to Christ First For the Rules that we may observe them aright in coming to Christ and come to Christ in a right way I speak to those whose Hearts are about coming to Jesus Christ their hearts are stirring after Christ and they are setting upon all the means to come to him RULE I. First Though God requires that thou shouldest seek Christ in all his ordinances in the performance of all Duties yet it must be thy great care not to rest in the means that lead to Christ before thou comest to enjoy Christ himself This is the great mistake in the world that those things that are the means to lead to Christ they rest in though indeed they have not Christ As now for instance to come to hear the word I suppose if I aske you why you come you will say you come that you might find Christ there yet how many people rest in this meerly that they do hear the word they hear Sermons and scarce ever cal this into question have I met with Jesus Christ in the word to day have I found Jesus Christ there this their Hearts are not so much troubled about but they come meerly to hear the word it 's a good thing But now they Rest in the means that lead to Christ before they are got thither As if a man were a going a journey to such a place about such business and he satisfies himself in this I am going on my way but have I got the thing I go for We are to know that Prayer the word the Sacraments are all but as means to bring us to Christ now what a foolish thing is this to satisfie our selves that we are in the way going to the thing but have we the thing that we journey for Jesus Christ is the thing that we seek for have we him The wise Merchant had the Field I but he saw that there was a Pearl in the field and then he went and sold all that he might have the Pearl The field is the Preaching of the word and other ordinances in these ordinances is the Pearl now that which we should look for in the ordinances is the pearl and so use the field but only for the Pearls sake So that this is the way that we should take to come to Christ that is in the use of all duties and all ordinances to look at Christ that we would have by them and be sure to pass through the ordinances til we get hold on him whom our Soul loveth most people in the world they stick in the ordinances themselves and have got no hold on Christ but meerly spend all in duties and ordinances that they wil do God requires of them to pray and they wil pray and God requires of them to hear the word and they will hear the word I but they do not consider that there is somthing beyond Prayer and beyond the word Have I got to Jesus Christ in Prayer have I got to Jesus Christ in the word And that is a good signe when the hearts of sinners are satisfied with nothing with no ordinances except they find Jesus Christ in those ordinances be sure to go through the ordinances unto Christ RULE II. Secondly In your seeking after Christ be sure that you rather pitch your eye and your heart upon the person of Christ himself then upon the good things that come from Christ that is the way to pitch your eye and your heart upon Christ himself rather then upon the good things that come from Christ for coming to Christ and being in him is only as being married to him Now the party that marries he looks more upon the person then upon the portion he looks upon the excellency of the person so should the Soul in coming to Christ look upon him as the only great mediatour of the Covenant as the only reconciler of God and man as the only person in whom all our good happiness and glory lies Labor to see an excellency in Christ himself as wel as to come to Christ There are many souls that would come to Christ why because they think there is no mercy but in Christ and they would be loath to go to Hel and therefore they cry to God for mercy in Christ I but they see not any excellency in Christ but thou must look upon the excellencies of Christ and look through the ordinances unto union with Christ look after union with the person of Christ himself and see an excellency and beauty in the very person of Jesus Christ to be able to say I see the glory of the Father in him and my Soul makes after him to have union with him RULE III. Thirdly In thy coming be sure of this to come with thy whole soule that is do not come to Christ only as one meanes of help for you and thinking it is Good to make use of al means we can and Christ I see to be as likely a means as any other No but come to Christ as the only means so as to cast thy whole soul upon him not to hang upon any thing else and so to give out as it were an arme to him and yet to have somewhat else to rest upon if that fail As we come to a friend sometimes and desire somewhat of him but how so as we would make a friend other where that if that fail we may have two strings to our bow but we must come to Christ and lay the ful weight upon him alone the ful soul upon him We must come to Christ not as if we were over some deep pit and here is one thing to rest upon that is strong enough that if we would lay weight upon that is alone we might be safe Wel but there is another thing that is a rotten thing now we are loth to venture upon the strong the sound not knowing it to be so but we lay a part upon the rotten and part upon the sound by this perhaps we may come to fal and perish because the ful weight was not laid upon that that was sound So here the Lord propounds his son as an alsufficient redeemer for us in whom there is righteousness and salvation and requires of those that come to his Son that they shal come with their whol souls and lay the whol weight of their soules upon him for life and salvation and al their good and happiness Now if they think to have two strings to their bow they would have Christ but they would have the world too and their own wayes too upon this a Thousand to one but they miscarry It was an excellent speech of Joseph sending for his father Jacob in Genesis 45.20 Joseph sent to have his father Jacob brought to him now there was many things that Jacob had regard to before but now saith he regard not the stuff for the good of all the Land of Egypt is yours So when the Lord doth cal any poor sinner to come to him the Lord
