Impressions with and without Word 4. Light and Law within 5. Divine Providence 6. Christian Experience 7. Humane Reason 8. Judicial Astrology Delivered in Sermons on 2. Pet. 1.19 2 Christ in Travel Wherein 1. The Travel of his soul 2. The first and after effects of his Death 3 His Assurance of Issue 4. And his satisfaction therein Are opened and cleered in Sermons on Isa 53.11 3 A Lifting up for the Cast-down in case of 1. Great sin 2. Weakness of Grace 3. Miscarriage of Duties 4. Want of Assurance 5. Affliction 6 Temptation 7. Desertion 8. Unserviceableness 9 Discouragements from the Condition it self Delivered in thirteen Sermons on Psalm 42.11 His Four Sermons concerning 4 Sin against the Holy Ghost 5 Sins of Infirmitie 6 The false Apostle tried and discovered 7 The good and means of Establishment 8 The great things Faith can do 9 The great things Faith can suffer 10 The Great Gospel Mystery of the Saints Comfort and Holiness opened and applied from Christs Priestly Office 11 Satans power to Tempt and Christs Love to and Care of his People under Temptation 12 Thankfulness required in every Condition 13 Grace for Grace 14 The Spiritual Actings of Faith through Natural Impossibilities 15 Evangelical Repentance 16 The Spiritual Life c. 17 The Woman of Canaan 18 The Saints Hiding-place c. 19 Christs Coming c. 20 A Vindication of Gospel Ordinances 22 Grace and Love beyond Gifts Mr. Brightman on the Revelation Clows Chyrurgery Marks of Salvation Christians Engagement for the Gospel by John Goodwin Great Church Ordinance of Baptism Mr. Loves Case containing his Petitions Narrative and Speech Twelve Books of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs lately published also the Texts of Scripture upon which they are grounded 1 Gospel Reconciliation Or Christs Trumpet of Peace to the World Wherein is Opened Gods exceeding willingness to be Reconciled to Man And Gods sending his Embassadors to that End From 2 Cor. 5.19 20 21. 2 The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment on Phil. 4.11 Wherein is shewed 1 What Contentment is 2 It is an Holy art and Mystery 3 The Excellencies of it 4 The Evil of the contrary sin of Murmuring and the Aggravations of it 3 Gospel-Worship on Levit. 10.3 Wherein is shewed 1 The right manner of the Worship of God in General And particularly In hearing the Word Receiving the Lords supper prayer 4 Gospel-Conversation on Phil. 1 17 Wherein is shewed 1 That the Conversations of Beleevers must be above what could be by the Light of Nature 2 Beyond those that lived under the Law 3 And sutable to what Truths the Gospel holds forth To which is added The Misery of those Men that have their Portion in this Life only on Psal 17.14 5 A Treatise of Earthly-mindedness Wherein is shewed 1 What Earthly-mindedness is 2. The great Evil thereof on Phil. 3. part of he 19. vers Also to the same Book is joyned A Treatise of Heavenly-mindedness and walking with God on Gen. 5.24 and on Phil. 3 20. 6 An Exposition on the fourth fifth sixth and seventh Chapters of the Prophesie of Hosea 7 An Exposition on the eighth ninth and tenth Chapters of Hosea 8 An Exposition on the eleventh twelfth and thirteenth Chapters of Hosea being now compleat 9 The Evil of Evils or the exceeding sinfulness of sin on Job 16.21 10 Precious Faith on 2 Pet. 1.1 11 Of Hope on 1 John 3.3 12 Of Walking by Faith on 2 Cor. 5.7 Mr. Burroughs his fifty nine Sermons on Matth. 11.28 29 30. Are Printed A Godly aâ—d Fruitful Exposition on the first Epistle of Peter By Mr. John Rogers Minister of the word of God at Dedham in Essex Mr Rogers on Naaman the Syrian his Disease and Ouâ—e Discovering the Leprosie of Sin and Self-love with the Cure viz. Self-denial and Faith Mr. Rogers his Treatise of Marriage The Wonders of the Loadstone By Samuel Ward of Ipswich An Exposition on the Gospel of the Evangelist St. Matthew By Mr. Ward The Discipline of the Church in New-England By the Churches and Synod there The Wise Virgins Lamp Burning Or Gods sweet incomes of Love to a gracious Soul waiting for him Published by Mr. Thomas Weld late of New-England Twelve new Books in one Volum of Nich. Culpeper All called the Idea of Practical Physick 1 The art to preserve Health 2 The preternatural disorder of mans body and their Signs 3 Of Medicaments 4 Of the art of Healing 5 Of the general Cure of Diseases 6 Of External Diseases 7 Of Feavers 8 Of Head Diseases 9 Of middle Belly Diseases 10 Of Lower belly Diseases 11 Of Venemous Diseases 12 Of Childrens Diseases Thirty four Books of Nich. Culpeper Gent. Student in Physick and Astrologie formerly published The first Twenty four Books Are all called the Practice of Physick Wherein is plainly set forth The Nature Cause Differences and several sorts of Signs Together with the Cure of al Diseases in the Body of Man Being a Translation of the Works of that Learned and Renowned Doctor Lazarus Riverius now living Councellor and Physitian to the present King of France Above fifteen thousand of the said Books in Latin have been sold in a very few Years having been eight times printed though al the former Impressions wanted the Nature Causes Signs and Differences of the Diseases and had only the Medicines for the cure for them as plainly appears by the Authors Epistle 25. A Sure Guide to Physick and Chyrurgery That is to say The Arts of Healing by Medicine and Manual Operation Being an Anatomical Description of the whol body of Man and its parts with their Respective diseases demonstrated from the Fabrick and use of the said Parts In Six Books of Riolanus translated and adorned with an hundred eighty four Figures cut in Brass 26 Vesâ—ingus Anatomy of the Body of Man Wherein is exactly described the several Parts of the Body of Man illustrated with very many larger Brass Plates than ever was in English before 27 A Translation of the New dispensatory made by the Colledg of Physitians of London Whereunto is added The Key to Galens Method of Physick 28 The English Physitian enlarged being an Astrologo-Physical Discourse of the vulgar Herbs of this Nation wherein is shewed how to cure a mans self of most Diseases incident to Mans Body with such things as grow in England and for three pence charge Also in the same Book is shewed 1 The time of gathering al Herbs both Vulgarly and Astrologically 2 The way of drying and keeping them and their Juyces 3 The way of making and keeping al manner of useful Compounds made of those Herbs The way of mixing the Medicines according to the Cause and Mixture of the Disease and the part of the Body afflicted 29 A Directory for Midwives or a Guide for Women Newly enlarged by the Author in every sheet and illustrated with divers new Plates 30 Galens Art of Physick with a large Comment 31 New Method both of studying and practising Physick 32 A
Pharoah did increase their bondage the Scripture tels us that the people saw that they were in an ill case so when we understand what a condition we are in under this bondage we may conclude that verily man is in an ill case by nature Secondly And a second Conclusion may be drawn hence That it is a mighty work to save a Soul it is not a slight thing for a Soul to come to be saved there must be great things done by God to save a soul Many people they confess it is true they are sinners but they cry to God to have mercy on them and so they think it is presently done but did you consider of the condition that you are in naturally and of the Righteousness of God you would then conclude it is a mighty work of God to save any soul and that you had need fal upon the seeking of your Salvation betimes And then Thirdly Hence wil follow this Conclusion also That those vain thoughts of men that they have had for pacifying their Consciences and the quieting of their hearts wil stand them in no stead As thus Many they reason thus I am not so bad as others What if you be not if you be under the Law you are cast a thousand thousand times over You wil say that you do some good thing and somtimes come to Church and pray to God but what is this to the keeping of the Law if thou beest in thy natural estate thy reasoning after this manner does argue that thou dost look after Salvation by what thou hast done and for men to say I do what I can and I am sorry with all my heart that I can do no better these are not reasonings that wil inable thee to stand with comfort before the infinite Righteous God thou must know in what state thou art in under the Law and how thou art cast by the Law these are not arguings that can bring rest to thy soul if it could Christ would never have called in this manner But you must know that such is your condition that all the Angels in Heaven and men in the world cannot give rest to your souls and if you did understand this you would thereby go away convinced of this truth wel I see that there is a burden upon me howsoever I have not been sensible of it and it is such a burden as wil press me down to eternal misery and I see now by this that I have need of a Christ Certainly if congregations were sensible of this burden of the Law Oh! How would their souls rejoyce in this and praise the Lord that their eares are blessed to hear such a sound of the Gospel as this Come to me and I wil give you Rest I appeal to you whether the opening of the Law be not of use to make you come to Christ there are a great many wanton spirits that cal those Ministers of God that seek out of Conscience to do good to Souls and to draw them out of their natural estates Legal men Legal preachers and the like I appeal to your consciences upon the knowledg of these things whether you wil not come to know the way of coming to Christ better then you did before if I should have named the name of Christ five hundred times over and over again would you have come to understand the mistery of God in Christ so much as by hearing what the difference is between the first covenant of works and being under the Law and to tel you that Christ came into the world to deliver us from this first covenant he comes and takes our Nature upon him and puts himself under the Law that he might free us from such a heavy yoak and bondage and in this blessed Scripture he calls all souls that do feel this yoak and burden to come to him that so they might have rest And thus much for this first Particular what the bondage is that the soul is under that is under the Law are you sensible of this Christ cals you perhaps some of you may say we have not been sensible of this do you begin to understand it Doth God begin to let in some light to you Do you begin to feel it somthing weighty upon your Hearts Blessed be God for it you are so much the fitter to hear of the covenant of Grace Now when you come home let the Husband say to the wife we hear of two covenants as you have it in the 4. of the Galla. 22. Here are two covenants and these two are set out in this Allegory of the bond-woman and the free-Woman now til we come to understand what the other covenant is we are under the former covenant the covenant of works this is that you should labor to understand the Husband and wife to aske one another of the difference between the two covenants ask but what the covenant of works is and upon what tearms that runs and the covenant of Grace and upon what tearms that runs and so you will come especially to understand that that follows in this text with more profit and advantage to your Souls CHAP. IX Of the Burden of Legal Performances What it is With the burdensomness thereof laid open in twelve Particulars 1. There is no inward principle of doing 2. In men that are only under the Law there 's a principle contrary to the performance thereof 3. Such are wearied with doing getting no supply of strength to perform duty 4. By their performances they stil contract more Guilt upon their Souls 5. What they do in Obedience unto the Law is only out of fear 6. And with much straitness of Spirit 7. Nothing comes of such Performances 8. They that perform Duty in a meer Legal way never attain their end which is peace with God 9. They know not whether God accepts of them or rejects them 10. They are forced unto Duties instantly presently and upon the sudden though to the hinderance of other Duties of greater concernment which God requireth of them at the same time 11. Though they go on ioyling yet know they not whether they shal bold out unto the end 12. Their Humiliation and trouble for not doing what they ought to do binders them from doing what God requires NOw there is one thing more that is as an Appendix unto the Burden of the Law flowes indeed from and is tyed unto the burden of the Law and that is the burden of Legal performances not only the burden of the Law in regard of what the Law requires the perfect obedience that the Law requires that burden comes from the Law it self but now there is a burden that many are under a very heavy and grievous burden and that is the burden of Legal performances and this is that that is to be the subject of this Chapter I intend to go no further then to speak of that burden to open it a little to you and that as I told you at the
