quite against those duties opposite unto them there is a contrary streame in them they go against wind and tide you know what a burdensome thing it is for the boatman to go against wind and tyde he must put to a great deale of strength so it is heere til the soul come to beleeve in Christ and to have the spirit of Christ having onely conviction of conscience and being put upon duties there are such corruptions in the heart and such evil principles in al men naturally that are as wind and tide against those duties and yet saith concience you must do them though you find your inclinations to be never so strong another way yet conscience tels you you must do them and when God is pleased to put strength into conscience it wil make a man or a woman to go on in duty though it be never so cross to their own nature you wil say if it be cross to their owne natures why do they not leave it off No they dare not notwithstanding so it is true we shal show you afterwards that even godly men and beleivers are burdened with corruptions they have contrary principles to the duty too I but they are not so prevailing as with unbeleevers that are only legal It is a tedious thing you know to cast a stone upward not onely to cause a stone to move any way that is some trouble because you keep it from its center but to put it upon a motion that is quite contrary to the principle that is burdensome because al heavy things have principles in them that work downwards therfore to put them upon those things that are quite contrary to their natural principles it is a motion that wil cause burden and that because you keep them from their owne center so conscience may keep a man and woman from their own center from those wicked courses that their natures are inclined unto and al the while they are kept from the course that their natures do so strongly incline them unto it must needs be burdensome to them until God come and sanctifie their hearts they may be a great while without any sanctification many whose consciences are convinced may goe on in duties without sanctification in them The third Burden of Legal Performances 3. One that goes on in the performance of duties in a legal way meerly is weary and tired with what he doth and yet can find no strength comming in unto him no further ability to perform what conscience puts him upon then he had at first nay rather less ability Now this must needs be burdensome As suppose a man be put upon a work and if he have no mind to it that is tedious but if it be against the haire quite opposite to his disposition that is more tedious yet he must go on and he toyls and wearies himself and yet the more he works the more grievous it is unto him for he finds no strength comming but strength wearying rather his strength wears a way and no strength comes in to assist him and yet his work is as strong as it was that work must needs be burdensome so those that are meerly legal they go on stil in duty and the work is stil as strong but they are weaker many a man when he first sets upon a work is cold and benummed bur when he continues in the work he gets warmth and then it is not so burdensom unto him but if he continues in the work and is colder and colder this is very tedious to those that performe duties in a meer legal way conscience puts them upon it at first and they go to duty with some vigour but the truth is they grow more weary and the work is more tedious and yet conscience puts them upon asmuch work as at first when a man hath been at work and growes weary and desires ease and a cruel task-master shal come and tel him there must be no decrease of your work nor no increase of your strength this must needs be tedious thus those that performe duties in a legal way conscience puts upon them as much worke when they are weary and tired as at first here is the difference between the works of sanctification legal performances though they seem to be hard at first yet while the soul sets upon them there comes in strength and the more work the more strength they do not spend their strength and throw it away and grow more weary afterwards then at first but the more they have experience of the ways the more strength they have they grow warm at their work and being warm they get further and further strength and it grows easie unto them but it is not so with one that performes duties in a meere legal way some have been seven yeares in a profesion of religion and made conscience of their duties yet after seven yeares spent their hearts no more mortified then at first and they have got no more strength then at first their lusts are less mortified and their strength is less then at first and therefore their work must needs be grievous unto them The 4. Burden of Legal Performances 4. Those that performe duties in a legal way meerely while they are striving to do their duty they are contracting stil further guilt upon their souls they strive to do that that the law requires and in their very striving they are breaking of the law You wil say so godly men while they are striving to do their duty they sin also there is imperfection in the best I but yet their sin is done away in Christ their sin is not layed to their Charge but those that are meerly legal while they are striving they sin and contract Guiltiness upon their spirits and it lies upon them and they stand charged with it But then it may be said it were better that they did not strive no not so neither conscience must have them strive it would be a greater guiltiness if they should not strive though when they strive they stand charged with further evil then before now this is a greivous burden as now if a man were rowling a stone up a hil and as soone as he had rolled it up the stone should come down upon him again it would be a mighty tiresome work it is so with those that are meerly legal while they are in duty in working stil corruption brings them down againe and they contract continually guiltiness upon their soules The 5. Burden of Legal Performances 5. Those that performe duties in a meere legal way what they do they do meerly out of feare they are put upon it in a forcible and rigorous way they are put upon al their duties in a rigorous way meerly by force and constraint if you put a man to do a thing meerly by force it is very tedious to him and especialy when your forcing of him is with rigor as those that are slaves they are not only exhorted to
for the principle of life out of my self This is the second thing that is here noted Come to me that is first behold me see and beleeve that I am the great mediator that is come into the world to save your souls and then secondly let there be an unsetling of your hearts a taking your hearts off from whatsoever you were setled upon heretofore that so you may be removed from thence and that you may take another course for your life in Christ and happiness in him Thirdly Come unto me that is let there be a working and a stirring of your hearts after me Christ calls for the heart of sinners after he comes to be revealled to them they should be in a working stiring disposition making after the Lord Jesus Christ for union with him to the utmost that possibly they can the thoughts should be working and the conscience working and the wil opening it self to receive in the grace of God and the affection should he stirring and the whole soul should be in a working disposition after him Incline your eare and come as if Christ should say though you are under great burdens yet do not you sink under them in a discouraging way and lie down in a dul and a heavy way No but let your hearts be stirring working and acting after me continually have a care of this to keep your hearts in a stirring and working way after Christ and the grace that is offered to you in Christ this is that which young beginners should observe in a special manner if God be beginning to work upon your hearts you should have a great care to keep your hearts in a stir-working acting frame and disposition after Christ and above al things in the world take heed of a dul heavy dead spirit at this time when God cals you to come to Christ as the Apostle saith of himself in Phil. 3.14 I press hard after the mark so it should be with every poor soul that God is drawing after Christ it should be alwaies in a comming disposition and they should press hard toward the mark of the high prize of the calling that is set before them Christ is set before thee God sets his son before thee with the treasure of grace and thou shouldest press and follow hard after God as it is the expression of David in one of the Psalmes 63 8. a hard following stirring and working of the soul after the Lord as David said to his son Solomon in 1. Chron. 22.16 Vp and be doing and the Lord wil be with thee so I say to al unto whom the grace of God is offered they must not be dul and sullen but up and be doing As the Apostle speakes in 1. Phil. 20. According to the earnest expectation the word that is translated earnest expectation in the original signifies to stretch out the neck to look after some good that I would fain have come that is the propriety of the word in the original text so this should be comming to Christ that is when Christ is propouned in the gospel there should be the stretching out of the soul in looking after the Lord Jesus and a working of the soul after Jesus Christ keeping the soul working and stirring after Christ Many poor souls whom God is beginning to work his grace upon loose abundance of time and comfort for want of this of keeping their hearts in a working and stirring frame after Christ they spend their time in the afflicting of their soules but they do not keep their hearts working towards Jesus Christ As Jacob said to his sons when they wanted bread in Cannaan saith he We have heard that there is corn in Egipt and why do we stand looking one upon an other saith Jacob to his sons had you gon saith he you might have been come back again and brought us bread by this time so I say to many burdened souls hast thou not heard that there is grace and mercy in Jesus Christ had thy soul bin working stirring and kept in an acting frame after Jesus Christ thou mightest have bin returnig and have gotten rest to thy soul by this time thou standest looking unto this thing and the other thing and poring upon thy corruptions hadst thou kept thy heart continually stirring in a working frame after Christ the work might have been done by this time Fourthly Come to me that is saith Christ come and lay al your burdens upon mee come and role your hearts upon mee whatever burden it is either of your soules or afflictions outwardly what ever your feares and troubles are yet come and do you cast al your burdens upon me I am content to beare them al. That is a special work of faith for the soul to role it self upon Jesus Christ to cast it self with al its burdens upon the infinite rich free grace of God in Jesus Christ as if Christ should say is it the burden of sin I have borne the burden of sin already Is it the wrath of God that is a burden to you come and cast this burden upon me I have born the wrath of God Or is it the burden of the Law I have borne that burden for you I was made an offering for you I was made under the law to deliver you from under the law Is it the burden of any affliction That was upon me It is true the burden of corruption was not upon him but Christ wil deliver us from that too Come to me and whatever burden is upon your souls cast it upon me role your souls al your burdens upon me saith Christ and I wil give you rest Fifthly and lastly Come to me that is come and leave your soules with me and commit them to me for life for salvation for peace for whatsoever good you would have be willing to betrust me with your souls be willing to betrust me with al your comforts be willing to betrust me both with your present and with your eternal estate in al your transanctions with God and dealing with God trust me withal that is comming to Christ When Christ bids us come to him it is as much as if he should say come to me and leave your souls leave al your care and commit to me al that you have and whatsoever you are commit your selves wholly to me to be disposed of by me for al good whatsoever and I wil take charge of you I wil ingage my self and al my faithfulness to have a care of you and suply you in al your wants and strengthen you under al your burdens and carry you through al difficulties and bring you at length to life and salvation and perfect rest together with my Father and my self that is the meaning of Christ when he saith Come to me So the Apostle in 1. Tim. 2.12 I know in whom I have beleeved and that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him That which I have committed to him what is that
not go upon such mean and low arguments as you do meane and low arguments may keep men in an orderly course to live quietly with their Neighbors and keep them from thievery drunkenness swearing and the like arguments that the heathen had skil of may keep them from those things But the saints beleevers that are acquainted with the wayes of Christ they have higher arguments they behold him with the eye of faith and so they come to have power against their sin and to have ease in their souls Thus saith Christ come to me you have Corruptions prevailing over you and you perhaps strive with them with such and such arguments but come to me and I wil give you such things you shal see so much against sin and so much for holiness as that that I shal discover to you shal help you against your corruptions and further you in the way of holiness and so you shal have rest unto your souls CHAP. XL. Shewing how Sanctification comes from Christ in six Particulars more 1. It is he that reveals the Father to the Soul 2. Through Christ the Love of God is shed abroad into the heart 3. All the Promises are made to us through him 4. In him all the Ordinances are effectual 5. He sends the Spirit into the heart 6. Christ Rules in the heart SEventhly Christ comes to be our Sanctification we have the rest of sanctification in Christ thus It 's Christ that doth make known the Father unto the soul No man knows the Father saith Christ but the Son and him to whom the Son reveals him I suppose you know the Scripture And if you have seen me saith Christ you have seen the Father in John 14. It is Christ that makes known God unto the soul and there is a mighty power to work Holiness in the heart by the knowledg of God Saith the Apostle St. John in 1 John 2.4 He that saith I know him and keepeth not his Commandements is a lyar The knowledg of God cannot stand with the neglect of Gods Commandements There is a mighty power in the knowledg of God for the Sanctifying of the heart the very looking upon Gods Holiness hath a great deal of power to sanctifie the heart and the reason of al the wickedness and prophaness in the world it is because men know not the Lord know not what an infinite blessed glorious God they have to deal withal They that know thy Name will trust in thee saith the Psalmist So may we say Those that know thy Name O Lord will fear thee they will serve thee they will walk before thee in obedience and Holiness Now the knowledg of God it is in Christ there may be some kind of Natural knowledg of God out of Christ in beholding the Works of God we may know somwhat of him But as the Scripture saith in 1 Cor. 1.21 After that in the Wisdom of God that is in the Creature in the Glory of God that shines in the Creature the World by Wisdom knew not God The World by Wisdom that is the World by all their Natural Understanding by al Learning that Phylosophers had that saw much of the Glory of God shining in the Creature yet saith the Text by al their wisdom they knew not God but yet it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that beleeve And what preaching was this verse 23. We preach Christ crucified c. So that there is no saving knowledg but only in Christ when the Soul comes to Christ then the Lord Jesus Christ reveals the Father to him reveals the Counsels of God unto the Soul reveals the very heart of God unto the soul and hence it is that many poor people that are very ignorant before they come to know Christ know little or nothing of God at al but had strange thoughts of God yet as soon as ever the things of the Gospel come to be revealed to them they begin to have high thoughts of God high and honorable thoughts of God and those high and honorable thoughts of God do mightily prevail upon their hearts to purge out sin and sanctifie their hearts exceedingly Do but consider of those places where the preaching of the Gospel hath been but very little what poor thoughts they have of God they know not God and therfore they live in all manner of Ungodliness But now when the preaching of the Gospel comes to any place and God comes to be known there the Devil is cast out and the hearts of people being filled with the knowledg of God they come to be sanctified unto the Service of God That is another thing It is Christ that reveals the Father unto the Soul and so comes for to sanctifie the heart Eighthly It is through Christ that the love of God is shed abroad into the heart of a beleever and that hath a mighty power to sanctify the heart the shedding abroad of the love of God into the heart this only can be in Christ There may be though out of Christ common fruites of Gods bounty general patience goodness and the like but the special love of God that hath a sanctifying power that goes along with it it is that only that is in Christ and when the soul comes once to have union with Christ there flowes the sweet sence of the love of God unto the heart it is shed abroad according unto the scripture Phrase that the heart being filled with the sweetness of Gods love and comes to be sanctified thereby then al base love of the creature and the love of sin comes to be eaten out and the heart comes to be carried on in a blessed sweet and gracious manner after the Lord. Al the terror of the Law cannot sanctifie so as the shedding abroad of the love of Christ in the heart can Indeed by the terror of the Law sin may be restrained but by the terror of the Law the heart can never be sanctified This is a certain truth the terror of the Law may restrain from sin but it can never sanctifie the heart the terrors of the Law are useful to be preached in that way for to restrain Sin but when we preach them we do not think that we can thereby possibly sanctifie the heart corruption may be restrained for a while but that which must sanctifie the heart must be the love of God in Jesus Christ As I remember Fulgentius compares the love of God in Christ in the heart of a beleever to the fire that is within the furnace and the love of God in his common bounty to a few sparkes that fly out at a distance from the mouth of the furnace take al the love of God that is in the creature suppose the Lord should give unto you the possession of al the world and should make a thousand worlds and give thee possession of them al this were but as a spark from the furnace but the love of God in Christ is as the
the flesh And spirit or of spirit not to make you make conscience of wicked actions but cleanse you from your very thoughts these promises wil clense from the filthiness of the flesh I perhaps they may a little serve the turne for them I but from the filthiness of the spirit the filthiness of the thoughts the Filthiness of the affections those inward spiritual wickednesses Of pride malice and the like May be you would count it a vild thing to be accused of whordom the Filthiness of the flesh I but what say you to the filthiness of the spirit of pride malice distrust earthly mindedness and such like these promises are to clense from the filthiness of the spirit aswel as of the flesh And then perfecting holiness in the feare of God it makes them fear God more and then it perfects holiness such a one as is acquainted with the promises of the Gospel is content with no measure of holiness but growes higher and higher til he comes to perfection Here you see the use of promises what a clensing nature promises have Oh my brethren be much exercised in promises lay up promises if you would get power over your corruptions And then one scripture more for this is that in 2. Pet. 1.4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises The promises of the Gospel they are precious more worth then a world a beleever that knows the preciousness of the promises accounts more of them then of his estate What do you account precious that you may have your ships laden home with precious things I but to have your hearts filled with precious promises it is far better then these But now wherein do these promises appeare to be so precious It appeares by this whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature that by these great and precious promises you might be partakers of the divine nature that is of holiness of sanctification that is called the divine nature having escaped the corruptions that is in the world through lust By these the soul escapes the corruption that is in the world by lust and not only escapes the corruption of the world that is doth not live so wickedly as others do but comes to be made partaker of the divine nature through these promises So that Christ is the rest of sanctification because in him al promises are made they have a mighty clensing virtue to sanctifie the heart you would willingly have interest in promises and have the mercy that the promise holds forth now as you would have the interest in the promises and have the mercy that the promises holds forth so you must labor to feele the efficacy of the promises to clense your hearts and make you partaker of the divine nature Tenthly Christ is sanctification because in him al the ordinances are effectual the ordinances are effectual only in Christ Christ gave his ordinances unto his Church at first and then they come to be effectual through him It is not what you come to heare in the word but how much of Christ you have in the word you come to the sacrament it is not what you partake of there but what of Christ you get there it is not what you partake of there but what of Christ you get there it is Christ in the word sacrament and prayer that is the efficacy of al the ordinances the ordinances are but al as the vehiculum Christi the conveyance of Christ unto the soul And therefore we should when we come to any ordinance think with our selves what have we of Christ what have we of Christ here have we met with any thing of Christ here In the word prayer sacraments hath my heart been drawn neerer to Christ in them For certain it is that it is Christ that is the virtue and kernel of al the ordinances Hence it is that those that are acquainted with Christ and have been brought to him they come to profit more in one month now by the ordinances then they did in al their lives Before the ordinances were as empty things and liveless things to you but in Christ they come now to be made effectual Eleventhly Christ is our sanctification by sending the holy Ghost into our hearts for the holy Ghost comes from the father and the son we can never expect the saving work of the holy Ghost nor the sanctifying worke of the holy Ghost but through Christ for so Christ saith in that place in John 16.14 concerning the spirit He saith he wil send his spirit He shal glorifie me for he shal receive of mine The spirit the holy Ghost doth receive of Christ when he comes into the heart therefore if there be any sanctification by the Holy Ghost it must be through Christ he must receive of Christ he works from the father and from the son And therfore the scripture hath that phrase We are baptised into one spirit that is by being baptised into Christ having the inward work of baptisme we are made partakers now of that one spirit the Holy Ghost Now such is the excellency of sanctification as it cannot be wrought by any natural meanes but it must have the Holy Ghost to be sent into the heart and therefore the saints are said to be the temple of the Holy Ghost Now what ever worke of the Holy Ghost there is required for sanctification that must be in and through Christ and from Christ The Holy Ghost never comes to sanctifie any but the members of Jesus Christ for he is the spirit of Christ as wel as of the father and never comes to any but to the members of Christ in this work of sanctification There are some common gifts of Gods spirit that the heathens have but for this gift of true holiness it is only in the members of Christ that the holy Ghost doth come into Lastly Christ is our sanctification by his Kingly power swaying his scepter in our hearts and ruling there subduing our lusts as a king subdues rebels and walking and governing the hearts of his people Christ doth exercise a kingly power when any soul doth beleeve when Christ comes into any heart he comes into the heart to exercise a kingly power there to set up his throne in a kingly manner and by this he comes to sanctifie the heart and give rest And as in a kingdom there are mutinies seditions and the like so in the hearts of sinners there are mutinies and seditions even against God himselfe But now whenas the king sends forth power that very power prevailes against al things if it prevail in a way of justice al things are brought into right and due order again So here when Christ comes into the heart as king of righeousness and then as king of peace hereby he comes to bring rest and quiet unto the heart by his kingly power Carnal hearts they think that the kingly power of
the world sin is very light Well know That as Christ himself felt sin to be a heavy burden so one way or other they must feel it either here or hereafter but blessed is that man or woman that feels the weight of sin while he may be delivered from it that he be not hereafter prest under the weight of it We read of Pharoah when the people of Israel came for ease he bids them go to their burdens that that he did unjustly Christ might do to many righteously hereafter when you upon your sick beds or death beds hereafter shal cry for mercy Christ may say to you go to your burdens when any thing of the Word came to press sin upon your souls you cast it off O! 't is a dangerous Condition when men and women cannot only sin enough but now when any truth of God should lay sin upon their hearts they cast it out and they think hardly of those Truths of God that would come and â—ind their sins to their Consciences and so burden them with their sins but it should be otherwise with us If those that be thus laden with their sins be those that Christ doth call to him we should not think so hardly of those Truths of God that doth reveal the evil of sin unto us but rather let us joyn with those Truths of God and labor to burden our own hearts for you see that those that are burdened Christ cals them to him that they might have rest there is no other burdens that we are to bring upon our selves but rather seek to avoid them but as for the burden of sin we are to burden our hearts with that and to labor to lay our sins to our hearts and to press them there and to charge them upon our own Spirits with all the aggravations we can and to joyn with the work of Gods Spirit when the Spirit of God comes to lay sin upon the soul to joyn with it and to say Lord I begin to be more sensible of my sins than I was before Lord humble me through it let me be under thy hand as long as thou pleasest only work thy good work upon me Object But you wil say We may sink under the burden of Sin Answ O no those that cast off the burden of sin they are most like to sink under it now can you think that the Lord wil Suffer such a soul to sink under the burden that doth burden it self that God might have glory But those that are unwilling and are forced to be burdened that never are sensible of the burden of sin til al the props and Comforts of the creature are taken away Upon their sick beds and death beds then men are burdened with Sin and why because the props are taken away before they had comforts and estates and such things which are as so many props but now God comes and takes the props and down they fâ—l upon us That is the reason that many upon their death beds lie Roâ—ring and Crying out so bitterly for their sins and why because the Lord hath cut asunder the props and now it lies heavy upon their hearts Now Christ cals come to me you that are weary and heavy laden come to me saith Christ Know that you are in a faâ— better condition than you were when you went on with delight in sin you are now in the way that God doth use to bring them in that he hath a purpose to do good unto I remember in the Gospel where the poor blind man cryed to Christ O Son of David have mercy upon me and stil cryed at length Christ heard the cry of the blind man and asked what it was Now those that were by him they go to the poor blind man and say to him be of good comfort he calls he might say I but my eyes be not opened I but be of good comfort he calls So I say to al burdened Sinners be of good comfort troubled soul Christ calls thee he saith come to me al ye that are weary and heavy laden he doth not say thou that art so much laden Christ cals thee to him Object I but thou wilt say I have no ease if I were sure that my sins were pardoned I should be saved then I should have ease and comfort Answ I but poor soul be of good comfort thou art called he doth not say thou art a wretched wicked creature and depart from me thou cursed as he wil say to sinners hereafter that might have been thy condition but thou didst not heare the voice from Christ this day depart from me but thou doest heare this voice this day from Christ Come to me al you that are weary and heavy laden Christ is neer to you the Lord is neer to the broken heart he is neere to the contrite spirit And know this the longer thou art under the burden of thy sin there wil come the more comfort hereafter Now there is a burden of sin upon thee and there wil be a weight of glory hereafter So the Scripture speakes of a weight of glory as wel as of a weight of Sin be willing to beare the weight of sin quietly say with the Prophet I wil be willing to beare the indignation of the lord because I have sinned against him So say thou 't is fit my soul should beare a burden be content to wait now do you the same thing that Christ did when he was under his burden mark what he did in Heb. 5.7 See how the heart of Christ was affected when he felt the weight of our sins upon him In the dayes of his flesh he offered up prayers and supplications with strong Cryes and teares unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he Feared Goe thy way O Soul and get into the presence of God and tel God of thy burdens that thou feelest make thy moan unto him and let it be with praiers and supplications and strong Cryes and tel him Lord I fear least my soul should be prest down to eternal death under this burden tel him of thy feares this way and it is very probable that thy soul shal be heard and according to this invitation here surely there is rest for thee as wel as for any while thou art crying out under thy burden for ought thou knowest or any Angel in heaven the pardon of thy sins may be sealling in heaven and therefore do not make any desperate Conclusion against thy own Soul for thy pardon may be a sealing and then the Lord wil send a messenger to tel thee of this Nay do I tel thee that theâ—e wil a messenger come Behold here in this text the Lord Jesus Christ comes the Angel of the Covenant cryes to thee Come O Come come freely though thou hast no good at al in thee there is enough in me to give rest unto that soul that doth most labor under the greatest burden of sin that ever