then look what Christ hath rest in that is thy rest too as now what is the rest of Christ Christ hath rest especially in three things there are three things that are the rest of Christ Gods rest in his Saints His rest in his Ordinances And his rest in his Sabbaths Now those that are partakers of true rest for their Soules in Christ look what Gods rest is thy rest is As now for the Saints the soul hath rest in them that is thy soul hath content and rest in them in their company Marke what is said of them in Zepha 3.17 Saith the Holy Ghost The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty he wil save he wil rejoyce over thee with joy he wil rest in his Love he wil joy over thee with singing Is the society and company of the saints a rest to the or rather a trouble to thee Oh to many the company of the saints it is a trouble to them but when they get into their own company amonst their own Companions then they have some Rest And then for the ordinances for that you have a text in the 132. Psalm and 14. Speaking of Zion For the Lord hath Chosen Zion he hath desired it for his habitation this is my rest for ever here wil I dwel for I have desired it Oh in Zion in ordinances in duties in the worship that is tendered up to thee here is my rest for ever and here is my delight Lord let me have rest this way my spirit is never so much at rest as when I am in the duties of Gods worship when I am exercised in Gods ordinances here my soul is at rest what ever I have else If I should have peace again and enjoy estate quietly yet except I have Gods ordinances I cannot have rest Now doth thy soul enjoy more rest in the ordinances then in any other way then thy rest is Christs rest And then for the sabboth you know what the scripture saith what a sabboth is it is nothing but rest and is the saboth a day of Rest unto thy soul do not many people think the sabboth day most troublesome to them especially if they be kept to holy duties prayer hearing the word the like Suppose you be put to pray in your closet then to pray in your family and to aske some questions to your servants children and then come to the publick and there to sanctifie the name of God and then when you come home again to examin your family over what they have learned and so prepare your selves again to the ordinance and so to spend your self in prayer and hearing and excercising al the day would not this be a weariness to many of you And would not many of you say as those in Malachy When wil the sabboth be over Men indeed count the sabboth a rest Why because they cease from working and they put on fine cloths and go abroad and walk in the feilds and upon this they count the sabboth a rest surely such are not acquainted with the rest that is in Christ but if thy soul be acquainted with this rest then the sabboth is but a tipe of that rest that thou shalt keep in the highest heavens it is but a tipe unto thee and a forerunner of that Glorious Rest that thou shalt enjoy hereafter Fifthly If thy soul have true rest it is such rest as wil abide examination of the word of God though it doth touch to the quick and the more the word doth touch to the quick the more it comes to thy soul the more rest thy soul hath In Heb. after the Holy Ghost had spoken of the rest that is to the people of God in 12. saith he The word is quick and powerful and sharper then any two edged sword peircing to the dividing a sunder of Soul and spirit and of the Joynts and Marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the Heart As if he should say if you enter into the Rest of Gods people you shal have such a rest as wil abide the most narrow and quickening searchings of the word of God the word of God will search you through and through and your rest shal be such a rest as wil abide the search A rest that comes by the word the more the word searcheth the more it increaseth quickning it searcheth between the marrow and the bones and the more rest a true gracious Heart finds CHAP. LI. Eight means to get and keep Rest in Christ 1. Beware of secret sins 2. Be thankful for what good God hath given thee 3. Judg not thy self in time of temptation 4. In trouble wait upon God in the use of means 5. Meditate much upon the promises 6. Proportion humiliation to thy comfort 7. Be throughly grounded that thou art in Christ 8. Improve the Rest thou hast to God by doing much work to him OBJECT BUt you wil say notwithstanding al this you have spoken yet many of the Saints of God though they have been careful to do what you have said yet they do not find this Rest you speak of in Christ Answ It is true it is not enough for you to be a beleever for one may be a beleever and yet not have the evidence of the Graces in Christ so as to have Rest unto his Soul You will say what should we do then First Take heed that there be no secret sin abide in your spirits you had need examine and look to that for that wil be a thorne in the flesh that wil trouble you if