the world sin is very light Well know That as Christ himself felt sin to be a heavy burden so one way or other they must feel it either here or hereafter but blessed is that man or woman that feels the weight of sin while he may be delivered from it that he be not hereafter prest under the weight of it We read of Pharoah when the people of Israel came for ease he bids them go to their burdens that that he did unjustly Christ might do to many righteously hereafter when you upon your sick beds or death beds hereafter shal cry for mercy Christ may say to you go to your burdens when any thing of the Word came to press sin upon your souls you cast it off O! 't is a dangerous Condition when men and women cannot only sin enough but now when any truth of God should lay sin upon their hearts they cast it out and they think hardly of those Truths of God that would come and â—ind their sins to their Consciences and so burden them with their sins but it should be otherwise with us If those that be thus laden with their sins be those that Christ doth call to him we should not think so hardly of those Truths of God that doth reveal the evil of sin unto us but rather let us joyn with those Truths of God and labor to burden our own hearts for you see that those that are burdened Christ cals them to him that they might have rest there is no other burdens that we are to bring upon our selves but rather seek to avoid them but as for the burden of sin we are to burden our hearts with that and to labor to lay our sins to our hearts and to press them there and to charge them upon our own Spirits with all the aggravations we can and to joyn with the work of Gods Spirit when the Spirit of God comes to lay sin upon the soul to joyn with it and to say Lord I begin to be more sensible of my sins than I was before Lord humble me through it let me be under thy hand as long as thou pleasest only work thy good work upon me Object But you wil say We may sink under the burden of Sin Answ O no those that cast off the burden of sin they are most like to sink under it now can you think that the Lord wil Suffer such a soul to sink under the burden that doth burden it self that God might have glory But those that are unwilling and are forced to be burdened that never are sensible of the burden of sin til al the props and Comforts of the creature are taken away Upon their sick beds and death beds then men are burdened with Sin and why because the props are taken away before they had comforts and estates and such things which are as so many props but now God comes and takes the props and down they fâ—l upon us That is the reason that many upon their death beds lie Roâ—ring and Crying out so bitterly for their sins and why because the Lord hath cut asunder the props and now it lies heavy upon their hearts Now Christ cals come to me you that are weary and heavy laden come to me saith Christ Know that you are in a faâ— better condition than you were when you went on with delight in sin you are now in the way that God doth use to bring them in that he hath a purpose to do good unto I remember in the Gospel where the poor blind man cryed to Christ O Son of David have mercy upon me and stil cryed at length Christ heard the cry of the blind man and asked what it was Now those that were by him they go to the poor blind man and say to him be of good comfort he calls he might say I but my eyes be not opened I but be of good comfort he calls So I say to al burdened Sinners be of good comfort troubled soul Christ calls thee he saith come to me al ye that are weary and heavy laden he doth not say thou that art so much laden Christ cals thee to him Object I but thou wilt say I have no ease if I were sure that my sins were pardoned I should be saved then I should have ease and comfort Answ I but poor soul be of good comfort thou art called he doth not say thou art a wretched wicked creature and depart from me thou cursed as he wil say to sinners hereafter that might have been thy condition but thou didst not heare the voice from Christ this day depart from me but thou doest heare this voice this day from Christ Come to me al you that are weary and heavy laden Christ is neer to you the Lord is neer to the broken heart he is neere to the contrite spirit And know this the longer thou art under the burden of thy sin there wil come the more comfort hereafter Now there is a burden of sin upon thee and there wil be a weight of glory hereafter So the Scripture speakes of a weight of glory as wel as of a weight of Sin be willing to beare the weight of sin quietly say with the Prophet I wil be willing to beare the indignation of the lord because I have sinned against him So say thou 't is fit my soul should beare a burden be content to wait now do you the same thing that Christ did when he was under his burden mark what he did in Heb. 5.7 See how the heart of Christ was affected when he felt the weight of our sins upon him In the dayes of his flesh he offered up prayers and supplications with strong Cryes and teares unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he Feared Goe thy way O Soul and get into the presence of God and tel God of thy burdens that