A81893:104
The great corruption of subtle self, discovered, and driven from it's lurking-places and starting-holes…The great corruption of subtile self, discovered, and driven from it's lurking-places and starting-holes…
The great corruption of subtle self, discovered, and driven from it's lurking-places and starting-holes And the contrary grace, self-denial commended, as an indispensably necessary requisite to the acceptable and successful performance of all commanded-duties, and as notably fitting for taking up of the cross, and following Christ. In seven sermons. By master James Durham, late minister of the gospel in Glasgow.The great corruption of subtile self, discovered, and driven from it's lurking-places and starting-holes And the contrary grace, self-denyal commended, as an indispensably necessary requisite to the acceptable and successfull performance of all commanded-duties, and as notably fitting for taking up of the cross, and following Christ. In seven sermons. By master James Durham, late minister of the gospel in Glasgow.
Edinburgh: printed by the heir of Andrew Anderson, 1686
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The Third follows now to be spoken of, which is, That wherever this Corrupt Self bears sway and domineers in men, it utterly mars, and obstructs them in following of Christ; It is that which lets and impedes their Sanctification, and Obedience in Duties called for from them, in their following Jesus Christ; or ye may take it thus; This Selfie Corruption, or corrupt Selfiness, whereby men do prefer, and oppose themselves to God, and his will, and to the concerns of Jesus Christ, hinders, and obstructs, and (as it were) mires them in their following of Christ so that they never win up to it, while this cleaves ⟨p. 80⟩and sticks to them unmortified; therefore when ou• Lord was giving Directions to his Disciples, how they may win to follow him; he first (as I said proposeth this as the great impediment, that must be taken out of the way, else they canno• come after him, nor are meet to follow him; This is so very clear, in the whole current of th• Scripture, that when it speaks of this Self, an• of Christ, the one of them is opposed to the other, as 2 Cor. 5.15. To live to our self, and to live to Christ, are opposed as inconsistent; so Philip. 2.21. It's said, that all men seek their own things, and not the things that are Jesus Christs; Where seeking of our own things, and the things of Christ are opposed, as incompatible; and Rom. 16.18. Serving of mens selves, and their own bellies, is opposed unto, as utterly inconsistent with serving Christ; they that are such (sayeth the Apostle) serve not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own bellies: I shall further clear and confirm this truth in Three general instances, 1. Let us look to the way that Christ calls to walk in, and let a man advise with flesh and blood, and follow the counsel that corrupt Self gives; and it will be found to speak quite another thing than what is the mind of Christ; therefore, the Apostle Paul says, Gal. 1.16. That in following of Christs call, he consulted not with flsh and blood; Intimating this much, that if he had consulted with flesh and blood, it had been long ere he had obeyed his call, if at all; flesh and blood has quite another language, as Christ says to Peter in the verse preceding the Text, Thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.