off Now an humble Soul is an afflicted soul is willing to afflict it self before the Lord it is not so much sollicitous of comfort and is altogether for comfort would fain have comfort and comfort no but is willing to afflict it self and to burden it self with its own sin and to beat down it self as we read of Paul 1 Cor. 9. 27. the Text saith He beat down his body least after he had Preached unto others he himself should be a Reprobate Not to afflict our selves as Papists to be whipping our selves and to do those things that God never aequired at our hands but so far as any way God shal require it such a one is willing to afflict it self before the Lord the main work of the heart in this thing is that it is not sollicitous so much for comfort as to be willing to be afflicted before the Lord so far as God would have it afflicted So now put all these together and you may see the behavior of a lowly heart in respect of it self 1. It is suspicious of it self jealous least theâ—e should be some secret evil in the heart that it doth nor know of 2. It is willing to know the worst of it self 3. It looks often to its poor beginnings 4. It is ashamed of it self and thâ—t in the midst of its own excellencies 5. It loaths and abhors it self before the Lord. 6. It judgeth it self 7. It denies it self 8. It keeps down it self 9. It hidâ—â— it self 10. It goes out of it self and empties it self 11. It bemoans it self And lastly it afflicts it self so that your hearts now having these workings in them in reference to your selves you may by this examine whether you have humble and lowly hearts yea or no. CHAP. CXXV Three Consequences from the former Point ANd from all these things there are these three Consequences Consequence 1. First Here you may see how to examine your own hearts in respect of Humility whether you find these workings of an humble spirit in respect of your selves lay these and your hearts Level examine and call your hearts to an account when you get alone By these twelve foregoing Particulars Ask thy self as in the presence of God Is my heart thus Have I this lowly heart Christ would have me of a lowly heart Thus if you cannot find these charge your selves with the want of them and take an advantage even from the want of them to humble your hearts before the Lord because you have not these things that are the genuine and naturall workings of an humble Spirit for so they are if you can find your hearts coming off in in these Particulars in a natural way from a renewed nature you may have abundance of comfort that this Grace of Humility of Lowliness that Christ would have you learn is wrought in your Souls you have been a Proficient in Christs School but many may have cause upon the hearing of this to charge themselves with this that they scarce have begun to learn in the School of Christ to learn Humility Consequence 2. Secondly Another Consequence is this upon the consideration of these several workings of Humility in respect of our selves we may see That the work of a Christian is very much inward it is a work of reflection upon our selves if there were nothing to do in a Christians life but that that is external to perform some outward Duties to come and hear the word and speak good things and pray and make an outward profession The Life of a Christian were a great deal more easie but from this that you hear from the working of this one Grace of Humility you may see that the work of a Christian lies much within doors that Christians should be very busie within their hearts there are many workings within rather then without and therefore if you would profess your selves to be Christians and would indeed have the power of Godliness in your Hearts you must work â—uch inwardly there must be much reflection upon your own Hearts Consequence 3. Thirdly And Lastly Another Consequence is this by this that you have heard what the working of an humble Heart in respect of it self is we may take notice of the great power of Jesus Christ in the heart of a Christian wheresoever Grace is wrought Jesus Christ is very powerful and very strong in that Heart Certainly these things could never be in the Heart of a poor wretched sinner Yea in a heart that is Naturally very proud for so we are all and were not the Grace of Christ very powerful in the heart of a Christian these things could never be wherefore when you hear that these things are in a heart working thus we may conclude surely the power of Jesus Christ is very mighty and very strong Well thus you have the Grace of Humility presented to you towards God and your selves let us Learn to be of Lowly Hearts and be not at rest until you find these kinds of workings in your Spirits CHAP. CXXVI The First Property of Humility in respect of â—thers is that it thinks better of others then it self Which is laid open in divers Particular answers unto several doubts and Objections THere is yet one of these three things to be spoken unto in this Grace of Humility which is the third Particular what the behavior of an humble heart is in reference unto others For Humility much appears in that though the principal work in humility is in the carriage of the Soul in reference unto God and in reference unto it self yet there is very much in this grace of humility in the carriage of the Soul in reference unto our Brethren Now then the First thing wherein the behavior of an humble heart is in reference unto others and a principal thing it is of very great concernment and that is this First It thinks better of others then it self this great work of humility that hath very much in it as I shal shew in opening of it is held forth unto you in 2 of Phillipians 3 verse Let Nothing be done through strife or Vain Glory but in Lowliness of mind let each esteem others better then themselves Mark This is the Work of a Lowly mind Learn of me for I am Lowly in Heart You must be of lowly Hearts of Lowly minds what is that Saith the Apostle Let each esteem others better then themselves You wil say this indeed upon the very hearing of it doth make us judg it to be a great work of the Grace of God in the heart to esteem others better then themselves and â—ow that should be that I shall speak unto by and by in the opening of it but I shall first shew some Examples of it of esteeming others better then themselves That which Paul did Exhort the Phillipians to he did himself he did not preach to others that they should esteem others better then themselves and yet he would lift up himself above others No see
trim must be Wormes meat ere long and lie rotting in the Dust And what difference wil there be between those that are rich and those that are poor I remember I have read of one that coming into a place where was a heap of Skuls and among others he heard that Alexanders Skul lay there he desires to know of the man which was Alexanders Skul saith the man yonder Skul that hath hollow eyes saith he to the man al Skuls hath this I saith the man and Alexanders too there is no difference between Alexanders Skul and others Skuls Death makes al the same You that are rich and above others and your Hearts are ready to be â—uft up within a while what difference will there be between an Almes-body and you may be this difference will then be that the poor man if he dies he hath not so much to answer for so many Talents and you die and have had great talents and you have all them to answer for Do but consider of this what you wil be if these things be taken from you and that will prick the Bladder of Pride in respect of your naturall condition And what State you will be in Consider this you must stand naked before the great judgment Seat of God every one of you that are here you must after a while stand naked before the dreadful judgment Seat of God to receive your dreadful doom for whatsoever you have done in the Flesh Now you had need to walk humbly before the Lord here considering what you shal be brought under to stand naked before him and give an account of al your waies whatever you are proud of you must give account of it before God of all your Grace how you have used it Now you that want matter of meditation and want matter of Prayer when you go to Prayer you would fain go and humble your heart and you would go and meditate and you cannot meditate you find your thoughts very barren these things that have been here spoken may be some kind of supply to you for meditation and to help you in Prayer to humble your selves there and bring your spirits Low cast but your thoughts upon these several heads What was I What was I in my natural estate What I might have been if God had taken advantage of me how he might have taken me in the Act of sin at such a time in such a place and if he had taken me what had become of me then And then what a great deal of trouble it was to Heaven and Earth to redeem my soul and what am I yet in al the faculties of my soul and members of my Body what a wretched heart I carry about with me stil and what should I be if God should withdraw himself from me the Lord hath been gracious to me but if he should withdraw himself from me what should become of me And what shal I be both in my naturals and likewise when I shal stand before the great God to give account of all my waies now the working of these things again and again upon my heart and especially the making use of these things in Prayer to express these things before the Lord in Prayer or mention these things when you are between God and your own souls and beseeching the Lord that he would settle these things upon your souls to humble your hearts it would be a mighty means to bring your hearts low and to keep them low This shal suffice for adding to what was said for the working of us to this humble frame of heart FINIS THE FOURTH BOOK VIZ. The only ready Way to Heaven Matth. 11. 30. For my Yoak is easie and my Burden is light CHAP. CXXXIII The words in the 30. verse Opened and Explained AND now we come to the last verse For my Yoke is easie and my Burden is light Here we have the Reason and Encouragement the Reason why we should take the Yoke of Christ upon us and the encouragement to take it because it is easie and his Burden is light MY YOAK Christ would have us take his Yoak upon us that you had in the former verse but the Spirits of men are loath to be brought under a Yoak they count it burdensome therefore saith Christ Learn of me for I am Meek and Lowly in heart and then My Yoak is easie and my Burden light when once you have but learned Meekness and Humility you shall then find my Yoak easie and my Burden light Easie The word here that you have translated in your Books Easie is Crestos in the Greek a word that signifies Profitable Vtility and Commodious so it might be turned and upon this those that were called Christians Justin Martyr hath such an expression he called them Crestians from this word because they were men that were usefull and profitable and so they might be called Crestians as wel as Christians my Yoak is profitable and that makes it easie whatsoever it be that a man undertakes yet if it bring much profit with it you count it easie you that take a great deal of pains and endure much difficulty at Sea go to the Indies yet if it bring in profit you count it easie because there is so much profit coâ—es in Secondly As the word signifies Profit so it signifies Gentleness in opposiâ—ion to Severity to roughness harshness or rigidness and so I find the word in Rom. 11. 22. saith the Apostle Behold the goodness and severity of God there it is Crestos of easiness for so Crestos there is the same word only here is the Adjective and there the Substantive the easiness and gentleness and severity of God severity and gentleness opposed to one another God is very gentle and sweet and good unto some and is very severe unto others So Take my Yoak upon you for it is easie that is it is gentle in opposition to severity and this is very suitable to what Christ hath said before Learn of me for I am Meek and Lowly in heart and my Yoak is as I am Low as I am of a gentle disposition as I am Meek so you shall find my Yoke my Yoke is very genle you shall find no rigidness no harshness no hardness in in my Yoke that is the meaning of the Yoke For my Yoke it easie and my Burden is light it may be a Yoke and seem to be heavy to you but the Yoke is easie but it may be a burden wel if â—t be a burden it is light the word is Nimble agile it is a very strange thing that it should be a burden and yet light it may be a burden to flesh and blood it may be in some respects burdensome many waies I but when you have taken it upon you you will find it light Now the word translated here Light it is taken from the lightness and agility of Stags of those Creatures that are very swift and agill and nimble and light in their motion
the righteous have a plain path to Heaven but the wicked they are upon the stones they are upon the dirt when one comes upon the stones and it be dirty too that is more difficult But the way of righteousness is plain And there is one Scripture more remarkable than these and that is in 1 John 5. 3. And his commandments are not grievous the commands of God have no grievousness in them there is nothing in Gods Commandments to be so much as grieving to a Gracious Soul It is said in the Scripture that God delights not to grieve the Children of Men certainly there is nâ—thing that God requires of thee if thou understandest it aright that will grieve thee when you tender a Child or a Friend you wil not require of them any thing that may grieve them now Christ hath so tender regard unto you that are the Servants of God that he will require nothing of you that wil grieve you and therfore if nothing be grievous in Gods Commandments surely his Yoke is eâ—sie and his Burden is light But now for the opening of this Point for there is a great deal that had need to be said to it for the opening of it and making it usefull and profitable I shall cast what my meditations have been about this Point into these Six heads The first is To give you some Evidences of it that this is so And then the second thing is The differences that there are between the ease that a carnall heart finds in the waies of Religion and the ease that a true Gracious heart finds in the waies of Religion those that are carnall and take up but a meer formality of Religion they find not ease but those that are truly religious they find rest And the third is this If the waies of God be easie How comes it to pass that many that we hope are truly Gracious and Godly yet make such complaints of so much difficulty as they do find in Gods waies And then fourthly We are to open which is the principal of all in the explication wherein the easiness of Gods waies appears what are those things that do make the waies of God so easie and in what particulars doth consist the easiness that there is in the waies of Religion And then fifthly Some Consequences that are to be drawn from this which is by way of Application And sixthly and lastly Some Directions what we should do to make the waies of God easie These are the six Heads that I cast the handling of this Point into CHAP. CXXXV Six Evidences of the former Doctrine in the last Chapter 1. Because the word that injoyns these waies is Sweet 2. A Gracious Soul counts his Duties his priviledges 3. He would rather come under any other Burden than cast off the Yoke of Christ 4. Because Christ whose Yoke it is is Gentle 5. Never any truly that put their neck under this Yoke would willingly take it out again 6. The Experience of all the Saints of God prove the Point FOr the first then The Evidences that do demonstrate that certainly the waies of God are easie and his Burden is very light unto those that have indeed submitted their necks unto the Yoke of Jesus Christ Evidence 1. First The first Evidence is this Surely Gods waies are easie unto them for there is none that is truly Gracious but they account the word of God that doth require them to walk in those waies very sweet unto them and they prize it highly now if there were difficulty and a harshness in Gods waies Certainly though the word of God may be accounted just and righteous yet it would not be sweet and comfortable unto the Soul but there is nothing more sweet and comfortable unto a Gracious heart than the word of God that doth require such waies of him Ye know the expression of David that It is sweeter than the Hony and the Hony Comb more precious than Silver or Gold or any riches of the world read but Psal 119. and there in every verse almost you find such expressions of much sweetness that David did find in the word of God if the word be sweet and delightful certainly the waies of God must needs be sweet and delightfull that are required in the word that is the first Evidence 2. Secondly Surely they are sweet and delightful for those that are in Gods waies do not account what they do only to be Duties but Priviledges they look upon every thing that Christian Religion requires of them not only as Duties but as Mercies as that wherein their happiness consists I have received mercy from the Lord that I may be faithful saith Paul I do not say I have received mercy from the Lord that I may go to Heaven that I may be rewarded and have such and such blessings but I count it mercy from the Lord that he makes me faithfull in this way not only dutifull but faithfull The Saints of God do not account the bonds of obedience to be fetters to them they account them chains of Gold about their necks for Ornament not bonds of necessity to tie them to obedience because otherwise they would not obey them but I say every Law of God is counted by the Saints of God to be as chains of Gold Ornaments to them that they account their Glory as wel as their Duty therefore in the Revelation we find the new City is described thus that her streets is paved with Gold that is the very way path of the Saints it is a Golden way it is paved with Gold it is a glorious way now that which a man accounts his Priviledg and Dignity Glory that must needs be easie their suffering actively and passively Paul counts his sufferings Glorious and Moses counts his sufferings more than the riches of Egypt If so be that you had given unto you as much Gold as you could carry the weightier the bag the lighter would your heart be you would count the burden so much the more lighter by so much the more was in it Certainly the suffering for Christ and dying for Christ is riches it is so to a Gracious heart may be this may be a Riddle to carnal hearts many carnall hearts think they must do such good things and if they do not they must perish and go to Hell and therefore they force themselves upon Duty I but it is otherwise with a Godly heart he doth not think I must do this but his work is wages every work that a Child of God doth is wages to him the man works hard I but he expects the more he expects wages So an Hypocrite may work he may do somthing but he expects wages but a Gracious heart his work is wages Receiving the end of your Faith the Salvation of your Souls there is receiving continually while we are working Saith Christ in Joh. 17. 4. Father I have finished the work that thou gavest me to do So the
very work that the Father set Christ upon Christ did count it to be a Gift from the Father and so the work that Christ sets us upon if we have the Spirit of Christ in us we wil count it a Gift from Jesus Christ Christ doth give it and this by the way would be a special Evidence of true Grace in the heart the soul that shall count Gods waies Priviledges as well as Duties surely hath true Grace truly they are easie then if they be Priviledges as wel as Duties that is the second Evidence 3 Thirdly And the third Evidence is this The Yoke of Christ is easie and his Burden is light for there is no gracious heart but would rather come under any Yoke any Burden in the world than willingly to cast off any Yoke and Burden of Jesus Christ name what Yoke you will what Burden you will rather than a gracious heart will be from under Christs Burden and Christs Yoke O! saith he let me come under that Yoke and that Burden Yea further If God doth put any Yoke any Burden of affliction upon one that is Gracious if that Yoke and Burden of affliction may but bring his neck more under the Yoke of Christ than before and bring him more under Christs Burden than before a gracious heart doth think it well worth the bearing thinks himself fully recompensed in the bearing of any Yoke if it may any way further him to come under the Yoke of Christ more as thus before I had a wanton Spirit and I could not get my self to put my neck under the Yoke of Christ to be quiet as I ought to have been Well but now the Lord Christ hath laid the Yoke of affliction upon me and that hath in some measure subdued my heart so that I can come and put the Yoke of Christ upon me better O! blessed be God that ever I had the Yoke of affliction upon me that now brings me under the yoke of Christ more Canst thou say so blessed be God for this affliction Surely then the Yoke of Christ is easie that a heart is willing to bear any Yoke that may but further it to the bearing of the Yoke of Christ that is the third Evidence 4. Fourthly It is an easie Yoke certainly for it is Christs Yoke it must needs be easie because it is Christs and that upon these two grounds First Christ himself is Gentle and Sweet and Lovely Christ himself hath no Rigidness no Sowrness in him towards People as you heard at large when we opened the Meekness and Lowliness of Christ now if Christ be meek and lowly he loves no bitterness and rigidness If I had to deal with a man that I were sure had all the Meekness and al the Love and all the Gentleness in him of all the men in the world that ever lived put all their Meekness and Gentleness and Sweetness together into one man and I were sure I should never have any Yoke upon me but what that man should lay upon me truly I would never fear any rigidness One man hath Meekness and Gentleness I but he hath Rigidness too and another man hath one drop and another another drop I but put all these into one and surely that man hath a great deal of Meekness now Jesus Christ hath all in him and if it be his Yoke then it must needs be easie And Secondly Consider what was the end of Christs coming into the world the end of Jesus Christs coming into the world was this he saw poor wretched man that he was under a Burden of sin and misery and he was content to come and take their natures upon him and deliver their souls from pain and trouble and misery he came not into the world to impose Iron Yokes but he came into the world to bring the mercy of the Father to bring the treasure of the riches of the Father into the world and was anointed by the Father to that end that he might open Prison doors to Captives and that he might powr oyle upon them to supple souls that was his end saith he I came not into the world to condemne it but to save it that I might bring the mercy of my father into the world that I might open the passages of the infinite mercy of my Father that by your sins was shut up though there was an infinite ocean of mercy in my Father yet not one drop could issue out from him therefore I came to open the sluces as it were and let them out upon you and if there be any other end it is rather by accident then that which Christ aymed at but that Christ aymed at was to open the sluces of the infinite mercy of God upon man Now if this were the end of Christs comming into the world then certainly those that are deare to him and that he was willing to lay down his life for they shal find nothing from him but gentleness he will lay no yoke or burden upon them but what is very easy and very light therefore it must needs be easy because it is Christs that is a fourth Evidence Evidence 5. Fiftly It must needs be easy and light for there was never any in the world that put his neck under this Yoke especially if you take it for the yoke of obedience never any put his neck under this yoke that would have his neck out again that would wish Christs yoke otherwise then it is for his active obedience and they would have the passive too but in the conclusion they would never repent them that ever they were under it but especially for the former there was never Godly Christians when they were themselves and did consider of things except it were in time of temptation but take them at that time when they are themselves I say there was never any that could wish their neck out of Christs yoke that could wish the yoke of Christ easier then it is they would be freed from nothing that Christ requires when they are themselves and understand things It is true Ignorantly and when they do not understand things and in time of temptation then they may do otherwise but take a Christian and let him be himself and let him consider and understand the thing and there was never any that could wish his neck out of the yoke or wish it easier then it is It is true a gracious heart may be weary of himself because he cannot beare the yoke of Christ as he would do but he is never weary of Christs yoke he may be weary of the corruptions of his heart that hinder him from bearing the yoke as he should do but he would not have the yoke less then it is Take one that is Godly though he be weak you will say it is true they that are strong wil not wish it less but those that are weak they may well consider it thus a gracious heart he would be glad to have more strength to
