them but they have arts to make their tankerds light as can be but now if they carried their water in tankards of Lead though the water were no heavier yet this would make it more burdensome so sickness poverty loss of estate they are burdensome to al that beare them but yet the corruption of sin when the heart is corrupted with sin that is as lead that makes it the greater burden and therefore sin in the heart is such a thing as makes al other things burdensome that are burdensome Though a man should loose al his estate in one night this might be some burden but he that hath sin upon him that makes al other burdens to be burdensome The Fifth property of the Burden of Corruption Fifthly Sin is a burden unto God himself much more to the saints God cries out that he is prest under sin as a Cart is pressed that is ful of sheaves it is a burden to the spirit of God and therefore it is said that the spiâ—it of God is greived and it must needs be a great burden to thy soul when thou seest and knowest it is a burden to thy father it is a burden to the spirit of God whereby thou art sealed to the day of redemption Is it not a burden to the heart of any ingenious spirit when he shal consider that that which I have done is a burden to my father to the spirit of grace any ingenious child it wil be a burden to him that he hath done any thing against his father now so long as thou hast any sin in thee thou art a burden to God and to the spirit of God The Sixth property of the burden of Corruption Sixthly As it is a burden to God so it is that that makes us burdensome unto al that we converse with al and the more Corruption that remaines in our Hearts the more burdensome we are to all that we converse withal some there are though truly godly yet they have so much Corruption in them that they are burdensome to all that they converse withal as in a family take those that are passionate though they have godliness lies at the bottome yet how burdensome are they to those that converse with them others they have extream stout and stubborn Spirits others have sullen Hearts extream sullen spirits others have slight and vain spirits others proud and envious spirits and others Covetous now there is reason they should feel the burden themselves for others feel the Burden when it breaks forth from them and therefore it much more aggravates their Burden those that are truly godly that are overcome with passion when they think thus Oh! what a Wretched Heart have I that I should break forth into passion in such and such company Oh! what a Wretch am I that I should not only be burdensome to my self but to those that I converse withal I make no Question but I speak to many that have lamented their condition in this kind alone in that they have been so burdensome to others it is true I have been a Burden to such and such but the Lord knows it is much more a burden to mine own heart and to my self therefore the remaining part of Corruption is such a Burden to the godly because it is a burden to others whenas all the people of God should be useful in the places where they live they should live so as that all that live by them and with them should bless God for them this they should endeavor to do to live in such a manner as all that come neer them should bless God that ever they came neer or had converse with them The Seventh Property of the Burden of Corruption Seventhly This Burden is such a Burden as makes those that are godly to be burdensome to themselves yea even to be weary of their lives many times Why For their Corruption in them is a great deal more grievous then Death would be to them We use to express a thing that is very grievous to us and say it is death to us those that are godly can say so of their sin and that is one Reason that Paul gave that Name to his sin a Body of Death Oh! Wretched Man that I am who shal deliver me from this Body of Death Why because the remaining Corruption that then was in his Heart was as Death to him so it is with the Saints the Corruption that remaines in their hearts it is Death to them and they can appeal unto God and speak thus in his presence The bitterness of death would not be so much to me a thousand parts as this Corruption that is in my heart Oh! this Corruption that is in my heart that overcomes me after so many resolutions so many Prayers so many Sacraments so many ingagements it is that which makes me weary of my life as Rebeccah said if Jacob should marry a Wife of the Daughters of Heth it would make her weary of her Life so saith the godly this remaining Corruption in my Heart makes me weary of my Life what shal I do that carry such a Body of Death about me so as I do There are many Men and Women that in a discontented mood say they are weary of their lives but this is in a discontented mood but when could you say so in respect of your Hearts when did you say I lookt into my Heart and I saw a great deal of sin Corruption worldliness Pride Passion and the like and this is that which makes me weary of my Life The truth is the great thing that makes the people of God to be willing to die is this because they know when they die they shal be delivered from this Burden and therefore when Death comes they entertaine it willingly because they know they shal sin against God no more There is many of you when you have lived a long time in sickness and poverty and are in great straites many waies you think if Death should come to me I could be willing to die because then I should suffer no such things as now I do I but that is no argument of Grace but this is an argument of Grace that because of the great burden of Corruption that thou carryest about in thy Soul therefore thou would'st be willing to die The Eighth property of the Burden of Corruption Eightly Sin is a grievous Burden while we have it and makes us weary of our Lives and yet it is such a Burden as we must certainly carry about with us such a Body as we know we shal never be freed from wholly while we live in this world it is true we may be freed from it in a great measure Christ saith come to me and you shal have Rest that is some Rest for the present and whole Rest in the Life to come but we cannot be wholly freed from this Burden whilst we are in this World And thus much for the properties of this Burden what