thou feelest make thy moan unto him and let it be with praiers and supplications and strong Cryes and tel him Lord I fear least my soul should be prest down to eternal death under this burden tel him of thy feares this way and it is very probable that thy soul shal be heard and according to this invitation here surely there is rest for thee as wel as for any while thou art crying out under thy burden for ought thou knowest or any Angel in heaven the pardon of thy sins may be sealling in heaven and therefore do not make any desperate Conclusion against thy own Soul for thy pardon may be a sealing and then the Lord wil send a messenger to tel thee of this Nay do I tel thee that theâ—e wil a messenger come Behold here in this text the Lord Jesus Christ comes the Angel of the Covenant cryes to thee Come O Come come freely though thou hast no good at al in thee there is enough in me to give rest unto that soul that doth most labor under the greatest burden of sin that ever
out against this invitation it is that that wil aggravate al your sins It may be some of you may think wel this is an incouragment to sinners we are called to Christ and we are tould that the vilest may come to him and Christ wil receive them This is wel but yet if thou wilt reject this invitation and shalt yet let out thy heart to other vanities and to the satisfying of thy sinful lusts this I say this invitation of Jesus Christ wil be the greatest aggravation of al thy sins that ever thou Committedst in al thy life thy whoredome thy drunkenness thy swearing al thy sabbath breaking wil not be so heavy upon thee wil not be so deep upon the score as one rejection of Jesus Christ calling thee to come to him and therefore take heed of abusing the grace of Christ in calling you to come to him For know if there could be any sign given to know who are Reprobates and who not I would rather pitch upon this signe one that should go away after the grace of God is opened to him and he invited to come to Christ one that should go away notwithstanding hardned in sin I say I should rather pitch upon this than any other signe There is no sin hardeneth the heart of God more than this I wil give you one Scripture for this In Luke 14.16 17. When God as the master of the great feast sends his servants and invites men to come to the wedding that is in truth to do that that I have been doing al this while to invite poor sinners to come to Christ Now divers make excuses some had bouhgt oxen others had bought farmes and others had married Wives wel marke at the 24. verse the doom of those that did not come in upon their invitation Verily saith God those men that were bidden shall never taste of my supper What! saith God to his servants have ye invited them to come in and wil they not No they have other things in their heads their Farmes their Yoke of Oxen their profits and pleasures what wil they reject such grace and favour when I invite them to come to the marriage of my son verily saith God they shal never have any good by Jesus Christ Oh! it were a dreadful doom to be past upon any soule God forbid it should be past upon any soul and yet when we come to open the grace of God in Jesus Christ in the ministry of the Word we cannot speake of it without trembling hearts without feare least some should be hardened and so God provoked by their resisting of thiâ— grace of his this man and this woman that sits upon such a stool that is not taken with this grace of God offered in Jesus Christ they shal never tast of my supper Beloved Sermons of mercy are more quicker than any other sermons whatsoever men and women may sit under a minister of the word that may preach many wholsome points of Divinity and many moral truthes against drunkenness swearing prophaning the sabbath deceit cozening and cheating they may sit along time under such a minister and God may be patient with them though they do not obey the voice of the minister but now when the Lord comes to invite men and women to come to his son let them look to it then God expects that they should fal down before that infinite grace of his and should admire it and their hearts should be taken with it and they should joyne with him and say Oh! Lord we come and our hearts do close with this bountifulness of thine in thy son the neglect of our not profiting by such sermons and casting out what we heare letting of it pass from us doth the quickest seal up mens hearts to condemnation Ye wil not come to me that ye might have life Wherfore take in what hath been spoken to you and labor to work it upon your hearts Quest You wil say Here are many things that have been spoken to poor sinners to come to Christ if these things be so what is the reason then that there is no more that come to Christ how comes it to pass that the hearts of men and women can stand out against such offers as these Ans Would you know the reason Christ himself gives it you in John 6.43 after he had been inviting some to come to him and told them that he was the bread of life Jesus answered and said unto them murmur not among your selves there were some murmured against Christ â—nd Christs words did not prevail with them no marvel that the ministers