time he is overcome with any corruption with any sin he is like one in the Gally Oh this soul considers I am in a different way from what I was wont to be I was wont to be in the service of Jesus Christ and my heart had soul satisfying contentments while I was there but O what a difference is there in this work here is a base drudgery in comparison of what I was wont to have Oh the sweet communion I had with Jesus Christ while my heart kept close to him but now now I am raking in kennells and rowing in Gallies Oh! wretched man that I am who shal deliver me from this burden now this is a wide a broad difference between the easiness of the yoke of Christ to one and to the other one finds a great deal of ease in the yoke but the other finds all one if he goes amongst company that are vaine and sleight and prophane and when he comes to hear the word to read or receive the Sacrament almost all one and indeed if there be any difference his greatest ease is in that of sin he hath ease in the duties of religion in performing duties but his greatest ease is in the other way I but now the ease of a Saint is such as cannot stand with the ease of sin a child of God can beare the yoke of Christ with ease but he cannot beare the yoke of sin it is death to him to beare the yoke of sin that is the First Secondly Another difference is this a carnall heart may have some ease in duties of religion in the yoke of Christ but it is because he mistakes the yoke of Christ it is because he doth not know the yoke of Christ he thinks that the yoke of Christ is only some external duties that Christ requires or to keep from some grosse sins and now and then to say his prayers and now and then to read a chapter and come to Church and to receive Sacraments he thinks this is all that Christ requires of him what needs any more to do then this May not I go to Heaven as well with this as with keeping so much a do as others do and he thinks here is the yoke of Christ and this is fine and easy indeed If this were the way that would bring to Heaven it were a very easy matter to go to Heaven that is for a man to keep from a gross foul sin that would make him odious in the place where he lives and for him only to come from his house and sit an hour or two and heare a Sermon and come at Easter and other times and receive the Sacrament this is the easiest thing in the world who would not go to Heaven if this were all But now if thou wert acquainted with the spiritualness of holy duties that Jesus Christ requires with the power of Godliness that there is in holy duties that Christ requires in the word mortification of thy Lust and the keeping of thy thoughts and of thy heart holy and spiritual he requires that thou shouldest serve the Lord thy God withal thy heart and all thy might if thou knewest I say the spiritualness of holy duties and the power of Godliness that is in holy duties then it would be an intolerable burden to thee it would be very grievous to a carnall heart to put it self under the spirituall acts of Religion to put it self under the outward acts of Religion that is easie but to put it self upon the inward acts of Religion they would find that to be somwhat indeed For one that hath learned a Prayer to go and say it over and read it in a Book What an easie matter is that part of Religion for a man in the morning and evening to go and turn over two or three Leaves and shake himself and go away and then there is Religion for all that day But now if you would set your selves to the power of Godliness in Prayer that is when you come to Prayer to meditate what an Infinite and Glorious and eternall God you have to deal withall in Prayer I am now coming to tender up that high respect that I owe to the infinite God that which the Creature ows to an infinite Creator now I am coming to open my Soul to God to search out all the corruptions of my heart and I am now coming to bewail them in the presence of the infinite God and to set my self before the Lord as in my self a condemned Creature before an infinite Judg I am coming now to plead with God for my life for my Soul for my eternall estate I am now coming to engage my Soul to God that as ever I expect mercy in the day of Christ so I am willing to give up my self to God here is some power of Godliness in this now I would have you put your selves to this divine ease the more a Gracious heart doth this the more ease he hath in Prayer as I will appeal to you Take a carnall heart such a one thinks he must pray and so he comes in the morning and speaks a few words such words as he was wont to do and such words as may be he hath heard other men speak when he joyns with others in prayer and he hears some expressions in prayer from them and he gets them and comes in the morning and speaks them and perhaps gets into his Closet and barely speaks them over now if it be one that hath true Grace alas he is in a troublesome condition all the day after if he find not the power of Godliness in it such a one hath no quiet in his Spirit al the day after Why because there hath not been the power of Godliness in his Duty and therefore he is troubled all the day long But now let such a one come to Prayer to purpose in the morning and stir up the life and power of Godliness in Prayer worshipping God as a God Oh! the ease and quiet that such a one hath all the day he can go on in his work and can sing at his work So that the ease of a Gracious heart comes from the power of Godliness in a Duty and from the spiritualness that is in a Duty but the ease of a carnall heart comes from the formality of a Duty as because the Duty is formall and he thinks that it is the Yoke of Christ and this is pretty wel it is easie indeed to have no other Yoke than this to worship God in a few words and not to have the power of Godliness in the Duty And so we might instance in the hearing of the word you come to the word barely you rise out of your bed and come and sit here an hour that is easie enough but now if you come to the word with preparation and think now I am going into the presence of God to hear what God hath to say to my Soul this morning Oh my Soul
in the waies of God it is that ease that he hath in taking up the waies of God but by holiness it is in partial obedience it is but in part of the yoke of Christ it is not in all the yoke of Christ he can take up some part some pieces of the yoke of Christ but if you come to urge him to take up all the ways of God then he crys out what must we make Conscience of all our thoughts of al our words and all our actions must we answer for every action before the judgment seat of Christ Oh! this he counts to be hard greivous to him he could be content with somthing but to take up the ful yoke and all the yoke of Jesus Christ that he thinks an intollerable burden that he must have the scripture the word of God to be the rule of all his actions that is somwhat hard But now a gracious heart finds the greatest ease when he comes up unto all Gods commands It is true indeed saith he I cannot come to that pitch as to obey them perfectly but yet my heart is so far brought off as to subject my self to all the commands of God if at somtimes he yields to some and then at other times unto others that brings more trouble to his spirit but now when he can find his heart submitting to all the precepts of God then he finds most rest all the waies of wisdom are pleasant A Child of God finds no one thing in the waies of God that is not easy and the more it comes to an universal obedience in every thing the more ease it hath when indeed it doth but begin to make some enterance upon Gods waies and takes up some duties and not all then it finds trouble but when it comes to take up all and comes to yeild universal obedience then it finds ease Now examin your hearts in this you find it may be some ease in the waies of religion O! but it is but partial obedience you take this and leave that observe this a partial obedience is an easy obedience to a carnal heart but an universal obedience is the most easy obedience to any Gracious heart CHAP. CXXXVIII Containeth Six differences more of the former Point 5 A Carnal heart can take up and lay down duties when he will 6 He hath ease in the remissness of his Spirit 7 His ease is al alike 8 The more ease he hath the more sluggish he is 9 He hath but one principle in the heart that acteth him both in the waies of God and the waies of the world 10. His ease comes from the performance of duties in his own Strength Fiftly Another is this A carnal heart finds ease from the liberty of taking up and laying down the duty it is easy because he can take it up and lay it down when he will if a beast have a yoke that he can shift the collar when he wil it is easy when he can put in his head when he will and slip out his head when he please this is no grievousness to the beast so it is with carnal hearts the waies of God are easy to them why because somtimes they can take up duties and somtimes lay them down when they are in a good mood then they can take up duties and read and pray and the like if any thing vex and trouble them then they can lay them down again and somtimes when they list they can come and heare Sermons and when they list they can go into bad company go into the Tavern and the like but now a gracious heart finds the greatest ease when it can be constant in the waies of God when I can bring my heart to this that there is an evenness and proportion between what I do at one time and what I do at another time there is the greatest ease to a gracious heart and indeed there can be no true comfort in any holy duty where the heart is not constant the constancy and the evenness of spirit and the proportion that there is between one thing and another is that that makes the waies of God easy unto the Saints As in going in any way or common path if a man have one ledg long and another short or if the way be uneven somtimes plain somtimes rugged somtimes down hill and somtimes uphil that is hard to a man in his walking and so it is with the work of a Christian that that makes it difficult is this Oh I cannot find my heart in a constant evenness were my heart so then I should find ease but that which makes it most difficult it is the unevenness of my heart on the contrary put now a carnal heart to this to a constancy in any duty or work for God O! it will cry out of weariness in Gods waies perhaps he wil be content to be a while in holy duties to hear a short Sermon and go away again but to spend the whol Sabboth that is wearisom to him Nay perhaps he could be content to keep one Sabboth but to keep Sabboth after Sabboth that is burdensom to him and perhaps he could be content to pray one morning in his family but to pray every morning and every night and to go on from morning to morning and from day to day and from week to week and from yeare to yeare Oh! this is wearisom truly we have no reason to grudge God any service all our daies but thus it is with a carnal heart Sixtly The ease that a carnal heart hath it is in his remissness in duty in the remissness of his spirit in his moderation that he pleads for there lyes his ease but for the other the extension of duty that he pleads not for you shal have a carnal heart plead for holy duties but with moderation we must be moderate and if we do somthing that God requires though we be not so hot and fiery as others I hope it is wel enough doth not vertue consist in the middle way As I like not the profaneness of some men that are Swearers and drunkards whoremongers on the one side so I do not like your precise men on the other side so that his ease lyes in the remissness in the lukewarmness of his spirit in holy duties But now the ease of a gracious heart lyes in the exactness of his spirit to come to the very top of holy duties It is with a gracious heart as it is with many fowls you shall have many fowls that fly when they are low they flutter and it is a trouble to them to get on high but when they are aloft then it is no trouble to them so it is with a gracious heart to get up his heart is some trouble to him but now when he hath got up his heart then he is in his element there he can fly swiftly when he hath got up into the highest region there he gets the most ease It is
the other two The waies of God indeed and Religion and walking in the waies of God we must needs acknowledg to be easie but there is two other things as the Discipline of Jesus Christ and the sufferings that Jesus cals us unto How will that be made out to be easie to us Now I verily beleeve that Jesus Christ had an aim at these two as well as to any other to let them know what Discipline and Goverment he would have his people come under in the times of the Gospel and indeed we cannot be the Disciples of Jesus Christ as we ought except we be willing to put our necks under the yoke of the Discipline of Jesus Christ the Goverment of Christ as it is in his Church we must not think it sufficient meerly that we profess Religion and profess Godâ—â—ness that we keep from the sins of the world that we walk close with God in our Families but Christ requires likewise that we should come and subâ—it our selves to what Goverment he appoints in his Church and that is a part of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ as wel as his ruling in our hearts indeed that is the principall work of Christ in ruling in our hearts but Christ hath a Kingly power in ruling in his Church the main yoke is inward but there is an outward yoke too for Christ would not have men live as they list in a disorderly way but it is the mind of Jesus Christ that all his Saints though some in one place and some in another should joyn together in exercising such Ordinances as he hath appointed in the externall governing of his Church and yet so that all these are very easie to a spiritual heart though it may seem very difficult to a carnal heart for I should wrong the Text and not be faithfull if I should not give you what I verily beleeve is the scope of the Text I say this yoke is the order of Christ in his Church if it be neglected by people it is a great dishonor unto Jesus Christ and hinders them exceedingly in the waies of Religion and though it be very hard to carnal hearts it is very easie to spiritual hearts I am verily perswaded that one of the greatest things that causeth so much malignity in this Kingdome at this day it is the fearing of the yoke of Christ men are afraid of the goverment of Christ in his Church they are afraid they shall not have that liberty for their lusts and wickedness as formerly but that there shall be yokes to restrain and keep them from those loose waies that formerly they lived in and you may see plainly it is so who are they that joyn with the malignant party that have such spirits but such as have loose spirits they are those that live very loosly others that have meer civility and know little of the power of Godliness they are afraid of this and Oh how is it said by most we will not have this man reign over us they even said they will break his bonds asunder and cast away his cords that is the controversie that it is come to at this very day and that Prophecy in Psalm 2. seems to be fulfilled at this day at verse 2. The Kings of the earth set themselves and the Rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying Let us break their bonds asunder and cast away their cords from us he that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision Then shall he speak to them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion for al this I wil set my King upon my holy hil Certainly Christ is not set up as King as he ought to be whatever profession we make except we be willing to come in put our necks under the yoke of Christ and Oh what a heavy burden and yoke it is For instance That Men and Women should not make a meer verbal profession and say I beleeve and I hope to be saved by Christ but should give an account of their Faith and give an account of some work of God upon their hearts that God hath called them out of the world certainly that is one thing that Christ doth require in his peoples joyning together to set up the Ordinances as they ought to be that they should have some knowledg one of another knowledg of some work of the Holy Ghost upon their hearts You will say that is secret I but though the Holy Ghost worketh in secret yet certainly this may some way or other appear we cannot know it certainly for there may be many Hypocrites no question in the Church of God and it is a very vain cavil for men to say can the Church of God be without Hypocrites that is taken indeed for granted and no body in the world denies it I but there must be that in the judgment of Charity so as by the judgment of Charity we may see so far as we are able to see that the Holy Ghost hath been working upon the Soul of this Man and Woman and hath called them out of the world this is the first thing in coming under the yoke of Christ in his Church Now how hard is this to carnal hearts the very mentioning of it is enough to make a mutiny in many places What! have we lived al this while and must we now come to give account of our faith But now it is an easy thing to a gracious heart what is more easy to a Gracious Heart then to speak of the work of God upon his Heart to give Glory to Jesus Christ in manifesting the work of God in calling him out of the world and bringing him out of the Kingdom of darkness and translating him into the Kingdom of his dear Son the manifestation of this is exceeding delightful to a gracious Heart And whereas many think that some wil lay a greater yoke upon them by coming in and submitting to the gouerment of Christ in his Church they say they wil make them to enter into a solemn Covenant before they wil admit them I confess were it so that this were urged as a thing necessary that they should not come in and joyn in the ordinances of Christ without an explicit solemn Covenant then I cannot but acknowledg it were a yoke that I think Christ never laid upon his Church not an explicit solemn Covenant to urge it as necessary that they cannot come and joyn in the ordinances without it and as for my part I know not any that urge it as necessary though it is used it is true because it is the way of manifesting themselves one way or another and some way they would have for the manifestation of the grace of God and of their willingness to joyn with them in all the Ordinances of Christ so far as is revealed to them and I
THE THIRD And FOURTH BOOK ON MATTHEW 11. VIZ I. Christ the Humble Teacher of those that come to Him II. The Only Easie Way to Heaven Wherein is shewed 1 What Humility or 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 In the only Easie Way to Heaven Is shewed 1 The Way to Heaven that Jesus 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 complain 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 By JEREMIAH BURROUGHS Preacher of the Gospel at Stepney and Cripple-Gate London London Printed by Peter Cole Printer and Book seller at the Sign of the Printing-press in Cornhil neer the Royal Exchange 1659. M R Burroughs Easie way to Heaven THE CONTENTS OF The Third and Fourth Book On Math 11. CHAP. 119. Lowliness what Negatively in Five Particulars 1 Not in Poverty 2 Nor in Words only 3 Nor Carriage 4 Nor Habit. 5 Nor Baseness of Spirit Page 477 Chap. 120 Lowliness of heart what it is positively and what it is in Christ in six particulars 1 He became Mediator 2 Man 3 Born of a poor Virgin 4 A Servant 5 A Curse Yea Sin 6 He was lowly in his carriage to men 490 Chap. 121 Six Arguments from the Lowliness of Christ to work Lowliness of spirit in our hearts 1 It was one special end of his coming into the world 2 His Humility makes pride in man a desperate Evil 3 The greatest excellency stands with the greatest Humility 4 His Lowliness stands with the greatest Wisdom 5 It is infinitly pleasing to God 6 It may stand with doing of great things 505 Chap. 122. The ground of Humility A knowledg and sense of our own vileness 513 Chap. 123. Of the behavior of humility before God in ten Particulars 1 It acknowledgeth the infinite distance between God and a Sinner 2 It hath a trembling Heart before God 3 A relenting Spirit 4 It makes Gods will its Rule 5 It is willing God should choose its condition 6 It is willing God should be advanced in all his waies 7 It admires the least mercy 8 It is willing to be put in a mean and hard employment 9 It is willing to wait upon God 10 It is willing to do what it can to honor God 521 Chap. 124. Twelve Properties of a Lowly heart in respect of it self 1 It is very suspicious of it self 2 It is willing to know the worst of it self 3 It is willing to look to his beginning 4 It is ashamed of it self 5 It loaths it self 6 It judgeth it self unworthy 7 It denies it self 8. It keeps down it self 9. It hides it self 10 Goes out of it self 11 Bemoans it self 12 Afflicts it self 541 Chap. 125. Three Consequences from the former Point 556 Chap. 126 The first Property of Humility in respect of others is that it thinks better of others then it self Which is laid open in divers Particular answers unto several doubts and Objections 558 Chap. 127 A second Property of Humility in respect of others is To be fearful of giving offence 570 Chap. 128. Other Properties of Humility in respect of others 3 It gives due Honor to all with whom it doth converse 4 It rejoyceth in their good 5 It is willing to receive good from them 6 It is tender towards others 7 It is not needlesly singular from them 576 Chap. 129. The excellency of Humility in thirteen particulars 1 God prizeth it 2 It is a convincing Grace 3 By it we walk worthy of the Gospel 4 It is an Evidence of Election 5 Better than Sacrifices 6 It serveth for the prevailing of Prayer 7 It is a tried heart 8 It is fit for great Services 9 It is the Ornament of all graces 10. It preserves all Graces 11 It makes all Duties and Crosses easie 12 It makes the life comfortable 13 It is most useful to give God the Glory of the new Covenant 586 Chap. 130. Humility brings Rest unto the Soul in Eight Particulars 1. It ventures upon nothing before it sees Gods call 2 The Heart of such is lower than their condition 3 He is never disappointed in the World 4. He would have God have his Glory 5 It freeth from opposition or maketh the Heart yeild to it 6 It makes the Heart rejoyce in the property of others 7 It is under many promises 8 All Crosses are smal to an humble Heart 605 Chap. 131. Exhortation to Humility with five several means to get it 1 Labor to see the excellency of it 2 Convince the Soul of its emptiness 3 Get the knowledg of God 4 Of Christ 5 Of our selves 609 Chap. 132. The knowledg of our selves further prosecuted with Six Means to get it 1. Consider what once we were 2. What we might have been 3. What it cost God to bring us out of that condition 4 What we are 5. What we would be if God should leave us a little to our selves 6 In what case we shall certainly be in one day 624 THE Contents of the Fourth Book on Matth. 11. 30. VIZ. The only Easie Way to Heaven CHAP. 133. The words in the 30. verse Opened and Explained Page 633 Chap. 134. Doct. The way of the Gospel that brings to Heaven is an easie way This confirmed and explained in six particulars 637 Chap. 135. Six Evidences of the former Doctrine in the last Chapter 1. Because the word that injoyns these waies is Sweet 2. A Gracious Soul counts his Duties his priviledges 3 He would rather come under any other Burden than cast off the Yoke of Christ 4 Because Christ whose Yoke it is is Gentle 5 Never any that truly put their neck under this Yoke would willingly take it out again 6 The Experience of all the Saints of God prove the Point 641 Chap. 136. The Second Particular mentioned Is opened in two differences between a Carnal heart and a Gracious Soul in the waies of God 1 The Hypocrite finds ease in the waies of God and Sin both 2 The Hypocrite hath some ease because he mistakes the Yoke of Christ contenting himself with the outward forme of Godliness but the beleevers ease comes from the power of it 649 Chap.
