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The practical works of the Rev. Richard Baxter (1830)
The practical works of the Rev Richard Baxter - 1830 Author:Richard Baxter Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: TREATISE OF SELF-DENIAL. LUKE ix. 83, 24. And he said to them all, If any man will rome after me, let him deny kimtelf, and take up his cross daily, and fo... more »llow me: for whosoever will tave his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. CHAPTER I. What Selfishness and Self-denial are, at the root. I Have already spoken of Conversion in a foregoing discourse, both opening to you the true nature of it, and the reasons of its necessity, and persuading men thereunto. But lest so great a work should miscarry with any for want of a more particular explication, I should next open the three great parts of the work distinctly and in order : that is, I. From what it is that we must turn. II. To whom we must turn. III. And by whom we must turn. For though I touched all these in the foregoing Directions, and through the discourse, yet I am afraid lest so brief a touch should be ineffectual. The first of these I shall handle at this time from this text, meddling with no more but what is necessary to our present business. You may easily see that the doctrine which Christ here proclaimeth to all that have thoughts of being his followers, is this, that,' All that will be Christians must deny themselves, and take up their cross and follow Christ, and notreserve so much as their very lives, but resolve to resign up all for him.' Self-denial is one part of true conversion ; for the opening of this I must shew you, i. What is meant by self. ii. And what by denying this self. in. And the grounds and reasons of the point. And iv. I shall briefly apply it. 1. 1. Self is sometimes taken for the very person, consisting of the soul and body simply considered ; and this is called natural or personal self. 2. Self is taken f...« less