the wildernesse of this life into the spirituall Canaan of euerlasting happinesse Herein then stands the difference betweene Christians and Iewes as concerning the workes and obseruation of the Morall Law that the one is bound to a strict performance of the exquisite and exact iustice required therein vpon paine of death and euerlasting damnation according to that of Moses Deut. 27.26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to doe them But Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the Law Gal. 3.13 so that wee are not confined within these straits eyther by perfect and absolute obedience to purchase life or in case of defect and failing in the least to expect the fearefull sentence of death and damnation to passe vpon vs howsoeuer a serious and earnest endeuour be required in putting off concerning our former conuersation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts Eph. 4.20 and putting on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse being not without law to God but vnder the law to Christ for the more that wee are bound to the mercie and fauour of God the more are wee obliged to conforme our selues to his good will and pleasure Rom. 9.21 Being then that by faith in his Sonne we are freed from the curse of the Law the Father for Christ his sake accepting our halfe-maimed and imperfect obedience as absolute and without blame let it beget in our hearts rather a more earnest endeuour of performing the Law as a perfect path of righteousnesse then carelesse Epicurisme in following our owne wayes professing and saying with the blessed Apostle Rom. 7.22 I delight in the Law of God after the inward man Sometimes againe because of the second propertie the word Yoke is vsed for the heauie burthen perplexitie and sorrow which in case of disobedience the Law bringeth vpon the soules and consciences of men in which respect the Law is often called a yoke Act. 15.10 Why tempt yee God to put a yoke vpon the necke of the Disciples which neither our fathers nor wee were able to beare that is Why labour yee to intangle and bring againe within the curse of Gods Law those who by faith in Christ may well be freed there-from Gal. 5.1 And againe Stand fast in the libertie wherewith Christ hath made vs free and be not intangled againe with the yoke of bondage in which sense Christ his my yoke imports an Antithesis and opposition betweene the Law of Faith and the Law of Workes as if he should haue said You haue heretofore laboured and beene heauie laden vnder the intolerable yoke and heauie burthen of the Law which was neuer able to afford you any comfort or giue rest vnto perplexed spirits Rom. 3.20 for by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh liuing be iustified in his sight take therefore vpon you my yoke of the Gospel you shall find rest vnto your soules Sometimes because of the third propertie the word yoke is vsed for the hard vsage calamity and tribulation which men receiue indure at the hands of others Of old time I haue broken thy yoke burst thy bonds Ier. 2.20 28.2.14 Thus speaketh the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel saying I haue broken the yoke of the King of Babylon and againe I haue put a yoke of Iron vpon the necke of all these Nations that they may serue Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon And in this sense although I neither dare nor doe reiect the former after a speciall manner are Christ his words here to be vnderstood that in this life such as come vnto him stand in neede of calamity and tribulation for suppressing and keeping downe the exorbitant wickednesse and vnruly wantonnesse of the flesh Take vpon you my yoke then is the same with that of our Sauiour If any man will come after mee Mat. 16.24 10.30 let him deny himselfe and take vp his crosse and follow me and againe He that taketh not his crosse and followeth mee is not worthy of me Whosoeuer will come after me let him deny himselfe and take vp his crosse and follow me The happinesse then which wee finde in Christ Iesus Marke 8.34 doth not consist in the delights and pleasures of the flesh but in the quieting calmenesse of the mind Come vnto me and ye shall find rest vnto your soules let vs not then bee dismaied or cast downe if so bee seeking rest and quietnesse by faith in the Sonne of God wee be inuironed with the snares of calamity and tribulation for it is the good-will and pleasure of our heauenly Father to lay this yoke vpon vs whilst we liue here vpon earth First to call to our remembrance the generall Apostasie and defection by vs in our first Parents made from the Lord our God for the world knoweth not the fearefull disease lothsome contagion and fierce wrath and indignation thereby violently drawne vpon the whole posterity and consequently by the reares of repentance and faith in the Mediator sue not for atonement nor seeke to bee reconciled vnto this consuming fire Therefore it pleaseth the wisdome of our great Aduocate to lay this yoke vpon the neckes of his Disciples that by these