137. Containeth a third and fourth Difference between the ease of an Hypocrite and true Beleever in the waies of God For 1. They are easie even to the Corruptions of an Hypocrite 2. He takes up the waies of God partially 658 Chap. 138. Containeth Six differences more of the former Point 5 A Carnal heart can take up and lay down duties when he will 6 He hath ease in the remissness of his Spirit 7 His ease is al alike 8 The more ease he hath the more sluggish he is 9 He hath but one principle in the heart that acteth him both in the waies of God and the waies of the world 10 His ease comes from the performance of duties in his own Strength 663 Chap. 139. Divers Objections answered The easiness of the waies of Christ which is the third particular mentioned in Chap. 139. 672 Chap. 140 Sheweth the Reasons of the Discipline and Government of Christ and Objections against the same are answered 687 Chap. 141. Of the easiness of the Yoke of Afflictions for the Name of Christ 698 Chap. 142 What the things are that makes the waies of Christ easie which is the fourth point in Chap. 139. opened in five particulars 1 They are such as a gracious Soul wil impose upon himself 2 He comes freely off to them 3 The waies of Christ are even and not contrary one to another 4 They bring Strength with them 5 In them all there is good Success 6 In them a gracious heart is alwaies receiving his wages 7 He hath all the passages of Gods providence to help him 8 They bring ease to the Conscience 9 They free the Soul from cares 10 They make all other things easie 703 Chap. 143. The Yoke of Christ easier than the Yoke of the Law For 1. The Ceremoniall Law required abstinence from the comforts of the Creature 2 Its Service was chargeable 3 The Ceremonies were beggarly Rudiments 719 Chap. 144. The Yoke of Christ easier than the Yoke of Sin and Antichrist 726 Chap. 145 Eight Consequences from the former Doctrin 1. The world is mistaken about the service of Christ 2 A great sin to reject Christ 3 Bless God for this easie Yoke 4. Bring not an evil report upon the waies of Christ 5. Christ wil expect much Service it being so easie 6. Make not the Yoke of Christ hard 7 We should give up our Selves to Christ 8. It is an accursed thing to be an Apostat 737 Chap. 146. The means to make the waies of Christ easie to our selves 1 Our obedience must be Evangelical 2 Keep the heart in a readiness to every duty 3 Get the heart in love to the duty 4 Lose not your encouragements 5 Continue not in the guilt of any sin 6 Order the duties of your Condition 7 Leave the Success wholly to God 8 Bind not your self to what Christ doth not 9 Lay hold upon al opportunities 10 Preserve all experiences 11 Beware of disturbing passions 12 Entertain communion with the Saints 13 Exercise much faith 14 Get strength of Grace 750 THE THIRD AND FOURTH BOOK On Math. 11. VIZ I. Christ the Humble Teacher of those that come to him II. The only Easie way to Heaven CHAP. CXIX Lowliness what Negatively in Five Particulars 1. Not in Poverty 2. Nor in Words only 3. Nor Carriage 4. Nor Habit. 5. Nor Baseness of Spirit WE have Finished that great and excellent Doctrine of Meekness we are now to come to the next lesson that we are to Learn of Christ Lowliness of Heart and this of a lowly Heart is of very near affinity unto a meek heart yea the truth is a lowly Heart is the Mother of Meekness though Meekness is set before in my Text yet in some other Scriptures where we have Meekness and Humility joyned together we have Meekness set after and Humility and Lowliness set before as in Coloss 3. 12. Put on therefore as the Elect of God Holy and beloved Bowels of Mercy Kindness Humbleness of mind Meekness Humbleness of mind Meekness there Humbleness is set before and that is indeed the true Christian Meekness that doth come from Lowliness Lowly in heart The word here Lowly in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it signifies one even lying upon the ground ready to be Trodden on as some Learned observe Lowly in Heart In 2 Cor. 7. 6. There you have this word here Translated Lowly Cast down one Cast down Nevertheless God that comforteth those that are Cast down 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same word that is here Translated in my Text Lowly is there Cast down such whose Heart is Cast down And in 2 Cor. 10. and the first Now I Paul my self beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ who in presence am Base among you Who am Lowly or Base so you have the signification of the word and what it is in other Scriptures Lowly But Lowly in Heart Learn of me for I am Lowly in Heart First Not in a low condition I do not require of you that you should be in the low condition of Poverty and the like as I am some falsly would imitate Christ to be in such a low condition because that he had possest nothing in the world therefore they would not and so ground their superstitious vows of a voluntary poverty Indeed the word Translated in Heart signifies somtimes the low condition of a man As in 1 James 9. Let the Brother of Low degree Rejoyce in that he is Exalted That is in a Low condition But many men are in a low condition and yet far from being Lowly in Heart There may be a very low condition and yet a very high proud Heart there may be Humiliation where there is no Humility Humiliation and Humility are two several things a man or Woman may be Humbled and yet not at all Humble Many people that are very low in their condition Yet Oh! the pride of their Heart in their low condition what vexing and fretting of Heart is there against the waies of Gods providence towards them and disposing of them Now thou art in a low condition and thy Heart vexing and froward thy heart is not a whit low by thy condition Many men that heretofore have been in a high condition and God hath brought their estates lower but not their hearts a whit Oh Happy happy were it for those Men and Women if he had brought their hearts low this is the way to make Gods bringing them low in condition to be a great blessing to them You that are marriners when you meet with storms and tempests you would think it a very absurd and foolish thing to have your top Gallent and top sailes spreading to the ful all open in a storme No now you narrow your Sailes and take them all in and take them down when the storm is up Now this is a foolish condition of many that God pleaseth to bring into a low condition that when God causeth storms and tempests to
by a Candle if you bring a Candle into a Room you may search in corners secret corners under every bench hole and see filâ—h in many places that perhaps the light of the Sun may not come to the light of the Sun may not come into some secret places in a House where is a great deal of filth but a Candle may discover it Now the Spirit of man is the Candle of the Lord That is a man by the help of his own Spirit may be able to search into the secret corners of his own Heart but no other light can discover it we are to labor to look into our selves and to make use of our own Spirits as a Candle to be searching into every corner of our own hearts that we may know our own meanness our own wretchedness a man that hath a proud spirit is satisfied that others have a high esteem of him though he knows himself to be vile As mark the difference between an humble Spirit and a proud spirit in this one that â—s a proud man he is dejected if others think ill of him whereas an humble heart takes advantage from the vile thoughts that others have of him to make himself more vile thinks thus Lord do I thus thus to make others think vilely of me Oh! What a deal of filth do I see more then they see and so likewise takes an advantage the more he finds that others honor him and respect him to be the more low in his own Eyes because he sees such a difference between what he knows of himself and what others know of him Yea And further because a proud heart rather cares for the credit he hath by what others think of him then takes care to make gâ—od what others think of him but an humble heart rather ingageth himself to make good what others think of him then look after the credit he hath by what others think of him Oh! Let me labor to attain unto it that they may not be deceived in the esteem they have of me this is the work of an humble heart not to rest in it but according to what esteem he hath of himself a right esteem he hath of his own meanness and sence of his own vileness but that must be added too not only Esteem but sence of his own vileness There must be such a cleer light as must convince him what a wretched creature he is in himselfe notwithstanding al the excellencies that God bestowes upon him and al gifts and parts yet still he keeps a right esteem of what he is in himselfe and he hath the sence of al he doth feel the Load burden and weight of this and his Heart is willing to acknowledg this for so it comes beyond the understanding it comes to the Heart that the Heart is willing to owne it as I am convinced that my Heart is vile and mean so Lord I am willing to acknowledg this in whâ—t ever way thou wouldest have it discovered It is true I am not bound to discover my own vileness and wretchedness to every one except in such a way as God may have glory and others may receive good but stil an humble Heart keeps this principle that though God doth not yet cal me forth to discover my own vileness yet I have this in my heart I am willing to do it when God calls me to it if God may have glory and good may be done to others I am willing to have all opened before men as wel as opened before God Many are willing to open all their vileness before God in Prayer what abundance can they speak in the presence of God of their own vileness but to be willing as wel that it should be opened before men so as it should be for the glory of God the heart to be willing to this I judg my self to be thus and I am willing to be dealt with as a Creature that thus judgeth it self to be though few come to have a right judgment of their own vileness but for a man to lie under this judgment and that willingly not to oppose it but let the truth of God that discovers my vileness let that have rule and câ—mmand and shine more and more I will not turne away mine Eyes from it but I will look to it and take it and apply it to my self in what I can and I will be content to be dealt withal according to what vileness I see in my self here is a sence of his own vileness For there are many that know much evil of themselves and yet have proud hearts Why Because they have not the sence of their own vileness that they are conscious to themselves of it may be said to them in this case as Daniel spake to Belshazar in Dan. 5. 22. And thou Oh Belshazar hast not humbled thy Heart though thou knewest all this These words may be very well applied to many men and Women God knows and thy conscience knows a great deal of vileness in thy self that that might make thee Low and humble thy Heart before the Lord but this may be said of thee That thou hast not humbled thy self before the Lord though thou knowest all this though thou knowest all this wretchedness and vileness of thy self that might have abased thee to the very dust yet thou hast not humbled thy self before the Lord therefore there must be those two CHAP. CXXIII Of the behavior of humility before God in ten Particulars 1. It acknowledgeth the infinite distance between God and a sinner 2. It hath a trembling Heart before God 3. A Relenting Spirit 4. It makes Gods will its Rule 5. It is willing God should choose its condition 6. It is willing God should be advanced in all his waies 7. It admires the least mercy 8. It is willing to be put in a mean and bard imployment 9. It is willing to waite upon God 10. It is willing to do what it can to honor God NOw these two being laid as the ground of Humility the proportion upon which an humble Soul goes Let us come to the Particulars It is that vertue whereby the Heart behaves it self towards God and it self and others according to the right low esteem that it hath of it self and the sence of its own vileness Having laid that first as the ground The right low esteem of it self and sence of its own vileness Now let us come to open the behavior of this humble Heart You will say it is a behavior answerable to this It is First in respect of God Secondly It self Thirdly Others First I should shew you what is in an humble Heart in this respect and then come to shew the great excellencies of a Lowly Heart First In regard of God as God hath a special Eye to a Lovvly Heart so a Lovvly Heart hath a special Eye to God there is no object that God Eyes more then an humble heart and there is no object that an humble
of any mercy as Hieram of the Cities that Solomon gave him what are these my Brother But what am I that I should have such a mercy Many because they have not what they would have they reject what they have as thus because they have not ful assurance of saving grace though God be putting them into the way that he useth to lead them that he purposeth to save this is nothing all is nothing Now thou shouldest say Lord Who am I that I should have the least mercy from thee This is the work of an humble spirit And if any affliction befal thee to be so far from thinking thy affliction great to say never any had such affliction as I Oh that is from the pride of thy heart it is because of thy pride that the affliction is so great were thy heart humbled the affliction would not seem so great but the mercy of God would seem great unto thee As now put a ball into a great Vessel and it seems to be nothing but put it into a little vessel and it wil seem greater so when the heart is little by humility then Gods mercy seems great and the truth is the lesse the heart is the mercy of God will seem the greater and the affliction seem the lesser it is because we are not sensible of our own vilenss and wretchedness and of what our condition might be that our afflictions are so great in our eyes as they are That is the next thing of an humble Spirit that it admires at the least mercy that it is so much and wonders at the greatest affliction that it is no more I am less then the least of all thy mercies 8. An humble spirit it is willing that God should put him into mean imployment and into hard imployment and into imployment that it can see no Reason for but only the wil of God Yea if the Lord should put him into the lowest work that ever creature was put into an humble spirit submits and thinks it is well if I may be in any service at al Let me be but as the hired Servant saith an humble Spirit As it was with the Gibeonites they were content that they might be but as Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water So they might but live The very Angels shew themselves humble in this kind to be willing to be Ministring Spirits to the poorest Saint in the world the poorest Saint in the world hath a guard of Angels about him night and day this shews the Lowliness of Angels and therefore we should be willing to be serviceable from their example in the lowest work for God and not think that my parts and my Spirit is fit to be imployed in higher waies As a Servant to think why am not I a Govenor I but to think that it is the condition God hath put me into this is his Duty And so for Services hard to Flesh and Blood Yet an humble Spirit will go on and the truth is humility in the behavior of the Spirit towards God appears in this to be content to obey God in what I see no Reason for in the world I know it is the mind of God and though I can see no Reason for it yet I will be content to do it here is subjection of the heart to God not stand wrangling Why should I perform Duties And why should I do so and so No but this is that that shal sway my Reason and all because God cammands it Now these are the main frames of an humble heart tovvards God and as long as vve go along Oh that vve vvould examine hovv far short vve come of Lovvly hearts it may bâ— vve vvere taught before that vve ought to be lovvly but here vve may that vve find come short and there vve may find matter of humiliation in our Prayers 9. An Humble Spirit and one Lowly in heart is willing to wait upon God his own time and in whatever way or means God shall please to work in it is fit that I should wait upon God for any thing I have who am so unworthy of any mercy and the Lord being so high above me between whom and my self there is such an infinite distance in Isa 27. 8. saith the Church there humbling it self before the Lord they do manifest their Humility thus Yea in the way of thy judgments O! Lord have we waited it is easie to wait upon God in the way of his Mercy but not so easie to wait upon him in the way of his judgments but an humble Spirit is willing to wait upon God even in the way of his judgments So in Lament 3. 26. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the Salvation of the Lord It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth An humble heart is willing to wait upon God in the waies of his judgments as wel as in the way of his mercies 10. The behavior of an humble heart in respect of God is this That it is resolved to do what it can to honor God whatever God doth with it though God destroy me and that everlastingly yet I desire to keep this resolution in my heart I will do what I can to Honor Him Many that are afflicted and troubled in Conscience they have some kind of Humiliation wrought but their Spirits have some kind of bitterness and sowrness against God and because they think somtimes God will cast them off therefore they are ready to cast off Duty too now that is an evident sign the heart is not throughly humbled so far as thou findest thy heart work thus when thou art afraid that God wil cast thee off therfore thou thinkest that it is best for thee to cast off Duty and to do no more Here is an Argument that thy heart is not humbled But now when thy heart is wrought to this that even at that tâ—me when thou art afraid that God will cast thee off for ever thou shalt resolve let God do with me what he wil though I perish for ever yet I am resolved I wil do what I can to Honor Him this is one that hath a lowly heart now the heart is brought low indeed such a heart is prepared for Gods mercies when it is in such a condition as this and this is that God expects from us we must not indent with God we must not thus stand upon our Tearms with God as many in time of trouble of Conscience when we speak to them to wait upon Him I they wil say they would be content to wait never so long if they might be sure at last that God would grant Mercy to them But wilt thou not be willing except thou maist be sure Thou must wait though thou art not sure it is thy Duty to wait though God do not for the present assure thee of Mercy Indeed if God were so much bound to thee as thou art bound to him then thou mightest
stand upon thy tearms But know that thou art infinitly bound to God and God is not at all bound to thee and therefore if thy heart be brought humble before the Lord thou wilt resolve whatever God doth with thee yet thou wilt do what thou Canst to Honor Him And these are the principal things of the behavior of an humble heart towards God and indeed the special work of Humility it is the work of the heart towards God which people little look upon People look upon pride in respect of others habit in their carriage towards others in their vanity of Cloaths and outward demeanors but the main work of Pride is in the behavior of the heart towards God and then we Sanctifie the name of God when we Sanctifie our hearts in an humble manner and the Reason why the hearts of sinners are not lowly before the Lord it is because they know not this God they know not that infinite distance that there is between the Lord and their Souls and here is the Reason why the Spirit of bondage lies so long many times upon sinners Why the Lord doth terrifie their Consciences It is that he might bring their hearts to be low before him that there might be the right behavior of a lowly Spirit before God himself CHAP. CXXIIII Twelve Properties of a Lowly heart in respect of it self 1. It is very suspicious of it self 2. It is willing to know the worst of it self 3. It is willing to look to his beginning 4. It is ashamed of it self 5. It loaths it self 6. It judgeth it self unworthy 7. It denies it self 8. It keeps down it self 9. It hides it self 10. Goes out of it self 11. Bemoans it self 12. Afflicts it self BUt now the second thing that hath been propounded is The behavior of a Lowly Humble heart in respect of it self and there are many things in this and they are of very great use for us for the ordering of our conversations before the Lord and the ordering of the behavior of our spirits in respect of our selves As 1. An Humble heart is very suspicious of it self I speak of that Humility that may concern our present condition here it is afraid lest there should be some secret evill in it self that yet it doth not know it is very fearful of the deceitfulness of its own heart though it doth not know for the present much evil by it self yet stil fears there is much lies hid that is not yet discovered It is a good thing for us to be jealous of our selves knowing how deceitful our hearts are the proud heart is ready to run away vvith all is content and thinks it self better than it is vvhereas the humble heart fears the worst of it self if it sees an evil in another Man or Woman it begins to reflect upon it self and is not this my heart too I am afraid that this evill is in my heart It is reported of Plato that vvhen he saw other men doing evil he vvould say to himself Nonne ego talis And am not I such a one have not I that evil in my heart So it is reporâ—ed of Bradford that vvhen he saw others commit sin he vvould fal a vveeping and a lamenting because he was afraid that there vvas that evil in himself that he saw in others though it did not break forth An humble heart vvhen it hears the threatnings of the vvord against any sin it begins to think thus And doth not this belong to me I am afraid that it may belong to me as vvel as to any others very suspicious and jealous of it self That is the first 2. An humble heart is unfeignedly vvilling to know the vvorst of it self and therefore it makes much of any truth that comes the nearest to its heart and that discovers it self unto it self it is glad of those truths vvhen there is a truth comes home to it to discover any evil that it did not see before it is glad of those truths and blesseth God that it comes to know any thing of it self more than formerly whereas a proud heart vvil rather vex vvhen any truth comes to discover any evil that it did not see before As some being deformed are not vvilling to have a Glass to present their true Image to them but an humble heart cries to God Lord try me Lord discover to me vvhat evil is in my heart And an humble heart loves that Company that vvil help it to see vvhat evil there is in it self or any vvay may discover vvhat evil there is in it and it vvil be meditating upon those things that may further discover it self unfeignedly vvaiting to know the vvorst of it self for vvant of this many a Soul goes on in an unsound false vvay and miscarries to all eternity because it is not willing to know the vvorst of it self That is the second 3. An humble Spirit doth often look back to its poor beginnings it loves to do it one that is lowly in heart doth love to be often looking back to its poor beginnings what once he was If God hath made an alteration in my condition let me consider what once I was what a vile wretch once I was loves to be often meditating upon that and so to be working upon it self to humble its own heart with such thoughts as those are Oh! what a poor condition was I not long since in both in regard of my outward condition and my inward spirituall condition An humble heart is not unwilling to be put in mind of both If God hath raised him from the Dunghil to a higher condition he puts himself in mind of what he was once is not willing to have the record of his own Parentage to be razed out but is willing to have it known what he was what poor breeding he had my Father a poor Man and my Mother a poor Woman and how poorly they lived notwithstanding God hath raised my estate he is willing to put himself in mind of it that he may get his proud heart to be humbled Agathacles that was raised to be a Prince he would be served in Earthen Vessels to put him in mind of his low condition that once he was in And that is very famous that we have of Jacob in Gen. 32. 10. I am not worthy of the least of all the Mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy Servant for with my staff have I passed over this Jordan and now I am become two bands I had nothing but even the poor Staff to pass over this Jordan withall but now I am become two bands so for men that perhaps came up to the City and that are come to live wel they were poor Boyes and had little at first and God hath blest their Estates and they are not unwilling to look back to what they were it may be some of you were poor ship Boyes and God hath in some Voyages raised you up to what you are
much evil And so that other place in Job that I named about the Souls behavior before God when he saw the Glory of God In Job 42. 5. I have hâ—ard of thee by the hearing of the Ear but now mine Eyes see thee wherefore I abhor my self in dust and ashes this is the work of an humble heart to loath and abhor it self before the Lord. 6. The behavior of a Lowly heart in respect of it self it is to judg it selfe judgeth it self First Unworthy of any imployment unworthy of any service that ever God should imploy him in So you have it in that of Gideon in Judges 6. 15. when the Lord had revealed to Gideon what imployment he would use him in Who am I saith he or my Fathers House He judgeth himself unworthy of any such imployment one lowly in Heart doth think it a great mercy of God to be imployed in any work it judgeth it self unworthy of suâ—h a mercy as this May be you may think that God should be beholding to you to imploy you in any work or service for him but if your heart were Lowly you would judg your selves unworthy to be imployed in any work of God Secondly It judgeth it self unworthy of the least of the Creatures of God I am less then the least of all thy mercies saith Jacob unworthy of the to bread that it Eates and the Air that it breathes in it doth not think much that it hath not what others have but judgeth it self before God unworthy of what it hath acknowledging that it hath forfeited all the comforts that God hath vouchsafed to it Yea Thirdly It is ready to charge it self with any evil even that which comes in somtimes by temptation an humble heart is ready charge it self to be the only cause of it as other men Hipocrites they are ready to charge temptation with what comes from their own corruption So an humble heart rather chargeth its own corruption with what comes from temptation You shal have vaine and carnal Spirits think to excuse the evil that comes from them with this the Devil tempted them this was a temptation the strength and violence of a temptation and they were led to it by the Devil and so judg the Devil for it and not themselves whereas the truth is it was not thy temptation so much as thy corruption the heart that is lowly and humble chargeth himself with all this is my corruption this is my wretched and wicked heart it is true the Devil might tempt me but were it not for my corruption the Devil could never prevaile Yea Lastly It judgeth it self worthy to be destroyed So that place in Ezek. 36 31. Whereas some Books have it You shall loath your selves The old Translation hath it And shall judg your selves worthy to be destroyed A Lowly heart is willing to pass sentence upon it self to accuse it self before the Lord and therefore passeth the sentence of eternal death upon it self so as to justifie God God is clear when he judgeth whatever the judgment of God is against the sin that I have committed I joyn with it I close with the judgment and I judg my self as God doth judg in his word it takes the sentence of Gods word and laies it to it self and judgeth it self If you judg your selves you shall not be judged saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11. 32. This is the work of a Lowly Spirit it judgeth it self before the Lord. That is the Sixth Seventhly An Humble Spirit denies it self First It denies its own Reason if the truth of God be revealed in his word he wil not set his own Reason against the evidence of the truth but though I cannot see a Reason of what is in the word it is fit that I should yeild to what the Lord reveales in his wodr it is willing to deny his Reason in matters of Faith and there is a great deal in this and a special ground why the Lord batters the Heart of sinners many times it is to bring them down to deny their own reason So I remember Luther hath a speech concerning Reason in matters of Faith Reason it is a most bitter enemy to God and of Faith he means unsanctified Reason now an humble heart can deny its own Reason Yea Secondly He is much in denyal of his own will though my will be set strong to have such and such a thing yet what great matter is it saith a Lowly heart for the will of such a wretched Creature as I am to be crossed What if my will be crossed and that for ever I that have been guilty of crossing God so much an humble heart never thinks much to have its will to be crossed whereas there is nothing more todious and grievous to a proud Spirit then to have its will crossed but now when we can get that power over our selves as to be willing to deny our own wils then our hearts are indeed broken and we are brought to be lowly in heart before the Lord the heart of a sinner is never broken and humble til it can deny its own will many of you would know when you are humble enough if you find this that whereas before you thought it very much to have your wils crossed you find now that it is a very little matter to you to have your wills crossed this is a sign that your heart is humble And Thirdly An Humble spirit can deny his own ends whatever my ends were wont to be what plottings contrivings what designes I was wont to aime at now I find I can deny them I can renounce mine own ends and am not for my self an humble Spirit is not a selfish Spirit not aiming at his own ends Yea Further An humble heart can deny its own lawful contentments for God even those things that are in themselves lawful contentments that it might have much liberty in yet if I see that God may have more honor by my being abridged of such lawful contentments and my Brethren may have more good I am willing to deny my self in them to let them go it is not fit I should look after my self such a wretched Creature as I am that might have been in Hell long ago it is not so much for me to look at my self but if God may have any Glory and my Brethren any good I am willing to deny my own lawfull contentments so that an humble Spirit denies not only its sinful self but its lawful self denies all its own excellencies whatever they be willing that they should be buried denies his own honor cares not for his own disgrace I have been perhaps of such an opinion and if I should alter I should be dishonored and disgraced but if the truth of God may come up let my honor lie in the dust let the truth of God be advanced he is willing to deny himself This is the behavior of a lowly Spirit in regard of it self it doth deny it self and that is
