first opening of the text is the interpretation of Chrisostom upon this text You that are weary and heavy Laden that is you that are laden with the burden of seeking righteousness under the Law Come unto me and I wil give you Rest First I wil shew unto you what I mean by the burden of Legal Performances Secondly What a great burden this is and how much evil there is in it and so apply my self to those that are under this burden to shew to them how Christ cals them here in this text to come to him that they might have Rest First that which I mean by the burden of Legal Performances is this the performing of duties that are required by the Law meerly out of conscience because conscience puts men and Women upon those duties and doing them in the strength that they have of their own and looking upon what they do as the Righteousness which they must tender up to God as Righteousness for life now this is a Legal performance to perform duties in a Legal way is this to do what the Law requires meerly out of conscience because conscience tels me I must do it and to work in mine own strength though it be that that God gives yet but a natural strength and to make account of this to be as my Righteousness and to tender it up unto God for Righteousness unto life here is a Legal performance and this is to performe duties in a meer Legal way and those that do thus wil find that this will be a very great burden to their spirits it is a burden unto the Spirits of those that do thus unto the spirits of such as are conscientious indeed for we look not now upon men and Women as performing Duties out of Hypocrisie to be seen of men to make a show of what they have not in their Hearts we do not speak of such but we speak of those that have got into a higher form beyond such kind of Hypocrites such as perform duties out of conscience and yet rise no higher then looking at the Law that binds them to those duties and so tender them up to God as their Righteousness and do them for life making account that this is the thing that must bring them to life such as do this and are not acquainted any further with the mystery of the Gospel they do go under a most grievous burden all the daies of their lives I do not say that it is a burden to perform Duties that conscience requires when we do them to the Honor of God in the strength of Christ as a work of the sanctification of this spirit and as a fruit of our thankfulness for the Grace and mercy of God in Christ to us that is not a burden that is no burden at al but to do them meerly as being forced to them by conscience and as our Righteousness for life this is the burden and though there be no other principles that men and Women have but this yet they may be very conscientious so as not to dare to commit any known sin in secret they may make conscience of secret duties yea they may be aboundant in duties that is do perform many duties In the 6. of Micah and the 7. what shal we do say they Shal we give Rivers of Oyl and thousands of Rams and the fruit of our bodies for the sin of our souls there you have the expressions of those that are Legal they would know what they should do professing that they would be willing to do any thing for to save their souls offer thousands of rams and Rivers of Oyl for a sacrifice so one that is meerly Legal may perform many Duties yea he may be conscientious of every Duty that he knoweth there may be a kind of universal obedience in him to obey in al so far as he knows for the outward action he may make conscience of every thing that he knows to be the mind of God and yet do al this in a legal way and his performance may be rather a burden then that which shal do him good in the conclusion and bring him to life and except he doth come to know furher then yet he doth to know the evangelical performance of duties he cannot have true rest in his soul Now this as the other is a poynt of great consequence to many it may be divers that read this book may not so cleerely understand what this is they may not feel any such thing in their one experience but I suppose I shal speake to some even to their hearts and open their conditions to them whereby they shal say that they have not taken a right course to procure rest to their souls and to this end I speake that they may hearken to the blessed invitation of the gospel to come unto Christ that they might have rest as thus you perceive a little what I meane by legal performances now then we are to come to shew the burden of legal performances that they are very burdensome to those that are acquainted with nothing but to performe duties meerly from the law The first Burden of Legal Performances 1. Because now they are put upon duties that they have no principle to do to be put upon a work where there is no inward principle to do the work that must needs be burdensome conscience puts me upon the duty and that is right but I have no principle to do it yet I must do it conscience saith so whether I have a principle or no and though it is true I have no principle to do it so as the Law requires yet I may doe some outward performances now for me to goe about such a work to endeavour and strive to do al the work that the Law requires not onely the outward part but the wole worke and to be put upon to strugle and strive to do that which I have no inward principle to do that must needs be burdensome Al motions of nature that are from an external principle are violent and so tedious heavy and troublesome so this motion to duty that comes not from an inward principle of heart but is meerly legal conscience stands to put the soul upon duty but doth not put any principle into the soul to do it this is a violent motion and those that have the experience of this find it tedious heavy and troublesome Now here lieth the burden for it is not according to those vain conceits of men that the duty ought not to be done because they have no inward principle to do it but here is the burden that conscience binds you to do it you must do it though you have no principle in you to do it The second burden of Legal performances 2. Legal performances have a great burden in them because there is in al men that are but under the law before they come to be true beleevers sanctified by the spirit of Christ a contrary principle a principle
Christ what dost thou think that mercy is worth that cost the Blood of Christ Thou thinkest thou art a great sinner and that it must be wonderful mercy that must save thy Soul It s true and it 's well thou thinkest So but now consider further sinner what dost thou think of the mercy that shall be as much worth as the Blood of the Son of God For him to be made a curse for sinners will that do it If that will do it thou mayest come to him How much dost thou think the mercy of Christs coming to take Mans Nature upon him is worth to take our sinful Nature upon him If he will do it thou mayest come to Christ Yea Further know That the Lord Jesus Christ never receives any that come to him but Beggars none but Beggars none but miserable creatures none but those that are wretched that are vile and Christ did never yet from the beginning of the world receive any man upon these tearms because he was not so vile as another man as thus here is one that is thus vile here is another that is not altogether so vile I will receive him upon this ground because he is not so vile this was never the ground but when he receives them he receives them upon free Grace and therefore it is not how vile thou art for that is the Glory of Christ to save vile creatures and he saves none but those that come as Beggars those that come and do see themselves as vile wretched worthless unworthy miserable damned dust and Ashes in themselves Only such are objects for the Heart of Christ to be set upon rather make it an argument to drive thee more to him as David did in the 25. Psalm O Lord have mercy upon me pardon my Sin for it is great So Lord I am vile I am wretched I am unworthy and therefore Lord receive me Lord therefore I come unto thee do not say as Peter once did Master depart from me I am a sinful Man No but the truth is he should rather have said thus Master Come to me or Master I come to thee because I am a sinful man So thou shouldest not say O Lord depart from me because I am a sinful creature Or Lord do thou come to me because I am a sinful wretch And know that upon thy coming to him thou wilt have wonderful welcome wonderful great entertainment above all that thy Heart can think of O the great imbracing by Jesus Christ of those Souls that come to him and this is the very Reason why poor sinners at their first conversion have their Hearts so filled with joy because at their first coming to Christ Christ doth give them such wonderful imbracements til they come to be more Strengthened and then perhaps Christ will have them live rather by Faith than by sence It is in the new Birth as in the Birth of Nature Children when they are first born they shoote up mightily take a Child that comes very little out of the Womb come to it a quarter of a Year after the Child is shot up a great deal you may see it a great deal taller and bigger every Limb increased but take it at ten years Old and it grows not so much then as at the first and the Reason is because it coming out of the worm Womb it could not subsist if Nature did not hasten to strengthen it self at first so men when they come to Christ at first they shoote up and grow to such inlargement of Spirit and they do so sensibly perceive Yea and others do so sensibly perceive a greater growth at their first coming than afterwards because when they first come Christ will Strengthen them against all discouragements Christ will use you tenderly Christ will not upbraid you for your former sins and say What! you that have lived a prophane life a prophaner of my ordinances a scorner at my waies and at my people Christ will not upbraid the Soul but he wil be render of you he will pass by your sins and heal your weakness He will not break the bruised Reed nor quench the smoaking Flax. ARG. VIII Eightly Further Consider The infinite need thy Soul hath of Jesus Christ and therefore that should drive thee to him if the other Arguments do not draw thee Oh! Let that drive thee to Jesus Christ thou art an undone creature for ever without Jesus Christ all the mercy in Heaven can do thee no good without Christ all the Ordinances can do thee no good without Christ all the duties thou performest can do thee no good without Christ for before thou comest to Jesus Christ there is no Prayer no Duties that ever thou tenderest up to God that can be accepted and this is a sad condiâ—ion that all my Duties my Prayers my services are all cast away till I come to Jesus Christ Certainly this is so for thou must know that Jesus Christ is not only the great conveyer of all good from God to us but also all that comes to us from God must go through him and therefore there is cause thou shouldest hasten to Christ and never be at quiet all thy Life til thou hast some comfortable evidence that thy Heart hath closed with Jesus Christ there is an infinite necessity because al Ordinances Duties services whatever thou dost doth thee no good til thou come to Christ ARG. IX Ninthly Yea Further Christ is such a one as all the creatures one day will see a need of him Yea all that live under the sound of the Gospel they shall see a need of him and they shal curse themselves that when they lived under the sound of the Gospel and were called to come to Jesus Christ that yet notwithstanding they would satisfie themselves in the lusts of their spirits Christ came from Heaven once to us in the daies of his flesh but know that Jesus Christ shall come again in his Glory with all his Angels all his Saints about him and then how happy will those appear that in the time of their lives when they were called by the Ministery of the Gospell did come to Jesus Christ When Christ comes thus in his Glory perhaps you would then all go to Jesus Christ no friend if you will stay till then you will heaâ— another voice from Christ he will not come to call sinners to come to him then but he will come to bid them depart from him for all that the father gives him do come to him before then ARG. X. Yea and yet further let me tel you this that while you have heard the word of God by a poor minister in the name of Christ to cal you unto him to draw you to come unto him if you shal reject this invitation and other invitations that you have by the ministers of the Gospel know that of al the sins that ever you committed in al your lives this wil prove to be the greatest that you have stood
do their duty but with blowes and slashes they are set upon their duty now this is very burdensom if indeed they might be put upon it with love gentle and fair cariages they should do as much as they do with a great deale more ease but when al meanes that is used is rigorous and forcible this makes their lives burdensome unto them so it is here they that are legal performe duties but how the terror of the law the flashes of hel fire in their conscience and the fear of the Judgments of God come unto them except you do this you may fear that the Judgments of God wil pursue and follow you In the night season when they are in the darke they are filled with terror and when this terror comes upon them then they must go to prayer though they have no mind to go to prayer for their conscience else wil fly in their faces in the day time these are just like the Children of Israel in Egypt the taske masters put them upon their worke with rigor that their very lives were tedious to them whereas those that are sanctified they go to performe duties out of love and so their duties are sweet and delightful to them The 6. Burden of legal performances 6. From hence follows that those that are meerely legal in their performances they do their duty with much straitness of spirit they have no inlargment of heart usually very rarely in any thing they do but they do it if they do do it in a dul manner a dead way meerly the work done and no more their spirits are excedingly strait pray they must so much time they spend in prayer but when they are risen from prayer they find their harts are as strait as ever I do not say but a godly man or woman may be so at sometimes but when duties are performed in a legal way this is constantly so and Oh what a burden is this to a soul to think that I can never go into the presence of God but I have stil a dead straight heart others have enlarged hearts but I do the duty and nothing comes of it I feel my heart altogether straitned in the duty and so I go on in the rounds but stil am straitened dead and dul in the performance of the duty The 7. Burden of Legal Performances 7. Those that performe duties in a meer legal way find nothing to come of their duties but are meerly as a horse in the mil go the rounds or as if a man were to rive or cleave a knotty peice of wood he strikes but the knottiness of the wood gives the rebound to the axe and wedges and he can make no marke of it though a man strive and work hard yet if he findes his work goes on here is some comfort but when he works and works and it continues so stil this is burdensome If a man should be set to pull a logg out of a ditch and injoyned to work from morning to night and he pulls and pulls al the day and it stirs not is no further on in his work at night then he was in the morning and he must go to it the next day and nothing comes of his work this is very tedious so it is with those that are meerely legal in their performances they find little or nothing comes of al their performances and this must needs be very burdensome you that have been thus burdened know this very text concernes you and Christ hath thoughts of you and cals you to himself and saith Come to me as if Christ should say certainly there is another way for you to have ease and rest to your souls it is true you must go on and do your duty but you must come to know me in the gospel before yo◠〈◊〉 have ease and rest to your souls The 8. Burden of Legal Performances 8. Those that performe duties in a meer legal way the the truth is let them â—oll never so much in that way they can never attain to their end let them â—oil never so much performe duties never so many increase their duties a thousand fold yet they can never attain unto their end Their end what is that you wil say Their end is that they might have peace with God live and have eternal life it is true base hipocrites look at profit many wil make a show of religion get into houses and talk of good things that they may get good cheere meat and drink and a little gain being of a poor and unworthy Spirit but I speake of those that are grown higher then thuâ— those that performe duties out of conscience and yet never attain to their end nor never wil attain to their end in this way til they come to know more of Christ I speake of such as desire rest to their souls yet in this way of legal performances never gain this rest to their souls and and therefore it must needs be burdensome unto them The 9. Burden of Legal Performances 9. Those that performe duties in a meer legal way they goe on and performe duties but whether God accepts of them yea or no they cannot tel do them they must but whether God be their enemy or their friend they canot tel tender up duties to God they do every day but whether they tender them up to an enemy or a friend they do not know sometimes they have perhaps some good hopes that God accepts them but never come to any knowledg of Gods acceptance they go up and down continually with Jealous thoughts of God fearing leaâ—â—od wil take advantage of them at the last this musâ—â—e burdensome Many poor souls have gon on in tâ—â—tion one seven yeares after another and al for thâ— of coming to Jesus Christ for rest unto their soules then comes rest to the heart of a sinner when it knowes and can say upon good ground though my heart have much corruption though my duty have much imperfection yet through a covenant of grace what I do the Lord accepts of me whereas the other never comes to know that God doth accept them though they performe their duties never so wel The 10. Burden of Legal Performances 10. Those that performe duties in a meer legal way their spirits are hurried on to do the work to do the thing that conscience requires although in regard of their weakness the doing of such a thing at such a time wil hinder the doing of other duties that God requires of them but yet do it they must I do not say duties are not to be done at this time but such things as conscience tels them are good they are hurried on to do them presently though in regard of their weakness the doing of them now doth hinder them from doing other things of more consequence as we find by experience many that are weake yet under the command of conscience and are in a legal way suddenly there comes such a thing into their
