Q. Who else do indulge their sins?—A. They that choose rather to walk by the imperfect lives of professors than by the holy Word of God: or thus, they that make the miscarriages of some good men an encouragement unto themselves to forbear to be exact in self-denial, these eat up the sins of God's people as men eat bread (Hosea 4:7-9).
Q. Will you now shew me who are like to do this part of God's worship acceptably?—A. Yes; he whose heart is set against sin as sin, is like to deny himself acceptably (Rom 7:13,14).
Q. Who else?—A. He that hath the sense and savour of forgiveness of sins upon his heart (2 Cor 5:14).
Q. Who else is like to deny himself well?—A. He that hath his affections set upon things above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God (Col 3:1-5).
Q. Who else is like to deny himself well for Christ?—A. He that seeth a greater treasure in self-denial, than in self-seeking (2 Cor 12:9-11; Heb 11:24-26).
Q. Are there none other signs of one that is like to do this part of God's worship acceptably?—A. Yes; he that takes up his cross daily, and makes Christ's doctrine his example (Luke 6:47,48; John 12:25,26).
Q. But how do you discover a man to be such a one?—A. He keepeth this heart with all diligence, he had rather die than sin; ill carriages of professors break his heart, nothing is so dear to him as the glory of Christ (Prov 4:23; Num 11:15; Phil 3:18; Acts 20:24).[22]
Q. Pray, can yo give me some motive to self-denial?—A. Yes; the
Lord Jesus denied himself for thee; what sayest thou to that?
Q. Wherein did Christ deny himself for me?—A. He left his heaven for thee, he denied for thy sake to have so much of this world as hath a fox or a bird, and he spilt his most precious blood for thee (John 6:38; Luke 9:58; 2 Cor 8:9; Rev 1:5).
Q. Can you give another motive to self-denial?—A. Yes; 'What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?' (Mark 8:36).