Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulness of sin. The life…Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulnesse of sinne. The life…

But a man will say, how shall I do to follow Christ?¹ I answer in one word, deny thy self, and thou dost then follow him: get out of thine own way and thou canst not miss of his. The world never rules us but by our² own lusts; Satan never overcomes us but by our own wills, and with our own weapons; when he is resisted he flies. As Hannibal was wont to say that the only way to fight against Rome was in Italy: so the other enemies of our salvation know that there is no conquering the soul but in its own way. As soon as any man forsakes his own way, Christ is at hand to lead him into his. He will be wisdom to those that deny their own reason; he will be Redemption to those that despise their own merits; he will be sanctification to those that cast of their own lusts; he will be salvation to those that relinquish their own ends; he will be all things to those that are nothing to themselves. Now we have (as I may so speak) two selves. A self of nature, and a self of sin; and both must be denied for Christ. This we must ever cast away as a snare, and that we must be ever ready to lay down, as a sacrifice, when he is pleased to set himself in competition with it. And so much for the Life of Holiness which we have in Christ.

But a man will say, how shall I doe to follow Christ?¹ I answere in one word, denie thy selfe, and thou dost then follow him: get out of thine owne way and thou canst not misse of his. The world never rules us but by our² owne lusts; Sathan never overcomes us but by our owne willes, and with our owne weapons; when he is resisted hee flyes. As Hanibal was wont to say that the onely way to fight against Rome was in Italie: so the other enemies of our salvation know that there is no conquering the soule but in its owne waye. As soone as any man forsakes his owne way, Christ is at hand to lead him into his. He will bee wisedome to those that denie their owne reason; he will be Redemption to those that despise their owne merits; hee will bee sanctification to those that cast of their owne lusts; hee will be salvation to those that relinquish their owne ends; he will be all things to those that are nothing to themselves. Now we have (as I may so speake) two selfes. A selfe of nature, and a selfe of sinne; and both must be denyed for Christ. This wee must ever cast away as a snare, and that wee must be ever ready to lay downe, as a sacrifice, when he is pleased to set himselfe in competition with it. And so much for the Life of Holynesse which wee have in Christ.