instance you know that the Scripture tels us that the flesh fights against the Spirit and the spirit fights against the flesh there is a continual fighting by this Corruption against al that is good now that there should be Corruption in the Heart that continually fights against God that is a more fearful thing so it is in thy Heart Now to be alwaies in a fight or a combate it is a fearful thing we count it a great burden that there should be Wars and Rumors of Wars within our gates I but there is a greater war in thy Heart It is a thing that was not thought possible ever to be in England that there should be found such a Generation that should indanger their lives to make them and their posterity slaves and yet for this they fight who doth not see but the victory wil be this in the Conclusion But I wil shew you a worse thing then this in every of your Hearts there are such Corruptions in your Hearts as put your Souls to fight to mischeif your selves to bring your selves to be slaves to the Devil this is in your Hearts though indeed some are not sensible of this and what is the reason that if corruption be a Burden that some people â—eel it not One Reason is this because they are dead in sins if this whole building should fal upon a dead man he would not feel it and take this as an infallible argument that thou art dead in sins and trespasses if thou dost not feel the Burden of thy corruption that man and woman that is not sensible of the sin that is in their Souls I dare in the Name of God pronounce that Man or Woman dead As it is in Nature though we may loose the sense of seeing or of smelling or of hearing yet we may live yet the sense of feeling or touching that cannot be lost if we be living if we loose the sense of feeling certainly that man or Woman is dead no sense inwardly or outwardly there is some sense of feeling so long as there is life So here though there may be many weaknesses in men and Women yet when they do not feel the Burden of their Corruptions at al certainly they are dead men and Women Now you that are weary and heavy Laden come to me saith Christ And I will give you Rest know that Christ speaks to you not only out of pity as to those that Labor under the Burden of Legal performances but out of love and know that by this you come to be fitted for Christ and it is that that is as delightful to the heart of Christ to give ease and Rest to his poor Servants that Labor under the Burden of Corruption as to do any thing in the world it was a special end why Christ came into the world to dissolve the works of the Devil our Corruptions are from the Devil and are tied close to us and they easily beset us as the expression is now I say it was the end why Jesus Christ came into the world to dissolve the works of the Devil that is when he sees his poor Servants under this burden and to cry out under it as Paul did who shal deliver me then Christ comes to cut this bond and so to dissolve the works of the Devil and give ease and Rest to their Spirits You do wel when you struggle and strive against your Corruptions with all the strength you have but the great work you have to do that you may be delivered from your Corruptions is to renew your act of Faith in Christ to make use of those Scriptures wherein Christ is said to be our Sanctification as wel as our Redemption and to act our Faith upon those Scriptures and that is the way to ease our Souls of these Burdens CHAP. XV. In what respects the stirrings and motions of Corruption 〈◊〉 very burdensom 1. They continually fight against the Spirit of Grace in the Heart 2. They are sudden 3. They are ful of Confusion and disorder 4. They work very Malitiously 5. They watch opportunity to do mischief 6. They are very unseasonable 7. They are very prevalent NOw besides the Corruption of our Nature the stirring of Corruption is very burdensome unto the Soul I suppose if a Man or Woman did know what corrupt Nature is in them and though this corrupt Nature did not stir yet it would be very burdensome but we are to know that this corrupt Nature doth not lie stil but is alwayes working stirring acting and putting it self forth unto that that is evil now the motions of sin are burdensome 1. For First they are continually fighting against the Spirit of God and the spirit of grace in the heart the flesh lusteth against the spirit now to have a continual fighting and Combating in the soul is it not very burdensome as a family where there is a continual falling out never a day that you come to some families but there is falling out and fighting is it not burdensome to live in such a family now in the hearts of men and women there is a continual fighting If one should be in a family where the husband and wife is continually fighting one with an other and the children and servants flying in the face one of an other that would be burdensome now in the heart of man there is the flesh and spirit continually fighting one against another is not war in a kingdome a burden and especially when men shal fight to make themselves slaves as I said before would any man ever have thought it possible that there should be such folly in the hearts of any in England to fight to make themselves and their posterity slaves that the very victory that they should get was to bring them to be slaves now the fight with corruption it is for this end 2 And then the stirring of corruption is sudden many times a man or woman that is gracious and godly that finds their heart in some good temper and working for God suddenly their corruptions wil be stirring in them unexpectedly which is extream greife and damp to their spirits and causeth many times exceeding much trouble to them suddenly that no body can understand the cause of it but themselves 3. And then the stirring of Corruption is violent the stirring of Corruption in the hearts of the Saints are many times extream violent and outragious the divel stirs up their Corruption and indeed the corruptions themselves are as it were divels in them that do as the divel that was ready to be cast out of him that was possessed he causeth him to foam at the mouth so there is extreame violence of corruption in the hearts of the Saints It was a Lamentable conditition of the poor Child that was possessed in the Gospel when the father came to Christ for help because when the evil spirit came it cast him into the fire and into the water So corruption is so violent in
and Earth upon the Frame or keeping it in being the Lord doth not appear more to be an almighty God in keeping Heaven and Earth in being then he doth appeare to be an Almighty God in keeping grace alive in the heart notwithstanding al the remainder of Corruption so that in this God hath Glory in another way then he hath from the Angels in heaven the power of God appeares in upholding of the Angels for if he did not uphold them they would fal into evil as Adam and the other Angels did but therein appeares Gods glorious power to uphold the Angels but the glorious power in upholding the Angels doth not so much appeare as the glorious power of God in upholding the hearts of the Saints in the midst of their corruptions this shal be a special argument that the Saints shal praise God for to al eternity when they shal look back and see what a condition they were in before their conversion yea in their conversion that though God granted them some grace yet what abundance of Corruption was in their hearts al that time and what a deal of stir they had to maintain that little grace they wil stand and admire to consider that it should be kept alive in the midst of sin that a little sparke should be kept alive in the midst of the Sea not only in the midst of the Sea but when the sea is tempestuous you yil say it is no great wonder that the fire be kept burning when the sea is calme but when al is in a storme and yet a spark of fire shal be kept alive in the midst of al the tossings of the waves you wil grant here is a mighty power now the keeping alive of grace in thy heart in the midst of so much corruption doth argue as mighty a power in God 2. The Lord doth so order it that stil his own people shal be under the burden of much coruption in this regard because that hereby the Lord draweth forth the exercise of faith in his son in which his soul takes infinite delight the soule of God takes infinite delight in beholding the working of the glorious grace of faith in Jesus Christ But you wil say wherein doth it appeare to be so glorious in regard of our corruption Thus for the Angels in heaven to believe in God that he wil be eternally good to them it is not so much as for a poor soul in the midst of al his corruptions yet to be able to Triumph in the free grace of God in Jesus Christ notwithstanding I am so vild filthy loathsome and abominable to myself and justly God and his Saints may count me a burden to them and cast me off for ever yet for al this my soul shal cling to him I wil cast my self upon him and look upon him as a gracious father a merciful God a God that loves me a God that rejoyceth in doing Good to me for the soul to exercise faith in the Grace of God in Christ it is a glorious thing only take heed you do not mistake it for presumption Object You wil say For men notwithstanding al their sin to beleeve in Gods mercy this is rather presumption then faith Answ True it is presumpion in many they mistake themselves but in others it is true faith and God delights in it and you shal know it by this it doth draw the heart to God and the soul never finds such a prevalent way to overcome those corruptions that are in it as to exercise their faith in the grace of God in Christ I beseech you mark the difference between presumption and faith in Christ presumption wil trust in Gods mercy notwithstanding their sin but that doth indeed foment their sin and makes them secure in their sin makes them the more secure in their sin but now when the soul shal by the true geminine act of faith rest in the free grace of God notwithstanding corruption if it be right such a soul feels no means in the world of greater efficacy to cure and prevail against corruption then this to trust in the free grace of God notwithstanding corruption and if thou findest it thus thou hast no cause to feare trust in Gods grace with confidence for it is that which is wel pleasing unto God and that which the Lord delights in and that which gives as much content to Gods heart as the exercise of any grace whatsoever and in that regard because the Saints shal never exercise such an act of Faith in Heaven â—s this God wil have this in this world 3. This is that that God sees doth drive his own people to him in prayer nothing drives the Saints to God with more earnestness in prayer then the feeling of the weight of Corruption upon them then they goe to God above al God never heares such strong cryes come up to heaven in regard of any affliction as this and by the way you may find by this how your hearts are when the hand of God is upon you in afflictions then you wil cry to God but I put this to you hath there not come as strong cryes to heaven upon the sence of your Corruptions as upon the sence of any Affliction whatsoever 4. The Lord hath glory in this in the exercise of the work of repentance and humility the keeping the Souls of his people in humility and the contrition of their Spirits that is exceeding pleasing to God the Lord is neer to a broken contrite heart a melting mourning spirit the Lord doth delight in the evangelical workings of repentance this pleaseth the Lord the work of humiliation mourning and sorrow for sin in an evangelical way is a grace that is acceptable to God God shal have none of that in heaven and he hath it therefore here 5. God hereby exerciseth his wisdome exceedingly in bringing light out of darkeness God doth many times turne not only the afflictions of his people to their good but he workes good many times out of sin not that hereby we should be bold and presumptuous in our sins we must take head of tempting God yet know this that God doth many times work exceeding much good unto the Saints even out of their sins by occasion of sin though their sin hath no efficacy in this but God takes occasion in this in otherwaies of his providences and workings of his grace to work good unto them 6. There is Gods justice in it also to lay a stumbling block before wicked and ungodly men for when they shal see that the godly that have the most grace they have much corruption in them stil they rejoyce perhaps in it and they little think that God aimes at the execution of his just judgment upon them that it should harden their hearts many wicked men they think their condition to be very good because they see so much corruption in the hearts of the godly and they are hardened therby but they little think
that is his very soul his life his peace his comfort al his happiness he had committed to him and so left al with him Now then take al these together and when Christ cals the sinner to come to him that is O! Sinner first beleeve this that I am the great redeemer that is come into the world to stand between Gods wrath and your soules and to make up peace between God and you and let there be an unsettling of your hearts from whatsoever heretofore your Souls did Rest in Creature comforts your own Righteousness Duties self respects and ends whatsoever they are let your hearts be taken off from them all and let your hearts now be in a stirring working disposition towards me let all your whole Souls be stretching forth to me and come and cast all your burdens upon me and leave your Souls with me and I will take care of them thus come to me Now then when any soul that is thus Laden shall answer to this cal of Christ and shal say Lord I come here is the very voice and answer of Faith when the Soul can say Oh! Lord I come I see thee to be the blessed Mediator between God and my Soul and for whatsoever my heart hath setled in heretofore Oh! Lord it shal be no more and my heart begins to stir after thee and I stretch forth my Soul to thee O Blessed redeemer and here I cast my burdens upon thee none can ease me but thy self and I leave my self with thee I commit all to thee and betrust all that I have or can do my eternal estate with thee Lord I come here is the soul that comes to Christ Then may the Soul be said to come to Christ when there is an answer in these five Particulars All this is contained in this word COME though you cannot apprehend it til it be unfoulded as a piece of needle work when it is foulded up there is all the work indeed within but we cannot see it til it be laid open and spread before us then we can see all that is in it So though there be many expressions in the Scripture that we understand not yet there they be but this is the work of the Ministry to spread them and to lay them before you and lay them open to you that you may see the Grace of God in another manner when they be unfolded now thus doth Christ call those that are Laden to come to him CHAP. XIX How Christ calls Sinners unto him set forth in two Particulars Namely 1. By an outward and general call 2. By a Particular call to Particular Sinners And how to know the voice of Christ YOu will say how and in what manner doth Christ call to me Christ is in Heaven I cannot hear Christ call to me Now for the call of Christ First There is a general cal in the word there Christ calls under the sound of the Gospel to come to him but this call is rather a command of Christ then an invitaion to shew unto al what is their Duty to do rather then to invite them But now there is a more special call unto those whom the Father hath given to Christ and though they make use of the general call in the word yet there is a special call to them that is Christ by his Spirit doth open the Riches of the Gospel of the Grace in him to their Souls by his Spirit inwardly he doth shew them to their Souls Others come and hear the outward cal that is when a Minister of God shal come and open the Gospel and there shew how God hath given his Son to us he hath taken our Nature upon him and died for sin and tel them that God requires all here in the Gospel to beleeve in his Son they hear his outward cal I but they whom the father gives to Christ have the Spirit of God sent together with the word to open the Riches of Christ that though they have heard it a hundred times before Yet when the spirit comes there is a shewing of the beauty and Riches of the Gospel more then ever that allures their Souls to come to Christ Secondly Not only this but the Lord when he cals such as shall indeed have mercy by Christ and have his invitation to be effectual he doth give a Particular cal unto that Soul besides the general cal God doth not only in the word cal sinners and saith Christ came to save Sinners and those that were lost but Christ comes in Particular to such and such Souls and cals them in a Particular special manner For the Ministers of God they are bound in the Preaching of the Gospel to give a general invitation to come to him but God beside the general hath a Particular cal there is a voice of God in Particular to the Soul that he intends to bring to his Son such a one hears a voice behind him as the Scripture speaks saying this is the way to Salvation the way you have gone all this while is not the way to life you will perish in that way Christ is the right way As thus I will open it in the general and Particular call by this similitude A Prince that hath had many of his subjects Traitors yet he is pleased to send forth a general Proclamation makes a Proclamation to those subjects and makes it in general tearms that though you have been thus and thus Traiterous against me yet I am content every one that will come to such a place at such a day and submit himself he shall have a pardon here is the general Proclamation and this is incouragement to come But now suppose there were some poor Traitor that because sensible of his wickedness and how unreasonably he hath dealt with his Prince and may be sits alone bemoaning his condition and troubled in his spirit and thinks with himself how shall I be able to see the Face of my Prince Oh! woe to me for the wickedness of my waies Suppose the Prince should come by and behold such a one take notice of him that is got into some corner or other and is there smiting of his Breast and lamenting his condition that he should so provoke his Prince as he hath done And should call this poor creature and say to him Oh thou poor Creature that art in such a place come thou to me For so is the work of faith God comes in particular to the soul doth not only come in general but after his general Call when he doth see the soul troubled the Lord doth give a particular Call to him and saith O! thou poor Creature thou art under this burden and thus sensible of it and lamentest that thou hast lived thus and thus and made such a breach between me and thy soul do thou come to me And the truth is till God speak in particular to the soul the proclamation of God in general will not bring in sinners so Christ doth
send forth somwhat of thy spirit that may draw our Hearts and then we will run after thee Keep thy Heart in such a frame for this is a great discouragement about coming to Christ in the Hearts of many Christ calls and we have many sweet incouragements in the word to come I but it is to them that have their Hearts stirring and working towards Christ to go to him But I have a dead and dull Heart and cannot work towards him I but if thou canst not stir and work after him yet set thy Soul in sight of Christ and look towards him and waite til Gods time come when he will let some influence into thy Heart this will be a mighty help this way And take heed of listening to any temptation that may draw away thy heart from coming to Christ It is a notable Scripture that you have in 1. Sam. 12.20 it is of Samuel Speaking to the people of Israel that had sinned against the Lord and were troubled for their sin and Samuel said unto the people Fear not you have done this wickedness yet turn not aside from following the Lord but feare the Lord with al your hearts and turne ye not aside for then should ye go after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver for they are vain You have sinned against the Lord and you are troubled what shal we do Saith Samuel though you have thus sinned yet do not turne aside to vanity So do I say you have sinned against the Lord and Christ cals you to come to him and you complain you have a dead and dul heart I but then do not turne from Christ to vanity set your selves stil in the sight of God and attend upon him in those Ordinances that he useth to present himself in RULE VIII Eighthly When thy heart begins to come to Christ give up thy self to the stream of Gods spirit for the spirit of God wil be stirring ever and anon though not at al times alike Thou art attending upon the Ordinances and waiting when the spirit of God should come to draw thy heart to Christ wait upon this stirring and if thou feel the Spirit beginning to draw thy heart to Christ in any measure Oh! then joyn with the work of the spirit of God and give up thy soul to the stream of Gods spirit do not thou draw back it may be Gods spirit is drawing thy heart to Christ and thou presently drawest back with discouraging thoughts upon consideration of thy Vileness and that thou art not humbled now when thou feelest Gods spirit stirring in thee give up thy soul to the strength of Gods spirit As when a man goes to learne to swim he is not to lay down himself and keep a padling with his hands and feet but there must be a giving up of himself to the water Sometimes a man keeps ten times more stir to keep himself from drowning then another that can swim one that hath got the art of swimming while the other sinkes to the bottom the water helpes him and he keeps himself above water Just thus is the difference between some that are troubled in their consciences for their sins and others between some that are coming to Christ and others Some that are coming to Christ and have not the right art of giving up themselves to Christ they are sinking and in mighty confusion of spirit and keep such a do with their own hearts and strange confused thoughts they have and horror of spirit and al because they fear they shal sink down to the bottom of destruction Now there are others that are afraid of sinking and drowning as wel as they but coming to understand what the way of Christ is and what it is to come to Christ though they have nothing in themselves to keep them from sinking yet they come to learn how to give up their souls to the stream of Gods spirit that carries them on to Jesus Christ in a more solid way and with a great deal less trouble they come to Jesus Christ and there they get into the arke and so are safe for ever Whereas others they skrabble on the outside of the arke as if a poor man should be skrabbling upon the ship no body lookes after him he fals down and is drowned at last So those that skrabble and do not give up themselves unto the arke they fal down again and at the last perish You have a scripture for this in 1. Kings 20.33 The Servants of Benhadad they diligently observed whether any thing would come from the King of Israel and they say thy brother Benhadad this is the thing they go in a way of seeking to the King of Israel for his brother Benhadad and this is the way they watch for any word that might pass from the King of Israel whereby they might have any hope and at last he said my brother Benhadad and they take hold of this presently So it should be with a sinner that is seeking after Christ he should diligently watch what may come from the Spirit of Christ that may give any incouragement doth the Spirit move in thee and begin to work in thee to draw thee to Jesus Christ Oh! thou mightest have got a great way thither it may be thou mightest have been in his bosom and in his armes by this time if thou hadst taken this course RULE IX Ninthly The soul that is about coming to Christ that doth not yet know whether it is truly got to Christ it should often renew the act of coming for certainly there are many that are at Christ but do not know it It may be some soule may say I had thought I had got to Christ before but I see my Corruptions prevail and I am afraid I am not come to Christ wil not these soules think that they must not come to Christ til they have overcome their Corruptions wheras the best way to overcome thy corruption is to come to Christ to renew the act of thy coming to Christ and the longer thou staiest from renewing this act of thy coming to Christ the more strong thy corruptions grow in thee Certainly do thou ly down as long as thou wilt in any sullen mood and say my Corruption is thus and thus and I am afraid I never went to Christ thy corruptions would grow stronger in thee thou must not stay til thy corruptions be subdued before thou goest to Christ but renew the act of coming to Christ again say I wil try it again may be I did not do it aright at first and if I miss it the second time I wil try it again and again and the hundredth time Do not say if I had overcome sin thus and thus I would come to Christ it is as much as to say if I were first sanctified by Christ then I would come to Christ for justification and is this the right order No thou must come first to Christ that thou mayest have thy corruptions subdued
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
eternal life it self and therefore there is rest in it it is so far from getting eternal life by it as it is rather eternal life it self then so much as any way to eternal life for this may be said though I performe duty it is true God hath taught me so much that now under the Gospel we must not think to get eternal life by our duty by our works this is popery yet it is the way to eternal life the way that tends to it it is via ad Regnum the way to the kingdom though not the cause of Raigning Nay I wil shew you a further thing then so the wayes of obedience and holiness in a Christians course they are rather eternal life it self then the way to it they have more excellency in them then being the way to life It is true it were a great deal of ease and rest to ones spirit to consider of holy duties but as the way to heaven if a man were going a journy and knew the ende of his journy should be very glorious to him if it were to receive a crown a kingdom though it were a boysterous day and stormy weather and the way were very foul he would not be troubled at it but he would account it very comfortable to know that he is in the right way for he thinks this wil lead me to my journeys end and when I come there that wil make amends for al. And the truth is there were ease and rest enough in the waies of God if God did reveale no more unto a soul then this these are the wayes that lead thee to life and salvation that lead thee to a kingdom to glory especially considering that before we were out of the way we were wandering in the wayes of death and destruction and God by his Almighty hand hath brought us into the right way When a man is going a Journy of great consequence and he is gone out of the way and God by his providence hath brought him into his right way O! what ease is in his spirit Before when he was out of the way what distraction and disquietness of heart but now when he comes into the way Oh! what ease and quiet is in his spirit so I say this were ease and rest enough of spirit to know that whereas before the soul was wandering in the path of death now it is in the path of life But I tel you further then so that when thou art performing of holy duties and exercising of the grace of God in the performance of those duties thou art not only in the way of eternal life but thou art in eternal life it self not only in the way to the kingdom but in the kingdom not only in the way to heaven but in heaven it is eternal life This is eternal life to know thee the true God and thy son whom thou hast sent into the world And that place in the Epistle of St. John he speakes of a murderer one that did hate his brother in the first of John 3.15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him Then it appeares that one that loves his brother and is Godly and gracious hath eternal life abiding in him for that must needs follow if this be the evil condition of a wicked man that hates his brother that he hath not eternal life abiding in him then by the rule of contraries it must needs be a truth that he that hath holiness and loves his brother he hath eternal life abiding in him and therefore such a one he hath eternal life already to come downe to him he is in heaven already So the scripture makes grace but the beginning of glory it is no other but the very beginning of heaven in the soul And therefore in that golden chain in Rom. 8.30 Whom God hath predestinated them he also hath called whom he hath called them he hath justified whom he hath justified them he hath also glorified Marke but where is the link of sanctification It is not whom he hath predestinated he hath called and whom he hath called he hath sanctified and whom he hath sanctified he hath glorified One would have thought the chain should have gon along in that linke but there is no mention of sanctification Why because sanctification is nothing else but glorification begun and glorification is nothing else but the perfecting of sanctification Now I beseech you observe this as a most special thing that belongs to a Christian the best duties that we performe are nothing else but the life of heaven to us nay the truth is it is the life of God And therefore it is said of ungodly men before they come to Christ they are strangers to the life of God therefore when thou art come to Christ thou hast the life of God in thee and the life of heaven in thee and the beginning of Glory Glory and eternal life thou doest live whilst thou art in performance of holy duties What is the happiness of heaven but for the Saints and Angels to be exercised in magnifying the riches of God and of Christ now thou beginnest it here and therefore if thou knowest what this is thou art not I say to look upon any duty that thou performest meerly as a duty but thou art to look upon it as a priviledg yea as part of thy wages That is a certain truth that Gods work it is wages and the improving of that principle would help us very much in our Christian course if thou didst live and account every duty that thou performest to God to be wages Oh! with what sweetness wouldest thou go on in the performance of those duties that God requires of thee thou art receiving thy wages when thou art performing of duties In Rom. 6. and the last The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ At the 22. verse it is thus But now being freed from sin and become servants unto God you have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. You have your fruit unto holiness it is the fruite unto holiness which is the gift of God and holiness it is nothing else but the gift of God and the beginning of eternal life the fulness of eternal life that indeed is the end of it but the fruit that you have for the present it is holiness and that holyness that is the gift of God it is the beginning of eternal life here in this world Then indeed is a christian wel improved in Evangelical obedience when he doth account duties to be mercies and when mercies are turned into duties as when we turne Gods mercies into duties that is an argument we receive Gods mercies from a Covenant of grace and there wil be linkes of Gods mercies towards