Christ for ease and Rest Fourthly the burden of the law is exceeding great in this respect That upon any one breach of the law the soul comes to be broken so as to lose ability to be able to keep any part of the Law for ever I said there is this in the Law more then in the Gospel that upon any one breach of the Law in the Covenant of works the soul comes to be so broken as to loose all the abilities of ever keeping any part of the Law again as thus I shewed you in Adam Adam was the Head of the first Covenant of works of the Law now Adam he breaks it in one particular failed in one Particular of what God required of him and in breaking of it in that one thing he and al his posterity was so broken that they lost all their abilities of keeping of the Law for ever except God come and create any ability they have lost what ability was given at first in their Creation so then this is a very great mistery that one by doing a thing that is evil should weaken the contrary habit that by doing a thing that is evil we should quite loose the Habit that is quite loose the habit by one act and not only loose the habit that is contrary to the particular evil that we do but loose al habits of al good whatsoever and that by one act now this is a thing above Nature this is only by vertue of the covenant of works God makes such a covenant it runs upon such tearms as if Adam did but sin in one thing he must die that is his Soul as wel as his body must die a spiritual death and so loose al habits of al Grace And this is the Reason why we are by Nature dead in sin Further such is the condition of the Law that suppose God should restore us al to be as perfect as ever Adam was in the state of innocency void of al sin and having the Image of God perfect and then God should come and put us upon the covenant of works again I say if we then should but fail in any one thing it would break us so as we should loose al our abilities to perform any duty ever after this is the condition of the law But it is not so with the Gospel though we sin against the Gospel we do not presently loose al our habits of Grace But the Reason of the difference That though Adam when he sinned against the Law he lost al his habits to do any good after and that though we sin against the Gospel yet we do not loose those habits That I shal shew afterwards when I shal come to shew that the yoke of the Gospel is easier then that of the Law And that is the fourth thing in the burden of the Law Fiftly The first thing is this That the Law upon every breach it doth take advantage against the soul presently I say takes advantage against the soul presently and binds it over to death to eternal death presently binds it over Yea and doth actually put it under a curse upon every breach instantly it doth it its true the law it may be is not presently executed as soon as a sinner hath broken it but this is certain that though God doth not come upon you as soon as you have broken the Law yet know that there are these three things come upon every one that is out of Chirst as soon as any one sin is committed there are these three things come upon him presently First He is bound over by Gods Justice by such abond as hath more strength in it then al the power of Heaven and Earth is able to break as a man that hath done that that is evil it may be the Law hath not present execution upon him I but he is bound over presently And not only so but in the Second place the Law passeth sentence the binding over that is the guilt but the Law passes sentence upon the sinner and condemns it the Soul is presently under the sentence of condemnation Thirdly The Law puts the sinner under a curse for so it is in the latter end of the 27. of Deu. Cursed is every one that abides not in every thing that is written in the Book of the Law to do it Mark every one that abides not in every thing he is pronounced accursed and that is a fift perticular Sixtly And in the Sixt place This Law requires constant Obedience also and such is the rigour of it that if you should obey it never so much for a great part of your lives If you should conceive you could obey it perfectly for a great while yet if at last you should offend in any one particular you are cast for al and al that you have done before is utterly rejected it wil take advantage against you for any one particular If it were possible that all your life time you should keep it and at the last houre of your life break it in any one particular certainly you would be condemned by it this is the condition of the Law for so it is in those words that are named though you do it if you do not abide to do every thing If there be but any one thing whereby it can take advantage it will certainly condemn you for it This is the condition of al that are under the covenant of works and is not this a load Would not this burden the Soul If so be the soul comes to understand it and whether it understands it or not yet certainly it is the truth of God Seventhly A seventh Burden of the Law is this that when once the sinner hath broke it the Law cannot be satisfied with any obedience which may make amends afterwards by any thing that the sinner can do suppose a man should be never so angry and offended he that hath offended him may make amends again a Servant thinks though I have offended my Master and done so many faults Yet I wil make amends for al. So many people think though we have broken the Law of God and lived a great while in sin and done that which is evil yet we wil make amends again and we wil give almes and come to Church and the like These are the Reasonings of many poor Ignorant hearts that do not understand upon what tearms they stand with God al the Children of men stand before God either under a Covenant of works or under the Covenant of Grace one of the two now those kind of men that Reason after this manner surely they are not acquainted with the Covenant of Grace they are under the Covenant of Works and now let them know that the covenant of Works admits of no such amends as they speak of but when once you have broken the Law all that ever you can do If you could live a thousand years never so strictly or be willing to suffer never so much for God