minds I must spend so much time in praier saith conscience you cannot do too much for God and why should you not spend so much time for God now by this means they are hurried on to do the duty though by the doing of it at that time they shal hinder themselvs in the performance of many other duties afterwards and I have known by experience many that have been greivously burdened this way what they presently apprehend to have any good in it that they think they must do although they by that be hindred in the performance of many other duties afterwards whereas now if we were acquainted with the liberty we have in Christ we would be able to satisfie our selves this way though I am weake now yet I can appeale to God that my heart is upright and though I do forbeare the doing of such a thing that in its owne nature is good yet my conscience tels me it is not through a wilful neglect of what may glorifie God nor because I would neglect any duty that God would have me do but because I know through my weakness the doing of this at this time wil hinder me in the Service of God otherwaies therefore I beleeve that God wil accept of me in Christ and pardon my infirmities thus the Soul can do that is in Christ but those that are Legal conscience puts them upon Duties without regarding their strength and so puts them upon strong Duties when they are in the weakest Capacity when they are weakest conscience wil put them upon the strongest Duty now this is for the want of the knowledg of their liberty in Jesus Christ for they have this liberty in Christ that Christ accepts of them according to what they are able to do the Gospel holds forth this acceptance that let them go on to do what they are commanded in uprightness and though they cannot do such Duties because they are weak yet God accepts of them for Christ sake which one that is Legal cannot do but conscience hurries him on to do rhe Duty when he is most weak and so he doth less for God then otherwise he would or should do The 11. Burden of Legal Performances 11. Those that perform Duties in a meer Legal way go on toyling but stil they do not know whether they shal hold out or no I go on and do my Duty but what wil become of me God knows I do not know whether I shal hold out or no I am afraid that when I have done al labored and toyled what I can that I shal prove an apostate a backslider at last thus they have many such jealousies of themselves as they are ful of jealousies of God so of themselves they are afraid of themselves wel if troubles and afflictions come I shal fal off and turn and manifest that I was but an Hypocrite and alwaies unsound now these very thoughts makes their lives and Duties burdensome unto them whenas one that hath the benefit of the freedome of the Gospel one that is in Christ he can go on wel though I am but weak yet I have an everlasting principle that wil hold for I do it by the strength that is everlasting though I be weak yet I am fastened to that that is everlasting I am carryed on by such a principle that wil hold on to everlasting life and Oh! what a rest is this here is rest indeed for the soul to know that though I am weak yet I shal hold on to everlasting life whenas one that is Legal he is ever jealous and he thinks what do I this for I shal fal off at last and so goes on heavily and is troubled in his thoughts and this makes both his Duties and his life burdensome stil I say Christ cals upon al these to come unto him stil there is a rest in Jesus Christ it is impossible we should speak of all these things at once but now I would only find out those that Christ cals you that find it thus that are ready to say just as it is said in the word I find it in my heart I only speak to you to raise up your Hearts to attend to what is further to be said afterwards only remember that of the poor blind man when Christ called him they comforted him with this be of good comfort he called thee so I say to you that Labor under this burden and long to know the true liberty of spirit that the Saints have in Christ Christ cals to you and saith Come unto me al ye that are weary and heavy Laden and I wil give you Rest The 12. Burden of Legal Performances 12. Those that are thus Legal their consciences put them upon performances of Duties but their Humiliation and trouble for not doing of what they ought to do doth hinder them from doing what God requires and this is a sad condition that when I have not done my Duty and am troubled for not doing my Duty that doth hinder me from doing my Duty whereas those that have Evangelical Humiliation it makes them more fit to do duty the other it makes them more unfit their hearts are more sullen fretful and untoward and this is a sad condition that not only they fail in other Duties but when they are troubled for this they fail moâ—e first they fail of their Duties and their hearts are hardned a great while and then they Complaine that their Hearts are hardened and that they cannot be Humbled for their sin after this complaint they begin to be troubled for their sin and then on the other side when they are troubled after such away as they grow sullen and discontented vexing and fretting of themselves and by this they come to be hindered as much in the performance of their Duty as by the hardness of their hearts before some are hindred by their hardness of heart from performing of Duty and others by their humility now this is a very great burden you may some of you find it in your own experience that the trouble of your Heart hath rather hindered you then furthered you in Duty as in Exodus when Moses came to the Children of Israel the text saith they did not harken unto him because of the anguish of their hearts so there is many people that have such Legal trouble in their Hearts and that for their sins as it doth hinder them from harkening unto the blessed sound of the Gospel it makes them more unfit to harken to the invitation of Christ to come unto him yea such kind of trouble they have for their sin that makes them as it were reason away the blessed comfort in the Gospel to their Soul CHAP. X. The Sad condition of such as are under the Burden of Legal Performances set forth in Six Particulars 1. That which should be accounted their happiness is their Misery 2. It is a means to cause hard thoughts of God 3. It causeth great discouragement 4. They bring an
al and yet you do not cry out but Paul he was delivered from the guilt of his sin yet the very remainder of sin in his heart was a burden to him there is much sin in many of your hearts and you cry not out of it Paul he was delivered and yet he cryeâ— out of it who shal deliver me from this body of death But now to open this I shal shew First how manâ— waies the remaining part of corruption is a burden to the Saints Secondly What kind of burden it is Thirdly Open the particulars shewing that sinful nature is a burden and the stirring of corruption a burden and the prevailing of corruption a burden Fourthly Why it is that God doth so in his providence order things that his owne saints shal be under the burden of corruption and so make some application of it First Then in what respect the remaining part of sin and corruption in the heart of the saints is a burden The First burden of Corruption First It is a burden of greife unto them you know grief causeth heaviness and sadness now the remainder of corruption that they find in them it is as lead and lies heavy upon their spirits in regard of greif it is the cause of their grief and trouble some wil say perhaps sometimes to others such and such that are professours of religion they go very sadly and heavily and when once you come to be so strict in your way you wil loose al your comfort for such and such are alwaies sad and pensive but do you know what is the reason of their sadness you have as much cause to be sad as they the burden is not because they are religious but because they are no more religious not because now they do more duties then they did before but because they cannot find their hearts come up to their duties as they would do not atribute their greif to their godlyness but rather say to thy self thus if they that do so much for God are yet so much troubled and greived because they do no more for God how much cause of trouble and greife have I then that do nothing at al for God The Second burden of Corruption Secondly The remaining part of corruption in the hearts of the saints it is a burden of shame greif is a burden and shame is a burden many that can beare great burdens that can beare the burden of poverty yet are not able to beare the burden of disgrace especially to those that are most ingenious it is one of the greatest burdens in the world now the saints they are ashamed of the corruption that remains in them they account it a shame before the Lord and before his blessed Angels and in regard of themselves what they know of themselves that the world knowes not of they look upon it as ashame that they do even loath and abhor themselves as the scripture speakes it may be their lives are such as others do honor and have high thoughts of them but they being acquainted with their own hearts and looking into the secret working of their own spirits they see so much evil there as they see much cause to abhor and loath themselves and to lie down in their shame before the Lord whom they know doth see into their hearts a great deale more then they can see themselves I wil appeal to any one that knows his owne heart if God should open your heart and make it known to your friends and acquaintance so much evil as is in your heart in the performing of one duty if al men should know so much evil as is in your heart at one time in praier or hearing a sermon would you not be ashamed now God knowes and sees al the baseness and vildness of your spirits and the godly knowing this they cannot but be ashamed and go under this burden of shame with heavy hearts The Third burden of Corruption Thirdly The remaining part of Corruption in the hearts of the godly it carries with it a burden of feare fear you know is a great burden as wel as greif and shame though the evil be not so great upon them yet if their be an evil apprehended to come upon them it is a great burden to them as those that dare not go out of dores in the night because of feare or dare not be in the dark because of fear when they are delivered from their feares do they not account that it was a great burden now the godly they have a great deal of fear upon their hearts and the truth is those that are godly they fear more what their owne evil hearts should bring upon them then what al the divels in hel and al the creatures in the world can bring upon them and that is a good fear but yet it makes them walk heavily others feare sometimes they fear men fear those that wil come and take away their estates and undo them feare their enemies or feare the divel but one that is godly he feares more his own heart the evil that may come to his soul by that then al the hurt that al the divels in hel can do to him for they cannot afflict more then the body I but this brings an evil upon the soul it breakes their communion between them and God and therefore they are afraid of sin before it comes they have experience of their hearts what evil it hath done to them and so are afraid of miscarrying and afraid of the evil consequences of their sin they do not know what mischief their sin might possibly bring upon them and so they goe under this burden of fear along time together even those that are truly godly The Fourth burden of Corruption Fourthly The remaining part of corruption in the hearts of the saints is a burden of care for men and women to be alwaies careful to be ful of care you know that is a great burden that many of you are acquainted with that when you have a great deal of business upon you and much lies upon you when your thoughts are ful of care is it not a great burden to you many men that have been ful of business and afterwards have got over their business what a freedome do they account it the saints they have a burden of care upon them because they find so much to do with their own hearts that they had need be watchful night and day over them they have had experience what their hearts have done when there hath not been a strict watch over â—hem and therefore there is no Child of God but if he be in a right temper he is a careful man so long as we live in this flesh our condition is ful of feares and so we must neds be ful of care in this world though there be a great deale of difference between the distracting care that wicked men have about their outward estate and the care of the godly about keeping their
have had hath been a restless condition And Oh that it might make you but to inquire after Christ but to put your souls into an inquiring condition after Jesus Christ that you may hearken unto what shal be delivered unto you about the blessed rest that Christ doth here promise in this invitation when he saith Come unto me You that are laden and I wil give you rest be not afraid to apply your selves to those things that have been delivered whenas these things are spoken out of such a text as doth sufficiently hold forth to you the true rest that is in Christ for this promise of rest it is made to them that do labor are heavy lade Now if these truths of God that have been delivered to you do ly as a load upon your spirits if you go away with your hearts burdened with it be not discouraged for you that are burdened with such truths as these are come to Christ and he wil deliver you from this burden and you shal have in this that quiet that shal remain everlastingly al the quiet that you can have with putting off these truths that have been delivered cannot hold long but there is a storm a coming that wil try every man and womans quiet of what nature it is whether true quiet or false whether true rest or false do not therefore cast off what hath been delivered but apply it to your souls that so you may be the more prepared to heare further of the blessed rest that Christ doth here promise unto you CHAP. XXVI Containeth I. A further consideration of the restless condition of men out of Christ from Prov. 23.34 II. Five Reasons thereof 1. They are under the curse of God 2. Al creatures are their enemies 3. Al the wayes of Gods providence are against them 4. Al their best Services are rejected 5. They have no refuge for comfort III. Two conclussions from the premises 1. Most men live and perish in blindness 2. There is insufficiency in al things out of Christ to give rest with the Reasons thereof BUt I shal now go on a little further in this similitude that I have been speaking of the holy Ghost hath another like this in Prov. 23.34 He compares wicked men that are secure unto a man that sleeps upon the top of a mast he speakes there of drunkards and of the Whoremaster but it is true also of al unconverted ones though the holy Ghost instanceth in those two only the words are thus Yea thou shalt be as he that lies down in the midst of the Sea or as he that lieth upon the top of a Mast So that here you have both the similitudes you have the first that I spake of as if a man had only a plank in the midst of the Sea and he lies down and seeks for rest there or the other upon the top of a mast and he lies down and sleeps there this is the restless condition of of ungodly men I will Name breifly some few Reasons and so proceed Certainly there is no Rest unto them that are ouâ— Christ 1. For he is under the curse he is under the curse of the law and the curse of God under the curse of the law of God whatever befalls him in this world whatever affliction it is a part of the curse and for ought he knows every sorrow is but as the beginning of eternal sorrow to him there is the venom of the wrath of God in every affliction to every unconverted man he his in danger to have the execution of al temporal curses upon him there is nothing but the patience of God to keep him from al this and what rest then can he have The saints of God they have Gods covenant and Gods promise other men have nothing but Gods patience to keep them A mallefactor in prison is not executed many times Why Because the Judg may out of favor reprieve him for a while I but is this a condition to rest in A man that is wise is never at rest with a repriev but wil have his pardon before he can rest there is no man hath any ground in their natural estate for their rest and quiet but meerly their reprieval but the saints they see what a sad thing this is and therefore nothing wil give them rest til they have their pardon 2. There is no rest out of Christ because al creatures are their enemies thou sleepest in the midst of an army of enemies to sleep in the midst of an army of enemies it would be a strange thing al ungodly men have no other rest but as in the midst of the armies of their enemies for al the armies in the world and al the creatures in the world are their deadly enemies 3. Yea al the waies of Gods providence is against thee thy prosperity workes towards thy misery towards thy ruine and so whatsoever passage of providence there is though thou mayest rejoyce much in it yet it works towards thy ruin Prov. 4.32 4. There is nothing that thou canst do can be accepted al thy services al thy performances out of Christ are cast off al thy prayers til thou come to Christ til God do reveal the mysteries of the Gospel to thee al thy duties prayers exercises of religion are al rejected and yet thou must perform them upon pain of damnation and yet not accepted what a restless condition is this for one to be in such a condition I am bound to pray to hear the word and perform duties upon pain of damnation and yet al my prayers and duties are cast as dung again into my face this is the condition of al those that are in their natural estate I speak this that you may al see what infinite need you have of Christ Much might be said of the sinful condition of al out of Christ for we must know than in sin there is a jarring against God against the infinite glorious God there is noâ—hing but confusion nothing but distemper in sin and therefore a sinful condition can be no condition to rest in 5. In what affliction soever any one is in that is out of Christ he hath no where to go for comefort for there can be no stay nor comfort to a soul out of Christ he is like a man in the midst of a wildernes that hath nothing to protect him no hedg no bush if the storm comes never so dreadfully he hath no where to go for protection he is like a marriner in the sea that hath lolt his anchor when a storm comes and he is driven to the shore and hath no anchor to pitch him upon This and much more might be said to shew the restless condition of al men out of Christ Oh! then the blindness security and hardness of heart that there is almost in al the world if this 〈◊〉 the truth of God and indeed this is the condition of al out of Christ we may from hence conclude that