sowre fruits vnderstanding the bitternesse of the roote they may thereby be incited and stirred vp to sue vnto the true Elisha 2. King 2.19 4.40 IESVS CHRIST for curing these poisoned waters and sweetning this deadly meale Secondly thereby to beget in our hearts a deeper consideration and higher esteeem and value of our atonement and reconciliation made by the death and al-sufficient sacrifice of Iesus Christ the better the patient vnderstands the danger of his disease the more thankfull is he vnto the Physicion for his cure the more euidences vnfallible arguments that men haue of death the more ioifully and gladly do they receiue their pardon hee that 's adiudged to bee burnt quicke escapes afterwards with the losse of a finger by this small taste better knowes the greatnesse of the Iudge his fauor then if so be he had not at all felt any heate of the fire Euen so the sufferance of temporal afflictions the least part of that which our sinnes haue deserued at the hands of the Lord makes vs vnderstand the great obligation wherin we are bound vnto the Sonne of God by whom we are redeemed from so great damnation and more thankful vnto his holinesse for so great a blessing for if so be these excrements be so heauy what should the whole burthen haue bin if we find such and so great difficulty in bearing the smallest and least part what if the whole desert of our transgressions had bin layd vpon vs Thirdly the yoke of calamitie and tribulation serues for preuenting of future slips according to that of the Prophet Danid Psal 119.67 71. Before I was afflicted I went astray but now haue
courses then our Aduersarie the Deuill 1. Pet. 5.8 who goeth about as a roaring Lyon seeking whom hee may deuoure vnmaskes whatsoeuer formerly he hath kept secret and amplifieth to the full those things which when hee did leaue he laboured greatly to extenuate and value at the smallest rate Come therefore vnto me all yee that labour and are heauie laden and I will giue you rest Esay 61.1.2.3.4.5 because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meeke he hath sent me to binde vp the broken-hearted to proclaime libertie to the Captiues and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound to proclaime the acceptable yeere of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all that mourne in Zion to giue vnto them Beautie for Ashes the Oyle of Ioy for Mourning the Garment of Praise for the spirit of Heauinesse that they might be called Trees of Righteousnesse the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified Fourthly because men to their endlesse and irrecouerable losse should not wrest or peruert that which goeth before in the seuen and twentieth verse No man knoweth the Father but the Sonne and he to whomsoeuer the Sonne will reueale him As if the grace of God were in Christ Iesus offered onely to some few of those that labour and are heauie laden vnder the burthen of their sinnes therefore all are mentioned Come vnto me all yee that labour and are heauie laden Esay 1.18 and I will giue you rest If your sinnes were as red as crimson come vnto me and I will make them as white as snow At what time soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his wickednesse and commeth vnto me though his sinnes be as scarlet they shall be as wooll If tenne Lepers come vnto me although they be euen tenne they shall all be cleansed of their loathsome and filthie disease although your soules be as blinde with the dust and durt of Iniquitie as was Bartimeus the begger come vnto me and yee shall receiue sight If your transgressions be such and so manie that euen a Legion of Deuills torture and torment your soules come vnto me and you shall finde rest If from the Wombe you haue been so lame and cripple that you are vnable to moue one hayre-breadth towards the Kingdome of Heauen come vnto mee and I will enable your ioynts If you haue so long lyen in the puddle of sinne that with Lazarus you stinke in the graue of Iniquitie come vnto me and I will breathe in your face the breath of life whereby you shall be made liuing soules where all are inuited there none is excluded where such as labour and are heauie laden vnder the burthen of Sinne and Iniquitie are willed to come there a secret reason is giuen why the mercie and fauour of God offered vnto all is not by all receiued because all doe not labour and are heauie laden vnder the burthen of their sinnes for Christ came not to saue the righteous but to call sinners to repentance the whole need no Physician but such as are maymed and lame vnder the intolerable weight of their transgressions Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse for they shall be filled To the end then that comfortably and with profit wee may come vnto Christ it is necessary that we labour and be heauy laden vnder the burthen of sinne that our hearts be ready to melt because of our transgressions and our soules standing at the gates of death because of the intolerable weight of iniquity which can neuer sufficiently be effected