there be any secret sin thou livest in it wil be as a thorne in the flesh that thou canst not be quiet Secondly Another thing that will hinder the rest of beleevers is That because they have not so much as they desire they wil not take notice of what good God hath granted to them because they have not al they would have they think they have nothing at al. Now take heed of that though thou hast not all yet take notice of what God hath done for thee and be thankful for that We read of the Women in the Gospel that went â—o seek Christ they found the Angels and heard news of him though they found him not at first So though thy soul find not Christ for the present and the rest thou desirest yet if thou hast any news of him any beginning of Gods work in thy Soul take notice of that Should the Women have said what is that to us that we find the Angels and that we hear news of him it is Christ that we seek No they said not so And therefore I say bless God for what ever thou hast it is more then others have bless God for it and that is the way to have more Thirdly Never judg of thy self as thou feelest thy self in a time of temptation it may be thou art under a temptation or spiritual desertion now do not judg of thy self as
in darkness they can have God the Father made known to them by no means but by me there is no way for them to know what is in the Heart of God the Father towards them but by me and therefore Oh! Sinners come to me Here is the dependance of the words upon the former Likewise consider what followâ— If the poor should say Oh! blessed Saviour we are vild unworthy creatures we lie under the weight and burden of the guilt of our Sins and shal such as we come to thee Yea saith Christ notwithstanding that yet come to me The word in the Greek here hath an emphasis beyond that which you have in your Books it is not Venice that is usually translated come but adeste it is a word exhortation not a meer word commanding but a word of Exhortation as one friend calls to another in a familiar sweet way and saies come hither I come to thee Oh! blessed Saviour saith the poor Sinner thou art the Holy one of the Father thou art God blessed for ever and how should I be able to come to thee now saith Christ I am meek and I am lowly come to me and I wil lay no further burden upon you no other yoke upon you I am meek and lowly and I wil shew my self to be meek and gentle and loving to you I wil not upbraid you if you come I wil not say to you as Jeptha said to the Elders of Gilead you did hate me and cast me out and why are you come to me in your distress but if you come to me you shal find rest to your Soules and be sure that whatsoever yoke shal be layed upon you it shal be but an easie yoke and whatsoever burden shal be layed upon you it shal be but a light burden And thus you have the dependance of the words and the scope of them Now further for the meaning of them come to me ye that Labor The word translated here Labor is I think in some of your books Weary al ye that are weary And it signifies a cutting Labor it comes from a word that signifies to cut any kind of trouble or vexation that is upon ones spirit that is cutting a cutting trouble somtimes it is used for any kind of trouble in the world as in Revel 14.13 Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord for they rest from their Labors from al their trouble and affliction Al you that Labor and are heavy Laden the word comes from a word that signifies the Lading of a Ship such a loade that would load a Ship heavy laden this is the meaning of the words You that are under such afflictions of spirit as you are even cut again you that Labor under the trouble anguish and sorrow of your hearts And then you that are under such a burden that even would lade a Ship that is ready to sink your souls down into the bottom of dispaire you that are in such a condition come to me you that can find no rest any where else come to me and I wil give you rest So that here in vers 28. You have these three things for the division of it 1. The discription of those whom Christ would invite to himself what kind of people they are or the condition of such as are invited and required to come to Christ the subject Such as Labor and are heavy Laden 2. The sweet and gracious invitation of Christ to such Come to me come to me you that do thus Labor and are thus heavy Laden And 3. A Gracious promise unto such as come unto Christ that Christ wil give rest unto their Souls These are the three things in vers 20. For the first I shall only speak of that at this time though the other two are the Chief that I do intend And I speake of the first only as making way unto the other two that follow For the reason why I chose this scripture was to draw the Soul unto Christ and to open the riches of this promise of rest to shew what rest the Soul shal have in Christ that doth come unto him CHAP. II. Containing a Description of them whom Christ invites to come unto him which is laid down in this doctrine That they whom Christ cals to come unto him are such as Labor and are heavy Laden Whether 1. Vnder the burden of the righteousness of the Law Or 2. Vnder the weight of their sins Or 3. Vnder the power of any corruption Or 4. Vnder any outward trouble or Affliction YOu that Labor and are Heavy Laden So that then the point is DOCT. That those that Labor and are Heavy Laden are called to Christ Such as Christ calls are Such as Labor and are Heavy Laden 1. Such as Labor and are Heavy Laden under the burden of the righteousness of the Law So Chrisostom carries the text Those