their duty only conscience hales them to it and tells them that they must do it and if they do neglect it conscience flyes in their Faces and tells them they must perish eternally and they seek therefore to pacify their Consciences only by the performance of Duties and by their obedience to the Law and so seek it by the righteousness of the Law that 's the only way that they do take to pacifie their Consciences and get rest and peace unto their souls Alas al this while they are laboring and toyling but cannot do it for while men seek Righteousness by the Law it must needs be a toyling labor that will not give rest The First Burden of the Law First The Law gives no strength at all to enable me to perform duties and therefore the Children of it must needs be under bondage as Pharaoh's Task-masters commanded so much Brick to be made but would afford them no straw no means to do it So some set forth the bondage and servitude of the Law commanding such things as it gives no strength at al to perform Quest But you will say Is this the Law of God is God so hard to his Creature as to command that which he gives no ability to perform Answ We must know that God did once give strength to perform Duties but certainly now the Law of God commands Duties but gives no strength to perform them there is no strength enabling us to perform duties until the Spirit of Jesus Christ doth come into the Soul we may perform the outward part of them but not perform duties in such a spiritual manner that they should be suitable to our hearts so as to bring ease and quiet unto our souls and though the soul do seek to get rest and ease to it self yet it wil not come that way The Second Burden of the Law Secondly The Law requires perfect obedience in every thing and denounceth a Curse against him that doth not continue in every thing that is written in the Law to do it Now when men and women are seeking to get rest to their souls by the works of the Law they cannot perform duties as they ought and therefore they have no rest but they see the Law to condemn them because they do not perform duties in a perfect manner and yet they think they must go on and do as wel as they can I but still Conscience hath matter to accuse them of you have not done enough you still come short and though you do some duties you neglect other duties so that Conscience hath them at advantage every day and they are continually under the bondage of an accusing and condemning Conscience that they can have no rest to their souls they perform duties but question with themselves how can I know that the infinite holy God wil accept of what I do and although they may get quiet for a little while yet Conscience comes upon them again and disquiets them and casts fears and doubts â—to their souls insomuch that many poor Creatures have gone seven or perhaps twice seven years under trouble of Conscience and never had any rest or peace and yet still have gone on making Conscience of their waies but withal ful of fears and doubts lest al should not be wel with them at last The Third Burden of the Law And besides Whiles the soul goes on to seek quiet and rest by the works of the Law there is an unsuitableness between the duties that are performed and the heart of such a man or woman so that the very works that they do and duties they perform are grievous and tedious unto them I but now saith Christ O! Come to me such as these are Is there any of you that have had your consciences troubled and have desired O! that there might be peace between God and my soul that I might have assurance of Gods Love what course have you taken to get it have you not sought to bring it about by the works of the Law and have thought to get rest and peace to your souls that way Indeed it is better to go on that way than in the waies of sin but to think to have rest and peace that way hath a great deal more evil in it than you are aware of if men shal think to quiet themselves that way and thereby put off the Righteousness that comes by Faith they may come to be hardened before they be aware But is there any of you that are seeking rest and peace unto your souls in such a way by the righteousness of the Law saith Christ know That this is not the way for you to have rest to your souls it 's true you must abstain from sin and perform duties O! but if you would have rest to your souls you must come to me it is by the souls rowling of it self upon the perfect righteousness that there is in Jesus Christ that only can bring true rest unto the soul Many a poor sinner that hath been seeking rest many years hath not got it but when the Lord hath been pleased to come in with one promise of the Gospel setting it home upon their souls they have got more rest and quiet to their souls in one day yea in one hour than they did before in many years there is a great deal of art and skil to get rest and quiet to the soul that is troubled The Gospel is a mystery in this thing and when God acquaints the soul with the mystery of the Gospel in this thing then rest comes on in a sweet and gracious manner It 's true it is the hardest thing in the world for to close with Christ and to get true ease and rest to the soul it is hard in it self til God make known the mystery of Faith to the soul but when that is done then the soul finds abundance of ease and rest and that in a little while As it is with a man that thinks by main strength to do some work that indeed can only be done by Skil and Art he may be toyling laboring and tiring himself but yet cannot do it whereas another man that understands the mistery of it he comes in and in a little time by his skil and art can do that with ease that the other man was toyling and laboring about a long while and yet could not do it As you know in al Trades that have a mistery in them You that are Navigators that understand the mistery of that Art if any unskilful man should come and think to do some of your work by his main strength he may labor and toyl even his Heart out and not do that work that you can do easily in a little time So many poor Souls are laboring and toyling that these troubled Souls of theirs might be but quiet they are laboring and they wil perform duties and fast and pray so many times in a day and so go on in a tiresome way whereas after the
and in their Duties but meerly according to the stirring of conscience if conscience be awakened stirred then they are careful to perform duties but if conscience do not stir them they are careless again therefore those that do perform Duties in this manner you shal not observe an evenness in their waies but somtimes they are very strict and dare not for their Lives omit any Duty but at other times they are loose again for it is according to the beating of their consciences they do not work according to the new Nature for that which works according to a new Nature works in an even way wherein is a proportion between one Duty and another and this may be an argument of tryal whether that that you do be from the change of Nature or from other principles if there be a proportion between one duty and another you be not very forward in somthing and backward in another that is a sign it is done from a new Nature but if you make conscience of some thing and at other times in other things take more liberty this is a sign that what you do is but Legally done and this must needs be burdensome as it is a burden to a man to go upon uneven ground one Leg up and another down so for a man to perform Duties up and down forward and backward here is a Great deal of burden in that way whereas those that come to perform Duties by the spirit of God in them their way is made even for them not but that Gods people may somtimes be better then they are at other times yet there is generally an evenness and proportion between their actions The Sixt Misery Sixtly there is this evil in the burden of Legal performances that if so be that by these Duties their consciences come to be quieted then they are kept of from Jesus Christ there are no people more kept of from Jesus Christ then those that perform Duties in a Legal manner and have quiet of Conscience that way yeâ— not only kept from Christ but further they set up their Duties in the place of Christ and make them to be their very justification what is it that many people would present before the Lord for their Righteousness and Hope of Heaven but performance of such and such Duties that the Law requires now here 's a mighty mistake though we are bound to obey Gods Law yet for us to come and make this our Righteousness before God and set it up before the Lord to be our interest for eternal life this is to put Jesus Christ out of his office and make our own Duties to be our Saviors this now is exceeding dangerous and yet how many people are there that do thus and therefore I have been willing to be the Larger in this Point because it is not an argument that we do every day meet withal and also because I would have many whose Consciences begin to be inlightned and much troubled to know where they are what is the ground of their trouble and where the bottom of their trouble lies there are many people that are so far to be beloved that they are very conscientious of Duty and abstein from those sins that others live in and perform Duties that others neglect but they go on very heavily and sadly for many years together and the truth is they know not the ground of their trouble from whence their trouble comes now by that that I have opened to you in this Point you may come to know whence al your trouble comes whence it comes to pass that you have gone on in that sadness and heaviness as you have done you have done your duties in a Legal way you have not been acquainted with the way of the Gospel You wil say what is that way how shal we be eased of this burden when I come to that there I shal shew in some measure the Rest that we have in Christ from al those burdens that I have opened Christ wil not have us omit duties every a whit the more but in Christ we shal see how they are performed with a great deal more ease then before not more easie to the flesh but in the spirit and whosoever you are that are under this Burden of Legal performances if your hearts tel you this is my condition the Lord knows it is my condition I have indeed made conscience of my waies a great while but I have gone on just in this Legal way as hath been shewed in this Point if this be your condition so far be comfort to you and know that Jesus Christ cals you it is true your condition is for the present sad yet there is help Hope and Remedy in Christ come to him and he hath promised to give you Rest and teach you to honor God that shal be more comfort to your Souls than this way you are in the way of the Gospel is a safe way and a speedy way for comfort and it is as holy a way too therefore the way of the Gospel doth not cal to you to make less conscience of your Duties than you did No but it is as holy a way and a more safer and speedier way than that now you are in Christ cals you Quest But you wil say Doth Christ cal to these to come to him for Rest as if he did approve of their condition and as if it were a thing that ought to be that people ought to be burdened by these Legal performances Answ There are some of the burdens here that it is true ought to be and Christ approves of them that is to be sensible of the guilt of our sins and the remaining part of corruption c. and Christ cals these as approving of them so far as they are good though not truly good but there are other burdens that are upon sinners that Christ cals to come to him to be eased of not as they are approved of by Christ but Christ pities them and hath compassion upon those that are under those burdens as being under a great misery as now when a man shal make Conscience of his waies when Christ shall see a poor soul to make Conscience of his waies to have the fear of God and his eternal estate upon him to Labor and do what he can and al this while not in the right way but thinking by this to make up his Righteousness with God and eternal life Christ sees that al his labor wil come to nothing if he go on in this way he wil loose all his Duties and notwithstanding all the conscience he makes of holy Duties he wil perish at last except he comes to understand the way of the Gospel of justifying sinners before his tribunal fear notwithstanding al the Duties he performs except he come to understand this he will perish now in pity and tender compassion to such a Soul that hath done so much and gone so far the Lord Christ doth
a kind of Burden the people of God feel under their Corruptions CHAP. XIII In what respects Corruption is a Burden 1. In that our Nature is opposite unto the very Nature of God 2. It presseth down every holy Duty 3. It affords matter for any Temptation 4. It hath a Root from whence al kind of sin may spring 5. It dampeth all the activity of our Graces THe third thing is to shew that Corruption is a Burden to them I. First For the corrupt Nature that is in them besides the act of sin this must needs be a burden to the godly to think I have a Nature contrary to God to think now and then that they sin against God this is not the burden but here 's the burden Oh! Wretched man and Woman that I am I have a Nature in me that is opposite to the very Nature of God to the infinite holiness of God himself though God hath made me partaker of the divine Nature yet stil I continue to be opposit to the Nature of God it self II. Secondly This is that which is as a heavy weight that presseth them down in every holy Duty so in that 12. of the Hebrews Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the Race that is set before us He speaks here of original sin the sin of our Nature especially it is a weight that lies upon our hearts in the performance of holy Duties when we are striving to get our hearts up to God This corruption of Nature keeps them down I remember the story of that good man that going abroad saw a Bird fluttering up and when it had got up it fel down again and then it would flutter up and then come down again and he looking wishtly upon it saw a stone tied to the Birds Leg and upon that the good man begins to weep just so saith he it is with me I would fain get up to God fain would have communion with God and somtimes I am getting up to God but straightway there is a weight that puls me down Do not you find it thus You that are conversant with God you that get somtimes alone in Duty to God and you would fain have your hearts raised to God but how are your Hearts brought down again and not only in these private Duties but after publick Duties a day of fasting and Humiliation somtimes Oh at night your Hearts are up and now you resolve you wil Live above the World And above al these things here below and you wil live more to Gods Glory but how are your Hearts brought down again by this corrupt Nature that is in you III. Thirdly Corrupt Nature is a burden because it affords matter for any temptation in the World there is no temptation to any kind of sin but our Nature affords matter for al kind of temptation what a burden is this if a ship be on fire in the midst of other ships and we know that there is a great deal of Gun-pouder in the ship that is on fire in the midst of the Rest would not he that oweth the ship be afraid and wil he not toyle and use al means he can that the fire may not take hold of the Gun-pouder I compare all the temptations to sin about us unto the fire now we are compassed about with the fire and what are our Hearts in them there is matter for the temptation to take upon as the Gun-pouder is matter for the fire to take hold of so our sinful Hearts are as ready to take upon every temptation as that is now is not this a great Burden That I should carry about me in my Heart matter enough to entertain al sin any sin in the World yea the sin of Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost if I had not the mighty power of God to restrain me thus it is with the sinful Nature of man IV. Fourthly The sinfulness of our Nature is a burden in this respect to have not only matter to entertain temptation but it hath in it a Root from whence if God doth not come in with his Grace all kind of sin may spring up from it though there should be no kind of temptation many of us do cry out of the Devil and temptation when we are overcome by sin but consider what I say there is not only that evil in your hearts that you are ready to entertain all temptations but there is that evil in your hearts that would breed al kind of evils whatsoever though there should be no temptation though there were no Devil in Hel as thus now you know there are the seeds of weeds in the ground though it is true they do not come up to flowrish til the rain and the Sun draws them forth yet stil there are the seeds of those weeds so as they would come up in time though not so soon that except they be rooted up they wil come up in time so it is here there is not only injections of the Devil in us but our corrupt heart riseth to it it is one thing to have some filthy thing cast upon us and another thing to have the Body so rotten that a stinking steam should come from the Body it self one may have some unsavory thing cast upon him and so be unsavory but when the Body is rotten and that cast upon one that would be more unsavory so it is here may be the Devil may bring some temptation upon us and make some disturbance in our heart I but there is that in our Hearts that wil make as great a disturbance in our souls as the Devil can V. Lastly The sinfulness of our Nature is a Burden in this respect that it wil damp all the activity of our Graces the livelyness of our Graces now the Saints of God make it to be the joy of their Souls to be active and stirring for God but now this Corruption that we carry about with us damps al as now a candle if it were in a Coal-pit a Mine there would come a damp that would make the Candle burn dim so the Graces of Gods Spirit in the best of us all are but as a Candle in a Coal-pit thy heart is like a Coal-pit and God hath set up a Candle some Grace in thy heart that shines there but now though Christ takes care that all the damps of thy Corruption shal not put out thy Candle yet God somtimes dimmes this Candle that it doth not shine somtimes takes away the beauty liveliness and activity of thy Graces that though thou hast some life and burnings yet thou burnest but dimly before others with whom thou dost converse I do not now speak of the stirring of sin the working of sin that is the next thing that I shal open how that is a Burden to the Hearts of the Saints as for
