Device (1). His first device to destroy the great and honourable of
the earth is, By working them to make it their business to seek themselves, to seek: how to greaten themselves, to raise themselves, to enrich themselves, to secure themselves, &c., as you may see in Pharaoh, Ahab, Rehoboam, Jeroboam, Absalom, Joab, Haman, &e! But were the Scripture silent, our own experiences do abundantly evidence this way and method of Satan to destroy the great and the honourable; to bury their names in the dust, and their souls in hell, by drawing them wholly to mind themselves, and ouly to mind themselves, and in all things to mind themselves, and always to mind themselves. All) saith the apostle, mind themselves,” Philip. ii. 21. All comparatively, in respect of the paucity of others, that let fall their private interests, and drown all self-respects in the glory of God and the public good, &eNow the remedies against this device are these,
Remedy (1). The first remedy against this device of Satan is, solemnly to consider, That self-seeking is « sin that will pul men upon « world of sins, upon sins not only against the luw of God, the rules of the gospel, but that ave against the very laws of nature, that ave so much darkened by the fall of man. It puts the Pharisees upon opposing Christ, and Judas upon betraying Christ, and Pilate upon condemning Christ. It puts Gehazi upon lying, and Balaam upon cursing, and Saul and Absalom upon plotting David’s ruin. It put Pharaoh and Haman upon contriving ways to destroy those Jews that God did purpose to save by his mighty arm. 1t puts men upon using wicked balances, and the bag of deceitful weights. It puts men upon ways of oppression, and selling the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes,” &e., Amos ii. 6. I know not any sin in the world but this sin of self-seeking will put men upon it, though it be their eternal loss.
Remedy (2). The second remedy against this device of Satan is, seriously to consider, Lhut self-seeking doth exceedingly abase a man. It strips him of all his royalty and glory. Of a lord it makes a man become a servant to the creature, ay, often to the worst of creatures; yea, a slave to slaves, as you may see in Judas, Demas, Balaam, and the Scribes and Pharisees.3 Self-seekers bow down to the creatures, as Gideon’s many thousands bowed down to the waters. Self-seeking will make a man say anything, do anything, and be anything, to please the lusts of others, and to get advantages upon others. Self-seeking transforms a man into all shapes and forms; now it makes a man appear as an angel of light, anon as an angel of darkness Now selfscekers are seemingly for God, anon they are openly against God; now you shall have them crying, Hosanna in the highest,” and anon, Crucify him, crucify him;’ now you shall have them build with the saints, and anon you shall have them plotting the overthrow of the saints, as those sclf-seekers did in Ezra and Nehemiab’s time. Self seekers are the basest of all persons, There 1s no service so base, so
poor, so low, but they will bow to it. They cannot look neither above, nor beyond their own lusts, and the enjoyment of the creature, Rom. 1. 25. These are the prime and ultimate objects of their intendments. It is said of Tiberius, that whilst Augustus ruled, he was no way tainted in his reputation, and that while Drusus and Germanicus were alive, he feigned those virtues which he had not, to maintain a good opinion of himself in the hearts of the people; but after he had got himself out of the reach of contradiction and controlment, there was no fact in which he was not faulty, no crime to which he was not accessory.” My prayer shall be, that Tiberius his spirit may not be found in any of our rulers, lest it prove their ruin, as 1t did his; and that wherever it is, it may be detected, loathed, and ejected, that so neither the state nor souls may be ruined by it, &e.
Remedy (3). The third remedy against this device of Satan is, solemnly To dwell upon those dreadful curses and woes that are from heaven denounced against self-seekers. Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth,” Isa. v. 8. So Habakkuk, 11. 6, 9-12, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his, and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay I” Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil! Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul. For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by iniquity I’ The materials of the house built up by oppression shall come as joint witnesses. The stones of the wall shall cry, Lord, we were built up by blood and violence; and the beam shall answer, True, Lord, even so itis.” The stones shall cry, Vengeance, Lord! upon these self-seekers! and the beam shall answer, Woe to him, because he built his house with blood! So Isaiah, Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; to turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the tatherless,” Isa. x. 1, 2. So Amos, ‘ Woe unto them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came; that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the middle of the stall; that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the afflictions of Joseph,” Amos vi. 1, 3-6. So Micah, Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because