us so when we account our duties to be mercies that is an argument there is evangelical obedience in the heart and there wil be a constancy in the heart in performing of them Those that performe duties in an Evangelical way they look upon them as a golden chain about their necks for ornament and not as a chain about their necks as bonds and Fetters to tie them to them Here is the difference between one that performes duties in a legal way and one that performes duties in an Evangelical way One that performes duties in a Legal way he lookes upon duties as bonds about his neck he is bound to them as with a chain but the other that performes duties in an Evangelical way his duties are as ornaments as chains of Gold about his neck And the ground of this similitude I have in Prov. 3.22 My son keep sound wisdom and discretion so shal they be life unto thy soul and grace unto thy neck The wayes of wisdome that is the wayes of Godlyness they are life to the Godly and they are a grace to the neck that is they carry Gods commandments about with them not as a prisoner carries his chaines but as one that carries a chain about his neck and he glories in it That place is very observable likewise for this that you have in Deuter. 33. comparing ver 2. with the words that follow after Verse the second The Law of God is called a fiery Law From his right hand went a fiery Law for them But marke verse 4. Moses commanded us a Law even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. From hence this note plainly results that let there be never so much seeming severity in any Law of God in any commandement that requires duty yet even this commandement of God is accounted an inheritance unto the soules of the Saints of God to be as the joy of their hearts they account their riches to be in Gods commandements not only to be in heaven but the very commandement they account their riches and their happiness Many men and women take upon them the commandements of God and the duties of obedience as necessary burdens they must do them I but the Saints those that come to Christ they take the commandement of God upon them as that wherein their riches their glory the joy of their heart doth consist and therefore how often do you heare of David saying that the commandements of God were sweeter to him then hony and the hony combe That they were more delightful to him then gold and riches And so in the Proverbs Better then Rubies and precious stones He doth not say the glory of heaven is better then al these but the way of Wisdom and the commandements of God are better then al these So that here is the life of a Christian he performes duties not onely as a way to heaven but as an injoying of heaven while he is serving of God and this is the seventh particular wherein the rest of the soul in Christ doth appear in the performance of holy duties Eighthly When a Christian is brought to Christ Christ gives him rest in the performance of holy duties because that Christ doth elevate and raise his spirit to be some way proportionable to whatsoever God requires of him ther 's an elevation of spirit a strengthening of the spirit in Christ to come to some kind of proportionableness to what the Law of God requires of them It is true set a poor weake man a sick man about any hard worke and Oh! how tedious is it unto him for a sick man to go and carry such a burden or to do such a hard work it is very irksome unto him but now when this man comes to be healthy and strong to have his veines ful of blood and his arteries ful of spirits now he goes along in his work and accounts it no burden at al because he hath got strength in him So the commandements of God they are hard to those that performe them in a natural way from a natural conscience notwithstanding al the strength that can come in by a natural conscience the commandements of God are very hard unto them but when once the spirit of Christ comes there is strength As it is said where the spirit of Christ is there is Liberty so where the spirit of Christ is there is strengâ—h As the holy Ghost speakes in Isa 11.2 The spirit of the Lord shal Rest upon him the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledg and of the fear of the Lord. The spirit of counsel and Might shal Rest upon Christ and so in the measure of it the spirit doth rest upon every member of Christ the spirit of Life of Might and of counsel And therfore the Apostle St. Paul saith in the 2. of Tim. the 1. and the 7. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power of Love and of a sound minde This spirit of power is in those that are come to Christ there is a power of godlyness in them They are said in Coll. 1.11 To be strengthened with al might according to his glorious power The Apostle at least prayes for that to intimate thereby to us that there is that to be had in Christ there is a strengthening with al might according to his glorious power unto al patience and long-suffering with joyfulness giving thanks to the father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Though they be weake yet they have a union with one that is strong wherein they may come to be strengthened with al might not only according to Gods power but according to his glorious power unto al patience and long-suffering with joyfulness The duties of patience long-suffering are as hard duties as any hut in Christ there 's the glorious power of Christ let out to strengthen them to the duties of patience and al long suffering with joyfulness CHAP. XXXV Two other wayes whereby the former point is cleered with some consequences from the same and the use of the whol The First way is that whilst the soul is performing duty the strength of it is continually renewed Secondly The soul hath the love of God shed abroad into the heart The first Consequence is happiness of a Christian here Secondly Hence cometh the perseverance of beleevers The use of al is to exercise much faith in Christ Ninthly The Rest that the soul hath in Christ that is to goe on in duties with freedom of spirit without making them burdensome to it is this when the soul comes to Christ it hath not only strength to do the duty but whilst it is performing of duty it hath this strength renewed and it receives in sweetness and good and strength from Christ while it is in action while it is in the performance of duty and his duty is very easy sweet and comfortable
heat of the furnace and as the heat you know consumes stubble combustible matter put into it so there is that heat in the love of God shed abroad in the heart by Christ that consumes the lust of the heart and the soul growes up into holiness thereby It is with the heart of a Beleever as it is with the fruites of the earth you know that the frost may keep down some weeds but it is the sun-shine it is the beams of the sun and the warme beames that makes the fruit to ripen and to grow up that fruit that growes in the sun is soonest ripe your grasse that growes in the orchard is sowre and the beast wil not eate it and other herbs that grow in the shade comes to no maturity nor to be so good as those that grow in the sun fruit that growes upon the wal how quickly doth that grow ripe whereas the other that grows in the shade withers so there are some that live altogether under Legal feares and trouble of conscience perhaps they have somtimes fruite but it is sour fruit it is not so sweet fruite as comes from those that are under the sun-shine of the Gospel that have the shine of the love of God upon their hearts their fruite is sweet and they thrive better and looke more lovely and live a more amiable and lovely life then the lives of others And this is another way how Christ comes to be our sanctification in shedding abroad the love of God into the heart and that the scripture is ful of how the love of God is shed abroad in Jesus Christ Ninthly Christ is our Sanctification in this respect becaus al the promises of the Gospel are made to us in him he is the foundation of al the promises that are in the Gospel they are al made good in him they have a boundance of sanctifying power in them Christ is our sanctification I say because it is through him that the promises are made which hath a mighty sanctifying power As for the First In 2. Cor. 1.20 For al the promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen unto the glory of God by us Al the promises of God in him are yea in him amen al Gospel promises are made unto us by christ that is a very useful a notable meditation to consider of al promises that they come unto us from Christ an excellent meditation to set out the excellency of Jesus Christ that in him are al the promises they are in him yea what is the meaning of that That is they are confirmed to us in Christ in him they are made certain to us they are made good in him or as some of your books read it thus For al the promises of God in him are yea and I find it is I know not whether it be in your books but Calvin Beza and other interpreters say it is read in some copies thus Therefore in him let them be yea and Amen unto the glory of God by us Al the promises of God in him are yea that is they are made certain things in Christ as the foundation therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so Beza saith it is read therefore let them be Amen in him unto the praise of God That is as God hath made al promises in him as certain so let us look upon Christ and see the promises of God in him and beleeve in them and so by our faith say Amen unto the promises that are made in him unto the glory of God so shal we Glorifie God when we shal look upon the promises by our faith and say Amen unto our soules Now the word Amen signifies firme and sure that is the meaning of the word Amen Sometimes it signifies at the end of our prayer so be it Amen it is an Hebrew word that signifies so be it let it be O Lord as we have prayed and according to thy promise that is the meaning of the word Amen when you conclude your prayer with Amen It is a word that is used for faith and it is the expression of faith after we have made our prayer and that is the meaning here therefore al the promises in him are yea they are made in Christ and affirmed in Christ as certain therefore in him let them be Amen unto the soul let them be as firme and certain things unto us for us to rest upon unto the glory of God by us and thereby shal we glorifie God ye have so many precious promises in Christ but now they are unto the glory of God by us we by faith say Amen to them and we make them as firme and sure unto our soules by the exercise of our faith upon them So you may understand in some measure this scripture which hath exceeding much in it thus you see by Christ the promises are made to us Quest I but you wil say How doth this help our sanctification Answ I answer exceeding much there is nothing helps the sanctification of the soul of a beleever more then the promises of the Gospel those that are exercised in the promises of the Gospel they grow more abundantly in sanctification then others The promises of the Gospel are channels not only of mercy for our salvation but of holiness for our sanctification and for that you have a most excellent scripture 2. Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us clense our selves from al filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God It is as ful a scripture as I know any here you may see what use the holy Ghost would have you make of the promises of the Gospel and of mercy It may be you think that seeing there is such promises of mercy you may take more liberty to the flesh but that is not the reasoning of the spirit he would not take more liberty therby but seeing we have such promises saith he let us clense our selves from al filthiness filthines cannot stand with beleeving of promises And marke he saith from al filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit So that it is not enough for you to say you have as good a heart towards God as any others I thank God my heart is right my spirit is right I but you must clense from al filthiness of the flesh as wel as of the spirit and these promises if you have the right use of them they wil be mighty clensing And marke from al filthiness it is not enough to clense from some gross filthiness that is that you do not live in the grost sins that others of the world live in and that your neighbors live in that you are not whoremungers drunkards cheaters prophaners of the saboth and the like but these promises wil cleanse from al filthiness that is there shal be no filthiness that shal stick to you as to the wicked and ungodly but it wil clense gradually by degrees from al Filthiness of
Lord Christ gives you Rest First For the evidences to know whether your Rest be indeed the right Rest that is in Christ First This Rest in Christ it can never be but upon great discovery of glorious things that the soul was not acquainted with before many men go on and are quiet in their way and think that their rest is Christs rest how wil that appeare that it is Christs Rest It wil appeare that they have had poor weake grounds to stand upon only that which they have in a natural way they live quietly among men and the creatures doth not trouble them and in a prudential way they are loath to trouble themselves in their owne thoughts But now I appeal to thy soul what discoveries hast thou had of the glorious things of the covenant of Grace and the covenant of life in those waies that God hath had in his eternal counsels to reconcile God and thy soul What discoveries of Gods waies hast thou had to draw thy heart to Christ Thy Rest must come from these these must be the meanes to bring thy soul to rest if thy Rest come from blindness Ignorance and deadness of spirit it is far from the true Rest in Christ Secondly The Rest that the soul hath in Christ it is that that the Apostle speakes of in Heb. 14 It comes upon the soules ceasing from its owne worke as God ceased from his verse the 10. For he that is entred into his Rest he also hath ceased from his owne workes as God did from his As God did Rest the seventh day from al his workes he gives that note of the rest in Christ There remaines therefore a rest to the people of God for he that is entred into his rest he also hath ceased from his owne workes as God ceased from his He comepares the rest that the soul hath in Christ to Gods rest upon the seventh day Now saith he as God seased from his work that he wrougt upon the sixth day the seventh day he rested so whatsoever enters upon this rest he must cease from his owne workes what is that The work that a man workes for himself as in his natural estate every man in his natural estate doth not Gods work at al but works his owne work Now saith he look as God ceaseth from his owne work and then rests they that enter into this rest must cease from their owne workes those workes of sin that they lived in and wrought for themselves for their own endes while they were in their natural estates so that then examin this hast thou ceaâ—ed from thy own works dost not thou work for thy self in al thy waies Art thou taken off from thy self and al the creatures It may be thou dost some work but materially it is nothing of Gods thou prayest and makest profession of religion I but it is thy owne worke stil But if thou beest entered into this rest thou must cease from thine owne workes not only from those workes that are sinful in themselves but thou must not worke for thy self in the best things thou must be taken off from thy self in the best things thou must work the works of God and be emptied of thy self and then thy soul shal have rest That is both an evidence that thy rest is true and a meanes to bring rest unto thy soul Take heed that thy work be not thine owne work when thou dost any work I am about such and such a work I but is it my owne work or Gods work It is true there was a time that al the work I did was for my self and then if there were any argument whereby I could see that it was for my self I could work if it was for self ends if I had self to be promoted I could work this is the way of men in themselves But now when the soul hath entred into the rest of Christ he hath ceased from his owne workes and therefore now though there be not strong arguments and ends to perswade me to doe a work yet it is enough that it is the work of God and God shal have praise in it and I can work as earnestly and and strongly in the work as ever I did any worke for my self Thirdly Another note of the true rest of the soul in Christ is this The more rest thou hast in Christ the more active thou art for God the false rest that the soul hath makes it dul secure sluggish and negligent but now the true rest that is in Christ makes the soul mighty active and stirring maks it to do great things for God never had that ability to do for God as now when it hath had rest from Christ as now we know that many people are very active stirring when their conscience is stirred then they wil rise early in the morning and hear and read and pray and mightily stir when their conscience is stirred but if they have got any quiet and rest to their spirits they grow lazy dul and secure and are less active in the places God hath set them in then before but the soul that hath true rest from Christ is more active and lively in the work of God then before As Archimedes said give me a place where I could rest my self on and he thought then he could move the earth so let the soul get but once the foot stopt upon Christ so as he can have rest in Christ he can do more for God then ever he could before And therefore I remember and you may afterward by comparing find this note to be true that whereas God commanded Moses while they were going up and down in the wilderness and had no rest to make an altar for sacrifice of such a bigness so many foot in the story you shal find that when Solomon came to make an Altar to God he made it twice as big as Moses in the time of their being in the wilderness The two several places I cannot stand to look to but you shal find this note to be true that the altar of Solomon was as big again as the altar of Moses Why for they were then in a restless condition went up and down and were not at rest But now when they came to the Land of Canaan there they had rest and there the altar is as big again noting that they should offer as much sacrifice again as they did before in the time when they were in the wilderness in their restless condition So thy soul was once in the wilderness hurried up and down and then the altar for thy sacrifice was buâ— little but when once God brings rest to thy soul in Christ thy altar shal be as big again and thou shalt do as much more for God as thou didst before Fourthly Another note of the true rest in Christ is this if so be that thou hast this rest then that which is Christs rest is thine as thus If thou hast rest in Christ
CHRIST Inviting SINNERS To come to Him for REST. Wherein is shewed FIRST 1 The Burden of Sin 2 The Burden of the Law 3 The Burden of Legal performances with the Misery of those that are under them 4 The Burden of Corruption 5 The Burden of Outward Affliction SECONDLY Christ Greciously offers to them that come to him REST from al those Burdens Wherein is shewed 1 What it is to come to Christ 2 That Christ requires nothing but to come to him 3 Several Rules to be observed in in right coming to Christ 4 Means to draw Souls to Christ 5 That in coming to Christ God would have us have respect to our selves 6 That there is No REST for souls out of Christ And the Reasons therefore with some conclusions from it THIRDLY There is shewed 1 The Rest Believers have from sin 2 The deliverance from the Law by Christ is 1 Privatively 2 Positively 3 The Rest Believers have from the Burden of the Law by coming to Christ 4 How Christ gives Rest from the Burden of Legal performances 5 How Christ gives Rest from the Burden of Corruption wherein is shewed how Sanctification and Holiness comes from Christ only And encouragments to come to Christ for Holiness 6 How Christ gives Rest from outward Afflictions 7 Some Directions how to get Rest from Christ in Spiritual desertions By JEREMIAH BURROUGHS Preacher of the Gospel at Stepny and Cripple-Gate London London Printed by Peter Cole Printer and Book-seller and are to be Sold at the Sign of the Printing-Press in Cornhill near the Royall Exchange 1659. A Testimony to the Reader WHAT we have by way of Preface set before the several Books already published of this Reverend Author Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs may sufficiently serve for all that are come forth So that we only need now give Letters Testimonial to the World that these viz. The Sermons on Matthew the 11. Chapter 28 29 and 30. verses We avouch likewise to be the painfull and profitable Labors of the same Author and published by the best and most Authentick Copies Thomas Goodwin William Greenhil William Bridge Sydrach Sympson Philip Nye John Yates William Adderley Books Printed by Peter Cole Printer and Book seller of London at the Exchange Four New Books of Mr. Jer. Burroughs VIZ. THE FIRST BOOK Christs call to all those that are Weary and Heavy Laden to come to him for Rest Wherein is shewed First 1 The Burden of Sin 2 The Burden of the Law 3 Ths Burden of Legal performances with the Misery of those that are under them 4 The Burden of Corruption 5 The Burden of Outward Affliction Secondly Christ Graciously offers to them that come to him REST from all those Burdens Wherein is shewed 1 What it is to come to Christ 2. That Christ requires nothing but to come to him 3 Several Rules to be Observed in right coming to Christ 4 Meanes to Draw Soules to Christ 5 That in coming to Christ God would have us have respect to our selves 6. That there is No REST for souls out of Christ And the Reasons therefore with some conclusions from it Thirdly There is shewed 1 The Rest Beleevers have from sin 2 The deliverance from the Law by Christ is 1 Privatively 2 Positively 3 The Rest beleevers have from the Burden of the Law by coming to Christ 4 How Christ gives Rest from the Burden of Legal performances 6 How Christ gives Rest from the Burden of Corruption wherein is shewed how Sanctification and Holiness comes from Christ only And encouragments to come to Christ for holiness 6 How Christ gives Rest from outward Affliction 7 Some Directions how to get Rest from Christ in Spiritual desertions THE SECOND BOOK Christ the Great Teacher of Souls that come to him Wherein is shewed 1 What Christs Yoak is 2 That beleevers must take Christs Yoak on them 3 The more we are under the Yoak of Christ the more REST we have 4 Christ is the great Teacher of his Church and People 5 In what manner Christ Teacheth 1 He is a Meek Teacher 2 An Humble Teacher 6 The Learners of Christ must be MEEK 7 The Learners of Christ must be humble 8 Christ teacheth by his EXAMPLE 9 Wherein Christs EXAMPLE is to be followed 10 What kind of Pattern Christ is 11 We must not follow the Example of the World We must imitate Christ in MEEKNES 1 What Meekness is 2 Learn of Christ to be Meek towards God And the Reasons thereof 3 The Dreadful Evil of Anger and frowardness towards God 4 Meekness towards God Exemplified from scripture Examples 5 Meekness towards Men which consists in ordering Anger 1 To the right Object 2 To the right Time 3 To the reight measure 4 To the right end c. 6 The sad Effects of Anger 7 The Excellency of Meekness 8 Promises made to Meekness 9 Many Vaine Reasons and Pleas for Anger Answered 10 Exhortations to Meekness 11 Means to get and keep Meekness New Books of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs THE THIRD BOOK Christ the Humble Teacher of those that come to him Wherein is shewed 1 What Humility oâ— Lowliness is Not. 2 What that Lowliness of Heart is that Christ would have us to Learn of him 3 Arguments from the Lowliness of Christ to work Lowliness of spirit in Us. 4 The properties of an humble heart towards God 5 The Properties of an Humble and Lowly heart in respect of Our selves 6 The properties of humility in respect of others 1 It is fearful of giving or taking offence 2 It gives due honor to all 3 It is tender to others 4 It 's not needlesly singular from them 7 The Excellencies of Humility 8 Humility brings REST unto the Soul 9 Means to get Humility THE FOURTH BOOK The only Easie way to Heaven Whereâ—n is shewed 1 The way to Heaven that Iesus Christ Teacheth is an Easie way six Evidences thereof 2 The Difference between the EASE a Carnal heart hath and the EASE a gracious Soul hath in Religion 3 The Reason why some gracious Souls complaine of difficulty in Gods waies 4 What it is that Makes the waies of God so Easie 5 Consequences from the easiness of Gods waies 6 Directions how we may make the waies of God Easie New Books of Mr. Sydrach Simpsons viz. I Of Faith Or That beleeving is receiving Christ And receiving Christ is Believing II Of Covetousness In the First Book is shewed besides many other things 1 That Persons that are beleevers are Receivers 2 That to Receive is the Principal use of Faith 3 That nothing should hinder our Receiving 1 Not our Sins 2 Nor Gods delaies 3 Nor the smalness of our receipts 4 Nor the greatness of our Wants 4 How Faith Receives 5 That Faith Receives Christ 1 In the understanding 2 In the Will 6 The temper of a man that hath faith 7 The necessity of Faith 8 Though Faith be smal yet it makes us the Sons of God 9 The Nature of True Faith 10 There are
but few that Receive Christ 11 Three sorts that come not to Christ 1 Such as Receive him not as he is 2 Such as delay their coming to him 3 Such as give not that place to Christ in their hearts that is fitting for him In the Treatise of Covetousness is shewed 1 It is the Duty of all as they would obtaine eternal Life to beware of covetousness 2 The Reasons of the Doctrine 1 Its a spiritual Sin 2 It over spreads the whole man 3 It s opposite to the Nature of Godliness and Religion 4 It s the Womb and seed of all Sin 5 It s a base Sin 3 The Dangerousness of covetousness· 1 It is hardly avoided 2 It s difficultly cured 4 You shal have all things needful for this life if you wil look after Grace 5 Your Life lies in Grace not in Riches 6 There is more to be feared than to be desired in Riches 7 We should Mortifie our desires after Riches In Book 1 Of Unbelief or the want of Readiness c. is shewed 1 What Vnbelief it is that is here spoken of 2 The best way to deal with Vnbelief 3 That Vnbelief is a sin against al the Attributes of God 4 That Christ will not bear with this Sin of Vnbeleif 5 That we should be quick and reâ—yd to beleeve 6 Motives to indeavor for readiness to beleeve 7 Helps to attain readiness in Beleeving In Book 2 Of Not going to Christ c. is shewed 1 That unbelief is a great Sin and exceeding provoking unto God 2 Several arguments provoking us to beleeve the greatness of the Sin of unbelief 3 Many Objections answered 4 Several sorts of this Sin of unbeliefe 5 Means to convince us that unbelief is so great a Sin 6 Though the Sin of unbelief be very great yet it 's pardonable 7 God hath pardoned unbelief and wil pardon it A Congregational Church is a Catholick Visible Church By Samuel Stone in New-England A Treatise of Politick Powers wherein seven Questions are answered 1 Whereof Power is made and for what ordained 2 Whether Kings and Governors have an Absolute Power over the People 3 Whether Kings and Governors be subject to the Laws of God or the Laws of their Country 4. How far the People are to obey their Governors Dr. Sibbs on the Philippians Vox Pacifica or a Perswasive to Peace Dr. Prestons Saints submission and Satans Overthrow Pious Mans Practice in Parliament time Barriffs Military Discipline The Immortality of Mans Soul The Anatomist Anatomized The Bishop of Canterbury's Speech Woodwards Sacred Ballance Dr. Owen against Mr. Baxter Mr. Hookers New Books in three Volums One in Octavo and two in Quarto These Eleven New Books of Mr. Thomas Hooker made in New-England Are attested in an Epistle by Mr. Thomas Goodwin and Mr. Philip Nye To be written with the Authors Own hand None being written by himself before One Volum being a Comment upon Christ's last Prayer in the Seventeenth of John wherein is opened The Union beleevers have with God and Christ and the glorious Priviledges thereof Besides many other Gospel Truths there you have shewed 1 That the end why the Saints receive al glorious Grace is That they may be one as the Father and Christ are one 2 That God the Father loveth the Faithful as he loveth Jesus Christ 3 That our Savior desireth to have the Faithful in Heaven with himself 4 That the happiness of our being in Heaven is to see Christs Glory 5 That there is much wanting in the knowledg of Gods Love in the most able Saints 6 That the Lord Christ lends dayly direction according to the dayly need of his Servants 7 That it is the desire and endeavor of our Savior that the dearest of Gods Love which was bestowed on himself should be given to his faithful Servants 8 That our Vnion and Communion with God in Christ is the top of our happiness in Heaven The first eight Books of the Application of Redemption By the effectual Work of the Word and Spirit of Christ for the bringing home of lost Sinners to God In which besides many other seasonable and Soul-searching Truths there is also largely shewed 1 Christ hath purchased al spiritual good for HIS 2 Christ puts al HIS into possession of al that good that he hath purchased 3 The Soul must be fitted for Christ before it can receive him And a powerful Ministry is the ordinary means to prepare the heart for Christ 4 The work of God is free And the day of Salvation is while this Life lasts and the Gospel continues 5 God cals his Elect at any Age but the most before old Age. 6 The Soul is naturally setled in a sinful security 7 The heart of a Natural man is wholly unwilling to submit to the word that would sever him from his sins 8 God the Father by a holy kind of violence plucks His out of their corruptions and draws them to beleeve in Christ The Ninth and Tenth Books of the Application of Redemption by the Effectual Work of the Word and spirit of Christ for the bringing home of lost sinners to God Besides many other seasonable and Soul-searching Truths there is also largely shewed 1 The heart must be humble and contrite before the Lord wil dwel in it 2 Stubborn and bloody sinners may be made broken-hearted 3 There must be true sight of sin before the heart can be broken for it 4 Application of special sins by the Ministry is a means to bring men to â—ight of and sorrow for them 5 Meditation of sin a special means to break the heart 6 The same word is profitable to some not to another 7 The Lord somtimes makes the word prevaile most when its most opposed 8 Sins unrepented of makes way for piercing Terrors 9 The Truth terrible to a guilty conscience 10 Gross and scandalous sinners God usually exerciseth with heavy breakings of heart before they be brought to Christ 11 Sorrow for sin rightly set on pierceth the hearâ— of the sinner throughly 12 They whose hearts are pierced by the Word are carried with love and respect to the Ministers of it And are busie to enquire and ready to submit to the mind of God 13 Sinners in distress of conscience are ignorant what they should do 14 A contrite sinner sees a necessity of coming out of his sinful condition 15 There is a secret hope wherewith the Lord supports the hearts of contrite sinners 16 They who are truly pierced for their sins do prize and covet deliverance from their sins 17 True contrition is accompanied with confession of sin when God cals thereunto 18 The Soul that is pierced for sin is carried with a restless dislike against it Six Books more of Mr. Hookers in two Volums in Quarto are printing Twenty one several Books of Mr. William Bridge Collected into two Volumns Viz. 1 Scripture Light the most sure Light compared with 1. Revelations Visions 2. Natural Supernatual Dreams 3