thou maiest go like a Fool or a mad man I remember one Albertus Magnus who was one of the greatest scorners in the world yet was many years before he died a very Fool the parts of a man are very poor things to lift up any man considering how they depend upon a little temper of the brain and a little sickness may make thee as mad a man as any in Bedlam therefore there is no Reason to look upon thy self above others in that respect Fourthly Another thing in an humble Spirit in reference unto others is this which is somewhat more then the other he not only gives respect but rejoyceth in the good of others in whatever excellency God hath bestowed upon others in what success God gives to others what esteem God hath of others an humble heart will rejoyce in all you know Paul he rejoyced that the Gospel was Preached though he was nothing There are two Cases in which we are to rejoyce in respect of others to be glad that others are above us As first If God raiseth any in spirituall Grace Doth God give any spirituall Grace more than to thee I say thou art bound not only to be content but to rejoyce in it and it is a wickedness in the hearts of Men and Women that because their Glory shall be somewhat eclipsed by the Graces of others they could even almost wish that they did somewhat to darken their Graces because then they should not shine so bright and they should be some body as well as they if there be this wickedness in thy heart know that this is as cursed a wickedness as the heart of man is capable of in the world next to the sin against the Holy Ghost there is as cursed an evil in this distemper of thine as can almost be imagined to be in the heart of a man or woman What! shal thy eye be evil because thy Brothers is good because thy name must suffer a little what is thy name or thy Glory in comparison of the Glory that God may have by the Grace of thy Brother And so for the gifts of others not only the Graces but the gifts of others the Scripture saith When the wicked are exalted the People mourn and may not we mourn because the wicked are lifted up Therefore that is the second case when God gives any gifts so as to make another more instrumentall for good than he doth our selves we are to rejoyce in that though it be not true Grace yet if he give any gifts whereby they come to be more instrumental for God and his Glory than our selves we are bound to rejoyce in this and to bless God for it this many times comes very neer the hearts of men yet there is infinite reason for what is my name my credit my estate in comparison of the work that is done for God If I be sincere for God certainly if the work do go on though not by me I may rejoyce if my heart be upright and be not damnable proud I am bound to rejoyce in it and bless God though I can do but little for God yet blessed be God that there be any can do more than I can this indeed would be a great deal of comfort in your hearts you complain of your own weakness O! you say you cannot pray when you go to prayer you have a dead heart I but can you say though I have a strait heart and cannot pray Oh I bless God that others have a heart enlarged in prayer you are not I hope wishing that others had as straitned hearts as you And so thou hast a weak memory and canst not remember good things I but blessed be God that hath given gifts to others that they can remember and that God hath a great deal of Glory by them and thus when I am in secret in my Closet to be blessing of God that he hath given gifts to others whereby he hath more Glory than by my self And so I might name many particulars that are to be objects of an envious heart but humility rejoyceth in other respects and if there be any lifted up above me God sees that he is like to do him more service than I if I should be lifted up as they are God sees that I am not able to bear it It is the speech of old Mr. Dod he wished himself to be the worst Preacher in al the world I would to God saith he that I were the worst Preacher in all the Kingdom not that he thought himself worse than he was but this that he would have all in the Kingdom better than he You know Moses when they told him of Eldad and Medad that prophesied in the Camp he answered Why dost thou envy them for my sake I would to God all the Lords People were so An humble heart never is troubled that any credit is gotten from him so God may have Gloty When as God chose Moses to go to the People of Israel he would have Aaron to be â—he mouth but Moses should be the chief Exod. 4. 14. Behold Aaron he cometh forth to meet thee and when he seeth thee he will be glad in his heart no question but God made known to Aaron what his work should be that made him glad at the heart and though Aaron knew Moses should be above him and Aaron was the elder brother yet when he met with Moses he was glad at the heart As if he should say blessed be God though he be my younger Brother yet I am willing to further the service that God hath called my younger Brother to So though thou maiest think thou hast other gifts than other men have and act above other men yet if Gods Glory goes on thou shouldest bless God that his Glory comes about by any others I remember Plutarch tels of one Philertus that was in election for a place and it was a place that three hundred were in nomination and were chosen before him he should have been but one of them and he goes away rejoycing and was glad with this expression I am glad that there is three hundred in this City better deserving than my self not fretting and fuming but was glad that there was three hundred better than himself fit for such a place So should we knowing how God casts things in providence rejoyce upon this that others are found better than our selves Fifthly An humble Spirit in reference unto others is willing to receive good from the meanest iâ— there be any one though never so mean yet he is willing to receive good from him he doth not scorn it because it comes from a mean man but on the contrary saith Hath God bestowed any Grace upon others though not so much as upon me yet I may get some good by them it may be they have not so great gifts as I I but I may get some good by the meanest and the weakest as I have said sometimes little Chips will kindle great
further sence in it God gives a Grace to that God puts a Beauty and Ornament upon the Humble for Humility doth so beautifie a Christian that whatever they do they do it with a Grace there is no Christian that doth things with such a Grace as the Humble and it is that that doth adorn all Graces Humility Graceth all Graces whatsoever Tenthly And then it is that that preserves all Graces too and so some take the word there to come from a word that signifies a knot because it ties all Graces as it were with fast knots together as I find some Interpreters carry the word it unites and knits and strengthens all Graces Paul walked humbly with God walked constantly with him whatever fell out it did not hinder them from serving God As in Acts 20 the place I named before when he called together the Elders of Ephesus at verse 19. when they were come he speaks to them thus Serving the Lord with all Humility of mind and with many tears and temptations which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews whatever temptations did befall Paul yet he was able to go through them for he served the Lord with all Humility it is the proud swollen heart that is the backsliding heart but the humble heart is the heart that keeps constant with God it preserves all the Graces of the Spirit of God in vigor and in strength uniting of them together and uniting the Soul to the Fountain of all Grace it is the preservative of all Grace Eleventhly And again Humility it is that that makes all Duties and all Afflictions to be easie therefore this follows that I shall speak to afterwards Learn of me and be lowly in heart and then My Yoak is easie and my Burden is light it is an easie thing for a man to do any thing that God sets him about if he be once humble there is no difficulty that a man finds in the service of God but it is through pride of heart And so there is an ease in all Afflictions in being humble that that yeilds you know can bear opposition without any great noise indeed the tall Cedars are broken with winds but the poor shrubs below they do not suffer so much but these two will fall more seasonably in when we come to shew how humility gives quiet and rest unto the Soul Twelfthly Again There is nothing that makes the life of a man and woman more joyful and more comfortable than Humility You think the proud have the jolly lives and the comfortable lives No but the humble have most comfortableness because it makes them to prize the least mercy Chrisostome upon Acts 7. hath this expression None saith he live so comfortably as the humble and he gives the reason for it Because the least thing he enjoyes he sets such a price upon the mercy and therefore rejoyceth in it you shall observe it come to a poor Godly Family and you hear nothing but blessing and praising of Gods mercy and wondring at Gods mercy you that have great Houses and great Tables furnished you are wrangling and snarling at this and the other thing but an humble heart is praising and blessing God for his mercy and enjoy more of the mercies of Gods that they have than you do in all your abundance If a man have his flesh swollen he will not be able to bear it but it will be mighty toublesome to him So when the heart is swollen it will bring trouble to thee but this likewise will come more fully in when we come to speak of the Promise I will give you rest But now there is only one thing more for opening the excellency of this Grace and that is the many gracious Promises in Scripture that are made to humble hearts as now to name a few That God will guide the humble in their way Psal 25. 9. I confess your Books have it Meek and so I made use of it in opening Meekness but the word in the Hebrew is Humble and you may take it both waies and therefore in Prov. 11. 2. you have an excellent Scripture there With the Lowly there is Wisdom No man or woman hath that Wisdom for the guiding and governing of their waies as the Lowly Proud men will run on upon their own heads rashly because they be conceited of their own waies but the Lowly will examin and wait and suspect themselves they wil try and examin their waies and go in an humble way With the Lowly there is Wisdom Oh! into what Labyrinths straits aed extremities do proud people hurry themselves but now the Lowly they have the guidance of the Spirit of God carrying them on in their way and therefore they can quiet their hearts and listen to know what the mind of God is And another Promise is That God will revive the Humble the humble is ready to be trod under foot but in Isay 57. 15. The Lord saith he will revive the humble And another is that in Peter He will give Grace to the Humble And that same Promise that you have in Prov. 3. That he will give Grace to the Lowly Thou wouldest have more Grace it is taken for the Graces of Gods Spirit you would fain have more Grace to subdue your corruptions Are you thankful for what you have An humble heart will take notice of every little it hath wait upon God for more Make use of this Promise true Lord I have not such Grace as I would have but I have my heart subdued to this condition then here is the Promise The Lord will give Grace to the Humble And then there is the Promise of Exaltation in Prov. 15. 33. and Math. 23. 12. Those that do most abase themselves shall be most exalted by God It was an Answer that a Phylosopher gave to one that asked him What God did in Heaven he gives this Answer He is beating down the Proud and lifting up the Humble that is the thing that he is doing in Heaven and therefore those in Scripture that have been lowest you see how afterwards God hath exalted them Humble your selves under the mighty hand of God and he shall exalt you in due time in 1 Pet. 5. 6. speaking there of Humility there is but one word in the Greek there for due time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the opportunity of time God will exalt you when a fit opportunity comes And then there is the Promise of safety also to the humble in Job 22. 29. God makes a Promise there to keep those that are humble in a safe condition whatever danger is abroad the Lord will preserve them When men are cast down then thou shalt say there is a lifting up and he shall save the humble Person the Lord wil save the humble Person in time of trouble He shall find mercy frrom God in troublesom times And so in Zeph. 3. 12. I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor People and
than another you have more honor and esteem than another What great difference makes this between man and man But now Grace makes a great difference between man man one hath Grace another hath not this makes a mighty difference one hath Humility another not this makes a very great difference there is not so much difference between the natural excellency of an Angell of Heaven and a Worm upon the earth as between an humble Soul and the greatest Prince in the world that hath not the Grace of Humility Were we but throughly principled in this one thing we may hear it and confes it I suppose but none of you when you go away will say this is true that Grace makes the great difference except you be principled in this thing that it is not the having much and little that makes any great difference between man and man Thirdly Seriously work upon your hearts the meditation of the vanity of all these things how quickly all the beauty and excellency of these things will be gone what is become of all the great pomp and excellency of the world when death comes what is the difference between one that was poor and contemptible and one that was rich and honorable Death makes all even The Glory of the world passeth away and the lustre of of it every thing here is but as flesh and grass that withereth by looking upon all these things that puff up the heart to be but as wind is the main thing to make the soul humble But the main thing is the setting God before us and Christ before us and the right understanding of our selves these are the three principall things that are helps for the Lowliness of the heart 3. The knowledg of God and the setting God before us is a principal thing to make us humble you know how it was with him in Prov. 30. and the beginning The man spake unto Ithiel and Ucal I have opened the meaning of this to you at another time he spake to Ithiel God with me Surely I am more brutish than any man and have not the understanding of a man Oh! how low was he in his own eyes when he had to deal with God the sight of God is that that humbles one more than any thing in the world And so that of Job that famous place in Job 42. after God had made himself known to Job at verse 3 4. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear saith he but now mine eye seeth thee wherefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes What an humble heart and a broken heart had he I set alwaies God before me And so Isay when he had the vision of God and the Seraphims cry Holy Holy Holy the whol earth is full of thy Glory wo to me saith he I am undone because he had seen God Thus al the Servants of God that did converse much with God were very humble Jesus Christ himself that had a lowly heart he conversing much with God and knowing so much of the divine nature having such interest in him therefore there was never such an example of a Lowly Spirit as Christs example was whenas we come to know God the infinite distance that is between God and us then what is all the excellencies in the world when thou comest to know the infinite excellency of God What is the glimerings of a Glo-worm when we come to see all the Glory of Heaven And then also we come to see the infinite dependance we have upon God I wonder not to see men in the world that do not know God to have bold and presumptuous Spirits and see men that have knowledg that they are humble though the others have their spirits lifted up in vanity But for the soul that ever had any sight of God it is a wonder that such a Soul should have any rising of Spirit that any sinfull height of Spirit should be in that Soul that knows what an infinite God it hath to deal with Oh converse much with God and then you will have humble Souls that Soul that never goes from Duty but hath much converse with God that Soul is very humble As Bernard said Lord I never go from thee without thee I carry thee out in my heart when I am in thy presence Now an Hypocrite converseth not with God you that converse with men you would be higher than your Neighbors and live better than your Neighbors O! this is the fruit of converse with men but now true Humility comes from converse with God nothing hath that excellency in it as that which comes from conversing with God and upon the sight of his excellency May be God laies affliction upon you takes away a Child or some of your Estate and this may be may humble you but true humility comes from conversing with God and the sight of his excellency 4. Another is from the right knowledg of Jesus Christ saith he Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart There is no such means of Humility as conversing much with Christ for there was never such an example of Humility as Christ and it was one of Gods ends to send his Son for an example into the world to honor this Grace of Humility and therefore they that know Christ much and the way of Salvation cannot but have empty hearts It is a speech of Austin saith he It may be thou wilt be ashamed to imitate an humble man such a one as is humble to make him thy pattern thou thinkest thou hast more excellency in thee than him I but be not ashamed to imitate an humble God Do but consider how willing Christ was to have that Glory and excellency of his to be eclipsed and darkned for so many yeers though he was one that the Angels adored and he might have let out that Glory to have filled all the whol world and have made the world astonished with his Lustre yet he was content for thirty two or thirty three yeers together to go up and down in the world as a man without form and comeliness to be despised contemned and spit upon If you have a little excellency you shew it presently in Cloaths in Speeches and the like Christ shewes you by this what vanity this is what an excellency and Glory was upon him and yet he was up and down in the world without form and comliness And when we look upon Christ Consider that he was not only humble but humble for us to fatisfie for thy sin without which thou must have gone to Hell eternally to be humble for thy sin there lies the power and efficacy of Christs example in Christs example thou seest what a mean thing any outward excellency of the world is What did he care for any outward excellency When they would have made him a King he cared not for it look up higher God hath made mankind for higher things than these below I that had
from thence the word comes My Burden is light The meaning in the original is this it is such a light burden as man may have it upon him and dance with it leap and dance have joy and delight with this burden upon their backâ— other burdens presseth down makes a man go heavily but this burden is so light that those that have it on it makes their hearts light and easie that they can go and skip and dance with this burden upon them that is the word in the originall we have not a word in the English to express it thus and the word that you have in 2 Pet. 1. 5. hath some likeness to that that Christ means Add to your Faith Virtue and to Virtue Knowledg and to Knowledg Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godliness and so multiplies particulars And now the word is in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to lead in the dance and these virtues one to another it is true it signifies the ministring of the supplies that Members have from the Head only in your English it is said Add to your Faith Virtue it either signifies the ministring of the Head to the Members that which the Members receive by the ministring of the Head and so â—t is proper there that all the virtues we have they are but added one to another from the virtue that is ministred from Christ our Head to us Members Or else the word signifies to lead in a dance as first one goes and the other follows so Faith goes first and that leads on the other it signifies the delightfulness in Christianity when Faith goes before and al the other virtues coming after there is a delightfulness in all the waies of Godliness and Christianity and in the excercising of Virtues That for the meaning of the word My Burden is light such a Burden as will make the heart light and that one may have a Burden on and go lightly and skipping as if he had none Only one thing more for the opening of the words My Yoke is easie and my Burden is light I confess these two expressions many make but all one Yoke and Burden and others think there is a little difference thaâ— by Yoke is meant what Jesus Christ requires of us in the Gospel to do and by Burden is meant what we are required in the Gospel to suffer both active and passive obedience the coming under the rule and government of Christ in the Gospel that is a Yoke I but it is a very gentle Yoke and so when we come under the obedience of Christ to be professors of the Gospel we must expect to suffer much and bear great Burdens of affliction in the world I but saith Christ these Burdens of afflictions if they come and persecute you never so much here you shall find them but light burdens all that I require of you to do shall be easie and all that I require of you to suffer shall be light So that from hence we have this Point of Doctrine for I shal not handle them asunder but put them both together CHAP. CXXXIIII Doct. The way of the Gospel that brings to Heaven is an easie way This confirmed and explained in Six particulars DOCT. THat whatsoever Jesus Christ requires of us either in doing or in suffering it is very easie and very light The way of the Gospel that brings to Heaven is an easie way That is the Point And when we name it I suppose it will seem one of the strangest points that ever was preached or that you have heard of That the way of the Gospel to bring People to Heaven is an easie way it seems contrary to other Scriptures Strive to enter in at the straight Gate for straight is the Gate and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it and Ministers tel us the way to Heaven is a very difficult way and many times it is made an evidence of men that are but carnal and have not the power of Godliness in them that they find so much ease in their way I suppose these you have heard of Well before we have done with the Point we shall reconcile all these things only for the present seeing they are the words of Christ we must yeild them to have a truth in them That the Yoke of Christ whatever it is that Christ would have us submit unto it is easie whatever Burden he would have us bear in this world it is a light Burden Let all those that are continually complaining of the difficulties that lie in the waies of Godliness take notice of this Point many there are that make it their Religion to be continually complaining of difficulties that there are in Gods waies as if by that they would shew that they saw somewhat and felt somewhat more than others did and are never in waies of thanksgiving or in waies of rejoycing but alwaies complaining of the waies of God and what difficulties they find in them let them take notice that whatever thy thoughts have been heretofore or what thy Speeches have been about them yet Jesus Christ himself saith that his Yoke is easie and of his Burden that it is light Now therefore First I shall confirm it by Scriptures and then come to branch it into several particulars for the opening of it For Scriptures take these three the first is in Psal 119. 44 45. So shall I keep thy Law continually for ever and ever and I will walk at liberty for I seek thy Precepts The Soul that doth truly seek Gods precepts to be under the command of the precepts of God such a one walks at liberty never hath so much liberty as at that time when he seeks Gods precepts You may think that to be under the command of the word and especially that in seeking the commands of the Lord it will bring you into bondage There is no such liberty in the world as being under the command of God and seeking the commands of the word And then in Prov. 15. 19. The way of the slothfull is as a hedg of Thorns that is there is a great deal of difficulty in the way of the slothful now this is an opposition to the waies of the sâ—othfull But the way of the righteous is plain there is no such difficulty in his way a righteous mans way to Heaven it is a plain way a plain path he may go in it with ease it is not a rigid way it is not a stony way a thorny way but it is a plain way that a man may go easie there Now if you be walking in any place from Town to Town if you walk in a place where is plain way in the fields it is easie all the while Now you go to the City and you walk in the fields it is plain it is easie but when you come upon stones it is more difficult So it is here The way of the righteous is plain
go under Christs yoke more comfortably but he would not have Christs yoke less that is there is no duty that Christ requires of a gracious heart that it would be freed from I appeal to you that are gracious hearts what one duty that Christ requires of you when you are your selves that you would be freed from Look through the whol book of God and you shal find it so of the Saints And here is a great difference now between an Hypocrite and a Gracious man an Hipocrite would fain do this duty but not that and omit this but not that but a gracious heart saith Lord I am not willing only to do what thou requirest of me but Lord whatsoever thou requirest of me I would chuse it if I had my choice but I leave that till I come further only now to shew that it is easy because no gracious heart that will ever take up any other yoke but saith let me alwaies be here surely it must needs be easy then that is a fifth Evidence Evidence 6 And the Sixth and Last Evidence is this it is taken from the experience of the Saints and that is as great a demonstration as any thing that which I have found experimentally that I find so it is taken from the experience of the Saints there is none that are truly Gracious though they may be afflicted with temptation especially when they are grown in the waies of Christianity but they have some experience of it perhaps at first they find it somwhat hard to get their necks under but afterwards they will say well I never found that rest that ease that quiet upon my â—oul as since I got my neck fully under the yoke of Christ since I brought my self to resign my self fully wholly to the ways of Jesus Christ I bless God I have had great ease and rest Just as it is with your ships if your ship Stick fast in the Sands and water the Waves come and beat against your ship and it is ready to break but now if it is got off from the Sands and wholly upon the Water then away it goes and you may hold a cup of wine in your hands and it goes away with ease so it is with a Godly heart when he is part in Gods waies and part in the mudd and doth not fully give up himself to Gods waies then he findes trouble and his Conscience flies in his Face and he cannot sleep quietly but let the Soul fully resign it self to Christ to be guided by him Oh! the unspeakable joy that there is in this Heathens may talk and have witty discourses about tranquillity of mind but only the true Cristian can have the true tranquillity of mind never could the soul say till now my soul returne unto thy rest let there be never such commotions in the world and troubles and stirs in the World yet I can retire to God and I can bless my self in God and bless God in what I injoy when I can say as in the presence of God to my soul O my Soul return to thy rest I never had such rest and quiet in any waies as I find in these Surely these Six things do evidence the truth that his yoke is easy and his burden light CHAP. CXXXVI The Second Particular mentioned Chap. 13. Is opened in two differences between a Carnal heart and a Gracious Soul in the waies of God 1 The Hypocrite finds ease in the waies of God and Sin both 2. The Hypocrite hath some ease because he mistaks the Yoke of Christ contenting himself with the outward forme of Godliness but theb eleevers ease comes from the power of it BUt now many carnal hearts they think it easie Gracious hearts may think this point at first hearing very strange but carnal hearts they think I we like this point wel enough for men keep such a do and make the waies of God so difficult to go on in a faire way that is easy but to be put to so much trouble and pains there must be Such praying and humbling and such strict keeping of the Sabbaths this is that disturbs now because civil men they find ease as well as carnal hearts that will be the next thing for Indeed I was loth to speak so much of the easiness of the waies of Christ without shewing the difference between the rest and ease of a carnal heart or an Hipocrite and a true Gracious heart an Hipocrite and a carnal heart shal find no ease and rest at al though a gracious heart shal Wherfore the differences between that ease which a carnal heart finds and that which a gracious heart finds in Gods ways they are many First of al a carnal heart finds ease in Christs yoke and ease in the yoke of sin both they find ease in both yokes when they have a temptation to sin that is comfortable to them when it is suitable to their own ends to their own waies when they come to performe duty and come to the Church and somtimes pray and receive Sacraments and the like they think they find a great deal of ease there they are content with both now it is quite otherwise with a gracious heart a gracious heart finds ease in the yoke of Christ but there is nothing more burdensom to a gracious heart then the yoke of sin the yoke of Christ is such an ease as cannot stand with ease under the yoke of any sin but the yoke of sin it is burdensome and intollerable unto the heart that hath true ease in the yoke of Jesus Christ Yea and the more ease any gracious heart hath in bearing the yoke of Christ the more intolerable is the burden that such a heart hath when it is under the yoke of sin if at any time sin doth prevail with one that is come under subjection to Jesus Christ O! how greivous is that sin and therefore greivous because such a foul knows what the difference is between the yoke of Christ and the yoke of sin therefore it is grievous It is not only greivous because it brings terror to the soul through fear of judgment and fear of hell but it is grievous because the soul knows a difference between the yoke of Christ and the yoke of sin As now if a man hath been acquainted with a service to some Noble man or Prince and hath a great deale of Honor and respect and gained very much and afterwards this man should come to be a slave in the Gallies Oh how burdensom would this be to him upon this ground because he once knew a better service he knew what it was to serve such a Prince that was a gracious Prince and loved him and delighted in him and required nothing of him but that that was very suitable to him now if such a one comes to the Gally it will be very greivous Truly thus it is a true Gracious heart that hath been acquainted with the yoke of Christ if at any