as it were from the Bosome of the Father and for a time was willing to have his glory Eclipsed to come into this world to be in the forme of a Servant to be in a mean condition here in this world Christ hath suffered more in coming to you than you can possibly suffer in going to him Christ is content to come from the Father to you what is it that you can go from to come to him He is said in the Book of the Canticles to come leaping over the Mountaines he comes leaping over all difficulties to you if you think there are some difficulties in your going to Christ know that there was far greater difficulties that lay in the way in his coming to you but whatsoever there was in the way he was resolved to go through them all and did come and was here in the world in the flesh that he might save you and he that is thus come to you cals you to come to him ARG. III. Thirdly You must know That Christ is the great Mediator that is set between God and the Children of men it is he that hath undertaken the great work the greatest work that ever was in the World to Mediate between the infinite offended God and your sinful wretched Souls for through your sins there was such an infinite distance made between God and you that it was impossible you should ever have gone without this Mediator It is an argument of mighty use if rightly understood and throughly considered of the vast distance that sin hath made between God and sinful creatures that they can never come to God but through the glorious Mediator that is come into the world the Lord Jesus Christ God and man that was made by God the Father the Head of the second covenant and hath undertaken to make up all the wrongs that our sins have done unto God to pacifie the wrath of God and to satisfie the justice of God it is he that hath undertaken to make peace between the Father and you and it is he that cals unto you to come to him If there were a company of Prisoners in danger of Death and one should come to the Prince to mediate for them to make peace between the Prince and them one that the prisoners should know to be the only Son of the prince the delight of his Soul and he is sent by the Prince himself to come to make peace and undertake it for them and he comes unto the Prison doors and cals to the Prisoners lying in their dungeon and saies arise and come to me hearken what I shal bring to you observe my direction and peace shall be made between the Prince and you you shall have pardon you shall have your lives would not this stir them up to hearken unto him and greedily to come unto the grate Christ is come for this very end this was the work that God the Father sent him into the world about to be a Mediator between himself and poor wretched sinful creatures and now he comes unto them cals unto them and saies come to me If you did but know what Christ was and what his work was in coming into the world it could not but mightily draw your hearts to come to him when he cals ARG. IV. Fourthly Come to me saith Christ for if ever there were any that deserved to be hearkened unto and to come unto when he cals certainly I deserve it For I have not only come to be a Mediator but the truth is it hath cost me my blood I have manifested such Love unto you that I have laid down my Life for you I have shed my most precious blood I have been willing to be made a curse and all for the saving of your souls my Love hath been more to you then to mine own life for that was laid down for you I have undertaken indeed to mediate between my Father and you but it hath cost me much yet in Love to you I have thus done all my blood is shed the work is done the price is paid Come to me that you may have Life And this is the meaning of that forementioned place The Servant is bidden to go and invite the Guests for all is ready so here the work is done Christ hath done the work there could not be that argument to our fore Fathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob they could not have such an argument to draw them Christ could not say to them Come to me for I have not only undertaken to Mediate between the Father and your Souls but I have laid down my life for you shed my blood for you I have paid the price already for you I have purchased your Souls I have done the whol work it is finished But now there is this Argument to draw your Hearts to Christ for the work is finished the greatest work that ever was or shal be undertaken in the World the greatest work of all is finished and upon the finishing of this work Christ cals you to himself and saith Come to me ARG. V. Fifthly Consider the infinite good that your Souls shall have by Christ in your coming to him this draweth the Heart indeed not only to see who it is that calls you for commonly when we hear one cal we wil ask who cals and if it be one that we expect good from we come to him This we shewed already But this argument is from the infinite good that your Souls shall have when you come to him the very first moment you come to him you will be blessed creatures there will be an infinite change of your condition for consider First If there be any good to be had in all the mercy that there is in God himself if there be any good to be had in God the Father in the divine essence in the infinite eternal first-being of all things it is to be had by coming unto Christ for Christ saith in John 14.6 No man comes unto the Father but by me You cannot come to God but by Christ as was intimated before in regard of the distance between God and us through sin you cannot come to God til you understand Christ to be the great means of conveyance of all good from God to his creature Christ is the great means of conveyance of all good unto the creature All are yours you are Christs and Christ is Gods saith the Apostle in 1 Cor. 3. and the Last verse All things are Gods that you will acknowledg but how come they to be ours all things are yours that is the happiness of those that are come to Christ He doth not say all things are Gods and you are Gods No but all things are yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods Whereas other people in seeking after mercy from God go this way to work they go immediatly to God and think that if ever they receive any mercy or good it must come from God they must have it from