without a distinct knowledge of the nature quality and condition of sin because the naturall and vnborn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and selfe loue which deepely lyeth rooted in the heart of man seconded with the malicious subtiltie of the common enemy of mans saluation so duls and darkens the eye and edge of his vnderstanding that he is more then blind in censuring and valuing of his owne actions whence it comes to passe that often he perswades himselfe that he is in a direct straight course or at least meanely to erre when as he lyes deepely plunged in a filthy sinke and lothsome puddle of all maner of wickednes now sinne is knowne by the Touch-stone of Gods Lawe according to that of the Apostle Rom. 3.20 7.7 By the Law is the knowledge of sinne I had not knowne sinne but by the Lawe for I had not knowne lust except the lawe had said Thou shalt not couet for whereas all other learning serues rather to blowe vp the heart of man with an idle opinion and vaine conceit of his owne worth founding nothing els in his eare but shrill and loud blasts of the excellency of his soule the wonderfull fabricke and making of his body the goodly sympathie and fellow feeling which euery part facultie and power hath one with another and the sweet harmonie and concord of the whole compound the Lawe of the Lord is that which bewrayeth and layeth open vnto man the vglinesse of his heart the nakednes of his imaginations and the peruersenesse of his wayes to the Law therefore and to the testimony if they soule spenke and thinke not according vnto this word Esay 8.20 it is because there is no light in it therefore DAVID speaking of this Lawe sayth that it is perfect conuerting the Soule that it is sure making wise the simple that it is right reioicing the heart that it is pure enlightening the eyes that it is true and righteous altogether Psal 19.7.8 9 10. 1.2 more to be desired then gold yea then much fine gold sweeter also then the hony and the hony-combe Blessed therefore is the man whose delight is in the Lawe of the Lord and in his Law doth meditate night and day Secondly because man naturally is so bewitched with the pleasures of sinne and glued to the alluring and entising sweetnes of wickednesse that a bare knowledge of the nature of transgression is neuer able to bring this labour and wearisomenesse vpon his soule therefore after that by the Lawe wee haue attained vnto the knowledge of sinne it is necessary that we vnderstand the value and esteeme which it hath in the eyes of the Lord by himselfe at great length reuealed in his Word sometimes by speeches and words full of dislike and disdaine My people aske counsell at their stockes Hos 4.12 and their staffe declareth vnto them for the spirit of whoredome hath caused them to erre and they haue gone a whoring from vnder their God God saw the wickednesse of man that it was great in the earth and that euery Imagination of the thought of his heart was onely euill continually Gen. 6.5 therefore it repented the Lord that he had made man vpon the earth and it grieued him at his heart your Incense and Sacrifices are abomination Esay 1.15 because your hands are full of bloud sometimes he denounceth heauy
and other Scriptures of the same or like nature by some maintained and from hence by others in large and learned discourses powerfully confuted I forbeare in this place so much as to name because the words rightly considered giue not the least occasion of any such discourse challenging rather the conueiance of comfort vnto the most hainous grosse and grieuous sort of those transgressours who labouring and heauie laden vnder the burthen of their sinnes come vnto Christ then any such generall interest in Christs death vnto all For as Sathan the common enemy of mans saluation hath great variety and store of sleights and subtilties to hinder our approach vnto the Throne of grace so this is none of the least that with great inlargement and amplifications he sets before our eyes the sins and offences which formerly we haue committed thereby to make vs despaire of Gods goodnes and mercie this was that Schoole where Cain learned that dolefull doctrine My sinnes are greater then can be forgiuen this was the stratagem which brought wretched Iudas vnnaturally to become the executioner of his owne body to speake nothing of many others who euen in our times by this meanes haue been brought to commit things farre misbeseeming their holy profession therefore for preuenting of so great harme otherwise like to ensue and fall vpon the creature it hath pleased the wisedome of Gods holy Spirit so to publish the riches and great depth of his mercy that Sathans subtilty may preuaile against none how great and grieuous transgressors soeuer in the least measure industrious and carefull of the saluation of their soules for this cause it is that sometimes in the plurall number hee is called the Father of mercies 2. Cor. 1 3 4. Blessed bee God euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort who comforteth