what is it that is in thee amiss What is it that thou wouldest fain have the word come close unto to help thee against What is the speciall corruption thou wouldest have the word to mortifie in thee If now you set your selves before you come to the word to examin your hearts and when you are there to attend to the word as that which is your life upon which your eternall estate depends and so to sanctifie the name of God in his word and not to dare to cast off any truth knowing that your Soul may lie upon that very truth and to drink in the word of God in every thing that is revealed according to Gods mind this will be a very hard thing you will complain of almost an intolerable Burden But now a gracious heart finds more ease when it Sanctifies God in the power of Godliness in hearing the word than in a formall Duty Alas when such a one comes in a formall way and goes away and gets nothing such a one is troubled at such a Sermon it brings more Burden and grief to such a heart to come to the word and not find profit by the word than any other thing can do almost nothing can be more difficult than this You find no difference you come to the word and you get nothing and you go away with as much comfort as at other times it is as easie to you but now a Gracious heart cannot find ease except he finds Christ in the Duty but you can find ease in holy Duties though you never find Jesus Christ in holy Duties I appeal to you if this thing God would be pleased to settle upon the hearts of Men and Women it might be a very great settlement to their hearts you perform holy Duties What is the ease in holy Duties meerly the performance of the Duty but now if your ease were that which is the ease of a true Gracious heart it comes from the meeting with Jesus Christ in holy Duties And so for the Sabboth how easie is it to keep the Sabboth to do as the most it is easie Why Because you do not now work in your calling as other daies you do and you put on your best Cloaths and come and meet with your Neighbors and so you come to Church and home again and have better fare at your Tables than other daies and somtimes walk up and down the Fields this is easie But now the Saints find the ease of the Sabboth to be this that whereas upon the week day I am busied about other things and so have not that immediate Communion with Jesus Christ as at other times now upon the Sabboth my Soul comes to enjoy more immediate communion with Jesus Christ when I awake I am put upon it more to mind spirituall things to prepare my heart for him And now this whol day is dedicated for my converse with Jesus Christ and it is no more to me but the very Type and forerunner of that eternall Sabboth that I hope to enjoy in the highest Heavens hereafter and so it is easie to me Now methinks whatever trouble I have in the week time in my business in my calling the Sabboth day that refresheth me again and makes me fit for my calling and my heart that was so perplexed with outward crosses and with the troubles of the world that did so dead and dul my Spirit the Sabboth quickens me again and adds new strength again for I have found Christ refreshing my Soul Now is there not a wide difference between the ease of a carnall heart and a Gracious heart in holy Duties The one meerly mistakes the Yoke of Christ And so for the Sacrament It is an easie thing for a man to come in his best Cloaths and take a piece of Bread and a cup of Wine but he knows not what is the power of Godliness in such a holy Duty he thinks that the outward coming to the Sacrament makes amends for all though he hath been a wicked carnall wretch the week before now if he comes to the Sacrament the meer performing the Duty that makes amends though there be no preparation before no spiritualness in the Sacrament no discerning of the Body of Jesus Christ and the Mysteries of Jesus Christ no closing of his heart with Jesus Christ in the Sacrament no engaging his Soul to God no renewing his Covenant with God as he comes to receive the Seal of Gods Covenant with him no such things But now a Gracious heart cannot find ease in taking the Sacrament except it find Christ the ease it hath in the Sacrament it is in preparing the Soul for communion with Jesus Christ it is in the exercise of Faith and repentance the more Faith is exercised and the more Repentance exercised the more the heart is broken in the Sacrament the more ease a man hath and the more he gets his heart engaged to God in the Sacrament and the more he hath renewed his Covenant the more ease he hath I when a man can go to the Sacrament and do this O! this is a good day indeed And indeed this I am speaking upon is as great a point of Religion for the helping of you to know the frame disposition of your hearts how things stand between God and your Souls as any thing I know What it is in holy Duties that brings most ease to your Souls whether it be the bare externall performance of them or the spirituall performance of them is the power of Godliness in them that holy Duties for the matter of them cannot satisfie your heart except you find your hearts sanctified by them and Gods name sanctified â—n them that is the second note of difference between the ease a carnall heart finds in the waies of God and the ease a gracious heart finds CHAP. CXXXVII Containeth a third and fourth Difierence between the ease of a Hypocrite and true Beleever in the waies of God For 1. They are easie even to the Corruptions of a Hypocrite 2. He takes up the waies God partially THirdly Another Difference is this The ease a carnall heart finds it may not only stand with the ease under the Yoke of sin to the Flesh but the truth is even the Duties of Religion are easie to their corruptions to their very corruptions not only may stand with their corrupt waies but are easie to the very corruption it self to the very sinfull distemper of their hearts this is a very evill and vile ease for to perform holy Duties so as to be easie to the very flesh to the fleshly part Indeed the Yoke of Christ is easie unto the Saints but it is not easie unto the flesh I mean to the corrupt part it is not easie to that I but the waies of Religion to carnall hearts is easie to their very corruption to their corrupt part For First There is agreement enough between any Duty they perform and their secret sins they can
quite otherwise with a carnal heart when he pleads for moderation this vertue of moderation that he pleads for it is not a middle of participation the middle in which virtu consists it is not a middle that doth participate of a degree of both the contraries but a denying of the extreams of both as the true virtue of liberality consists not between prodigallity and covetousness but denies the extreams of both it will have nothing to do with either of both the etreames but that which a carnal heart calâ— for in moderation is the mixture of both extreames together and so makes up a religion of the mixture as thus there is open profaneness that is one kind of extream and there is deadness of spirit the other way that that is opposite unto the open profaneness in wickedness of many people that of drunkennhss and uncleanness and the like they will none of this And then there is the Strictness of power and life in the waies of God in the other way that that is in their hearts is a deadness of spirit there is a mixture there is some profaneness of heart though they would have somwhat of religion too of that which is the hypocrisy not the power of religion there is hipocrisy and profaneness those are the too extteams he will not be a profane man in the grossness of it nor will he be strict in the waies of God in the exactness of them but mix them both he will not be only profane and only have a shew in religion but he will retain some profaneness of heart that is though he wil not be drunk prophane yet he wil retain an inward prophaneness of heart that is when he comes to perform holy duties he counts them but as common things the blood of Jesus Christ he counts it as a common thing and so he hath a profaneness of heart when he comes to perform holy duties and yet he will not be profane neither and so he will have a mixâ—ure of both and this makes up a civil man and yet the civil man will cry out for both he thinks he is not an hipocrite and he thinks he is not profane but he is a middle man a mixture of a profane person and a strict person he is between both But now a gracious heart equally opposeth profaneness and hipocrisy so that the right moderation is such a moderation as is a middle between two evills and partakes of none the ease of a carnal heart lyes in his moderation of holy duties and therefore those duties that would lift up the heart high those are troublesom unto him As now you shal find in some beasts a horse that is a jade and tyred wil go pretty well in some smoth way but if he come to the least rising of a hill Oh how hard is it for such a beast to draw and how ready is he to stand still perhapps when the way is down hill he will draw but at no rising or up-hil now it is otherwise with a horse of mettle you shal find no difference between one way another nay he will go better up-hill then down hill So it is with Carnal hearts perhaps in some kind of things that may be suitable to them and are smoth they may go apace but in that that raiseth his spirit that that is uphill Oh that is difficult but now a Godly heart is lively and spiritual and joyful and finds most quiet and ease when he riseth highest Seventhly A carnal heart the ease that it hath in Gods waies it is all a like aswel one time as at another time it is not so with the Saints they have ease but they do not find it all alike when indeed they can be constant in Gods waies then they find constant ease but because sometimes they find corruption prevail then indeed the waies of God are difficult more difficult then at other times when they find a temptation that overcomes their hearts they find a great deal of difficulty before they can get it off but this will discover many men to be naught when you find your corruptions prevail you can have as much ease as at other times As suppose you have been the last week drunk or have been committing uncleaness or have been in Company and you can come to the Sacrament on the Lords day and joyne with the Minister when at prayer you can come and put on your sunday clothes as you cal them and sit at the word and it is as easy to you as any other thing surely now thy heart is but carnal wert thou spiritual if thy heart were conscious of some sin committed the week before when thou wert in company Oh! when thou comest to the word thou wouldest find the word as a dagger stuck to thy soul thou wouldest find the presence of God terrible to thee in prayer and in the word and Sacrament but canst thou give way to thy sin in the week time and God knows that thou hast not been humbled before the Lords day and yet canst thou come and joyn in prayer and the word and Sacrament with ease this is a sign of a carnal heart that thou art not acquainted with God or any of his waies but it is otherwise with a gracious heart he hath ease the presence of God is comfortable unto him so long as he can keep his reckoning even between God and his Soul but if he should give way to sin and draw the power of the devil upon him when he comes into the presence of God he finds the presence of God terrible unto him Eightly Another Difference between the ease of a carnal heart and a gracious heart is this In the effect of it there are other manner of effects that are produced by the ease of a Gracious heart than of any carnall heart As thus A carnall heart the more ease he hath the more sluggish he is and the more barren he is but a gracious heart the more ease it hath in Gods waies the more fruitfull it is As we say of States and Kingdomes that peace in States and Kingdomes brings plenty and so it doth we have had experience of it so peace in the Conscience of one that is Gracious makes him plentifull in all good works a heart that is truly Godly is never so fruitfull in the waies of God as when he hath the most ease and rest in Gods waies but now take a carnall heart if his Conscience be troubled Oh then he will set upon holy Duties but if he be at ease and quiet he grows more barren and more sluggish by how much the more ease he hath I do not know any one thing to help you better to exam in your own hearts in a great case of Conscience than this How do I know when I have peace and quiet whether it comes from presumption or from true Faith I bless God I have hope of Gods mercy and so I have quiet
in my Conscience well but now here is the case of Conscience whether is this quiet that I have in my Conscience from the hope I have of Gods mercy from presumption in me or from true Faith It concerns every one to get this case of Conscience answered Now I know no greater help for the answering this case of Conscience than this one thing that I have spoken of Hast thou quiet and ease and hast thou hope of Gods mercy and doth that bring thee quiet if it be but presumption it makes thee secure it makes thee barren and sluggish but on the other side if thou hast ease and quiet in thy Spirit and thou findest that the more that ease and quiet encreaseth the more fruitfull thou art in all good works it makes thee the more active and stirring in all good works this is a sign that it comes from Faith as you heard before a gracious heart hath the more activeness in it the more ease it hath now as his activeness in goodness causeth easiness in his heart so the easiness in his heart causeth activeness in goodness there is a mutuallness in these two and indeed this latter is the more facile for people to exam in themselves by perhaps every one cannot group to that activeness of heart but now hath it this power upon your hearts that you are more fruitfull than before This is the ease of a gracious heart if it doth so Ninthly And then the ease that a carnall heart hath in the waies of God is from hence because he hath but only one principle in his heart when he is in the waies of God and when he is in the waies of the world he is acted but by the same principle in both there is not a contrary principle in his heart one that carries him one way and another that carries him another way but the ease of a gracious heart is this that he finds a stronger principle that overcomes a contrary principle of corruption in him there lies his ease a carnall heart goes on and performes Duties and hath not divers principles in his heart to cary him this way or that way but hath only one principle a carnal principle that carries him on to serve his own ends and somtimes he can serve his ends in one thing somtimes in another thing but one that is Godly finds ease from hence from the power of Gods Grace that doth overcome his corruption I find a stirring in my heart but I thank God I can get the victory the ease of a Godly heart comes from the victory that it gets but it is not so with a carnall heart your civill men do not find ease from their victory because what they do is not suitable to them but a Godly man finds that there is a principle of Grace that opposeth the principle of lust and corruption and therefore can say since I set my heart towards God and his waies I have found more corruption than before stirring but I thank God I have got victory over them I find a conquest gotten over the corruption that is stirring in my Soul and that is my ease another man he finds no corruption stirring in his heart and therefore no marvell if he find ease but now a Godly man finds a contrary principle to that which is good stirring in his heart and then finds Gods Grace coming in upon his heart to help him against that corruption and this brings ease and quiet to him Tenthly And then the last is this That the ease the one hath comes from this that all that he doth he preformes in his own strength and he doth not see any need of any further strength than that which he hath in himselelf to enable him to perform Duties and so he finds ease As a man finds his Trade to be easie if he trades with his own stock and hath nothing but his own stock to trade with and trades in no higher things then what himself can reach unto whereas another man that must have the stocks of other men to trade with finds a great deal more trouble that sees his trade requires more stock than his own It is so with a Gracious heart he sets upon duty so as needs he finds he more stock than his own his trade is beyond his own strength but now a Godly heart when he comes to want strength he fetcheth strength from Christ he fetcheth strength from the Covenant of Grace he fetcheth strength from the Promise and when he hath got strength from Christ from the Covenant of Grace from the Promise Oh now he finds rest and ease in his Duty and you shall see the reason of it in the next Point why the Sants finds difficulties many times they will think to be trading with their own strength and their own stocks whenas the things they trade about is beyond their own strength but now when they can look higher and see a fulness in Jesus Christ in the Mediator of the new Covenant and of his fulness we must receive Grace for Grace and fetcheth strength from this Oh! then here is quiet and ease when the Soul comes to trade with another stock Observe this you will find it as certain as can be all those that are meer civill People that find it so easie to go on in the waies of God they were never sensible of any need they have of any more strength than their own whereas the Yoke of Christ is heavier than any naturall strength is able to bear and therefore if you find ease in that you have strength of your own to perform it Certainly it is not the Yoke of Christ But now when you find your own strength too short when you go to perform any Duty and find a great deal of difficulty you can go to Christ and to the Covenant of Grace and to the Promise and there fetch in strength you have ease and quiet Oh that you were acquainted with this Mystery of Godliness that when you go out to perform Duties and you find them difficult and hard that then you can go out to Christ and the Covenannt of Grace and the Promise and fetch strength from them to perform Duties this is the ease of a Godly heart when it finds ease in Gods waies after this manner and all you that are acquainted with this Mystery of Godliness know that whatsoever ease you have found hitherto it is not the ease of a Gracious heart but rather of a carnal heart CHAP. CXXXIX Divers Objections answered The easiness of the waies of Christ which is the third particular mentioned in Chap. 139. QUEST BUT do we not find that Christ hath said in his word that the way to Heaven is difficult and the Gate to Heaven is strait and narrow and do we not find Preachers ordinarily speaking so that the way to Heaven is difficult and strait according to what is in Scripture yea do we not find that the People of
God themselves complain that there is a great deal of difficulty in the waies of God and do they not oftentimes complain of the hardness of them Yea and what though some things may be easie yet some others are very hard As you will say to the Discipline of Christ in his Church Is that easie Is not that hard and what will you say to the sufferings that Christ requires of his people Doth it not seem very hard Answ Now to clear the point from all these difficulties either what Christ saith of the straitness of the way to Heaven or what the Saints of God find or what may be said in regard of the Discipline of Christ in his Church or what in regard of the suffering that Christ requires notwithstanding all these yet we hope we shall make it cleer that yet his yoke is easie and his burden is light and further we are to shew how it comes to be easie and light But first to cleer the Point from all these difficulties First That of Christ That the way to Heaven is a strait way a very strait way there must be crowding and taking a great deal of pains It is true It is strait it is a very strait way to men that are but naturall that are not his Disciples it must needs be a strait in their apprehensions in the esteem of the world the way that Christ doth propound to come to Heaven it must needs I say be very strait and a very difficult way in the esteem of the men of the world and that upon these grounds 1. They do not know wherein the true spirituall excellencâ—es of the waies of Christ dorh consist they do not understand what the excellency of Christs waies are 2. The things that are required are unsutiable to them they are not suitable to what there is in their spirits and to put a man upon a work that is no way suitable to his spirit must needs be difficult must needs be tedious it is not suitable to them Yea it is contrary to them contrary to the spirits of those that are natural cross unto the grain they go quite contrary to their own spirits when they venture upon doing what is required in the waies of God 3. They are weak and have not the strength that should carry them on in the waies of God indeed it must needs be difficult to think to do that which is supernatural have nothing but a natural strength it must needs be hard to nature that hath nothing but weakness it must needs be hard to the men of the world for they have a great many prejudices against the waies of Christ they must denie themselves in many things that are as dear to themselves as their very Souls and their lives and they have nothing to make up their comforts they must denie their comforts and have nothing to make up their comforts this must needs be difficult and hard and so many grounds might be shewn that the way to Heaven is hard to the men of the world a hard thing for them to enter upon the way to Heaven and so it is strait to them in their esteem Quest I but further Is it not strait unto the Saints even to the very Disciples of Christ Do not they find difficulties in the waies of God Answ Now for the answering of that to shew how the waies of God are easie notwithstanding what even those that are the people of God find in them and notwithstanding all their complaints those that are Godly they say they find much difficulty in the waies of Religion 1. It may be the difficulty thou speakest of it is but in opinion rather than reality it is but an imaginary difficulty when thou lookest upon a Duty a great way off Oh! thou thinkest it is very hard but when thou comest to it thou dost not find it so hard I appeal to those that are acâ—uainted with the waies of God Hath it not been so with you that things have seemed to be hard and difficult a great way off but when you have come unto them ventured upon them you have not found them so It is just in this case for all the world like as it was with the women that we read of in Mark 16. that went to the Sepulchre of Christ as they were going at verse 3. O! they were very solicitous about the Stone that was rouled upon the Sepulchre Who shall roâ—l away the Stone but now when they came to the Sepulchre the Stone was rouled away So it is here when there are many Duties to be done it may be you cry out Oh it is very hard and how shall we be able to do such a thing such a poor weak body as I am how shall I be able to do it but when you come to the Duty you do not find it so I suppose there are many that at first thought it a very difficult Duty to keep a watch over their heart and to pray in their Families and Closets and to keep close to God but when they have come to the thing somtimes when you have had no heart to pray when you have thoughts to go to prayer and you have thought it impossible for you to make any work of it but when you have come to it you have found it before you have done to be a very sweet and comfortable Duty you have found a stone hardness of heart and indisposition to the Duty before you have come to the Duty but when you have come to the work you have found the stone rouled away and the work not so hard As we read of Peter in Acts 12. 10. When he was coming out of the City and those with him When they came to the Iron Gate in was open It may be if they had known there had been such an Iron Gate to pass through they might have been troubled Oh how shal we get through but when they came there the Iron Gate was open so that the difficulty is before we come to make tryall rather than when we make tryal 2. But you will say It is reall not in opinion but reall I but it is so but at the entrance at the beginning and it may be the greatest difficulty is but to get the neck into the collar to get the yoke upon the neck there lies the great difficulty when once you are in the yoke then you will find it easie the greatest difficulty many find in the waies of Religion it is their first entrance because they have not been accustomed to such things You shall have many times some kinds of Bullocks that come into their yoke there is more stir to get their necks in to get their yokes upon their necks then there is for them to bear it afterwards So there is with many men and women a great deal of stir and a great deal of do to get their necks under Christs yoke to come under the burden of the