It implieth an unsetledness upon the Creature 3 A stirring of the heart after Christ 4 A laying of all our burdens upon Christ 5 A leaving of the Soul with Christ for life NOW then we come to the Invitation it self Come to me saith Christ Come to me that is Beleeve in me For among many other expressions of beleeving in Christ or of accepting of the Condition of the Covenant of Grace the Holy Ghost doth express this beleeving and acceptation of the Covenant of Grace by coming to Christ Beleeving in Christ is exprest very often by coming to Christ In John 5.40 You will not come to me that ye might have life They did come to Christ in his outward presence Christ conferred with them and they with him but yet saith Christ ye will not come to me that ye might have life And so in John 6.37 Those that the Father hath given to me come to me and I will in no wise cast them out All that the Father hath from Eternity given me to redeem they come to me that is they beleeve in me And in verse 44. None can come to me except God the Father draw him That is none beleeves in me except my Father draw them and so He that hath heard and learned of the Father comes to me That is beleeves in me And that is the meaning of the 55. of Isai Ho every one that thirsteth come to the waters buy wine and milk without money and without price that is beleeve in me that is the meaning All you that labor under al these several Burdens come to me beleeve in me and I wil give you rest But this must be opened more largely And in this Invitation there are these Five things that I desire to open unto you and to work them upon you First What Christ would have us do more particularly when he bids us Come to him Secondly What kind of Invitation it is that Christ doth make to those that the Father gives to him that shal indeed come to be saved by him what kind of invitation they have from Christ how Christ calls them to him for this is a calling and an inviting Thirdly That all that Christ requires as a Condition of the Covenant of Grace for rest unto our souls is to come to him nothing else is the Condition of the Gospel by which we come to have Christ to be ours but this to come to him Come to me saith Christ that is the great Condition of the Gospel only to come to Christ Fourthly There are some Rules to be propounded and observed for our Coming unto Christ Fiftly The Laboring to draw your Souls unto Christ For the first Come to me what is that what would Christ have you to do For the opening of that in particular it is this When Christ calls you to come to him you are to know this notes a motion from Christ to come to him First It implies a beholding a looking unto Jesus Christ as being the All-sufficient Savior to save our souls from al the evils that are upon us and to supply unto us al good we stand in need of As if Christ should say when he saith Come to me That is O! poor troubled sinners that are under these burdens Do you behold me to be the great Mediator that is come into the world to stand between all the wrath of my Father and your souls and to bring life and salvation to you that is imployed when I would go I must know whither I must go to whom I must go so saith Christ I am the greaâ— redeemer sent into the world by my father to that very end that I may ease poor soules of their burdens and such soules as you are look unto Christ therefore as the great reconciler of God and man the great mediator between God and man having the fulness of al mercy and goodness in him the great meanes of conveyance of al the grace and riches of God the father to sinful souls that is the first work of beleeving in Christ for to look unto him to be such a one as God the Father hath tendred unto us that is imployed but yet the soul comes not Secondly But then the second is this which goes further To come to Christ implies an unsetledness when we come to a thing there is the Terminus a quo and the terminus ad quem we come from something so saith Christ you have setled your hearts upon creature comforts and you have looked upon them heretofore as those things wherein your good and happiness doth consist but now your hearts must be taken off from those you must come to me that is there must be a removing from that station you were in from that kind of settlement you were before in I cannot go to another place and stay in the place where I was too and so the heart cannot come to Christ and stay in the state it was in before therefore that implies that whereas you poor creatures have settled your hearts upon creature comforts and setled your hearts upon sinful things heretofore O! now let your hearts be taken off from al those things know that your good your happiness your peace is not here if you abide here and settle here you are lost and undone creatures for ever Let it not grieve your souls to part with the comforts that are here below in the creatures for certainly you mistake here doth not lie your good and happiness so that when the soul is beginning to stir after Christ it is taken off from the creature taken off from al creature comforts looks upon every thing as vanity O! Saith the soul I am cleerly convinced that my happiness lies higher then the things here below these are the reasonings of the heart that is in motion to go to Christ And not onely to be unsetled from the creature but I must be taken off from my self too from al my righteousness and duties I must not think to satisfie God by any thing that I can do no but I must be convinced that there is a greater thing required to make up my satisfaction with God then any thing that I can do and therefore my heart must be taken off from these things Heretofore I rested in duties that I was not so bad as others but now I see there is another manner of righteousness that I must have in a mediator these though they be good in themselves yet they are not the things that can ever save my soul but if ever I have peace with God and stand before him at the great day it must be through another meanes then ever yet I have had if I had gon on and had thought to make up my satisfaction with God by what I have done I had been an undone creature yea my heart must be taken off from mine one bottome not to rest in any thing that is in my self but I must go out and deny my self and so look
it not the word of the Lord hast thou not now a gracious offer Is it not a mercy that thou art out of hel this day and is it not a mercy that thou art not drowned in the sea that thou art brought to land to heare one more offer to come to Christ Wilt thou yet go on in thy sins Wilt thou yet prize thy lusts before al that infinite good that is in Jesus Christ dost thou think this wil be peace in the end How wilt thou be able to look God in the face another day It s mercy thou needest and Mercy thou must have or else thou art for ever miserable and wilt thou reject this mercy Oh! that the Lord would cal in your consciences to help on this work There hath been I hope by al that hath been said some Illumination about Christ yea and some cords of Mercy have been fastened upon your hearts Now if God would but stir up conscience give a command to conscience and say never suffer this man or this woman to be at quiet til they come to my son til their hearts be taken off from al things that hinder them from coming to my son let them never be at quiet til then it were a happy thing if God would give this command to conscience that so many might answer to this invitation of Christ that when Christ saith come to me ye that are laden the soul answers Lord I come Quest I but you wil say Suppose God hath been calling me and I have rejected him I have been in some forwardness to come to Christ and my lusts have drawn my heart back again for you tel us that the Lord useth to be quick with sinners when they have rejected his grace now have you any word of comfort for such if these shal come that have abused Gods grace and mercy and turned back upon him have you any comfort for such Ans I wil onely give you one scripture for those and that is in Jeremiah 3. and the 22. verse and Oh! that the Lord would fasten this scripture upon your hearts Returne ye back-sliding children and I wil heale your back-slidings Mark here is the answer Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God This scripture in the name of God do I present to you that have drawn back from the grace of God that once were in a good frame and now are back-sliders once more in the name of God do I cal to you Oh! returne thou back-slider the Lord Jesus Christ is ready now to healthy back-slidings now then secretly say Lord I come and when thou comest into thy closet in a more solemn manner and art al alone resigne up thy soul to Jesus Christ and say Lord thou hast invited me this day to come to Christ now Lord I give up my self and all that I have and am to thee my estate my Body my honor and all that I have to come to thee and then not only those good things shall be made good but the promise likewise then Christ shall give you Rest These times are times of distress and therefore seasonable to hear of Rest whatever troubles fal out yet if thou come to Christ thou shalt be safe thy self Christ doth ingage himself to give Rest unto thy Soul And so much for the Invitation it self CHAP. XXIII The Doctrine arising from the dependance of the promise upon the Invitation That God will have us when we are coming to Christ to have respect to our selves NOw the next thing that follows is the promise that Christ makes to poor Laden sinners that do come unto him He will give them Rest And I will give you Rest It is too much for any creature to say thus Yea it were too much boldness and presumption for all the Angels in Heaven to make these words as their own for them all to say thus Come unto us all ye that Labor and are heavy Laden and we will give you Rest Yet here in this text there is not only one that is greater than Solomon but one that is greater than all the Angels in Heaven and men that ever lived upon the Earth that saith Come unto me all ye that Labor and are heavy Laden and I will give you Rest They are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of the Father that is equal with the Father God blessed for ever He saith Come unto me ye that Labor and are heavy Laden and I will give you Rest This is that that now we are come unto The gracious promise that Christ makes to draw Souls unto himself he will give them Rest And I will give you Rest And what more fit Argument and seasonable can there be at this time this time we know is a time of trouble a time of disturbance there is much perplexity and distress in our Nation and what will be more acceptable unto us than this to hear of Rest this is that that Christ doth promise to al them that come to him that beleeve in him he saith he will give them Rest Before I come to open this gracious promise which is exceeding ful of marrow and fatness as we shall find when we come to the opening of it I shall first give you one note briefly from the connexion of these words with the former Come to me ye that Labor and I will give you Rest You see Christ that he might draw sinners to himself makes a gracious promise of that that he knows will do good to sinners at the Heart he will give them Rest From hence the note is this in the general That God would have us even when we are coming to Christ have some respect to our selves and Christ encourageth us in coming to him even to have some aime at our own good That is the note cleerly from the Connexion of the words Before we open the promise I will give you Rest saith he if you come to me in that Christ doth propound that which he knows will take the Hearts of sinners as a great good unto them to draw them to himself hence I say the note it cleer That in our coming to Jesus Christ it is lawful for us to have some aime at our own good Yea not only lawful for us but we ought so to do for we are to look upon Christ so as Christ propounds himself unto us not only lawful I say to look upon Christ so as he propounds himself to us but it is our duty so to look upon him Now when Christ propounds himself unto us as an object to draw our Hearts to him he doth propound himself as one wherein our souls shal gaine abundance of good one that we shall get much by Now though it is true we should Labor to be above our selves as much as may be we should Labor to deny our selves in some sence yet not so but that we are to look at our own good even in our coming unto Jesus Christ
Now this I might shew you in abundance of Scriptures in the very first commission that Jesus Christ gave unto his Apostles after his Resurrection to go and Preach throughout the world he saith unto them in Mark 16.15 verse Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature he that beleeveth and is Baptized shal be saved This is cleer that Christ would have us in our first beleeving to have an aime at our own good And so we find such a kind of promise as this is in the Text In Jer. 6.16 verse Thus saith the Lord stand in the waies and see and ask for the old paths where the good way is and walk therein and ye shall find Rest for your Souls Inquire after the good waies and you shall find Rest for your Souls So that you see God propounds duties together with promises the Lord knows what is best for us and what wil work most upon us and therefore for us to think that we must have no aime at all of any good to our selves in coming to Christ and that it is no grace but self-love to come to Christ for our own good this is a temptation I speak the rather this point because I know how useful it is unto many poor Souls whom the Lord is drawing unto Jesus Christ the Lord hath taken off their Hearts from sinful self they would not enjoy themselves in the lusts of the flesh as formerly the Lord hath made them willing to deny their own opinion their own wills their own affections their former waies to deny themselves in the comforts of the things of this world so as to prize him and Christ and his waies the way of Christ more than they prize their very lives here in this world and yet for all this there comes a temptation upon them I but you seek Christ only to free you from Hell and to save you and therefore it is but self-Love it is no true Grace because that you ayme at your selves rather than Christ the Devil cannot prevaile with a Heart that is drawing to Christ thus telling of it Oh! but you prize your lusts more than Christ or you prize your ease more than Christ or you prize your estate and your liberty more than Christ or your life more than Christ if so be that the Devil shal come thus and tempt such a soul could in some measure be able to answer and to appeal unto God and say Lord thou that knowest all things knowest it is otherwise that howsoever my Heart heretofore went after my lusts after the world after my ease and liberty and I followed the common course of the world and made those things to be my greatest good and comfort yet Lord thou knowest it is otherwise with me now my Heart is set for Christ and I can say from the bottom of my Soul with that blessed martyr Lambert None but Christ none but Christ Now when the Heart is got thus farr one would think thou mightest be above the Devil and come to get assurance I saith the Devil though you be taken off thus far that you dare not commit any known sin and you seek after Christ more than your estate and your liberty yet there is one thing more that your hearts is not taken off from you do not prize Christ most of all you seek Christ to save you from Hell and bring you to Heaven that is it that you seek Christ for and therefore I know your Heart is not right all this while this is a temptation that seizeth upon many men Now I confess it is a temptation that is