evil report upon the waies of God 5. They keep no proportion therein 6. They are kept off from Christ NOw that which remaines is to shew you the sad condition of men and women that are under this Legal Performance that are in this condition we shal find that the condition is very sad and insupportable to many and this text wil appear to be a text of wonderful mercy if we do set out before you the sadness and grievousness of those that are under this Burden The first Misery First Is not this a sad thing that that thing which should be the cheif joy of ones heart in this world which we should account our priuiledg happiness and the beginning of eternal life that we should account that a misery to us as thus the performance of Duty to do that which God cals for we should account it our priviledg happiness and the beginning of eternal life And indeed it is so if we do it in the way that God requires but now one that is under this burden doth the things in the meer outward act but doth them as necessary evils accounts them as evil things only he cannoâ— avoid them this man and womans condition is very sad that that which others accounte their happiness life and Glory he accounts as his Misery The Second Misery Secondly there is this evil also in the burden of Legal performances that this is a means to cause hard thoughts of God and if God go no further with them then this that they perform Duties in a Legal way this wil occasion many hard thoughts of God and of his waies and they may find that they have so many times when their hearts are pinched with this burden they have many hard thoughts of God and hard thougths of his Law and hard thoughts of his waies this is very greivous when the soul comes to find the commandements of God to be grievous and so to murmure and repine against God as many do that are in trouble of conscience they go on in Duties but because they get no peace nor comfort nor Mastery over their corruptions they begin to repine and murmure at God say they I have done thus and thus and I have performed Duties and nothing comes of them and there upon they begin to leave and hate them The Third Misery Thirdly there is this evil also in the burden of Legal performances that it causes a sinking discouragement their heart doth sink in exceeding discouragment after a while they go on in performance of Duties and find nothing comes of it and they sink under it in discouragment they think it is in vain to go any further and they are desirous to cast it off wholly and think it is the only way for their ease and rest hence follows that therefore there is a way open to temptation for the Devil to come and tempt them either to loosness or to dispair it is many times the end of such poor creatures except God be pleased to come in and reveal Christ unto them one of these two is the Conclusion either they cast off the Duties that before they made conscience of and so grow to be loose and prophane or otherwise if conscience pursues them more and more they grow to dispaire and somtimes upon their sick bed and death bed come into a raving and raging distemper as by experience we find that many after they have been a long time under a troubled conscience and gone on in a Legal way they have grown very prophane there was a time that they durst not neglect Duty in their family and closet but they come afterward to think that this was but Legal and now they cast them off and give themselves to loosness and then they have nothing to plead for themselves but this that they were under Legal performances and they leave them off and thus they go this way to Rest but Oh! woful this is to go to the Devil for Rest if you had come to Christ you might have had Rest but these give up their Souls to the Devils Rest and grow to loosness and are notoriously scandalous in in their lives I suppose if you wil observe it you need not go far to find examples in this kind but others that cannot get the Mastery of their consciences they grow to dispair when they come upon their sick beds their hearts are overwhelmed with dispair and so they die Now Oh! what pity it is to loose such Souls as have gone thus far in the way of Religion As thus First they do the same things that Gods people do for the outward act they do the same things the Saints do Secondly They are very Conscientious of what they do make conscience of their very thoughts and of their secret waies Nay Thirdly they know they have to do with God in every thing they have their hearts so wrought upon that they set themselves in the presence of God alwaies Nay Fourthly They have the fear of God the fear of eternity upon their hearts continually and yet perish at last and al for the want of knowledg of the Gospel it is true these men say right that if their were any such who did put them upon Duties and not open to them the Rest that is in the Gospel and in Christ if they did so they are rightly blamed for putting men upon Duties God forbid that any that take upon them to preach the mind of God unto people should rest here in meerly putting of men upon the performance of Duties for we know to be under the Law and to do Duties in a meer Legal way is a most fearful burden but now this is our work to invite you to come to Jesus Christ that you might have Rest if there be any that knows what it is to be burdened with Legal performances the maine thing I shal do is to invite them to come to Jesus Christ and we shal I Hope bring them to their Rest seeing Christ doth invite them so graciously to come unto him for their Rest The Fourth Misery Fourthly there is this evil in the burden of Legal performances that they who perform duties in a Legal way do bring an evil report upon the waies of God for they go alwaies heavily and dully on in Gods waies and so they bring an ill report upon the waies of God whereas when the Heart is sanctified and caryed on by a divine principle such a one makes the waies of God beautiful and lovely to those that they converse withal but they that perform Duties meerly in a Legal way they go on so Pensively sadly and dully that there is no beauty at al in their Conversation and they make others afraid of those waies that are so tedious and irksome to them The Fift Misery Fifthly There is this Evil in the burden of Legal performances that those that perform Duties meerly in a Legal manner they do not keep any proportion in the waies of God
al and yet you do not cry out but Paul he was delivered from the guilt of his sin yet the very remainder of sin in his heart was a burden to him there is much sin in many of your hearts and you cry not out of it Paul he was delivered and yet he cryeâ— out of it who shal deliver me from this body of death But now to open this I shal shew First how manâ— waies the remaining part of corruption is a burden to the Saints Secondly What kind of burden it is Thirdly Open the particulars shewing that sinful nature is a burden and the stirring of corruption a burden and the prevailing of corruption a burden Fourthly Why it is that God doth so in his providence order things that his owne saints shal be under the burden of corruption and so make some application of it First Then in what respect the remaining part of sin and corruption in the heart of the saints is a burden The First burden of Corruption First It is a burden of greife unto them you know grief causeth heaviness and sadness now the remainder of corruption that they find in them it is as lead and lies heavy upon their spirits in regard of greif it is the cause of their grief and trouble some wil say perhaps sometimes to others such and such that are professours of religion they go very sadly and heavily and when once you come to be so strict in your way you wil loose al your comfort for such and such are alwaies sad and pensive but do you know what is the reason of their sadness you have as much cause to be sad as they the burden is not because they are religious but because they are no more religious not because now they do more duties then they did before but because they cannot find their hearts come up to their duties as they would do not atribute their greif to their godlyness but rather say to thy self thus if they that do so much for God are yet so much troubled and greived because they do no more for God how much cause of trouble and greife have I then that do nothing at al for God The Second burden of Corruption Secondly The remaining part of corruption in the hearts of the saints it is a burden of shame greif is a burden and shame is a burden many that can beare great burdens that can beare the burden of poverty yet are not able to beare the burden of disgrace especially to those that are most ingenious it is one of the greatest burdens in the world now the saints they are ashamed of the corruption that remains in them they account it a shame before the Lord and before his blessed Angels and in regard of themselves what they know of themselves that the world knowes not of they look upon it as ashame that they do even loath and abhor themselves as the scripture speakes it may be their lives are such as others do honor and have high thoughts of them but they being acquainted with their own hearts and looking into the secret working of their own spirits they see so much evil there as they see much cause to abhor and loath themselves and to lie down in their shame before the Lord whom they know doth see into their hearts a great deale more then they can see themselves I wil appeal to any one that knows his owne heart if God should open your heart and make it known to your friends and acquaintance so much evil as is in your heart in the performing of one duty if al men should know so much evil as is in your heart at one time in praier or hearing a sermon would you not be ashamed now God knowes and sees al the baseness and vildness of your spirits and the godly knowing this they cannot but be ashamed and go under this burden of shame with heavy hearts The Third burden of Corruption Thirdly The remaining part of Corruption in the hearts of the godly it carries with it a burden of feare fear you know is a great burden as wel as greif and shame though the evil be not so great upon them yet if their be an evil apprehended to come upon them it is a great burden to them as those that dare not go out of dores in the night because of feare or dare not be in the dark because of fear when they