A treatise of self-denial. By Richard Baxter, pastor of the church at KidderminsterA treatise of self-denial. By Richard Baxter, pastor of the church at Kederminster

According to the nature of these holy rules & examples, is the nature of the workings of the Spirit of Christ upon the soul: He usually beginneth in showing 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 showeth him his fullness and sufficiency, and by Christ he cometh to the Father, and God doth receive his own again. It ⟨image 26⟩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 & business of our lives. The Spirit doth convince us that we are not our Own, and have no power at all to dispose of our selves 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 be wholly 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's Love that brings us up to sincerity.

According to the nature of these holy rules & examples, is the nature of theworkings of the Spirit of Christ upon the soul: He usually beginneth in shewing manhis 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 ⟨image 26⟩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 mortifie 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 & business of our lives. The Spirit doth convince us that we are not our Own, and have no power at all to dispose of our selves 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 be wholly 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 selfdenial; but it's Love that brings us up to sincerity.