one of twenty pay, when the other can: and what is the matter? Why one works for self and money, and the other works but for God, and his own and other men's salvation (a small matter)! See then beyond denial what self and money can do with such men, when God and men's salvation can do next to nothing.

But I must desire you not to mistake me, and think I speak this of any honest, godly magistrate, and abuse the good by joining them with the bad. No, far be it from me to be so injurious. For it is evident that they can be no good men, nor have any true love, of God in their souls, that are such in a predominant sense as I have here described. It is not in my thoughts to lay this blame on any honest, godly magistrate; for none but the ungodly would do as I have mentioned, and prefer themselves before the Lord, and the bodies of men before the souls.

And, alas! if the sovereign powers of the nations of the world were not too sick of the same disease, gain would not be accounted godliness, but godliness the greatest gain; and carnal policy would not go for piety, but true piety would go for the surest policy. It would not be so common in

most nations to have the truth and cause of Christ disowned, and his servants persecuted, and their lives and blood to be made a sacrifice to carnal self and worldly interests. Nor would the breaches of the churches be so long unhealed, and grow wider and wider, and few much regard them; but all have their own work to do, which must be looked after. Yea, and the cause of Christ and the Gospel must be trod down if it stand in the way of their own. And the churches must be set on fire by their wars and contentions for their selfish interests. And if self were not too strong among us, we should not have had such connivance at doctrinal and practical abominations, nor so much delay or neglect of healing the discomposed churches, and uniting the divided Christians, or attempting it more effectually than we have done. But because I desire to speak to none but those that are within my hearing, I will return home to ourselves.

The holy ordering and instructing of families, and suppressing sin in children and servants, is one of the most effectual works for the building up of the church, and the glory and stability of the commonwealth. O if parents and masters would but sanctify their houses to the Lord, and

teach their families the will and fear of God, and do their best (by punishment, when instruction will not serve) to hinder sin, how fast would reformation then go on! And what hindereth? why carnal self. If it were but for worldly commodities they would do more. Would you have me prove it? Let experience speak. Let a servant or child go prayerless to their work, and few regard it; but they will not go without meat, or drink, or clothes. The master will suffer them to neglect God's service; but if they neglect his own, and should do him no more or better service than they do to God, they should soon hear of it, and be turned out of door; and they were no servants for him. They will teach their children to do their own work, or set them apprentices to learn it; but the work of God and their salvation, they shall for them have little teaching in, how plainly soever God hath commanded it them; Deut. xi. 18, 19. vi.6-8. Ephes. vi. 4.

Let a servant or child reproach his master or parent, or call them all to naught, and they think not fit to put up that (nor indeed is it); but let them swear by the name of God, or break his laws, and they can patiently bear with it, and a cold rebuke, like Eli's, will serve turn. They can get them into field or shop to work together, but they cannot get them before and after to prayer together. And why is all this? Why one is for self, and the other is for God: one is for the body, and the other is for the soul. So that you see what self can do, and how commonly it is the master of families, towns and countries, because it is the master in men's souls.

God must be loved above all, and our neighbour as ourselves; but if God were allowed but so much love as a very neighbour should have, it would not be all so ill with the selfish world as now it is. But because I have been so long on this first discovery of the power of self, and the scarcity of self-denial, I will be shorter in the rest that follow.

CHAPTER V.

The Power of Selfishness upon Men's Opinions in Religion.

2. ANOTHER instance of discovering the reign of selfishness in the world, is, The great power that it hath to form men's

upon

opinions and conceptions in religion.' Though the understanding naturally be inclined to truth, yet a selfish bias the soul, especially on the will, doth commonly delude it, and make the vilest error seem to be truth to it, and the most useful truth to seem an error. The will hath much command over the understanding; and when selfishness is become the very habit, the bias, the nature of the will, you may easily conjecture how it will pervert the understanding. But what need we more than experience to satisfy us? Do you not see that where self is but deeply engaged, the judgment is bribed or overmastered, and carried from the truth? So that as the eye that looks through a coloured glass, doth see all things as if they were of the same colour as the glass; so the understanding that is mastered by a selfish inclination, thinks every thing is truth that savoureth his self-interest. And here I shall offer you some more particular instances.