are delivered from their feares do they not account that it was a great burden now the godly they have a great deal of fear upon their hearts and the truth is those that are godly they fear more what their owne evil hearts should bring upon them then what al the divels in hel and al the creatures in the world can bring upon them and that is a good fear but yet it makes them walk heavily others feare sometimes they fear men fear those that wil come and take away their estates and undo them feare their enemies or feare the divel but one that is godly he feares more his own heart the evil that may come to his soul by that then al the hurt that al the divels in hel can do to him for they cannot afflict more then the body I but this brings an evil upon the soul it breakes their communion between them and God and therefore they are afraid of sin before it comes they have experience of their hearts what evil it hath done to them and so are afraid of miscarrying and afraid of the evil consequences of their sin they do not know what mischief their sin might possibly bring upon them and so they goe under this burden of fear along time together even those that are truly godly The Fourth burden of Corruption Fourthly The remaining part of corruption in the hearts of the saints is a burden of care for men and women to be alwaies careful to be ful of care you know that is a great burden that many of you are acquainted with that when you have a great deal of business upon you and much lies upon you when your thoughts are ful of care is it not a great burden to you many men that have been ful of business and afterwards have got over their business what a freedome do they account it the saints they have a burden of care upon them because they find so much to do with their own hearts that they had need be watchful night and day over them they have had experience what their hearts have done when there hath not been a strict watch over â—hem and therefore there is no Child of God but if he be in a right temper he is a careful man so long as we live in this flesh our condition is ful of feares and so we must neds be ful of care in this world though there be a great deale of difference between the distracting care that wicked men have about their outward estate and the care of the godly about keeping their
CHRIST Inviting SINNERS To come to Him for REST. Wherein is shewed FIRST 1 The Burden of Sin 2 The Burden of the Law 3 The Burden of Legal performances with the Misery of those that are under them 4 The Burden of Corruption 5 The Burden of Outward Affliction SECONDLY Christ Greciously offers to them that come to him REST from al those Burdens Wherein is shewed 1 What it is to come to Christ 2 That Christ requires nothing but to come to him 3 Several Rules to be observed in in right coming to Christ 4 Means to draw Souls to Christ 5 That in coming to Christ God would have us have respect to our selves 6 That there is No REST for souls out of Christ And the Reasons therefore with some conclusions from it THIRDLY There is shewed 1 The Rest Believers have from sin 2 The deliverance from the Law by Christ is 1 Privatively 2 Positively 3 The Rest Believers have from the Burden of the Law by coming to Christ 4 How Christ gives Rest from the Burden of Legal performances 5 How Christ gives Rest from the Burden of Corruption wherein is shewed how Sanctification and Holiness comes from Christ only And encouragments to come to Christ for Holiness 6 How Christ gives Rest from outward Afflictions 7 Some Directions how to get Rest from Christ in Spiritual desertions By JEREMIAH BURROUGHS Preacher of the Gospel at Stepny and Cripple-Gate London London Printed by Peter Cole Printer and Book-seller and are to be Sold at the Sign of the Printing-Press in Cornhill near the Royall Exchange 1659. A Testimony to the Reader WHAT we have by way of Preface set before the several Books already published of this Reverend Author Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs may sufficiently serve for all that are come forth So that we only need now give Letters Testimonial to the World that these viz. The Sermons on Matthew the 11. Chapter 28 29 and 30. verses We avouch likewise to be the painfull and profitable Labors of the same Author and published by the best and most Authentick Copies Thomas Goodwin William Greenhil William Bridge Sydrach Sympson Philip Nye John Yates William Adderley Books Printed by Peter Cole Printer and Book seller of London at the Exchange Four New Books of Mr. Jer. Burroughs VIZ. THE FIRST BOOK Christs call to all those that are Weary and Heavy Laden to come to him for Rest Wherein is shewed First 1 The Burden of Sin 2 The Burden of the Law 3 Ths Burden of Legal performances with the Misery of those that are under them 4 The Burden of Corruption 5 The Burden of Outward Affliction Secondly Christ Graciously offers to them that come to him REST from all those Burdens Wherein is shewed 1 What it is to come to Christ 2. That Christ requires nothing but to come to him 3 Several Rules to be Observed in right coming to Christ 4 Meanes to Draw Soules to Christ 5 That in coming to Christ God would have us have respect to our selves 6. That there is No REST for souls out of Christ And the Reasons therefore with some conclusions from it Thirdly There is shewed 1 The Rest Beleevers have from sin 2 The deliverance from the Law by Christ is 1 Privatively 2 Positively 3 The Rest beleevers have from the Burden of the Law by coming to Christ 4 How Christ gives Rest from the Burden of Legal performances 6 How Christ gives Rest from the Burden of Corruption wherein is shewed how Sanctification and Holiness comes from Christ only And encouragments to come to Christ for holiness 6 How Christ gives Rest from outward Affliction 7 Some Directions how to get Rest from Christ in Spiritual desertions THE SECOND BOOK Christ the Great Teacher of Souls that come to him Wherein is shewed 1 What Christs Yoak is 2 That beleevers must take Christs Yoak on them 3 The more we are under the Yoak of Christ the more REST we have 4 Christ is the great Teacher of his Church and People 5 In what manner Christ Teacheth 1 He is a Meek Teacher 2 An Humble Teacher 6 The Learners of Christ must be MEEK 7 The Learners of Christ must be humble 8 Christ teacheth by his EXAMPLE 9 Wherein Christs EXAMPLE is to be followed 10 What kind of Pattern Christ is 11 We must not follow the Example of the World We must imitate Christ in MEEKNES 1 What Meekness is 2 Learn of Christ to be Meek towards God And the Reasons thereof 3 The Dreadful Evil of Anger and frowardness towards God 4 Meekness towards God Exemplified from scripture Examples 5 Meekness towards Men which consists in ordering Anger 1 To the right Object 2 To the right Time 3 To the reight measure 4 To the right end c. 6 The sad Effects of Anger 7 The Excellency of Meekness 8 Promises made to Meekness 9 Many Vaine Reasons and Pleas for Anger Answered 10 Exhortations to Meekness 11 Means to get and keep Meekness New Books of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs THE THIRD BOOK Christ the Humble Teacher of those that come to him Wherein is shewed 1 What Humility oâ— Lowliness is Not. 2 What that Lowliness of Heart is that Christ would have us to Learn of him 3 Arguments from the Lowliness of Christ to work Lowliness of spirit in Us. 4 The properties of an humble heart towards God 5 The Properties of an Humble and Lowly heart in respect of Our selves 6 The properties of humility in respect of others 1 It is fearful of giving or taking offence 2 It gives due honor to all 3 It is tender to others 4 It 's not needlesly singular from them 7 The Excellencies of Humility 8 Humility brings REST unto the Soul 9 Means to get Humility THE FOURTH BOOK The only Easie way to Heaven Whereâ—n is shewed 1 The way to Heaven that Iesus Christ Teacheth is an Easie way six Evidences thereof 2 The Difference between the EASE a Carnal heart hath and the EASE a gracious Soul hath in Religion 3 The Reason why some gracious Souls complaine of difficulty in Gods waies 4 What it is that Makes the waies of God so Easie 5 Consequences from the easiness of Gods waies 6 Directions how we may make the waies of God Easie New Books of Mr. Sydrach Simpsons viz. I Of Faith Or That beleeving is receiving Christ And receiving Christ is Believing II Of Covetousness In the First Book is shewed besides many other things 1 That Persons that are beleevers are Receivers 2 That to Receive is the Principal use of Faith 3 That nothing should hinder our Receiving 1 Not our Sins 2 Nor Gods delaies 3 Nor the smalness of our receipts 4 Nor the greatness of our Wants 4 How Faith Receives 5 That Faith Receives Christ 1 In the understanding 2 In the Will 6 The temper of a man that hath faith 7 The necessity of Faith 8 Though Faith be smal yet it makes us the Sons of God 9 The Nature of True Faith 10 There are