not burdensom Christ hath not delivered us from that but only from the Law so far as it is a Burden Now you will say in what respect may the Law be said to be a Burden Certainly in those respects Christ cannot be said to give us Rest in what respect the Law is good and not burdensome to the Saints The Law certainly is good as the Apostle saith in Rom. 7. Even at that time when his Soul was mightily troubled with his Corruption and he even cried out Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this Body of Sin As it is in the latter end of the Chapter But yet in the 12. verse He professeth that The Law is holy and the Commandement Holy and Just and good Now then that that is Holy and Just and Good certainly Christ did never come to deliver us from that to redeem us from that it can never be said to be a burden to those that are holy that that is Holy and Just and good cannot be a burden unto those that are Holy so far as it is Holy and Just and good First Therefore we are to know that the Law I speak of the morral Law not of the ceremonial law now But of the morral Law For the Apostle spake of that here in this place the Law it is indeed the very glass of Gods holiness I say it is a glass of the holiness of God in the morral Law we may see the lustre and the glory of the holiness of God himself and therefore we are not to be delivered from it as it is the glass of Gods holiness wherein we may see the purity of Gods Nature the Law of God shews God to be a holy God different from all the Heathens who have not a holy and Righteous Law as our God hath Secondly The Law it is an extract of the very Image that God made man in at the first an extract of Gods Image as it were a copy of the Image of God What was the Image that God made man in at the first But in the imperssion of his Law in their Hearts the very writing of the Law of God in their hearts which is that we cal the moral law in that consisted the very Image of God in mans soul at his first creation when he was in his innocency and therfore we cannot be said to be delivered from that as it is a copy and extract of Gods Image in the heart of man it is rather renewed by Christ than abolished by Christ Thirdly The Law it is a glass wherein we are to see our own faces wherein we are to see how far we are declined from the image in which we first were made and so far Christ hath not delivered us from it neither for he would have us stil to look into the law as into a glass to see how far we are come short of that that God did require of us and that God did inable us to do that is a third consideration of the Law Fourthly the Law is a revelation of the wil of God it reveales what is the holy and righteous wil of God towards his creature and in that consideration we are not delivered from it neither we are to look into that to see what the wil of God is concerning us Lastly which follows from thence the law is stil an authoritative rule for our conversation to order our conversation that the scripture is as cleer in as in any one truth that is in the book of God it is indeed a point that were it not for a strang kind of wantonness that hath possest the spirits of some it were never needful to spend one quarter or minuite of an houre upon it That place in James 2.8 and so on If you fulfil the royal law according to the scripture thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self ye do wel Ye do wel in that Now that Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self is the sum of the second table of the ten commandements and it is called the royal law the law of the great King But if you have respect to persons you comit sin that is you offend against this law and are convinced of the Law as transgressors The law convinceth you as transgressors for whosoever shal keep the whol Law and yet offend in one point is guilty of al. For he that said thou shalt not commit adultery said also thou shalt not kil now where are these comandements but in the ten commandements Do not commit adultery do not kil now if thou commit no adultery yet if thou kil thou art a transgressor of the law of those ten commandements It is true as we shal heare afterwards they come to us in another way than formerly they came to the Jews but still it is apparent notwithstanding any thing revealed in the Gospel though there may be a great deale of grace now mixed with every commandement that comes to us and so the manner of bringing it to us may be a great deal more sweet and comfortable than formerly it was yet still this abides as an everlasting rule That those are transgressors of the law and to be convinced of sin even by the law that do not in their conversation submit unto the rules thereof and what indeed is the very definition of sin by St. John but this sin is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the transgression of the law so that in these five respects as the Law is the glass of Gods holiness As it is the very coppy and extract of the image of God in which God made man at the first As it is the glass in which we are to look to see our deformity As it is the revelation of the wil of God and as it is the authoritative rule for our conversation so Christ doth not deliver us from it but it stands in force in al these five respects and there are no beleevers no gracious godly soules that do account the Law a burden in these respects but bless God for the Law and they account it their inheritance and the joy of their soules they bless God that ever they knew it and their hearts lie under the power of it and they are willing to order their lives by it Quest But then what are we delivered from in the Law by Christ First From the rigour of it Christ delivers us from the load of the rigor of it from this rigor that it requires perfect obedience so far we are delivered from the rigor of the Law and yet this may be said to be rigorous in regard of our weakness for we had once power but now the Lord doth take off the rigor in regard of our weaknes And so rigorous in regard of the violent and rigorous way that it doth take to force on men unto obedience we shal heare how we are delivered from that Secondly beleevers are delivered from the bondage of the Law Quest You wil say How is the
now this is a special thing to be spoke of in this point how beleevers should improve this and what it is that they should learn by this and how helpful this will be to them and somthing for the satisfaction of those that doubt that they are not beleevers but we cannot do all things at once this shall suffice for the present the meer presenting to your Souls what Rest there is in Christ from the load of the Burden of the Law from the load that many feel to be upon their Souls through the burden of the Law CHAP. XXXI Containeth divers Consequences from the Rest beleevers have from the Burden of the Law And Lessons they are taught from thence TO proceed now There are divers things that follow from hence from the rest that we have in Christ from the Burden and load of the Law I shall speak very breifly of them and so pass to what remaines in the next burden and rest to that From hence follows exceeding help unto beleevers against divers temptations that do exceedingly trouble the peace and Rest of their souls if they be delivered from the Law in those several respects as at large hath been opened to you 1. Then first from the Meditation of this their delivery they may have Rest and ease from this temptation that because of some imperfections weaknesses and distempers of Heart and sins that they are guilty of therefore they have no interest at al in Christ they have no interest to beleeve in Christ because of that The strength of this temptation cannot stand with the right knowledg of Christ as delivered from the Law if Christ delivers from the Law then an interest in Christ may stand though we be not able to keep the Law Yea And further we know this that it is usual with beleevers upon the breach of the Law in any thing to call their estates into question all into question Certainly if we know that we are to deal with God not by the Covenant of works not to be cast by the Law we would never be so ready to cal all into question upon any breach of the Law that our conscience tels us we have been guilty of 2. Further This would marvelously help against this temptation likewise That God accepts not of what we do because it is not perfect because it is not compleat when beleevers look upon their duties that they do perform and see so many imperfections in them they dare not tender them up to God God is an infinite Holy just God and they are ashamed of what they have done so as they dare not tender them up to God now the right knowledg of our deliverance from the Law would help us against this temptation likewise Remember O thou beleever that thou hast to deal with God in a Covenant of Grace thou hast to deal with him in Christ through a better Covenant then the Covenant of the Law 3. Further This would help against this temptation also that many times is in the Hearts of the Saints That because they hear of divers that have seemed to have more then they have that have had more ability then they have had have been able to do more for God than they have done yet for all this have fallen away and so it may be have perished for ever Now saith many a poor Christian if such Eminent men of such excellent abilities that were able to do such great things if they that go thus far fall away what shal become of such a poor creature as I am Now by the understanding of our deliverance that we have from the Law by Christ we come to have help against this temptation for let a man have never such abilities and be able to do never so much work yet this man may fall away when one that is a thousand times weaker in regard of abilities that hath the least dram of true Faith which brings him into the Covenant of Grace will stand such a one shall stand when the other fals If indeed thy standing did depend upon what strength thou hast in thy self then thou hadst cause to lear that seeing such as did stand fel away what shal become of thee But we are to know that we are to deal with God in a way of the Covenant of Grace our standing or falling doth not depend upon any thing in our selves but upon Christ that hath undertaken for al those that are his members Thou hast to deal with God in the Covenant of Grace and being once brought into the Covenant that will uphold thee though thou art weak when thousands of others that have a great deal of Natural abillity and common guifts of Gods Spirit yet being not brought under this Covenant may vanish Yea Had they the strength of an Angel yet if not brought under this Covenant of Grace made with beleevers in Christ they would fall and come to nothing Whenas the weakest beleever that hath to do with God through Christ and not through the Law such a one shal stand and not fal Now the being delivered from the Law in Christ will mightily help beleevers against these temptations and divers others I know nothing that doth help beleevers more then this in being delivered from the Law in that sence as hath been shewed before Likewise from hence there are a great many Lessons to be learned as The First Lesson First From this deliverance we are taught to entertain the hearing of the Threats of the Law I speak to beleevers though others may make an ill use in hearing the deliverance from the Law yet they must not miss their Portion I say beleevers are hereby taught how to receive the Threats of the Law you hear dreadful threates of the Law out of Gods word against sin Now how shouldest thou entertain these threates The way is this when thou hearest such threates know that God by this would have thee to consider what his mercy is in delivering of thee from what thou hast deserved God would have thee to consider what the evil of sin is in it self and to consider what Christ hath done God would have thee to be driven to Christ by this meanes to see thy need of Christ to bless his name for Christ and to prize Christ who hath delivered thee from these threatnings A beleever when he heares the threates of the Law is like a man that stands upon the shoare when there is a greivous tempest and storme he sees the waves rise high heares the winds blow and the waves roare but he stands safe upon the haven indeed he was in the storme and tempest but God hath brought him to the haven and there he stands and blesseth God It may be he sees other ships a great way off ready to be split upon the rocks or swallowed up but he is safe on the shoare so it should be with al beleevers when they heare the threatnings of the law they should entertain them with blessing