delivered from condemnation They are those that walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Shall it be cast upon this now I do challenge every Soul to put it upon the tryal to see whether they dare venture their Souls and eternal estate upon this Scripture look to it it is the word of God it is that word of God that must stand for ever when thou and I am fallen There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Now then thy eternal estate lies upon this thy soul lies upon it that if thou be a man or Woman that doth walk after the flesh that is look what pleasure the flesh desires what lusts of the flesh are delightful to thee thy Heart walks after them thou livest accordingly and it is thy great care to make provision for the flesh the care of thy life to make provision for the flesh and when thou hast made provision for the flesh thou givest liberty to thy spirit to satisfie it self in the lusts of the flesh thou art the man and woman that yet art not in Jesus Christ and therefore art certainly under condemnation and is this a time to Rest now in Is there Rest for such a Soul that is in this condition All those therefore whose consciences tell them that hitherto they have walked after the flesh and not after the spirit not after those truths that they find in the word perhaps they can go to the word and say it is true what the Minister saith if we could do what he saith and in the mean time cast off the thoughts of those truths that are according to the word and cast off what God speaks in his word for what he speaks in his word should be as real to thee as if he spake it from Heaven and therfore thou art out of Christ and I speak in the name of God of all these things that I might the more effectually draw mens hearts to come unto Christ for Rest For I do not mean to leave you thus to tel you that you have no Rest out of Christ but I intend to tell you how you may have Rest in Christ Only first I would convince you that out of Chirst there is no Rest for the Soul and if you have had Rest all this while out of Christ it hath been a cursed a vile a wretched Rest it hath been no other but such a Rest as this of a man that is condemned to die Nay Let me tel you all out of Christ are not condemned to die a temporal but an eternal Death But you wil say they have Rest enough it doth not trouble them I answer What Rest just as if a condemned man shal go to bed and fal asleep and dream that he is at home in his House with his Wife and Children about him at home with his friends at his work at his meat and O poor man how he rejoyceth that he is at home and hath got his Wife and Children and all is safe and wel this man pleaseth himself in his dream al this while and at length poor man he awakes and he sees he is in the prison he sees the shackles about his heels and the watch at the door and for ought he knows he may die the next day Certainly this sets forth as lively the condition of natural Men in the world as can be they are al condemned but they are in a dream and they think they are out of al danger al wil be safe that there shal no misery befal them O but when the Lord shal come to awake them out of this dream they wil see themselves in prison under the sentence of condemnation and then they wil wonder that they have been so quiet al this while Sixthly Yea Let me say further if thou beest out of Christ thou are not only under the sentence of Condemnation but for ought thou knowest every moment thou mayest be plunged into the Gulf of the wrath of the infinite God it is true God hath spared thee along time God hath continued thy Life in his Patience perhaps twenty forty fifty years well but how dost thou know but that may fal out in one night or day or moment that never fel out in al thy life though thou hast been spared a long time yet thou knowest not but before morning thou maiest be among the damned in Hell and is this a condition to rest in For a man and Woman to be in such a condition as when he comes to examine how doth things stand between God and my Soul How stand I to God What reference have I to God Or what reference hath God to me How do I know but I may be swallowed up in the Gulf of the eternal wrath of the infinite God and there lie under it for ever What do I know to the contrary And if this prove to be my portion it had been better ten thousand times I had never been borne and is this a condition to rest in Certainly if God hath revealed any truth in his word these are the truths of God The condition of one out of Christ is like one that hath suffered Shipwrack and perhaps he gets one of the Bords that are broken off from the ship and is floating up and down the Sea upon it and yet in such danger that every wave coming he is in danger to be drowned do you think it is possible for any one to sleep there It s true You are not drowned yet but you see your selves in danger by every wave that comes to be swallowed up and to be sunk to the bottom It may be it hath been the case of some of you that have suffered Shipwrack that you have been dilivered in a boate I beleeve when you have been there you could hardly sleep quietly if you should nestle down in your boate and say wel here I wil take my rest would not every one think you a mad man Just thus for al the world it is with men in their natural estate they take up their rest whereas they know not but there wil come presently some dreadful wave of the wrath of God and swallow them up and so they are undone for ever certainly there is no peace to the wicked saith my God if this be so There are divers other particulars that might set forth for the opening of the condition of al men that are out of Jesus Christ no rest can come to them and al to make Jesus Christ precious to you that you might seek the happy condition that is to be had in Christ Oh! that any thing that hath been spoken might be settled upon your hearts that you might go with that poor wretched sinner that you read of in the Acts of the Apostles Chap. 16.30 and say Men and bretheren what shal we do to be saved The Lord hath shewn me my restless condition I see the rest I