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

I Take the Love of God and Self-denial to be the sum of all saving Grace and Religion; the first of the Positive part, & the second of the Oppositive or Negative part: And I judge of the measure of my own and all other mens true piety by these two. And it is the rarity of these two which assureth me of the rarity of sincere Godliness. O how much selfishness and ⟨image 3⟩how little Love of God, are too often found among those contenders for, supposed, true Doctrine, true Worship, true Discipline, and the true Church! who can say that their Zeal for these things, doth eat up themselves, their Charity, their Peaceableness, and their Brethren! The same men that will not abate an opinion, a formality, a singularity, for the Churches Peace and Concord, or for the interest of Love, and the healing of our wounds, will as hardly abate a jot of their Wealth, their worldly honour, their carnal interest, or selfish wills; which shows that their zeal and seeming Orthodoxness and wisdom (as in them) is not from above but from beneath, Jam. 3. 15, 16, 17.

I Take the Love of God and Self-denial to be the sum of all saving Grace and Religion; the first of the Positive part, & the second of the Oppositive or Negative part: And I judge of the measure of my own and all other mens true piety by these two. And it is the rarity of these two which assureth me of the rarity of sincere Godliness. O how much selfishness and ⟨image 3⟩how little Love of God, are too often found among those contenders for, supposed, true Doctrine, true Worship, true Discipline, and the true Church! who can say that their Zeal for these things, doth eat up themselves, their Charity, their Peaceableness, and their Brethren! The same men that will not abate an opinion, a formality, a singularity, for the Churches Peace and Concord, or for the interest of Love, and the healing of our wounds, will as hardly abate a jot of their Wealth, their worldly honour, their carnal interest, or selfish wills; which shews that their zeal and seeming Orthodoxness and wisdom (as in them) is not from above but from beneath, Jam. 3. 15, 16, 17.