look upon their faith as legal As thus because their faith doth not come up so fully to the perfection that they do desire yea to that perfection that the Law requires in any thing that we tender up to God For though the Law doth not mention any thing of our beleeving in Christ yet thus much the Law requires that what we do should be tendered up to God and what we tender up to God With perfection Now beleevers looking upon what they tender up to God as imperfect this makes them to make their faith Legal The Sixth Lesson Sixthly another Lesson that beleevers are to learn from the Rest that they have in Christ from the burden of the Law is this that if they find any way or meanes to be delivered from the terrors that come by the Law certainly then they need not be troubled with al the terror that possibly can come from any creature from any men If thy faith can deliver thee from the terror of the Law and give rest to thy soul notwithstanding al the terrible things in the Law threatned against thy sin then thy faith may deliver thee much more from the terror of men for take al the rage and power of al the men in the world and devils in hel they are not so terrible as the threates of the Law Now if God hath given thee such a grace into thy heart as thou by that comest to know a way to deliver thee from the terror of the threatning of the Law and to give Rest unto thy soul from that then thou needst not be afraid of al terrors from wicked men do but set that grace of thine a work set it in exercise upon such promises as have given thee Rest from the Law and this wil free thee from the terrors of wicked men in the world Truly if beleevers did understand the reality of this point there is nothing in the world could be terrible to them but they would have â—est in their souls in the midst of al the terrors in the world for they might reason thus through the grace of faith that God hath given to mee my soul hath rest when I heare the terrors of the Law dreadfully in my eares yet I have that within me that gives me rest from them and I am sure that al the terrors of al the men in the world and devils in hel cannot be more terrible than the threates of the Law therefore as thou hast made use of thy faith to believe in Christ to get Rest from those terrors in the like manner put forth thy faith when thou hearest the terrors of wicked men to deliver thy soul from them let there be never so much rumors in the world yet thou mayest say my soul returne unto thy Rest The seventh Lesson Seventhly Another Lesson that beleevers are to learn from their deliverance from the law which is of marvelous use to them in their life and conversation is this That certainly it is the most unbecoming thing in the world to see a beleever to be rigorous towards his brethren Christ hath delivered thee from rigor then wilt thou be rigorous Christ hath given thee Rest wilt not thou do what thou canst to give thy brother rest too If Christ hath delivered thee from great troubles burdens and bondage that thou wert under why shouldest thou not endeavor with al thy might to deliver thy brother from burdens troubles any thing that might grieve thy brother Oh! what an unworthy thing is it that a Christian that hath received so much rest from Christ yet should be a troublesome man or woman to his brother or sister Christ doth therefore give Rest to thee that thou mayest be of a quiet disposition towards others that thou mayest be pitiful towards others To see one that professes to have deliverance from the Law and to have Rest in Christ to be rigorous to those under him rigorous to his servants rigorous to his Children it is miserable remember what rigor Christ hath delivered thee from and remember to be quiet spirited to thy brother Hence it follows in the next words to my text Learn of mee for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shal find rest unto your soules I wil give rest to your soules that so you may be of a meeke and quiet disposition towards your brethren but of that when we come to those words that follow we shal then speake of the weakness and quietness of spirit that should be in Christians Now these things are necessarily the consequences that do follow upon the rest that we have in Christ from the Law many other things might be raised but because they are but consequences of what hath been delivered I resolved not to be large upon them CHAP. 33. Of the rest from Legal Performances and the several waies how this rest comes from Christ viz. duties are delightful to the soul because Christ renders God unto the soul in a gracious way 2. They are not performed as satisfactory but as testimonies of love and thankfulness 3 Christ himself offers up the duties to God 4. They are performed from the Law in the heart 5. They have the Promises joyned with them NOw to make some entrance into the next thing which hath great affinity to the other aad that is the rest that is in Christ from the trouble of spirit that there is in many in regard of Legal performances that you know I opened at large the great burden that there is in the spirits of many people who have convinced Consciences and there Consciences pul and hale them to duty and they dare not but performe duty but when they do their duty their very duties are a burden to them for they do them in a legal way There are many I know that are acquainted with this it is impossible to speak of such a subject but that there are divers that know what I meane though others know not to be under so much power of Conscience as not to dare to omit a duty though the duty be burdensom to them There be many that are not under so much command of Conscience but though conscience require them to do such a duty they dare omit the duty and they are not troubled at it but but there are others who have not felt the Grace of the Gospel to set their souls at liberty they are under so much command of conscience that they dare not but do what Conscience requires and yet the Lord knows the duties that they have performed have been girevous burdens them they have gone under the command of their Consciences as under a grievous burden Now to these Christ speaks come ro me and I wil give you rest in the beleeving in Christ in the exercising of faith in Christ there is deliverance from this burden and many poor souls that for many yeares have gone on under this burden whom the Lord hath opened to them the grace of Christ their hearts
Christ for ease and Rest Fourthly the burden of the law is exceeding great in this respect That upon any one breach of the law the soul comes to be broken so as to lose ability to be able to keep any part of the Law for ever I said there is this in the Law more then in the Gospel that upon any one breach of the Law in the Covenant of works the soul comes to be so broken as to loose all the abilities of ever keeping any part of the Law again as thus I shewed you in Adam Adam was the Head of the first Covenant of works of the Law now Adam he breaks it in one particular failed in one Particular of what God required of him and in breaking of it in that one thing he and al his posterity was so broken that they lost all their abilities of keeping of the Law for ever except God come and create any ability they have lost what ability was given at first in their Creation so then this is a very great mistery that one by doing a thing that is evil should weaken the contrary habit that by doing a thing that is evil we should quite loose the Habit that is quite loose the habit by one act and not only loose the habit that is contrary to the particular evil that we do but loose al habits of al good whatsoever and that by one act now this is a thing above Nature this is only by vertue of the covenant of works God makes such a covenant it runs upon such tearms as if Adam did but sin in one thing he must die that is his Soul as wel as his body must die a spiritual death and so loose al habits of al Grace And this is the Reason why we are by Nature dead in sin Further such is the condition of the Law that suppose God should restore us al to be as perfect as ever Adam was in the state of innocency void of al sin and having the Image of God perfect and then God should come and put us upon the covenant of works again I say if we then should but fail in any one thing it would break us so as we should loose al our abilities to perform any duty ever after this is the condition of the law But it is not so with the Gospel though we sin against the Gospel we do not presently loose al our habits of Grace But the Reason of the difference That though Adam when he sinned against the Law he lost al his habits to do any good after and that though we sin against the Gospel yet we do not loose those habits That I shal shew afterwards when I shal come to shew that the yoke of the Gospel is easier then that of the Law And that is the fourth thing in the burden of the Law Fiftly The first thing is this That the Law upon every breach it doth take advantage against the soul presently I say takes advantage against the soul presently and binds it over to death to eternal death presently binds it over Yea and doth actually put it under a curse upon every breach instantly it doth it its true the law it may be is not presently executed as soon as a sinner hath broken it but this is certain that though God doth not come upon you as soon as you have broken the Law yet know that there are these three things come upon every one that is out of Chirst as soon as any one sin is committed there are these three things come upon him presently First He is bound over by Gods Justice by such abond as hath more strength in it then al the power of Heaven and Earth is able to break as a man that hath done that that is evil it may be the Law hath not present execution upon him I but he is bound over presently And not only so but in the Second place the Law passeth sentence the binding over that is the guilt but the Law passes sentence upon the sinner and condemns it the Soul is presently under the sentence of condemnation Thirdly The Law puts the sinner under a curse for so it is in the latter end of the 27. of Deu. Cursed is every one that abides not in every thing that is written in the Book of the Law to do it Mark every one that abides not in every thing he is pronounced accursed and that is a fift perticular Sixtly And in the Sixt place This Law requires constant Obedience also and such is the rigour of it that if you should obey it never so much for a great part of your lives If you should conceive you could obey it perfectly for a great while yet if at last you should offend in any one particular you are cast for al and al that you have done before is utterly rejected it wil take advantage against you for any one particular If it were possible that all your life time you should keep it and at the last houre of your life break it in any one particular certainly you would be condemned by it this is the condition of the Law for so it is in those words that are named though you do it if you do not abide to do every thing If there be but any one thing whereby it can take advantage it will certainly condemn you for it This is the condition of al that are under the covenant of works and is not this a load Would not this burden the Soul If so be the soul comes to understand it and whether it understands it or not yet certainly it is the truth of God Seventhly A seventh Burden of the Law is this that when once the sinner hath broke it the Law cannot be satisfied with any obedience which may make amends afterwards by any thing that the sinner can do suppose a man should be never so angry and offended he that hath offended him may make amends again a Servant thinks though I have offended my Master and done so many faults Yet I wil make amends for al. So many people think though we have broken the Law of God and lived a great while in sin and done that which is evil yet we wil make amends again and we wil give almes and come to Church and the like These are the Reasonings of many poor Ignorant hearts that do not understand upon what tearms they stand with God al the Children of men stand before God either under a Covenant of works or under the Covenant of Grace one of the two now those kind of men that Reason after this manner surely they are not acquainted with the Covenant of Grace they are under the Covenant of Works and now let them know that the covenant of Works admits of no such amends as they speak of but when once you have broken the Law all that ever you can do If you could live a thousand years never so strictly or be willing to suffer never so much for God
