Both Augustine and the English Reformers knew self-denial was the only way to ascend to God.
Liturgy
Why Liturgy Makes Better Preaching
At a basic level, good liturgy is an insurance policy against bad preaching.
The Shape Fallacy: The Book of Common Prayer as Text
The Reformers were concerned not only with theology but also with its expression in worship – both its structure and content.
Calvin on the Public Rites of Confession and Absolution
In the third book of his Institutes, John Calvin argues that the church’s worship should begin with a corporate prayer of confession:
“Besides the fact that ordinary confession has been commended by the Lord’s mouth, no one of sound mind, who weighs its usefulness, can dare disapprove it….