but few that Receive Christ 11 Three sorts that come not to Christ 1 Such as Receive him not as he is 2 Such as delay their coming to him 3 Such as give not that place to Christ in their hearts that is fitting for him In the Treatise of Covetousness is shewed 1 It is the Duty of all as they would obtaine eternal Life to beware of covetousness 2 The Reasons of the Doctrine 1 Its a spiritual Sin 2 It over spreads the whole man 3 It s opposite to the Nature of Godliness and Religion 4 It s the Womb and seed of all Sin 5 It s a base Sin 3 The Dangerousness of covetousness· 1 It is hardly avoided 2 It s difficultly cured 4 You shal have all things needful for this life if you wil look after Grace 5 Your Life lies in Grace not in Riches 6 There is more to be feared than to be desired in Riches 7 We should Mortifie our desires after Riches In Book 1 Of Unbelief or the want of Readiness c. is shewed 1 What Vnbelief it is that is here spoken of 2 The best way to deal with Vnbelief 3 That Vnbelief is a sin against al the Attributes of God 4 That Christ will not bear with this Sin of Vnbeleif 5 That we should be quick and reâ—yd to beleeve 6 Motives to indeavor for readiness to beleeve 7 Helps to attain readiness in Beleeving In Book 2 Of Not going to Christ c. is shewed 1 That unbelief is a great Sin and exceeding provoking unto God 2 Several arguments provoking us to beleeve the greatness of the Sin of unbelief 3 Many Objections answered 4 Several sorts of this Sin of unbeliefe 5 Means to convince us that unbelief is so great a Sin 6 Though the Sin of unbelief be very great yet it 's pardonable 7 God hath pardoned unbelief and wil pardon it A Congregational Church is a Catholick Visible Church By Samuel Stone in New-England A Treatise of Politick Powers wherein seven Questions are answered 1 Whereof Power is made and for what ordained 2 Whether Kings and Governors have an Absolute Power over the People 3 Whether Kings and Governors be subject to the Laws of God or the Laws of their Country 4. How far the People are to obey their Governors Dr. Sibbs on the Philippians Vox Pacifica or a Perswasive to Peace Dr. Prestons Saints submission and Satans Overthrow Pious Mans Practice in Parliament time Barriffs Military Discipline The Immortality of Mans Soul The Anatomist Anatomized The Bishop of Canterbury's Speech Woodwards Sacred Ballance Dr. Owen against Mr. Baxter Mr. Hookers New Books in three Volums One in Octavo and two in Quarto These Eleven New Books of Mr. Thomas Hooker made in New-England Are attested in an Epistle by Mr. Thomas Goodwin and Mr. Philip Nye To be written with the Authors Own hand None being written by himself before One Volum being a Comment upon Christ's last Prayer in the Seventeenth of John wherein is opened The Union beleevers have with God and Christ and the glorious Priviledges thereof Besides many other Gospel Truths there you have shewed 1 That the end why the Saints receive al glorious Grace is That they may be one as the Father and Christ are one 2 That God the Father loveth the Faithful as he loveth Jesus Christ 3 That our Savior desireth to have the Faithful in Heaven with himself 4 That the happiness of our being in Heaven is to see Christs Glory 5 That there is much wanting in the knowledg of Gods Love in the most able Saints 6 That the Lord Christ lends dayly direction according to the dayly need of his Servants 7 That it is the desire and endeavor of our Savior that the dearest of Gods Love which was bestowed on himself should be given to his faithful Servants 8 That our Vnion and Communion with God in Christ is the top of our happiness in Heaven The first eight Books of the Application of Redemption By the effectual Work of the Word and Spirit of Christ for the bringing home of lost Sinners to God In which besides many other seasonable and Soul-searching Truths there is also largely shewed 1 Christ hath purchased al spiritual good for HIS 2 Christ puts al HIS into possession of al that good that he hath purchased 3 The Soul must be fitted for Christ before it can receive him And a powerful Ministry is the ordinary means to prepare the heart for Christ 4 The work of God is free And the day of Salvation is while this Life lasts and the Gospel continues 5 God cals his Elect at any Age but the most before old Age. 6 The Soul is naturally setled in a sinful security 7 The heart of a Natural man is wholly unwilling to submit to the word that would sever him from his sins 8 God the Father by a holy kind of violence plucks His out of their corruptions and draws them to beleeve in Christ The Ninth and Tenth Books of the Application of Redemption by the Effectual Work of the Word and spirit of Christ for the bringing home of lost sinners to God Besides many other seasonable and Soul-searching Truths there is also largely shewed 1 The heart must be humble and contrite before the Lord wil dwel in it 2 Stubborn and bloody sinners may be made broken-hearted 3 There must be true sight of sin before the heart can be broken for it 4 Application of special sins by the Ministry is a means to bring men to â—ight of and sorrow for them 5 Meditation of sin a special means to break the heart 6 The same word is profitable to some not to another 7 The Lord somtimes makes the word prevaile most when its most opposed 8 Sins unrepented of makes way for piercing Terrors 9 The Truth terrible to a guilty conscience 10 Gross and scandalous sinners God usually exerciseth with heavy breakings of heart before they be brought to Christ 11 Sorrow for sin rightly set on pierceth the hearâ— of the sinner throughly 12 They whose hearts are pierced by the Word are carried with love and respect to the Ministers of it And are busie to enquire and ready to submit to the mind of God 13 Sinners in distress of conscience are ignorant what they should do 14 A contrite sinner sees a necessity of coming out of his sinful condition 15 There is a secret hope wherewith the Lord supports the hearts of contrite sinners 16 They who are truly pierced for their sins do prize and covet deliverance from their sins 17 True contrition is accompanied with confession of sin when God cals thereunto 18 The Soul that is pierced for sin is carried with a restless dislike against it Six Books more of Mr. Hookers in two Volums in Quarto are printing Twenty one several Books of Mr. William Bridge Collected into two Volumns Viz. 1 Scripture Light the most sure Light compared with 1. Revelations Visions 2. Natural Supernatual Dreams 3
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
a kind of Burden the people of God feel under their Corruptions CHAP. XIII In what respects Corruption is a Burden 1. In that our Nature is opposite unto the very Nature of God 2. It presseth down every holy Duty 3. It affords matter for any Temptation 4. It hath a Root from whence al kind of sin may spring 5. It dampeth all the activity of our Graces THe third thing is to shew that Corruption is a Burden to them I. First For the corrupt Nature that is in them besides the act of sin this must needs be a burden to the godly to think I have a Nature contrary to God to think now and then that they sin against God this is not the burden but here 's the burden Oh! Wretched man and Woman that I am I have a Nature in me that is opposite to the very Nature of God to the infinite holiness of God himself though God hath made me partaker of the divine Nature yet stil I continue to be opposit to the Nature of God it self II. Secondly This is that which is as a heavy weight that presseth them down in every holy Duty so in that 12. of the Hebrews Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the Race that is set before us He speaks here of original sin the sin of our Nature especially it is a weight that lies upon our hearts in the performance of holy Duties when we are striving to get our hearts up to God This corruption of Nature keeps them down I remember the story of that good man that going abroad saw a Bird fluttering up and when it had got up it fel down again and then it would flutter up and then come down again and he looking wishtly upon it saw a stone tied to the Birds Leg and upon that the good man begins to weep just so saith he it is with me I would fain get up to God fain would have communion with God and somtimes I am getting up to God but straightway there is a weight that puls me down Do not you find it thus You that are conversant with God you that get somtimes alone in Duty to God and you would fain have your hearts raised to God but how are your Hearts brought down again and not only in these private Duties but after publick Duties a day of fasting and Humiliation somtimes Oh at night your Hearts are up and now you resolve you wil Live above the World And above al these things here below and you wil live more to Gods Glory but how are your Hearts brought down again by this corrupt Nature that is in you III. Thirdly Corrupt Nature is a burden because it affords matter for any temptation in the World there is no temptation to any kind of sin but our Nature affords matter for al kind of temptation what a burden is this if a ship be on fire in the midst of other ships and we know that there is a great deal of Gun-pouder in the ship that is on fire in the midst of the Rest would not he that oweth the ship be afraid and wil he not toyle and use al means he can that the fire may not take hold of the Gun-pouder I compare all the temptations to sin about us unto the fire now we are compassed about with the fire and what are our Hearts in them there is matter for the temptation to take upon as the Gun-pouder is matter for the fire to take hold of so our sinful Hearts are as ready to take upon every temptation as that is now is not this a great Burden That I should carry about me in my Heart matter enough to entertain al sin any sin in the World yea the sin of Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost if I had not the mighty power of God to restrain me thus it is with the sinful Nature of man IV. Fourthly The sinfulness of our Nature is a burden in this respect to have not only matter to entertain temptation but it hath in it a Root from whence if God doth not come in with his Grace all kind of sin may spring up from it though there should be no kind of temptation many of us do cry out of the Devil and temptation when we are overcome by sin but consider what I say there is not only that evil in your hearts that you are ready to entertain all temptations but there is that evil in your hearts that would breed al kind of evils whatsoever though there should be no temptation though there were no Devil in Hel as thus now you know there are the seeds of weeds in the ground though it is true they do not come up to flowrish til the rain and the Sun draws them forth yet stil there are the seeds of those weeds so as they would come up in time though not so soon that except they be rooted up they wil come up in time so it is here there is not only injections of the Devil in us but our corrupt heart riseth to it it is one thing to have some filthy thing cast upon us and another thing to have the Body so rotten that a stinking steam should come from the Body it self one may have some unsavory thing cast upon him and so be unsavory but when the Body is rotten and that cast upon one that would be more unsavory so it is here may be the Devil may bring some temptation upon us and make some disturbance in our heart I but there is that in our Hearts that wil make as great a disturbance in our souls as the Devil can V. Lastly The sinfulness of our Nature is a Burden in this respect that it wil damp all the activity of our Graces the livelyness of our Graces now the Saints of God make it to be the joy of their Souls to be active and stirring for God but now this Corruption that we carry about with us damps al as now a candle if it were in a Coal-pit a Mine there would come a damp that would make the Candle burn dim so the Graces of Gods Spirit in the best of us all are but as a Candle in a Coal-pit thy heart is like a Coal-pit and God hath set up a Candle some Grace in thy heart that shines there but now though Christ takes care that all the damps of thy Corruption shal not put out thy Candle yet God somtimes dimmes this Candle that it doth not shine somtimes takes away the beauty liveliness and activity of thy Graces that though thou hast some life and burnings yet thou burnest but dimly before others with whom thou dost converse I do not now speak of the stirring of sin the working of sin that is the next thing that I shal open how that is a Burden to the Hearts of the Saints as for