man of any way of Redemption of any way of deliverance but meerely shews unto us our misery and so leaves us I do not mean the law that is in the book of the old testament for there is Gospel mingled I do not say that Moses doth not tel us of any way of Redemption but I mean the Law of the Covenant of works so far as that is revealed in Moses and that is revealed in the new Testament in a great pâ—rt of it that only shewes us our misery and there leaves us but grace and truth and mercy that comes in by Jesus Christ Tenthly A tenth particular wherein the greivous bondage under the law appeares is this That it is such a Law as there can be no appeal from it no nor no repealing of it though it be thus strict and thus severe yet I say there is no appeale from it nor no repealing of it there are many Laws that we may appeal from one to another or if that Law be hard it may be called in again we cannot appeale from the Authority of this law nor can it be repealed You wil say this excluds us from al help though there be many hard Laws made by men and as long as they stand in force people are in a very sad Condition yet there may be meanes to repeal them but as for this Law there can it seems be no appeale from it nor repealing of it May we not appeale from Gods justice to Gods mercy seat I have indeed spoken of such an expression but that expession must be warily understood for the truth is there is no proper appealing from the justice of God to his mercy when the sinner comes to Christ it hath the pardon sealed in the Court of justice as wel as in the Court of mercy there is no soule that is saved but Gods justice is as wel satisfied as his mercy is glorified nor no repeale of this law What must the law stand in force then yes the law shal stand in force and yet there shal be thousands of soules saved How is that you wil say This is the mistery of the Gospel that the law shal stand in force and yet men shal be saved there shal be a way to save men for al this Certainly if the Law went on in its course one would think that it would carry on al mankind to eternal destruction yea and so it would have done but onely for this great Saviour and redeemer Jesus Christ that cals Sinners to him that they might have rest He comes and puts himself under the Law and what the Law requires he doth and he Suffers so that here is al the alteration the Law goes on and hath its course onely whereas it might have required to have had the course of it upon our selves in person now God is content that it should have its course upon our security When a man oweth a debt the Law requires performance it s one thing to have the law repealed and an other to have the debter delivered if a sureâ—â— wil come and undertake the debt he is delivered though he hath not paid it yet the law hath its course for the surety dischargeth what the debter should have done so the way of salvation for any soul it is not either by appealing from the law or by the repealing of the law but we must look upon the Law to have its course only to have its course upon Christ our surety who hath fully satisfied the law and Christ looked thus upon is the true object of our faith and except we apprehend Christ thus as one made under the Law as the Scripture saith and one that did indure the law to have its course upon him and so to satisfie the law except we look upon Christ thus we look not upon him as the right object of our faith and Christ he thus cals upon you that are weary and heavy laden to come to him as if he should say poor Sinners that are under such a Covenant as this is you know that though it be not repealed I have come and put my self under this law it hath had its course upon me come to me and the law shal be sattisfied it shal have nothing to say against you but you shal have through rest in me come therefore to me Eleventhly The Eleventh thing in the Law is That it is so far from inabling us to perform that obedience which it requires that in regard of our own wretched condition that we are now in the more it comes to be revealed the more are our Corruptions stirred up it doth through our fault not from any fault in the Law stir up our Corruptions so much the more Luther compares it to Water cast upon Lime the Law coming into the heart being in its Natural Condition till God oovercomes it by the Grace of the Gospell is stirred up so much the more You have a notable expression for this in the example of Paul who felt it thus in himself in Rom. 7.5 For when we were in the Flesh the motions of sin which were by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death and again in ver 8. For sin taking occasion by the Commandment wrought in me all manner of Concupiscence It took occasion by the Commandment there are many people that are the worse by hearing the Law revealed unto them until God pleaseth to overcome their hearts by the grace of the Gospel Now put all these together and the soul that comes to be enlightened to understand these do you not think that such a soul wil be burdened Is it not a burden to be in this Condition Is it possible that the soul can have any rest in this Condition You will say these things are hard in themselves But first if you did but understand the infinite holiness there is in God and the infinite Justice of God with whom you have to deal And if you did but understand the perfect Condition that God did make man in at the first present before your souls the infinite Holiness and Justice of the great God with whom you have to do and then present before your souls that perfect state that God did make man in Innocency and then these things wil be clear unto you And if these things were only preached to you and nothing else they would seem to be hard but it is all in order to this Invitation of Christ CHAP. VIII Three Conclusions arising from the former doctrine concerning the Burden under the Law Namely 1. That man by Nature is in an evil case 2. That it is a mighty work to save a Soul 3. That those vain thoughts whereby men think to pacifie their Consciences will stand them in no stead NOw upon the hearing of these things we may truly draw such Conclusions as these First That certainly man is in an ill case by Nature It is observed of the people of Israel when
outward afflictions men are so sensible of that there needs not much for the opening of them but only to tel all that feel these burdens that they may come unto this promise Yea and they are under this invitation Christ invites them to come to him for Rest for these Burdens First Outward afflictions are burdens because they are in themselves part of the curse of the Law and if they be sanctified to any it is by virtue of this promise in the Text if any affliction upon you be Sanctified it is thence Before you come to Christ al outward afflictions poverty sickness or any disturbance you have in your estate it is in it self the fruit of the curse and is so to you til you come to Christ now to bear that that is in it self a fruit of the curse must needs be a burden because it is so contrary to Nature most afflictive to Nature therefore burdensome Secondly Outward afflictions are burdensom because they do hinder us much in doing Service that Service that we were born for that we were born to do in this world they do hinder us of many opportunities of doing Service for God outward Afflictions do As now sickness of body what a Burden is it Because it doth hinder those that are continually sickly from doing the Service that God requires of them to do and indeed that makes it to be most burdensom to one that is gracious it is not such a Burden to one that hath a sickly body because of the pain that he feels but because by this means my Soul is hindred in those operations that I would be glad to be exercised in for God and doing good in the place I am set in And so poverty is therefore a burden not because I cannot live so bravely as others do and have as fine Houses Clothes and Diet as others have No but because I must spend all my time meerly in getting provision for my family that I have little time for Gods Service others can spend time in Gods Service hear pray and meditate but the chief time that I have to spend is spent to get bread now this is a burden And besides because of poverty I have little opportunity to do Service for God those that have Large estates they have opportunity to do God Service they are called forth to publick Services but I am not so as others are now this is that that to one that hath any beginnings of Grace in his Heart is a great Burden And by the way it were a good argument of true Grace if you that are under the Burden of affliction if you felt the burden where it lies I appeal to you that complain of the Burden of affliction poverty and the like that you feel I put this Question to you in the name of God what is it that makes your affliction most burdensom It is true it is painful to Nature Oh! But the Lord knows this is that that makes it grievous and burdensom to me that by means of this affliction I am fain to spend so much time about mean works that I have little time to do good in my generation others that have greater estates I count them happier in this that the Lord hath given unto them Larger opportunities to do him Service then I have I do not count them happy because of their wealth but because they have larger opportunities to do God Service but it is God that orders things thus and I must be content to bear this Burden I say if thou hast a heart thus complaining of thy Burden it is a good sign and know that in Christ there is abundance of Grace to Sanctifie these burdens to thee divers other things might be spoken about the Burden of Affliction I will add but one more Thirdly Outward afflictions is a great burden in this respect because it many times occasions and helps forward many strong temptations outward afflictions do strengthen and do occasion strong temptations which are very grievous to the Soul As thus when one is under affliction more then others then comes this temptation surely God loves me not because of this Affliction then comes temptation to envy others because I am afflicted more then others then comes temptation of distrust I shall perish one day or other then comes temptation of murmuring under the hand of God temptation to take shifting Courses to shift for ones self by unlawful means Oh! what temptations have many that are under strong afflictions in poverty imprisonment disgrace dishonor in the world what strong temptations have they to stretch their Consciences And this makes outward afflictions a grievous burden because they occasion great temptations to poor Souls to stretch out their hands to folly to unlawful courses many times to help themselves Yea The apprehension many times before it comes is so grievous as it occasions temptation to much Evil to prevent those burdens and yet for all that the Lord is so pleased to order and dispose of things in this world that even such as he intends everlasting good to in Christ go under such burdens as these most part of their Lives they go under the burdens of Poverty Sickness and outward troubles here in this world Many Reasons might be given why the Lord so orders things in this world that his â—ear Servants for whom Christ hath shed his precious blood shall go under these burdens though others that are wicked and ungodly shal scarse know what they are 1. The Lord doth hereby shew that he wil have his Servants to serve and honor him meerly out of Love and not in a mercenary way to get outward things in this world he will have us serve him out of Love and out of Faith if we should prosper in outward things alwaies our Service would be more Carnal but now though his Servants meet with never such Afflictions in this world yet they love the Lord and love his waies and love his service and go on in faithful obedience to him this shews the excellency of Grace more then if they prospered in this world 2. And the Lord sees this the best means to mortifie our Corruptions many times thou complainest of thy afflictions but who knows if thou had'st not such afflictions what sins thou would'st have 3. And God doth this to be a Stumbling block to the wicked that they should stumble at the afflictions of the Saints and so perish that way Divers other Reasons might be given but all is to make way to that which is to come after that the Lord cals all these not only those that Labor under the Burden of sin under the burden of the Law c. But poor Creatures that Labor under the burden of affliction poverty and the like to come to him for ease and Rest CHAP. XVIII Christs Invitation of Sinners laid down in these words Come unto me Opened in five Particulars 1 It is to look to Christ as an All-sufficient Savior 2