beyond many men they do not know what this temptation is that I prize Christ only to deliver me from Hell and bring me to Heaven this temptation is above the highest form of the course of the world then ordinary professors Now the Spirit in the Text thus answers this temptation the Soul thus answers It is true I do seek Christ to save me from Hell and bring me to Heaven the fear of the wrath of the great God under which I saw my self to be and the displeasure of God was mighty upon my Spirit the Lord hath made my Soul to be sensible of the dreadful breach that sin hath made between him and my Soul and the Lord hath caused the fear of eternity to fall upon my soul and I come to be convinced of this that such is the breach between God and my soul that there is none but Jesus Christ the Mediator of the second Covenant that is able to make up the breach and my soul makes after him as the Mediator as he is propounded in the word in the Gospel to be a Mediator between God and mankind so my soul makes after him and closeth with him and what can the Devil say to this For my heart doth close with Christ in the way that Christ is tendred unto me in the Gospel for so he is tendered God himself saith thus God so loved the world that he sent forth his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting Life Thus God sets forth his Son as if God should say thus Be it known unto you O poor wretched sinful creatures that are in danger of eternal perishing that I have sent forth my only begotten son into the world and tender him unto your souls to the end that your souls may not perish but have everlasting Life Thus God tenders his Son Now then when a soul shal be made sensible of the danger of eternal perishing and the Lord shall make it apeare to the soul what the excellency and the glory of eternal life is and the soul shal come to see that the being delivered from perishing and the obtaining of eternal Life is only to be had in Christ and upon this doth close with Jesus Christ and cast it self upon him and adventure it self to lay the weight of its eternal estate upon Christ the soul that doth thus receive Christ according as he is tendred in the word whatever objection may be to the contrary this is to receive Christ according as he is tendred in the word Yet further for the helping against this temptation it fals ful in this Text Come unto me and I wil give you rest Now many poor souls do come to Christ that they might have rest but then the devil puts this in Oh! but you come to Christ for your owne good Now for the helping against this temptation know 1. That the Lord at the first conversion doth ordinarily make use of the creatures self-love but it is of self-love for eternity and that is a higher degree of self-love than the most people in the world do attaine unto Some people in the world they love themselves only for this present life but when God makes a man or woman to love himself for eternity it is a good signe that the hand of God is upon the heart and
of the covenant this may seem difficult to some and that is this that al the mercy of God in heaven cannot be sufficient for the rest of any soul but through a Mediator in Christ the soul must be brought to this mercy by the hand of Christ the mediator thou must first come to Christ the mediator before thou canst have any rest even in the mercy of God it self You must know and if you know any thing of the mistery of the Gospel you must know this that though God be an infinite current of mercy yet al the current of Gods mercy is stopt by mans sin so as it can only be opened by the blood of Jesus Christ and therefore thou must know God in Christ and you must know how you come unto God in and through Christ before you can rest upon the mercy of God this is that which doth undo many soules those that are of the better sort they think to rely upon Gods mercy think to rest in that and that is a sure rest to their soules but they little understand how al the current of the mercy of God is stopt and there is no coming to it but by the hand of a mediator between God and man Others they wil say they do many good things they do many good actions they serve God and they rest in this they do not commit the gross sins of the world and they do performe duties they pray in their families and in their closets this is that they rest in but the rest of an immortal soul must have a better foundation than this than al the duties than al the sorrows for their sins than al that God himself works in them it must be somewhat without them that must be rest to their souls and nothing wrought in us no not the grace of God in us can be rest to our souls it must be the perfect righteousness of a mediator though it be wrought in us by faith can be rest to our souls yet nothing in us So that you may mistake and performe duties in a formal manner but suppose you performed them in a gracious manner yet you must not rest in them you must go higher than al the best duties that ever you performed Wo to Abraham Isaac and Jacob if they had no other rest but what their duties brought them you must look higher than whatever you are or can be inabled to do for your rest You wil say what is there that can be higher than what we are inabled to do by God There is a righteousness in Jesus Christ by which you must come there is an insufficiency in al the creatures in the world to give rest and yet the truth is the greatest part of the world make al their rest in these things much might be spoken concerning the danger of this and much of the signes when our soules have true rest in Christ but we shal meet with that in the other point in handling the Rest that we have in Christ I wil therefore pass over this about the insufficiency of the Rest in al other things only with this one thing Know this That that Heart that is touched with Jesus Christ as the Iron is with the Load-stone can never be quiet either in creature comforts or in hope of mercy or in any Duty or performance it can never be quiet til it gets union with Jesus Christ Just as it is with a Needle that is touched with a Load-Stone shake it which way you wil it wil never be at Rest til it come to the North and when it gets North then it stands there so it is with a heart that is touched with Jesus Christ there is the touch of the spirit of Jesus Christ upon the Heart of a beleever and when the Heart is but touched with Jesus Christ it shakes is ful of fears and doubts and offer it this creature comfort and the other creature comfort it wil not do it the Heart is not at rest But now when there is the manifestation of Christ unto the Soul let them come to a Sermon where some blessed promise to the Gospel is opened to them and Jesus Christ presented to them and they find this to be the Rest of their Souls their Hearts come presently and close with this and they are able to lay the weight of their eternities upon the promise of the Gospel upon the free Grace of God in Christ they are able to lay the weight of their eternal estates here however others think that the promise of the Gospel is but a notion yet here they are able to lay the weight of their eternal estates and they can say with Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in peace for mine Eyes have seen thy Salvation Here I see Rest for my Soul my Heart was ful of Terrors fears and doubts and I sought for Rest and ease in this and the other creature comfort and could not find it But now Christ is made known to me and here is the Rest of my Soul It is true Godly people may be troubled for a while but it is as the trouble of the shaking of a Needle in the compass and other men they are troubled too there are some people troubled in conscience for their sins they come to a Sermon and hear the evil of sin opened and God meets with their Particular sin some secret sin that they live in they are troubled and they shake too I but they are like a fals Needle not rightly touched that shakes as the other doth but it wil stand at any point do but put it this way or that way and it wil stand here and there would marriners give any thing for such a Needle that would stand at this point and the other point So it is with wicked men when they are troubled the Devil the world and their corruptions come and quiet their consciences out of Christ and so indeed this hinders them from coming to Jesus Christ because they find quiet some where else The Saints they are troubled but their trouble and shaking in the world is like the trouble of a ship that is in the Haven at shore that lies at Anchor a ship that lies at Anchor though the waves toss it up and down yet it is tost up and down at Anchor So here is the difference for al the world between al the troubles of the Saints and the trouble of ungodly men Now when you have a ship at Sea and have no Anchor and the storm drives it any way when there comes a mighty Tempest and hurries it up and down and you do not know but you may light upon a Rock and be split you are troubled But the Saints they are at Anchor and you count your selves at Rest though you are tost by the Waves when you are at Anchor CHAP. XXVIII Of the Rest that a Beleever hath by Christ from the Guilt of Sin laid out in ten Particulars 1.
thee but know this that it is the priviledg of a beleever it is not the priviledg of every one there is a generation of men that are under the Law whose desires shall not be accepted as I shewed in opening of the burden of the Law But the man that doth these things shall live by them So runs the Tenure of the Law but here is ease for thy Soul if thou doest understand how the Law runs thy Heart cannot but sink within thee but this is that that gives ease to the Soul I am now come under another condition I being in Christ Christ gives Rest and ease unto the Souls of those that come to him that their desires and endeavors shal he accepted of God as performances now this is a blessed estate Fifthly The Rest of the Soul in Christ as it hath reference to deliverance from the burden of the Law consists in this That now al the Duties that God requires at thy hand are required in a sweet and a gentle way the services that God requires are required of thee in a gentle and a loving way God indeed comes and requires the same things that the Law requires of thee I but he comes to draw thy Soul with the Cords of Love We beseech you saith the Apostle by the mercies of God Rom. 12.1 That you give up your selves a living sacrifice Holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable Service We beseech you by the mercies of God Now the bond-slaves that are under the Law they have not Duties required of them by such cords and bonds of Love but if thou dost these things thou shalt live if not thou shalt die do and live sin and die so the Law requires duties at your hands that are under the bondage of the Law but now beleevers in Christ their duties are required by the mercies of God We as Embassadors beseech saith the Apostle And if there be any Love any Consolation Such kind of arguments are used to them and were it that we preached only to beleevers these kind of arguments were only necessary and it becomes those that are drawn by the Gospel to be drawn by such arguments and it is a good argument that your Souls are drawn by the power of the Gospel and are come to Christ if you find the Lord doth draw your Hearts that way and that those Duties of obedience that formerly you were put upon in a rigorous way meerly by the terror of your consciences your consciences flashing Hell fire in your Faces if you did not perform them if now you find that the Grace of God in the Gospel draws your Hearts more powerfully It is true every way you should give to God obedience upon any tearms but now when you find that God draws your Souls this way it is an argument that you come to have Rest in Christ We read in the History of the Ceremonial Law a type of these things that I am now speaking of that the Book of the Law was laid under the mercy seate you shal find in the story that the Book of the Law was laid under the mercy seate between the Cherubins under the mercy seate there the Book of the Law was laid that was the place that God appointed for it to shew that even thus doth the Law of God come now upon the Hearts of beleevers it comes upon them as it were under the mercy seat in the mercy seat beleevers look upon the Book of the Law lying at the mercy seat that is every Commandement comes unto them in a gracious alluring way together with abundance of mercy to draw their Hearts unto the obedience of it Sixthly Coming to Christ you have rest from the Law in this that the Grace of God in Christ doth much melt the Heart and when it hath melted the Heart to milk out the flagons of it then this melting of Heart is accepted exceedingly by God is very precious in the Eyes of God now this comes from the Grace of God that we have in Christ and it is a mighty Rest of Soul to know this As I told you before It is not enough for any of you to say it is true we are all sinners but God knows I mourn for my sins I am troubled for my sins that is not enough for thee friend but art thou one that art delivered from thy natural condition From being under the Covenant of works Art thou one that is come to Christ and brought to Christ Art thou one that is in the state of beleevers being a member of Christ Then thy repentance and mourning is acccepted As now it is in many Cases between Men and Men some men are in such a Capacity that if they do such a thing it is accepted but if another man that is not in the same Capacity do the same thing he will not be accepted so it is here those men that are in this Capacity in Christ and have together with the sorrowes for their sins the sorrows of Christ presented to the Father Canst thou when thou art sorrowing for thy sins present the sorrows of Jesus Christ by Faith unto the Father Then thou art accepted but know this that no sorrow for sin is accepted but such as is joyned with the presentation of the sorrows of Christ unto the Father Now what an ease is this to the Soul That now the Heart hath a means to melt it for the Heart was hardened before the sorrow for sin is such that the Heart remains hardned it is no other sorrow but this as it is with Marble-stones the Marble-stone is hard but yet in wet wether it will give and be very moist but stil it is as hard as it was it is a stone stil So it is with many that are troubled for their sins being only the trouble that comes from the Law they are troubled but yet there remaines much hardness in their Heart much peevishness and frowardness against God and against men You shall find in many people who have trouble of conscience yet there is much peevishness and frowardness in them against God and against man now when you see this in the Hearts of people manifested in their expressions waies and conversations remember the stones that you see upon pavements in wet wether they give and may be water trickles down from them and yet they remain hard still But now when the Gospel comes it doth not only cause some sorrow but the Heart melts and this is accepted as very precious before God and that is the Reason that we have in Scripture so many expressions of Gods high esteem of broken Hearts and contrite Spirits and how God looks at them He that dwels on high yet looks to him that is of an Humble and contrite Spirit and that trembles at his word and let me speak this one word for the ease of them that are troubled and are come to Christ those tears that come from thy melted Heart through the
