem the others better than themselves: looking not every man after his own matters, but every man also after the things of others; and thus the same mind should be in us that was in Christ Jesus;" Phil. ii. 3-5. He denied himself also in obedient submission to governors. He was subject to Joseph and Mary; Luke v. 51. He paid tribute to Cæsar, and wrought a miracle for money rather than it should be unpaid; Matt. xvii. 24-26. He disowned a personal worldly kingdom (John xviii. 36.); when the people would have made him a king, he avoided it (John vi. 15.) as being not a receiver but a giver of kingdoms. He would not so much as once play the part of a judge or a divider of inheritances, teaching men that they must be justly made such, before they do the work of magistrates; Luke xii. 14. And his Spirit in his apostles teacheth us the same doctrine; Rom. xiii. 1Pet.ii. 13—17. Ephes. vi. 1. 5. And they seconded his example by their own that we might be followers of them, as they were of Christ. What else was the life of holy Paul and the rest of the apostles, but a constant exercise of love and self-denial? Labouring and travelling night and day, enduring the basest usage from the world, and undergoing indignities and manifold sufferings from unthankful men, that they might please the Lord, and edify and save the souls of men; and living in poverty, that they might help the world to the everlasting riches. In a word, as love is the fulfilling of the whole law as to the positive part, so is selfishness the evil that stands in contrariety thereto, even self-conceitedness, self-willedness, self-love and self-seeking; and thus far self-denial is the sum of our obedience as to the terminus a quo :' and Christ hath peremptorily determined in his Gospel, that "if

any man will come after him, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow him :" and that whosoever will put in a reserve, but for the saving of his life, shall lose it; “and whosoever will lose his life for his sake, shall find it;" Matt, xvi. 24, 25. And that he that doth not follow him, bearing his cross, and that "forsaketh not all he hath for him, cannot be his disciple;" Luke xiv. 27. 33.

According to the nature of these holy rules and examples, is the nature of the workings of the Spirit of Christ upon the soul. He usually beginneth in shewing man his sin and misery, his utter insufficiency to help himself, his alienation from God, and enmity to him, his blindness and deadness, his emptiness and nothingness, and then he brings him from himself to Christ, and sheweth him his fulness and sufficiency, and by Christ he cometh to the Father, and God doth receive his own again. It is one half of the work of sanctification, to cast ourselves from our understandings, our wills, our affections, and our conversations; to subdue self-conceitedness, self-willedness, self-love and self-seeking to mortify our carnal wisdom, and our pride, and our concupiscence, and our earthly members. And the other (and chiefest part) consisteth in setting up God where self did rule; that his wisdom may be our guide; his will our law, his goodness the chiefest object of our love, and his service the work and business of our lives. The Spirit doth convince us that we are not our own, and have no power at all to dispose of ourselves or any thing we have, but under God as he commands us. It convinceth us that God is our Owner and absolute Lord, and that as we are wholly his, so we must wholly be devoted to him, and prefer his interest before our own, and have no interest of our own but what is his, as derived from him, and subservient to him. Fear doth begin this work of self-denial; but it is love that brings us up to sincerity.

The first state of corrupted man is a state of selfishness and servitude to his own concupiscence; where pride and sensuality bear rule, and have no more resistance than now and then some frightening, ineffectual check.

When God is calling men out of this corrupted, selfish state, he usually (or oft at least,) doth call them into a state of fear; awakening them to see their lost condition, and terrifying them by the belief of his threatenings, and the

sense of his indignation; and making use of their self-love, to cause them to fly from the wrath to come, and to cry. out to the messengers of Christ, "What shall we do to be saved?"

Some, by these fears are but troubled and restrained a little while, and quickly overcoming them, settle again in their selfish, sensual, senseless state. Some have the beginnings of holy love conjunct with fear (of whom more anon). And some do, from this principle of self-love alone, betake themselves to a kind of religious course, and forsake the practice of those grosser sins that bred their fears, and fall upon the practice of religious duties, and also with some kind of faith do trust on the satisfaction and merits of Christ, that by this means they may get some hopes that they shall escape the everlasting misery which they fear. All this religion, that is animated by fear alone, without the love of God and holiness, is but preparatory to a state of grace; and if men rest here, it is but a state of hypocrisy or self-deceiving religiousness: for it is still the old principle of selfishness that reigns. Till love hath brought man up to God, he hath no higher end than himself.