Christ there is no returne of any guilt if Christ doth undertake for them that come to him though Christ doth undertake for what is past and what is to come yet as it is with a malefactor though perhaps he hath his pardon and be received into Favor yet he may think there is some alteration again but now the guilt that was upon thee shall never return upon thee again Though a man hath a pardon if he do not carry himself wel the former Guilt returnes again but when once the Soul is pardoned the former Guilt never returnes again the Lord wil blot out all their sinnes and remember them no more As when you cast a thing out of your Ship into the bottom of the Sea you never look for it again so it is with God all your sins shall be cast into the bottom of the Sea and shal be so far from you as the Guilt of them shall never come more to you when once you are come to Christ IX Ninthly There is not only deliverance from guiltiness our justification is not only privative but it is a clothing of the Soul with the Righteousness of Christ we have a perfect Righteousness that is the great Mediator of the new covenant here is a righteousness that I am not only pardoned but I have a perfect Righteousness to stand before the great God withal X. Yea Tenthly and Lastly The Rest we have in Christ is this that we are sure upon our coming to him that the great work of the day of judgment shal be the solemnity of our absolution the solemnity of thy pardon One of the great works that God intends to do at the great day of judgment it is certainly this to make thy pardon to be solemnized by men and Angels thou hast now thy pardon but the great work of God at that day shall be the solemnity of the absolution and pardon of the Saints then shal their sins be put away anew as the Scripture speakes and in the time of refreshment then shal your sins be done away they are done away before but then they shall be done away before men and Angels thou shalt not fear at the day of Judgment that God shal come and upbraid thee with thy sins al the while thou wentest under the guilt of sin what was more terrible to thy Soul than the thoughts of the day of Judgment Oh how can I stand before the Holy God at the great day and have all these sins charged upon me No come to me saith Christ and you shal never need to fear that great day of judgment any more for the great work of that day shal be to make your pardon to be solemnized so that you need not to fear any longer the day of Judgment but to long for that day and if the great day of judgment be not terrible yet the Particular day of Judgment may be terrible the Lord hath a Particular day of Judgment for every Soul in which God doth cast every man one way or other but then there shal be a great day of Judgment wherein all the world shal solemnly be judged Now then lay al these together Christ undertakes Christ satisfies the justice of his Father Christ satisfies the wrath of his Father Christ is an advocate at the Right hand of his Father Christ sprinkles thy Conscience with his own blood and thou standest as perfect in the point of justification as Abraham Isaac and Jacob and the Guilt of thy sins shal never return again And Christ undertakes for thee that thou shalt not come into Condemnation And thou hast a perfect Righteousness besides thy freedom from Death Christ clothes thee with his righteousness and so God the Father looks upon thee and Christ doth assure thee that the great work of the day of judgment shal be to solemnize thy pardon Thus saith Christ come to me all you that lie under the sence of the Guilt of your sins come to me and you shall have rest here I make all this good to you and all this rest is in thy coming to Jesus Christ all the rest in the world is worth nothing to this O therefore let us be willing to indure any trouble it is no great matter what trouble we indure in this World so we may come to Christ and this is but one branch this is but the easing of the Soul from the first Burden and yet even this to the Soul of a beleever will God make good if God give thee but a heart to make al these things real to thy Soul thou maiest depart in peace and go away and bless God and even say with the Psalmist in Psalm 116. And now my Soul return unto thy Rest The words are in the original Rests and now my Soul return unto thy rests Oh here are rests ten several rests for a Laden Soul that is under the guilt of sin do not think it much that we that are the Ministers of the Gospel should speak to you about the Restless condâ—on that you are in by reason of sin be willing that we should trouble you in a sinful way being we have so much rest to bring you to Do not think the Minister troubles you do not complain of the word that troubles mens consciences I appeal to you if there be any thing in Gods word to trouble mens Souls is there not again as much in Gods word to ease mens Souls and give Rest unto them Now this is Gods rest that is purchased by the blood of Christ our desire is that you might not cry Peace Peace unto your Souls when there is no peace and now when you hear but the beginning of the excellency that there is for the Soul in Christ Now you should even upon this cry to God Lord O that I might be partaker of this rest and still to desire to hear further and further of this blessed Rest that is to be had in Jesus Christ And thus much for the Rest that is to be had in Jesus Christ from the Burden of the guilt of sin CHAP. XXIX The deliverance from the Law by Christ set out 1. Privatively in five Particulars 2. Positively in five Points more THe next burden that was upon Laden sinners that Christ cals unto him it was the burden of the Law you that are under the burden of the Law come to me and I wil give you Rest I shewed in many Particulars wherein the burden of the Law consisted when I opened the former Point of the Load of sinners but now I am to come to shew how Christ doth deliver sinners from the burden of the law for so certainly he doth we are redeemed from the Law by Christ this is a great Point and the right understanding of this will help us exceeding much in the understanding of many truths in religion Wherefore first I shall shew you how far Christ hath not delivered us from the Law that is where it is where it is
of the name of God there was a time that my soul was under these as wel as any but now the Lord hath delivered me and brought me under another Covenant brought me to his son to Christ and he hath undertaken to satisfie the Law for my soul and so the beleever stands upon the shoar and prayses God and this makes him love Christ so much the more prize Christ so much the more and bless the name of God that ever he heard the voice of the Gospel sounding in his eares and therefore it is not tedious and grievous to him to heare the dreadful threatnings of the Law he knowes how to make a holy use of them his heart is drawn neerer to God by it as wel as by the promises of the Gospel It is an ill signe when men and women cannot indure to heare the threatnings of the Law a dangerous signe that they are under those threatnings if they were not under them it would not be troublesome to them to heare them but they that are delivered from them they know how to make use of them Many men and women wil say when they hear of the terrors of the Law what doth this but harden us the hearing of the terrors of the Law doth more harden us but if thou wert acquainted with the Gospel thou wouldest be softened by hearing of the terrors of the Law because thou wouldest prize Christ more And therefore beleevers must not look upon them as things that no way concerne them though they be not under them to be cast by them yet they do concerne them nearly and therefore God would have those things revealed even to beleevers because of many gracious uses that beleevers are to make of those things The 2. Lesson Secondly from what hath been delivered both from the burden of the law and the rest in being delivered from it this Lesson may be learned Here we may see how beleevers are in the course of their lives to mix humility with confidence they may learne how to be humble and yet how to be confident how to rejoyce and yet how to tremble there is no such way to learne the mixture of humility with faith and confidence and the mixture of joy and trembling as this is know the Law and the bondage under it and then the rest that is to be had in Christ this wil teach thee to be sensible of thy own wretchedness and what a condition thou art in naturally and yet how to be confident in the grace of God in Christ This wil teach thee how to feare in regard of what thou art in thy self and yet to rejoyce in regard of what thou art in Jesus Christ in the rest thy soul hath Got in Jesus Christ Many people do not know how to mingle these two together if so be they be humbled for their sins then they are dejected in their spirits they cannot tel how to exercise humiliation for their sins and faith and confidence in Gods grace together they think the humiliation for sin wil hinder Gods grace and therfore they cannot indure to hear of such things as tend to beat them down to humble them for their sins but they say they must beleeve altogether in Gods grace aad the other wil bring them to despair Certainly thou art not acquainted with the mystery of Godliness if thou doest not understand how these two may stand together to be deeply humbled for thy sins and yet at the same instant of time the soul to be raised with the Mercy of God in Christ both together It is true vices are opposite one to another but graces are never opposite one to another those that understand the Mistery of Godlyness they know how to mingle these two together at one and the same time You know that the scripture saith that Godliness is a mistery Great is the mistery of Godlyness and indeed Godliness consists in the skil that a Christian comes to have to know at the same time how to be humbled and yet to be confident yet to be beleeving and one the other side to rejoyce and yeat to feare many cannot rejoyce but they grow loose and wanton with their joy and others cannot feare but their hears grow lumpish and dead if they do feare now the heart that understands what it is to be under the Law naturally and what rest Christ hath brought unto us in delivering us from the Law can tel how to rejoice in trembling and to beleeve in humiliation and there is no such way to make such a mixture of both as to understand what it is to be naturally under the Law and what the rest is that we have in Christ I confess these things wil not perhaps come so ful upon the hearts of those that do not in some measure remember what we have said hertofore both from the burden of the Law and the rest that we have in Christ those wil not be able to make so much use of this that I am speaking of I could wish these things would have come altogether but we cannot do al things at once The Third Lesson Thirdly A further thing that is to be learned from the deliverance we have in Christ from the Law it is this here appeares plainly that the way of Life and salvation is above nature it is supernatural for that that I have opened in the rest we have in Christ from the law teacheth you that beleevers are not to stand or fal for their eternal estates by any worke of the Law if they performe any worke of the Law this doth not bring them to eternal life if they breake the Law this doth not cast them down unto death therefore the way of life and salvation is supernatural for nature can teach a man no further then this that he must serve God if he do thâ— God wil bless him and love him and if he sin against God God wil afflict him and chastise him nature can tel of no way how a man should be saved but only by serving of God and by doing the workes of the Law nature teacheth a man nothing else but this together with the other that if he doth that that God forbids he must expect the wrath of God and to ly under Gods wrath and beyond this nature cannot go Now then for to heare of such a thing as this is that my soul shal not depend upon what I neglect nor my eternal life shal not depend upon what I do that is a high mystery that is infinitely above nature I do not say what the neglect of Gods wil doth deserve of eternal perishing yea even in beleevers but now they are under the Covenant in Christ they have the rest in Christ that their souls shal not be cast one way or other by what they do or what they leav undon though if they neglect his wil the Lord may make them to know it here while they live in this world And if upon this any