instance you know that the Scripture tels us that the flesh fights against the Spirit and the spirit fights against the flesh there is a continual fighting by this Corruption against al that is good now that there should be Corruption in the Heart that continually fights against God that is a more fearful thing so it is in thy Heart Now to be alwaies in a fight or a combate it is a fearful thing we count it a great burden that there should be Wars and Rumors of Wars within our gates I but there is a greater war in thy Heart It is a thing that was not thought possible ever to be in England that there should be found such a Generation that should indanger their lives to make them and their posterity slaves and yet for this they fight who doth not see but the victory wil be this in the Conclusion But I wil shew you a worse thing then this in every of your Hearts there are such Corruptions in your Hearts as put your Souls to fight to mischeif your selves to bring your selves to be slaves to the Devil this is in your Hearts though indeed some are not sensible of this and what is the reason that if corruption be a Burden that some people â—eel it not One Reason is this because they are dead in sins if this whole building should fal upon a dead man he would not feel it and take this as an infallible argument that thou art dead in sins and trespasses if thou dost not feel the Burden of thy corruption that man and woman that is not sensible of the sin that is in their Souls I dare in the Name of God pronounce that Man or Woman dead As it is in Nature though we may loose the sense of seeing or of smelling or of hearing yet we may live yet the sense of feeling or touching that cannot be lost if we be living if we loose the sense of feeling certainly that man or Woman is dead no sense inwardly or outwardly there is some sense of feeling so long as there is life So here though there may be many weaknesses in men and Women yet when they do not feel the Burden of their Corruptions at al certainly they are dead men and Women Now you that are weary and heavy Laden come to me saith Christ And I will give you Rest know that Christ speaks to you not only out of pity as to those that Labor under the Burden of Legal performances but out of love and know that by this you come to be fitted for Christ and it is that that is as delightful to the heart of Christ to give ease and Rest to his poor Servants that Labor under the Burden of Corruption as to do any thing in the world it was a special end why Christ came into the world to dissolve the works of the Devil our Corruptions are from the Devil and are tied close to us and they easily beset us as the expression is now I say it was the end why Jesus Christ came into the world to dissolve the works of the Devil that is when he sees his poor Servants under this burden and to cry out under it as Paul did who shal deliver me then Christ comes to cut this bond and so to dissolve the works of the Devil and give ease and Rest to their Spirits You do wel when you struggle and strive against your Corruptions with all the strength you have but the great work you have to do that you may be delivered from your Corruptions is to renew your act of Faith in Christ to make use of those Scriptures wherein Christ is said to be our Sanctification as wel as our Redemption and to act our Faith upon those Scriptures and that is the way to ease our Souls of these Burdens CHAP. XV. In what respects the stirrings and motions of Corruption 〈◊〉 very burdensom 1. They continually fight against the Spirit of Grace in the Heart 2. They are sudden 3. They are ful of Confusion and disorder 4. They work very Malitiously 5. They watch opportunity to do mischief 6. They are very unseasonable 7. They are very prevalent NOw besides the Corruption of our Nature the stirring of Corruption is very burdensome unto the Soul I suppose if a Man or Woman did know what corrupt Nature is in them and though this corrupt Nature did not stir yet it would be very burdensome but we are to know that this corrupt Nature doth not lie stil but is alwayes working stirring acting and putting it self forth unto that that is evil now the motions of sin are burdensome 1. For First they are continually fighting against the Spirit of God and the spirit of grace in the heart the flesh lusteth against the spirit now to have a continual fighting and Combating in the soul is it not very burdensome as a family where there is a continual falling out never a day that you come to some families but there is falling out and fighting is it not burdensome to live in such a family now in the hearts of men and women there is a continual fighting If one should be in a family where the husband and wife is continually fighting one with an other and the children and servants flying in the face one of an other that would be burdensome now in the heart of man there is the flesh and spirit continually fighting one against another is not war in a kingdome a burden and especially when men shal fight to make themselves slaves as I said before would any man ever have thought it possible that there should be such folly in the hearts of any in England to fight to make themselves and their posterity slaves that the very victory that they should get was to bring them to be slaves now the fight with corruption it is for this end 2 And then the stirring of corruption is sudden many times a man or woman that is gracious and godly that finds their heart in some good temper and working for God suddenly their corruptions wil be stirring in them unexpectedly which is extream greife and damp to their spirits and causeth many times exceeding much trouble to them suddenly that no body can understand the cause of it but themselves 3. And then the stirring of Corruption is violent the stirring of Corruption in the hearts of the Saints are many times extream violent and outragious the divel stirs up their Corruption and indeed the corruptions themselves are as it were divels in them that do as the divel that was ready to be cast out of him that was possessed he causeth him to foam at the mouth so there is extreame violence of corruption in the hearts of the Saints It was a Lamentable conditition of the poor Child that was possessed in the Gospel when the father came to Christ for help because when the evil spirit came it cast him into the fire and into the water So corruption is so violent in
so much as they do It is troublesome to fight with an enemy but it is a great deale more troublesom to have an enemy prevail and get the day and though it is true that corruption shal not get the day fully that is though it may prevail for a while in some skirmishes it may prevail Praelio but not in Bello as an enemy may in some skirmishes have the better of it but yet the other may Conquer at last and may get the day the day that is when it comes to a pitcht set Battel that is the Bellum and there he prevails if I can but prevail and get the day to be mine then it is not so much It is true the Saints of God they shal get the day at last but here as long as they live their corruptions often prevail and foiles them which is very grievous and burdensome to them CHAP. XV. The Reasons of the former Point 1. Because coruption when it prevailes weakens the heart 2. By it God is dishonoured 3. By it our holy profession is scandalized 4. By it they over whom it prevailes are made useless in their places 5. Thereby the meanes of grace are made unprofitable 6. Thereby our peace with God is disturbed 7. Thereby the assurance of our Salvation is shaken NOw for that to open it a little in the particulars to shew how burdensome it is to the hearts of the Saints when they do prevaile in any measure they do not put it off as carnal people do with this we are al sinners and it is Gods grace to keep us and Lord have mercy on us and the like no but they account the prevailing of corruption the greatest burden that they can goe under in the world and that in these respects I First Because whensoever corruption prevailes in what degree soever it weakens the heart it weakens the soul it may stir in the heart and if the heart doth repulse it and get strength against it the heart is not weak as before but if it prevail in any degree it weakens the heart now we know that which is weak is sensible of a burden quickly a sick man is a burden to himself and every thing is a burden to him now when any corruption prevailes it makes the soul sick and every thing is a burden to it and I beseech you consider here is a reason why you are so weak and are able to beare no other burdens If any body crosse you when you come home wife Children or servants cross you you cannot beare it if neighbours cross you you are able to beare nothing there is a reason in this that you do not think of you have weakened your hearts by some sin or other and broke your peace with God it may be and now your hearts come to be weake you are like a sick man that cryes out upon any thing one that is sick cryes out upon every thing wheras if he were strong healthful he could bear a hundred times more so you have brought a sickness upon your souls there is some sin that hath prevailed w th you prevailed over you and by that hath weakened your heart and your spirit now being weake you can beare nothing every thing is a greivous burden to you so that the prevailing of corruption comes to be burdensome in this respect because it weakens the heart and makes every thing burdensome to them II Secondly The Saints and people of God they account the priviledge of corruption to be the greatest burden in this respect because they know that now