yoke of Christ but were they come in they would not find it so difficult Somtimes indeed the work of God in converting of a Soul comes to it so as the Soul finds a great deal of difficulty The Ministry of John by way of preparation comes in a terrible way to make smooth the rough paths and level the lofty hils comes in a fiery way to prepare them many times it is very terrible and they find a great deale of difficulty much trouble of conscience and terrour at first I but this is but to get â—hy neck into the yoke this is not the difficulty of Christs yoke but it is the bringing thee under the yoke of Christ therfore let not those that God is beginning to stir them in awaknâ—ng their Consciences be offended because they find difficulty because they find the waies of God terrible to them and conscience terrible to them and they find the flashes of Hell upon their spirits be not offended because thou hast more trouble now then before it is but in getting that unruly spirit of thine under the yoke of Christ if once thy spirit be subdued to Jesus Christ and brought under his yoke thou wilt not find it so terrible and it may be the more terrour thou hast now the more sweetness and comfort thou wilt find afterwards Thirdly Thou complainest of difficulty that thou findest in Gods waies do not therefore complaine of the yoke of Christ it may be it is from the distemper of thine own heart not from Christs yoke we know that a light yoke to one that hath a sore neck seemes to be very grievous but the fault is not in the yoke but in the soreness of the neck if the neck were sound and made whol the yoke would seem light so it is with many that profess religion and it may be have true grace they find the yoke very haâ—d to them and they complain of the yoke and think that which Christ requires of them is greivous to them but truly it is the distemper of thy heart and the unsoundness of thy spirit that makes it so if so be thy heart were but healed if thy hearâ— were but sound thou wouldest not find any such difficulty in any way of Christ In 2 Tim. 1. 7. There the spirit of power of love and of a sound mind are joyned together where there is a sound mind a sound spirit theâ—e will be power there will be strength there will be love and sweetness but where the mind and the heart is unsound and disteâ—pered there you will find a great deal of difficulty in the yoke of Christ so that I say where you find the yoke of Christ difficult do not complain of that so much as of your own heart and labor to heal your own soul and then it it will not be so difficult and that is the third answer I would give to the Godly that yet find difficulty in the waies of religion it is not because of the yoke but it is because you are not enough under the yoke that is the difficulty if your hearts were under it more then it is it would not be so difficult and this expression may serve to enlighten us into the fourth answer which is this Fourthly the yoke of Christ may seem to be hard but it is because of the disordered carriage of thy spirit when thou art under it not only from a distempered heart that thy heart hath distempers and habitual corruptions but now when thou art doing a duty thou dost behave thy self in a disorderly way in the performance of the duty the disorderly behavior of thy heart in the performance of duty As now we know it is with some Bullocke some creatures that are unruly when they are in the yoke they keep such a stir and riggle this way and that way and they are so unquiet when they are under the yoke that they toil and trouble themselves abundantly more then another that can carry the yoke quietly that goes on quietly with his yoke so it is with many Christians when they are in the performance of duty if they cannot do it as they would they do so vex and frett and are so disquieted in their spirits and so tumultuous in their spirits and are ready to cast it off Conscience will keep it on and they are ready to cast it off there is such a disorderliness of spirit and such tumultuousness of spirit this makes duties difficult whereas now when thou art in performance of duties if thou couldest be under the yoke of Christ with a calme quiet Spirit and carry it in a meek way Oh! the sweetness that thou wouldest find there how many times shall you have many people that when they go to prayer if they cannot pray as they would do then they vex and fret and are ready to think to pray no more and why should they pray any more they are so disturbed in the duty they think it is better to cast it off and they begin to have hard thoughts of the duty and so their spirits are all in a dâ—stemper and disorderly working presently and there is the difficulty Whereas another though he cannot do what he would yet he hath an humble dispose to God and thinkes I will try another time may be God may come in another time still I love the duty the law is good the duty is just and good and though through the untowardness of my spirit I cannot do it now yet I hope God will come at another time I will do my duty and leave it to God to come in when he pleaseth as you heard before when the Bullock or the Heifer that beares the yoke if he goes on quierly his yoke is not so grievous but if he flings this way and that way and turnes to this side and that side every way he makes his yoke grievous to him and so it is with many Christians it is the disorderly carriage of people under this yoke that makes it so difficult Fiftly Thou complainest and sayest this yoke is hard consider that the casting of the yoke off would be a great deal harder and therefore there is no cause to complain can a man in a rational way complain of a yoke to be hard whenas the casting of the yoke off would be a harder thing then the bearing of it therefore the Hebrew word that signifies sin signifies also labor and trouble there is more trouble if thou shouldest cast off the yoke thou wouldest find more distress of spirit and more difficulty in casting off the yoke then to be under the yoke It is true those that be carnal and wicked do not find it so but if thou hast Grace if thou shouldest cast off the duty because of the difficulty thou wouldest find it more difficult to be without the duty then to perform it As I will instance to your own experiences you fiend sometimes that your hearts are loth to come off to prayer
in a morning or if you do pray you do it sleightly now do not you find your hearts off the hooks al the day long after have not you more trouble all the day long when your conscience tells you that you should go and seek God and pray I but other things are more easy and that is a hard thing and therefore you neglect it now do not you find it more dificult to be with out prayer in a morning then is in all the labour of prayer compare one day with another and see which is the easyest The yoke of Christ that was upon David might be somwhat hard to the flesh but the casting off the yoke broke his bones therefore in Psal 51. He cries to God to restore to him the joy of his Salvation and to heale those Bones of his that were broken That the Bones that thou hast broken may rejoyce that expression the Prophet hath Psalm 51. vers 8. Make me to hear joy and Gladness that the Bones that thou hast broken may rejoyce so that it broke the very Bones of David the casting off the yoke of Christ the trouble that David felt in his heart it was such a burden to him as broke his bones now when did ever any duty that David performed break his bones though it might a little paine his flesh and be a little burdensom to his flesh yet it was not that which broke his bones the casting off the yoke of Christ is a greater burden and more troublesom to a gracious heart then to keep it on Sixthly Thou complainest of difficulty in duty in Christs yoke may be it is not the yoke of Christ that is upon thee that is so heavy upon thee if thou examinest it again perhaps thou shalt find it is not Christs yoke that is upon thee 1. May be it is a yoke that thou hast taken upon thy self perhaps somthing that thou hast put upon thy self that Christ never required of thee then it may be grievous to thee if we will put that upon our selves that Christ never required as Papists do that put that upon themselves that Christ never required who required these things at your hands It may be some men have put somthing upon you that Christ never required of thee it may be thou puttest upon thy self a duty at this time that is not the duty of this time but is the duty of some other time when thou wilt enjoyne thy self to do such a duty that is not the duty of this time but the duty of another time then it may be troublesom as many poor Christians are pestered this way when God would have them do such a duty conscience puts them upon another duty God calls them to a duty of their calling but conscience puts them upon prayer now that is not the duty it may be of this time and this is the way of Satan of the Devil to weary them and tire them by putting them upon duty unseasonably when he cannot by temptation hinder them from duty then he labors to weary and tire them by putting them unseasonably upon duty As I have known some they could not be at their work a quarter of an hour but suddenly they must leave all and go to prayer and they thought it was the motion of Gods Spirit and the dictates of conscience and they thought they must not neglect it and so made their lives uncomfortable upon that ground whereas the Spirit of God puts people upon duty seasonably every thing in its right order and right way and in its due time it will put you upon prayer in a fit time and put you upon duties of your calling in a fit time and when it comes unseasonably to disquiet you it is rather a suggestion of Satan to disquiet you then to make you to obey Christs yoke 2. May be it is not the yoke of Christ but meerly the yoke of the Law as thus though it may be the same thing that Christ would have you do yet you may have it laid upon you in a legal way to do it meerly out of fear of the wrath of God and damnation and so it may be as a scourge to force you to it and so to look upon every duty as if your eternal estate depended upon it as if you were to be cast or saved by the meer performance of your duty this is rather the yoke of the Law then the yoke of Jesus Christ to be put and hurryed upon duty as if your eternal estate did depend upon your duty and you were to be cast in your eternal estate by that rather then any thing here is the yoke of Moses not the yoke of Christ Christ puts you upon duty for the honor of God yet so as the hazard of your eternal estate is over and thou art not to be cast upon the performance of the duty this way or that way that if thou failest thou wert to be cast for ever to everlasting destruction upon thy failing he doth not bring you before God as before a severe and revenging judg but puts you upon service as a Child is put upon doing service by a Father now it is a great deale easyer for a child to do service to a father then for a slave to do service to one that hath him in bondage that will be continually lashing him and beating him black and blue so indeed the yoke of the Law which we are to speak of afterwards when we come to speak of the easiness of Christs yoke that is greivous and many Christians they do their duties meerly in a legal way and so it is rather Moses yoke then the yoke of Jesus Christ and so it comes to be hard whereas when thou comest to understand what the yoke of Christ is and what the duties are that are required by Jesus Christ and so to take them from him by a covenant of Grace for so they are required there is no duty in the Morral Law but is required of you in the Gospel and in a stronger bond then ever it was required upon the first Covenant but in another way coming unto it in another way in Christ and through the hand of the mediatour Jesus Christ so it comes to be a great deal more easy and when duties are taken up in an evangelical way then they are easy but so long as you take them up in a legal way then they come to be very grievous that is the Sixth Answer Seventhly Another answer is this that difficulty that you find it is not the Yoke of Christ if you consider That now Corruption is more Stirred then ever it was before the difficulty is in the discovery of corruption in the Stirring of your corruption more then before so that your Corruption through this by means of the yoke of Christ comes to be more stirred then formerly it was As thus now sometimes I think I have given you this Similitude if there be a few embers
of fire that is covered under the ashes while no body medles with those embers the ashes lye Still but if you come to blow up these ashes the ashes fly up and down So it is with the Soul that hath Grace while corruption lies stil all is at quiet but when Grace comes and stirs corruption that makes a trouble you come now to see your sins more and to oppose them more As when a Physician comes to give Physick the stirring of the humor makes the Party more sick should the Patient complain of the Physician and say this Physick makes me more sick I wil take no more of his Physick if the Physick did not make thee more sick it would do thee no good And so when thou comest to the practice of Religion if Grace do not stir thy corruptions it wil not cure thy corruptions thou comest to be sensible of thy sin more than ever thou art ready to think that it is the yoke of Christ that troubles thee but it is the sight and the further sence of thy sin that makes thee thus and thou hast cause to bless God for this trouble there is nothing more ordinary than for Christians that are not wel experienced in the waies of God to think thus that they are worse than ever they never had such thoughts they never were troubled with such blasphemous thoughts in Prayer they never found such stirrings of corruption in their hearts as now they have and they think they are declined and they are further off from God and eternal life than before because they see more evil in themselves find more stirring of corruption than before be not discouraged by this it is the stirring of thy corruption though the thing in it self is evill yet it is a good sign it is a sign the word of God is working in thee and God stirreth in thee therefore do not complain of the word of Christ that it makes thee worse but it is a meer accidental cause of the stirring of thy corruption and it wil do thee good at the latter end Eighthly Another Answer is this The yoke of Christ is hard but to what It is hard to flesh and blood it is hard to the unregenerate part it is hard unto that that should endure hardness it is fit that flesh bood should endure hardship there is no cause to complain that it is hard to them to flesh blood wo to thee if so be the waies of God should prove easie to flesh and blood it is a sign that it is the true yoke of Christ because it is hard to flesh and blood it is hard to that we should beat down it is hard to that that is our enemy Is there any cause to complain that such a thing is very difficult hard and grievous unto our enemy unto one that we should beat down Now it should be the care of a Christian to beat down flesh and blood as long as we live and therefore that that is most hard unto flesh and blood that they should rejoyce in if they find it to be so Should any one complain if the City should have Rebels and Traitors that should rise in the City to have Bolts and Fetters cast upon them Is not this an ease to a City Doth a Kingdom or City suffer by this because Iron Bolts and Fetters are upon Traitors Rebels and Malefactors What greater Traitors Rebels and Malefactors are there against Jesus Christ our happiness and everlasting good that ariseth up in rebellion against Jesus Christ than flesh and blood and if Iron Bolts and Fetters be upon them which we should seek to subdue and crush why should we complain of hardness there Wouldst thou have ease to flesh and blood that is a cursed ease But now is not the yoke of Christ easie to the regenerate part in me In my flesh saith Paul there is no good but the regenerate part finds an ease in the waies of Christ and they are very sweet and very comfortable to the Soul Ninthly Thou complainest of difficulty it may be it is because thou hast not learned the former lessons Learn of me saith Christ for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shal find rest unto your Souls for my yoke is easie and my burden is light Art thou ure that thou hast learned of Jesus Christ these two lessons that you have heard so much of heretofore Meekness and Humility Have you meek spirits quiet spirits Have you humble spirits lowly spirits Angry flesh wil not endure any great burden if you touch angry flesh Oh it is a burden to it and so proud flesh a swoln Leg and swoln Arm and Shoulder and Neck if the Neck be swoln it cannot bear a yoke So the proud flesh in thee it is that that makes the yoke of Christ so grievous and burdensom to thee But now if thou hast learned throughly these two Lessons of Meekness of Spirit and Lowliness of heart Oh how easie is every thing that Jesus Christ requiâ—es to a meek and lowly spirit if once thou gettest thy heart down the bladder pricked to be low in thine own eyes and thy heart low then every thing wil be easie that Christ requires thou complainest that they are difficult but it is because of pride Lastly Another Answer is this Though there be some kind of difficulty in the waies of God and the Saints find it so yet there is more delight than there is trouble and more ease than pain and compare one with another and take all together and then it may be said to be rather easie than any way burdensome and light than any way heavy As I wil express it by this similitude a sick mans cloaths the cloaths that a sick man hath upon him may be they are somwhat burdensom a man that is weak to put on the cloaths that he was wont to weare he feels it a burden a paine I but he finds more good by his cloaths then the burden comes to his cloaths keep him from catching cold and keeps him warm from the air and so he finds the benefit of his cloaths more to him than the burden of his cloaths come to So though there may be some burden some kind of trouble in the waies of God to one that is sanctified being but in part sanctified here yet there is more delight and more ease and more good that he doth find in the waies of God than there is trouble and therefore put all together and then the yoke of Christ is easie and his burden light these severall considerations will satisfie against all the difficulties that any of the Saint s do find in Christs yoke CHAP. CXL Sheweth the Reasons of the Discipline and Goverment of Christ and Objections against the same are answered WEll this we cannot but be convinced of that the Duties of Religion and the waies of Godliness all things considered they are easie But what will you say to
know no other way that is urged than this but to manifest the Grace of God upon theâ—r hearts the work of God upon them And for the matter of Covenant only to profess a willingness to joyn with such a Society of People in all the Ordinances of Jesus Christ so far as they know suppose I should not be convinced of this particular Ordinance or the other particular Ordinance if there be a willingness to walk in the Ordinances of Christ so far as I know this is the uttermost that is required and for the other it is only for edification but for necessity I know none that do require it Now what an easie Yoke is this that one should come to be partaker of al the priviledges of the Gospel and all the Ordinances that Jesus Christ hath be trusted his Church with and this is al that we must come and profess our willingness to walk with all the People of God in all the Ordinances of Jesus Christ so far as is revealed to them is there not an easiness in this to a Gracious heart Certainly this that is complained of hath no great difficulty in it Object I but you wil say There is more difficulty than this It is required that every one should watch over another a narrow watching over one another in their waies and observing one another and this is true a carnal heart cannot do it we were wont to have a loose kind of way that we lived in a Church communion one with another and never knew one another perhaps never saw one anothers face in all your lives but when you came to the Sacrament and whatever evil you had heard of one another you never minded their reformation Answ Now it is true That in the way of the Gospel when the Saints are joyned together in that way they must and ought to watch over one another And what great burden is this to a Gracious heart to a carnal heart it is true all the waies of God are burdensome but to a Gracious heart it is an ease that there shal not only be my own care and the Grace of God in me to watch over me but I shal have the use of al the Graces in the al Saints of God to watch over me And is here any hurt in this It is an honor that God puts upon thee that he gives not only his Angels charge over thee but all his Saints a charge over thee likewise A Prince hath a great Guard for the safety of his Person and that is the honor of a Prince he cannot go alone so as others do but must go with a Guard Now as the Prince in an outward way so the Saints in a spirituall way they are dear to Jesus Christ and therefore they shall never go up and down but they shall have their Angels to have charge over them But what have they charge over them for it is as the Scripture saith that they should not dash their foot against a stone they have charge over your Bodies in a more peculiar way and the Saints have charge over you in a more spiritual way now that you shall have Angels to watch over your Bodies and I make no question but they keep Satan off from hurting of you and then you shall have the Saints of God with whom you shall live eternally in Heaven and they shall watch over you for your spiritual good and so they shal communicate all their Graces and Gifts and they are bound in Conscience so to do and this is a great ease to a Gracious heart Object I but you wil say there is another difficulty if so be we fall at any time then we must give publick Satisfaction if we fall into that which gives publick offence there must be publick Satisfaction given for private offence we must give private Satisfaction and Oh! this is a heavy Iron yoke to a carnal heart if we should come to such a reformation as we desire Oh! what a burdensom thing would every carnal heart think it let me look now to my walking I cannot do as I was wont before time let me be never so vile do what I will I could give a Proctor a little mony or an Archdeacon or a Commissary or the like and then let the Minister and the Congregation do what they dare Oh! this is fine and easy to a wicked and corrupt heart But now to come to this that whatever you are Rich or Poor if you fall into scandalous sins it is not making freinds this way or that way or to a Minister no but you must come and make publick confession give publick Satisfaction and this is a yoke that is hard to a carnal heart but to a gracious heart it is easie What difficulty to a gracious heart is this I have publickly dishonoured the name of God and now I come publickly to repaire the name of God that I by my sins have darkned and done hurt unto I come now to repaire it openly nay what ease canst thou have till that be done certainly if thy heart be throughly humbled for the sins of thy soul wherein thou hast sinned publickly against God if thou hast sinned secretly then Christ requires not publick Satisfaction but if thou hast sinned publickly what more suitable to thy heart if Gracious then this Oh! that I might publickly repaire the honor of God that hath publickly been dishonored by my sin how canst thou sleep or die before thou hast done this I cannot possibly see how such a man or woman can die quietly and go out of the world quietly except they have had some opportunity to repair the honor of God publickly as they have sinned publickly and therefore this is not a way of punishment and pâ—nnance for thy sin but a restorring of the honor of God that thou hast impaired and this is that that is no burden unâ—o a Gracious heart the sin indeed is a burden the sin is a shame it is a shame to me that I should ever dishonor the blessed God that hope to receive such great satisfaction from God it is fit that I should come and repaire the honor of this God Oh! this is the honor of a Christian and therefore I beseech you have no hard thoughts of the waies of Jesus Christ in his Church And consider yet further for the easiness of it that Christ gives a charge to all his Saints that if thou be humbled and givest Satisfaction that they should restore thee with all meekness and Gentleness and if there should be any one that should insult over thee and any way deride and scorne thee certainly Jesus Christ will reckon with such a one for that and there is no sin that goes more against the Spirit of Jesus Christ then For any one to insult over those that come in the trouble of their spirits to repaire the honor of God that they have impaired by their sins Christ requires that every one should mourn
with thee as thou art sorrowfull and lamentest over thy sin so they should have their hearts melt for thy sins and should endeavor to have their hearts sensible of thy sins as thou art and and they that are acquainted with the waies of Christ in his Church they have found it so they have found all the Congregation aswell to fall a lamenting and bursting ouâ— in tears aswel as thy self thou bursting out in peaâ—es for thy sins and they praying and seeking unto God that he would forgive thy sins and al the congregation doth thiâ— now is not this better then 〈…〉 should go on to rancle in his sin is in not better that he should come into a Congregation and give glory to God and lament it before him and all the Congregation lament and they all send up their sighes and groans for pardoning of this offender and restoring of him and for the lifting up the light of Gods countenance upon him if your heart were humble you would find it a great dâ—ale of ease for the truth is you cannot expect to have ease before you have done this those that have offended though they have gone in their closets and sought God yet have had no rest but upon this now God doth usually grant abundance of ease peace and joy in Christ that it is a thousand times more ease to their spirits then for them to go on in their sin and let their sin ranckle And further Christ in the goverment of his Church will not have any officer over you but whom he appoints indeed in a Civil State they may appoint taskmasters and what officers they please but now in a Church State Christ appoints every officer and therefore all that rabble of Commissaries Archdeacons Deans and Deanes and Chapters is gone away for there ought to be none such and it is a great ease unto the Church of God to bee rid of them And again you are to have none forced upon you but what you your selves shall yield unto they cannot in a domineering way say you shall have such a Minister It was enough before that if a wench in an Alehouse or an Hostler should have an uncle die and leave them to be his heire and an Advouson belonged to him this Wench that lives in an alehouse or an Hostler Should have power to send any fellow that he will if he can give account of his creed in Latin to send one a hundred miles or one that they never saw in all their lives and they to whom he was sent must take this man to have charge over their souls to depend upon this man for dispensation of all the ordinances of Jesus Christ as long as they live together here was a burden But now the way of Christ is that there should be none that should take the Charge of Souls to dispence the ordinances of Christ but such as the people themselves shall choose to themselves that they shal be satisfyed in before and that they are faithful and that they are fit by the gifts and graces of the spirit of God to take charge over their souls and to dispence the ordinances of Christ in a right way is not this now a great deal of ease And further what a great deal of ease is in the waies of Christ in his Church when the officer is such as Christ appoints and you approve And further when they are there they have no liberty to make any new law but just as Jesus Christ hath made they cannot obtrude any thing upon you to beleeve and do but they must shew that Jesus Christ would have you to beleeve and do the same Now in Civil states it is otherwise there you may be required to do things that you cannot find directly in the word if it be a thing that the officer thinks reasonable to be done if it be not contrary to the word it is enough if it be a thing rational that may suite with the publick good of a Country or Kingdom it is enough but now when it comes to the Church the Church officers it is not enough for them that there is nothing in the word against it but they must have it out of Gods word and this is a great ease that I shall have nothing imposed upon me but what Jesus Christ would have me to have and to do many other particulars might be shewed for the opening of the yoke of Christ differing from the yoke of the Civil State Yea And Christ requires nothing to be done in his Church but what he would have a Reason given for it but if a Prelate did but sit at his Table amongst his Cups and write but a line or two what a disturbance was there thereby unto many thousand Congregations he never came to them himself but meerly he commands and they must do it But now the commands of Christ are otherwise whatever is required of them from Christ they may require a Reason of it they are to be satisfied themselves in the Reason of the thing and how Christ requires it before they submit unto it Indeed I am not bound in a Civil State to satisfie my self in all they do but I may-think that they understand more of the Civil good than I do but it is not so in a Church state the meanest in a Congregation is not to say the Ministers and Officers they know more than I and therefore though I see no Reason to the contrary I will submit Now Christ hath such a tender care over every one of his members that whatever they do they must know it themselves they must do it in Faith they must know how this comes out of the word and they must do it then in Faith now what an ease is this and if men did know this how readily would they come under the government of Jesus Christ it is as great an Argument of the carnality of the hearts of men that they having been under the yoke of Antichrist and now they have some inkling of the yoke of Christ that they cry out of it and say they had rather be in the former way just as the Children of Israel they desired to go back into Egypt again and they liked not their deliverance but would fain have gone back to their bondage again and hath there not been the same murmurings in the hearts of men that they would willingly return to their former bondage Oh it were just with God that we should return back again to Egypt to our former condition and â—wo unto us if we should come to this to return unto our former condition again But for any of you that desire to fear the Lord and keep your Consciences cleer and that walk in the way of eternall life I appeal to your Consciences what is there that I have named to you that would not be easie in your spirits What difficulty would there be in the waies of Christ in the Church Truly I have told you