shal say then what need we regard what we do if any shal say so we need go no further with this man but say unto him Thou hast no part nor portion in this thing thou hast no part in the deliverance from the Law by Christ shal we sin because grace abounds God forbid the Lord forbid that there should enter any such thought into any of our Hearts They that are godly have the Spirit of God in them and will not Reason after such a manner however this is certaine that in Christ we do not depend for life and Death upon the works of the Law and therefore the way of the Gospel is a high way a supernatural way it is a way beyond that that most people imagine most people upon Earth look no higher for a way of Salvation but meerly through the works of the Law and they will certainly miscary by what you have heard You see that the way of Salvation is a higher thing than Nature The Fourth Lesson Fourthly We may learn from hence that if Christ have given Rest to beleevers by delivering them from the rigour and severity of the Law that now they are not to be cast by it for their everlasting estates then they need to be so much the more faithful with God to do what possibly they can to serve the Lord in an evangelical way Thou wert in such a condition that thou wert under such a Law as if thou didst fail in any one point thou wert cast for ever but now thou art under such a Law as God accepts of thee in Christ hadst thou not need be more faithful and industrious in thy endeavors in that thou hast received so much mercy to be under such a Covenant The truth is the other might discourage thee to think that let me do what I can my Soul is cast for my everlasting estate but now if thou beest brought under the Covenant of the Gospel and the Lord Christ hath made thee to know that thy Rest is in him how careful shouldest thou be to walk with him in all well pleasing to give up the strength of thy Soul to walk in his waies I wil appeal to thee suppose thou wert in the condition again that the Lord looked upon thee with a strict Eye and required such absolute obedience that if thou failest in any thing nothing that ever before thou didst should be accepted poor soul if the Lord should say to thee what if thou shouldest be delivered from this Law and be brought under the Law of Christ First that thou shalt not depend for thy everlasting estate upon the Law And Secondly that whatsoever thou doest shal be accepted though with much imperfection how wouldest thou prize this and even Covenant with God and say Oh! Lord bring my soul under this Covenant and I hope I shal for ever endeavour to walk in al wel peasing before thee this shal not by any meanes in the world quench my endeavors and make me more sluggish but more strengthen my heart As suppose now one should be in such slavery under the Turke that let him do what he can he shal be beaten and a Prince shal come and ransome him and take him into his owne house and expect no more obedience from him then the obedience of a Child adopting him for his Child and al the obedience that he wil expect shal be a childlike obedience and he wil be his father Now were it not a vild and unnatural thing for such a one to be careless of giving contentment to this Prince that wil accept of him as a Child when he hath delivered him from such a slavery and bondage that he was under before Thus it was with beleevers thou wert under a dreadful bondage under the Law and thou art brought to Christ and he makes thee to be a child of God and be procures that thy obedience shal be accepted that is filial and Child-like shalt thou be more negligent now then before now thou servest God upon better termes then ever before and wilt thou be more sluggish The Fifth Lesson Fifthly from our being delivered from the Law we are to Learne this That we are not to judg our coming into Christ nor to judge our faith by the Law by our coming to Christ we are delivered from the Law therefore I say we are not to make up any judgment of our coming to Christ nor to judge our faith by the rules of the Law Though the propounding of this it may be is a little obscure at first yet you wil find it of marvellous use to help beleevers in their way some beleevers very ordinarily especially weak ones judg of their coming to Christ or their faith by the Law they make the law a rule of their faith which certainly should not be for if by faith we are delivered from the Law then it must needs follow that the Law cannot be a rule of our faith You wil say what is that to make the Law a rule of our faith That is thus Beleevers think that because their faith is weak and ful of doubts ful of imperfections and doubtings therefore they have none at al. Now what is this but to make faith it self a legal thing for indeed if faith were legal then it could not be accepted where there were any mixture of imperfection a legal faith could never be accepted with any mixture of doubting and with any imperfection But an evangelical faith can be accepted This I may meet with perhaps afterwards but for the present it follows more fully and immediately from what hath been delivered from our rest from the Law and I desire to suggest it now to beleevers as a marvellous help to them that they do not make their faith legal as thus Come to many beleevers that are ful of doubts and feares and why do they not beleeve It is true say they there is rest to be had in Christ and much to be had in this I but this is to beleevers and I am afraid I am not a beleever And why art thou afraid thou art not a beleever because of such and such sins and because I cannot do as I would Now what is this but to make faith legal now faith that delivers us from the Law of al graces that must be evangelical our mourning for sin is to be looked upon as evangelical and yet some beleevers look upon their mourning for sin as legal they think God wil not accept of their mourning Why Because they cannot mourne as much as they would That is true if thou wert under the Law then no mourning at al would be accepted as under the Law but now thou must look upon it as evangelical and thy obedience as evangelical It is an il thing that beleevers look upon their mourning for sin and obedience and the like as under the Law and not as evangelical this is a great hindrance to them but now much more is it to
heart I am not able to do it but now mark how the Gospel runs in the Deu. 30.6 And the Lord thy God wil circumcise thy heart the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with al thy heart and with al thy soul that thou maist live· The Lord wil do it the Lord commands me to do it and yet withal the Lord saith that he wil do it I might instance in a great many other particulars that the Lord requires first what we should do and if we be left here now it is hard indeed but then if we can find a promise where God promises that he wil do it for us this wil be easier to us And indeed this is the diffierence between the Law and the Gospel the Law commands us what to do and gives no strength but the Gospel never commands us to do any duty but there is a promise that engageth the Lord to help the soul in the performance of that duty And now is not here rest for the soul when the soul shal look upon the large extent of the duty that the Law of God requires of it The Law requires of me to love the Lord with al my heart and with al my soul and with al my might and to keep his commandements and statutes and to circumcise my heart Lord what shal I do in this Now then when the soul can look upon Christ the covenant of grace consider that that runs thus that the Lord wil circumcise my heart that I may love the lord with al my heart with al my soul that I may keep his commandements his statutes that God doth as wel ingage himself to inable me to do the duty as he doth require me to do the duty now here is rest unto the soule I wil conclude this particular with this one similitude as it is with the body Physitians observe that together with every veine where the blood runs there runs likewise an artery together with the veine now the artery is the vehiculum of the spirits that are in the body of a man that puts liveliness and quickness into the body So for al the world thus it is in regard of the commandements of the Law and the Promises of the Gospel I compare the Commandements of the Law unto the veines they are these duties required of thee in the whol course of thy life but if thou hast veines of blood and hast no arteries no spirit thou wilt be but dul though the blood be ful in the veins yet there wil be little strength But now there is the spirit that goes along in the arteries that gives life to the veines So now they that are under the Law they know many duties that they ought to do I but except they have the promises of the Gospel to goe along with them they have little life little activity to do the duty Therefore Christians when you heare any duty out of Gods word that you ought to performe consider here is the duty here is the veine I but where is the artery there is a promise in the word that goes along with the duty to inable me to performe the duty Now if I take both together I may go on in the way of Godliness with a great deal of ease and quiet and no duty needs to be troublesom to me The want of the knowledg of this one thing makes the lives of many people to be very disconsolate and makes them go on deadly and dully in the performance of duty whereas if they would make use of this one thing when they are put upon any duty to search and find out in the word the promise wherein God inables us to do the duty and plead the promise and say Lord thou requirest the performance of this duty but thou hast promised to inable me to do it I say if thou wouldst do thus thou wouldest find that thy duties would not be burdensom to thee but thou wouldest say wel I see my soul hath rest in Christ in the performance of al those services that heretofore have been very greivous and burdensom to me Object I But you wil say We have many promises in the Gospel to inable us but the promises are conditional and I may forfeit the promise by not performing the condition Answ To that I answer We have in the Gospel absolute promises as wel as conditional promises there is some promises that depend upon no condition at al but only beleeving as that promise where the Lord saith I wil take away the heart of stone and give a heart of flesh what condition is there does God say that if you first repent and performe such and such duties that I require of you then I wil take away your heart of stone No that is an absolute promise And so likewise that promise I wil put my feare into your heart that you shal not depart from me God doth not make this promise with condition You wil say Why then hath not al their stony hearts been taken from them because the promise is absolute I answer it is absolute from any precedent condition but yet God would have us come to the promise and close with the promises and cast our souls upon it he does not promise to do such and such things upon condition that if you wil do such and such things before then I wil do this and that for you no but only this do you cast your soul upon the promise and depend upon it and when thy soul is at a loss in regard of conditional promises when thy heart misgives thee and tells thee that thou hast not performed the condition of such such promises that therfore they do not belong to thee and thou canst not for the present have comfort in the conditional promises then make use of absolute promises and cast thy soul upon them and they wil bring in the conditional promises and know this that al conditional promises depend upon absolute promises in the Gospel and as when thou canst not make use of conditional promises thou maist go to absolute promises so when thou makest use of absolute promises thou shalt be inabled to do what is required of thee in conditional promises And here is the difference between the Law and the Gospel the Law requires and doth not give strength to inable to do what it requires but the Gospel requires and gives strength to performe what it requires Sixtly There is rest unto those that come to Christ in this because when they performe duties in Christ they do not performe them that they might have life or that they might have pardon that they might get life by them or that they might obtain pardon by their duties but they performe them now as the fruit of their life and as a fruit of their pardon and this is a great deale of rest and ease to the heart in the performance of duties There are many