vs in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble Psa 103.9 10 11 12 13. by the comfort wherewith we our selues are comforted of God sometimes a mercifull and gracious Lord slow to anger and plenteous in mercie such a one as will not chide alway nor keepe his anger for euer who dealeth not with vs after our sinnes nor rewardeth vs after our iniquities for as high as the heauen is aboue the earth so great is his mercy towards them that feare him as farre as the East is from the West so farre hath he remoued our transgressions from vs like as a Father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that feare him and againe Exod. 34.6 7. The Lord the Lord mercifull and gracious long suffering and aboundant in goodnes and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiuing iniquity transgression and sinne and sometime he is said to be rich in mercy and grace God who is rich in mercy for his great loue wherewith he loued vs euen when wee were dead in sinnes hath quickned vs together with Christ Eph. 2.4 5. that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace and kindnesse towards vs through Christ Iesus Rom. 2.4 and in the Epistle to the Romans Despisest thou the riches of his goodnes forbearance and long suffering not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance I will spare them saith the Lord by the mouth of the Prophet as a man spareth his own sonne that serueth him Mal. 3.17 There is then no sin so odious and abominable in the sight of God but vpon a true sense and feeling of the lothsomnesse of the same by faith in the Mediator Iesus Christ free pardon and forgiuenesse is assuredly to be looked for and expected from the Throne of mercie and grace Come therefore vnto me all ye that are weary and heauy laden and I will giue you rest though your sinnes be as skarlet they shall be as white as snow though they bee redde as crimson they shall be as wooll for if the wicked will turne from all his sinnes that he hath committed Eze. 18.21 22. and keepe all my statutes and doe that which is lawfull and right he shall surely liue he shall not dye all his transgressions that hee hath committed they shall not be mentioned vnto him in his righteousnesse that he hath done he shall liue Ye that labour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as be skilfull in the original tongues make this difference between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the latter generally signifying whatsoeuer labour exercise and trauaile the first betokeneth a paineful wearisome sorrowfull and heauy labour so that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 labour is the cause of wearisomenesse or painefull and tedious emploiment and therefore the Septuagint and other Translations of the olde Scripture into the Greeke tongue haue vsed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in such places of the old Testament where the Originall expresseth such and so great ouerspending of the vitall parts by reason of too much sorrow griefe labour and toile that without present succour releefe and comfort nothing but death and fearefull dissolution is vndoubtedly to bee expected as in that of Deuteronomy Remember what Amalek did vnto thee by the way Deut. 25.17 18. when ye were come forth out of Aegypt how hee met thee by the way and smote the hindmost of thee euen all that were feeble behind thee when thou wast faint and wearie And againe Ahitophel offering his seruice vnto Absalon against Dauid 2. Sam. 17.2 sayth I will come vpon him while he is weary and weake handed and will make him afraid I haue giuen you a Land for which ye did not labour Iosh 24.13 and Cities which yee built not and ye dwell in them What! Did not Israel labour for the Land of Canaan for which they had many sharpe skirmishes and encountred with many seuerall oppositions Yes verily but because of the extraordinary assistance of Gods holy Spirit and vnaccustomed presence of his almighty power and out-stretched arme whereby they subdued those nations with great facility and ease they might well haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but they had not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was vnto them some kinde of exercise but not an ouer-spending and out-wearing of their strength sometimes againe the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is vsed for expressing of those places of the old Testament where the Originall signifieth a coniunction of labour sorrow trauell heauinesse and paine Man is borne vnto trouble as the sparks flye vpwards Iob. 5.7 And againe the daies of our yeeres are threescore and ten and if by reason of strength they be fourescore Psal 90.10 yet is their strength labor and sorrow Thirdly the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is vsed by the Pen-men of holy Scripture for expressing the varietie of tribulation calamity and crosse vnder which in this life the Saints continually groane 1. Cor. 4.11 12. Euen vnto this present houre we both hunger and thirst and