of Christ do not alwaies prevaile when Christs words Christs own preaching did not prevail with many but they did murmur at him and went away from his sermons and did reject his sermons at the 44. verse saith Christ There can no man come to me except the father which hath sent me draw him Quest You wil say then why are you speaking al this while to exhort people to come to him we are dead and you had as good speake to dead men Ans To that is answered God the father doth use to draw those soules that belong to his eternal election by the ministry of the word by such exhortations as these God the father doth make use of the ministry of man to set before poor miserable souls the excellency of Jesus Christ and so to draw their soules to him and therefore if you do belong to Gods election God wil make use of his ministry to draw your hearts to come to Christ Doth God begin to draw you by the ministry of his word have you found God by the ministry of his word begin to draw your soules Oh! do not you draw back again as loth to leave your sins to leave such a sweat pleasure such a profitable lust but if God hath taken hold of your hearts to draw you to him Oh! do not you draw back again Indeed the scripture saith many are called but few are Chosen few do come to Christ but you are al called to come to Christ Oh! let not that scripture be made true that many are called but few chosen if thou findest God drawing thy heart and thy heart ready to answer unto the Lord that is an argument that thou art not onely called but one of the Chosen ones of the Lord. There are three waies that God the father drawes those to his son that he intends shal be saved for ever by him First he draws them by the cord as I may so speak of Illumination by enlightning their minds by shewing them what his son is Secondly He draws them by the cords of mercy Thirdly he drawes them by setting conscience upon them to put them forward when the Lord is drawing the soul to Christ he makes use of the consciences of men and women to put them on to come to Christ O! thou wretched soul is not that that thou hearest in the word the truth of God is
only the infinit power of the great god that can help it and give it ease The seventh Burden of sin Seventhly And then in the next place the soul that is truly burdened with sin had rather ten thousand times have any burden upon it then the burden of sin there was a time that sin was delightful to me but now I would rather have any burden upon me then this I did before think that those that wanted the comfort of the creature and were outwardly poore and mean were miserable but now had I al the outward miseries in the world upon my back I had rather bear them al then this burden I have felt much affliction in my dayes but this burden and this weight is most greivous and heaviest of al Oh! if the lord would but take off this weight and this burden from me let him lay what weight and burden upon me he wil. Thus the soul that is rightly burdened with sin is affected The Eighth Burden of sin Eighthly Again Though it feels much weight of sin upon it Yet in al this it Justifies God and doth not think hard thoughts of God notwithstanding the heavy hand of God is upon him It s true I feel Gods heavy hand is upon me and presseth me sore but yet Gods hand is just he is righteous in al this let him have glory whatsoever becoms of me for the truth is I have brought this burden upon my self there was a time that I heaped up one sin after another as if I could never have had weight enough upon me but now I find it heavy Oh! the Sins of my youth they lie heavy now upon my soul my lying and Swearing And the Loss of my time and my Saboth-breaking Oh! the Lord is righteous in al his waies And in this manner doth the heart work that is burdened in Such a way as the Lord doth intend good unto The Ninth burden of Sin Ninthly And lastly though it be under such a burden as is almost intollerable Yet it is not Sunk down in Despare under its burden as a beast while it is under a burden for a little while it wil strugle and strive under it but afterwards it wil lie down and be sullen and die under it But now those that are burdened with sin in such a manner as the Lord doth use to prepare the heart for his Sonn by they feel the weight indeed of it but so feel the weight as they labor that is their hearts are yet active and stirring and working attending stil upon any directions that God hath to give them out of his word their hearts do keep active and crying to God and waighting to know what the mind of God is towards them and are willing to do any thing that God shal require of them they do not lie Sullen and dead as it were under the burden of their Sinns Now if there be any Soule in this condition expressed in the nine particulars before mentioned if there be any such as these Know that these are they that Christ doth in a more especial manner cal unto and Saith Come to me yee that are thus weary and heavy Laden and I wil give you rest CHAP. IV. Two Cautions touching the Burden of sin 1. That 't is no condition of the Covenant of Grace 2 That it doth not interest the soul in Christ nor give it rest in him Whereunto certain