now this is a special thing to be spoke of in this point how beleevers should improve this and what it is that they should learn by this and how helpful this will be to them and somthing for the satisfaction of those that doubt that they are not beleevers but we cannot do all things at once this shall suffice for the present the meer presenting to your Souls what Rest there is in Christ from the load of the Burden of the Law from the load that many feel to be upon their Souls through the burden of the Law CHAP. XXXI Containeth divers Consequences from the Rest beleevers have from the Burden of the Law And Lessons they are taught from thence TO proceed now There are divers things that follow from hence from the rest that we have in Christ from the Burden and load of the Law I shall speak very breifly of them and so pass to what remaines in the next burden and rest to that From hence follows exceeding help unto beleevers against divers temptations that do exceedingly trouble the peace and Rest of their souls if they be delivered from the Law in those several respects as at large hath been opened to you 1. Then first from the Meditation of this their delivery they may have Rest and ease from this temptation that because of some imperfections weaknesses and distempers of Heart and sins that they are guilty of therefore they have no interest at al in Christ they have no interest to beleeve in Christ because of that The strength of this temptation cannot stand with the right knowledg of Christ as delivered from the Law if Christ delivers from the Law then an interest in Christ may stand though we be not able to keep the Law Yea And further we know this that it is usual with beleevers upon the breach of the Law in any thing to call their estates into question all into question Certainly if we know that we are to deal with God not by the Covenant of works not to be cast by the Law we would never be so ready to cal all into question upon any breach of the Law that our conscience tels us we have been guilty of 2. Further This would marvelously help against this temptation likewise That God accepts not of what we do because it is not perfect because it is not compleat when beleevers look upon their duties that they do perform and see so many imperfections in them they dare not tender them up to God God is an infinite Holy just God and they are ashamed of what they have done so as they dare not tender them up to God now the right knowledg of our deliverance from the Law would help us against this temptation likewise Remember O thou beleever that thou hast to deal with God in a Covenant of Grace thou hast to deal with him in Christ through a better Covenant then the Covenant of the Law 3. Further This would help against this temptation also that many times is in the Hearts of the Saints That because they hear of divers that have seemed to have more then they have that have had more ability then they have had have been able to do more for God than they have done yet for all this have fallen away and so it may be have perished for ever Now saith many a poor Christian if such Eminent men of such excellent abilities that were able to do such great things if they that go thus far fall away what shal become of such a poor creature as I am Now by the understanding of our deliverance that we have from the Law by Christ we come to have help against this temptation for let a man have never such abilities and be able to do never so much work yet this man may fall away when one that is a thousand times weaker in regard of abilities that hath the least dram of true Faith which brings him into the Covenant of Grace will stand such a one shall stand when the other fals If indeed thy standing did depend upon what strength thou hast in thy self then thou hadst cause to lear that seeing such as did stand fel away what shal become of thee But we are to know that we are to deal with God in a way of the Covenant of Grace our standing or falling doth not depend upon any thing in our selves but upon Christ that hath undertaken for al those that are his members Thou hast to deal with God in the Covenant of Grace and being once brought into the Covenant that will uphold thee though thou art weak when thousands of others that have a great deal of Natural abillity and common guifts of Gods Spirit yet being not brought under this Covenant may vanish Yea Had they the strength of an Angel yet if not brought under this Covenant of Grace made with beleevers in Christ they would fall and come to nothing Whenas the weakest beleever that hath to do with God through Christ and not through the Law such a one shal stand and not fal Now the being delivered from the Law in Christ will mightily help beleevers against these temptations and divers others I know nothing that doth help beleevers more then this in being delivered from the Law in that sence as hath been shewed before Likewise from hence there are a great many Lessons to be learned as The First Lesson First From this deliverance we are taught to entertain the hearing of the Threats of the Law I speak to beleevers though others may make an ill use in hearing the deliverance from the Law yet they must not miss their Portion I say beleevers are hereby taught how to receive the Threats of the Law you hear dreadful threates of the Law out of Gods word against sin Now how shouldest thou entertain these threates The way is this when thou hearest such threates know that God by this would have thee to consider what his mercy is in delivering of thee from what thou hast deserved God would have thee to consider what the evil of sin is in it self and to consider what Christ hath done God would have thee to be driven to Christ by this meanes to see thy need of Christ to bless his name for Christ and to prize Christ who hath delivered thee from these threatnings A beleever when he heares the threates of the Law is like a man that stands upon the shoare when there is a greivous tempest and storme he sees the waves rise high heares the winds blow and the waves roare but he stands safe upon the haven indeed he was in the storme and tempest but God hath brought him to the haven and there he stands and blesseth God It may be he sees other ships a great way off ready to be split upon the rocks or swallowed up but he is safe on the shoare so it should be with al beleevers when they heare the threatnings of the law they should entertain them with blessing
have been at liberty so as they have been as conscientious in performing of duty as before but now their duty is made the joy and delight of their souls they have gone to them with rejoycing and made the Commandements of God to be their inheritance and the joy of their hearts and their duties are as sweet to them as the hony and the hony comb Now this is the argument that we are upon that in Christ there is rest from this burden Christ gives ability unto beleevers those that are his members to performe duties with freedom of spirit and indeed evangelical duties are duties performed with freedom that is the difference between legal performances and evangelical one is done as a burden and the other is done with freedom of spirit Now I shal shew unto you how Christ gives this freedom Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty you know the scripture I suppose now this freedom of spirit in the performance of duty comes by Christ these waies First when the soul is come to Christ it hath rest because Christ renders God unto the soul in a gracious way Christ takes off the terror that was before of God takes off that from the heart The reason why duties are performed as a burden to those that are legal is this because they tender them up to God but so as they look upon God as a terrible judg they must do what God requires I but when they come into his presence they come into his presence as a judg being very terrible Now when the soul comes to Christ Christ renders God very amiable and loâ—ely unto the soul of a Christian renders God the father as his father or her father For so Christ saies I go to my father and your father to look upon God not only as a father but our father as being the father of our Lord Jesus Christ So beleevers in the performance of duties look upon God as a father in a double relation He is my father he hath begotten me a new to himself and so he is my father he is my father he hath adopted me to be his child but he is the father of our Lord Jesus Christ too and Christ is mine two so that I have an interest in the fatherhood as I may so speak as the father of Christ I go to my father and your father So when beleevers come to tender up any service to God as a duty they come to God as their father and as to the father of their redeemer too now this brings a mighty deale of ease unto the heart of a beleever in the performance of duty a great deal of difference there is between a fathers calling the child to him and a rigid severe master or judge calling of one to him When the child heares that his father cals him he runs and loves to be in the presence of his father but when one saith to a servant your master calls you he knows not whether he be called to be beaten with stripes or no. This is the difference between legal performances and evangelical those that are in Christ when Christ calls them to duty you must go into the presence of your father and of the father of your blessed redeemer you must go to duty in him Come go to prayer saith Conscience to one they cannot but go indeed but when they go to prayer their heart is struck with feare terror and discouragement in prayer but Conscience saith to one that is a beleever come you must go to prayer what is that but come you must go before your father and injoy communion with your father the father of your redeemer cals you to have communion with him how doth your heart spring to come into the presence of such a father So that Christ renders them lovely to his father and so delivers them from the burden that they are under in legal performances Secondly In Christ beleevers when they performed â—uties they do not tender them up unto God as satisfactory for any thing that is past but meerly to be testimonies of their love and thankfulness for what they have received now duties are a great deal more easily done this way then another It is true they wil gather arguments from their former neglect to stir them up to do the more I but now they are not called upon to their duties to make God amends and satisfy for what is past for that would be a burden for such as performe duties in a legal way and are not acquainted with the doctrine of the Gospel they know not how to satisfy God but only by doing so much the more by how much the more they have neglected heretofore I have neglected God al the time of my youth and now conscience begins to be awakned and tels me I must serve God and perform duties and I had need be more diligent now that I may make up and satisfy for what I have neglected before Now when we perform duties in this way they are very burdensom As suppose a man hath run in debt and he is set up in a trade I but whatsoever he gets it must be to satisfy what debts he is run out in before this must make him go on in much heaviness he thinks that whatsoever he gets must go to satisfy what he hath run into before But now take another man that hath run into arrerages and hath a freind a kinsman that coms and layes down al the debts that he owed and gives him a stock sayes now you are a Freeman once again go on whatever you get shal be for your self this man goes on a great dealemore livelier then the other just thus it is between the consciences of those that performe duties in a legal way and the consciences of that perform duties in an evangelical way One that is legal conscience tels him of such arrerages that he hath run into with God and whatever he can do for time to come is too little to satisfy for what he hath neglected before now conscience puts him upon it do he must serve he must obey he must I but he doth it with no heart at al I work and I obey I do but whether this wil make up the arrerages for what is past I do not know Now a beleever performes obedience but it is upon other termes Christ comes and layes down a price and discharges him of al former arrerages and puts a stock of grace into the heart and says unto him now live and imploy this your stock in the service of God and trade with it get more comfort and more grace with it and you shal have the benefit and the good of every holy duty that you performe the good and benefit shal come to your souls Now such a soul goes unto duties in a cheerful way and they are no burdens at al to it because he performes them not for satisfaction of any arrerages behind
but now he trades for himself and every day he gets and gets and gets for himself that is another way how Christ gives rest unto the soul in regard of performance of duties that they are not burdensom unto the soul as heretofore they have been Thirdly another way of delivering beleevers in the performance of duties as a burden is this When in the duty that such a one performes Christ goes along with them unto the father and he himself tenders them up unto God the father and thus they come to be easy unto the hearts of beleevers whereas those that perform duties in a legal way they go alone unto Gods presence without any to go with them And again when they are there they must tender up al they do themselves to God and the truth is they can have little heart to this knowing what God is and how they have offended God and provoked him As thus suppose a malefactor that hath wronged the king he must go into his presence and petition but he hath no body to go with him and no body to joyne with him to tender up his petition but he must go himself now he goes with no heart in the world with no encouragement indeed he must go there is no other way to save his life he must die else but going so alone and having none to help him he goes very heavily But now suppose another that is to go into the presence of a King and the Kings deare and only Son Shal take him by the hand and say come I wil go with thee and what hast thou here a petition come give it me and I wil present it to my father and I wil get it granted O! how merrily and cheerfully doth he go into the presence of the King Just so it is between a legal performer of duties and an evangelical performer of duties those that performe duties in a legal way and go into the presence of God in a legal way they go alone they have no body to go with them to help them and this must needs make them to go very heavily But a beleever needs never go into Gods presence alone it may be you are at prayer alone in your closets but you are not in Gods presence alone Christ takes you by the hand and carries you into the presence of your father and those poor petitions and broken prayers that you present Christ takes them in his hand and presents them to the father and this the soul may see by faith and O! how comfortable is this when duties are performed in such a manner as this I go to a duty but Christ stands by mee takes al that I have to tender up to the father and he tenders it up for me Fourthly Another way is this That now al duties that are performed by a beleever they are performed from the Law that is written in his heart he is made a Law unto himself there is the spirit of Christ put into him that now he doth not performe duty because he must do it but because it is suitable unto the divine nature that is put into him for so the scripture saith we are partakers of the divine nature there is the very spirit of Christ put into a beleever and the Law of Christ written in his heart so that there is no duty that God requires of him but the Law of that duty is written in his heart to do it and according to his measure he can say as Christ did It is written in my heart to do thy wil O! Lord what doth the Lord require such and such duties to be performed and doth my conscience tel me in the name of God that such duties are to be done Lord this is even written in my heart and therefore Lord I come the Lord would have me do this and it is no other but what is written in my heart to do Conscience tells me I must do it and it is no sooner told me by my conscience but my heart tels me I am ready to do it Now what a rest is this in performing of duty when there is a disposition in the heart of a man or woman to do the duty that God requires of them they are a Law unto themselves there is no duty that God requires from them but if there were neither heaven nor hel yet they would do it naturally it is as natural to them to do the wil of God as for a fish to drink in water It is said of wicked ones that they drink in iniquity as the fish doth water sin is natural unto the wicked and grace is likewise natural though not altogether so natural for there is nothing in the heart but makes sin natural But it is true when one is a beleever there is somthing in the heart opposite to good I but there is a principle in the heart that makes it natural for the soul to drink in the Commandements of God as a fish drinks in water and therefore beleevers so soon as ever they have any touch of Christ how readily do their hearts come off to duty As for instance in Zacheus you know how Christ came to look upon him there was a touch of Christ upon his heart and presently he comes off and though before he was a covetous man and there was covetousness in his heart and he had got much by forged cavillation yet presently he saith Behold the half of my goods I give to the poor and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation I restore him fourfold Now what duty is harder then restitution when a man hath got much by wrong to restore it again as often you have heard you can have no comfort al your sorrows wil do no good til you have made restitution and the ground is plain because til you make restitution you continue in the wrong you have done wrong to such a man such a time in his estate wel you do him wrong to day and to morrow and the next day til you restore I say you continue in your sin til you restore if you be able to restore Now you cannot say a man repents of his sin if he continue in his sin and you continue in your sin though God doth not require you to go and make your self known to them yet though your persons be not known to them the wrong must be made known to them Just so is the difference between one that is only under the terror of the Law and one that hath got rest in Christ the difference is as in a Ship a Ship that hath one part of it sticking in the mud and sands and the water beating it up and down and ready to burst it in peeces but now if the tide come and fetch it off And it is got upon the streame then you may by the touch of a little finger thrust it this way and that way with ease when it is once upon the
