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

But alas, this kind of seeking our Honour for God and his Church, and not for our selves, and as our own, I doubt is more rare than the neglect of honour. The sin that I dissuade you from, is in these two points. 1. That you do not Affect and seek after Extending or surviving Reputation for your selves; and out of a Proud desire to be still some body in the estimation of the world: 2. That if God deny you even that honour which in the lawfullest manner you desire, that you submit to his pleasure, and take it patiently; and in these two respects you must here deny your selves.

But alas, this kind of seeking our Honour for God and his Church, and not for our selves, and as our own, I doubt is more rare than the neglect of honour. The sin that I disswade you from, is in these two points. 1. That you do not Affect and seek after Extending or surviving Reputation for your selves; and out of a Proud desire to be still some body in the estimation of the world: 2. That if God deny you even that honour which in the lawfullest manner you desire, that you submit to his pleasure, and take it patiently; and in these two respects you must here deny your selves.

Above all others, these sorts of persons following are in danger of this odious Pride, in desiring for themselves ⟨p. 323⟩an extended and surviving Name. 1. Princes and Soldiers that have the management of the great affairs of the world; Fain would they be Renowned to Posterity: And hence are their aspiring ambitious designs. For this are their Wars and Conquests, that they may be famous when they are dead as well as while they live: And thus they make their Noble Conquests to be but Murders of the vilest sort, and worse than any Cut-throats and Robbers by the high way, while they intend them but for themselves and their own vain-glory; and better might they seek honour by whoredom, drunkenness, or theft which are far smaller sins: Whereas if their wars had been undertaken for God, and managed according to his Will, they had made them truly honourable and renowned. And from this odious Pride it is, that Absaloms Pillars must be erected, and Monuments must be built to perpetuate their names, and tell the world what need they have of means to keep alive their memories, and how destitute they are of nobler means, when Marbles and Monuments must be the great preservers of their fame. Yea it were well if this Pride and selfishness did not corrupt the noblest of their works, and turn them into deadly sins: if they did not build their Hospitals, Colleges or Churches, and endow them with Revenues to perpetuate their own Names, rather than to do good. Though the works themselves are so good and so rare, that I would not cast any dishonour upon them, seeing all that can be said is too little to provoke men to do the like: yet am I bound in duty to tell them, that if self should be the End instead of God, and Pride the cause instead of charity, Hell would be the Reward instead of Heaven: so great a matter it is to have an honest heart and right intentions in the most excellent and noble works. In so much that a poor man that hath a heart