report upon the waies of God 5. They keep no proportion therein 6. They are kept off from Christ Page 65 Chap. 11. Of the Burden of Corruption And that there is Corruption in the Saints Being a Burden 1. Of Grief 2. Of Shame 3. Of Fear 4. Of Care 5. Of Labor and Toyl Page 72 Chap. 12. The Burden of Coruption set forth in eight particularâ— 1. It is a Sole burden 2. It hath al other burdens in it 3. It is a Continual burden 4. It makes al other things to be a burden 5. It is a burden to God himself 6. It makes the sins burdensome to all others 7. It makes him burdensome to himself 8. How greivous soever we cannot be rid of it in this life Page 81 â—hap 13. 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. Iâ— hath a Root from whence all kind of sin may spring 5. It dampeth all the activity of our Graces Page 87 Chap. 15. In what respects the stirrings and motions of coruption are very burdensom 1. They contitinually fight against the Spirit of Grace in the heart 2. They are sudden 3. They are full of confusion and disorder 4. They work very Malitiously 5. They watch opportunity to do mischief 6. They are very unseasonable 7. They are very prevalent Page 92 Chap. 15. The Reasons of the former point 1. Because corruption when it prevails weakens the heart 2. By it God is dishonored 3. By it our holy profession is scandalized 4. By it they over whom it prevails are made useless in their places 5. Thereby the means of grace are made unprofitable 6. Thereby our peace with God is disturbed 7. Thereby the assurance of our Salvation is shaken Page 98 Chap. 16. Why the Saints feel these things so burdensome Namely 1. Because the life of grace is a tender and delicate thing 2. Because grace keeps the Soul in continual acting And why God suffers corruption notwithstanding the burdensomness thereof to remain in the Saints Namely 1. That hereby be may shew forth his own power 2. Hereby their Faith be exercised 3. Hereby they are driven unto Prayer 4. Hereby stirred up unto Repentance 5. Hereby make known his Wisdom 6. Hereby manifest his justice in laying a stumbling block before the wicked 7. Hereby the Saints may be induced to long more after Heaven With two Consequences issuing from hence 1. The differences between the sins of the godly and the wicked 2. Why the Saints go on so sadly in their waies Page 103 Chap. 18. Of the Burden of outward affictions and the grievousness thereof laid open in three Particulars 1. In themselves they are a part of the curse of the Law 2. They hinder much in doing Service to God 3. They often help forward many strong Temptaions Why God wil have his Saints to be under this Burden Namely 1. Because he wil have his Servants to honor and obey him meerly out of Love 2. Because he knoweth that thus their corruptions may be best mortified 3. To be a stumbling block to the wicked Page 111 Chap. 18. Christs Invitation of Sinners laid down in these words Come unto me Opened in five Particulars 1. It is to look to Christ as an All-sufficient Savior 2. It implieth an unsettledness upon the Creature 3. A stirring of the heart after Christ 4. A laying of all our burdens upon Christ 5. A leaving of the Soul with Christ for life Page 116 Chap. 19. How Christ cals Sinners unto him set forth in two Particulars Namely 1. By an outward and general cal 2. By a Particular call to Particular Sinners And how to know the voice of Christ Page 124 Chap. 20 That there is nothing required of Sinners but to come to Christ with mne Consequences arising from hence and what hath been laid down in the two former Chapters 1. There it not any worthiness required in such as come to Christ 2. The Soul needs not to be troubled about the time and and measure of its Humiliation before its coming to Christ 3. Nor about what interest it hath in Christ before its coming to him 4. That the least degree of Faith will give the Soul interest in Christ 5. That the work of Faith is supernatural 6. That Faith is an humbling Grace 7. That Beleevers after their coming to Christ should be willing to do and suffer much for Christ 8. That they wrâ— are once in Christ shal never be east off 9. That they know not what to do when they loose their interest in Christ Page 130 Chap. 21. Nine Rules to be observed in right coming to Christ 1. Rest not in outward means that lead to Christ before Christ himself be enjoyed 2. Pitch rather upon Christ himself than upon the good things of Christ 3. Come with the whol soul 4. Keep Christ continually in thine Eye 5. Be convinced that whatsoever keeps thee from Christ comes not from God 6. Take heed and beware of all discouragements and hindrances 7. Keep the Heart stil tending to Christ 8. Give up thy self to Gods Spirit 9. Often renew the act of coming come often to Christ Page 143 Chap. 23. Nine means to draw Sinners to Christ namely That 1. He that caâ—s us is the Son of God 2. He is our neer Kinsman wherein three strong arguments are included First the terror of Gods glory is taken away Secondly He is infinitly inclined to do good unto the Sons of men Thirdly In uniting the divine nature with the humane he hath done a greater work than to save a soul 3. He is the mediator 4. He deserves that we should come to him 5. The soul gets infinite good by coming to Christ instanced in four particulars 6. We are miserable in our selves 7. Christ will certainly receive them that come to him which is opened in three particulars 8. We stand in great need of Christ 9. The not coming to Christ will aggravate all other sins With an answer unto some Objections Page 156 Chap. 23. The Doctrine arising from the dependance of the promise upon the Invitation That God will have us when we are coming to Christ to have respect to our selves Page 179 Chap. 24. Of the rest promised by Christ in general And that there is no Rest for a Soul out of Jesus Christ Page 186 Chap. 25. Six Reasons of the former Doctrine 1. The soul out of Christ is departed from God 2. Every man by nature is an enemy to God 3. Every man by nature is bound over to the justice of God to answer to what be can charge him with 4. In a mâ—n out of Christ there is every thing to disquiet him 5. Every one out of Christ is condemned 6. Such every moment may be plunged into a gulf of Wrath. Page 196 Chap. 26. 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. All creatures are their enemies 3. All the waies of Gods providence are against them 4. All their best services are rejected 5. They have no refuge for comfort III. Two conclusions from the premises 1 Most men live and perish in blindness 2 There is an insufficiency in al things out of Christ to give rest with the Reasons thereof Page 205 Chap. 27 The insufficiency of every thing besides Christ to give rest to the Soul is further enlarged with several choice Considerations Page 210 Chap. 28. Of the Rest that a Beleever hath by Christ from the guilt of sin laid out in ten Particulars 1 Christ takes upon himself al the sin of them that come to him stands charged with them before his father 2 He satisfieth for sin 3 The wrath of God is appeased 4 He is continually at the right hand of his Father to intercede for Sinners that come to him 5 Their Souls are sprinkled with the blood of Christ 6 The Soul at the first coming to Christ is made perfectly righteous before God 7 Christ not only undertakes for al the sins past but for al the sins to come 8 Guilt shal never return when it is once taken off 9 The soul at its first coming to Christ is cloathed with the righteousness of Christ 10 Such are sure that the day of judgment shal be the Solemnity of their absolution· Page 218 Chap. 39 The deliverance from the Law by Christ set out 1 Privatively in five Particulars 2 Positively in five Points more Page 228 Chap. 30 The Rest that beleevers have from the burden of the Law by coming to Christ laid out in ten Particulars 1 They do not stand or fal for life by the Law 2 The Law-giver is the Redeemer 3 The least spark of Grace is accepted 4 Their wil shal be accepted as the deed 5 Obedience is required in a sweet and gentle way 6 The grace of God in Christ doth melt the heart 7 Their sins make them an object of Gods pitty 8 They have Christ to undertake for them as a surety 9 They are delivered and yet satisfaction is made to the Law 10 They have assurance that they shal never forfeit the covenant of grace they are under by Christ Page 234 Chap. 31 Containeth divers Consequences from the rest Beleevers have from the burden of the Law And Lessons they are taught from thence Page 249 Chap. 33 Of the rest from Legal performances and the several waies how this rest comes from Christ viz. duties are delightfull 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 Page 262 Chap. 35. Two other waies whereby the former point is cleered with some consequences from the same and the use of the whol The First way is that whilst the soul is performing duty the strength of it is continually renewed Secondly The soul hath the love of God shed abroad into the heart The first Consequence is happiness of a Christian here Secondly Hence cometh the perseverance of beleevers The use of all is to exercise much faith in Christ Page 285 Chap. 36 Sheweth the Rest from the remainder of Corruption to be Sanctification and that to be a great Rest Laid open in six particulars 1 It is the right temper of the heart 2 In it the soul doth in great part attain its end 3 In it the soul lives the life of God 4 It raiseth the soul above the region of al troubles 5 It turnes every thing to good 6 It is the beginning of Glory Page 291 Chap. 37. Sheweth that Sanctification is only IN Christ Page 297 Chap. 38. Sheweth how our sanctification cometh from Christ in six particulars 1 It was the end of his coming to destroy the works of the Devil 2 He is the great Ordinance appointed by God to sanctifie his people 3 His death is appointed to mortifie sin 4 By him the curse upon the heart is taken away 5 By his union with Beleevers being the head of the second Covenant 6 In Christ are the strongest arguments for holiness that can be Page 300 Chap. 39 Containing two strong Arguments in Christ for holiness First In him the soul sees the greatest breach between it and God by reason of Sin Secondly In him it sees the greatest Hatred of Sin in God Page 313 Chap. 40 Shewing how Sanctification comes from Christ in six Particulars more 1. It is he that reveals the Father to the Soul 2. Through Christ the Love of God is shed abroad into the heart 3. All the Promises are made to us through him 4. In him all the Ordinances are effectual 5. He sends the Spirit into the heart 6. Christ Rules in the heart Page 317 Chap. 41. Six Consequences from the former Doctrine I. The difference between beleevers and the state in Adam II. We see the difference between Civility and true holiness III. We see the reason why so many Vowes and Covenants to live holily come to nothing IIII. It is impossible for any to be a member of Christ and not be holy V. Be not hindred from comming to Christ albeit you have not so much holiness as you desire VI. Hence we learne how to Vnderstand Christ aright Page 327 Chap. 42. Containeth an exhortation to come to Christ wherein Three hindrances are removed And six encouragements laid down First The Union between Christ and a beleever Secondly From the great Love of Christ Thirdly corruption is the burden of Christ as wel as of a sinner Fourthly He healed the bodies of many he will much more the soul Fifthly he knows what it is to be Tempted Sixtly It is for the Honor of the Death Resurrection and life of Christ to give Holiness Page 337 Chap. 43. 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 Page 341 Chap. 44 Sheweth that a beleever hath Rest in Christ in al troubles he can meet with in the world which is laid out in four Particulars 1 All afflictions are at his disposal 2 In him the curse is taken away 3 They stand with Gods love 4 They are measured by God Page 348 Chap. 45. The Rest beleevers have from Christ in outward afflictions discovered in four Particulars more 1. They shall be to good ends 2 They shall be sanctified to the good of beleevers 3. God is present with his people
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
do their duty but with blowes and slashes they are set upon their duty now this is very burdensom if indeed they might be put upon it with love gentle and fair cariages they should do as much as they do with a great deale more ease but when al meanes that is used is rigorous and forcible this makes their lives burdensome unto them so it is here they that are legal performe duties but how the terror of the law the flashes of hel fire in their conscience and the fear of the Judgments of God come unto them except you do this you may fear that the Judgments of God wil pursue and follow you In the night season when they are in the darke they are filled with terror and when this terror comes upon them then they must go to prayer though they have no mind to go to prayer for their conscience else wil fly in their faces in the day time these are just like the Children of Israel in Egypt the taske masters put them upon their worke with rigor that their very lives were tedious to them whereas those that are sanctified they go to performe duties out of love and so their duties are sweet and delightful to them The 6. Burden of legal performances 6. From hence follows that those that are meerely legal in their performances they do their duty with much straitness of spirit they have no inlargment of heart usually very rarely in any thing they do but they do it if they do do it in a dul manner a dead way meerly the work done and no more their spirits are excedingly strait pray they must so much time they spend in prayer but when they are risen from prayer they find their harts are as strait as ever I do not say but a godly man or woman may be so at sometimes but when duties are performed in a legal way this is constantly so and Oh what a burden is this to a soul to think that I can never go into the presence of God but I have stil a dead straight heart others have enlarged hearts but I do the duty and nothing comes of it I feel my heart altogether straitned in the duty and so I go on in the rounds but stil am straitened dead and dul in the performance of the duty The 7. Burden of Legal Performances 7. Those that performe duties in a meer legal way find nothing to come of their duties but are meerly as a horse in the mil go the rounds or as if a man were to rive or cleave a knotty peice of wood he strikes but the knottiness of the wood gives the rebound to the axe and wedges and he can make no marke of it though a man strive and work hard yet if he findes his work goes on here is some comfort but when he works and works and it continues so stil this is burdensome If a man should be set to pull a logg out of a ditch and injoyned to work from morning to night and he pulls and pulls al the day and it stirs not is no further on in his work at night then he was in the morning and he must go to it the next day and nothing comes of his work this is very tedious so it is with those that are meerely legal in their performances they find little or nothing comes of al their performances and this must needs be very burdensome you that have been thus burdened know this very text concernes you and Christ hath thoughts of you and cals you to himself and saith Come to me as if Christ should say certainly there is another way for you to have ease and rest to your souls it is true you must go on and do your duty but you must come to know me in the gospel before yo◠〈◊〉 have ease and rest to your souls The 8. Burden of Legal Performances 8. Those that performe duties in a meer legal way the the truth is let them â—oll never so much in that way they can never attain to their end let them â—oil never so much performe duties never so many increase their duties a thousand fold yet they can never attain unto their end Their end what is that you wil say Their end is that they might have peace with God live and have eternal life it is true base hipocrites look at profit many wil make a show of religion get into houses and talk of good things that they may get good cheere meat and drink and a little gain being of a poor and unworthy Spirit but I speake of those that are grown higher then thuâ— those that performe duties out of conscience and yet never attain to their end nor never wil attain to their end in this way til they come to know more of Christ I speake of such as desire rest to their souls yet in this way of legal performances never gain this rest to their souls and and therefore it must needs be burdensome unto them The 9. Burden of Legal Performances 9. Those that performe duties in a meer legal way they goe on and performe duties but whether God accepts of them yea or no they cannot tel do them they must but whether God be their enemy or their friend they canot tel tender up duties to God they do every day but whether they tender them up to an enemy or a friend they do not know sometimes they have perhaps some good hopes that God accepts them but never come to any knowledg of Gods acceptance they go up and down continually with Jealous thoughts of God fearing leaâ—â—od wil take advantage of them at the last this musâ—â—e burdensome Many poor souls have gon on in tâ—â—tion one seven yeares after another and al for thâ— of coming to Jesus Christ for rest unto their soules then comes rest to the heart of a sinner when it knowes and can say upon good ground though my heart have much corruption though my duty have much imperfection yet through a covenant of grace what I do the Lord accepts of me whereas the other never comes to know that God doth accept them though they performe their duties never so wel The 10. Burden of Legal Performances 10. Those that performe duties in a meer legal way their spirits are hurried on to do the work to do the thing that conscience requires although in regard of their weakness the doing of such a thing at such a time wil hinder the doing of other duties that God requires of them but yet do it they must I do not say duties are not to be done at this time but such things as conscience tels them are good they are hurried on to do them presently though in regard of their weakness the doing of them now doth hinder them from doing other things of more consequence as we find by experience many that are weake yet under the command of conscience and are in a legal way suddenly there comes such a thing into their
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
them but they have arts to make their tankerds light as can be but now if they carried their water in tankards of Lead though the water were no heavier yet this would make it more burdensome so sickness poverty loss of estate they are burdensome to al that beare them but yet the corruption of sin when the heart is corrupted with sin that is as lead that makes it the greater burden and therefore sin in the heart is such a thing as makes al other things burdensome that are burdensome Though a man should loose al his estate in one night this might be some burden but he that hath sin upon him that makes al other burdens to be burdensome The Fifth property of the Burden of Corruption Fifthly Sin is a burden unto God himself much more to the saints God cries out that he is prest under sin as a Cart is pressed that is ful of sheaves it is a burden to the spirit of God and therefore it is said that the spiâ—it of God is greived and it must needs be a great burden to thy soul when thou seest and knowest it is a burden to thy father it is a burden to the spirit of God whereby thou art sealed to the day of redemption Is it not a burden to the heart of any ingenious spirit when he shal consider that that which I have done is a burden to my father to the spirit of grace any ingenious child it wil be a burden to him that he hath done any thing against his father now so long as thou hast any sin in thee thou art a burden to God and to the spirit of God The Sixth property of the burden of Corruption Sixthly As it is a burden to God so it is that that makes us burdensome unto al that we converse with al and the more Corruption that remaines in our Hearts the more burdensome we are to all that we converse withal some there are though truly godly yet they have so much Corruption in them that they are burdensome to all that they converse withal as in a family take those that are passionate though they have godliness lies at the bottome yet how burdensome are they to those that converse with them others they have extream stout and stubborn Spirits others have sullen Hearts extream sullen spirits others have slight and vain spirits others proud and envious spirits and others Covetous now there is reason they should feel the burden themselves for others feel the Burden when it breaks forth from them and therefore it much more aggravates their Burden those that are truly godly that are overcome with passion when they think thus Oh! what a Wretched Heart have I that I should break forth into passion in such and such company Oh! what a Wretch am I that I should not only be burdensome to my self but to those that I converse withal I make no Question but I speak to many that have lamented their condition in this kind alone in that they have been so burdensome to others it is true I have been a Burden to such and such but the Lord knows it is much more a burden to mine own heart and to my self therefore the remaining part of Corruption is such a Burden to the godly because it is a burden to others whenas all the people of God should be useful in the places where they live they should live so as that all that live by them and with them should bless God for them this they should endeavor to do to live in such a manner as all that come neer them should bless God that ever they came neer or had converse with them The Seventh Property of the Burden of Corruption Seventhly This Burden is such a Burden as makes those that are godly to be burdensome to themselves yea even to be weary of their lives many times Why For their Corruption in them is a great deal more grievous then Death would be to them We use to express a thing that is very grievous to us and say it is death to us those that are godly can say so of their sin and that is one Reason that Paul gave that Name to his sin a Body of Death Oh! Wretched Man that I am who shal deliver me from this Body of Death Why because the remaining Corruption that then was in his Heart was as Death to him so it is with the Saints the Corruption that remaines in their hearts it is Death to them and they can appeal unto God and speak thus in his presence The bitterness of death would not be so much to me a thousand parts as this Corruption that is in my heart Oh! this Corruption that is in my heart that overcomes me after so many resolutions so many Prayers so many Sacraments so many ingagements it is that which makes me weary of my life as Rebeccah said if Jacob should marry a Wife of the Daughters of Heth it would make her weary of her Life so saith the godly this remaining Corruption in my Heart makes me weary of my Life what shal I do that carry such a Body of Death about me so as I do There are many Men and Women that in a discontented mood say they are weary of their lives but this is in a discontented mood but when could you say so in respect of your Hearts when did you say I lookt into my Heart and I saw a great deal of sin Corruption worldliness Pride Passion and the like and this is that which makes me weary of my Life The truth is the great thing that makes the people of God to be willing to die is this because they know when they die they shal be delivered from this Burden and therefore when Death comes they entertaine it willingly because they know they shal sin against God no more There is many of you when you have lived a long time in sickness and poverty and are in great straites many waies you think if Death should come to me I could be willing to die because then I should suffer no such things as now I do I but that is no argument of Grace but this is an argument of Grace that because of the great burden of Corruption that thou carryest about in thy Soul therefore thou would'st be willing to die The Eighth property of the Burden of Corruption Eightly Sin is a grievous Burden while we have it and makes us weary of our Lives and yet it is such a Burden as we must certainly carry about with us such a Body as we know we shal never be freed from wholly while we live in this world it is true we may be freed from it in a great measure Christ saith come to me and you shal have Rest that is some Rest for the present and whole Rest in the Life to come but we cannot be wholly freed from this Burden whilst we are in this World And thus much for the properties of this Burden what
so much as they do It is troublesome to fight with an enemy but it is a great deale more troublesom to have an enemy prevail and get the day and though it is true that corruption shal not get the day fully that is though it may prevail for a while in some skirmishes it may prevail Praelio but not in Bello as an enemy may in some skirmishes have the better of it but yet the other may Conquer at last and may get the day the day that is when it comes to a pitcht set Battel that is the Bellum and there he prevails if I can but prevail and get the day to be mine then it is not so much It is true the Saints of God they shal get the day at last but here as long as they live their corruptions often prevail and foiles them which is very grievous and burdensome to them CHAP. XV. The Reasons of the former Point 1. Because coruption when it prevailes weakens the heart 2. By it God is dishonoured 3. By it our holy profession is scandalized 4. By it they over whom it prevailes are made useless in their places 5. Thereby the meanes of grace are made unprofitable 6. Thereby our peace with God is disturbed 7. Thereby the assurance of our Salvation is shaken NOw for that to open it a little in the particulars to shew how burdensome it is to the hearts of the Saints when they do prevaile in any measure they do not put it off as carnal people do with this we are al sinners and it is Gods grace to keep us and Lord have mercy on us and the like no but they account the prevailing of corruption the greatest burden that they can goe under in the world and that in these respects I First Because whensoever corruption prevailes in what degree soever it weakens the heart it weakens the soul it may stir in the heart and if the heart doth repulse it and get strength against it the heart is not weak as before but if it prevail in any degree it weakens the heart now we know that which is weak is sensible of a burden quickly a sick man is a burden to himself and every thing is a burden to him now when any corruption prevailes it makes the soul sick and every thing is a burden to it and I beseech you consider here is a reason why you are so weak and are able to beare no other burdens If any body crosse you when you come home wife Children or servants cross you you cannot beare it if neighbours cross you you are able to beare nothing there is a reason in this that you do not think of you have weakened your hearts by some sin or other and broke your peace with God it may be and now your hearts come to be weake you are like a sick man that cryes out upon any thing one that is sick cryes out upon every thing wheras if he were strong healthful he could bear a hundred times more so you have brought a sickness upon your souls there is some sin that hath prevailed w th you prevailed over you and by that hath weakened your heart and your spirit now being weake you can beare nothing every thing is a greivous burden to you so that the prevailing of corruption comes to be burdensome in this respect because it weakens the heart and makes every thing burdensome to them II Secondly The Saints and people of God they account the priviledge of corruption to be the greatest burden in this respect because they know that now they dishonor God especially if it prevail so as to breake forth outwardly that it comes to an outward actual sin then it must needs be burdensome to one that is gracious for the name of the blessed God suffers by this my sin that hath prevailed al the while sin was but stirring in my heart and did not prevail the name of God hath not that dishonor as now it hath now when sin hath prevailed it dishonors God and therefore it is a burden unto the Saints III Thirdly It is a burden because it may be my holy profession is scandalized by it and is not this a burden howsoever many wretched men and women wil say they care not let others say and think of them what they wil but now Godly men and women when rhey think of this they cry out O What wil the wicked say of this how wil they blaspheme the name of God and dishonor the name of God and this wil be a burden to them because thereby their holy profession is scandalized IV Fourthly ' It s a burden because hereby they come to be made useless in the places where they live many though they may have some soundness of grace in them and may go to heaven at last yet their corruption prevailing over them they come thereby to be very useless in the places where they live they may live but themselves wil be burdens upon the earth for they are never like to be used to do any great service for God in the world they have so scandalized their profession by the prevailing of Corruption V Fifthly When corruption prevailes over the Saints as it makes them unprofitable so it makes the meanes of grace exceeding unprofitable too it hardens there hearts and they come to prayer hearing the word and Sacraments and find little good many of you complain you find not profit by prayer and hearing the word and Sacrament what is the reason such and such corruptions have prevailed over you it may be there are some sins that you live in that have prevailed over you and therefore no marvel you do not profit as you desire VI. Sixthly The prevailing of Corruption is a grievous Burden in this regard because it is that that doth extreamly disturbe ones peace between God and our Soul though there be many temptations yet if the heart can conquer them it hath more peace by that means never hath the soul so much peace as when there hath been strong temptations unto sin and a conquering over those temptations but if temptation conquer then there wil be a disturbance of our peace and that is burdensome to those that do know what peace with God doth mean VII Seventhly The prevailing of Corruption is a grievous Burden because it is that many times that shakes the assurance of those that are godly I know not what those men would make of the Lords Prayer Forgive us our Sins if so be that they think whatsoever sin they fal into yet stil they can keep up their assurance as much as before I say what would they make of that petition Lord forgive us our Sins at least to pray thus Lord cleer up the evidence of the forgiveness of our sins then it must needs follow that the falling into any sin and the prevailing of any Corruption must needs shake our assurance while we live here in this world now is not this a
acknowledg that it is through grace that he hath but somewhat which God works through him that is the most natural to a rational creature to rest upon somewhat that he doth to make up his peace with God and to be his righteousness before God And it is a mighty work of God to beat off the heart from this especially The heart comes thus far to say it is true I can do nothing of my self but it is by the grace of God that I do al now for the heart not to rest upon this as its own righteousness this is the hardest thing in the world And although men may be convinced in their judgments that they should not rest in any such thing but go out of themselves to another principle yet it is the hardest thing in the world to come off from it and it is that makes the work of faith the most difficult thing in the world because it carries the soul out of it self from its own bottom from its own principles and the mistake of this thing is that that is the undoing of thousands of those that live under the sound of the gospel that when they have somewhat reformed their lives and think they are able to do thus and thus yet here they rest and go not out of themselves to look for rest out of themselves and do not come to Christ Quest You wil say What not rest upon what we do and are inabled to do upon Gods grace Faith it self is a resting upon Christ Ans No but this you must observe in your comming you must not rest upon your comming but upon Christ that you come unto for their may be a deceit in that too There be some that rest upon works of humiliation mourning for sin reforming their lives and they think that is their rest and peace Others go further and think they must beleeve in Christ but they wil rest upon their beleeving so they rest upon their comming and not upon the object that they come unto but we must be taken off from resting upon our comming upon our very beleeving and Christ must be all in all to have true rest in Therefore faith is a Supernatural grace because by that we are taken off from what we are in our selves and carryed on to somewhat else 6. Upon this follows likewise That faith is an humbling grace it is that that must needs humble the soul where it is for indeed it is the greatest self denial in the world for a creature to come to be willing to rely upon free grace for the soul to be so emptied of it self as to acknowledg there is no worthiness no good at al in it self and yet it is content to live eternally upon meere almes and to give God the glory of al. Is there any thing more hard to any of you then to live to be beggers al your daies to be beholding to others so as to live upon meer almes and nothing else al the dayes of your lives Now for the creature to be so emptied of it self as to live upon meere almes to al eternity upon nothing but meer free grace and upon a principle of life without our selves this is a mighty work of emptying of our selves and of self denyal And therefore in Rom. 10.3 It s spoken of the Jewes For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God This plainly shewes that the bringing the heart to rest upon the righteousness that is of God by faith for that is meant here requires a submission of the heart a laying down the heart and a humbling of the heart and indeed this is the very ground why the Lord doth so humble the spirits of men and women when he brings them to Christ because that the Lord knows that the very act the coming to Christ is an act of the greatest self denial in the world because the heart must be emptied of it self in that that is so much against the pride of mans heart to live eternally upon meer free grace and nothing else For there is nothing that man doth more desire then to have somewhat some stock of himself to live upon And indeed herein man comes to be more humble then Adam in innocency could be for Adam had a stock to live upon in his own hand to live upon in himself not but God was the principle of it but then God gave it him to live upon the stock of Grace he had in his owne hand But now in the second Adam the way of God towards us is otherwise the second Adam keepes the stock of life and grace upon which our soules must live eternally in his own hand I say they are in Christs hand not in our selves and therefore our life is a better and safer life then that was and thereby we cannot fal from God because we live by the principle of life that is in him It is a great mistery and almost impossible to unfould only some glimmering we have in the word that this is so 7. If there be nothing required but to come then another consequence wil follow from hence and that is this Hence then beleevers that come to Christ may learn this lesson to be willing to do and to suffer very much for Christ after they come because there was nothing required of them to the pardon of their sins but only to Come I strengthen the inference thus If God had said thus indeed I have sent a mediator to pacifie my wrath and to pardon your sins and before you come to Rest I require that you should suffer so many hundred yeares of torment in fire and that should be a preparation to come and then after you have suffered so much then you shal come and have rest suppose this had been the condition of the covenant now had it been so we had al had cause to have fallen upon our face and have blest his great name that we can have peace on any termes and we should have been not only willing to accept of these termes but to magnifie Gods grace that we can be thus saved at last But the Lord hath not required that first we should suffer such and such hard things and then Come to Christ but he calls upon us first to come and requires nothing before And therefore before we are able to do the Lord any service the Lord wil first accept of us and pardon us and heale us and interest us in himself and be our God and take us to be his Children and make us heirs of heaven and eternal life this at first before we shal ever be able to do him any service What an infinite grace of God is this how is he beforehand with us for he calleth to the greatest sinner that knowes what his sin is and is Laden saith God I require nothing before the receiving you to mercy but meerly to