our Souls and the perfection of holiness is our highest end the Angels have no higher end than the perfection of Holiness In Hosea 10. ver 11. Ephraim is a Heifer that is taught and loveth to tread out the Corn Ephâ—aim counted that an easy worke to tread out the corne the meaning is this the Cattel in those times some were used to plow the ground and others to tread out the corn Now those that were plowing they were abroad in the fields and indured the stormes and all the while eate nothing til they come home and then they eate But now those cattel that were treading out the corne all the while they were treading out the corne and working they were feeding upon the corn now saith God Ephraim is a tender delicate thing he doth not love to go all the day to his work and receive his wages at night but he loves to tread out the corn he loves to receive his wages continually in his work Thus it is with a Godly heart he is upon the receiving hand continually and his work is but as the treading out of the corn rather then plowing That is the Sixth Seventhly The waies of God must needs be easâ— because let a man set upon the waies of Godliness and every thing in the world shall help him no passage of Gods providence but shall help him no creature but shall help him no ordinance but shall help him nay those things that seem to go quite contrary they Shal help him now it is easy to go when all things help one when wind and Tide help you I but you will say may be we may meet with a contrary wind I but when that contrary wind shal help you as I have seen some that have made use of a contray wind So it is with Godly people all all good things help and encourage them and ill things are turned by God to be helpful to them and to be good to them Yea many have found help in the waies of God by the strongest temptation that they have met withall in their very faces Yea somtimes that God turnes their sins their stepping out of the way to be helps unto them their very falls as a man when â—e stumbles in his way it makes him go the softer you wil put your Horse out upon his stumbling and make him go the faster God turnes the worst things of al to the People of God to help them in their way so that by Grace now we do not only help our selves so as to keep off the hinderances to other things we do not overcome the world as sometimes I have said thus to keep our selves from being hurt by it but to make all things usefull and serviceable to our graces and that is the excellency of a Christian that he can by grace make all things in the world serviceable to his grace that is the glory of grace it shews that grace is of a royall breed indeed that it can bring all things to be serviceable to its end therefore the waies of God are easie because all things are helpfull to the incouragement of a Child of God in those waies And further If a man were going in a way and there were many stones lay in the way it would be rough going and uneasie but were they laid in that fashion that they should be laid in a slough in such a place that it should help me to step over such a slough then it would be more easie Now here is the difference between wicked and Godly men God in his just judgment laies stumbling blocks in the plainest waies of Godliness so as to hinder wicked men in waies that are good to the wicked I say wicked men they meet with stumbling blocks in plain waies in waies that are the best waies but now God is plealed to lay stumbling blocks in the waies of sin to the Godly to hinder them from going on in the waies of sin he takes all the stumbling blocks that were before in the waies of sin and laies them in their way to Heaven As now if there be divers paths to go to a place those that would give marks to others that they might not go out of the way they dig a ditch or lay somwhat in the way perhaps some boughs of Trees or the like to keep them off that they may go in the right way So when the Lord sees any thing that lies in the waies of his people that may occasion stumbling to them he takes them away and laies them in such a place that may keep them from going out of their way and if there be any slough he takes the stones and laies them to help them over the slough and therefore the waies of God must needs be easie Eighthly They must needs be easie because they bring so much ease to the Conscience they bring abundance of ease to the Conscience of a man or woman When hath any man or woman ease to their consciences but when they have gone in the waies of Religion though before they had throbs of conscience and terrors of conscience an angry conscience Thou couldest never lie down to sleep but thy consicence was as it were a hard stone to thy head and as pricks in thy side but now when thou art got into the waies of Religion thou canst lie down in the bosome of a reconciled Father in peace and thy conscience very easie and thy soul easie thou feelest no more of the throbs of conscience that thou wast wont to feel the waies of God bring ease to thy conscience Many of you love your estates because you can have means coming in when you are old and you can sit in a Chair and can have maintenance brought in unto you Oh but if that be good what is it to have quiet and ease in your consciences which only the yoke of Jesus Christ brings in and therefore the waies of Jesus Christ are easie Ninthly The waies of Christ are easie because they bring ease and freedome from al cares al your troubles and cares all your carking cares you have hereby ease from under them come once under the yoke of Christ and then you have nothing to do but to make known your requests to God you need not care what shal become of you either for the present or for erernity if you be once got into the yoke of Christ Do not mistake me to think that if once you come to profess religion you need take care for nothing No But I say from al carking cares and troublesome cares you may be delivered from them assoon as ever you come into the waies of Christ many Christians have it at the first and if not at first yet if you continue in them you may come to have so much satisfaction in them that any carking care that may cause trouble to your souls in regard of your outward or inward your present or eternal estate all will be gone for whatever you
to his laws by violence compulsion and you must do them whether you understand them or not you must understand them by a Prison else that which shal befal you is imprisonment and banishment by inflicting corporal punishment upon you he wil force you that way to come to beleeve if you cannot come to beleeve this to be a truth that is the way to make you to beleeve it imprisonment and banishment and mulcts upon your estate and corporal punishments upon your bodies but Christ takes no such course and gives no such commission to inforce to beleeve things by such a way as this but his waies are gentle meek waies saith he come unto me learn of me for I am meek lowly take my yoke upon you for my yoke is easie and it is easie in this that what I require of you to beleeve I do not use violent and compulsive waies and means to bring you to beleeve No but the way that I would have my people use it is instruction and information it is the shewing of them the truth and answering their Objections that they have against this way it is gently to lead them and not compelling of them to beleeve that if a man cannot beleeve such a truth they shall be compelled to it certainly to use violence and to compel such a man is not the way of Jesus Christ Indeed for some outward waies to be used to keep men from doing hurt to others that is another thing from doing that which may do mischief to another man But for a violent compelling of a man meerly to alter his judgment though he will keep it to himself and live quietly yet to compel him to subscribe to such Articles that he cannot subâ—it unto certainly Christ would not have any such yoke to have a compulsory way to make men beleeve that which hey cannot see any reason for but Christ would first have the soul be convinced of the thing before he beleeves it and it is a mighty ease if we did understand it we would think it to be worth al the trouble we have been under since these wars began to be delivered from what the Prelatical Antichristian men did determin that they would put upon all those that should have any office or exercise any Gift in the Church of God they would force them either to beleeve what they say to be true or otherwise not to live among them yea all people were brought unto it though they did not understand it As thus many people were brought under this bondage Suppose any of you were complained of by a Parator in their Court well when you were once complained of if you had not appeared then presently excommunicated if they had got any advantage over you wel if once they got you under the censure of their Court you could not get off for your lives without taking an Oath and in that Oath you must acknowledg such things as I dare say not one in five hundred understood what it was and yet you must acknowledg subjection to them Now what an intolerable bondage was this and if you did not you were undone for your outward estates they would force it by violence saith Châ—ist my yoke is otherwise Oh what a bondage were we in and yet not sensible of it and did we understand it we would not so murmur and complain of some trouble that we meet withal and we would cry to God that we might never come under such a bondage again in such a violent way to be forced to such an Oath and to beleeve such and such things to be true though otherwise we lived quietly and peaceably yet not to be suffered so to live except we would change our judgments certainly this is an intollerable burden And would you know what is Antichristianism and what not It is in this that herein the Yoke of Antichrist is an Iron Yoke that it will have a violent Base Forced beliefe and forced alteration of a mans juâ—gment that if he were but meerly a man he must suffer all the torments â—n the world rather then come to alter his judgment before he be convinced of it Certainly if a man have but reason the Reason of a man the spirit of a man if one should come and say you must beleeve this to be tâ—ue he would say I but I must understand first that it is true Certainly he would be â—orne in pieces with wild Horses rather then alter his judgment before he be convinced of iâ— but for a man to come and sâ—y you must beleeve this to be true and he say I but I do not beleeve it to be true no then you must be made to beleeve it by imprisonment and Banishment and confiscation of your goods and the like Oh what a bondage is this And this is the bondage of Antichrist And then there is another thing in the yoke of Antichrist and that is not to accept of repentance of any general repentance and mourning except there be a reforming of the particular thing wherein they judg men to be amiss which is contrary to the yoke of Christ Saith Christ you must do what you are convinced of to be true what you see to be my will but now because of your weakness you cannot perhaps understand it to be my will this is your sin wel but I wil accept of a general repentance that if I see your Heart upright and sincere and you mourne not only for your sins of knowledg but sins of ignorance although you should die and reforme none of this all your life I will pardon and accept you But now mark how the yoke of Antichrist is Antichrist requires such things to be done Well but I cannot do them I cannot see Reason why I should do them Well he will never remit no punishment he will inflict punishment and never remit any til you revoke your judgment you may say well though I cannot beleeve I will live quietly and wait and use all the means I can to convince me that this is the right way and if I cannot I will live quietly with you that will not serve the turne Nay but if you do not see it you must lie under this punishment til you come to revoke your Error and profess and practice the contrary Thus Antichrist layes more weight upon his lawes then Christ doth upon his for Christ saith thus there is such a Law I require of you it is true if you do not do it or understand it it is your sin but because of your weakness I wil accept of a general repentance you repent of all the sins you do know there you repent in general for sins of ignorance and though you should not reforme all your daies I will accept of it but now when you come to their Court there would be no help for you except you promise the contrary thing that you did before you must come and reforme and amend
and do the thing that before you did not do or else never be absolved by them but Christ will absolve you though you should never come to do the thing that he would have you to do if there be a willingness of heart to inquire into his mind and a willingness to do so farr as you know Now what a deal of difference is here Though you do not reforme the outward action yet if your heart be upright I will pardon your offences come to me saith Christ for my Yoke is easier then the yoke of the Law then the Yoke of sin and then the yoke of Antichrist Oh how just were it for us to be brought under the Yoke of Antichrist indeed that are not willing to be brought under the Yoke of Jesus Christ it is a great argument indeed that we are under the Yoke of sin when we are not willing to be under the yoke of Christ In Exodus 12 25 You shall read there of the Passover which was to put them in mind of the bondage that they were in spiritually it was to put them in mind to bless God for the deliverance from that bondage now Saith the Lord there It shal come to pass when ye be come to the Land which the Lord wil give you according as he hath promised that he shal keep this Service Now the word that is Translated Service it is the same word in the Original that is used when they were in Service under Pharoaâ— in the first of Exodus 14. They made their lives bitter in al manner of Service Now when they were delivered saith God you shall keep this Service as if the Lord should say Oh this is a great deal better Service then the Service you were in under Pâ—aroah you shall keep this Service Oh if you did but think of the difference between the Service of Antichrist and the Service of Christ it would be a very strong motive to perswade us to this Service rather then the former And so the Scripture you shal find comparing the Service of sin and the Service of Christ together it is said of sin that the service of sin it is a hard service sin hath a great deal of hardness in it In Prov. 13. 15. The way of transgressors is hard That you may annex to the former about the way of Antichrist and yet it is strange to think how men had rather be under any yoke then the yoke of Jesus Christ Therefore the Apostle saith in 2 Cor. 11. 20. Ye suffer if a man bring you into bondage if a man devoure you if a man take of you if a man exalt himself if a man smite you on the Face If the false teachers did any thing against you whatever they did to you you suffered it though they would exalt themselves over you bring you to bondage make themselves Lords of your faith you would suffer them but you will not suffer me and this is usual with men to suffer any kind of bondage from fals teachers rather then from the ministers of Jesus Christ men will complain of any Service under Jesus Christ rather then they wil be under the yoke of Jesus Christ If you were under a great bondage in the Prelatical Courts you cannot but know that if a minister would be a slave to the Bishop he might inslave all his parrish As now any people in the country if he would be gracious with the commissary he would bring any gentleman into slavery to attend upon him as he pleased and yet how willing are many rather to be under that bondage then any other whatsoever and men are loath for to come under this though we shew it to be Canonical out of Scripture this shewes the perversness of mens spirits CHAP. CXLV Eâ—ght Consequences from the former Doctrin 1. The world is mistaken about the service of Christ 2. A great sin to reject Christ 3. Bless God for this easie Yoke 4. Bring not an evil report upon the waies of Christ 5. Christ wil expect much Service it being so easie 6. Make not the Yoke of Christ hard 7. We should give up our Selves to Christ 8. It is an accursed thing to be an apostat COme we now to the First for I have two things yet to do having opened in what respects the yoke of Christ is easie there is First The Consequences and Corollaries to be drawn from all this that hath been said by way of Use And Secondly To shew how you may make the yoke of Jesus Christ easie to you what it is that facilitates it Consequence 1. For the Consequences hence First Certainly That mistake of the world about the service of Jesus Christ is rotten how many men will rather venture all the hardship of eternal misery of Hell fire then come under the yoke of Christ for the present in this world Certainly This is a dreadful thing for a man to have hard thoughts not only without Reason but such hard thoughts as when both are laid together either thou must come under the yoke of Jesus Christ or perish eternally and endure al the hardship of eternal fire hereafter in hell Well saith a carnal heart rather then I wil endure the crossing of my sin I wil venture the other I hope the other will not be but I will venture it now what a dreadful thing is this that you will venture this I will grant you are not convinced of it but you hear this ouâ— of the word often threatned and you cannot but acknowledg it is a great venture that you venture all the wrath of God and the curse of the Law and all that that God threatens in the word that will pursue those that do perish Now this is a hard venture now you venture all this rather then you will come under the yoke of Jesus Christ Oh what a mistake is this What excuse can ye have for your selves that run upon such a mistake as this is That that hath been delivered to you shews the great aggravation of thâ—s sin Consequence 2. And that may be a Second Particular a great aggravation of the wickednesâ— of mens hearts and of their lives saith the Lord in his word â— have sent my Son into the World to bring my mercy and goodness and love unto you and he is come for to deliver you from a heavy yoke and to lay an easie yoke upon you and to bring you to Heaven that way but now you refuse and reject him and will rather endure more hardship in your refusing of him and in damning your Souls then in subjecting to him and saving your Souls eternally Oh it will be a dreadful aggravation of mens sins at the great day what a dishonor do men â—ut upon Jesus Christ whenas they by their actions do as much as if they should say Oh the yoke that Christ wil put upon mens Necks is into lerable we cannot bear it I will rather be under the yoke of sin and under
the yoke of the Devil and under the yoke of Antichrist then under the Yoke of Jesus Christ whereas the truth is Jesus Christ is come into the world to bring such a way of Sweetness and Love and Mercy and Ease unto us as if all the Angels in Heaven and men in the world had set all their Wisdomes on work from the beginning of the world to find out a way to bring us to Heaven they could not have found out such a way as this and yet this way to be refused Oh the aggravation of men at that day And the truth is that which I have delivered to you out of this Text if you shall yet continue under the yoke of your sins and be bond-slaves to the Devil in your wicked courses these things shall another day rise up in Judgment to stop your Mouths when this shal be brought against you did not you live in such a Town And such a place And where you heard such a Text opened to you that if you would come to Jesus Christ his yoke was easie and his burden was light and that the way of Jesus Christ brought such sweetness and love and mercy And yet you refused it and you would chuse rather to be a bondslaves to my enemy the Devil then come under the yoke of my son Oh How will this aggravate your sin another day I beseech you let not what we speak unto you be an aggravation of your sin the Reason why I have been so long upon this Text was to take away the stumbling blocks that men laid in the waies of Christ and to draw your hearts to the Love of the waies of Jesus Christ But now if you should reject the waies of Christ and continue under the yoke and bondage of sin after all this will be the fruit of the Sermons that they will be called over again at the day of judgment to make your yoke and burden heavier when you are under the wrath of God to all eternity And that may be a second use of this Point Consequence 3. Thirdly If the Yoke of Christ be thus easie and his Burden light then you that are the people of God that are come under this yoke and have felt the easiness of this yoke bless the Lord for it and bless your selves for what ease you find in the waies of Jesus Christ Think but thus with your selfe there are others indeed they have a strange conceit of the waies of Jesus Christ and think them hard and indeed if their natures be not changed they wil be hard unto them but blessed be God I find them otherwise when I began to turn my face to Jesus Christ my Father or Mother called me Fool and said you will have no comfort and my Uncle and kindred they told me that my comfort would all be gone but blessed be God I did not harken to them but I find them otherwise I do not find that these things bring me into any such bondage but blessed be God I never had that comfort that now I have Nay I have that sweetness ease and comfort that I cannot but think that if al the men in the world did seek now and feel that comfort that I feel they would be in Love with the waies of God I hope there are many that can think with themselves did but all my kindred and my friends Yea did but all the world feel that sweetness ease and comfort that I feel in the waies of Christ they would be in love with them If you can speak so Oh blessed be God for this easie yoke of Christ There might have been required a hard yoke if Christ should say Well I endured a hard yoke for you I came from the Bosome of my Father and came under the curse of the Law for you and if you will be delivered you must have a heavy yoke upon you too if Christ should have required that we should have been tied unto a Stake and endured the fire and have been held unto it and saved at last yet we had cause to fal down and bless God for ever for this but Christ requires no such thing Christ reveals not only Salvation at last but he reveals a fair way he paves our way with Gold so that we go through Canaan unto Canaan not through the wilderness It is true before we came under the yoke of Christ fully there was some trouble but take it in respect of the inward man I say their way to a Heavenly Canaan is through Canaan here in this world they have a Canaan that flows with Milk and Honey It is true the Jews were in a servile way and God would not bring them into Canaan but through the Wilderness and it is true in outward view there is a great deal of trouble to come to you but in regard of the inward man there is a spiritual Canaan to bring us to the Heavenly Canaan and the Saints they may suck Milk and Honey continually if they do not hinder themselves all the way they are going to the Land of Canaan the Lord hath appointed them to suck sweetness and honey out of the Promise of the Gospel all the way they go while the wicked have nothing but Swill and Dogs meat â—o suck and to feed upon And here is the difference between a Godly man and a wicked man an ungodly man or woman is appointed for execution and he lives upon the basket in the mean time he hath nothing to maintain him as a Prisoner he lives upon the basket this is his life in comparison of a Godly mans life he is going on to execution even in this world now between the greatest Prince that is and what the Saints have in this world there is this difference the one is appointed to execution and lives upon the basket to maintain him till the day of execution and the other is going to immortality to receive a Kingdom to live upon the greatest dainties that Jesus Christ brought from the bosom of his Father from the Riches and Glory of his Father here in this world he hath that that sweetens his life and hath his food in some respects better than the food of the Angels he feeds upon Manna that comes from Heaven though he be in the Wilderness of this world Oh bless God and Jesus Christ that hath made such a way for thee to Heaven and love these waies of Christ and speak well of them and labor to promote them and all that ever you can and live so as you may not bring an â—ill report upon the waies of Christ that others may not be deterred from the waies of Jesus Christ by your lives Consequence 4. And that may be another Use if the waies of Christ be so easie then do not bring an ill report upon them Do not lead such discontented sullen dejected lives especially you that have carnal Husbands carnal Wives carnal Parents carnal Masters and Mistresses they look upon you
humbled for our sins in an evangelical way as wel as performe duty in an evangelical way Now evangelical humiliation it is a sorrow for sin not that we might purchase pâ—â—don for that sorrow as we must not perform a duty to think to purchase Heaven neither must we sorrow for sin to think to satisfie for sin and to purchase pardon for our sin but our very sorrow for sin must have a sweetness from Christ in it it must be out of love our very mourning must be a fruit of love and not come from the fear of being destroyed eternally for such sins that is legal sorrow I have sinned against God and therefore am afraid that God will destroy me eternally and therefore I am sorry No but I have sinned against the Lord a gracious and a merciful Father and the Lord yet hath made a Covenant with me that he will not take advantage of my sin that he will not destroy me and therefore my soul mourns and laments the rather for my sin that I have sinned so much against the grace of the Gospel as I have done Sorrow evangelically and then your sorrow wil have more sweetness in it then all the joy that the men of the world have when all their Corn and Wine and Oyl is encreased not only when God lifts up the light of his countenance but even the very sorrow of your heart for sin may have more sweetness in it then all the men of the world have when their Corn and Wine and Oyl encreaseth Many Christians have much bitterness in their sorrow but certainly Evangelical sorow the tears of it is Rose water that hath a great deal of sweetness it is sweet both unto God and sweet unto the soul even while the soul is sorrowing there is sweetness in the heart and this is the difference between legal terror and Evangelical sorrow the one hath nothing but bitterness and gal in it and the other nothing but sweetness That is the first thing Secondly Another way to facilitate and make easie that we do is this Labor to keep our hearts in a constant readiness and preparation to every duty Duties are very hard because we fall upon them unprepared we are not in a readiness continually unto every good work you know when you are set about any work and if you have many things to prepare and to look for when you should go about your work it will go off but heavily and it will be more troublesom but now when every thing is prepared in a readiness then how soon and how easie doth the work go on when you are going to Sea there is making a great deal of preparation aforehand now when the Ship is rigged and trimmed every thing ready then you are at an instant able to put off and set saii and go away when al things are ready you go off with ease If you would entertain Guests if they come upon you suddenly and you have nothing ready what a deal of stir is in the house what running up and down this way and that way but now if things be ready when they come they are entertained with a great deal of delight and all things in the house are in order and things go off very easily and there is no trouble in it Truly thus it should be with a Christian he should not only perform duties now and then but his life should be a constant walking with God so that he should be alwaies in readiness for every duty that God requires of him so it comes to be easie As now for the duty of Prayer you should keep your hearts in a praying frame continually and then prayer would be easie it would be an easie thing for you to pour forth your souls to God when you keep your hearts in a praying frame all the day long It may be when you go to prayer you find a great deal of trouble within you your thoughts wander and your affections are dead and dul and you rise up discouraged But what is the reason you do not keep your heart all the day long in a praying frame in a heavenly temper and frame in the day time and therefore when you come to pray at night there is no readiness in your hearts to the duty but you are altogether indisposed to it And so to come unto the Sacrament you find it a great labor and toyl to prepare for the Sacrament as you should I speak of those that make conscience of preparation many times they find it a mighty toyl a hard work I but Christians should keep themselves alwaies in a Sacramental disposition a Sacramental frame alwaies having their spirits savoring of the meditation of the death of Jesus Christ that nothing should be more familiar to a Christians Soul than the meditation of the death of Christ and of discerning the Lords Body and the Covenant of grace and giving it self likewise to God in a Covenant of grace this should be continually and then if you should receive the Sacrament every day you might be fit for it or every week you would be fit for it Now People think it a great matter and make a great deal of do about receiving of it often whereas the truth is the Saints of God they should be in as great a readiness to receive the Sacrament as to hear the word or to pray and that would be a mighty ease unto them therefore if things were as they should certainly it would be more convenient to have it more ordinary and constant every Lords day the Sacrament The Christians in the primitive times would receive it every day in the year and they kept their heart in readiness to such kind of duties let it be what work it wil be You should be patient in affliction if affliction come upon you and your heart is not in a readiness to alter your condition Oh! it wil be a grievous burden to exercise patience it wil be a hard thing for you now you should keep your hearts ready for every condition that is the true work of grace in the Soul to keep the soul in a constant bent Godward and that Soul wil do things very easily Somtimes you have much ado with your children when strangers come to keep them in good order the reason is you neglect them at other times and that is the reason that they trouble you when strangers come but keep them in a good order at all times and then you wil have them right at those times So it is with the heart keep the heart prepared and ready to every good work and then every work wil be easie Object But you wil say That is a great deal of toyl and labor to keep our hearts alwaies bent and ready to good works To that I answer at first it may be some labor and toyl but those that have once got their hearts into a readiness find it not so hard but have a great deal
