Heautonaparnumenos

To this we answer fully, (having somewhat touched it before) that so much of us is in this place termed our selves, & consequently so much of us, & no more to be Denied, as is Contrary and Repugnant ⟨p. 45⟩to the Will of God. Now the Will of God is,¹ as I showed even now, that we should preserve our selves, our Being, and our Well-being too, by all Means possible; But ever provided those Means be Honest, that is, such as He bath set us out plainly in His Word, which is His will. Now this makes nothing against Self-denial, for here we must observe, that in loving our selves so only and no more, we are to Deny our selves, seeing this we are not to do in love and obedience to our selves, but only to the Will of God. Thus much, I say, of necessity we must note for this; Because if, whensoever it shall please God to make an extraordinary exception to those Ordinary Means, as sometime he ha's done, and does still to the Martyrs and Witnesses of His Trueth, if then, we shall love our selves, our Lives or any thing that we have, we take the ready way to lose them for ever; but if we lose them, we shall indeed save them, as our Saviour tells us. So then,² notwithstanding what Nature and Reason can object, it remains a firm Conclusion, we must Deny our selves.

To this we answer fully, (having somewhat toucht it before) that so much of us is in this place term'd our selves, & cōsequently so much of us, & no more to be Denyed, as is Contrary and Repugnant ⟨p. 45⟩to the Will of God. Now the Will of God is,¹ as I shewed even now, that we should preserve our selves, our Being, and our Wel-being too, by all Meanes possible; But ever provided those Meanes be Honest, that is, such as He bath set us out plainely in His Word, which is His will. Now this makes nothing against Self-denyall, for here we must observe, that in loving our selves so only and no more, we are to Deny our selves, seeing this we are not to do in love and obedience to our selves, but only to the Will of God. Thus much, I say, of necessity we must note for this; Because if, whensoever it shall please God to make an extraordinary exception to those Ordinary Meanes, as sometime he ha's done, and does still to the Martyrs and Witnesses of His Trueth, if then, we shall love our selves, our Lives or any thing that we have, we take the ready way to lose them for ever; but if we lose them, we shall indeed save them, as our Saviour tells us. So then,