come and cast your souls upon me You may say Lord we that have been guilty of so many sins so many years might it not be just that God should require and say I but you shal live so many yeares to my honor live so many yeares to my service and then I wil pardon and accept of you no but saith God I wil receive you and accept of you upon your comming before ever you are able to do me any kind of service no saith God come to me and you shal have first my favour and you shal be first accepted and first pardoned and then indeed I expect service from you then I expect that you should live as the redeemed ones of the Lord and al that you shal do afterwards shal be but in way of thankfulness to me for my grace And indeed thus do beleevers live in the world though they look upon what they do in a way of duty but they do it in a way of thankfulness that is the special thing that carries them on the grace of God in his son and that is a stronger argument to al kind of duties that now God requires of them then what they had before God doth not cal upon you to suffer first and then he wil pardon your sin no but saith God I wil bestow my favour first upon you and try whither you wil suffer afterwards God wil not do as men try them whether they wil suffer and deserve their favours before they bestow them on them but saith God I wil first bestow my favours upon you and then I wil try whether you wil suffer for me and do me service And therefore the less God requires as a condition before we come to Christ the more should we be willing to do for God after we are come to Christ As a man that shall receive a poor child into his family and make him his heir the less that was procured to the favour of the man the more if the child be ingenious wil he do to him in way of thankfulness Indeed if the friends of the Child come and indent with the man and promise him a hundred pound the Child thinks he is not so beholding to his master for their was money given with him I but now if you should ly at the dore and no friend to look after you and not a rag upon you and if then he wil take you in and teach you his trade and make you the heir of al he hath Oh! now how infinitely ingaged are you to him that how my master doth al this for me and there was nothing done before to procure his love Thus Jesus Christ is a forehand with us Come to me only come to me that you might have Rest 8. Hence follows another note of very good use seeing nothing is required first but only coming to Christ here is a strong ground of assurance that those that are once in Christ shall not be cast away but shall have eternal life for there is not so great a distance between eternal life and the members of Christ as there is between one that is in his Natural estate and a member of Christ Now God hath done more for thee in bringing thee unto Christ then he shall do for thee when he brings thee unto Heaven For there is a geater distance between thee and Christ than there is between thee a Member of Christ and a glorified Saint in Heaven and if God bring thee over this great distance meerly out of free Grace and nothing required but coming that now thou art a member of Christ and therefore hast right to Heaven and thou canst challeng Heaven through the Righteousness of Jesus Christ and God hath put a principle of life into thee to live unto Jesus Christ a principle of everlasting life into thee when there was no principle at all God brings thee to Jesus Christ meerly out of free Grace Now if thou comest so freely to him surely thou shalt not be shut out of Heaven and therefore it may be a mighty incouragment What if when we were enemies we be Reconciled to Christ much more now shall we be saved by his life If when I was in the Gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity God gave me mercy upon coming to his Son surely he will not cast me out of Heaven 9. Another note that we may learn from hence is this That those that are beleevers if at any time through their negligence sluggishness or fals they loose the assurance of Gods love in Christ loose their Rest in Christ here they have a direction to know what to do Look how thou did'st at first when thou attainedst first Rest in Christ it was not by any Righteousness of thine own nor by thy humiliation though that might make some way towards it So now when thou art a beleever and hast lost the assurance of Christs Love and the comfort of Rest in Christ now thou must go and take the same way again Christ cals those that are beleevers to come to him those that have lost the assurance of Faith that is the way for Rest to renew the act of thy coming to Christ just as thou did'st before Though God did humble thee yet the thing that did bring thee Rest was the coming to Jesus Christ so much more should'st thou do now being a beleever When thou hast not the Rest in Christ thou desirest thy way is to renew thy act of coming of going to Christ and so you may sooner come to have Rest that way than by thinking thus I know not whether my evidences be right or no and I had need look to them and therefore I had need to look whether my humiliation be right and my Sanctification be right or no. I say the renewing the act of thy faith in coming to Christ will bring Rest sooner and safer Rest and therefore thou shalt come to see thy Sanctification better too by renewing the act of thy Faith in coming unto Christ and thou wilt have thy Rest sooner that way it follows from hence because at first conversion there is coming Thus much for the Consequences that follow from the point of Christs requiring only to come CHAP. XXI Nine Rules to be observed in right coming to Christ 1. Rest not in outward means that lead to Christ before Christ himself be enjoyed 2. Pitch rather upon Christ himself than upon the good things of Christ 3. Come with the whole Soul 4. Keep Christ continually in thine Eye 5. Be convinced that whatsoever keeps thee from Christ comes not from God 6. Take heed and beware of al discouragements and hinderances 7. Keep the Heart stil tending to Christ 8. Give up thy self to Gods Spirit 9. Often renew the act of coming come often to Christ NOw there is only two things remaine and that is some Rules to be propounded about our coming to Christ And then some means to draw the Hearts of sinners to come
saith to it regard not the stuff let your Heart be wholly taken off from all Creature comforts that are most dear unto you it is all but stuff here is Heaven here is the Riches of Heaven the Riches of Christ is yours and then doth the Soul come to Christ indeed when it laies all upon Christ and is satisfied with him alone RULE IV. Fourthly When thy Soul is making towards Christ labor to keep him continually in thine Eye and look upon him in his excellency Glory and beauty keep the object before thee all the while thou art coming towards him As it is in any journey if I am going to a place and I can see the journeys end it is in mine eye I can see the steeple before me of the place that I am going unto when the Marriner can see the harbour that he is going unto this is comfortable So the Soul that comes to Christ must resolve and say I must keep him in mine Eye in his lustre Beauty and Glory that so I may see a greater good in Jesus Christ than in all things else that the goodness that is in him doth out-bid all good whatsoever Now this is a great help to come to Christ for one of the greatest hinderances of the Soul in coming to Christ is this that it looseth the sight of Christ in coming and the Devil propounds other spectacles before its Eyes in coming and so it lookes into the deep pit of its own Heart and sees no other matter but discouragement whereas it should keep up its Eyes upon Christ the Son of God who is opening his Arms ready to imbrace it And there is a secret power and influence that comes from Christ unto the Soul to draw the Soul to him So long as the Soul keeps Christ in his Eye as the poor Woman said If I can but touch the hem of his Garment Nay you may go further then so and have a degree of Faith Nay If I may have but a sight of Christ I say there is that in the sight of Christ that will draw the Heart unto Jesus Christ As they say of some kind of creatures the very sight of them will kil a Man that if they do but see you or you them there will come poyson from them that wil kill you say the Naturalists But I am sure it is true of this that if you can keep Christ in your Eye the very sight of the excellency of Christ wil be of excellent vertue to draw the Soul to Christ And therefore you that are coming to Christ observe this some that are coming to Christ it fares with them as with the Children of Israel when they were going to Canaan they had gone a pretty way and made some progress but then they fel into discontent when they found a little discouragement and upon that they were brought back again and wandred forty Years up and down in the Wilderness and this was the punishment of their murmuring and discontent So it is with many that are going out of their natural State unto Jesus Christ they are come very near to him many times and then fal into fits of discontent pining fretting and discouragement and so are brought back again and made to wander in the Wilderness of discouragement for many Years together RULE V. Fifthly Labor throughly to convince thy Soul of this thing that whatsoever sorrow for sin whatsoever humiliation whatsoever trouble of spirit keeps thy Heart from Jesus Christ it is not of God but rather from thine own corruption it is not of God in thee except you will say it 's of God as an affliction it is not of God but suffering the Devil to try thee but whatever sorrow it be for thine own wretchedness or unworthiness if this keep thee off from Christ and discourage thee from coming to Christ convince thy Soul of this that it is not the gracious work of God in thee but the troubling of the Devil in thee The truth is many poor sinners when they are once troubled for their sins they take a kind of Satisfaction in this they think this is a good thing and they are glad of it I grant you trouble for sin is a good thing and you are to be glad of it but if your trouble for sin hinder you from coming to Christ and makes you think because you are so unworthy you may not come to him this trouble is not mixt with godly sorrow be convinced of this RULE VI. Sixthly Take heed of all kind of discouragements and hinderances in your coming to Christ but then take heed especially of all determinations take heed of insnaring your Souls by determining against your selves as saying surely the Lord will never shew mercy to me the time is past the Lord hath forsaken me I have used so much meanes so long time and God is not yet come to me No The Lord never intends good to me Oh! Take heed of these determinations for they are sinful wherever they are there can be no just cause in thy Heart be it as vile as it will for such determinations as these are and know when thou givest way to such determinations as these thou dost but insnare and fetter thy Legs by this and then thou sayest thou canst not come to Christ Christ calls to thee and thou art infettered with thy own thoughts for so one may lay fetters upon ones own Legs by ones own thoughts to hinder this spiritual coming to Christ As if a man should tie fetters about his Legs and say when he is called to come to such a place I cannot come Do not sit down and say I shall never have Mercy and I am one that belongs not to the election of Grace and I shall never come to Christ take off such thoughts when thou art about coming to Jesus Christ RULE VII Seventhly At those times when thou canst not feel thy Heart active as thou desirest to go after Christ yet keep thy Heart stil towards Christ keep it tending that way Why cannot I go to Christ Christ calls me to go to him Oh! I have a dead Heart and a heavy dull Heart yet I know I am neerer Christ there than if I should neglect his Ordinances I wil present my Soul where Jesus Christ is and may be he may cast in some Vertue into my Heart to make it more stirring after him but however I am resolved upon this I will not turne away from Christ I will keep my Heart where I am howsoever If I can go no further and here I will stand and here I wil look and I will cry to him and cry to God as the Church doth Draw me and I will run after thee and though I cannot beleeve yet here I will stand and sigh and cry and cal and if I perish I will perish crying to God that God would draw my Heart Oh draw draw our Hearts and we will run after thee Blessed Redeemer dost thou cal us
delivered from condemnation They are those that walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Shall it be cast upon this now I do challenge every Soul to put it upon the tryal to see whether they dare venture their Souls and eternal estate upon this Scripture look to it it is the word of God it is that word of God that must stand for ever when thou and I am fallen There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Now then thy eternal estate lies upon this thy soul lies upon it that if thou be a man or Woman that doth walk after the flesh that is look what pleasure the flesh desires what lusts of the flesh are delightful to thee thy Heart walks after them thou livest accordingly and it is thy great care to make provision for the flesh the care of thy life to make provision for the flesh and when thou hast made provision for the flesh thou givest liberty to thy spirit to satisfie it self in the lusts of the flesh thou art the man and woman that yet art not in Jesus Christ and therefore art certainly under condemnation and is this a time to Rest now in Is there Rest for such a Soul that is in this condition All those therefore whose consciences tell them that hitherto they have walked after the flesh and not after the spirit not after those truths that they find in the word perhaps they can go to the word and say it is true what the Minister saith if we could do what he saith and in the mean time cast off the thoughts of those truths that are according to the word and cast off what God speaks in his word for what he speaks in his word should be as real to thee as if he spake it from Heaven and therfore thou art out of Christ and I speak in the name of God of all these things that I might the more effectually draw mens hearts to come unto Christ for Rest For I do not mean to leave you thus to tel you that you have no Rest out of Christ but I intend to tell you how you may have Rest in Christ Only first I would convince you that out of Chirst there is no Rest for the Soul and if you have had Rest all this while out of Christ it hath been a cursed a vile a wretched Rest it hath been no other but such a Rest as this of a man that is condemned to die Nay Let me tel you all out of Christ are not condemned to die a temporal but an eternal Death But you wil say they have Rest enough it doth not trouble them I answer What Rest just as if a condemned man shal go to bed and fal asleep and dream that he is at home in his House with his Wife and Children about him at home with his friends at his work at his meat and O poor man how he rejoyceth that he is at home and hath got his Wife and Children and all is safe and wel this man pleaseth himself in his dream al this while and at length poor man he awakes and he sees he is in the prison he sees the shackles about his heels and the watch at the door and for ought he knows he may die the next day Certainly this sets forth as lively the condition of natural Men in the world as can be they are al condemned but they are in a dream and they think they are out of al danger al wil be safe that there shal no misery befal them O but when the Lord shal come to awake them out of this dream they wil see themselves in prison under the sentence of condemnation and then they wil wonder that they have been so quiet al this while Sixthly Yea Let me say further if thou beest out of Christ thou are not only under the sentence of Condemnation but for ought thou knowest every moment thou mayest be plunged into the Gulf of the wrath of the infinite God it is true God hath spared thee along time God hath continued thy Life in his Patience perhaps twenty forty fifty years well but how dost thou know but that may fal out in one night or day or moment that never fel out in al thy life though thou hast been spared a long time yet thou knowest not but before morning thou maiest be among the damned in Hell and is this a condition to rest in For a man and Woman to be in such a condition as when he comes to examine how doth things stand between God and my Soul How stand I to God What reference have I to God Or what reference hath God to me How do I know but I may be swallowed up in the Gulf of the eternal wrath of the infinite God and there lie under it for ever What do I know to the contrary And if this prove to be my portion it had been better ten thousand times I had never been borne and is this a condition to rest in Certainly if God hath revealed any truth in his word these are the truths of God The condition of one out of Christ is like one that hath suffered Shipwrack and perhaps he gets one of the Bords that are broken off from the ship and is floating up and down the Sea upon it and yet in such danger that every wave coming he is in danger to be drowned do you think it is possible for any one to sleep there It s true You are not drowned yet but you see your selves in danger by every wave that comes to be swallowed up and to be sunk to the bottom It may be it hath been the case of some of you that have suffered Shipwrack that you have been dilivered in a boate I beleeve when you have been there you could hardly sleep quietly if you should nestle down in your boate and say wel here I wil take my rest would not every one think you a mad man Just thus for al the world it is with men in their natural estate they take up their rest whereas they know not but there wil come presently some dreadful wave of the wrath of God and swallow them up and so they are undone for ever certainly there is no peace to the wicked saith my God if this be so There are divers other particulars that might set forth for the opening of the condition of al men that are out of Jesus Christ no rest can come to them and al to make Jesus Christ precious to you that you might seek the happy condition that is to be had in Christ Oh! that any thing that hath been spoken might be settled upon your hearts that you might go with that poor wretched sinner that you read of in the Acts of the Apostles Chap. 16.30 and say Men and bretheren what shal we do to be saved The Lord hath shewn me my restless condition I see the rest I
to him Do but stay a quarter of an hour or may be an hour or two then you wil find him in his scalding burning fit then he burnes ten times more than he did before and it is like to cost him his life but he finds trouble and disquiet and that gives him ease and therefore he drinks it down and this indangers his Life afterwards So it is with men that seek after ease and Rest unto their Souls in any way of sin thy pleasure in thy sinful waies take all the pleasure of thy Life from thy youth to the day of thy death and put it altogether yet in respect of eternity it is but just like the ease that a poor man in a Feaver hath while the water is going down his Throat all thy pleasure is no more and thou art like to be scalding and burning in Gods wrath to al eternity for that one draught of thine for the ease and Rest that thou hadst in the way of sin I am sure when Christ had the burden of our sins upon him he found it no Rest and therefore it cannot be ease to thy Spirit Secondly There are others though not so vile yet they Rest not in the act of sin but in the creature if they can have good trading quick voyages and have as their neighbors have then they are ready as the rich man in the Gospel to say Soul take thine ease eat and drink for thou hast goods laid up for many yeares and this is the rest that most people in the world do seek after they think that if they might have as such and such have then they had rest enough but be it knowne unto you that this is an argument that thou doest not understand nor savor the things of God if thou thinkest that al the creatures in the world yea if God should give thee the possession of al the creatures in heaven and earth if thou shouldest think that they would give thee rest I say thou dost not savour at al the things of God but those that understand what God is yea those that have but one sparke of true saving grace this spark of grace doth so inlarge the soul that al the creatures in heaven and earth cannot give rest cannot give quiet but stil it hath a higher good to seek after than al the creatures in al the world There is a notable text of Scripture which we have in the book of Job in the 26. of Job and 7. verse He Stretcheth forth the north over the empty place and hangeth the earth upon nothing Wilt thou seek thy rest in that which hangs upon nothing the whole earth hath nothing to rest upon and therefore nothing in the earth can be rest unto thy soul In Micah 2.10 as it is said there in that place so I may say of creatures Arise ye and depart for here is not your rest The whole world is as a wheel in a continual motion and therefore in James 3.6 Where the text speakes of the course of nature or the wheel of nature the whole world is as a wheel running up and down and therefore there can be no rest in the enjoyment of the creature Wel but there are some yet would fain have rest there having got good estates some of you have got good voyages and God hath prospered you in your young dayes and having got great estates now you would have rest that is to live idlely and to live uselesly and to keep at home and let al things go which way they wil it is good to be quiet in ones old dayes when God hath delivered you from many dangers at sea now you think the only way is to live quietly at home and to meddle with nothing and this is the rest of your souls this is the rest that many men have after their yonger time is past and how then to live and do nothing this is their rest now Oh! that God would but speak to the hearts of these men 1. Do but consider this That by living thus idlely and unusefully thou comest to have al thy parts and thy spirits to corrupt just as a standing water as waters in a pond do corrupt and putrifie by their standing so men that live uselesly and are not active for God and for the publique good according to the opportunities that God puts into their hands their hearts do putrifie and grow corrupt there is a corruption that comes upon al their parts the beauty the excellency the quickness the liveliness of their parts are taken away and they begin to putrifie more and more because they are not imployed for God what ever we have that we imploy not for God and are not active in for God it putrifies and however many men think it a great happiness because they have estates and they may live and do nothing there is not a greater misery to a gracious heart than to be useless for God and for God to lay them aside as such as are useless not to use them in his service it is the greatest affliction to a Godly heart in the world if God should take away their estates it would not be such a great affliction as to lay them aside and do nothing for God and therefore let no man think because he hath got a great estate that therefore he may ly stil do nothing Oh! what wil this man do when he shal be called to account for al his time for al his opportunity for al his estate certainly this wil not be sufficient that he can say he did no hurt no but thou shouldest have been active for God God is active for thee in saving thy soul al the Atributes of God is working for thee and al the passages of his providence is working for thee if thou be saved and therefore this is a wretched condition for men to think no higher rest but meerly freedome from outward trouble and if there be any whose conscience tels them this is the truth this is my condition and God speakes to my heart this day this is the rest that I have sought after know that thou art not acquainted with the wayes of God for certainly the rest of an immortal soul is a high thing Jesus Christ came into the world from the bosom of his father and laid down his life to purchase rest for the soul and dost thou think that Christ did this only to purchase this that thou mayest be freed from some outward trouble in this world and that we might sit in the â—himny corner and do nothing Oh! there is another rest for the Children of God than this Object I but some go further some wil say We trust in the mercy of God for rest for our soules Answ Now for that though this be better than al the other yet a man and woman may mistake in this thou trustest in Gods mercy for rest to thy soul what hath God revealed to thy soul concerning the mediator
of the covenant this may seem difficult to some and that is this that al the mercy of God in heaven cannot be sufficient for the rest of any soul but through a Mediator in Christ the soul must be brought to this mercy by the hand of Christ the mediator thou must first come to Christ the mediator before thou canst have any rest even in the mercy of God it self You must know and if you know any thing of the mistery of the Gospel you must know this that though God be an infinite current of mercy yet al the current of Gods mercy is stopt by mans sin so as it can only be opened by the blood of Jesus Christ and therefore thou must know God in Christ and you must know how you come unto God in and through Christ before you can rest upon the mercy of God this is that which doth undo many soules those that are of the better sort they think to rely upon Gods mercy think to rest in that and that is a sure rest to their soules but they little understand how al the current of the mercy of God is stopt and there is no coming to it but by the hand of a mediator between God and man Others they wil say they do many good things they do many good actions they serve God and they rest in this they do not commit the gross sins of the world and they do performe duties they pray in their families and in their closets this is that they rest in but the rest of an immortal soul must have a better foundation than this than al the duties than al the sorrows for their sins than al that God himself works in them it must be somewhat without them that must be rest to their souls and nothing wrought in us no not the grace of God in us can be rest to our souls it must be the perfect righteousness of a mediator though it be wrought in us by faith can be rest to our souls yet nothing in us So that you may mistake and performe duties in a formal manner but suppose you performed them in a gracious manner yet you must not rest in them you must go higher than al the best duties that ever you performed Wo to Abraham Isaac and Jacob if they had no other rest but what their duties brought them you must look higher than whatever you are or can be inabled to do for your rest You wil say what is there that can be higher than what we are inabled to do by God There is a righteousness in Jesus Christ by which you must come there is an insufficiency in al the creatures in the world to give rest and yet the truth is the greatest part of the world make al their rest in these things much might be spoken concerning the danger of this and much of the signes when our soules have true rest in Christ but we shal meet with that in the other point in handling the Rest that we have in Christ I wil therefore pass over this about the insufficiency of the Rest in al other things only with this one thing Know this That that Heart that is touched with Jesus Christ as the Iron is with the Load-stone can never be quiet either in creature comforts or in hope of mercy or in any Duty or performance it can never be quiet til it gets union with Jesus Christ Just as it is with a Needle that is touched with a Load-Stone shake it which way you wil it wil never be at Rest til it come to the North and when it gets North then it stands there so it is with a heart that is touched with Jesus Christ there is the touch of the spirit of Jesus Christ upon the Heart of a beleever and when the Heart is but touched with Jesus Christ it shakes is ful of fears and doubts and offer it this creature comfort and the other creature comfort it wil not do it the Heart is not at rest But now when there is the manifestation of Christ unto the Soul let them come to a Sermon where some blessed promise to the Gospel is opened to them and Jesus Christ presented to them and they find this to be the Rest of their Souls their Hearts come presently and close with this and they are able to lay the weight of their eternities upon the promise of the Gospel upon the free Grace of God in Christ they are able to lay the weight of their eternal estates here however others think that the promise of the Gospel is but a notion yet here they are able to lay the weight of their eternal estates and they can say with Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in peace for mine Eyes have seen thy Salvation Here I see Rest for my Soul my Heart was ful of Terrors fears and doubts and I sought for Rest and ease in this and the other creature comfort and could not find it But now Christ is made known to me and here is the Rest of my Soul It is true Godly people may be troubled for a while but it is as the trouble of the shaking of a Needle in the compass and other men they are troubled too there are some people troubled in conscience for their sins they come to a Sermon and hear the evil of sin opened and God meets with their Particular sin some secret sin that they live in they are troubled and they shake too I but they are like a fals Needle not rightly touched that shakes as the other doth but it wil stand at any point do but put it this way or that way and it wil stand here and there would marriners give any thing for such a Needle that would stand at this point and the other point So it is with wicked men when they are troubled the Devil the world and their corruptions come and quiet their consciences out of Christ and so indeed this hinders them from coming to Jesus Christ because they find quiet some where else The Saints they are troubled but their trouble and shaking in the world is like the trouble of a ship that is in the Haven at shore that lies at Anchor a ship that lies at Anchor though the waves toss it up and down yet it is tost up and down at Anchor So here is the difference for al the world between al the troubles of the Saints and the trouble of ungodly men Now when you have a ship at Sea and have no Anchor and the storm drives it any way when there comes a mighty Tempest and hurries it up and down and you do not know but you may light upon a Rock and be split you are troubled But the Saints they are at Anchor and you count your selves at Rest though you are tost by the Waves when you are at Anchor CHAP. XXVIII Of the Rest that a Beleever hath by Christ from the Guilt of Sin laid out in ten Particulars 1.
