CHAPTER XVI – Selfish passions to be denied
conquer the will of God: his will shall be done; and so you should always have content.
CHAPTER XVI
Selfish Passions to be Denied 5. ANOTHER part of selfishness to be mortified and denied, is, selfish passions. The soul is furnished with passions by God, partly for the exciting of the will and other faculties, that they do not sluggishly neglect their duties; and partly to help them in the execution when they are at work: so that they are but the wheels or the sails of the reasonable soul, to speed our motion for God and our salvation, and not to be employed for carnal self. When passions and affections are sanctified and used for God, they are called such and such particular graces, and the fervour of them is an holy zeal; but when they are used for carnal self they are our vices; and the heat of them is but fury, or carnal zeal, and the height of vice. But how rare is it to meet with men that are meek and patient in their own cause, and passionate in a holy zeal for God! I know many are passionate in disputes and other exercises about religion, and think that it is purely zeal for God, when self is at the bottom of the business, and ruleth as well as kindleth the fire, when they scarce discern it, and little know what spirit they are of; but pure zeal for God, conjoined with selfdenial, is exceeding rare. How few can say, that their love to God is greater and hotter than their love to themselves! The desires of men are strong after those things that supply their own necessities, and please their own corrupted wills; but how cold are they after the honour of God! How averse are men from that which hurteth the flesh; as to go into a pest-house, or to take deadly poison, or to suffer
any pain; but few are so averse to the breaking of the law of God. A hard word, or a little injury done to themselves, will put them into a passion, so that their anger is working out in reproach, if not in more revenge: but God may be abused from day to day, and how patiently can they bear it! There are few carnal minds but can more patiently hear a man swear, or curse, or scorn at Scripture and a holy life, than hear him call them rogue, or thief, or liar, or any such disgraceful name. It seems an intolerable dishonour with selfish persons that are advanced by pride to be great in their own eyes, for a man to give them the lie, or to reproach their parentage, or make them seem base; but they can hear twenty oaths and reproaches of the truths or ways of God, as quietly and patiently as if there were no harm in them. Their own enemies, whom God commandeth them to love, they hate at the heart; but the enemies of God and holiness, whom
David hated with a perfect hatred (Psa. 139:21, 22.), do little or nothing at all offend them. It is not thus with self-denying gracious souls. When David heard Shimei curse him, he commanded his soldiers to let him alone, for God had bidden him; that is, by that afflicting providence on David he had occasioned it, and by the withdrawing of his restraint, he had let out his malice, for a trial for David. Thus David could endure a man to go along by him cursing him, and reviling him as a traitor, and a man of blood, and throwing stones at him: and he rebuked Abishai that would have taken off his head; 2 Sam. 16:7–10. But when the same David speaks of the wicked, the froward, the slanderer, the proud, the liar, and the deceitful, he resolveth that he will not know them, they shall not dwell in his house, nor tarry in his sight; he hateth them; they shall depart from him; he will cut them off, and early destroy them from the land, and from the city of the Lord; Psal. 101. So was it with
Moses: when God was offended by the idolatry of the Israelites, he was so zealous that he threw down the tables of stone, in which God had written the law, and broke them; but when Miriam and Aaron spake against himself, he let God alone with the cause, and only prayed for them; for saith the text, "He was very meek above all the men that were on the face of the earth;" Numb. 12:3. Phineas's zeal for God did stay the plague, and was imputed to him for righteousness; when the selfish zeal of Simeon and Levi was called but a cursed anger, and brought a curse on them instead of a blessing from their dying father, that they should be divided in Jacob, and scattered in Israel; and left them the name of instruments of cruelty;
Gen 49:5–7.
Take warning then from the word of God; and use your passions for God that gave them you; but when it is merely the cause of self, be dead to passion, as if there were no such thing within you. If the wrong be done to you, think then with yourselves, 'Alas, I am such a silly wretched worm, that a wrong done to me is a small matter in comparison of the least that is done to God; it is not great enough for indignation or passion.' Remember, that it is God's work to right your wrongs, and your work to lament and hinder the abuse of God.
And therefore if men curse you, or revile you, or slander you, if God's interest in your reputation command you to seek the clearing of it, then do it, but not for yourself, but for God: but otherwise, be as a dead man that hath no eyes to see an injury, nor ears to hear it, nor heart to feel it, nor understanding to perceive it, no, nor hands to be revenged for it: this is to be mortified, and dead to self. When passion begins to stir within you, ask, 'What is the matter? who is it for? and who is it that is wronged?' If it be God, ask counsel of God, what he would have you to do, and let your passion be well guided