that heretofore have sought righteousness by the Law and find it very burdensom to them they that are toyling and laboring to get peace and rest unto their souls by the works of the Law but find themselves tyred find that peace and rest doth not come that way are even toyled and tyred and do as it were stick in the mire but yet find no peace nor rest that way Now saith Christ unto them come unto me as if he should say This is not the right way to get true peace and rest to your souls to think to bring it about by the works of the Law you may toyl labor performe duties and not dare to do any thing against your consciences be very strict in your lives be striving to do more and more And yet this wil not bring true rest and peace unto your souls you wil never have peace and rest through the righteousness of the Law you must have it by me There are many whose consciences God hath begun to enlighten to see that there is an evil in Sin that sin wil bring death that it doth endanger their souls of damnation eternally they are convinced of this and that they might have peace with God is the thing their souls doth much desire O! that they might have the pardon of sin and peace with God O! that they might have their consciences quieted God doth awaken the consciences of many men and women who yet have no saving grace and they spend a great deal of time in laboring and taking much pains to get their Consciences quiet there is many that have been divers years laboring and taking paines to get their consciences to be quiet and cannot but their consciences ever and anon wil be flying in their faces troubling of them and yet they are such people as dare not commit any known sin dare not neglect any known duty are constant in prayer in secret attend upon the word And whensoever they heare of a duty that they should perform they labor to set upon it withal their might but alas they feel little sweetness and comfort in
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
Holiness NOW for the last thing that I propounded To exhort and draw beleevers to come to Christ and in this I shal endeavour to take away the many hinderances of the soul in comming to Christ for sanctification and also give some incouragements to the heart to come to Christ for sanctification You see here is the way to get power over corruption and to get grace namely to come to Christ Yea say you if I knew I were a member of Christ and had interest in Christ then I could come to Christ for power over my corruption and for grace but I am afraid I have no interest in him 1. For answer to that which is the main stop and hinderance of faith know that if thou hast but a heart to come to him for grace that is as good a signe of thy interest in Christ as any signe thou hast that is as good a signe of evidence of interest as any thou canst expect 2. You must come to him for grace and if thou hast not interest before yet thy very comming to him now for grace to help thee against corruption that very act of thine may give thee interest in Christ What is it that unites thee to Christ what is it that makes a member of Christ what is it that gives interest in Christ It is but the coming to him as you heard before in the point Quest Is you wil say If I had a right to him If thou comest now to Christ to get power over thy corruption and to get grace I say though thou hadst no interest before this very act may give thee interest in Christ and therefore be not discouraged but come to Christ 3. Wilt thou stay til thou dost find power against thy corruption before thou wilt come to him then thou wilt never have power against thy corruption for you have heard that it is Christ that is the foundation of thy sanctification And then for incouragements there are a great many excellent incouragements for poor sinners to come unto Christ First The consideration of the neere union that there is between Christ and us in regard of his very humane nature That place in Heb. 2.11 is a very notable scripture for our incouragement For both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are al one for which cause he is not ashamed to cal them brethren He that sanctifieth and those that are sanctified are al one what is that That is Christ is of the same nature that thou art Christ hath taken our nature upon him and the fulness of the Godhead doth dwel bodily in him so that thou mayest goe with the more boldness He that is thy brother is not ashamed to be called thy brother and therefore do not look upon him as at such an infinite distance as thy judge but looke upon him as thy brother as one with him He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all one Thou and Christ together are one body Now what incouragement is here to expect Sanctification from Christ to overcome corruption because Christ and you are made one body of the same Nature and so neerly united and made one Secondly Consider that if Christ did love thee so dearly as to lay down his life for thee surely he wil never suffer thee to perish in thy corruptions shall Christ come down from Heaven and lay down his life for poor Souls and shall he suffer them to die under their corruptions Now if a many should be willing to lay down his life for a Child and he should come and see the Child lie in the dirt ready to be stifled in the dirt could he go by and not regard the Child This is our case Christ hath come and laid down his life for poor sinners but yet they see themselves ready to be stifled by their corruptions and they cry to him for help surely Christ wil not pass by and let thee