Consequences are annexed NOW I must lay down two Cautions before I come to give the Reasons of the Point Object You will say What do you speak of these burdens of the necessity of the souls being burdened with the weight of sin that it may come to Christ for ease and rest surely there is no such thing required Answ To that I answer That al this burden of the soul for sin is not any Condition of the Covenant of Grace that must be granted there is no other Condition but beleeving in Christ it is not looked upon as a Condition In the second place you must know That all this burden of the soul for sin it doth not interest the soul in Christ nor give it rest in Christ I may be thus burdened for sin yet except I do beleeve indeed that there be an act of faith beyond this I shall not obtain rest Then hence we must not ground our faith upon being burdened for sin to think because we are burdened therefore we shal be pardoned and saved we must not lay the stress and weight of our faith upon the feeling the weight of our sin that which we must pitch our faith upon is not our trouble the trouble of our souls for our sins but those troubles that the soul of Jesus Christ suffered for sin It is a note of great use and I beseech you observe it you must know this That when your hearts are troubled for sin you must not think that this is the Condition of the Covenant of Grace nor you must not make this the object of your faith as to think thus because I am thus troubled therefore I may beleeve that my sin is pardoned no I must not pitch my faith upon my own trouble but upon the trouble of Jesus Christ those troubles that the soul of Jesus Christ did endure by way of satisfaction First Then hence will follow That it is not any degree of trouble for sin how much soever one hath been troubled for sin or how little soever that gives them interest or not interest in Christ I say it is not the measure of it for certainly if we could come to Christ without any burden or sence of our sin if it were possible that we could come to Christ I say without any such being burdened for sin we might but because that Jesus Christ doth work upon the heart in a rational way as a rational Creature although he doth work above Reason and conveys supernatural Grace that is beyond Reason yet still he doth work upon the heart as a Rational Creature Now therefore the work of Reason must be made subservient to the work of Gods Grace usually when the Lord works upon a soul he makes use of the work of Reason to make that subservient to the Work of his Grace Now because no man can come to a Savior but he must know what need he hath of a Savior therefore if I come to Christ as a Savior to save my soul from sin I must apprehend what sin is that I may be sensible of it Secondly If God doth work upon the soul as a Rational Creature then he makes use of this to be a means to stop the soul in the course of sin for before the sinner is made sensible of the evil of his sin he goes on in a full carear as it were and nothing wil stop him in his course But now when the soul comes to be thus burdened the soul it stopped and doth not run in that full stream of wickedness as it did before and
thou hast goods laid up for many Years A Christians Rest is this Come saith Christ to me and I will give you Rest the Rest of a Christian it is in the Son of God it is in the Mediator of the second Covenant it is in him that brings the Soul unto the Father and brings all the treasure and Riches of the Grace of the Father unto the soul it is in him that a Christian finds rest and a worldling only in meat and drink and other things as we shall see more afterwards Thus in general what the meaning is Now in this promise of Christ there are two things to be handled the First implyed the Second exprest That which is implyed is this That there is no rest in the Souls of the Children of men out of Jesus Christ that is plainly implied Come to me and I will give you rest So that here is plainly implied That there is no rest for an immortal Soul out of Jesus Christ it can have no rest out of Christ And then that that is exprest is this That in Jesus Christ as soon as the Soul comes to have union with Jesus Christ it shall have true rest indeed there is ful rest to be had in Christ Now for the first That out of Jesus Christ there can be no rest unto the soul As we read of the Dove that Noah sent forth when his Ark was floating up and down on the Water he sent forth a Dove and you find in the story of Noah there in Genesis 8.89 That when the Dove was sent forth she flew up and down but she had not whereon to rest the Sole of her Foot and therefore she comes flying to the Arke again so it is with a soul that is not in Christ for the Arke was a type of Christ it may floate up and down in the world here but certainly there is nothing for the soul to rest it self upon out of Christ Indeed we read that when Noah sent forth a Raven out of the arke the Raven came no more but the dove came again and the difference between the Dove and the Raven doth elegantly express the difference between those souls that God hath an intent to do good unto in Christ and those that are left by God and have