they dishonor God especially if it prevail so as to breake forth outwardly that it comes to an outward actual sin then it must needs be burdensome to one that is gracious for the name of the blessed God suffers by this my sin that hath prevailed al the while sin was but stirring in my heart and did not prevail the name of God hath not that dishonor as now it hath now when sin hath prevailed it dishonors God and therefore it is a burden unto the Saints III Thirdly It is a burden because it may be my holy profession is scandalized by it and is not this a burden howsoever many wretched men and women wil say they care not let others say and think of them what they wil but now Godly men and women when rhey think of this they cry out O What wil the wicked say of this how wil they blaspheme the name of God and dishonor the name of God and this wil be a burden to them because thereby their holy profession is scandalized IV Fourthly ' It s a burden because hereby they come to be made useless in the places where they live many though they may have some soundness of grace in them and may go to heaven at last yet their corruption prevailing over them they come thereby to be very useless in the places where they live they may live but themselves wil be burdens upon the earth for they are never like to be used to do any great service for God in the world they have so scandalized their profession by the prevailing of Corruption V Fifthly When corruption prevailes over the Saints as it makes them unprofitable so it makes the meanes of grace exceeding unprofitable too it hardens there hearts and they come to prayer hearing the word and Sacraments and find little good many of you complain you find not profit by prayer and hearing the word and Sacrament what is the reason such and such corruptions have prevailed over you it may be there are some sins that you live in that have prevailed over you and therefore no marvel you do not profit as you desire VI. Sixthly The prevailing of Corruption is a grievous Burden in this regard because it is that that doth extreamly disturbe ones peace between God and our Soul though there be many temptations yet if the heart can conquer them it hath more peace by that means never hath the soul so much peace as when there hath been strong temptations unto sin and a conquering over those temptations but if temptation conquer then there wil be a disturbance of our peace and that is burdensome to those that do know what peace with God doth mean VII Seventhly The prevailing of Corruption is a grievous Burden because it is that many times that shakes the assurance of those that are godly I know not what those men would make of the Lords Prayer Forgive us our Sins if so be that they think whatsoever sin they fal into yet stil they can keep up their assurance as much as before I say what would they make of that petition Lord forgive us our Sins at least to pray thus Lord cleer up the evidence of the forgiveness of our sins then it must needs follow that the falling into any sin and the prevailing of any Corruption must needs shake our assurance while we live here in this world now is not this a
thing is Christ invites in another manner CHAP. XX. That there is nothing required of Sinners but to come to Christ with nine Consequences arising from hence and what hath been laid down in the two former Chapters 1. There is not any worthiness required in such as come to Christ 2. The Soul needs not to be troubled about the time and measure of its Humiliation before its coming to Christ 3. Nor about what interest it hath in Christ before its comming to him 4. That the least degree of Faith will give the Soul interest in Christ 5. That the work of Faith is Supernatural 6. That Faith is an humbling Grace 7. That beleevers after their coming to Christ should be willing to do and suffer much for Christ 8. That they who are once in Christ shal never be cast off 9. That they know not what to do when they loose their interest in Christ NOw the third thing is That there is nothing else required saith Christ Come to me and I will give you Rest Blessed Christ is this all that thou requirest yes come to me and you shal have Rest You have it often exprest in Scripture thus Come and buy Wine and Milk and Honey without price it is but coming and indeed the very coming is buying And so in the 22. of the Revel and the 17. And the Spirit and the Bride say come and let him that heareth say come and he that is athirst come and whosoever will let him take of the Water of Life freely Here is nothing but come three times come and there is nothing else required nothing that thou shouldest bring with thee but only come Only in this remember how I opened it what it is to Come and then there is nothing else required but only come Then this gives light to many things 1. That there is no unworthiness of any sinner be he what he will be before this invitation that is sufficient to hinder Why Because Christ doth not say you that have been thus vild and wretched you shal do thus and thus first and then come to me No Whatever you have been the first thing that Christ requires to ease Rest and peace is to come to him It is true there are some things in the Nature of comming required that must needs be done before the compleat act of coming as I must know what Christ is and know my self c. these things of necessity are required not because these are any condition of the Gospel but because the other cannot be done without them For I would open it thus to follow the former Metaphor Suppose the King should tel a Traitor that upon condition that you come to such a place at such a time you shall have your pardon Well all that is required for his pardon is but coming to that place how if this man be at a great distance from that place and many difficulties that hinder him Sâ—ormes Tempestuous weather and many friends to hinder him this is implyed that he must have such a deep apprehension of the worth of his pardon and of his miserable condition if he be not pardoned that there must be a strong resolution in him to go through all difficulties whatsoever But marke this resolution of his and the difficulties that he meets withal in the way these are no part of the condition of the pardon all the condition of the pardon is but to be at such a place such a time but yet the other things they follow of themselves that if he doth come and there be such difficulties in the way then he must have such a sense and apprehension of the good of his pardon as may stir up in him such resolutions to pass through all difficulties But the first thing that brings him his pardon is his being there So it is here with the Soul its true the thing that bringâ— my Soul and yours to pardon Rest and Peace with God it is our coming to Christ but now because there is a great distance between Christ and us many difficulties in the way many things that would keep us from Christ the wickedness of our Hearts this temptation and that lust Now it cannot possibly be If we come to Christ but we must know and become apprehensive of the worth of the pardon which may raise up in our hearts such strong resolutions to pass through all Difficulties whatsoever and there is no Reason why God troubles any man for sin but only this that he might have such an apprehension of the Good of the pardon of his sin as may stir in him strong resolutions to get to Christ But now this resolution is not the condition of the Covenant the condition is only to come the condition is not because we are afflicted because we see our sins but to come to Christ 2. It follows likewise from hence That no Man or Woman that God is working upon to come to Christ need trouble themselves about the degree of humiliation or the time of humiliation You have a great many that are ready to take advantage and to cry out against men that they Preach legally when they say they must be humbled and the like I know no man living that ever Preached so that they must be first under the Law thus long under the Law before they come to Christ but if you would know what degree of humiliation is sufficient only so much as can bring you to Christ that is so much as can stir up your Hearts to resolve to pass through all difficulties to come to Christ then you have the measure and the time of humiliation sufficient and you need not trouble your selves any further about this I have not been humbled so long as another Man or such a time but if you come to Christ For if I come to Christ I must know what I come for for a Pardon A pardon of what for my sin my sin that I am condemned for there must be a sense of this and if you come thus far you need not be afflicted for any degree or time of humiliation or the like for you have that that is sufficient and God wil accept of your coming if once you be come to him God wil not say Oh! but Friend how have you been humbled in your comming God knows you have past through many difficulties God knows you would never have prised Christ except you had known what the worth of Christ is by knowing what a miserable creature you are without him God wil not do this but wil welcome you when you come let the sinner be what he wil Christ wil own him 3. This helps us about interest in comming to Christ you wil say come to Christ but how shal I know that I have any right to come to Christ This very point answers it that nothing is required but comming that which hath given any soul from the begining of the world any interest to come to Christ is only comming