water So it is with a heart before it comes to Christ when it hath only conviction of conscience though it have some illumination that is as the water that beats the heart up and down and it cannot be at quiet but is ready to be burst in peeces I but it sticks in the mud stil and therefore duties are very hard and Conscience doth but only tire the heart and beate it and trouble it I but now when it is come to Christ it ls like the Ship a float upon the water and now upon any touch of Christ it is ready to be put upon this duty and the other duty and the motion of the soul now is without any danger or trouble it moves up and down with ease when the heart is got off from it self and the world and the creature it moves in the waies of God with aboundance of ease set such a one upon the hardest duties you wil and he goes on with a great deal of ease and quiet and Rest of spirit he doth not think the Commandements of God hard doth not look upon the commandements of God now as hard commandements whereas one that is legal in performing of duty though he do the duty he looks upon the comand of God as a hard commandement You have an excellent scripture for that in the first of John 5. and the 3. Speaking of beleevers that when once they come unto Christ the commandements of God are not greivous unto them This is the Love of God that we keep his commandements and his commandements are not grievous But one that is in Christ a beleever upon any commandement though it be never so greivous and hard to flesh and blood before they come to Christ as in the commandement of Restitution I wil mention that I might mention others as to pray in your families to be constant in prayer morning and evening and to keep your heart constant in praier to God ' it s perhaps grievous to those that perform duties in a legal way but when once the heart comes to God then the commandement of God is not grievous I do not say but corruption may now and then prevail and then they are burdensome but when the heart hath got grace the commandements of God are not burdensome at al but they are easie to the soul for so Christ saith in a few words after my text My yoake is easie and my burden is Light Many people complain of the way of God Oh! the way of God is so hard and duty so strict to live so exactly who is able to do this I confess in the way you are in it is tedious and hard but if you had the spirit of Christ and were come to Christ those duties that you account now hard would be easie you would never have more comfort more ease and quiet then when you are performing of duty You wil think this a riddle to say that the soul should never have more ease rest quiet and comfort then when a man walks more strictly and exactly and keeps to the rule Now saith a carnal heart this is a miserable bondage that ministers cal for strictness what a bondage and weariness is this as they in Malachy say now you think this so Why because you are but legal al this while and if you did performe duties stil in that way they would be a burden to you but you mistake in this you think there is no way to keep Gods Commandements but in a Legal way I but know this there is an evangelical way to keep Gods Commandements Gods Law and that makes every duty to be easie and light unâ—o the Soul· You think there is no such quiet and content of heart as to be at liberty and to satisfie the flesh and have your minds fully pleased but were you acquainted with the mistery of Godliness you would find that those things that now are so easie and give you so much quiet and comfort would be the most troublesome things in the world the strictness of Gods wayes that you think so burdensome you would find to be the most easie and comfortable things in the world And therefore let not the Devil steal you away from the strictness of Gods wayes by this delusion certainly he doth but delude you O! that ye had but the spirit of the Lord Jesus in you and that you were come to Christ you would find then ease in the most strict and difficult duties in the world you would find your souls to be at ease in the performance of them Fifthly Duties are not burdensome unto those that are come to Christ because that in Christ al duties have joyned together with them the promises when duties are performed in an evangelical way when the soul is come to Christ then it looks upon evey duty that God requires as having some promise annexed unto the duty to inable the soul to do what God would have it do and by this it hath now Rest in performance of it Doth God require such and such things of me then the soul doth not only look upon the commandement but how a promise goes along with the commandement As how I might â—ance in divers scriptures how promises go along with commandements I wil give you but the comparing of one scripture for the present Compare the 10. of Deuter. with the 30. of Deuter. In Duter 10.12 there you shal find it thus And now O Israel what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to feare the Lord thy God to walk in al his waies and to Love him and to serve the Lord thy God with al thy heart and with all thy soul to keep the commandements of the Lord thy God and his statutes which I command thee this day for thy good Then at the 16. verse Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart and be no more stifnecked Here you see what God requires they are great things that God requires that we should feare the Lord and walk in his wayes and love him and serve him with al our heart and keep his commandements and statutes and circumcise our hearts and the like these are hard duties being performed in a legal way But now when the soul is in Christ see what a promise the soul finds together with these commandements In the 30. of Deu. and the 6. The Lord thy God wil circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with al thy heart and with al thy soul that thou mayest live Here God requires them to circumcise their hearts that they might love him and feare him and keep his commandements but that is the Law were there no more it would be a very heavy burden for a poor soul to have this ly upon it that I must love the Lord with al my heart and with al my might the Lord knows what distractions I have in my soul and in my heart God requires me to cercumcise my
heart I am not able to do it but now mark how the Gospel runs in the Deu. 30.6 And the Lord thy God wil circumcise thy heart the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with al thy heart and with al thy soul that thou maist live· The Lord wil do it the Lord commands me to do it and yet withal the Lord saith that he wil do it I might instance in a great many other particulars that the Lord requires first what we should do and if we be left here now it is hard indeed but then if we can find a promise where God promises that he wil do it for us this wil be easier to us And indeed this is the diffierence between the Law and the Gospel the Law commands us what to do and gives no strength but the Gospel never commands us to do any duty but there is a promise that engageth the Lord to help the soul in the performance of that duty And now is not here rest for the soul when the soul shal look upon the large extent of the duty that the Law of God requires of it The Law requires of me to love the Lord with al my heart and with al my soul and with al my might and to keep his commandements and statutes and to circumcise my heart Lord what shal I do in this Now then when the soul can look upon Christ the covenant of grace consider that that runs thus that the Lord wil circumcise my heart that I may love the lord with al my heart with al my soul that I may keep his commandements his statutes that God doth as wel ingage himself to inable me to do the duty as he doth require me to do the duty now here is rest unto the soule I wil conclude this particular with this one similitude as it is with the body Physitians observe that together with every veine where the blood runs there runs likewise an artery together with the veine now the artery is the vehiculum of the spirits that are in the body of a man that puts liveliness and quickness into the body So for al the world thus it is in regard of the commandements of the Law and the Promises of the Gospel I compare the Commandements of the Law unto the veines they are these duties required of thee in the whol course of thy life but if thou hast veines of blood and hast no arteries no spirit thou wilt be but dul though the blood be ful in the veins yet there wil be little strength But now there is the spirit that goes along in the arteries that gives life to the veines So now they that are under the Law they know many duties that they ought to do I but except they have the promises of the Gospel to goe along with them they have little life little activity to do the duty Therefore Christians when you heare any duty out of Gods word that you ought to performe consider here is the duty here is the veine I but where is the artery there is a promise in the word that goes along with the duty to inable me to performe the duty Now if I take both together I may go on in the way of Godliness with a great deal of ease and quiet and no duty needs to be troublesom to me The want of the knowledg of this one thing makes the lives of many people to be very disconsolate and makes them go on deadly and dully in the performance of duty whereas if they would make use of this one thing when they are put upon any duty to search and find out in the word the promise wherein God inables us to do the duty and plead the promise and say Lord thou requirest the performance of this duty but thou hast promised to inable me to do it I say if thou wouldst do thus thou wouldest find that thy duties would not be burdensom to thee but thou wouldest say wel I see my soul hath rest in Christ in the performance of al those services that heretofore have been very greivous and burdensom to me Object I But you wil say We have many promises in the Gospel to inable us but the promises are conditional and I may forfeit the promise by not performing the condition Answ To that I answer We have in the Gospel absolute promises as wel as conditional promises there is some promises that depend upon no condition at al but only beleeving as that promise where the Lord saith I wil take away the heart of stone and give a heart of flesh what condition is there does God say that if you first repent and performe such and such duties that I require of you then I wil take away your heart of stone No that is an absolute promise And so likewise that promise I wil put my feare into your heart that you shal not depart from me God doth not make this promise with condition You wil say Why then hath not al their stony hearts been taken from them because the promise is absolute I answer it is absolute from any precedent condition but yet God would have us come to the promise and close with the promises and cast our souls upon it he does not promise to do such and such things upon condition that if you wil do such and such things before then I wil do this and that for you no but only this do you cast your soul upon the promise and depend upon it and when thy soul is at a loss in regard of conditional promises when thy heart misgives thee and tells thee that thou hast not performed the condition of such such promises that therfore they do not belong to thee and thou canst not for the present have comfort in the conditional promises then make use of absolute promises and cast thy soul upon them and they wil bring in the conditional promises and know this that al conditional promises depend upon absolute promises in the Gospel and as when thou canst not make use of conditional promises thou maist go to absolute promises so when thou makest use of absolute promises thou shalt be inabled to do what is required of thee in conditional promises And here is the difference between the Law and the Gospel the Law requires and doth not give strength to inable to do what it requires but the Gospel requires and gives strength to performe what it requires Sixtly There is rest unto those that come to Christ in this because when they performe duties in Christ they do not performe them that they might have life or that they might have pardon that they might get life by them or that they might obtain pardon by their duties but they performe them now as the fruit of their life and as a fruit of their pardon and this is a great deale of rest and ease to the heart in the performance of duties There are many
us so when we account our duties to be mercies that is an argument there is evangelical obedience in the heart and there wil be a constancy in the heart in performing of them Those that performe duties in an Evangelical way they look upon them as a golden chain about their necks for ornament and not as a chain about their necks as bonds and Fetters to tie them to them Here is the difference between one that performes duties in a legal way and one that performes duties in an Evangelical way One that performes duties in a Legal way he lookes upon duties as bonds about his neck he is bound to them as with a chain but the other that performes duties in an Evangelical way his duties are as ornaments as chains of Gold about his neck And the ground of this similitude I have in Prov. 3.22 My son keep sound wisdom and discretion so shal they be life unto thy soul and grace unto thy neck The wayes of wisdome that is the wayes of Godlyness they are life to the Godly and they are a grace to the neck that is they carry Gods commandments about with them not as a prisoner carries his chaines but as one that carries a chain about his neck and he glories in it That place is very observable likewise for this that you have in Deuter. 33. comparing ver 2. with the words that follow after Verse the second The Law of God is called a fiery Law From his right hand went a fiery Law for them But marke verse 4. Moses commanded us a Law even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. From hence this note plainly results that let there be never so much seeming severity in any Law of God in any commandement that requires duty yet even this commandement of God is accounted an inheritance unto the soules of the Saints of God to be as the joy of their hearts they account their riches to be in Gods commandements not only to be in heaven but the very commandement they account their riches and their happiness Many men and women take upon them the commandements of God and the duties of obedience as necessary burdens they must do them I but the Saints those that come to Christ they take the commandement of God upon them as that wherein their riches their glory the joy of their heart doth consist and therefore how often do you heare of David saying that the commandements of God were sweeter to him then hony and the hony combe That they were more delightful to him then gold and riches And so in the Proverbs Better then Rubies and precious stones He doth not say the glory of heaven is better then al these but the way of Wisdom and the commandements of God are better then al these So that here is the life of a Christian he performes duties not onely as a way to heaven but as an injoying of heaven while he is serving of God and this is the seventh particular wherein the rest of the soul in Christ doth appear in the performance of holy duties Eighthly When a Christian is brought to Christ Christ gives him rest in the performance of holy duties because that Christ doth elevate and raise his spirit to be some way proportionable to whatsoever God requires of him ther 's an elevation of spirit a strengthening of the spirit in Christ to come to some kind of proportionableness to what the Law of God requires of them It is true set a poor weake man a sick man about any hard worke and Oh! how tedious is it unto him for a sick man to go and carry such a burden or to do such a hard work it is very irksome unto him but now when this man comes to be healthy and strong to have his veines ful of blood and his arteries ful of spirits now he goes along in his work and accounts it no burden at al because he hath got strength in him So the commandements of God they are hard to those that performe them in a natural way from a natural conscience notwithstanding al the strength that can come in by a natural conscience the commandements of God are very hard unto them but when once the spirit of Christ comes there is strength As it is said where the spirit of Christ is there is Liberty so where the spirit of Christ is there is strengâ—h As the holy Ghost speakes in Isa 11.2 The spirit of the Lord shal Rest upon him the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledg and of the fear of the Lord. The spirit of counsel and Might shal Rest upon Christ and so in the measure of it the spirit doth rest upon every member of Christ the spirit of Life of Might and of counsel And therfore the Apostle St. Paul saith in the 2. of Tim. the 1. and the 7. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power of Love and of a sound minde This spirit of power is in those that are come to Christ there is a power of godlyness in them They are said in Coll. 1.11 To be strengthened with al might according to his glorious power The Apostle at least prayes for that to intimate thereby to us that there is that to be had in Christ there is a strengthening with al might according to his glorious power unto al patience and long-suffering with joyfulness giving thanks to the father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Though they be weake yet they have a union with one that is strong wherein they may come to be strengthened with al might not only according to Gods power but according to his glorious power unto al patience and long-suffering with joyfulness The duties of patience long-suffering are as hard duties as any hut in Christ there 's the glorious power of Christ let out to strengthen them to the duties of patience and al long suffering with joyfulness CHAP. XXXV Two other wayes whereby the former point is cleered with some consequences from the same and the use of the whol The First way is that whilst the soul is performing duty the strength of it is continually renewed Secondly The soul hath the love of God shed abroad into the heart The first Consequence is happiness of a Christian here Secondly Hence cometh the perseverance of beleevers The use of al is to exercise much faith in Christ Ninthly The Rest that the soul hath in Christ that is to goe on in duties with freedom of spirit without making them burdensome to it is this when the soul comes to Christ it hath not only strength to do the duty but whilst it is performing of duty it hath this strength renewed and it receives in sweetness and good and strength from Christ while it is in action while it is in the performance of duty and his duty is very easy sweet and comfortable
