conceitedness, or a selfish understanding. Know not any will in yourselves, but that which is caused by the will of God, and directed by it, and intended to fulfil it; so that you may be able to say of every desire of your soul, I desire this, because that God would have me desire it, and I am resolved to follow his will in the seeking of it, and the end of my desire is, that I may please him, and his will may be done, and then you may say, you have conquered self-will. O see then that you be more with God; and study his mind and will, his excellency, sufficiency, and love, and remember that you are a dependent being, that are nothing but in and by him, and therefore should know no interest but him and his interest, nor possess any thing but for him, nor know any will or way but his will and way, and so let his be yours, and yours be his, by a holy resignation, conformity and subserviency unto his; and this is the true rectitude and holiness of man, this is a finding ourselves by losing ourselves, and the only saving and exalting of ourselves, by denying ourselves. Nothing but the light of God will master selfconceitedness; and nothing but the love of God will overcome self-love; and nothing but an union and closure with the will of God will overcome self-will; and nothing but an espousing and intending God and his interest will cause a true denial of carnal self-interest; and nothing but a seeking of God, conversing as with him, and living to him will cure the soul of self-seeking, and an ungodly and unprofitable living to ourselves.

One other Direction I should add, which is to be always jealous and suspicious of self; but this will fall in the Conclusion.

THE CONCLUSION.

I HAVE now finished what I had to say to you on this great and needful subject; and I have staid the longer on it, that I might occasion your own thoughts to be the longer on it; for it is not a few hasty running thoughts that will make any great impression on the soul. And now Christian friends, whoever you are that hear or read these words, I earnestly entreat you in the name of God, that you will set your hearts to the deep consideration of the nature and odiousness of this sin of selfishness; and of the nature and

necessity of self-denial. You will never effectually hate and resist the sin which you think lightly of, and is not in any great discredit with you; nor will you fly from it with fear, and care, and vigilancy, till you apprehend the dangerousness of it. I have not only told you, but proved it to you; that this is one of the most odious and dangerous sins in the world, even the sum of all iniquity, that containeth a thousand sins in the bowels of it: this is it that generateth all other vices, and fills the world with swarms of mischief. It is this selfishness that corrupteth all estates, and distracteth all societies, and disturbeth all affairs. Never look further for the cause of your calamities: it is self that causeth the miscarriages and negligence of the princes, governors, and magistrates of the world, while they look at their own interest, and little at the things of Jesus Christ, or at least prefer themselves before him. It is self that causeth the disobedience of subjects, while they judge themselves capable of censuring their rulers for matters that are beyond their reach; and grudge at all necessary burdens for the common good, because they are a little pinched by them. It is self that hath kindled the miserable wars that are laying waste so many countries, and that makes such woful havock in the world. It is self that hath so lamentably abused religion, and introduced so many fantastical self-conceits under the name of high scholastical subtleties; and that hath let in so many errors in doctrine and worship, and defiled God's ordinances, and corrupted and almost extinguished the discipline of Christ in the church. It is self that hath caused the leaders of the assemblies, that should be exemplary in unity, and holiness, and industry, to be some of them idle and negligent, and some of them carnal and vicious, and so many of them in discord and fierce opposition of one another: so that every man that is grown up to a high degree of wisdom in his own eyes, (and such degrees are soon attained) is presently venting his own conceits, and perhaps publishing them to the world, and seeking out an adversary to shew his manhood upon, and reviling all that are not of his opinion; as if there were no difficulty in the matter, but he is learned and wise, and they are all unlearned and ignorant: he is orthodox, and they are heretics, or what his pride and self-conceitedness

is pleased to call them. It is this selfishness that makes even godly ministers the dividers of the church, the reproach of their holy calling, the occasion of the increase of triumph of the adversaries, and the causes of no small part of all our unreformedness, distractions and calamity; and the refusers and resisters of the remedies that are tendered for healing and reformation. I dare boldly say, if this one sin were but rooted out of the hearts of the ministers themselves that are the preachers of self-denial, it would make so sudden and wonderful a change in the church, as would be the glory of our profession, the joy of the godly, and the admiration of all! O happy and honourable magistrates at court and country, if self were but thoroughly conquered and denied! O happy and reverend ministry, the pillars of religion, the honour of the church, if it were not for the shameful prevalency of self! O happy churches, happy cities, corporations, societies and countries, were it not for self! But alas! this is it that saddeth our hearts, and makes us look for more and more sad tidings concerning the affairs of the church, from all parts of the world; or frustrates our hopes, when we look for better. For we know on the one side, that without selfdenial, there will never be true reformation or unity; neither sin nor division will ever be overcome; and on the other side, we see that selfishness is so natural, and common, and obstinate, that so many men as are born into the world, so many enemies are there to holiness and peace, till grace shall change them; and that all endeavours, persuasions, convictions, do little prevail against this deadly rooted sín: so that men will preach against it, and yet most shamefully live in it; and after all rebukes, chastisements and heavy judgments of God, the church is still bleeding, and princes, pastors and people are self-conceited, self-willed and self-seekers still. Alas for the cause and church of Christ! Must we give it up to the lusts of sense? Must we sit down and look on its miserable torn condition, with lamentation and despair? and shall we deliver down this despair to our posterity? Were not our hope only in the omnipotent God, it must be so. When we look at men, at magistrates, or ministers, we see no hope. What higher professions can be made by those in succeeding ages, than have now been made? And yet what negligence of magistrates, and what contentiousness of ministers destroy all hopes! So that we look at the res