acknowledg that it is through grace that he hath but somewhat which God works through him that is the most natural to a rational creature to rest upon somewhat that he doth to make up his peace with God and to be his righteousness before God And it is a mighty work of God to beat off the heart from this especially The heart comes thus far to say it is true I can do nothing of my self but it is by the grace of God that I do al now for the heart not to rest upon this as its own righteousness this is the hardest thing in the world And although men may be convinced in their judgments that they should not rest in any such thing but go out of themselves to another principle yet it is the hardest thing in the world to come off from it and it is that makes the work of faith the most difficult thing in the world because it carries the soul out of it self from its own bottom from its own principles and the mistake of this thing is that that is the undoing of thousands of those that live under the sound of the gospel that when they have somewhat reformed their lives and think they are able to do thus and thus yet here they rest and go not out of themselves to look for rest out of themselves and do not come to Christ Quest You wil say What not rest upon what we do and are inabled to do upon Gods grace Faith it self is a resting upon Christ Ans No but this you must observe in your comming you must not rest upon your comming but upon Christ that you come unto for their may be a deceit in that too There be some that rest upon works of humiliation mourning for sin reforming their lives and they think that is their rest and peace Others go further and think they must beleeve in Christ but they wil rest upon their beleeving so they rest upon their comming and not upon the object that they come unto but we must be taken off from resting upon our comming upon our very beleeving and Christ must be all in all to have true rest in Therefore faith is a Supernatural grace because by that we are taken off from what we are in our selves and carryed on to somewhat else 6. Upon this follows likewise That faith is an humbling grace it is that that must needs humble the soul where it is for indeed it is the greatest self denial in the world for a creature to come to be willing to rely upon free grace for the soul to be so emptied of it self as to acknowledg there is no worthiness no good at al in it self and yet it is content to live eternally upon meere almes and to give God the glory of al. Is there any thing more hard to any of you then to live to be beggers al your daies to be beholding to others so as to live upon meer almes and nothing else al the dayes of your lives Now for the creature to be so emptied of it self as to live upon meere almes to al eternity upon nothing but meer free grace and upon a principle of life without our selves this is a mighty work of emptying of our selves and of self denyal And therefore in Rom. 10.3 It s spoken of the Jewes For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God This plainly shewes that the bringing the heart to rest upon the righteousness that is of God by faith for that is meant here requires a submission of the heart a laying down the heart and a humbling of the heart and indeed this is the very ground why the Lord doth so humble the spirits of men and women when he brings them to Christ because that the Lord knows that the very act the coming to Christ is an act of the greatest self denial in the world because the heart must be emptied of it self in that that is so much against the pride of mans heart to live eternally upon meer free grace and nothing else For there is nothing that man doth more desire then to have somewhat some stock of himself to live upon And indeed herein man comes to be more humble then Adam in innocency could be for Adam had a stock to live upon in his own hand to live upon in himself not but God was the principle of it but then God gave it him to live upon the stock of Grace he had in his owne hand But now in the second Adam the way of God towards us is otherwise the second Adam keepes the stock of life and grace upon which our soules must live eternally in his own hand I say they are in Christs hand not in our selves and therefore our life is a better and safer life then that was and thereby we cannot fal from God because we live by the principle of life that is in him It is a great mistery and almost impossible to unfould only some glimmering we have in the word that this is so 7. If there be nothing required but to come then another consequence wil follow from hence and that is this Hence then beleevers that come to Christ may learn this lesson to be willing to do and to suffer very much for Christ after they come because there was nothing required of them to the pardon of their sins but only to Come I strengthen the inference thus If God had said thus indeed I have sent a mediator to pacifie my wrath and to pardon your sins and before you come to Rest I require that you should suffer so many hundred yeares of torment in fire and that should be a preparation to come and then after you have suffered so much then you shal come and have rest suppose this had been the condition of the covenant now had it been so we had al had cause to have fallen upon our face and have blest his great name that we can have peace on any termes and we should have been not only willing to accept of these termes but to magnifie Gods grace that we can be thus saved at last But the Lord hath not required that first we should suffer such and such hard things and then Come to Christ but he calls upon us first to come and requires nothing before And therefore before we are able to do the Lord any service the Lord wil first accept of us and pardon us and heale us and interest us in himself and be our God and take us to be his Children and make us heirs of heaven and eternal life this at first before we shal ever be able to do him any service What an infinite grace of God is this how is he beforehand with us for he calleth to the greatest sinner that knowes what his sin is and is Laden saith God I require nothing before the receiving you to mercy but meerly to
saith to it regard not the stuff let your Heart be wholly taken off from all Creature comforts that are most dear unto you it is all but stuff here is Heaven here is the Riches of Heaven the Riches of Christ is yours and then doth the Soul come to Christ indeed when it laies all upon Christ and is satisfied with him alone RULE IV. Fourthly When thy Soul is making towards Christ labor to keep him continually in thine Eye and look upon him in his excellency Glory and beauty keep the object before thee all the while thou art coming towards him As it is in any journey if I am going to a place and I can see the journeys end it is in mine eye I can see the steeple before me of the place that I am going unto when the Marriner can see the harbour that he is going unto this is comfortable So the Soul that comes to Christ must resolve and say I must keep him in mine Eye in his lustre Beauty and Glory that so I may see a greater good in Jesus Christ than in all things else that the goodness that is in him doth out-bid all good whatsoever Now this is a great help to come to Christ for one of the greatest hinderances of the Soul in coming to Christ is this that it looseth the sight of Christ in coming and the Devil propounds other spectacles before its Eyes in coming and so it lookes into the deep pit of its own Heart and sees no other matter but discouragement whereas it should keep up its Eyes upon Christ the Son of God who is opening his Arms ready to imbrace it And there is a secret power and influence that comes from Christ unto the Soul to draw the Soul to him So long as the Soul keeps Christ in his Eye as the poor Woman said If I can but touch the hem of his Garment Nay you may go further then so and have a degree of Faith Nay If I may have but a sight of Christ I say there is that in the sight of Christ that will draw the Heart unto Jesus Christ As they say of some kind of creatures the very sight of them will kil a Man that if they do but see you or you them there will come poyson from them that wil kill you say the Naturalists But I am sure it is true of this that if you can keep Christ in your Eye the very sight of the excellency of Christ wil be of excellent vertue to draw the Soul to Christ And therefore you that are coming to Christ observe this some that are coming to Christ it fares with them as with the Children of Israel when they were going to Canaan they had gone a pretty way and made some progress but then they fel into discontent when they found a little discouragement and upon that they were brought back again and wandred forty Years up and down in the Wilderness and this was the punishment of their murmuring and discontent So it is with many that are going out of their natural State unto Jesus Christ they are come very near to him many times and then fal into fits of discontent pining fretting and discouragement and so are brought back again and made to wander in the Wilderness of discouragement for many Years together RULE V. Fifthly Labor throughly to convince thy Soul of this thing that whatsoever sorrow for sin whatsoever humiliation whatsoever trouble of spirit keeps thy Heart from Jesus Christ it is not of God but rather from thine own corruption it is not of God in thee except you will say it 's of God as an affliction it is not of God but suffering the Devil to try thee but whatever sorrow it be for thine own wretchedness or unworthiness if this keep thee off from Christ and discourage thee from coming to Christ convince thy Soul of this that it is not the gracious work of God in thee but the troubling of the Devil in thee The truth is many poor sinners when they are once troubled for their sins they take a kind of Satisfaction in this they think this is a good thing and they are glad of it I grant you trouble for sin is a good thing and you are to be glad of it but if your trouble for sin hinder you from coming to Christ and makes you think because you are so unworthy you may not come to him this trouble is not mixt with godly sorrow be convinced of this RULE VI. Sixthly Take heed of all kind of discouragements and hinderances in your coming to Christ but then take heed especially of all determinations take heed of insnaring your Souls by determining against your selves as saying surely the Lord will never shew mercy to me the time is past the Lord hath forsaken me I have used so much meanes so long time and God is not yet come to me No The Lord never intends good to me Oh! Take heed of these determinations for they are sinful wherever they are there can be no just cause in thy Heart be it as vile as it will for such determinations as these are and know when thou givest way to such determinations as these thou dost but insnare and fetter thy Legs by this and then thou sayest thou canst not come to Christ Christ calls to thee and thou art infettered with thy own thoughts for so one may lay fetters upon ones own Legs by ones own thoughts to hinder this spiritual coming to Christ As if a man should tie fetters about his Legs and say when he is called to come to such a place I cannot come Do not sit down and say I shall never have Mercy and I am one that belongs not to the election of Grace and I shall never come to Christ take off such thoughts when thou art about coming to Jesus Christ RULE VII Seventhly At those times when thou canst not feel thy Heart active as thou desirest to go after Christ yet keep thy Heart stil towards Christ keep it tending that way Why cannot I go to Christ Christ calls me to go to him Oh! I have a dead Heart and a heavy dull Heart yet I know I am neerer Christ there than if I should neglect his Ordinances I wil present my Soul where Jesus Christ is and may be he may cast in some Vertue into my Heart to make it more stirring after him but however I am resolved upon this I will not turne away from Christ I will keep my Heart where I am howsoever If I can go no further and here I will stand and here I wil look and I will cry to him and cry to God as the Church doth Draw me and I will run after thee and though I cannot beleeve yet here I will stand and sigh and cry and cal and if I perish I will perish crying to God that God would draw my Heart Oh draw draw our Hearts and we will run after thee Blessed Redeemer dost thou cal us