unto him As thus if a man be doing a work that is hard suppose he layes on upon a knotty piece of timber and there is nothing comes of his work and it doth not go on before him and he spends his strength and gets nothing for the present by his worke he quickly grows weary But now if a man be doing a work that the more strength he spends the more he gets the more his strength is inlarged the more renewed and never gets more strength then when he is spending of strength and that when he is at work he receives in sweetness by it surely this man wil go on in the work he may work singing when al the while he is working he spends not so much strength as he gets and he doth not only work to receive wages but there is commings in sweetness comming in the very time of his work this man works with a great deale of ease Thus it is in Evangelical obedience when a soul comes to performe duties in this way now his strength is renewed day by day the more service thou dost for Christ the more strength comes in As now a man that is benummed with cold perhaps you that are marriners when you come to handle your cables or any thing in the ship you can scarce feel any strength by reason of cold but when you are at work and you begin to be warme your strength comes in So it is with a Christian when he begins to perform duties it may be he is dul dead and the like but let him go on in the duties and then strength wil come in I appeale to many of you that have performed duties you have gone to do a duty and you have been dul and unfit for it and you have been ready to let it alone thereupon wel but conscience puts you upon it and you must do it now when you were in the duty hath not Christ come in and hath not the strength of Christ come in to inable you to do the duty that you never could imagine it which for ever might be an incouragement to you to go on in the duty and to avoid that temptation never to neglect the duty from any unfitness to the duty for when you are at the duty then comes in strength from Christ to performe the duty for you cannot expect strength to come in before you come to the duty but up and be doing and then strength wil come in Yea and the more duty you do the more strength wil come in and hence it is that a Godly man though he may be weary in duty yet he can never be weary in doing of duty he may see a difference between himself and carnal men Take a Godly man though he may be weary in duty yet he can never be weary of duty whereas it is otherwise with those that performe duties in the strength of a natural conscience those that perform duties in the strength of a natural conscience are weary in working As some tools you know wil weare in the using but others the more you use them the more brighter and better they wil grow So it is with those that perform duties in the strength of a natural conscience they wil wear away and that is the reason that they leave them off but one that performes duties in an Evangelical way the more he doth the more he shal be able to do and therefore Christians let that be an incouragement to you the more you do the more you shal be inabled to do he that had five talents and used those five talents he had more talents given him and he that had but one and sate down sullen and used it not it was taken from him and as strength comes in so thou shalt suck in a great deal of sweetness into thy heart In the keeping of thy commandements saith David there is great reward not only for the keeping of them but in the keeping of thy commandements Now when a man is working if so be he had his wages comming in every houre when he is a working it would incourage him but if he thinks he must stay for his wages that is more greivous the work that is done with present sweetness comming in that work is an easy work and that is the reason of that expression In Hosea 10. vers 11. Ephraim is as a heifer that is taught and loveth to tread out the corne but I passed upon her faire neck I wil make Ephraim to ride Judah shal plow and Jacob shal break his clods The text seemes to be hard at the first reading but there is much in it suitable to what I am speaking of Ephraim is as a heifer that is taught and loveth to tread out the corne but saith God I wil make Ephraim to ride Judah shal plow and Jacob shal break his clods I wil make Ephraim not only to tread out the corne but to plow The meaning was this you know that was the law you must not muzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corne whereas we thresh the corne they had their oxen to tread out the corne and it was the law that al the while he was treading out the corne his mouth must not be muzled but he might feed al the while he was treading out the corne now this was easier then when the beast was sent to plow and had no corn to eate the while Now saith God Ephraim loves only easy work if he may have the work that is sweet for the present Ephraim is content with that work but Ephraim doth not love the work that is difficult at first and sweet afterwards So this shewes that one that is of a lazy disposition he loves the work that hath sweetness at the present Now truly there is no other work that the Gospel requires at our hands the Gospel doth not require so much plowing as the work of treading out the corne Al the work that the Gospel requires of beleevers is such as the heifer had while he was treading out the corne that is al the while thou art working thou maist be eating thou maist have the blessed sheaues of the Gospel to feed upon for there doth come a constant sweetness into the hearts of the faithful in doing the work of the Lord go on in doing the work of the Lord and thou shalt find rest and sweetness in thy soul comming in upon thee And that is the reason that Schollars can study so hard many houres together which would be tedious unto others I put it to you that are imployed in other things that think the work of a schollar so easy a work get up in a morning and shut your selves into your closet and read meditate and write for two or three houres together and then come forth and go to it again and spend half a day or a whole day together in studying meditating writing and see if you do not find it more tedious and
tiresome to the flesh then any other work But now Schollars though it is tiresome to the flesh they can go on and make it easy to them why because they find sweetness in their work it is not with them as with â—ther men other men work that they may have wages afterwards but al the while they are about their work they have truths come in and heavenly notions comes in to them while they are about it and so makes the work easy unto them this is happiness of a Christian that the while he is in his work the sun of righteousness shines upon him and there is sweetness comming in unto him and herein is rest and ease in the performance of duty Tenthly and lastly When the soul comes to Christ it finds abundance of rest in holy duties because now it hath the love of God shed abroad in its heart and that makes every thing delightful to it the love of God is shed abroad in the heart you know Jacob because he loved Rachel though he was abroad in frosty nights he accounted it nothing because he loved Rachel Oh! when the love of God is shed abroad in the heart of a Christian then there is nothing that he doth but is delightful to him it makes every thing easy For that is a certain rule that love is ashamed to mention any difficulty you never hear love to complain of any thing to be heard and those that complain of holy duties to be heard certainly they want the love of God Now you have heard in these ten particulars wherein the ease and rest of spirit in performance of holy duties doth appeare there is much more to be said in the latter end of the Chapter when it is said that Christs yoke is easy and his burden light which if God give opportunity we shal come unto APPLIC I. Now from al this first here you may see the happiness of a Christian you do not think that a Cristian is happy here but he shal not have only heaven hereafter but his way to happiness is heaven here Oh how good is the way of the Gospel that gives us rest in our way to heaven such rest that al the malice in the world and of 〈◊〉 cannot disturbe the peace and rest of a Christian II. Hence we see the reason why true beleevers do persevere you hear oftentimes speaking of the doctrine of perseverance you are ready to thinke I but is it certain the soul that once comes to have true Grace shal certainly persevere yes certainly one that is once come to Christ wil not go from him again why because there is so much rest in holy duties It is true those that are drawn to holy duties they wil not abide as it is said The son abides in the house but a servant abides not alwaies in the house So such as perform duties in a legal way they wil be gone they wil not abide but now one that is come into Christ and hath a son-like disposition he continues As we say in phylosophy no violent thing or motion is perpetual and indeed those that performe duties in a legal way a hundred to one but they wil prove Apostates at last but one that performes duties in an Evangelical way wil continue and hold out unto the end III The maine use of al is to stirr up the hearts of those that are Godly to know what the Gospel means to exercise much faith in Christ that they might have much comfort in performance of duties Do not content thy self that thou doest duty but think with thy self Oh I have heard of such a way that Christians in performance of duty find a great deale of rest and ease why should not I get that way Thou hearest of it Oh! that thy soul might be unquiet til thou comest to understand the way then your duties would be more sound more spiritual more supernatural more acceptable then they are The Lord loves a cheerful giver and so he loves a cheerful server you love to heare your servants sing at their work but if you set your child or servant about a work and he goes heavily and dully about is grumbling and pineing and think you to be a hard master then he doth but a little work so they that perform duties in a legal way the truth is they perform little duty and that is not acceptable but when a soul comes to find rest in duty it makes it more spirituall more plentiful and more acceptable and those duties are very pleasing unto the Lord. CHAP. XXXVI Sheweth the Rest from the remainder of Corruption to be Sanctification and that to be a great Rest Laid open in six particulars 1. It is the right temper of the heart 2. In it the soul doth in great part attain its end 3. In it the Soul lives the life of God 4. It raiseth the soul above the region of al troubles 5. It turnes every thing to good 6. It is the beginning of Glory YOu may remember when we handled the point of the load that was upon sinners we shewed that the remainder of corruption was a great burden it was so great a load that it made the Apostle cry out Oh! wretched man that I am who shal deliver me from this body of death How that was a load hath been already opened That which we have now to do is to shew what rest is to be had in Christ against this fourth burden Come to me saith Christ al you who are sensible of the corruption of your heart and find the remainder of sin that is in your heart to be a burden come to me I wil give you rest against that We are not now to speak of the rest in deliverance from the trouble of soul in the sense of the guilt of sin that was before spoke of but now we are to speak of the rest in giving power against the remainder of corruption that there is in the heart This rest is the rest of Sanctification that here we are to speak of I wil give you rest And in this point there are a great many of useful and sweet things that might require very large handling but I shal endeavor as much as I can to contract al within a few things for this rest of Sanctification There are in it these five things to be followed that ye may see cleerly the method that I shal proceed in and so go along with me First I shal shew you that Sanctification is a great rest to the soul or deliverance from corruption is a great rest to the heart of a beleever there is much rest in Sanctification Secondly That this rest it is in Christ al our Sanctification and helping against corruption is in Christ Thirdly How Christ comes to be this rest unto the Soul Fourthly Some consequences that wil follow from this consideration of Christs being the rest of Sanctification unto the heart Fiftly Conclude with exhortation to come unto
unto the soul because it is such a principle as turns every thing to Good and that must needs bring rest when God sanctifies the heart works grace in the soul it is of that excellency that it hath a virtue and efficacie in it to turne every thing to good Now that were indeed a precious stone that could turne every thing into gold that it toucheth A great deal of labor there is about the Philosophers stone that they say turneth other mettals into gold now grace in the heart turnes every thing into gold as it were ever thing into good it hath that excellency in it that whatsoever befals such a man or woman grace can turne it to the good of them Al the workes of Gods providence al things that seem to goe never so contrary unto the good of a man or woman that hath grace if such a one do but act his grace or her grace this wil turne things that seem to be most contrary to the good of them it wil turne it unto good Those things that others vex at and fret at and think themselves undone by a gracious heart one that hath grace can turne them to advantage and get good by them such a one that is in such a condition they have got such a virtue from God God hath given them such a principle within as whatsoever befals them he can by the acting of that principle turne it to Good What need then such a man or woman have any trouble in this world no trouble wil you say do not such and such things fal cross to them such and such afflictions fal as cross to such men as any others That is true things may fall as cross to them as any I but they have a principle within them that turnes al those crosses and afflictions to good that we shal speake more unto in answering to the fifth burden of outward afflictions but only to shew it now in the rest that the soul hath in sanctification because it turnes al things to good Sixthly and Lastly Sanctification is a rest to the soul because indeed it is the beginning of glory it is but the beginning of heaven and we are in heaven there is nothing but rest there is peace and rest in heaven sanctification is glorification begun and therefore rest unto the soul This now is the first particular I wil give you rest that is come to me you shal have power over your corruptions you shal have grace and holiness that shal be rest unto your souls CHAP. XXXVII Sheweth that Sanctification is only IN Christ SEcondly That this sanctification it is in Christ al the sanctification of a Christian it is in Christ there are some common gifts that God gives unto other men there are gifts of nature there are gifts of common grace gifts of the spirit of God that are beyond the gifts of nature yet they are such as are given in a common way to those that are strangers to Christ The heathen had many coÌ„mon gifts and so others now may have many common gifts but sanctification is the proper gift of Christ it is only to be had in Christ Al the strength of nature natural abilities education morality natural parts can never raise the heart to the least degree of sanctification I mean of the sanctification that is saving In a large sense it may be called a sanctification as the scripture sometime doth a setting some kind of men apart for such ends but sanctification that is true holiness that is the image of God and the beginning of glory that is only in Christ and al the strengâ—h of nature and parts can never raise the soul unto the least degree of it And that it is only in Christ I shal give you some scriptures to shew it and it wil further appeare when we come to the third thing in shewing you how it comes from Christ which is the principle That text is very ful for it which we have in 1. Cor. 1.30 if there were no other But of him are ye in Jesus Christ who of God is made unto us wisdome and righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption Christ is made unto us of God wisdome to enlighten our blindness and righteousness for our justification and sanctification and redemption that is to deliver us from al kind of evil to deliver us from the power of sin and to renew the image of God in us that is sanctification and redemption that is to deliver us from al kind of evil and to bring us to the redemption of the sons of God to the perfect liberty that is appointed to sons Christ is made to us sanctification sanctification that is not only that Christ hath merited our sanctification but in a further degree efficiently so as our sanctification is from him and it is he that workes it in us and upholds it in us the beginning and the progress of our sanctification it is from him as wel as merrited by him For we are to know that Christ hath laid down his life to merit of God the father as wel sanctification as justification or glorification Christ hath not only laid down his life for to merrit the pardon of our sins to purchase that from God to save us from hell but it was a special end of Christs laying down his life to merit our being set at liberty from the bondage of our sins our deliverance from corruption the renewing of the image of God in our soules for the present which is that indeed may cause us to prize holiness somewhat more then we have done We must not look upon holiness as a duty that we must be holy and as a necessary meanes to heaven but we must look at holines as the purchase of the blood of Christ he hath purchased holiness for al those that he hath layed down his life for And therefore as we shal see afterwards it is impossible for any to be holy but those that have part in Christ so that Christ is made sanctification by his merit and by the efficiency that is in him it is he likewise that works it in our hearts we have it not immediatly from God the father but from God the father through Christ through his son we come to have sanctification and therefore we shal see it afterwards how different our sanctification is from the image of God that there was in Adam at first and the holiness that there was in Adam Adam he had his holiness immediately from God as Creator but those that are now made holy and sanctified now they have not their holiness and sanctification immediately or as from God their Creator but they have it from Christ Christ that is the second person in trinity he it is that is made to us sanctification And then that it is in Christ appeares further in that notable place in Rom. 7. that was quoted in the former point about the load of corruption Where saint Paul cries out