为了进一步陈明/证明基督教正统灵修神学中关於『否认己』的教训和TH教 的『否认（你的)己』的教训是完全不同的，区区不才特别摘录了部分17世纪 英国最重要的改革宗释经家John Gill所写的系统神学中的相关段落的一部分。 这段可以发现，正统基督教对於『否认己』的教义是一致的，这从加尔文/ 卫斯理/John Gill的作品中可以看见。 当然，我还是希望TH教教主能够知道进退，别整天抢着抱我提出来神学家的 大腿，好吗？有本事，找些别的不一样、又能支持你的人，拜托了！ 谢谢合作！ ================================================== A Body of Doctrinal & Practical Divinity By John Gill Practical Divinity~Book 1 Chapter 15: Of Self-Denial Self-denial accompanies humility; where the one is the other is; a self-denying man is an humble man, and an humble man is a self-denying man. "Proud, boasters, are lovers of their own selves", and cannot by any means deny themselves; but the meek and humble, the followers of the lowly Jesus, "deny themselves", and go after him; "If any man will come after me", says Christ, that is, be a disciple of his, "let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me", #Mt 16:24 this is one of the hardest lessons to be learnt in the school of Christ, by his disciples; and no man can be a disciple of Christ without learning it. 1. It will be proper to inquire what self-denial is, or what it is for a man to deny himself. 1a. It is not to deny what a man is or has; what he truly is, and what he really has; for that would be a falsehood; in this sense "God cannot deny himself", #2Ti 2:13 not his nature, and the perfections of it; or do, or affirm anything contrary thereunto. So a man ought not to deny himself as a man, nor the rational powers which he is possessed of; one may indeed, speaking in the language of another, and as expressing the meanness and contempt in which he is held by such, say, "I am a worm, and no man", as David the type, and Christ his antitype, did; a man may also, in a comparative sense, with respect to others, and as exaggerating his own folly, ignorance, and stupidity, say, as Asaph did, "So foolish was I and ignorant, I was as a beast"; or was a very beast, "before thee", in thy sight, or could not be otherwise reckoned of by thee: and so Agur; "Surely, I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man", in comparison of others, and having a very low share of it, in his own opinion, #Ps 73:22 Pr 30:2 in these senses such phrases may be admitted; otherwise it would not be true of a man, nor doing justice to himself, to say that he was no other than "a horse and a mule, which have no understanding". Nor should a man deny what he has of the external benefits and blessings of providence; if God bestows riches and honour upon a man, as he did on David, he should own them as coming to him from God, as David did, and bless God for such benefits, and make use of them for the glory of God, and the good of his interest; and if God has bestowed internal endowments on men, gifts and talents, qualifying for public service and usefulness, some way or another, they are to own them, and use them, and not wrap them up in a napkin, or hide them in the earth, which is interpretatively to deny that they have them. Nor should a truly good and gracious man deny what he is and has; but acknowledge it, and how by grace he came by it; and say with the apostle, "By the grace of God I am what I am"; if a man is a believer in Christ he should confess his faith in him. #Ro 10:10 there were some among the Jews, in the times of Christ, who believed he was the Messiah, and yet confessed him not; because they "loved the praise of men", were lovers of themselves, and could not deny themselves of praise from men; yet such non-confession of Christ is tacitly a denial of him, and is so interpreted by Christ, #Mt 10:31,32 but especially when a man has true faith in Christ, has spiritual knowledge of him, and is a real disciple of his, to deny this is very criminal; this was the sin of Peter, when challenged with being acquainted with Jesus, and being a disciple of his, denied that he knew him, and that he was one of them that belonged to him. And so if a man has faith in Christ, and good hope through grace, and the grace of God has been exceeding abundant, with faith and love, which is in Christ, he ought to be very careful that he does not deny these things. There is in some weaker Christians, I do not know well what name to call it by, it is an over modesty, a thinking and speaking over meanly of themselves; and which they affect to do, and carry things to too great a length very much this way, as if they had no faith, nor love, and scarce any hope; and are ready to express themselves in such sort as seems to border, at least, upon a denial of the work of grace upon their souls; and is like a tearing up by the roots, as much as in them lies, the very principles of grace in them; which should never be encouraged, but discountenanced; the least measure of grace should be owned, and men should be thankful for it, and pray for an increase of it. 1b. To deny a man's self is not to refuse favours conferred on him in a course of providence; nor to neglect a lawful use of them; nor to take no care of himself and of his affairs. 1b1. Self-denial does not require that a man should refuse temporal honours and riches bestowed on him in a providential way; so Joseph, though a self-denying man, did not refuse the honours, and the tokens of them, Pharaoh gave him, when he made him ruler over the land of Egypt; nor David, when the tribes made him king over all Israel; nor Daniel, when he was advanced in Nebuchadnezzar's court, and was honoured by Belshazzar, and prospered in the reigns of Darius and Cyrus; but these good men improved them all to the glory of God and the good of others. 1b2. Nor are the creatures of God, and the use of them, to be rejected; "Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused", #1Ti 4:4 nor ought a man to debar himself of the free and lawful use of them; we are told there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy the fruit of his labour, and that it is his portion, and the gift of God; and that to withhold it from himself is a sore evil under the sun, vanity, and an evil disease, #Ec 2:24 5:19 6:1,2 only care should be taken in using the world, and worldly things, that they are not abused, #1Co 7:31 this is all with respect to worldly things that self-denial requires; even a non-gratification of the carnal and sensual appetite to excess; which branch of self-denial the wise man expresses by "putting a knife to the throat"; see #Pr 23:2. 1b3. Nor should a man be careless of his life, and health, and family, though he should not be anxiously careful for life, for food, and raiment to support and secure it; yet he may be lawfully careful for life, which is better than them; and so likewise for his health, to preserve it by proper means; as the apostle Paul advised the mariners with him, to take meat for their health's sake; and Timothy to the use of wine for his often infirmities, #Ac 27:33,34 1Ti 5:23 and in like manner a man should be careful for his family; which should he not, it would be so far from being reckoned self-denial, in a good sense, that it might be justly treated as a denial of the faith, #1Ti 5:8. 1b4. There is a self-love which is not criminal, nor contrary to the grace of self-denial; "For no man ever yet hated his own flesh", #Eph 5:29 himself, which he is not obliged to by, yea, would be contrary to, the law of nature, and the law of God; to take care of a man's self, and to preserve his life, is the first principle and law of nature {1}; and it is commanded by the law of God, that a man should love himself; for according to that, he is to "love his neighbour as himself", and therefore must first love himself to love his neighbour as himself; there is a filautia, an inordinate love of a man's self, which is the source of all sin, of covetousness, pride, blasphemy, disobedience to parents, ingratitude, &c. which is carefully to be avoided, #2Ti 3:2-4. 1b5. Nor is it self-denial, or any part of it, to abuse the body in any respect, and even on religious accounts, by cutting it with knives and lances, as Baal's priests; or by lashing it with whips and scourges, as the papists for penance; or by severe fastings and abstinence, "by neglecting it, not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh", as some ancient heretics in the apostle's days, #Col 2:23 nor should any thing be done that endangers life, and much less should any, under whatsoever pretence, lay violent hands on themselves, to which sometimes the temptations of Satan lead, #Mt 4:6. But, --

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