Now this I might shew you in abundance of Scriptures in the very first commission that Jesus Christ gave unto his Apostles after his Resurrection to go and Preach throughout the world he saith unto them in Mark 16.15 verse Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature he that beleeveth and is Baptized shal be saved This is cleer that Christ would have us in our first beleeving to have an aime at our own good And so we find such a kind of promise as this is in the Text In Jer. 6.16 verse Thus saith the Lord stand in the waies and see and ask for the old paths where the good way is and walk therein and ye shall find Rest for your Souls Inquire after the good waies and you shall find Rest for your Souls So that you see God propounds duties together with promises the Lord knows what is best for us and what wil work most upon us and therefore for us to think that we must have no aime at all of any good to our selves in coming to Christ and that it is no grace but self-love to come to Christ for our own good this is a temptation I speak the rather this point because I know how useful it is unto many poor Souls whom the Lord is drawing unto Jesus Christ the Lord hath taken off their Hearts from sinful self they would not enjoy themselves in the lusts of the flesh as formerly the Lord hath made them willing to deny their own opinion their own wills their own affections their former waies to deny themselves in the comforts of the things of this world so as to prize him and Christ and his waies the way of Christ more than they prize their very lives here in this world and yet for all this there comes a temptation upon them I but you seek Christ only to free you from Hell and to save you and therefore it is but self-Love it is no true Grace because that you ayme at your selves rather than Christ the Devil cannot prevaile with a Heart that is drawing to Christ thus telling of it Oh! but you prize your lusts more than Christ or you prize your ease more than Christ or you prize your estate and your liberty more than Christ or your life more than Christ if so be that the Devil shal come thus and tempt such a soul could in some measure be able to answer and to appeal unto God and say Lord thou that knowest all things knowest it is otherwise that howsoever my Heart heretofore went after my lusts after the world after my ease and liberty and I followed the common course of the world and made those things to be my greatest good and comfort yet Lord thou knowest it is otherwise with me now my Heart is set for Christ and I can say from the bottom of my Soul with that blessed martyr Lambert None but Christ none but Christ Now when the Heart is got thus farr one would think thou mightest be above the Devil and come to get assurance I saith the Devil though you be taken off thus far that you dare not commit any known sin and you seek after Christ more than your estate and your liberty yet there is one thing more that your hearts is not taken off from you do not prize Christ most of all you seek Christ to save you from Hell and bring you to Heaven that is it that you seek Christ for and therefore I know your Heart is not right all this while this is a temptation that seizeth upon many men Now I confess it is a temptation that is beyond many men they do not know what this temptation is that I prize Christ only to deliver me from Hell and bring me to Heaven this temptation is above the highest form of the course of the world then ordinary professors Now the Spirit in the Text thus answers this temptation the Soul thus answers It is true I do seek Christ to save me from Hell and bring me to Heaven the fear of the wrath of the great God under which I saw my self to be and the displeasure of God was mighty upon my Spirit the Lord hath made my Soul to be sensible of the dreadful breach that sin hath made between him and my Soul and the Lord hath caused the fear of eternity to fall upon my soul and I come to be convinced of this that such is the breach between God and my soul that there is none but Jesus Christ the Mediator of the second Covenant that is able to make up the breach and my soul makes after him as the Mediator as he is propounded in the word in the Gospel to be a Mediator between God and mankind so my soul makes after him and closeth with him and what can the Devil say to this For my heart doth close with Christ in the way that Christ is tendred unto me in the Gospel for so he is tendered God himself saith thus God so loved the world that he sent forth his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting Life Thus God sets forth his Son as if God should say thus Be it known unto you O poor wretched sinful creatures that are in danger of eternal perishing that I have sent forth my only begotten son into the world and tender him unto your souls to the end that your souls may not perish but have everlasting Life Thus God tenders his Son Now then when a soul shal be made sensible of the danger of eternal perishing and the Lord shall make it apeare to the soul what the excellency and the glory of eternal life is and the soul shal come to see that the being delivered from perishing and the obtaining of eternal Life is only to be had in Christ and upon this doth close with Jesus Christ and cast it self upon him and adventure it self to lay the weight of its eternal estate upon Christ the soul that doth thus receive Christ according as he is tendred in the word whatever objection may be to the contrary this is to receive Christ according as he is tendred in the word Yet further for the helping against this temptation it fals ful in this Text Come unto me and I wil give you rest Now many poor souls do come to Christ that they might have rest but then the devil puts this in Oh! but you come to Christ for your owne good Now for the helping against this temptation know 1. That the Lord at the first conversion doth ordinarily make use of the creatures self-love but it is of self-love for eternity and that is a higher degree of self-love than the most people in the world do attaine unto Some people in the world they love themselves only for this present life but when God makes a man or woman to love himself for eternity it is a good signe that the hand of God is upon the heart and
shal say then what need we regard what we do if any shal say so we need go no further with this man but say unto him Thou hast no part nor portion in this thing thou hast no part in the deliverance from the Law by Christ shal we sin because grace abounds God forbid the Lord forbid that there should enter any such thought into any of our Hearts They that are godly have the Spirit of God in them and will not Reason after such a manner however this is certaine that in Christ we do not depend for life and Death upon the works of the Law and therefore the way of the Gospel is a high way a supernatural way it is a way beyond that that most people imagine most people upon Earth look no higher for a way of Salvation but meerly through the works of the Law and they will certainly miscary by what you have heard You see that the way of Salvation is a higher thing than Nature The Fourth Lesson Fourthly We may learn from hence that if Christ have given Rest to beleevers by delivering them from the rigour and severity of the Law that now they are not to be cast by it for their everlasting estates then they need to be so much the more faithful with God to do what possibly they can to serve the Lord in an evangelical way Thou wert in such a condition that thou wert under such a Law as if thou didst fail in any one point thou wert cast for ever but now thou art under such a Law as God accepts of thee in Christ hadst thou not need be more faithful and industrious in thy endeavors in that thou hast received so much mercy to be under such a Covenant The truth is the other might discourage thee to think that let me do what I can my Soul is cast for my everlasting estate but now if thou beest brought under the Covenant of the Gospel and the Lord Christ hath made thee to know that thy Rest is in him how careful shouldest thou be to walk with him in all well pleasing to give up the strength of thy Soul to walk in his waies I wil appeal to thee suppose thou wert in the condition again that the Lord looked upon thee with a strict Eye and required such absolute obedience that if thou failest in any thing nothing that ever before thou didst should be accepted poor soul if the Lord should say to thee what if thou shouldest be delivered from this Law and be brought under the Law of Christ First that thou shalt not depend for thy everlasting estate upon the Law And Secondly that whatsoever thou doest shal be accepted though with much imperfection how wouldest thou prize this and even Covenant with God and say Oh! Lord bring my soul under this Covenant and I hope I shal for ever endeavour to walk in al wel peasing before thee this shal not by any meanes in the world quench my endeavors and make me more sluggish but more strengthen my heart As suppose now one should be in such slavery under the Turke that let him do what he can he shal be beaten and a Prince shal come and ransome him and take him into his owne house and expect no