lie in thy filthyness to be stifled in thy corruption when thou wast so dear to him as to lay down his life for thee Thirdly Another incouragement is this know that thy corruptions are the burdens of Christ as wel as thy burdens they are burdens to thy Soul and burdens to Jesus Christ and therefore he doth certainly pitty thee under them and wil help thee Fourthly If Christ had so much pitty as to heal the bodies of poor creatures here in this world so that there was no diseased body that ever come to him but he healed them surely then Christ wil heal Souls Christ hath more regard to immortal Souls then to bodies Fifthly Christ knows what it is to be tempted for Christ had no Corruption in him yet Christ knows what it is to be tempted and Christ knows by his own experience what a Burden it is to be tempted to sin and surely Christ cannot but know what a Burden it is to be overcome with sin Now Christ himself had the Burden of being tempted unto sin and Christ knows that thy Burden is greater then his burden was and that it is more to be overcome then to be tempted to sin and therefore he knows how to pitty thee Sixthly Know it is to the Honor of the Death of Christ the Resurrection of Christ and the life of Christ to help thee against thy Corruptions and quicken thee in Grace Christ accounts his resurrection and life to be honored when he sees the virtue and power of it to be in the Hearts of beleevers Wherefore then if it be to the Honor of the Death and resurrection and life of Christ it may be incouragement to thee to go to him for help against thy corruptions And this remember when thou art upon duty and begging for help against thy corruptions carry this Rule with thee I come to pray against my sins but together with my prayer let me act my Faith I come to hear the word I but together with my hearing let me act my Faith upon Christ as Mediator to help me against my corruptions I come to the Sacrament but I come to have communion with Christ to help me against my corruptions Oh! act thy Faith in the promises of the Gospel through the blessed Covenant and thou shalt find abundance of strength against thy corruption and Rest unto thy Soul CHAP. XLIII Containes the Conclusion of the former Doctrine of Sanctification with divers directions how to come to Christ for holiness I. Be sensible of the want of it II. Be not satisfied with the ordinances further then you meet with Christ III. Come not so much for comfort and peace as for holiness IV. Be sensible of new supplies V. Converse with Christ in the Gospel I Shal now only add a word or two for the concluding of this and so go on to the next rest that is here promised Come to Christ for the Rest of Sanctification for holiness for the truth is there is no true holiness but that which we have by our coming to Christ
Soul comes to be acquainted with the mistery of the Gospel that it hears the voice behind him as it were saying come to me And the Soul being inabled to answer to the cal and to come to Christ it doth now perform duties as much as it did before and makes conscience of them as much as it did before but now they come to do them in another manner than they did before and they come to be easie to them over that they were before and they come to have rest to their Souls notwithstanding their imperfections in duties When you went to prayer indeed somtimes when your Hearts were much inlarged in Prayer and your thoughts were taken up wholly with the duties that you were performing then you thought you had some comfort but when you had any wandring thoughts and distractions in Prayer then you rose up with a mighty troubled Spirit and could have no rest al the day long Now when you come to be acquainted with the mistery of God in Christ though there be many imperfections in your duties yet then you shal find rest unto your Souls notwithstanding all your imperfections But that wil come to be more clearly opened when we come to that and I wil give you rest Those that have labored under the righteousness of the Law and find it toylsome and exceeding burdensom to them Christ calls them to come to him that they may have rest The Burden under Sin Secondly Those that labor and are heavy laden under the weight and burden of their Sins The trouble of Conscience that is upon them for their Sins this is another thing besides the righteousness of the Law The other labor was from under duties but this labor is from the sense of the weight and burden of Sin and we are to know that this is a great labor and burden Oh! when the Soul comes to be under the burden of sin it works to purpose it labors then indeed The thoughts they gather together and conscience being awakened makes a great disturbance and causeth fears and tremblings in the Soul the heart of a man or woman that was before slugish dull heavy and dead when God comes to make it to be sensible of the evil of Sin then it is quickned enlivened and working You that Labor and are heavy laden you that feel the weight of Sin upon your Souls and know not what in the world to do Come you to me saith Christ and I will give you Rest The Burden of Corruption Thirdly You that labor under the power of any Corruption Not only under the Guilt of your Sins but under the power of Corruption that feel your Sins strong in you and you would fain get the mastery of them You that carry about with you such a weight as makes you to cry out with St. Paul Oh! Wretched man or Woman that I am who shal deliver me from this Body of Death You that would fain overcome those strong Corruptions that are in you and it is