thee but know this that it is the priviledg of a beleever it is not the priviledg of every one there is a generation of men that are under the Law whose desires shall not be accepted as I shewed in opening of the burden of the Law But the man that doth these things shall live by them So runs the Tenure of the Law but here is ease for thy Soul if thou doest understand how the Law runs thy Heart cannot but sink within thee but this is that that gives ease to the Soul I am now come under another condition I being in Christ Christ gives Rest and ease unto the Souls of those that come to him that their desires and endeavors shal he accepted of God as performances now this is a blessed estate Fifthly The Rest of the Soul in Christ as it hath reference to deliverance from the burden of the Law consists in this That now al the Duties that God requires at thy hand are required in a sweet and a gentle way the services that God requires are required of thee in a gentle and a loving way God indeed comes and requires the same things that the Law requires of thee I but he comes to draw thy Soul with the Cords of Love We beseech you saith the Apostle by the mercies of God Rom. 12.1 That you give up your selves a living sacrifice Holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable Service We beseech you by the mercies of God Now the bond-slaves that are under the Law they have not Duties required of them by such cords and bonds of Love but if thou dost these things thou shalt live if not thou shalt die do and live sin and die so the Law requires duties at your hands that are under the bondage of the Law but now beleevers in Christ their duties are required by the mercies of God We as Embassadors beseech saith the Apostle And if there be any Love any Consolation Such kind of arguments are used to them and were it that we preached only to beleevers these kind of arguments were only necessary and it becomes those that are drawn by the Gospel to be drawn by such arguments and it is a good argument that your Souls are drawn by the power of the Gospel and are come to Christ if you find the Lord doth draw your Hearts that way and that those Duties of obedience that formerly you were put upon in a rigorous way meerly by the terror of your consciences your consciences flashing Hell fire in your Faces if you did not perform them if now you find that the Grace of God in the Gospel draws your Hearts more powerfully It is true every way you should give to God obedience upon any tearms but now when you find that God draws your Souls this way it is an argument that you come to have Rest in Christ We read in the History of the Ceremonial Law a type of these things that I am now speaking of that the Book of the Law was laid under the mercy seate you shal find in the story that the Book of the Law was laid under the mercy seate between the Cherubins under the mercy seate there the Book of the Law was laid that was the place that God appointed for it to shew that even thus doth the Law of God come now upon the Hearts of beleevers it comes upon them as it were under the mercy seat in the mercy seat beleevers look upon the Book of the Law lying at the mercy seat that is every Commandement comes unto them in a gracious alluring way together with abundance of mercy to draw their Hearts unto the obedience of it Sixthly Coming to Christ you have rest from the Law in this that the Grace of God in Christ doth much melt the Heart and when it hath melted the Heart to milk out the flagons of it then this melting of Heart is accepted exceedingly by God is very precious in the Eyes of God now this comes from the Grace of God that we have in Christ and it is a mighty Rest of Soul to know this As I told you before It is not enough for any of you to say it is true we are all sinners but God knows I mourn for my sins I am troubled for my sins that is not enough for thee friend but art thou one that art delivered from thy natural condition From being under the Covenant of works Art thou one that is come to Christ and brought to Christ Art thou one that is in the state of beleevers being a member of Christ Then thy repentance and mourning is acccepted As now it is in many Cases between Men and Men some men are in such a Capacity that if they do such a thing it is accepted but if another man that is not in the same Capacity do the same thing he will not be accepted so it is here those men that are in this Capacity in Christ and have together with the sorrowes for their sins the sorrows of Christ presented to the Father Canst thou when thou art sorrowing for thy sins present the sorrows of Jesus Christ by Faith unto the Father Then thou art accepted but know this that no sorrow for sin is accepted but such as is joyned with the presentation of the sorrows of Christ unto the Father Now what an ease is this to the Soul That now the Heart hath a means to melt it for the Heart was hardened before the sorrow for sin is such that the Heart remains hardned it is no other sorrow but this as it is with Marble-stones the Marble-stone is hard but yet in wet wether it will give and be very moist but stil it is as hard as it was it is a stone stil So it is with many that are troubled for their sins being only the trouble that comes from the Law they are troubled but yet there remaines much hardness in their Heart much peevishness and frowardness against God and against men You shall find in many people who have trouble of conscience yet there is much peevishness and frowardness in them against God and against man now when you see this in the Hearts of people manifested in their expressions waies and conversations remember the stones that you see upon pavements in wet wether they give and may be water trickles down from them and yet they remain hard still But now when the Gospel comes it doth not only cause some sorrow but the Heart melts and this is accepted as very precious before God and that is the Reason that we have in Scripture so many expressions of Gods high esteem of broken Hearts and contrite Spirits and how God looks at them He that dwels on high yet looks to him that is of an Humble and contrite Spirit and that trembles at his word and let me speak this one word for the ease of them that are troubled and are come to Christ those tears that come from thy melted Heart through the
of the name of God there was a time that my soul was under these as wel as any but now the Lord hath delivered me and brought me under another Covenant brought me to his son to Christ and he hath undertaken to satisfie the Law for my soul and so the beleever stands upon the shoar and prayses God and this makes him love Christ so much the more prize Christ so much the more and bless the name of God that ever he heard the voice of the Gospel sounding in his eares and therefore it is not tedious and grievous to him to heare the dreadful threatnings of the Law he knowes how to make a holy use of them his heart is drawn neerer to God by it as wel as by the promises of the Gospel It is an ill signe when men and women cannot indure to heare the threatnings of the Law a dangerous signe that they are under those threatnings if they were not under them it would not be troublesome to them to heare them but they that are delivered from them they know how to make use of them Many men and women wil say when they hear of the terrors of the Law what doth this but harden us the hearing of the terrors of the Law doth more harden us but if thou wert acquainted with the Gospel thou wouldest be softened by hearing of the terrors of the Law because thou wouldest prize Christ more And therefore beleevers must not look upon them as things that no way concerne them though they be not under them to be cast by them yet they do concerne them nearly and therefore God would have those things revealed even to beleevers because of many gracious uses that beleevers are to make of those things The 2. Lesson Secondly from what hath been delivered both from the burden of the law and the rest in being delivered from it this Lesson may be learned Here we may see how beleevers are in the course of their lives to mix humility with confidence they may learne how to be humble and yet how to be confident how to rejoyce and yet how to tremble there is no such way to learne the mixture of humility with faith and confidence and the mixture of joy and trembling as this is know the Law and the bondage under it and then the rest that is to be had in Christ this wil teach thee to be sensible of thy own wretchedness and what a condition thou art in naturally and yet how to be confident in the grace of God in Christ This wil teach thee how to feare in regard of what thou art in thy self and yet to rejoyce in regard of what thou art in Jesus Christ in the rest thy soul hath Got in Jesus Christ Many people do not know how to mingle these two together if so be they be humbled for their sins then they are dejected in their spirits they cannot tel how to exercise humiliation for their sins and faith and confidence in Gods grace together they think the humiliation for sin wil hinder Gods grace and therfore they cannot indure to hear of such things as tend to beat them down to humble them for their sins but they say they must beleeve altogether in Gods grace aad the other wil bring them to despair Certainly thou art not acquainted with the mystery of Godliness if thou doest not understand how these two may stand together to be deeply humbled for thy sins and yet at the same instant of time the soul to be raised with the Mercy of God in Christ both together It is true vices are opposite one to another but graces are never opposite one to another those that understand the Mistery of Godlyness they know how to mingle these two together at one and the same time You know that the scripture saith that Godliness is a mistery Great is the mistery of Godlyness and indeed Godliness consists in the skil that a Christian comes to have to know at the same time how to be humbled and yet to be confident yet to be beleeving and one the other side to rejoyce and yeat to feare many cannot rejoyce but they grow loose and wanton with their joy and others cannot feare but their hears grow lumpish and dead if they do feare now the heart that understands what it is to be under the Law naturally and what rest Christ hath brought unto us in delivering us from the Law can tel how to rejoice in trembling and to beleeve in humiliation and there is no such way to make such a mixture of both as to understand what it is to be naturally under the Law and what the rest is that we have in Christ I confess these things wil not perhaps come so ful upon the hearts of those that do not in some measure remember what we have said hertofore both from the burden of the Law and the rest that we have in Christ those wil not be able to make so much use of this that I am speaking of I could wish these things would have come altogether but we cannot do al things at once The Third Lesson Thirdly A further thing that is to be learned from the deliverance we have in Christ from the Law it is this here appeares plainly that the way of Life and salvation is above nature it is supernatural for that that I have opened in the rest we have in Christ from the law teacheth you that beleevers are not to stand or fal for their eternal estates by any worke of the Law if they performe any worke of the Law this doth not bring them to eternal life if they breake the Law this doth not cast them down unto death therefore the way of life and salvation is supernatural for nature can teach a man no further then this that he must serve God if he do thâ— God wil bless him and love him and if he sin against God God wil afflict him and chastise him nature can tel of no way how a man should be saved but only by serving of God and by doing the workes of the Law nature teacheth a man nothing else but this together with the other that if he doth that that God forbids he must expect the wrath of God and to ly under Gods wrath and beyond this nature cannot go Now then for to heare of such a thing as this is that my soul shal not depend upon what I neglect nor my eternal life shal not depend upon what I do that is a high mystery that is infinitely above nature I do not say what the neglect of Gods wil doth deserve of eternal perishing yea even in beleevers but now they are under the Covenant in Christ they have the rest in Christ that their souls shal not be cast one way or other by what they do or what they leav undon though if they neglect his wil the Lord may make them to know it here while they live in this world And if upon this any
shal say then what need we regard what we do if any shal say so we need go no further with this man but say unto him Thou hast no part nor portion in this thing thou hast no part in the deliverance from the Law by Christ shal we sin because grace abounds God forbid the Lord forbid that there should enter any such thought into any of our Hearts They that are godly have the Spirit of God in them and will not Reason after such a manner however this is certaine that in Christ we do not depend for life and Death upon the works of the Law and therefore the way of the Gospel is a high way a supernatural way it is a way beyond that that most people imagine most people upon Earth look no higher for a way of Salvation but meerly through the works of the Law and they will certainly miscary by what you have heard You see that the way of Salvation is a higher thing than Nature The Fourth Lesson Fourthly We may learn from hence that if Christ have given Rest to beleevers by delivering them from the rigour and severity of the Law that now they are not to be cast by it for their everlasting estates then they need to be so much the more faithful with God to do what possibly they can to serve the Lord in an evangelical way Thou wert in such a condition that thou wert under such a Law as if thou didst fail in any one point thou wert cast for ever but now thou art under such a Law as God accepts of thee in Christ hadst thou not need be more faithful and industrious in thy endeavors in that thou hast received so much mercy to be under such a Covenant The truth is the other might discourage thee to think that let me do what I can my Soul is cast for my everlasting estate but now if thou beest brought under the Covenant of the Gospel and the Lord Christ hath made thee to know that thy Rest is in him how careful shouldest thou be to walk with him in all well pleasing to give up the strength of thy Soul to walk in his waies I wil appeal to thee suppose thou wert in the condition again that the Lord looked upon thee with a strict Eye and required such absolute obedience that if thou failest in any thing nothing that ever before thou didst should be accepted poor soul if the Lord should say to thee what if thou shouldest be delivered from this Law and be brought under the Law of Christ First that thou shalt not depend for thy everlasting estate upon the Law And Secondly that whatsoever thou doest shal be accepted though with much imperfection how wouldest thou prize this and even Covenant with God and say Oh! Lord bring my soul under this Covenant and I hope I shal for ever endeavour to walk in al wel peasing before thee this shal not by any meanes in the world quench my endeavors and make me more sluggish but more strengthen my heart As suppose now one should be in such slavery under the Turke that let him do what he can he shal be beaten and a Prince shal come and ransome him and take him into his owne house and expect no more obedience from him then the obedience of a Child adopting him for his Child and al the obedience that he wil expect shal be a childlike obedience and he wil be his father Now were it not a vild and unnatural thing for such a one to be careless of giving contentment to this Prince that wil accept of him as a Child when he hath delivered him from such a slavery and bondage that he was under before Thus it was with beleevers thou wert under a dreadful bondage under the Law and thou art brought to Christ and he makes thee to be a child of God and be procures that thy obedience shal be accepted that is filial and Child-like shalt thou be more negligent now then before now thou servest God upon better termes then ever before and wilt thou be more sluggish The Fifth Lesson Fifthly from our being delivered from the Law we are to Learne this That we are not to judg our coming into Christ nor to judge our faith by the Law by our coming to Christ we are delivered from the Law therefore I say we are not to make up any judgment of our coming to Christ nor to judge our faith by the rules of the Law Though the propounding of this it may be is a little obscure at first yet you wil find it of marvellous use to help beleevers in their way some beleevers very ordinarily especially weak ones judg of their coming to Christ or their faith by the Law they make the law a rule of their faith which certainly should not be for if by faith we are delivered from the Law then it must needs follow that the Law cannot be a rule of our faith You wil say what is that to make the Law a rule of our faith That is thus Beleevers think that because their faith is weak and ful of doubts ful of imperfections and doubtings therefore they have none at al. Now what is this but to make faith it self a legal thing for indeed if faith were legal then it could not be accepted where there were any mixture of imperfection a legal faith could never be accepted with any mixture of doubting and with any imperfection But an evangelical faith can be accepted This I may meet with perhaps afterwards but for the present it follows more fully and immediately from what hath been delivered from our rest from the Law and I desire to suggest it now to beleevers as a marvellous help to them that they do not make their faith legal as thus Come to many beleevers that are ful of doubts and feares and why do they not beleeve It is true say they there is rest to be had in Christ and much to be had in this I but this is to beleevers and I am afraid I am not a beleever And why art thou afraid thou art not a beleever because of such and such sins and because I cannot do as I would Now what is this but to make faith legal now faith that delivers us from the Law of al graces that must be evangelical our mourning for sin is to be looked upon as evangelical and yet some beleevers look upon their mourning for sin as legal they think God wil not accept of their mourning Why Because they cannot mourne as much as they would That is true if thou wert under the Law then no mourning at al would be accepted as under the Law but now thou must look upon it as evangelical and thy obedience as evangelical It is an il thing that beleevers look upon their mourning for sin and obedience and the like as under the Law and not as evangelical this is a great hindrance to them but now much more is it to
have been at liberty so as they have been as conscientious in performing of duty as before but now their duty is made the joy and delight of their souls they have gone to them with rejoycing and made the Commandements of God to be their inheritance and the joy of their hearts and their duties are as sweet to them as the hony and the hony comb Now this is the argument that we are upon that in Christ there is rest from this burden Christ gives ability unto beleevers those that are his members to performe duties with freedom of spirit and indeed evangelical duties are duties performed with freedom that is the difference between legal performances and evangelical one is done as a burden and the other is done with freedom of spirit Now I shal shew unto you how Christ gives this freedom Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty you know the scripture I suppose now this freedom of spirit in the performance of duty comes by Christ these waies First when the soul is come to Christ it hath rest because Christ renders God unto the soul in a gracious way Christ takes off the terror that was before of God takes off that from the heart The reason why duties are performed as a burden to those that are legal is this because they tender them up to God but so as they look upon God as a terrible judg they must do what God requires I but when they come into his presence they come into his presence as a judg being very terrible Now when the soul comes to Christ Christ renders God very amiable and loâ—ely unto the soul of a Christian renders God the father as his father or her father For so Christ saies I go to my father and your father to look upon God not only as a father but our father as being the father of our Lord Jesus Christ So beleevers in the performance of duties look upon God as a father in a double relation He is my father he hath begotten me a new to himself and so he is my father he is my father he hath adopted me to be his child but he is the father of our Lord Jesus Christ too and Christ is mine two so that I have an interest in the fatherhood as I may so speak as the father of Christ I go to my father and your father So when beleevers come to tender up any service to God as a duty they come to God as their father and as to the father of their redeemer too now this brings a mighty deale of ease unto the heart of a beleever in the performance of duty a great deal of difference there is between a fathers calling the child to him and a rigid severe master or judge calling of one to him When the child heares that his father cals him he runs and loves to be in the presence of his father but when one saith to a servant your master calls you he knows not whether he be called to be beaten with stripes or no. This is the difference between legal performances and evangelical those that are in Christ when Christ calls them to duty you must go into the presence of your father and of the father of your blessed redeemer you must go to duty in him Come go to prayer saith Conscience to one they cannot but go indeed but when they go to prayer their heart is struck with feare terror and discouragement in prayer but Conscience saith to one that is a beleever come you must go to prayer what is that but come you must go before your father and injoy communion with your father the father of your redeemer cals you to have communion with him how doth your heart spring to come into the presence of such a father So that Christ renders them lovely to his father and so delivers them from the burden that they are under in legal performances Secondly In Christ beleevers when they performed â—uties they do not tender them up unto God as satisfactory for any thing that is past but meerly to be testimonies of their love and thankfulness for what they have received now duties are a great deal more easily done this way then another It is true they wil gather arguments from their former neglect to stir them up to do the more I but now they are not called upon to their duties to make God amends and satisfy for what is past for that would be a burden for such as performe duties in a legal way and are not acquainted with the doctrine of the Gospel they know not how to satisfy God but only by doing so much the more by how much the more they have neglected heretofore I have neglected God al the time of my youth and now conscience begins to be awakned and tels me I must serve God and perform duties and I had need be more diligent now that I may make up and satisfy for what I have neglected before Now when we perform duties in this way they are very burdensom As suppose a man hath run in debt and he is set up in a trade I but whatsoever he gets it must be to satisfy what debts he is run out in before this must make him go on in much heaviness he thinks that whatsoever he gets must go to satisfy what he hath run into before But now take another man that hath run into arrerages and hath a freind a kinsman that coms and layes down al the debts that he owed and gives him a stock sayes now you are a Freeman once again go on whatever you get shal be for your self this man goes on a great dealemore livelier then the other just thus it is between the consciences of those that performe duties in a legal way and the consciences of that perform duties in an evangelical way One that is legal conscience tels him of such arrerages that he hath run into with God and whatever he can do for time to come is too little to satisfy for what he hath neglected before now conscience puts him upon it do he must serve he must obey he must I but he doth it with no heart at al I work and I obey I do but whether this wil make up the arrerages for what is past I do not know Now a beleever performes obedience but it is upon other termes Christ comes and layes down a price and discharges him of al former arrerages and puts a stock of grace into the heart and says unto him now live and imploy this your stock in the service of God and trade with it get more comfort and more grace with it and you shal have the benefit and the good of every holy duty that you performe the good and benefit shal come to your souls Now such a soul goes unto duties in a cheerful way and they are no burdens at al to it because he performes them not for satisfaction of any arrerages behind
but now he trades for himself and every day he gets and gets and gets for himself that is another way how Christ gives rest unto the soul in regard of performance of duties that they are not burdensom unto the soul as heretofore they have been Thirdly another way of delivering beleevers in the performance of duties as a burden is this When in the duty that such a one performes Christ goes along with them unto the father and he himself tenders them up unto God the father and thus they come to be easy unto the hearts of beleevers whereas those that perform duties in a legal way they go alone unto Gods presence without any to go with them And again when they are there they must tender up al they do themselves to God and the truth is they can have little heart to this knowing what God is and how they have offended God and provoked him As thus suppose a malefactor that hath wronged the king he must go into his presence and petition but he hath no body to go with him and no body to joyne with him to tender up his petition but he must go himself now he goes with no heart in the world with no encouragement indeed he must go there is no other way to save his life he must die else but going so alone and having none to help him he goes very heavily But now suppose another that is to go into the presence of a King and the Kings deare and only Son Shal take him by the hand and say come I wil go with thee and what hast thou here a petition come give it me and I wil present it to my father and I wil get it granted O! how merrily and cheerfully doth he go into the presence of the King Just so it is between a legal performer of duties and an evangelical performer of duties those that performe duties in a legal way and go into the presence of God in a legal way they go alone they have no body to go with them to help them and this must needs make them to go very heavily But a beleever needs never go into Gods presence alone it may be you are at prayer alone in your closets but you are not in Gods presence alone Christ takes you by the hand and carries you into the presence of your father and those poor petitions and broken prayers that you present Christ takes them in his hand and presents them to the father and this the soul may see by faith and O! how comfortable is this when duties are performed in such a manner as this I go to a duty but Christ stands by mee takes al that I have to tender up to the father and he tenders it up for me Fourthly Another way is this That now al duties that are performed by a beleever they are performed from the Law that is written in his heart he is made a Law unto himself there is the spirit of Christ put into him that now he doth not performe duty because he must do it but because it is suitable unto the divine nature that is put into him for so the scripture saith we are partakers of the divine nature there is the very spirit of Christ put into a beleever and the Law of Christ written in his heart so that there is no duty that God requires of him but the Law of that duty is written in his heart to do it and according to his measure he can say as Christ did It is written in my heart to do thy wil O! Lord what doth the Lord require such and such duties to be performed and doth my conscience tel me in the name of God that such duties are to be done Lord this is even written in my heart and therefore Lord I come the Lord would have me do this and it is no other but what is written in my heart to do Conscience tells me I must do it and it is no sooner told me by my conscience but my heart tels me I am ready to do it Now what a rest is this in performing of duty when there is a disposition in the heart of a man or woman to do the duty that God requires of them they are a Law unto themselves there is no duty that God requires from them but if there were neither heaven nor hel yet they would do it naturally it is as natural to them to do the wil of God as for a fish to drink in water It is said of wicked ones that they drink in iniquity as the fish doth water sin is natural unto the wicked and grace is likewise natural though not altogether so natural for there is nothing in the heart but makes sin natural But it is true when one is a beleever there is somthing in the heart opposite to good I but there is a principle in the heart that makes it natural for the soul to drink in the Commandements of God as a fish drinks in water and therefore beleevers so soon as ever they have any touch of Christ how readily do their hearts come off to duty As for instance in Zacheus you know how Christ came to look upon him there was a touch of Christ upon his heart and presently he comes off and though before he was a covetous man and there was covetousness in his heart and he had got much by forged cavillation yet presently he saith Behold the half of my goods I give to the poor and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation I restore him fourfold Now what duty is harder then restitution when a man hath got much by wrong to restore it again as often you have heard you can have no comfort al your sorrows wil do no good til you have made restitution and the ground is plain because til you make restitution you continue in the wrong you have done wrong to such a man such a time in his estate wel you do him wrong to day and to morrow and the next day til you restore I say you continue in your sin til you restore if you be able to restore Now you cannot say a man repents of his sin if he continue in his sin and you continue in your sin though God doth not require you to go and make your self known to them yet though your persons be not known to them the wrong must be made known to them Just so is the difference between one that is only under the terror of the Law and one that hath got rest in Christ the difference is as in a Ship a Ship that hath one part of it sticking in the mud and sands and the water beating it up and down and ready to burst it in peeces but now if the tide come and fetch it off And it is got upon the streame then you may by the touch of a little finger thrust it this way and that way with ease when it is once upon the
water So it is with a heart before it comes to Christ when it hath only conviction of conscience though it have some illumination that is as the water that beats the heart up and down and it cannot be at quiet but is ready to be burst in peeces I but it sticks in the mud stil and therefore duties are very hard and Conscience doth but only tire the heart and beate it and trouble it I but now when it is come to Christ it ls like the Ship a float upon the water and now upon any touch of Christ it is ready to be put upon this duty and the other duty and the motion of the soul now is without any danger or trouble it moves up and down with ease when the heart is got off from it self and the world and the creature it moves in the waies of God with aboundance of ease set such a one upon the hardest duties you wil and he goes on with a great deal of ease and quiet and Rest of spirit he doth not think the Commandements of God hard doth not look upon the commandements of God now as hard commandements whereas one that is legal in performing of duty though he do the duty he looks upon the comand of God as a hard commandement You have an excellent scripture for that in the first of John 5. and the 3. Speaking of beleevers that when once they come unto Christ the commandements of God are not greivous unto them This is the Love of God that we keep his commandements and his commandements are not grievous But one that is in Christ a beleever upon any commandement though it be never so greivous and hard to flesh and blood before they come to Christ as in the commandement of Restitution I wil mention that I might mention others as to pray in your families to be constant in prayer morning and evening and to keep your heart constant in praier to God ' it s perhaps grievous to those that perform duties in a legal way but when once the heart comes to God then the commandement of God is not grievous I do not say but corruption may now and then prevail and then they are burdensome but when the heart hath got grace the commandements of God are not burdensome at al but they are easie to the soul for so Christ saith in a few words after my text My yoake is easie and my burden is Light Many people complain of the way of God Oh! the way of God is so hard and duty so strict to live so exactly who is able to do this I confess in the way you are in it is tedious and hard but if you had the spirit of Christ and were come to Christ those duties that you account now hard would be easie you would never have more comfort more ease and quiet then when you are performing of duty You wil think this a riddle to say that the soul should never have more ease rest quiet and comfort then when a man walks more strictly and exactly and keeps to the rule Now saith a carnal heart this is a miserable bondage that ministers cal for strictness what a bondage and weariness is this as they in Malachy say now you think this so Why because you are but legal al this while and if you did performe duties stil in that way they would be a burden to you but you mistake in this you think there is no way to keep Gods Commandements but in a Legal way I but know this there is an evangelical way to keep Gods Commandements Gods Law and that makes every duty to be easie and light unâ—o the Soul· You think there is no such quiet and content of heart as to be at liberty and to satisfie the flesh and have your minds fully pleased but were you acquainted with the mistery of Godliness you would find that those things that now are so easie and give you so much quiet and comfort would be the most troublesome things in the world the strictness of Gods wayes that you think so burdensome you would find to be the most easie and comfortable things in the world And therefore let not the Devil steal you away from the strictness of Gods wayes by this delusion certainly he doth but delude you O! that ye had but the spirit of the Lord Jesus in you and that you were come to Christ you would find then ease in the most strict and difficult duties in the world you would find your souls to be at ease in the performance of them Fifthly Duties are not burdensome unto those that are come to Christ because that in Christ al duties have joyned together with them the promises when duties are performed in an evangelical way when the soul is come to Christ then it looks upon evey duty that God requires as having some promise annexed unto the duty to inable the soul to do what God would have it do and by this it hath now Rest in performance of it Doth God require such and such things of me then the soul doth not only look upon the commandement but how a promise goes along with the commandement As how I might â—ance in divers scriptures how promises go along with commandements I wil give you but the comparing of one scripture for the present Compare the 10. of Deuter. with the 30. of Deuter. In Duter 10.12 there you shal find it thus And now O Israel what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to feare the Lord thy God to walk in al his waies and to Love him and to serve the Lord thy God with al thy heart and with all thy soul to keep the commandements of the Lord thy God and his statutes which I command thee this day for thy good Then at the 16. verse Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart and be no more stifnecked Here you see what God requires they are great things that God requires that we should feare the Lord and walk in his wayes and love him and serve him with al our heart and keep his commandements and statutes and circumcise our hearts and the like these are hard duties being performed in a legal way But now when the soul is in Christ see what a promise the soul finds together with these commandements In the 30. of Deu. and the 6. The Lord thy God wil circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with al thy heart and with al thy soul that thou mayest live Here God requires them to circumcise their hearts that they might love him and feare him and keep his commandements but that is the Law were there no more it would be a very heavy burden for a poor soul to have this ly upon it that I must love the Lord with al my heart and with al my might the Lord knows what distractions I have in my soul and in my heart God requires me to cercumcise my