of ease As now it is a great deale of toyl for one that neglects his accounts he is not ready but his accounts are intangled if he be called to give a perfect account it is a great deal of toyl to him but now let a man get over the difficulty and make all his accounts cleer now for him every day to keep his Books streight and cleer this wil not be so great a trouble This is the difference between one Christian and another for all the world one that shall take his pleasure all the week long and ride this way and the other way and neglects his Books and but one day in the week will look them over he wil have a great deal of trouble and it wil break his head somtimes when he hath multitude of business But now the other Merchant looks into his Books every day spends half an hour or a quarter of an hour every day and he goes on with a great deal of cheerfulness So it is with many Christians they think on the Lords day they must have their hearts in a good frame and temper but all the week they have no thoughts of God and of the word and now when the Sabbath comes or Sacrament and holy duties come they are burdensome to them whereas another that keeps his heart in a holy frame he rejoyceth in the Sabbath for he hath had a Sabbath day frame of heart all the week long Luther saith a Christians life should be a perpetuall Sabbath And that is the second means to facilitate every good work 3. Another is this Labor to inflame your hearts with love unto the Duty Do not do duties because you must do them but use all the means that you can for to kindle in you a love unto the duty never satisfie your selves with this I see I must do duty Conscience puts me upon duty therefore I must do it so it may be burdensom but labor to use all arguments you can to make you in love with the duty A Schollar that is in love with his Book will not cry when he goes to the School and especially if he delight in it and be in love with his Master there is many that are put to go to School that dare not go Oh their Father will be angry and their Master wil be severe if they should not learn and so they learn but with much ado they had rather do any thing in the world than go to School neither love their Books nor love their Master and so seldom come to any eminence of learning Love takes away all difficulty love is ashamed to complain of difficulty at any time as now take a man that loves recreation that loves that kind of sport of hunting or hawking if he love it he wil be running in the dirt all the day long though it be a hot day run over hedg and ditch whereas now if such a man had not a love to such a thing but were injoyned to such a thing that you must all the day from morning to night eate not a bit of bread but all the day long run after doggs over hedg and ditch and through waters it would take away the love that such a one should have in his sports and what a miserable bondage would this be so it is in the waies of God let there be love to the waies of God then whatever difficulty there may seem to be in them it is taken away presently love to the person of Jesus Christ will take away the difficulty of the waies of Christ you know when Jacob loved Rachel he cared not how long he served for her the hard nights were not hard to him Love God and love Christ and then his waies will not be difficult 4. Another rule is this do not loose your incouragements that that you have had from what good God doth bestow upon you and inable you to do take heed of loosing that incouragement many Christians are altogether looking upon what they ought to do what God requires of them to do and because they have had not yet attained unto what they ought to do and what is required of them to do therefore they find no incouragement from what the Lord hath already bestowed upon them what the Lord hath already inabled them to do they wholly neglect that and never think of it they think of what they want and what they should have and what they should do and so they are labouring to get what they should have and to do what they should do but for what God hath inabled them to do already or what God hath given them already that they do not think of and for want of those incouragements they make their endeavours for the getting of more to be burdensome to them but now when we are endeavouring to do more we should go on in the strength of this incouragement Oh blessed be God for any little You shal have Christians thinking of what they should do and therefore they think all the grace they have is nothing Oh! say they that which I have done what is it It is true if we were looked upon in the way of the Covenant of works it is nothing but in the way of the Covenant of Grace it is a great deal now that wil be a great ease to your souls labour to get more and do more for God but stil carry along with you the incouragement of what God hath done for you when you pray for any grace bless God for any grace you have Take notice of al the incouragement that God doth give you and that will help you to go on in any further work that God calls you unto and the want of this makes the lives of many Christians to be very greivous and burdensome unto them because they neglect those incouragements they might have from what God hath inabled them to do and from what God hath done already for them 5. Take heed of lying in the guilt of any sin I meane though in respect of God the guilt is taken away from beleevers but of lying so in any sin as not to cleer up all between God and your soul for the discharge of it of having any thing not cleered up in your own consciences take heed of lying in any sin unrepented of that is my meaning every sin that a man commits excepting those daily incursions and infirmities of the Saints which they cannot while they are here in the flesh be altogether without but every other sin it is as a thorne at least a thorn â—n the foot every sin that a man hath committed by strength of temptation it is a thorn in the foot and if it be a greater sin it is a gash in his flesh Now a man that hath a thorn in his foot he cannot go very fast but especially if he have a gash in his flesh when thou hast been overcome with a great sin thou hast given a great gash unto
thy soul and other sins the sin of thy passion and the sin of thy giving liberty to thy thoughts may be as a thorn to thy foot to make thy way very hard unto thee No marvel though thou complainest the way is hard it is not the hardness of thy path but the tenderness of thy foote that makes thee to think the way hard therefore let every Christian if he would go on with ease in the waies of religion as soon as ever a thorn is got into the conscience Oh! get it out presently do not let it lye and fret in the flesh Oh! if we would as soon as we had committed sin get it out of the conscience presently then repentance would not be so difficult and you would find your heart at a mighty deal of ease When a man goes with pain and hee lookes upon his foote and pulls the thorn out he goes with ease then As the beast when you go in the way and your beast halts and shufflles you will have him searched if you cannot see it your selfe then when you come to the next Smith you have him searched so do you find the waies of God difficult that you cannot go the pace you were wont to go search your hearts see whether there be not a stone in your hearts or some gravel see if there be any particular sin that you know to be a sin and particularly repent of that and that will make the way of God easy to you the often renewing of repentance will make the way of God easy 6. Labor by wisdom to order the duties of your condition that is thus Labor for wisdom to know what is suitable to your condition and order the duties about that condition many think Oh! if I were in such a place as such a one is I would doe thus and thus but you should look upon the duties of your present condition what is the condition that I am now in I am a servant what is my duty in that condition not what is the duty of a governour And so in a single estate what is the duty of this condition not what is the duty of a marryed Condition and so in a Married Condition what is the duty of that And so when you are in affliction what is your duty at that time or if so be that God cal you to humiliation you should mind the duty of humiliation And when God calls you to rejoycing you should know the duty of that time Some when God calls them to rejoycing they think they must be humbled and when they are called to be humbled they think they should rejoyce and when they are called to beleeving then they wil be poring upon their corruptions and when God calls them to searching of their hearts they have thoughts of matter of joy Now wisedom to suite our duty to our condition and to apply our duty to that condition is a great ease to the soul Now many times we are thinking of a duty at one time that is not the duty of that time may be when one is sick Oh! they are many times troubled that they cannot go to heare the word and meere with Gods people and spend so much time in prayer and meditation and reading as they were wont to do and upon this they trouble themselves now this is not the duty of your condition the duty of your condition at that time is to fanctify Gods name in your affliction and to quiet your heart under the hand of God and the duty of your condition is not to go to heare sermons now but to think of what you have heard heretofore the duty of your condition now is not to spend so much time in your closet in prayer as when you were in health and you are troubled for the want of this we often trouble our selves about those duties that are not the duties of our present condition and that makes them difficult now wisdom in ordering our duties wil much help to facilitate them 7. Another Rule is this In the performance of duties you should ease your selves of the care of the success of what you do about success or discouragement for want of success nothing makes our lives more troublesom and our work more difficult than our carking care about success I wil do this and this but I am afraid I shal not have success or if I have success not such as I desire but now if you would perform duties in a gracious manner look to the duty perform that and cast the care wholly upon God it is enough for me to do what is required of me as a creature to do and let God himself take care of that that belongs to him and that is the success I told you in the opening of the ease that there is certain success and yet we might trouble our selves in carking about success now if we can go on in performance of duty and never be troubled about success it wil be exceeding easie but Christians find somtimes that though they have been diligent in performance of duty yet they do not find success they find nothing comes of it and this troubles them this makes them go heavily to the duty at another time I but observe that whatever duty you perform if you do not find present success you must not conclude that there wil be no success the carking about the success in things makes the work extraordinary difficult now if we could bring our hearts to this Lord I am where thou wouldst have me and doing what thou wouldst have me and as for the success that belongs not to my work but to thy self I walk according to that that is thy wil and as for success I will leave that to thy self 8. Another rule is this do not tye your selves to what Christ doth not tie you unto there are many Christians bring upon themselves many snares that way by tying themselves to that which Christ doth not tie them to tying themselves to such a time of prayer to spend so much time in such a duty we must take heed of laying a yoke upon our selves do not put a yoke upon Christs yoke It is a great question to many and it s to me a question whether in the Gospel there is required any Vows at all to vow any thing that is not a duty before we have vowed it indeed to strengthen our selves to do what God requires as David I have sworn to keep thy righteous Laws we may engage our selves that way but properly in the Law it was a free will Offering but for a Vow now I do not find that the Gospel hath any such thing for men to bind themselves to that that they were not bound to before by the word Indeed whatever we are bound to by the word that we are to engage our selves to the utmost but now to bind our selves to any thing else as that we will as long as we live keep such a day this
will prove to be a snare to you God requires it not it may be that day that you would observe for one duty God may require it for another duty may be you will keep a day of fast for such a great deliverance for such a great mercy certainly it may prove a snare unto you God may call you to another duty on that day to the duty of thanksgiving Many will vow to keep such a day and when they have vowed it they know not how to go back And so many will vow they will do so much every morning and so much that day this may bring a snare upon you labor to do all what you can for Christ all the day long consider your duties and lay the word upon you but to put upon your selves that which Christ puts you not upon it is that that makes the duties of Religion very tedious and many have done it that way not foreseeing the inconveniences that may come upon it and yet they dare not go back Therefore I would rather advise Christians to take heed of such things as those are but to walk in the way of Christ according to that the Lord requires for the present and not to bring themselves into a snare and so they shal make the way of God more easie 9. Another Rule is this Take all advantages take all opportunities and advantages all the gales of Gods Spirit do not neglect the opportunities you have the neglect of opportunities may bring us to woful difficulties As in voyages if a â—arriner neglect the opportunity of the gale of wind it is a difficult voyage and then he cries out I may thank my self for all this had I taken such an opportunity such a wind then I had been freed from this hardship that now I meet withall So it is with a Christian many times the spirit of God comes with a gracious gale and gives them opportunity to go on with cheerfulness in the waies of God hadst thou taken the opportunity the gale of the spirit Oh what a deal of trouble mightest thou have avoided Those that are watchful for al opportunities find the waies of God easie It was the speech of Alexander because he carried things so easie as he did in a little time conquered al the world when it was asked him how he could do so great things and carry on things with so great ease his answer was by neglecting nothing he meant by neglecting no advantage There are many men that when God helps them a little they carry the work on with ease but then they do not follow on their work and so they bring themselves into streights As now we cry out of these wars what a great deal of trouble they put the Nation to and one main thing is for want of taking advantages and following advantages We say somtimes Oh if such a victory had been followed such a victory that we had at Brainford and York and other places we might have delivered our selves from abundance of trouble and tediousness of war but when God gives advantages and we do not follow them no marvel that we find trouble So it is with many Christians you find many troubles in Religion Oh it is because you do not follow your advantages if you had ever since you were young and ever since God revealed himself to you followed the gale of Gods spirit your old age might have been spent in nothing but gales of joy comfort and the like but now no marvel you act with so much difficulty in the waies of God 10. Another Rule is this Preserve all your experiences that you have had of the goodness of Gods waies when your hearts have been most enlarged and you have walked most close with God and God hath come in to your soul Preserve those experiences keep them by that they may help you against an il day it may there be may be a time a coming that you may be in spirituall desertion and that may be grievous to you but if you had kept the experiences you had of God when your heart kept close to God it would much help you sweeten your hearts to think of the daies of old As David when he was in desertion he would many times be thinking of the daies of old So if Christians would be very careful to observe and lay up all the experiences that they have of God and his waies the sweet and good of them it would mightily facilitate them in holy duties and be a continuall Cordial to them and put spirits into them to make them go on with ease in any duty God requires of them 11. Another Rule is this Take heed in any duty of disturbing passion the disturbance of passion puts people ouâ— of frame that they are fit for nothing when they are passionate passionate with God passionate with men because they cannot have what they would have fling up all As Children that when they cannot have their desires fling a way all this makes every thing hard but if you could but keep your selves in a constant quietness you should have every condition and every duty delightful but I have spoken of that you know of the evil effects of it and of meekness the gracious effects of that but I bring it only now as a rule that you may present all these rules together As now suppose a company that are in a Boat and there cometh a strong wind and tosseth the Boat you shall have some silly people that wil be shriking out and mightily troubled and through their passion will be rising up in the Boat and be ready to tumble down all through their passionate carriage in the Boat whereas those that have skil wil sit stil and be quiet and give up themselves to the stream and that is the best way to come with the greatest ease you make the Boatmans labor so much the more dâ—fficult by your unquietness in the Boat So certainly you make the work of God more difficult when your hearts are unquiet Let the thing be what it wil you wil say Oh no bodies condition is so as mine Certainly your unquietness will not help you you wil not come the sooner to your landing place if people toss from one side of the Boat to the other and be unruly in their carriage they wil not come the sooner to their landing place the quieter they sit in the Boat the sooner they will come to land So it is in a Christians course he must not think to come to have his desires satisfied by his froward carriage to be angry with God or man or the means that they do not work as they would have them but the quieter they sit and give up themselves to God the sooner they come to their desires 12. Another Rule is this Communion with the Saints spirituall Communion Heavenly Communion not frothy Communion but a spiritual holy gracious communion with the Saints wil facilitate the waies
Christ himself to look upon you as having a fulness of all strength in him and for Christ to come and assist you As now a man that hath a weak Child he may come with his hand and enable the Child to do that which he could not do but the strength that I speak of now is as when one that was a Child before is made a strong man and hath Marrow put into his Bones and Blood into his Veins so this strength is such a strength that is the Riches of his Glory according to the inward man Mark First Here is strength Secondly Here is strength in the inward man strength in the outward man is not so much as the inward man Thirdly Here is strengthened with might Fourthly This strength is by the Spirit now the Scripture useth that word Spirit to express strength by Their Horses are not Spirit but Flesh And then again It is by the Spirit of God And then it is according to the Riches of the Spirit of God such strength and such might and the Spirit of God in the inward man such as shall shew forth the riches of Gods Spirit and then Lastly The riches of his Glory So that the Saints may come to have in them such strength in the inward man with such might by the Spirit of God and according to the riches of God and the riches of his Glory you must not satisfie your selves til you find such a work of Gods grace in you as may manifest the riches of the glory of Gods power Now Christians Do you work so as by your strength in the waies of Religion you do manifest the riches of the Glory of Gods power If you do then certainly the waies of Religion wil be easie to you And then another Scripture which is to shew you that there is a great deal of strength to be had to enable you to go on is that in the 1. of the Collossians and ver 11. Strengthened with all might through his glorious power unto al patience and long-suffering with joyfulness here is strengthened with might strengthened with all might and this according to Gods power and according to his glorious power and unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness mark when we come to have strength from God that is when we come to the hardest things to exercise patience then we have patience and all patience and and joyfulness and giving thanks to the Father and nothing but thankfulness and joyfulness though our condition be such as needs patience Now these rules being put together they may make the way of Christ easy you may run the waies of Gods commandements and go leaping to Heaven and certainly the more easy and the more sweet they be unto you the more sweet will they be to others and you will bring a better report upon the waies of religion and make the waies of God amiable and lovely unto others Wel consider what hath been sayed in this text Many truths you cannot but acknowledg that they nearly concerne you now know that God will require this text at our hands this invitation of Christ come to me al ye that are weary heavy laden I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden light The truth is the same and the very marrow of the Gospel is in this invitation of Christ and therefore I have laboured to shew you as fully as I could what the spirit of God doth intend in this invitation and to lay before you all those truths that are here and have laboured to work them upon your hearts hoping that the impression of divers things that have been delivered from this scripture in the invitation of Christ are upon your spirits and shall remaine in many of your souls even to the day of Christ so that Jesus Christ when he shall come again with another invitation and say come come ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you I say Christ will look upon you having the impression of this invitation upon your hearts And certainly Christ when he shal come to judgment when poor souls shall bring this impression upon their hearts he wil entertain them with a great deal of cheerfulness and he wil give them another invitation Christ saith now come come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden take my yoke upon you and learn of me for my yoke is easy and my burden light doth this invitation prevaile hath these arguments prevailed with your spirits and do you keep the impression of these upon your spirits can you if Jesus Christ were to come to judgment shew the impressions of these invitations upon your hearts and say Lord thou hast invited us and many arguments hath been used to draw us unto thee and our spirits are come to thee and behold now the impressions of those truths upon our hearts Oh! if you shal be able at the day of judgment to shew the impressions of these truths upon your hearts you will be happy and then you shal have the other invitation come ye blessed of my father that will come fully upon you the remembrance of the work of this invitation upon you Oh! how sweet will it be to you And for others that shall live wickedly when they shall come to that day when Christ shall invite others unto him come ye blessed of my father when they shall remember that there was a time when we heard a blessed sweet invitation of Christ opened to us in the Ministry of the word we heard Christ calling Come come and professing that his yoke was easy and his burden light and yet we followed after our lusts and wicked sinful lusts and wicked sinful waies and now we heare that the Saints that did come upon his invitation that they shal be blessed for ever but Christ will not cal us to him we would not have his yoke upon us then and therefore now we must be cast off and have the iron yoke of the wrath and vengeance and curse of eternal displeasure upon us Now the Lord perswade you to take those easy yokes of Christ upon you for the present rather then Gods eternal wrath and displeasure should come to be your portion hereafter FINIS
perform holy Duties and keep their sins both together and this now they find very easie There is nothing in holy Duties that is against their sin yea there is somthing in holy Duties that makes for their sins I do not say holy Duties in their own natures makes for their sins but their performing of them makes for their sins makes them the more quiet in their sins As thus It makes more for their sins and they have more quiet in them upon two Peasons As first by this means sometimes their corruption and sin is hidden as you that have many Servants that are naught and vile they will be very forward in good things and go to Sermons and Prayer and the like that they might hide much of their sin that they might not be uspected to be such and such therefore they perform Duties of Religion and now these Duties must needs be very easie to them And so it is with many Hypocrites that go beyond civill men and the Duties of Religion that that they perform are more than civill men do they will not only come to Church but seem to be affected not only be exâ—ercised in the ordinary Duties but in extraordinary Fasting and Prayer not only come to hear the word but repeat it in their Families afterwards not only pray here but pray in their Families and Closets yet so as to cover their corruption to cover their very filthiness now these Duties are very easie Or Secondly which is a amore close way Because it satisfies their Consciences their Consciences would not be at quiet except they did somthing a Man and Woman that walks in a carnall way that hath a vile Spirit a sensuall spirit in his constant way and course if such a one should not do some good thing having some enlightening of mind his Conscience being somwhat awakened and stirred he could not be at quiet if he did not now and then pray and now and then come to hear the word and desire Sacraments his Conscience would fly in his face and would not be at quiet now having many secret corruptions that he is loth to part with he is content to do somthing to take a Book and read a Chapter and go into his Closet and pray in his Family and will not neglect the word but come to hear the word all the Lords day come twice and thrice to hear the word now all these things are very good and they are to be encouraged in them but now examin I beseech you whether all the good and comfort that you find is not only this that by these things your Consciences are quieted and so you go on more easie in some sinfull way because of this you can with the more ease let out your heart unto the world you can with more ease take liberty to some haunt of evil that you are conscious of some secret sin you can take the more liberty because you have been exercised in holy Duties at another time I beseech you examin your heart in this there is a great deal of secret corruption in this it is not very rare not an extraordinary thing that I am speaking of but I fear it is an ordinary thing that I am speaking of that many people take the more liberty in some secret haunt of evil because they have been exercised in holy Duties at other times they have been at fasting and prayer and perhaps their hearts have been stirred in Fasting Prayer but now what use make they of this it is that they may be more sluggish at other times this is a cursed ease an ease that may stand not only with your corruptions but an ease to your corruptions make you to go on in the way of sin more quietly What a horrid sin is this for a Man Woman to make no other use of the Ordinances of Jesus Christ than this to this end that he may go on more quietly in the waies of sin now this is an abhorring thing to a gracious heart a gracious heart finds ease in the way of Duty but it is more easie because it strikes at their corruptions and mortifies their corruptions Oh! blessed be God for his Ordinances for before I came to be exercised in them and had power and life in the use of them I had ease in my sin but since the time I set my self to follow God indeed in his Ordinances and have had communion with God in his Ordinances I thank God I can have no ease in my sin that though my corruptions sometimes overcome me yet by the performance of holy Duties I find it makes my corruptions more burdensome to me and God that knows my heart knows this it is my desire that I may never find ease in any sinfull way and I love all the waies of God better because they will not let me be at quiet in the waies of sin And this is the reason that you that come to the word of God many times you hear many things that you like well and you love them wel but because they disquiet your corruptions and you cannot have quiet in your sinfull way therefore you sit at home and you wil not come to hear the word Oh many men they would love Sermons and love to hear such a man but only for this one thing that they wil not let them be at quiet they cannot go on fo quietly in some sinfull way which their hearts hanker after and therefore those Sermons that do not disquiet them in this kind Oh they love them exceedingly it is that I have observed you shall have many Women ignorant People and others when they come to hear a Sermon that hath a great deal of Latin and quaint expressions in it Oh how they commend this and what an excellent Sermon was this and what an excellent Man was this It may be said of those Sermons as Bradford said of the Mass The Mass doth not bite therefore you love it and so men used to love the common Prayer alas it did not bite they would come and stand and hear a man read out of a Book a while this did not bite whereas a Prayer that comes from the heart and fearcheth into mens hearts that stirs their corruptions and therefore they do not love it And so it is in regard of the word let the word come to search the heart and come neer to divide between the marrow and the bones to come into the secret of the hearts of men and women then for the soul to love the word so much the more and to say Oh! this is the word of God that gives ease to my soul I find more ease by such a ministry then I find by any ministry this is the ease of a Gracious heart but a corrupt heart wil have ease only in that way that is most subservant to his own lusts That is the third difference Fourthly Another difference is this The ease that a corrupt heart hath