the great burden of your Souls that you cannot overcome them Come to me saith Christ and I wil give you rest from them also First you that labor under the burden of duties and find them toylesome Secondly you that labor under the guilt of Sin and find your Souls perplexed by it Thirdly You that labor under the power of any corruption and cannot overcome it Come to me and I wil give you Rest And then The Burden of Affliction Fourthly You that labor under any outward trouble or Affliction in this world All you that are in any sad condition that have any burdens upon you outwardly if you come to Christ he wil ease you of them though perhaps he will not take them from you though you may be under the affliction as before yet you shal have rest and ease in them Have you any burden of poverty Have you any Burden in your Children Have you any burden in your Yoke fellows Or burden by reason of weakness in Body if you will have rest you must go for it to Chirst Many when they are under any outward affliction they go no futher then the creature for rest Oh! if I had but good friends I should be happy or if I had but an Estate I should be wel But if thy poverty did work upon thy heart kindly it would drive thee to Chist and make thee to say true I am poor in this world but there is enough in Christ to make me Rich there is mercy enough in Christ to make my life comfortable to make me who am for the present in a miserable Condition happy for ever Those that are poor outwardly they should go to Christ if their poverty did drive them to Christ it were a good signe that the Lord did Sanctifie their poverty unto them Now because al these Burdens if they were handled distinctly The Burden of the righteousness of the Law The burden of the sense of the guilt of sin the burden of the power of sin And the Burden of outward afflictions in this world To open these fully and to shew how Christ cals those that are under these to himself would take up much time therefore I wil pitch upon the Second at present and handle that more throughly and that is the laboring under the burden of the guilt of Sin You that Labor under the burden of the Guilt of Sin Come to me and I wil give you Rest I wil not here stand to open unto you what the burden of the Guilt of Sin is then I should soon slip into an argument that I have at large heretofore opened to you out of the Evil of sin only thus much let us know that of al burdens in the world the burden of Sin it is the greatest it is that that is a burden to the very spirit of God God complaines that he is pressed under it as a Cart is pressed that is ful of sheaves it was that which pressed down the Angels to Hel to be reserved in Chains of darkness it was that which pressed down Christ and made him sweat drops of Blood And it is that that hath been a great weight and burden upon many thousands of Gods Saints it is that that the damned in Hel lies under now and must do so eternally Cursing Blaspheming of God It is that that makes the whole creation to groan and travel in pain However many people think â—lightly and meanly of it yet when the Lord doth lay it upon any Soul such a Soul doth find it to be a burden indeed CHAP. III. The Burden under Sin laid open in nine Particulars 1. When the Soul not only apprehendeth but is sensible of the Evil of Sin in the reality of it 2. Finds all the comfort that did attend Sin before to vanish and come to nothing 3. Looks upon it self as loathsome and is in Some measure bowed to God 4. Trembles at the least thoughts and Temptations to Sin 5. Feel Sin heaviest
evil report upon the waies of God 5. They keep no proportion therein 6. They are kept off from Christ NOw that which remaines is to shew you the sad condition of men and women that are under this Legal Performance that are in this condition we shal find that the condition is very sad and insupportable to many and this text wil appear to be a text of wonderful mercy if we do set out before you the sadness and grievousness of those that are under this Burden The first Misery First Is not this a sad thing that that thing which should be the cheif joy of ones heart in this world which we should account our priuiledg happiness and the beginning of eternal life that we should account that a misery to us as thus the performance of Duty to do that which God cals for we should account it our priviledg happiness and the beginning of eternal life And indeed it is so if we do it in the way that God requires but now one that is under this burden doth the things in the meer outward act but doth them as necessary evils accounts them as evil things only he cannoâ— avoid them this man and womans condition is very sad that that which others accounte their happiness life and Glory he accounts as his Misery The Second Misery Secondly there is this evil also in the burden of Legal performances that this is a means to cause hard thoughts of God and if God go no further with them then this that they perform Duties in a Legal way this wil occasion many hard thoughts of God and of his waies and they may find that they have so many times when their hearts are pinched with this burden they have many hard thoughts of God and hard thougths of his Law and hard thoughts of his waies this is very greivous when the soul comes to find the commandements of God to be grievous and so to murmure and repine against God as many do that are in trouble of conscience they go on in Duties but because they get no peace nor comfort nor Mastery over their corruptions they begin to repine and murmure at God say they I have