no other portion appointed for them than the things of this world men of this world whom the Lord intends no higher good than the things of this world they are like the Raven they flutter up and down in the world but never come to the arke never come to Christ the other that the Lord hath an intent to do good unto although they may for a while be floating up and down here in this world yet so wil God order things that their soules shal never have any rest and quiet til they come to Jesus Christ nothing in this world shal satisfie them but the Lord wil make them seek to be sensible of any emptiness that they have not that good that their soules were made for no rest to be had out of Christ There is a Scripture or two that is very observable I might Name multitudes But I shal content my self with one or two That place in Isa will be sufficient if I Name no more it is in the 57. Chapter of the prophecy of Isa and the two last verses There you shal see al men that are out of Christ described in this of having no rest the 20. verse But the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast up myre and dirt there is no peace saith my God to the wicked or there is no rest saith my God to the wicked yee that are mariners know what a troubled sea doth meane a sea that is troubled casts forth myre and dirt and just thus is a wicked mans heart it is like the troubled sea it casts forth mire and dirt And as when the sea is most troubled it casts forth most dirt so it is with wicked men when wicked men are most troubled then they cast forth most wickedness So somtimes it may be you find it when you are in a storme at sea some kind of men instead of seeking God and praying unto God they fal a cursing and swearing and railing and so their hearts are more troubled than the troubled sea and thereby cast out more filth and dirt out of their hearts than is cast out by the troubled sea Or if not at sea yet when they are here at land as men that have no rest and peace with God every thing troubles them having not rest in Christ they are troubled in their family and with their neighbors they do cast forth nothing but mire and dirt oaths swearing and blaspheming Oh! how do they come forth of wicked men when they are crost at any time when you see at any time the husband or the wife to be crost and troubled when you see them in a distemper and hear them swearing cursing railing blaspheming speaking wicked speeches in their passion remember this text of the 57 of Isa the 20. verse That a wicked man is like the troubled sea that casts forth mire and dirt Oh! that you would remember it and apply it to your own hearts is it thus with my heart I fear that there are many whose consciences tel them that this text doth lively set forth their hearts their consciences tel them that when they are troubled they cast forth mire and dirt Oh! what mire and dirt hath been cast forth by many when they have been in trouble now that the Lord would settle this text upon your hearts for the Lord saies it is the wicked man and woman when they are troubled that do cast forth this mire and dirt But the special thing I aime at is in the next verse There is no peace saith my God to the wicked no peace no rest this is a truth that doth belong unto al men and women that are out of Jesus Christ there is no peace no rest unto their soules and as he doth deny al kind of rest that such a one can have so you may observe what a confirmation there is Saith my God It is God that saith it as if the prophet should say I am now preaching unto you about the restless condition that you are in remaining in your natural estate as unconverted to God while I am preaching of this it wil be a sad thing to you it is a sad argument you wil say the prophet tels us there is no rest no peace but as if the prophet should say it is not I that saith it it is my God that saith it God doth pronounce this upon every ungodly man and woman that there is no peace no rest unto such let the world have never so much rest and peace though there should be no war abroad in the world yet there is no peace unto wicked men no rest unto their soules I shal demonstrate this more cleerly
it not the word of the Lord hast thou not now a gracious offer Is it not a mercy that thou art out of hel this day and is it not a mercy that thou art not drowned in the sea that thou art brought to land to heare one more offer to come to Christ Wilt thou yet go on in thy sins Wilt thou yet prize thy lusts before al that infinite good that is in Jesus Christ dost thou think this wil be peace in the end How wilt thou be able to look God in the face another day It s mercy thou needest and Mercy thou must have or else thou art for ever miserable and wilt thou reject this mercy Oh! that the Lord would cal in your consciences to help on this work There hath been I hope by al that hath been said some Illumination about Christ yea and some cords of Mercy have been fastened upon your hearts Now if God would but stir up conscience give a command to conscience and say never suffer this man or this woman to be at quiet til they come to my son til their hearts be taken off from al things that hinder them from coming