toration of the church, as at the resurrection, that must be done by Omnipotency. God must raise up another generation of more self-denying, prudent, zealous magistrates, and of more self-studying, peaceable, humble, zealous, industrious ministers before the healing work will be done. The selfish spirit that prevaileth now in the most, is neither fit to be the matter or instrument of the reformed, peaceable state which we expect. While the enemies are destroying us by secret fraud and open force, we stand at a distance and unite not against them; yea, we are calling each other heretics. and deceivers, and teaching them how to revile us, and putting such words into their mouth against us, as may help our people to despise us, and reject us, and warrant them from our own mouths or pens to rail at us, and forsake us : one part of us being heretics or deceivers by the testimony of the other part, and the other part by the testimony of too many of them.

Dear brethren, If selfishness shall not now be left, when we are in the sight of the havoc it hath made, and stand in the field among those that it hath slain, and see the church of God so horribly abused by it: when then shall it be forsaken? I here entreat every man that loveth his present or everlasting peace, and the peace of the church or commonwealth, that he will resolve upon a deadly enmity with this selfishness in himself and others! And that you will suspect it, and watch against it in every work you have to do. Are you upon any employment spiritual or secular? Presently inquire when you set upon it, 'Is there no self-interest and selfish disposition lurking here? How far is my own worldly, fleshly ends or prosperity concerned in it?' And if you discover that self is any way concerned in it, I beseech you suspect it, and follow self with an exceeding watchful eye; and when you have done your best, it is ten to one but it will overreach you. O look to it that you be not ensnared before you are aware. Take heed of it, especially you that are great and honourable, and have so much self-interest to tempt you in the world! How hardly will you escape! When all other enemies are conquered, you have yet self, the greatest enemy to overcome. Take heed of it, you that have any rising, thriving project, little know you on what a precipice you stand: take heed of it you that are in deep and pinching wants, lest self make them seem more

grievous than they are, and provoke you to venture upon sin for your relief. Take heed, all you that have raging appetites or passions, or lustful inclinations, and remember that your enemy is now discovered, and you have him to deal with before your face; and therefore see that you be resolute and vigilant. Take heed, all you that have learning, parts, or fame and honour, or any thing that self hath to glory in, and to abuse, lest the noblest gifts should by this deadly principle be turned into a plague to the church, and to your souls. Suspect self in the choice of your parties and opinions; suspect it in your public labours; yea, and in your private duties, and greatest diligence in religious works; lest when your eyes are opened at last, it should appear, that you preached, or prayed, or professed or wrote, or lived for self, and not for God. I do but transcribe the counsel to you, that God is daily giving in to my own soul: and as I feel exceeding great use of it to myself, so I am sure there is to others; and woe to me and you if we take it not, and be not found among the self-denying. Doubtless God will put you to the trial, and find you frequent use for this grace Let me take the boldness to tell you from my own (though, alas, too small) experience, that as it is mere selfishness, that is the perplexer and disquieter of the mind, without which nothing that befals us could discompose it; so it is God only that quiets it, and gives it rest: and I bless the Lord, I can truly say, that I have found that content in loving and closing with the will of God, and endeavouring to know no interest but his, to disquiet or quiet me, which I never could find in any other way. When God is enough for us, and his will is in our eyes, the will of a Father infinitely good, it may satisfy the soul in the darkest condition; when we understand not the particular meaning of his providence, nor what he is doing with us, yet still we may be sure that he is doing us good; and therefore a child may not only submit to the will of God, because it cannot be resisted, as enemies must be forced to do; but he may rest in that will as the centre of his desires, and the very felicity and heaven of his soul.

And now, sirs, I must let go this subject, as to you that have heard it preached; for we must not be always on one thing: but I am exceedingly afraid lest I have lost my labour with most of you, and shall leave you as selfish as I found you; because sad experience tells me that it is so na