done thus and thus and I have performed Duties and nothing comes of them and there upon they begin to leave and hate them The Third Misery Thirdly there is this evil also in the burden of Legal performances that it causes a sinking discouragement their heart doth sink in exceeding discouragment after a while they go on in performance of Duties and find nothing comes of it and they sink under it in discouragment they think it is in vain to go any further and they are desirous to cast it off wholly and think it is the only way for their ease and rest hence follows that therefore there is a way open to temptation for the Devil to come and tempt them either to loosness or to dispair it is many times the end of such poor creatures except God be pleased to come in and reveal Christ unto them one of these two is the Conclusion either they cast off the Duties that before they made conscience of and so grow to be loose and prophane or otherwise if conscience pursues them more and more they grow to dispaire and somtimes upon their sick bed and death bed come into a raving and raging distemper as by experience we find that many after they have been a long time under a troubled conscience and gone on in a Legal way they have grown very prophane there was a time that they durst not neglect Duty in their family and closet but they come afterward to think that this was but Legal and now they cast them off and give themselves to loosness and then they have nothing to plead for themselves but this that they were under Legal performances and they leave them off and thus they go this way to Rest but Oh! woful this is to go to the Devil for Rest if you had come to Christ you might have had Rest but these give up their Souls to the Devils Rest and grow to loosness and are notoriously scandalous in in their lives I suppose if you wil observe it you need not go far to find examples in this kind but others that cannot get the Mastery of their consciences they grow to dispair when they come upon their sick beds their hearts are overwhelmed with dispair and so they die Now Oh! what pity it is to loose such Souls as have gone thus far in the way of Religion As thus First they do the same things that Gods people do for the outward act they do the same things the Saints do Secondly They are very Conscientious of what they do make conscience of their very thoughts and of their secret waies Nay Thirdly they know they have to do with God in every thing they have their hearts so wrought upon that they set themselves in the presence of God alwaies Nay Fourthly They have the fear of God the fear of eternity upon their hearts continually and yet perish at last and al for the want of knowledg of the Gospel it is true these men say right that if their were any such who did put them upon Duties and not open to them the Rest that is in the Gospel and in Christ if they did so they are rightly blamed for putting men upon Duties God forbid that any that take upon them to preach the mind of God unto people should rest here in meerly putting of men upon the performance of Duties for we know to be under the Law and to do Duties in a meer Legal way is a most fearful burden but now this is our work to invite you to come to Jesus Christ that you might have Rest if there be any that knows what it is to be burdened with Legal performances the maine thing I shal do is to invite them to come to Jesus Christ and we shal I Hope bring them to their Rest seeing Christ doth invite them so graciously to come unto him for their Rest The Fourth Misery Fourthly there is this evil in the burden of Legal performances that they who perform duties in a Legal way do bring an evil report upon the waies of God for they go alwaies heavily and dully on in Gods waies and so they bring an ill report upon the waies of God whereas when the Heart is sanctified and caryed on by a divine principle such a one makes the waies of God beautiful and lovely to those that they converse withal but they that perform Duties meerly in a Legal way they go on so Pensively sadly and dully that there is no beauty at al in their Conversation and they make others afraid of those waies that are so tedious and irksome to them The Fift Misery Fifthly There is this Evil in the burden of Legal performances that those that perform Duties meerly in a Legal manner they do not keep any proportion in the waies of God
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
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
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
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
look upon their faith as legal As thus because their faith doth not come up so fully to the perfection that they do desire yea to that perfection that the Law requires in any thing that we tender up to God For though the Law doth not mention any thing of our beleeving in Christ yet thus much the Law requires that what we do should be tendered up to God and what we tender up to God With perfection Now beleevers looking upon what they tender up to God as imperfect this makes them to make their faith Legal The Sixth Lesson Sixthly another Lesson that beleevers are to learn from the Rest that they have in Christ from the burden of the Law is this that if they find any way or meanes to be delivered from the terrors that come by the Law certainly then they need not be troubled with al the terror that possibly can come from any creature from any men If thy faith can deliver thee from the terror of the Law and give rest to thy soul notwithstanding al the terrible things