heart I am not able to do it but now mark how the Gospel runs in the Deu. 30.6 And the Lord thy God wil circumcise thy heart the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with al thy heart and with al thy soul that thou maist live· The Lord wil do it the Lord commands me to do it and yet withal the Lord saith that he wil do it I might instance in a great many other particulars that the Lord requires first what we should do and if we be left here now it is hard indeed but then if we can find a promise where God promises that he wil do it for us this wil be easier to us And indeed this is the diffierence between the Law and the Gospel the Law commands us what to do and gives no strength but the Gospel never commands us to do any duty but there is a promise that engageth the Lord to help the soul in the performance of that duty And now is not here rest for the soul when the soul shal look upon the large extent of the duty that the Law of God requires of it The Law requires of me to love the Lord with al my heart and with al my soul and with al my might and to keep his commandements and statutes and to circumcise my heart Lord what shal I do in this Now then when the soul can look upon Christ the covenant of grace consider that that runs thus that the Lord wil circumcise my heart that I may love the lord with al my heart with al my soul that I may keep his commandements his statutes that God doth as wel ingage himself to inable me to do the duty as he doth require me to do the duty now here is rest unto the soule I wil conclude this particular with this one similitude as it is with the body Physitians observe that together with every veine where the blood runs there runs likewise an artery together with the veine now the artery is the vehiculum of the spirits that are in the body of a man that puts liveliness and quickness into the body So for al the world thus it is in regard of the commandements of the Law and the Promises of the Gospel I compare the Commandements of the Law unto the veines they are these duties required of thee in the whol course of thy life but if thou hast veines of blood and hast no arteries no spirit thou wilt be but dul though the blood be ful in the veins yet there wil be little strength But now there is the spirit that goes along in the arteries that gives life to the veines So now they that are under the Law they know many duties that they ought to do I but except they have the promises of the Gospel to goe along with them they have little life little activity to do the duty Therefore Christians when you heare any duty out of Gods word that you ought to performe consider here is the duty here is the veine I but where is the artery there is a promise in the word that goes along with the duty to inable me to performe the duty Now if I take both together I may go on in the way of Godliness with a great deal of ease and quiet and no duty needs to be troublesom to me The want of the knowledg of this one thing makes the lives of many people to be very disconsolate and makes them go on deadly and dully in the performance of duty whereas if they would make use of this one thing when they are put upon any duty to search and find out in the word the promise wherein God inables us to do the duty and plead the promise and say Lord thou requirest the performance of this duty but thou hast promised to inable me to do it I say if thou wouldst do thus thou wouldest find that thy duties would not be burdensom to thee but thou wouldest say wel I see my soul hath rest in Christ in the performance of al those services that heretofore have been very greivous and burdensom to me Object I But you wil say We have many promises in the Gospel to inable us but the promises are conditional and I may forfeit the promise by not performing the condition Answ To that I answer We have in the Gospel absolute promises as wel as conditional promises there is some promises that depend upon no condition at al but only beleeving as that promise where the Lord saith I wil take away the heart of stone and give a heart of flesh what condition is there does God say that if you first repent and performe such and such duties that I require of you then I wil take away your heart of stone No that is an absolute promise And so likewise that promise I wil put my feare into your heart that you shal not depart from me God doth not make this promise with condition You wil say Why then hath not al their stony hearts been taken from them because the promise is absolute I answer it is absolute from any precedent condition but yet God would have us come to the promise and close with the promises and cast our souls upon it he does not promise to do such and such things upon condition that if you wil do such and such things before then I wil do this and that for you no but only this do you cast your soul upon the promise and depend upon it and when thy soul is at a loss in regard of conditional promises when thy heart misgives thee and tells thee that thou hast not performed the condition of such such promises that therfore they do not belong to thee and thou canst not for the present have comfort in the conditional promises then make use of absolute promises and cast thy soul upon them and they wil bring in the conditional promises and know this that al conditional promises depend upon absolute promises in the Gospel and as when thou canst not make use of conditional promises thou maist go to absolute promises so when thou makest use of absolute promises thou shalt be inabled to do what is required of thee in conditional promises And here is the difference between the Law and the Gospel the Law requires and doth not give strength to inable to do what it requires but the Gospel requires and gives strength to performe what it requires Sixtly There is rest unto those that come to Christ in this because when they performe duties in Christ they do not performe them that they might have life or that they might have pardon that they might get life by them or that they might obtain pardon by their duties but they performe them now as the fruit of their life and as a fruit of their pardon and this is a great deale of rest and ease to the heart in the performance of duties There are many
Christ for this rest Sanctification the Rest from Corruption I. Sanctification is great rest unto the soul of a beleever the truth is there is nothing troubles the heart of a strong beleever but only the want of his Sanctification nothing in the world I say troubles the heart of a strong beleever but that It is time a weak beleever is troubled for want of the apprehension of the pardon of his sin a weak beleever hath trouble of spirit stil in the sense of the guilt of sin but a strong beleever gets over that A weak beleever hath trouble by the Law stil because through the weakness of his faith he is not able to make use of the Covenant of grace that God hath brought him into so as to deliver himself from trouble that way a strong beleever gets over that A weak beleever performes duties but there is a great deale of legality in his performance of them that many times they are troublesom to him but a strong beleever gets over that burden but now the remaining corruption that is in the heart none in this world gets over this Indeed in great part the strong beleever hath got power there also a great deale more then the weak one hath done but the cheife burden that lies upon a strong beleever in this world is the remainder of corruption that is yet in him And so for the next burden of affliction the strong beleever gets wel over that too but this is one cheife burden of the strongest beleevers that the world hath that yet there is much remaining corruption in them As it was in Paul though a strong beleever saith he Oh wretched man that I am who shal deliver me from this body of death as you heard it formerly opened to you so that sanctification is a special rest that beleevers have it is a rest 1 In this regard because it is the right temper of the heart As corruption was a burden because it was the distemper of the heart as sickness is a burden so sanctification it is the right frame and temper of the soul and so brings ease and rest unto the soul If your bodies be distempered with sickness you are a burden to your selves by it you know not what to do a sick body first lies down in one place and then in another and wil change roomes and change beds change postures because he is a burden to himself Let the distemper be gone let the body be put into a right temper and now he hath rest now he can sleep quietly now he hath ease in his body his pain is over Now sanctification is the health of the soul then the soul comes to be healthy when it comes to be holy holiness is the due temper of the heart and therefore it is rest 2. Sanctification is the rest of the heart because in that the soul doth in great part attain its end now what is it that the soul rests in so much as in its end every thing rests when it comes to its end the end is as the proper place in which every creature rests now by sanctification the soul doth attain its end in great part as First it attains the end that God intended in the making of it a man or woman now they attain in great part the end for which they are born thou art born to that end that thou mightest be holy that thou mightest live here in this world unto God which by sanctification thou dost that is the end God aymed at the end why thou art borne why thou camest into the world Secondly It is the end of al Gods wayes towards thee a special end of al the passages of Gods providence to thee of al the workings of God towards thee in this world of al the wayes of his providence to thee that thou mightest be godly that thou mightest live to him to his praise Thirdly It is the great end of Christs coming into the world Christ came into the world that he might purchase a peculiar people Zealous of good works and that he might sanctifie them unto himselfe Fourthly It is the end of al Gods ordinances towards thee why dost thou enjoy any ordinance but that they might sanctifie thy heart Fifthly It is the end if thou beest one that is in any measure Gods already it is the end of thy desires what are the desires of a gracious heart but that he might be holy to God and be freed from the body of death Sixthly It is the end of thy Labor what dost thou endeavor after what dost thou labor after if thou beest Godly but that thou mayest be more Godly that thou mayest be more sanctified surely that which is the end of our comming into the world that is the end of al Gods wayes towards thee that which is the end of al Gods ordinances which is the end of thy desires and the end of thy Labor that must needs be rest in attaining that thou must needs attain Rest 3. Sanctification is rest unto the soul in that the soul lives even the life of God the soul doth not only live to God but lives in God and therefore must needs live in Rest You have a notable expression for that in 1. John 2.24 Let that therefore abide in you which we heard from the beginning if that which ye heard from the beginning shal remain in you ye also shal continue in the son and in the father You shal continue in the son and in the father When the truths of the Gospel working on the heart unto holiness abides in the heart such a soul doth abide in the son and in the father lives in God and therefore must needs have rest must needs have rest there where it lives in God It s true the Saints they live in the world but as they live in the world so they live in God even in God here 4. Sanctification it must needs be rest unto the heart because that is a principle that raiseth the soul above the region of al kind of trouble and molestation As the Philosophers tel us that here in the inferior region there are stormes tempests changes and alterations but in the region on high the third region that is above stormes tempests winds and blusterings there is nothing but quiet nothing but peace there It is true while the heart of a man or woman is grovelling here below in the world as al are til God raiseth them by Grace their spirits are ful of trouble vexation and molestation There is no peace to the wicked saith my God but he is like the troubled sea which casts forth mire and dirt As you heard in the opening of that scripture But now when God gives grace and sanctifies the heart the Lord raiseth the heart above these regions of trouble raiseth it on high gets it up in the highest region there is nothing but quiet calme peace ease and rest unto the soul 5. Sanctification is rest
ever God and man to be an ordinance to heal the souls of his people surely then those that look up to him by the eye of faith wil receive healing of their souls as they did receive by looking upon the brazen serpent The very beholding of Christ hath a power to sanctify the heart And therefore if you would have holyness you must often look upon Christ set Christ in your eye be not only poring upon your Corruptions and looking downward into the blackness that there is in your spirits Many Christians are laboring under the burden of their corruptions a long time why because they spend their time and strength meerly in poring upon their corruptions and looking down to their corruptions But Oh Christian thou must look up set thy eye upon Christ the great ordinance and behold him as the great ordinance set up by God the Father for the conveyance of grace to the souls of beleevers and for the healing of al their souls and wounds and then there wil come healing virtue from him We read of the poor woman that had the bloody issue that spent al upon the Physitian shee did but come to Christ and touch the hem of his garment and then she was healed Surely Christ hath a great deal of virtue in him that the very touch did heal her and therefore he saith who hath touched me virtue went from him at the very touch of the hem of his garment Christ is the great ordinance and he is ful of virtue and excellency the looking upon him and touching of him brings virtue to the soul to heal the soul of its corruption Thirdly more particularly Christ brings sanctification unto the heart because the death of Christ is appointed by God to have an efficacy to mortify sin and corruption it is from application of the death of Christ filled with virtue and appointed by God for that end that it should have efficacy upon the heart to mortify corruption in the heart A man may resolve against his corruption he may vow and covenant against a sin he may strive and struggle against a sin he may pray against a sin he may fast to overcome his sin he may use all meanes that he thinks he can possibly use to overcome his sin and yet stil his sin not dead in him perhaps the meanes that he may use to restrain sin may keep down his sin but it wil never mortify his sin The application of the death of Christ that is appointed by God for Christ is appointed himself as the great ordinance But now more particularly I say that the way that is appointed by God for the mortifying of corruption it is the application of the death of Christ to the soul the virtue that comes from Christ as a dying Christ from Christ as a crucified Christ from Christ as a dead Christ to mortify corruption in the heart That is cleer from that place in Rom. 6. the begining What shal we say then shal we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid how shal we that are dead to sin live any longer therein dead a part of his coming know you not that so many of us as were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death therefore we are buried into Baptism by his death And in vers 5. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death Again in vers 6. Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin The old man is crucified with him in his being crucified there is a virtue in Christs death for the crucifying of corruption that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin He doth not say that we might have some power against sin that sin might be restrained or that such a particular sin may be kept down but that the body of sin might be destroyed So that in the application of the death of Christ there is not only the overcoming of this particular sin but the Body of sin comes to be destroyed all those principles of sin in the soul with the connexion of them and joyning one to another as the Members are joyned in the Body they come to be destroyed that is though not wholly cast out and radicated yet the ruling power of them is taken away as soon as ever the soul is come to Christ the Body of sin hath a deadly stroke given to it There are many of you striving against this particular corruption somtimes one and somtimes another for those that are Gods Children their hearts are more inclined unto some sins than others and at somtime to some particular sin more than other It may be one labors under the burden of passion and another of unbelief and another of Pride and another of wantonness and divers particular corruptions they are laboring under It may be at some times you find one corruption stir and you strive against that and another time another corruption stirs and you spend your strength against that but now here 's the way to strike at the whol Body of Corruption at once If one shal go to cut down a Tree and stand chopping at one sprig and one branch and another branch the Tree may stand long enough for al that But now if he would get the Tree down he goes to the root and a few blows gets down all there So this is the wisdom of a Christian That when he comes to labor against any corruption he doth not spend his time so much against this or that particular corruption but strikes at the body of corruption and how gets he strength against that By applying the blood of Christ the death of Christ by faith against that and by this means the body of death comes to be destroyed And here is the reason that Christians in a little time grow so much and get so much power against their corruptions whereas others are a long time before they get any power at all Those that are not acquainted with the way of Christ you shall have one that hath been a notorious wretch a wicked person a swearer a Sabbath-breaker if it please God to bring him to the Word and reveal Christ to the soul you shall have a mighty change in this man in a week a great change that he doth not only leave off now drunkenness and then lying and then swearing and then Sabbath-breaking but all goes down together Why Because at one application of the death of Christ al the body of sin comes to be destroyed though not quite dead and withered As a Tree though it may be dead yet the Leaves may be green still So though there be not at first the withering of them yet there is the deadly stroke given and therefore the way to kill them is to renew the application of the death of Christ And indeed this should be the care of a Christian not to
that have true holiness and Sanctification Your civil man and moral man he hath restraining Grace that keeps in his Corruption and what he doth it is through strength of Reason he sees in Reason that to live in such a wicked course as others do to Lie Swear Drink be unclean Cheat and Cozen the light of Nature teacheth that this is a sin And so the Heathen the moral Philosophers that is those that by the light of Nature saw the evil of such notorious vices and saw what the Rules of Nature were for the guiding of their manners So I say your civil men they have improved somwhat of the light of Nature they see by the light of Nature that they must not live in such and such sins as others do and it is better to live justly yea and to be bountiful to the poor many reach so far I but all this goes no further then the common light of Nature then the prudence and Reason of a man as a rational creature may carry him to Quest You will say what is more Answ This is more there must be Sanctification of the Heart through the Mediation of Jesus Christ there must be a principle of Grace that must come into the Heart as a fruite of the Second Covenant that God hath made with sinners in Jesus Christ through the mistical union that the Soul hath with Jesus Christ this is higher Now when a Soul comes beyond civillity it is wrought upon by God after this manner I come now to see the breach that there is between God and my Soul what my estate is by Nature that I am a Child of wrath I am dead in sins and trespasses though I have not lived so wickedly as such and such have done yet I see my self a Child of wrath and an heir of Hell and death notwithstanding all that I have done And I see that only through the blessed Mediation of Jesus Christ this breach is made up and I can only have union with God through him and his Spirit of Sanctification that must come to my Soul through the Covenant of the Gospel I must have my Heart raised up to God in an other manner not only to live civilly but holily to have the Image of God renewed in me through the Spirit of Christ and so to live the life of Christ and feel continual supply to come to my Heart through Christ to feed upon the promises through the Covenant of Grace and thereby to have my Heart Quickned more and more and to perfect my holiness in the fear of God through the promises of the Gospel This is more then the civil and meer morral man can come unto Your civil man is known First In this that what he doth is meerly according to common prudence and light of Nature Secondly The cheif of his Religion it is in Negatives that he is not so bad as other men And Thirdly If he have any thing positive it is but in outward actions serving of God but as for being acquainted with the mystery of Godliness and power of holyness of the necessity of a Mediator of the need of continual supply of Grace from Jesus Christ this he seeth not And further This civil man he is not burdened with Corruption with the remainer of corruption but thinkes himself in a very good condition Indeed he saith he must be saved by Jesus Christ but I put this to any civil man in the world what need doest thou Find of Jesus Christ for thy sanctification art thou so burdened with those inward corruptions in thy spirit that the world can take no notice of And dost thou goe groaning under thy Corruption so as to see the need of the mediation of Jesus Christ a supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ to help thee against thy Corruption and sanctify thy heart this thou art not acquainted withal this is a point above thee and therefore in this point we come to see the difference between civility and true holiness We come to see by this that Godliness and holiness it is a mystery The scripture speakes of a mystery of Godliness and of the power of Godliness and Godliness is therefore powerful because it is a mystery If we must have our holiness from Christ as a mediator that Christ is first filled wsth holiness and our soules by faith must draw our holiness from him then certainly Godliness is a mistery the Godliness that must save soules is a mystery beyond that which ordinary men of the world understand Few understand what is the way of God in conveyance of grace unto the soules of those that he intends eternal life unto The way of God in conveyance of grace unto the soul is not this in giving you reason to understand that such and such things are naught and therefore for your own ease and quiet in the world you must live civilly but the way of God is to reveal his son to you and reveale a necessity of union with Christ to be made a member of him and to draw virtue from him as from a head and to see a fountain of life from him flowing into thy heart continually so as to repaire to Jesus Christ the second person in trinity made man for thy soul I say to repair to him as the fountain of al grace to be conveied from him unto the soul here is the mistery of holiness that is beyond al the civility and morality in the world Oh that you did but by this point understand somewhat of the mistery of Godliness and that it might cause but some suspicious thoughts in the hearts of those that have lived but civilly and morally that for many years together it may be have bin good neighbors pay every one their own and no body can accuse them for wrong but Oh that they would bethink themselves wel I have lived thus and thus long but hath my soul bin acquainted with the mystery of the Gospel to fetch virtue from Christ as a mediator And have I a stock of grace from him to trade by that what I trade by I have from him Have I found the burden of my inward corruption And have I got ease and rest by virtue of the promises of the Gospel And have I searched into the Covenant of Grace and found there promises to convey comfort unto my soul Hath my heart been exercised after this manner Certainly if thou hast not thou knowest not what the way of the Gospel is what an evangelical life is what is a true evangelical life When the soul is inabled to live upon Christ that thou feelest thy heart live upon Christ sucking and drawing virtue from Christ for the mortifying of thy corruptions and quickning thy heart in the way of holiness this is a true evangelical life and that is another consequence drawn from this That Godliness is a mystery and beyond civility and morality III. Another Consequence that may be drawn is this Hence then we may
The Scripture speaks of true holiness there may be abstaining from many sins and performance of many duties but no saving holiness but that that is had from God through Christ as Mediator no true holiness til the Soul comes to be acquainted with Christ and have it that way and the holiness that we have by exercising of Faith upon Christ as the Head of the Covenant that indeed is the mystery of godliness that is the true godliness that is godliness in a mystery which the world is not acquainted with that is the power of godliness the powerful holiness that comes by Christ And indeed that is the Reason why there is so much strength of Grace in the Hearts of the Saints because they have it from Christ it is from the spirit of Jesus Christ that is in him and Christ is the Lyon of the tribe of Judah his spirit is a spirit of might Common gifts have not that strength as this holiness that comes from Christ hath the holiness that is from Christ that is the only supernatural holiness it is that that is the divine Nature whereas that kind of abstaining from sin and performing of duties that civil men have and that comes in by common gifts that is not the divine Nature they have it but in a natural way what they have is by strength of Reason and argument but that which comes in by the exercise of Faith in Christ that is supernatural that is of a divine Nature and that is aboundant aboundant is the holiness that the Soul comes to have in exercising of Faith in Christ In drawing of Grace from Christ the Heart grows more in the way of Holiness it exerciseth much more Faith in Christ in a little time then it did in a long time before though perhaps those were truly godly before and members of Christ yet for want of a right understanding how all Grace comes from God through Christ and so drawing of it that way they did not thrive in the waies of Godliness That text in the 3 of the Ephesians and the 17. Is most admirable for this the Apostle praies That Christ might dwel in your hearts by faith that ye being rooted and grounded in Love there is the strength of Grace when Christ dwels in our heart That you may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the Love of Christ which passeth knowledg that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God Here is the fruite of it that you might be filled with all the fulness of God a strange speech had it not been in Scripture who durst have exprest himself thus that by comming to know God in Christ you may come to be filled with all the fulness of God in Christ It were very much to say thus by knowing God in Christ you may come to have God that is somwhat but secondly that you may come to be filled with God that 's more But Thirdly That ye may come to be filled with the fulness of God that is yet more yea Fourthly That you may come to be filled with all the fulness of God What a gradation is here that shews the admirable use of knowing God in Christ Whereas now other men and women that onely are taught in their childhood to serve God they must serve God and they are restrained from many sins and they performe duties they wil pray and come to heare but not being acquainted with the mystery of the Gospel and drawing holiness from God through Christ how far are those from having this text made good in their hearts that is from being filled with al the fulness of God Whereas afterwards they come to have more cleere understanding of the mistery of Godlyness from Christ then they come to enjoy communion with God more then ever they did whereas before they were strangers to God now they have communion with him yea now they feele Gods fulness come more fully into their hearts then before now they feele a fulness from God and so come by degrees to be what is said in this text to be filled with al the fullness of God The reason of al the emptiness scantiness and barrenness that is in your heart is for want of understanding how God hath filled Christ with al fulness from whom wee are to receive grace for grace and by drawing grace from Christ we come to have permanent holiness and lasting holiness and this indeed is the reason as heretofore ye have heard why the grace of the saints endures for ever and they can never faile whereas the grace of Adam did faile because the one comes from God through Christ and the other did not that did not come from God through a mediator so as this did and therefore this is permanent and the other is not But of that I spake before only we bring it in now as a further motive to make us seek for holiness in Jesus Christ this rest of sanctification Some rules I wil briefly propound by way of direction as helps in seeking of grace and sanctification in Christ As First Labor to get a sence of your want of holiness and of your need of Christ for it Secondly in the exercising of your selves in the ordinances be not satisfied with the ordinances any further then you meet with Christ be not satisfied with a prayer or with hearing but think with your selves what have I of Christ here that I told you in the opening of the point how Christ was the sanctification of the heart because the blessing of al the ordinances is by having Christ there There are two or three things more that I would commend unto you The First Is this in seeking Christ do not come so much for enlargement for comfort for peace as for sanctification you seek your peace for holiness rather then seek holiness for peace this is a special rule of direction to thrive in seeking for sanctification by Christ Many Christians they seek to have Christ but why that they might have peace that they might have comfort and they make their holiness but subservient to their peace and comfort They think thus except I be holy I cannot have peace therefore I wil labor for holiness that I might have peace But a true gracious heart wil rather say thus the more holiness I have the more peace I have and therefore I wil labor for peace that I might have holiness One labors for holiness that he might have peace and the other labors for peace that he might have holiness Now those Christians that labor rather for peace that they might have holiness wil more thrive then the other that labors for holiness that they might have peace It is true indeed it is one good motion to labor for holiness because it wil bring peace I but it is a stronger motive to labor for peace that we might have holiness therefore when we seeke to
