Chap .,.sea. I9.2c. SEC T. r 9 . Oftbe denyal ofreligioiiS,graciotu, or rennvcdfe!f; a.'Jdjirjltf Cautiom,· I Mufl now direct in the l~ft place how we are to deny religiou!, graciom, or ren~wed fetf; as a mansown duties, holineffe, rightwifneffe, theg~accsoftheSpirit, In { Cauuons. profecution of which (as in the former) I fhall give fome . . D!fe(bons. The Cautions are thefc.- 1. Thatgra,·es, dntics are the fpecial gifts and bleffings of God. It is of the jitlneffe J obn '" 16, ofChrifl, that all we have recetved, even grace for grace. And the Apof1:le telsus, that (:iod hath blejfedm wtthall fpmmal bleJ!ings tn heavenly pla,·es mChrift. Me thmks here Epf>•f. 1 • l• I fee the tranfccndeut excellency of the Saints, the betternelfe of their condition above all the men of the world ; if God hath given a man g~ace, he hath the bell: and chiefeft ofall that which God can give ; God hath gtven us hts Son, and God hath gtvef! us himfelf, and God hath given us his Spirit, and God hath given us thegraces of his Spirit· thefe are the finef1: of the flower, and the honey out of the rock of mercy ; they tha~ have this gift need not to be difcontented at their own, or envious at the condition ofany other; they have the principal verb, the one necelfary thing. 0 blejfed be the God, and Father ofo11r Lord Jefus Chrift who hath thus blejfed "': How? wtth all fptE.pbe[, J. >• ritual bleffings in heavenly places. . . . 2. Notwithflanding they are Gods fpectal gtfts,yct wemu£1 denythemcomparattvely, and in fome refpeCls, as in thefe Cafes.--- . r. In point of juftification,in relation to righteoufndfc,in comparifon of Chri!l:,in the notion of a Covenant of life and falvation.lt is a dangerous thing to hang the weight of a foul upon any thing which hath any mixture of weaknelfe,imperfection,or corruption in it, as the purcft and be£1: of all our dmies have; it is a dangerous thing to teach, that faith, or any other evangelical grace, as it is a work done by us, doth jutrifie us : there is nothing to be called our righteoufnelfe, but the Lord ourrighteoufruffe. Faith it fclf rer. •3· 6. doth not jultifie habitually, as a thing fixed in us, but inftrumentally, as that which receives and lets in the righteoufnelfe of Chri£1 fhining through it upon us ; as the window enlightens by the Sun-beams which it lets in, or as the cup feeds by th~ wi11c which it conveyes. So then in point of jNftification we are to renounce all our dJ<ties Jtnd graces. 2. In point of fanflijicatioll ; For fo we are to attribute the ltrcngth, the power , and the glory of all our graces and duties unto Jefus Chri£1, and nothing to our felves. And yet underftand we aright, though every believer is thus to deny himfcif' in fpi– C"itual things, even in the point of fanflijication, yet he is not to fpeak evil of the grace of God within himfelf; he may not mifcal his duties andgraces, faying,thefc are nothirur but the fmits ofhypocrifie, for then he fhould fpeakevil of the Spirit, whofe works they are; neither is he to trample or tread on thefc graces of God. A man tramples and treacles upon the dirt, but he will not trample upon gold or filver; why ? becaufe that is a precious mettal, and the tramp or image of the Prince is upon it; Now our dmics andgraces, our rightcotifneffe and ho/ineffe, as to the matter of juftification, they are no– thtng worth, and fo we trample upon all; but as to the matter of Sanfltjication, they are precious mcttall, and they have the Image of Chrift upon them, and therefore for a man to tread on them, for a man to fay, all this is nothing b11t hypocrifo, that is not Self– denyal; properly Self-denyal infpiritual things, as to the matter of jujlijication, it is to renounce all; and as to the matter of J.•nflijiration, it is to attribute the !1rength, the power, and the glory of all unto Jefus Chrift, and nothing to ones [elf. This is true Self-dcnyal. SECT. 20. Ofthe manner ofdenying our religioUJ, graciom, or renewedfolf. THe directions of Self-denyal in refpeC\ ofour religious, gracious, or renewedfolf, arethefe.- I · Be w_e fenf~ble of, and humbled for our pride in fpiritual things. The1e is nothing that a Chnfltan ts more apt to be proud of than fpiritual things. Before he takes up profeflion, poflibly he is"Proull ofhis cloathes, 01; fricn>Js, or honours, or polfeffions ~ but
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