in the Law threatned against thy sin then thy faith may deliver thee much more from the terror of men for take al the rage and power of al the men in the world and devils in hel they are not so terrible as the threates of the Law Now if God hath given thee such a grace into thy heart as thou by that comest to know a way to deliver thee from the terror of the threatning of the Law and to give Rest unto thy soul from that then thou needst not be afraid of al terrors from wicked men do but set that grace of thine a work set it in exercise upon such promises as have given thee Rest from the Law and this wil free thee from the terrors of wicked men in the world Truly if beleevers did understand the reality of this point there is nothing in the world could be terrible to them but they would have â—est in their souls in the midst of al the terrors in the world for they might reason thus through the grace of faith that God hath given to mee my soul hath rest when I heare the terrors of the Law dreadfully in my eares yet I have that within me that gives me rest from them and I am sure that al the terrors of al the men in the world and devils in hel cannot be more terrible than the threates of the Law therefore as thou hast made use of thy faith to believe in Christ to get Rest from those terrors in the like manner put forth thy faith when thou hearest the terrors of wicked men to deliver thy soul from them let there be never so much rumors in the world yet thou mayest say my soul returne unto thy Rest The seventh Lesson Seventhly Another Lesson that beleevers are to learn from their deliverance from the law which is of marvelous use to them in their life and conversation is this That certainly it is the most unbecoming thing in the world to see a beleever to be rigorous towards his brethren Christ hath delivered thee from rigor then wilt thou be rigorous Christ hath given thee Rest wilt not thou do what thou canst to give thy brother rest too If Christ hath delivered thee from great troubles burdens and bondage that thou wert under why shouldest thou not endeavor with al thy might to deliver thy brother from burdens troubles any thing that might grieve thy brother Oh! what an unworthy thing is it that a Christian that hath received so much rest from Christ yet should be a troublesome man or woman to his brother or sister Christ doth therefore give Rest to thee that thou mayest be of a quiet disposition towards others that thou mayest be pitiful towards others To see one that professes to have deliverance from the Law and to have Rest in Christ to be rigorous to those under him rigorous to his servants rigorous to his Children it is miserable remember what rigor Christ hath delivered thee from and remember to be quiet spirited to thy brother Hence it follows in the next words to my text Learn of mee for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shal find rest unto your soules I wil give rest to your soules that so you may be of a meeke and quiet disposition towards your brethren but of that when we come to those words that follow we shal then speake of the weakness and quietness of spirit that should be in Christians Now these things are necessarily the consequences that do follow upon the rest that we have in Christ from the Law many other things might be raised but because they are but consequences of what hath been delivered I resolved not to be large upon them CHAP. 33. Of the rest from Legal Performances and the several waies how this rest comes from Christ viz. duties are delightful to the soul because Christ renders God unto the soul in a gracious way 2. They are not performed as satisfactory but as testimonies of love and thankfulness 3 Christ himself offers up the duties to God 4. They are performed from the Law in the heart 5. They have the Promises joyned with them NOw to make some entrance into the next thing which hath great affinity to the other aad that is the rest that is in Christ from the trouble of spirit that there is in many in regard of Legal performances that you know I opened at large the great burden that there is in the spirits of many people who have convinced Consciences and there Consciences pul and hale them to duty and they dare not but performe duty but when they do their duty their very duties are a burden to them for they do them in a legal way There are many I know that are acquainted with this it is impossible to speak of such a subject but that there are divers that know what I meane though others know not to be under so much power of Conscience as not to dare to omit a duty though the duty be burdensom to them There be many that are not under so much command of Conscience but though conscience require them to do such a duty they dare omit the duty and they are not troubled at it but but there are others who have not felt the Grace of the Gospel to set their souls at liberty they are under so much command of conscience that they dare not but do what Conscience requires and yet the Lord knows the duties that they have performed have been girevous burdens them they have gone under the command of their Consciences as under a grievous burden Now to these Christ speaks come ro me and I wil give you rest in the beleeving in Christ in the exercising of faith in Christ there is deliverance from this burden and many poor souls that for many yeares have gone on under this burden whom the Lord hath opened to them the grace of Christ their hearts
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
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