1. We all see that almost all the world is of that religion or opinion which hath the countenance of the government that they live under, and the persons that have greatest power on their reputation; or at least which is consistent with their safety, if not rising and prosperity in the world. The Turks are commonly Mahometans; the subjects of Rome, and Spain, and Austria, &c. are generally Papists; those in Denmark, Sweden, Saxony, &c. are generally Lutherans; those of Scotland, England, Helvetia, &c. are commonly Calvinists (as they are called). I know the power of education is great, and hearing evidence only on one side, may bias a well-meaning man; but Papists and Protestants (as to the learned part) have the books of the contrary-minded at hand; and therefore that opinions should run in a stream, and whole countries almost be of a party, must needs be much from the power of selfishness, because they are swayed by them that have the power of their reputation, and estates, and liberties in the world.

2. Moreover, when a man is by custom grown self-conceited, or by the power of pride is wise in his own eyes, how hard a matter do we find it to convince such men by the clearest evidence! They will not see, when they can hardly wink so close as to keep out the light. It is their opinion, and therefore shall be so; and they will hold it because it is their own.

3. Especially if it be an opinion of a man's own inven

tion, which is doubly his own, both as he is the contriver and possessor, how close will he stick to it, too commonly beyond the evidence of truth, because that self hath so great an interest in it!

4. Yea, if a man be but deeply engaged for it, either by laborious disputes, or confident owning it, or any way, so as that his credit lieth on it, how tenacious will he be of it, because of the powerful interest of self!

5. And if it be but an opinion that seems to befriend any former opinion that we have much engaged for, how much doth selfishness usually appear in our inordinate propensity to it!

6. Also if we live in days of persecution, how easily do we receive those opinions that would keep us from prison and fire! Or if any suffering lie upon it, we commonly take that side to be the right that is safest to the flesh, (except when self would be advanced by the occasion of sufferings). And in prosperity, if there be any controversy arise, which gain is concerned in, how easily believe we the thriving opinion! If any oath, engagement, or duty bé imposed on us by those who have power to do us harm, the generality are for it be it what it will. In all these cases it is commonly carnal self that is the judge.

Our

And how far self commands in such cases, you may see by these discoveries following.

1. In studying the case, men's thoughts run almost all one way. They study what to say for their own opinions, and how to answer all that is against them; but they study but very little what may be said on the other side. They sit at their studies with a biassed will, inclining or commanding their understanding what to do; even to prove that to be true, which they would have to be true, whether it be so

or not.

2. And hence it is that the weakest arguments on their own side do seem sufficient, if not invincible; and they stand wondering at the blindness of all those men that cannot see the force of them; but no arguments seem to have any weight, that are brought against them. And all this is from the power of self.

3. Yea, sometimes when they are silenced, and know not what to say for their opinions, nor how to answer the arguments for the contrary, yet they can say, 'We are of this

mind, and we will be of this mind.' And why, but because it is espoused to them and their own

?

4. And hence it is, that if a man be but an admirer of us, or of our own opinion in other things, we are readier to receive an opinion from him than from another.

5. And hence it is that disputations do so seldom change men's minds, because they take it to be a dishonour to be changed by another (unless it be a person of great renown); we envy to an opposite the glory of altering our understandings; but if we may have the doing of it ourselves by the power of our own understandings and studies, we will sometimes yield to change our minds. He is a stranger to the ungodly world that seeth not how much self-interest doth, to master their understandings, and turn their hearts from the holy doctrine of Christ, and how much it doth to make them like or dislike their teachers, or any point or practice in religion. And he is a stranger even among divines themselves, that seeth not the sway that self doth bear in their judgments, and disputes, and course of life, and the choice of their party or society to which they join themselves.

CHAPTER VI.

Men's great Averseness to Costly or Troublesome Duties.

3. ANOTHER discovering instance of the rarity of selfdenial, is this, 'The great averseness of men to any costly, or troublesome, or self-denying duty,' how necessary soever, how plainly soever revealed in the Scripture, and how generally soever acknowledged by the church: as if self had a negative voice in the making of laws for the government of the world, and none must be binding without his consent. I shall come down to some more particular instances.

1. The great duty of charitable relieving our brethren in necessity to the utmost of our power, is commonly made almost nothing of in the world. And men cheat their souls by thinking they are passed from death to life, because they love the brethren with such a cold and barren love as will neither lay down estate for them, nor venture life for them, but think they are real Christians, because they can say as the believers that James mentioneth, "Depart in peace,

be