Christ we should seeke rather for holiness and sanctification from Christ then that we might have peace Would you know the reasons you say you tel us that Christ is our sanctification but we have not found such sanctification from Christ to increase holiness but what is the Reason you have exercised your faith upon Christ mainly that you might have peace that you might have enlargement and comfort as others have and that is the reason that your holiness is scant if you had exercised your faith in Christ that you might have holiness then you might have had more peace Saith Christ be it unto thee according to thy faith so in this case Christ saith to every beleever be it according to thy faith according to what you exercise your faith so be it unto you As do you exercise your faith for peace and comfort and mainly for that you have some peace and comfort but you shal not have so much holiness but do you exercise your faith for holiness most then you shal have most holiness Now certainly a true christian prizeth holiness rather than peace and I know no surer argument for the truth of grace and the difference between an hipocrite and one that hath true grace than this the hipocrite would have holiness that he might have peace I but the true beleever would have peace that his peace might increase his holiness Secondly Another rule is this Though Christ doth give in grace increase of sanctification and holiness yet do not depend upon what Christ gives in for the present but stil keep thy heart sensible of the need of new supplies There is many Christians when they have been at duty and have exercised faith upon Christ for this rest of sanctification and have got somewhat some enlargement and some quickening of spirit and some resolution in the way of God here they rest and now they think they are wel they think to live upon this stock a great while But now we are to pray for our daily bread and to depend upon Christ for new supplies of grace and holiness every day every moment according to every worke that we are set about to go to Christ for new supplies as if we had nothing at al given us before and Christ wil be wel pleased with this that though we have never so much Grace yet to go to him to renew our faith as if we had none at all that iâ— as strongly I do not mean that we should apprehend that we have none at all but as strongly and eagerly to exercise faith upon Christ for new supply of holiness as if we had none at all and indeed those that seem to have none exercise Faith in Christ most Thirdly For Conclusion of all take this as a Rule Those Christians that do most converse with Jesus Christ in the blessed way of the Gospel those will increase most in Grace and they have this by way of Sanctification I wil give you but only that one Scripture in way of allusion to apply it to this in Acts 4 13. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived they were unlearned and ignorant men they marvelled and they took knowledg of them that they had been with Jesus Peter and John had much boldness they had strength of Grace they had much boldness notwithstanding all their opposition But how came they by it they were unlearned men ignorant men poor weak men in regard of their naturals and yet they had got aboundance of Grace so as to make their profession of Christ with boldness notwithstanding all the rage of their potent adversaries and the people wondred how they could get such strength as they had but saith the text they took knowledg of them that they had been with Jesus It was that that did so raise their spirits it was that quickned them and inlarged their Hearts so much with Grace that they had been with Jesus that they had conversed boldly with Christ Now I would apply this in a spiritual sence that as Peter and John did grow to that height and strength of Grace by conversing bodily with Christ much more may Christians grow to a height strength and fulness of Grace by much converse with Jesus Christ Converse with Christ in a way of Faith and that will mightily enlarge thy Heart in Grace And the truth is when you see any Christian that perhaps his natural parts may be but weak but yet you see him grow in Grace mightily he hath a mighty large Heart for God and hath much spirit in prayer and his conversation is very holy and convincing you may conclude this man and this woman to have been with Jesus Christ that is converst much with Jesus Christ Would you know whence it is that you see many poor Christians not long since how they have grown in holiness and you think they have got a great deal more than you have got they can depend upon God more and can rejoyce in tribulation more and they have more spiritualness and more Savor in their conversation and find a great deal more sweetness in the waies of God than you whence is it Their means perhaps is not more their outward means their parts in Nature is not more whence grows it then Would you know whence They have been with Jesus they converse much with Christ and you may have it too The Reason why you have been a professor perhaps twenty or thirty years and you now grow old and yet perhaps weak still and it is as much as can be said of you that there is some hope that there is some good in you but for the seeds and sparks of divine Nature that are in others spirits there is no such matter at all what is the Reason because they are not acquainted with this drawing of Sanctification from Christ by the exercise of Faith Wel thus much shal suffice for this Rest the rest of Sanctification the Rest of holiness that brings abundance of Rest unto the Heart according as that encreaseth so doth holiness encrease CHAP. XLIV Sheweth that a beleever hath Rest in Christ in all troubles he can meet with in the world which is laid out in four Particulars 1. All afflictions are at his disposal 2. In him the curse is taken away 3. They stand with Gods love 4. They are measured by God NOw we come to the fifth Burden you may remember the fifth Burden was The Burden of outward affliction come to me saith Christ you that are burdened with the guilt of your sins you that are burdened with Legal performances you that are burdened with remaining corruption that is in you come to me and I will give you Rest Now what Rest have been from all those you have heard Now Lastly come to me you that are under the burden of afflictions for that is a Yoak as we opened when we handled the point of being Laden the Burden of affliction bodily afflictions or spiritual
afflictions come to me and you shal have Rest Now the spiritual afflictions have been spake of much in the handling of the former burden and yet may be somwhat more afterwards when I shal come to speak about spiritual desertions those kind of afflictions that many times are upon Christians and there is Rest unto their Souls in regard of them But for the present all that I shall say now is about outward afflictions come to me and you shall have Rest The afflictions of sickness and poverty and persecution and dishonor and trouble here in this world For we are to know that there is Rest in Christ even in regard of this and abundance of Rest Those that are acquainted with the mystery of godliness and the way of Gods Grace in Christ though they may meet with much trouble in this world yet they find abundance of Rest of spirit in Christ in regard of those troubles Indeed Christ did not say come to me and I will presently free you from all trouble that you cannot expect but come to me and this I will promise you that you shall have Rest in your spirits your condition may be as troublesome in regard of outward things here in this world as any but this I wil promise I will ingage my self for that you shall have Rest unto your souls in all conditions whatsoever that you shall be put into And is not this a blessed Rest Especially in regard of these times such times as these so ful of distractions when men are spoiled of their goods and persecuted and still we are afraid every day when all these outward comforts may be wrested from us This point perhaps may be to some more seasonable than to others what to tel some of the burden of the Law this is a spiritual thing and they have no Skil of it to have Rest from the trouble of the Guilt of sin this is spiritual and they have little Skil of that to have Rest from the remaining corruption in their hearts this is spiritual still and they have no skil of that neither I but now I come to speak of that which all of you will be sensible of in regard of outward afflictions I that is somwhat that the Hearts of all men wil say it were a good thing to be in Christ to have Rest in regard of outward afflictions Now it is the way of God to draw men to his Son in their own way to shew the good that is in his Son in that way which themselves are sensible of and those that are strangers to Christ may be sensible of this as to think that if that be made out that is here promised that indeed iâ— a blessed thing to be in Christ now that I shal open to you only I will give you one Scripture more for iâ— and then proceed to the opening of it It is in the 16. of John and the 33. These things have I spoken to you that in me ye might have peace in the world you shal have tribulation but be of good chear I have overcome the world This is a ful text Christ foresaw that his disciples should have a great deal of affliction in this world and this is spoken to them but a little before Christs death a little before Christ was to die and go from them he tels them of a great deal of affliction they should have in the world But saith Christ these things have I spoken in me ye shal have peace though ye have trouble in the world I will not free you from trouble but I wil give you peace to your Souls in those troubles in me ye shal have peace though in the world you have trouble and be of good chear I have overcome the world though you shall have troubles in the world yet I will give you Rest for I have overcome the world and therefore be of good chear for all the troubles that you shal meet withal shall not take away the peace of your spirits the Rest of your Souls So that then here the point that now we are to enter upon is That in Christ there is Rest in the midst of all afflictions of all troubles that we can meet withal in this world For First A beleever coming to Christ must needs have Rest whatsoever afflictions he meets withal for when he is come to Christ he may in him come to know that there is no affliction either doth or can befal him but is at the dispose of him that is his Father and the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ and is not this a great deal of Rest To know that what comes unto me though there be such and such instruments evil instruments to bring trouble upon my estate or name or otherwise yet I know that all this is by the wise ordering and disposing of that God that is the Father of Jesus Christ and in him is now my Father Were it that you could be all assured of this now that you should never hence forward have any loss in your estate any sickness in your body any trouble in your family any way or should have no affliction ever befal you but it should be at the dispose of your owne father he should dispose of it and your Father a wise and Loving Father or take the deâ—rest Friend that ever was in the world and if I say you should be made sure of this from heaven that you shal never have any affliction in this world but it shal be by his dispose would not this bring rest into your hearts though you had a disquiet heart before Would there not be a great deal of calme quiet and rest upon your spirits I make no question but if such a voice should come from heaven and you should know it were a voice from heaven and not a delusion saying be of good comfort you that are so troubled for feare of losse and outward afflictions be of good comfort thou shalt never have any one minute of an hour of trouble and affliction more than thy tender father or mother shal be willing unto would not this give rest and quiet unto thy spirit Certainly hadst thou faith to know that al comes from thy father in Christ for when we are come to him he is our father in Christ and al that comes to us is from him through Christ thou couldst not but have rest and peace Secondly By comming to Christ there is rest from outward afflictions for in him there is the taking away of the curse it is Christ that hath taken away the curse of al afflictions and therefore there must needs be rest unto the soul tâ—rough Christ Faith in Christ â—eacheth beleevers to worme afflictions as I may so say to worm them that is to get out the worm that is there The trouble that eates the heart in affliction it is the worm of the Curse for al afflictions are part of the curse in themselves in their owne nature as
affliction but if he be a beleever and have the exercise of Faith then all afflictions wil be no more but as if a poor Woman were married to a great prince and had all the nobles about him and all kind of dainties upon his table and he should hear the Rain rattling upon the tiles that is in the windy wether abroad what would this be to hinder the Rest of such a ones spirit The truth is had we but the exercise of Faith all outward troubles in the world would be no more to us no more trouble then this is If thou wert come to Christ and married to him and come to sup with him there would be that satisfaction unto thy Soul in Christ that al outward troubles would be no more at all then the rattling of the Rain upon the Tiles to such a one that hath al content within dores You are not yet acquainted with such blessed things that are in Christ who are troubled at any thing in the world certainly the soul that is acquainted with that will say it hath enough let what will become of my estate of my body of my House of my Lands yet I have enough in Christ how have the blessed Martyrs cryed out of the fulness of Rest in Christ I remember one German Martyr that suffered much from his enemies he said I verely beleeve that there is not a merrier Heart in this world then my self As Jacob had more blessed visions when he lay abroad in the night and laid his Head upon the stone So the Children of God have more visions many times of God in the times of their affliction their Veins are filled with blood and bones with marrow al the capacities of their soul is filled with spiritual joy and that keeps out affliction As if a man have filled his belly with good chear and especially if his veines be ful of blood and bones ful of marrow he can bare hardness the better So when the soule comes to Christ he fils the veins ful of blood and bones ful of marrow I mean thus he fils al the capacities of the soul with heavenly consolations and that bares out any trouble or afflictions whatsoever and thus there is peace and rest unto the soul CHAP. XLVI Containeth the conclusion of the last doctrine in the two former Chapters shewing how unbeseeming a thing it is for a beleever to be troubled in affliction THere might be divers other things named as by coming to Christ there is the spirit of prayer and so the soul hath rest when it can go and power forth it selfe to God in prayer But to conclude this You see by al this how infinitely unbeseeming it is for a beleever one that professeth himselfe come to Christ to be troubled in affliction Christ makes this promise that if he comes to him he shal have rest Surely either thou art not come to Christ or thou hast not exercised faith in Christ Either thus thou chargest thy self for one not come to Christ or one that hath not exercised faith upon Christ or else thou chargest Christ with unfaithfulness by thy discontentment For Christ here professeth to the wotld that al that come to him shal have rest that thou hast not rest but that a little trouble doth disquiet thee thou either art not come to Christ or dost not exercise faith or else thou chargest Christ with unfaithfulness now if thou hast not rest which way wilt thou have it fal Oh let it fal upon thy unbeleeving heart let it fal upon this that thou dost not renew thy act in comming to Christ for it is not meant of coming to Christ at the first but of renewing the act of coming to Christ and this exhortation belongs to Godly men and women that have already come to Christ by faith I say it belongs to them to come to Christ come you to Christ again and again Now thy disquiet and trouble in time of affliction doth argue that thou art either no beleever at al or hast not renewed the act of faith My brethren the wayes of many that we hope are beleevers are such as if so be they had no use of faith at al in time of affliction or as if faith were only of use to save their soules and not to give rest unto the soul here in this world or as if it were of no other use but as a sun dial in a garden to shew the time of the day when the sun shines but in stormy cloudy weather there is no use of it And dost thou make no more use of thy faith then of the sun dyal in thy garden to shew thee how it is with thee in the day of prosperity but the truth of thy faith should be a dyal to make thee know how it is between God and thy soul in a cloudy day And therefore you having now heard where the rest in regard of outward affliction lies Oh do you repair hither for rest you vex and fret and trouble your selves Why because you have not as others others can have rich tables fine houses and accomodations and al things for their content in this world but know that now the Lord hath presented to you a way how to have rest to your souls in time of poverty Labor to know Jesus Christ that was made poor for you There is as plain a way for you to come to Christ as for the richest in the world and Christ wil be as ready to entertain you as the richest It is likely that al your endeavours may come to help you so forward as to make you rich in this world I but to give rest in this world nothing can do it but your coming to Christ And above al this may serve to help us to lay up against the time of trouble that however things go in this world yet you may have rest to your soules in Christ CHAP. XLVII Sheweth that beleevers are often under inward affliction and spiritual desertions I Shal now speak of the rest that Christ gives unto the soul in regard of inward afflictions those inward afflictions are spiritual desertions that is when the Lord shal be pleased to absent himself from the souls of his people and leave them in such darkness of spirit though they be beleevers have interest in Christ yet they may be left for a time by God so as their spirits wil be extreamly afflicted with sorrow and feare and trouble because of Gods absence from them and indeed there is no affliction like to this affliction there is no condition so restless as this condition is Now this is that that every one is not acquainted withal carnal people think that these afflictions are only conceits imaginations and melancholly but the saints know what these afflictions are that they are the most real afflictions in the world these spiritual desertions for God to withdraw himself from his people We read of such an affliction that a godly man was
thee so much as from his son in one regard that is thou hast not such a dreadful apprehension of Gods withdrawing from thee as Christ had for Christ would never have cryed out else My God My God why hast thou forsaken mee This was a real thing Christ did not speak at uncertainties he did feel a withdrawing of the influence sweetness and comfort of the Lord though stil he had union with him by Nature and he was his Father as before but the Human Nature did not feel the influence of the Grace and sweetness and the shine of the Favor of God as at other times and therefore he cries out My God My God why hast thou forsaken me Exercise thy Faith upon Christ as one that was in spiritual desertions It is true perhaps that Christ did not come to determin himself that he was utterly forsaken as thou dost but Christ was apprehensive of Gods withdrawing himself and therefore this may bring ease and Rest unto thy Soul and the rather because that his being so forsaken it was to Sanctifie thy being forsaken it was to take away the curse of those desertions that thou hast in thy self Such desertions as are in any afflictions materially they are a curse they are such things as in their own Nature are a curse Christ being so forsaken by the Father doth take away the curse that is in spiritual desertions and there is no such way for the soul that is in spiritual desertions as to look up to Christ and to consider that Christ was forsaken for my sake Christ was forsaken for mee that I might not be eternally forsaken So there is these three things in looking up to Christ as forsaken First thou seest that the Lord that is the beloved son of God was forsaken forsaken by God Secondly here thou maist see the merit of this that it was to sanctifie thy forsaking that thy forsaking might not be a curse to thee Thirdly It was that thou mightest not be eternally forsaken by God so that by exercising of thy Faith thus upon him thou maist get a great deal of Rest and ease unto thy soul A carnal Heart when he finds this terror of spirit he runs to his company Musick good chear and business of the world but a gracious Heart runs to Christ and goes to him that was thus forsaken of the Lord for him Secondly If thou beest under the burden of spiritual desertions then look up to Christ as being such a Mediator as is ful of Grace and goodness there being such a fulness of the Grace of God in him as makes him a sufficient object for the Faith of adherence when he cannot be unto me an object of the Faith of evidence I say we are to exercise Faith upon Christ when we are under this Burden of spiritual desertions thus we are to look upon Christ as being the fulness of the Godhead of all the treasure of Grace and goodness having so much of the Grace and mercy of God in him as shal make him a fit object of the Faith of adherence though he is not now to me an object of the Faith of evidence Quest You will say What is the meaning of that I mean by the Faith of evidence that I am able to say that Christ is mine and I have an argument to perswade my conscience that he is mine that is the Faith of evidence but yet there is enough in Christ to draw forth the Soul to Reâ—t upon him from the Faith of adherence that is thus Though I cannot draw arguments to rely upon Christ as mine yet I wil cleave to him and adhere to him I know there is no help but here and therefore here I will cleave and cling here now is the Faith of adherence Now because there is so much Grace in it therefore Christ may be a great object of thy Faith of adherence when thou canst not see him to be an object of the Faith of evidence and that is a way to help the Soul in time of spiritual desertion When many poor souls are under spiritual afflictions and desertions they think of no other Faith to rest upon Christ but barely upon the faith of evidence and when they have evidence to their Souls that Christ is theirs and that from some fruits of Grace in them then they rely upon him but now learn that there is such a Faith the Faith of adherence and Christ may appear to a Soul as a fit object to the Soul for the Faith of adherence when he cannot be to it an object of the Faith of evidence Thirdly Another help to the Soul that is under spiritual desertions is this the soul in this case is to exercise Faith upon Christ as an advocate that is at the right hand of the Father to plead the cause of his people That Scripture you have often named to you in 1 John 2.1 If any man sin we have an advocate with the Father Christ is at the right hand of the Father as an advocate for you as we shewed when we spake of the Rest of the soul from the guilt of sin So now when thou hast not the sense of the Love of God to thee exercise thy Faith upon Christ that he is at the right Hand of the Father to plead for poor sinners In Jer. 50.34 Saith the Text there Their Redeemer is strong the Lord of Hostes is his name he shall throughly plead their cause that he may give Rest to the Land It is true this is meant literally of an outward Rest unto the people of God to deliver them from the Captivity of Babilon and here is a promise that the redeemer is strong and the Lord of hosts that he shall throughly plead their cause they were carried into Babilon and they were scorned and contemned and despised and they said where is their Lord of hosts Now here is a promise that their redeemer will come and that he shal throughly plead their cause and give them rest in their land and disquiet the inhabitants of Babilon This promise we are to make use of in regard of our outward troubles at this day in regard of our adversaries and though the Lord let them prevaile somtimes yet the Lord hath shewed himself at hand to plead his cause and no question he hath throughly pleaded the cause of his people when the adversaries began to lift up their hands against them when they insulted in regard of the late blow that God gave us the Lord hath begun already to give them a blow and I hope we shal hear further of it But now that which is true here literally is true spiritually the Lord wil redeem them from spiritual captivity and this redeemer is the Lord of hosts he will give them rest he is at the right hand of the Father throughly to plead the cause of his poor Servants when accusation comes up to the Father against the Soul then the Lord Christ stands at the right hand
of the Father and throughly pleads their cause Fourthly In thy spiritual desertion thou must look up to Christ to seek the fulfilling of that promise of his that he makes to his disciples to send to them the comforter When Christ was to leave his disciples he saith Be of good cheer I will send the comforter to you and therefore be of good cheer Christ doth comfort his disciples against his absence he was to go from them and leave them in regard of his bodily presence Now Christ was so careful of his poor Servants that when he was to leave them in regard of his bodily presence he tels them he wil send the comforter to them that is the Holy Ghost shal come so much the more fully and he shal manifest me unto you Now plead this promise of the Lord Christ in the times of spiritual desertion and say Oh blessed Redeemer wert thou careful of thy disciples that when thou wert to leave them in regard of bodily presence that thou wouldst send the Holy Ghost that should come to testifie of thee and reveal thee to them and bring things to remembrance Oh much more wilt thou have compassion of a poor Soul from whom thou art absent in a spiritual way it is a greater affliction to want thee O blessed Redeemer in a spiritual way then to want thy bodily presence and therefore there is a great deal more need that the comforter should come in now to supply the want of spiritual presence then bodily presence Fifthly In the time of spiritual desertion if thou canst find no evidence at all nothing at all to satisfie thy Soul then go to Christ in the very same way that thou wentest to him at first better to do so then to lie groveling and sinking under thy Burden If thou thinkest that yet thou hast nothing that all is nothing all is lost and the like go again in the same way that thou wentest at first unto Christ thou art not in a worse condition then thou wast then when thou wert an enemy and thou foundest ease and rest in him at first now renew that work that there was in thy Soul at the very first There are many people in the time of spiritual afflictions and desertions they spend so much time in looking after old evidences whereas the truth is they might get new ones sooner then the old ones As somtimes a man may spend a great deal more time in looking after an old Key of a Box then in making a new one he might make a new Key with a great deal less trouble and it would not be so much prejudice to him to have a new Key made as to look the old one He may look up and down and spend a great deal of time that may be more worth then to make a new one So it is with the Soul in time of trouble and under spiritual desertion it is looking about for its old evidence and to such and such works of Grace and cannot find them and is poring and cannot be at quiet til it can find those former signs and marks that he had before I say such and such may sooner get new ones then find the old ones If a man have writings perhaps he cannot find such a writing he may be at less charge to have new ones writ over again then to look the old ones so thou wantest the evidences of thy Grace and canst not find them I say renew thy Grace upon Christ again and thou maist get thy evidence new writ over again and have it with less cost then to look after the old ones Sixtly Be sure in time of thy desertion to keep good thoughts of God though thou hast no comfort in them for the present yet beleeve it there is comfort in Christ and whatever becomes of thee acknowledg Christ to be faithful Christ is to be thy Lord and thy king and let thy Heart Love him and strive at the least â—o do so It is true the sence of his Love wil inflame Love again yet at that time when thou canst not have the sence of his Love yet resolve to Love him and Love his waies You know Christ when God seemed to forsake him yet at that time when he was upon the Cross when human Nature could not but see he had need of Gods presence but then he cryed out My God My God And so in Psalme 88. The example of Heman O God of my Salvation He speaks yet stil wel of God and cals God the God of his Salvation· O God of my Salvation he speaks yet stil wel of God and cals God the God of his Salvation O God of my Salvation stil keeps good thoughts of God And so the Church in the Canticles when Christ had withdrawn himself from her yet she would cal him her beloved and go up and down asking for her beloved and where her beloved was so let the soul in time of desertion Keep good thoughts of God Seventhly And Lastly If thou canst not have Rest in Christ resolve thou wilt never find rest in nothing else that thy Heart shal be restless til thou hast rest in Christ Perhaps in the time of desertion there comes one to thee and saith Christ hath forsaken thee go and have comfort elswhere look for it other where or may be the tempter wil come to a poor deserted Soul as he did to Christ in Matth. 4. When Christ was a hungry then comes the tempter to him and saies Command that these stones be made Bread As if the tempter should say thus do do not you see how your Father hath forsaken you that he will not afford you bread take a course for your self So here just thus it is for all the world with a troubled Soul the Soul is troubled the Lord is withdrawn from the Soul and now comes the tempter and saith you see you cannot have comfort you have praied all this while and you cannot get comfort Peace and Rest now therefore seek for Rest elswhere Oh take heed of this a deserted Soul should abandon such temptations and resolve that it wil be content to be in a restless condition to al eternity if it cannot have Rest here As it is with those that do ill offices if there be any breaches between Father and Child or one freind and another they take the advantage of that and say do not you see your Father regards you not though you be in such need he wil not regard you nor help you come therefore and take my counsel I will shew you how you shal live a better life and so when they would withdraw one friend from another those that would do ill offices they go and take advantage of the breach so doth the Devil when the Lord is withdrawn from the soul and the soul is in a deserted condition then comes the Devil to draw the soul to unlawful waies he wil be sure to take the advantage to do al ill
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
Grace of the Gospel they are of all things most precious in the Eyes of God next to the blood of Christ next to the drops of Christs blood thy mourning Lamenting Spirit is one of the most precious things in the Eyes of God God treasures up every one of them and this is the Rest of the Soul the Soul may have abundance of Rest therefore in Christ when thou comest to know that thy mourning for thy offences is accepted of God Seventhly The ease that the Soul hath from the burden of the Law is this That whereas before through the severity of the Law sin did make thy Soul an object of Gods wrath take sin as it was in it self and coming from thee God having no respect in Christ towards thee sin made thy Soul an object of Gods wrath Yea and of hatred too for so the Scripture tels us plainly that the Lord hates the workers of iniquity now being come to Christ according to this invitation Come to me ye that are Laden now your sins being looked upon in Christ do rather make you an object of pitty and compassion to God not from any virtue not from any thing in its own Nature but in regard of your condition as thus let a tender Mother look upon the Child that is sick that is wounded it is true the Mother cannot Love the distemper or love the wound the Mother would not have the sickness or the wound upon the Child but doth not the sickness or wound that is upon the Child make the Child to be an object of pitty and Compassion Make the bowels of a tender Father and Mother to yern so much the more to the Child So here the Lord now looks upon thy sin being in Christ as thy sickness as thy wound and therefore doth pitty thee as under thy affliction rather then under thy sin For the truth is all those that are the Saints of God and are come to Christ they look upon their own sins as their affliction as the greatest affliction they have in the world as I shewed when I spake of the load and Burden of Corruption that remaines in their Hearts Now God therefore looks up on thy sin as thine affliction and as for any other thing that is thy affliction as it is the breach of the Law or the like Christ undertakes for that and so thou art delivered from the wrath that it doth deserve and those evil effects that should come of it through the revenging justice of God Christ hath undertaken it but yet it remaines thy affliction though thou art delivered from guiltiness and condemnation yet one that hath a gracious Heart Reasons thus Though I be delivered from my sin from the Guilt of it from the condemning power that the Law hath through my sin yet it is my affliction my trouble and so I look upon it now peace and Rest be to that Soul from what the Law can require so that as we go along we may not only see the benefit we have by Christ but who they are that are thus delivered those who though they know they are delivered from the Burden of it yet they do account their sins the afflictions of their Soul whereas others that are meerly Legal they apprehend their Souls as guilty and under condemnation but if they were delivered from it they would look upon their sins as their wounds and afflictions The Saints they see that they are now made the objects of Gods pitty and compassion towards them and hence is the Reason that Christ is willing if it be possible to find many excuses that may be made for his poor Servants thou shalt not need to find out any excuse if there be any thing that may alleviate and lessen thy sin Christ will find it our and lessen it for thee You know what Christ saith to his Disciples when they were sleeping and could not watch one hour though he rebukes them yet he saith though the flesh is weak yet the Spirit is willing Mark how Christ excuse them they do not say when Christ comes and saith cannot you watch with me one hour Alas it is true Master the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak they do not say thus but Christ saith so to them and the truth is this is the way to leave their excuse to Christ their way is to aggravate their sins as much as may be and it is the temper of those that are come to Christ it is not their care to lessen their sins but they do what they can to aggravate their sins and lay it upon their Hearts for the humbling of their Souls but Christ undertakes to excuse them And therefore you that have so many excuses for your sin just as your Grand-Father Adam had he put it off to the Woman and the Woman unto the Serpent and one to another so you it is true my Nature is passionate and I am froward by Nature and a hundred such excuses men have whereas all thy care should be to humble thy Soul for thy sins and if there be any thing to alleviate thy sin and lessen it Christ will do that and the more thou excusest thy self the greater will be thy sin and it is better for thee for another to excuse it than thy self As when a Child or servant shal offend and one that is a neer friend or neighbor shal come and excuse them this is a great deal better than if they did it themselves Now those that are under the Law they have no excuse to be made for them but those that are come to Christ they have Christ to make al the excuses for them Oh! take heed of abusing the rich grace of God in Christ this I know that this is such a pure quality that it hath not such a malignant quality in it that it wil be abused and where you see any such quality know that they have it not aright they have something else instead of the thing as sometimes you shal see two things as like one another as can be suppose drinks made with some kind of composition they shal look just like one another but one shal have some venom in it enough to kil one and the other shal be wholesome and able to recover one yet both shal have the same â—ur and the same tast so it is with the free gracâ—â—d in Christ you may have the same word spoken â—e thing exprest to one and to another the very same thing preached for the outside of it for the word for the expression in a sermon the same doctrin raised for the expression and yet they shal be so carried that one shal have a malignancy in it and the other shal have a soveraigne power in it now when the soul hath the true rest in Christ that rest hath not such a malignant power to make the heart worse by it But of that I shall speake more afterwards Eighthly When thou art come to Christ thy soul