poor troubled souls whose consciences pul them on to duty but why do they performe them because conscience accuseth them for their sins and they know what need they have of Gods mercy they stand guilty before God and therefore they perform duties that they might get a pardon and they know that they were made for eternity and therefore they make conscience of duties that they might get eternal life by them as I when I opened shewed the burden that there was in legal performances But now when the soul comes to Christ it hath rest in this for the very first thing that is done in Christ is that al thy sins are discharged the pardon is granted and thou art put into an estate safe for thy eternal life and al the hazard of eternal life is now over Now then that that is required of thee is only as the fruit of the pardon of thy sin and as a fruit of thy safe condition that thou art put into for thine eternal life and here is a great deal of difference between performing of duties that I might have pardon that I might get eternal life by it and performing of duties as a fruit of my pardon and as a fruit of the assurance of my wel being to al eternity As for instance a man that is in danger of his life stands before the judg and there is no way for pardon for him but he hath his book given to him as you know the way is to have the benefit of the Clergy as we use to cal it now when he knows if he reads he shal have his life but life lies upon it and the judg is strict and sets one by him that the ordinary shal not prompt him and he wil have him read out and his life lyes upon it I suppose you have heard of some that were able schollers and able to reade wel enough at other times yet at such a time were not able to read one word for a world But suppose this man now have his pardon and you then put him to read then he can read with delight he hath freedom enough now to read his eyes that were bound before are loosned Now suppose he were to read a Psalm of mercy before he had his pardon and when he had his pardon there is a Psalm of thankfulness for his life given him to read he could read it then with delight just thus it is with those that performe duties in a legal way they stand before God as their judg and look upon what they performe as that which their souls depends upon that if I do not do such and such things that is commanded me my soul lyes upon it alas this straitens the heart and it is put into a condition of feare But now when the soul is come to Christ and the Lord hath granted pardon to it and hath quieted it by the blood of his son now sayes God read performe duties and let al the duties you performe be in way of blessing my name and praising of me for giving of you your lives And indeed this is the principal ground of al that God requires of such as are come to Christ meerly that thou shouldest go out before the Lord in way of thankfulness for pardoning thy sins and accepting of thee in his Son And so likewise if so be a man were amongst his enemies and should be set to do some work and business and is set so to it that if he do not do it he is a dead man they wil have his life if he doe not do it alas he goes about it with a great deal of dread and fear But now if this man should come home to his fathers house and his father sets him about a work and he doth it so that though he would not do the work yet he should not loose his life he should go about it with a great deal more freedom of spirit Thus it is with beleevers when they come to Christ they come to their fathers house and their father sets them about workes but so as he wil not lay their lives upon it their soul doth not ly upon their duties thy eternal estate doth not lie upon duties as heretofore you have heard in being freed from the Law so now make use of it in deliverance from legal performances That the Lord though he wil be strict to mark what is done in every duty he wil not be strict to take advantage of thee It is true it is said that the Lord spared not his owne son but he wil spare thee In Malachy 3.17 The Lord wil spare them as a man spareth his own son hat serveth him And so in the Romans it is said God did not spare his own son and yet in Malachy that he wil spare thee as a man spareth his only son that serveth him What should be the meaning of this That God should not spare his only begotten son the Lord Jesus Christ he wil not spare him but thee This is the reason he did not spare him that he might Spare thee here is the reason why God wil so spare thee in the performance of thy duties because he would not spare his son he was so exact to him that he might not be so exact to thee Indeed when Christ came to performe duties the life of al the world lay upon that that if Christ had failed in one thing the life of al the world lay upon it yet so they lay upon him that they were not grievous to him because he was most able to perform it But thou must make use of Christs performances in way of obedience so as to give thee rest ease in performance of thy duties think thus I come now to performe duties and thankes be to God my life my eternal estate lyes not upon it but Christ what he performed my soul and al the world lay uyon what he did and the weight that Christ was willing to take upon him in his obedience is that which makes any obedience so easie and comfortable to me I remember we read in the Law that in peace offerings a female was accepted in other cases ordinarily God required the male but in peace offerings the female now peace offerings was for thanksgiving and indeed the whole life of a Christian is nothing else but a peace-offering his whol conversation al the duties that God requires of any christian it is nothing else but a peace offering to offer an offering of thanks-giving for the mercy he hath received from Christ in this peace offering the Lord accepts of a female though it be but weake And this is the sixth thing wherein the rest of the soul in the performance of holy duties when it is once come to Christ doth consist Seventhly As the soul doth not performe duties that it might get life thereby it is not in that way now so the performance of duties when the soul is come to Christ is a part of
keep from the acting of sin so much as to find that the death of Christ is applied to him And hence you never read of any such thing as mortification in any Heathen Author in the World the mortification of corruption is a Riddle to all Heathen Writers in the World The mortifying of corruption and the mortifying of their own hearts this is a peculiar expression of the Gospel and indeed it is peculiar to Beleevers Many men through good Education are so restrained that they are very fair in their course others as they come to more understanding the vanity of their youth being overcome there is not that prophaneness committed by them as heretofore I but what is this to mortification of the body of death that is in their hearts this is only peculiar to a Christian and it is from the application of the death of Christ the application of a Christ dying of a Christ crucifying of a Christ shedding his blood for sin this hath a virtue to mortifie sin There is a great deal of difference between a mortified lust and a restrained lust a mortified sin and a restrained sin The difference lies in this one thing for I must not go out to handle the Point but only this one thing take it by the way When a lust is mortified there is not only a ceasing from the act of it but there is now an unsuitableness between the heart and the sin whereas there may be much restraint of sin and yet stil there may remain a suitableness between the disposition of the heart and the sin only they dare not commit it but when sin is mortified the heart is so changed that there is an unsuitableness wrought between the heart and corruption now and this mortification of the body of sin is by the death of Christ Fourthly Christ is our sanctification and he only because it is by him that the spiritual curse that is upon every mans heart naturally is taken away it is Christ only that doth deliver the soul from the spiritual curse that is upon every mans heart naturally You know this is the condition of man by nature he is under the curse of the Law Cursed is the man that abideth not in al things that is written in the Law to do it But now we apprehend ordinarily this curse to be either in outward misery or else in hel fire cursed eternally but we are to know that one branch of this curse is that that is upon the souls of men here There is a spiritual curse that is upon the souls of men by the fal of Adam and that is God giving them up unto themselves unto the lusts of their own heart unto their own counsel and wayes Now I confess as it is in the curse of outward afflictions in this world it is in some degree upon some and in a further degree upon others but al are under it naturally so this spiritual death is executed in some degrees upon some and in more degrees upon others but every soule is in some measure in some degree or other given up to the lust of its owne heart there is a final degree of giving the soul up to the lusts of its own heart somtime but there is in every one a measure a degree of this and the reason of the prevailing of the corruption of mens hearts may appear in some measure by this It is strange to see that notwithstanding al the convictions of conscience telling men of the dangerousness of their wayes that it wil never be peace in the end that they wil rue it at the last and their consciences give them many a secret nip yet they goe on stil notwithstanding the terror in the Law many times nay notwithstanding the hand of God hath bin strong upon them and they have cryed out against their sins and promised against them and notwithstanding that they find that their sins do destroy the very health of their bodies waste their Estates take away their good names and thereby loose al their friends yet they are not able to overcome it As the Scripture speakes of some that have eyes ful of adultery they cannot cease to sin Now sometimes they plead this as an excuse for their sin and say they would fain leave it but they cannot and they think this is a sufficient excuse for their sin an excuse no this their cannot may be from the spiritual curse that is upon their souls because the curse of God is in a high degre upon their hearts giving them up in just judgment unto the lusts of their own hearts And this I take in some part to be the meaning of that place in 1. Cor. 15.56 verse The strength of sin is the Law Now spiritually the meaning of it is this that al the strength that sin hath to condemn one to kil one to bring death it is by the Law that I take to be the special scope of those words But there is included likewise in that expression thus much that the law of God giues a strength to sin How you wil say doth the Law of God give a strength to sin Thus there is the justice of God in his Law by virtue of the Law of God and the justice of God in it man is given up unto his sin and so his sin comes to have a power and strength over him the strength of sin it is the Law the Law requires this the justice of God in the Law requires this That those that do forsake God should be forsaken of him that those that give their hearts up to satisfie themselves in any way of sin that they should be given up to that sin So the strength of sin is the Law the Law makes sin to be so much the stronger that way Now therefore how should the soul come to be deliuered from the strength of sin the Law must be satisfied the Law must be taken off the strength of the Law must be taken away and none can take that away but Christ Christ takes away the strength of the Law but the Law is not executed upon Christ so as he was to be given up but the text saith he was made sin he came to take our sin upon him it was as neere as might be though he was not capable of having the execution of the Law upon him but the scripture saith he was â—ade sin for us that indeed is a very great meaning of this place though acknowledging of sin and suffering for sin be the cheif meaning of the place yet it hath besides very much of this in it Fifthly Christ is our sanctification by being the head of the second Covenant and so through our mistical union with him there is a virtue of holiness conveyed from him by being the head of the second Covenant and we being members of him as the head we come to have the virtue of holiness to be drawn from him As it was in Adam how come we