The true mark by which these slavish professors and hypocrites may discern themselves, is this; they do the good which they would not do, and the evil which they do not, they would do. They had rather live a-sinful life, if they durst; and they had rather be excused from religious duties (except that little outward part, which custom and their credit engage them to perform). They are but like the caged birds, that though they may sing in a sunshine day, had rather be at liberty in the woods. They love not a life of perfect holiness, though they are forced to submit to some kind of religiousness, for fear of being damned. If they had their freest choice, they had rather live in the love of the creature, than in the love of God; and in the pleasures of the flesh, than in the holy course that pleaseth God.

The third state is the state of love: and none but this is a state of true self-denial, and of justification and salvation. When we reach to this we are sincere; we have then the spirit of adoption, disposing us to go to God as to a Father.

But this love is not in the same degree in all the sanctified. Three degrees of it we may distinctly observe. 1. Ofttimes in the beginning of a true conversion, though the seed

of love is cast into the soul, and the convert had rather enjoy God, than the world, and had rather live in perfect holiness, than in any sin, yet fear is so active, that he scarce observeth the workings of the love of God within him. He is so taken up with the sense of sin and misery, that he hath little sense of love to God, and perhaps may doubt whether he hath any or none.

2. When these fears begin a little to abate, and the soul hath attained somewhat of the sense of God's love to itself, it loveth him more observably, and hath some leisure to think of the riches of his grace, and of his infinite excellencies, and attractive goodness, and not only to love him because he loveth us, and hath been merciful to us, but also because he is goodness itself, and we were made to love him. But yet in this middle degree of love, the soul is much more frequently and sensibly exercised in minding itself than God, and in studying its own preservation, than the honour and interest of the Lord. In this state it is, that Christians are almost all upon the inquiry after marks of grace in themselves; and asking, How shall I know that I have this or that grace, and that I perform this or that duty in sincerity, and that I am reconciled to God, and shall be saved?' Which are needful questions, but should not be more insisted on than questions about our duty and the interest of Christ. In this state, though a Christian hath the love of God, yet having much of his ancient fears, and self-love, and the love of God being yet too weak, he is much more in studying his safety than his duty; and asketh oftener, 'How may I be sure that I am a true believer?' than, 'What is the duty of a true believer?' There is yet too much of self in this religion.

3. In the third degree of love to God, the soul is ordinarily and observably carried quite above itself to God; and mindeth more the will and interest of God, than its own consolation or salvation. Not that we must at any time lay by the care of our salvation, as if it were a thing that did not belong to us; or that we should separate the ordinate love of ourselves from the love of God, or set his glory and our salvation in an opposition; but the love of God, in this degree is sensibly predominant, and we refer even our own salvation to his interest and will. In this degree, a Christian is grown more deeply sensible he is not his own, but his that made him and redeemed him; and that his principal

study must not be for himself, but for God; and that his own interest is in itself an inconsiderable thing, in comparison of the interest of the Lord, and that rewarding us with consolation is God's part, and loving and serving him is ours (assisted by his grace); and that the diligent study and practice of our duty, and the lively exercise of love to God, is the surest way to our consolation.

In our first corrupt estate we are careless of our souls, and are taken up with earthly cares. In our estate of preparation we are careful for our souls, but merely from the principle of self-love. In our first degree of the state of saving grace we have the love of God in us; but it is little observed, by reason of the passionate fears and cares of our own salvation, that most take us up. In our second degree of holy love, we look more sensibly after God for himself, but so that we are yet most sensibly minding the interest of our own souls, and inquiring after assurance of salvation. In our third degree of saving grace, we still continue the care of our salvation and an ordinate self-love; but we are sensible that the happiness of many, even of church and commonwealth, and the glory of God, and the accomplishment of his will, is incomparably more excellent and desirable than our own felicity; and therefore we set ourselves to please the Lord, and study what is acceptable to him, and how we may do him all the service that possibly we can, being confident that he will look to our felicity, while we look to our duty; and that we cannot be miserable while we are wholly his, and devoted to his service. We are now more in the exercise of grace, when before we were more in trying whether we have it: before we were wont to say, ' O that I were sure that I love God in sincerity!' now we are more in these desires; O that I could know and love him more, and serve him better! that I knew more of his holy will, and could more fully accomplish it! And Othat I were more serviceable to him! And O that I could see the full prosperity of his church, and the glory of his kingdom!' This high degree of the love of God, doth cause us to take ourselves as nothing, and God as all; and as before conversion we were careless of our souls, through ignorance, presumption or security, and after conversion were careful of our souls, through the power of convincing, awakening grace; so now we have somewhat above our souls (much more our bodies)