to my son let them never be at quiet til then it were a happy thing if God would give this command to conscience that so many might answer to this invitation of Christ that when Christ saith come to me ye that are laden the soul answers Lord I come Quest I but you wil say Suppose God hath been calling me and I have rejected him I have been in some forwardness to come to Christ and my lusts have drawn my heart back again for you tel us that the Lord useth to be quick with sinners when they have rejected his grace now have you any word of comfort for such if these shal come that have abused Gods grace and mercy and turned back upon him have you any comfort for such Ans I wil onely give you one scripture for those and that is in Jeremiah 3. and the 22. verse and Oh! that the Lord would fasten this scripture upon your hearts Returne ye back-sliding children and I wil heale your back-slidings Mark here is the answer Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God This scripture in the name of God do I present to you that have drawn back from the grace of God that once were in a good frame and now are back-sliders once more in the name of God do I cal to you Oh! returne thou back-slider the Lord Jesus Christ is ready now to healthy back-slidings now then secretly say Lord I come and when thou comest into thy closet in a more solemn manner and art al alone resigne up thy soul to Jesus Christ and say Lord thou hast invited me this day to come to Christ now Lord I give up my self and all that I have and am to thee my estate my Body my honor and all that I have to come to thee and then not only those good things shall be made good but the promise likewise then Christ shall give you Rest These times are times of distress and therefore seasonable to hear of Rest whatever troubles fal out yet if thou come to Christ thou shalt be safe thy self Christ doth ingage himself to give Rest unto thy Soul And so much for the Invitation it self CHAP. XXIII The Doctrine arising from the dependance of the promise upon the Invitation That God will have us when we are coming to Christ to have respect to our selves NOw the next thing that follows is the promise that Christ makes to poor Laden sinners that do come unto him He will give them Rest And I will give you Rest It is too much for any creature to say thus Yea it were too much boldness and presumption for all the Angels in Heaven to make these words as their own for them all to say thus Come unto us all ye that Labor and are heavy Laden and we will give you Rest Yet here in this text there is not only one that is greater than Solomon but one that is greater than all the Angels in Heaven and men that ever lived upon the Earth that saith Come unto me all ye that Labor and are heavy Laden and I will give you Rest They are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of the Father that is equal with the Father God blessed for ever He saith Come unto me ye that Labor and are heavy Laden and I will give you Rest This is that that now we are come unto The gracious promise that Christ makes to draw Souls unto himself he will give them Rest And I will give you Rest And what more fit Argument and seasonable can there be at this time this time we know is a time of trouble a time of disturbance there is much perplexity and distress in our Nation and what will be more acceptable unto us than this to hear of Rest this is that that Christ doth promise to al them that come to him that beleeve in him he saith he will give them Rest Before I come to open this gracious promise which is exceeding ful of marrow and fatness as we shall find when we come to the opening of it I shall first give you one note briefly from the connexion of these words with the former Come to me ye that Labor and I will give you Rest You see Christ that he might draw sinners to himself makes a gracious promise of that that he knows will do good to sinners at the Heart he will give them Rest From hence the note is this in the general That God would have us even when we are coming to Christ have some respect to our selves and Christ encourageth us in coming to him even to have some aime at our own good That is the note cleerly from the Connexion of the words Before we open the promise I will give you Rest saith he if you come to me in that Christ doth propound that which he knows will take the Hearts of sinners as a great good unto them to draw them to himself hence I say the note it cleer That in our coming to Jesus Christ it is lawful for us to have some aime at our own good Yea not only lawful for us but we ought so to do for we are to look upon Christ so as Christ propounds himself unto us not only lawful I say to look upon Christ so as he propounds himself to us but it is our duty so to look upon him Now when Christ propounds himself unto us as an object to draw our Hearts to him he doth propound himself as one wherein our souls shal gaine abundance of good one that we shall get much by Now though it is true we should Labor to be above our selves as much as may be we should Labor to deny our selves in some sence yet not so but that we are to look at our own good even in our coming unto Jesus Christ