to have so much sin conveyed to us by Adam by propagation but thus As we may read in Rom. 5. By one man sin came into the world Now Adam he was the head of the first Covenant and by being the head of that al mankind are looked upon as members of the first Adam he being the head in that notion of the Covenant in that consideration Adam was not looked upon as a parent only as the first father but as the head and we are not looked upon only as the children of Adam but as members so that al men were looked upon as one in Adam and therefore the Scripture speakes but of two men the first Adam and the second Adam that look as sin is conveyed to us being members of the First Adam and he being the head of the First Covenant so grace comes to be conveyed unto the soul by our being members of the second Adam the Lord Jesus Christ being the head of the second Covenant here is the way of conveyance of holiness our union with Christ So that now the holiness that is in Christ comes to us by virtue of the mistical union As by virtue of the natural union of the members of the body with the head there comes animal spirits to the members of the body so by virtue of our mistical union with Christ our head there is conveyed holiness and grace to strengthen us against our corruptions As the oyntment did run from Aarons head 〈◊〉 â—to the rest of his members so Christ that is anoytâ—â—at hath the oyl not only of gladness but holiness too doth descend down to al his members by virtue of the union they have with him And for that end you have a most famous scripture in Rom. 8.2 For the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death It is a scripture that hath very much in it What doth he mean by the Law of sin and death The Law that is the mighty power that there is in sin and so in death that comes by sin in the hearts of unbeleevers There is a Law of sin the strength of sin I speak of sin hath strength going along with it hath power with it So a Law of sin there is in the hearts of men they are compelled to sin as I may so speake as a man is compelled to a thing by a law a law of sin though this be no excuse to them And let them know that so far as they are compelled to sin they are compelled to death to But how shal this Law of sin and death be overcome Marke the words The Law of the spirit of life in Christ hath made me free from the Law of sin and death The Law of the spirit of Life here is two gradations that is the holiness that is in Christ that is likewise a Law as wel as the corruption that is in the heart The corruption in the heart hath a strength in it and the holiness of Christ hath a strength in it too So that when grace comes into the heart the heart goes on in a way of holiness in a holy kind of necessity We can do nothing against the truth saith the Apostle But yet there is a necessity of willingness goes along with it too there is a Law of Love and kindness but by this word of Law is meant a strong impetuousness a mighâ—y power that carries the soul on to holiness Again secondly it is the Law of the spirit and of the spirit of life the holiness of Christ it is a holiness that is ful of life First it is Life And secondly it is the spirit of Life Now the spiriâ— of life is a higher degree then life as the spirit of a thing hath the quickning of the thing in it beyond what the whol bulke of the thing is When the spirit of herbs or any such thing is extracted you know those spirits have much quickning in them beyond the things themselves so the spirit would express the mighty activity in the holyness that comes from Christ it is life it is the spirit of life and then it is the Law of the spirit of life Oh my brethren you see then here that Godliness is no dul thing it is no heavy thing no poor weake contemptible thing but it is the life it is the life of Christ it is the spirit of life and it is the Law of the Spirit of life he speakes of grace when it comes to that as the Law of the spirit of life There is but two things in sin the Law of sin and death and in grace there is life and the spirit of life and the law of the spirit of life and al this in Jesus Christ It is not in our owne resolutions purposes endeavours but in our union with Jesus Christ and this it is that brings grace unto the heart though there be much corruption before yet the soul being thus one with Christ and looking upon Christ as the head of the second Covenant and doth draw virtue from Jesus Christ a mighty strong virtue to help the soul against corruption and quicken it in the wayes of God and thus comes the rest to the soul by Christ in sanctification Carnal hearts they know no way in the world how to get grace they heare talking of grace and leaving of sin but they know not how to get it and they wil go and pray read heare and the like I but you must know that grace lies in another way then you think of for you think it must come from God I but it must come from God in a mistical way through Christ Perhaps some of you hearing the mysteries of the Gospel understand this that as God is the fountain of al grace so it must be conveyed by Christ as through the cisterne I but you must understand also that you must have it from God through Christ as he is a head unto you and you are the members through a mistical union that your souls must have with Christ so as you be made one with Christ you must be made one with Christ As the member can never receive any spirit from the head except it be united to the body it is not by being tied to the body If you take an arme of flesh and tie it to a mans shoulder it wil never receive life that way but it must have a natural union Just thus your common Professors that meerly have the name of Christians and are not spiritually united to Christ they are like to Armes tiâ—d on to the shoulder or to wooden legs that are fastened upon mens thighes that want legs they have some use of those legs to help theÌ„ a little to go I but those legs have not virtue and life conveyed from the head So your common Christians they have some knowledg of Christ they are only fastened to Christ as a wooden leg is fastened to a mans
body they make some use of Christ some profession of Christ can speake of Christ what they heare spoken of Christ is somewhat serviceable and useful to them I but they have not life from Christ and hence they have not holiness from Christ they have not the true holiness that comes from the Law of the spirit of life that is in Christ Sixthly Another thing that is to be considered of in Christ how the rest of sanctification comes to the soul through him is this In Christ there are the greatest arguments for holiness that possibly can be imagined and Christ comes to be a rest of sanctification that way when the soul comes unto Christ and knowes Christ in the right way the soul sees in Christ enough against sin and for holiness if it never saw any thing else there is enough in Christ to help against sin and for the furtherance of of holiness that that is discovered in Christ hath a mighty power to help the soul against sin and to further it in the way of holiness as now to instance the mighty arguments that there are in Christ against sin and for holiness as CHAP. XXXIX Containing two strong Arguments in Christ for holiness First In him the soul sees the greatest breach between it and God by reason of Sin Secondly In him it sees the greatest Hatred of Sin in God FIrst in Christ there the foul sees the greatest breach that can be imagined that sin made between God and the creature it is true when we preach the Law to you and tel you of the curse of the Law that is due to sin this acquaints you with somewhat of the breach that sin made between God and you and this may terrifie you but the truth is the breach between God and a soul by sin is never throughly seen til you come to Christ the soul never throughly sees sin til then when it comes to Christ and sees Christ indeed sees Christ so as one that hath union with him then it understands the evil of sin after another manner then ever it did before And that is the reason that faith doth more purge the heart from sin then al the terrors of the Law possibly can do yea if God should let a crevis into hel and let you see into al the torment that is there they could not discover so much the evil of sin to you as when you come to have a real sight of Jesus Christ how sin made such a breach between God and us as can be made up no other way but the son of God must come and take upon him mans sin this is the greatest discovery of the evil of sin that possibly can be Object You wil say Others know this as wel as beleevers It is true they know it after a sort but none can know this throughly but those that through faith have the real sight of Christ and so have the real sight of the evil of sin in Christ Secondly another strong argument of the evil of sin in Christ is this the infinite hatred of sin in God that God should so infinitly hate sin that he would not spare his owne son this shewes the evil of sin We heare much of hell and of the terror of the Law now when I come to consider the fruit of Gods hatred of Sin in his son this shewes me a great deale more the evil of sin And therefore though the terror of the law may restrain men from sin I but when the soul comes to know the infinite wrath of God against sin that he would give his son to satisfie for sin this shewes the evil of sin and this shewes the infinite holiness of God that he would send his only son to purchase holiness And in this we see the infinite love of Christ to die for sin the infinite price of the soul to purchase it and the infinite difficulty in the deliverance from sin and nothing can prevail upon the heart more then the viewing of Christ There is so many things that I cannot speak of them that when the soul comes to Christ makes the soul hate sin and makes it in love with holiness The knowledg of Christ in any common way hath as much power to restrain sin as any thing but now the knowledg of Christ in a spiritual way in a saving way it hath an infinite efficacy in it And the truth is the special way for a soul to help it self against its own corruptions it is much to dive into the knowledg of the Gospel look into the Gospel pry into the mystery of the Gospel be much conversant in the mistery of the Gospel and there consider what argument thou maiest draw against thy sins They are poor low arguments that common people draw against their sins they have a temptation to sin and they think Oh! let me take heed I do not do it for my master and mistris wil know of it or such a one wil know of it or if I do it I shal be brought to punishment these are poor low arguments But saith a beleever Oh let me not commit sin Why It is that that brought the son of God down from heaven to be made a curse for man It is that that made the greatest stir in the world that ever was it is that that Gods soul infinitly hates and it is that that made such a breach between the soul and God as only can be made up by the son of God These are the arguments that a beleever hath against sin and a beleever being conversant â—n these arguments and often exercising faith in Christ they being made real to the soul They must needs have a mighty power to overcome any corruption whatsoever As we read in the Gospel when the husband man that let out the vineyard sent for fruit and they took the servant and beate him and killed another at length saith he I wil send my son surely they wil reverence him So may I say there is such and such arguments against thy sin to overcome thy Corruption and to put thee on to the way of holiness perhaps those arguments thy corruptions break and they are but like Sampsons cords thy corruption snaps them asunder like flax I but saith God I wil send my son and reveale the glorious misteries of the Gospel in my son I wil shew to their souls what my son hath done and what the deep counsels for the salvation of their soules in my son are and these shal prevail upon you And here is the reason of al their fearfulness of sin and strictness in walking with God when the Gospel hath convinced them you wonder why they wil be so strict and fearful to offend do you wonder at it Oh my brethren they have arguments perhaps that you know not of God hath revealed much of his son to them the wonderful misteries of Godliness revealed in his son and they are the arguments they go upon They do