more obedience from him then the obedience of a Child adopting him for his Child and al the obedience that he wil expect shal be a childlike obedience and he wil be his father Now were it not a vild and unnatural thing for such a one to be careless of giving contentment to this Prince that wil accept of him as a Child when he hath delivered him from such a slavery and bondage that he was under before Thus it was with beleevers thou wert under a dreadful bondage under the Law and thou art brought to Christ and he makes thee to be a child of God and be procures that thy obedience shal be accepted that is filial and Child-like shalt thou be more negligent now then before now thou servest God upon better termes then ever before and wilt thou be more sluggish The Fifth Lesson Fifthly from our being delivered from the Law we are to Learne this That we are not to judg our coming into Christ nor to judge our faith by the Law by our coming to Christ we are delivered from the Law therefore I say we are not to make up any judgment of our coming to Christ nor to judge our faith by the rules of the Law Though the propounding of this it may be is a little obscure at first yet you wil find it of marvellous use to help beleevers in their way some beleevers very ordinarily especially weak ones judg of their coming to Christ or their faith by the Law they make the law a rule of their faith which certainly should not be for if by faith we are delivered from the Law then it must needs follow that the Law cannot be a rule of our faith You wil say what is that to make the Law a rule of our faith That is thus Beleevers think that because their faith is weak and ful of doubts ful of imperfections and doubtings therefore they have none at al. Now what is this but to make faith it self a legal thing for indeed if faith were legal then it could not be accepted where there were any mixture of imperfection a legal faith could never be accepted with any mixture of doubting and with any imperfection But an evangelical faith can be accepted This I may meet with perhaps afterwards but for the present it follows more fully and immediately from what hath been delivered from our rest from the Law and I desire to suggest it now to beleevers as a marvellous help to them that they do not make their faith legal as thus Come to many beleevers that are ful of doubts and feares and why do they not beleeve It is true say they there is rest to be had in Christ and much to be had in this I but this is to beleevers and I am afraid I am not a beleever And why art thou afraid thou art not a beleever because of such and such sins and because I cannot do as I would Now what is this but to make faith legal now faith that delivers us from the Law of al graces that must be evangelical our mourning for sin is to be looked upon as evangelical and yet some beleevers look upon their mourning for sin as legal they think God wil not accept of their mourning Why Because they cannot mourne as much as they would That is true if thou wert under the Law then no mourning at al would be accepted as under the Law but now thou must look upon it as evangelical and thy obedience as evangelical It is an il thing that beleevers look upon their mourning for sin and obedience and the like as under the Law and not as evangelical this is a great hindrance to them but now much more is it to
have been at liberty so as they have been as conscientious in performing of duty as before but now their duty is made the joy and delight of their souls they have gone to them with rejoycing and made the Commandements of God to be their inheritance and the joy of their hearts and their duties are as sweet to them as the hony and the hony comb Now this is the argument that we are upon that in Christ there is rest from this burden Christ gives ability unto beleevers those that are his members to performe duties with freedom of spirit and indeed evangelical duties are duties performed with freedom that is the difference between legal performances and evangelical one is done as a burden and the other is done with freedom of spirit Now I shal shew unto you how Christ gives this freedom Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty you know the scripture I suppose now this freedom of spirit in the performance of duty comes by Christ these waies First when the soul is come to Christ it hath rest because Christ renders God unto the soul in a gracious way Christ takes off the terror that was before of God takes off that from the heart The reason why duties are performed as a burden to those that are legal is this because they tender them up to God but so as they look upon God as a terrible judg they must do what God requires I but when they come into his presence they come into his presence as a judg being very terrible Now when the soul comes to Christ Christ renders God very amiable and loâ—ely unto the soul of a Christian renders God the father as his father or her father For so Christ saies I go to my father and your father to look upon God not only as a father but our father as being the father of our Lord Jesus Christ So beleevers in the performance of duties look upon God as a father in a double relation He is my father he hath begotten me a new to himself and so he is my father he is my father he hath adopted me to be his child but he is the father of our Lord Jesus Christ too and Christ is mine two so that I have an interest in the fatherhood as I may so speak as the father of Christ I go to my father and your father So when beleevers come to tender up any service to God as a duty they come to God as their father and as to the father of their redeemer too now this brings a mighty deale of ease unto the heart of a beleever in the performance of duty a great deal of difference there is between a fathers calling the child to him and a rigid severe master or judge calling of one to him When the child heares that his father cals him he runs and loves to be in the presence of his father but when one saith to a servant your master calls you he knows not whether he be called to be beaten with stripes or no. This is the difference between legal performances and evangelical those that are in Christ when Christ calls them to duty you must go into the presence of your father and of the father of your blessed redeemer you must go to duty in him Come go to prayer saith Conscience to one they cannot but go indeed but when they go to prayer their heart is struck with feare terror and discouragement in prayer but Conscience saith to one that is a beleever come you must go to prayer what is that but come you must go before your father and injoy communion with your father the father of your redeemer cals you to have communion with him how doth your heart spring to come into the presence of such a father So that Christ renders them lovely to his father and so delivers them from the burden that they are under in legal performances Secondly In Christ beleevers when they performed â—uties they do not tender them up unto God as satisfactory for any thing that is past but meerly to be testimonies of their love and thankfulness for what they have received now duties are a great deal more easily done this way then another It is true they wil gather arguments from their former neglect to stir them up to do the more I but now they are not called upon to their duties to make God amends and satisfy for what is past for that would be a burden for such as performe duties in a legal way and are not acquainted with the doctrine of the Gospel they know not how to satisfy God but only by doing so much the more by how much the more they have neglected heretofore I have neglected God al the time of my youth and now conscience begins to be awakned and tels me I must serve God and perform duties and I had need be more diligent now that I may make up and satisfy for what I have neglected before Now when we perform duties in this way they are very burdensom As suppose a man hath run in debt and he is set up in a trade I but whatsoever he gets it must be to satisfy what debts he is run out in before this must make him go on in much heaviness he thinks that whatsoever he gets must go to satisfy what he hath run into before But now take another man that hath run into arrerages and hath a freind a kinsman that coms and layes down al the debts that he owed and gives him a stock sayes now you are a Freeman once again go on whatever you get shal be for your self this man goes on a great dealemore livelier then the other just thus it is between the consciences of those that performe duties in a legal way and the consciences of that perform duties in an evangelical way One that is legal conscience tels him of such arrerages that he hath run into with God and whatever he can do for time to come is too little to satisfy for what he hath neglected before now conscience puts him upon it do he must serve he must obey he must I but he doth it with no heart at al I work and I obey I do but whether this wil make up the arrerages for what is past I do not know Now a beleever performes obedience but it is upon other termes Christ comes and layes down a price and discharges him of al former arrerages and puts a stock of grace into the heart and says unto him now live and imploy this your stock in the service of God and trade with it get more comfort and more grace with it and you shal have the benefit and the good of every holy duty that you performe the good and benefit shal come to your souls Now such a soul goes unto duties in a cheerful way and they are no burdens at al to it because he performes them not for satisfaction of any arrerages behind
eternal life it self and therefore there is rest in it it is so far from getting eternal life by it as it is rather eternal life it self then so much as any way to eternal life for this may be said though I performe duty it is true God hath taught me so much that now under the Gospel we must not think to get eternal life by our duty by our works this is popery yet it is the way to eternal life the way that tends to it it is via ad Regnum the way to the kingdom though not the cause of Raigning Nay I wil shew you a further thing then so the wayes of obedience and holiness in a Christians course they are rather eternal life it self then the way to it they have more excellency in them then being the way to life It is true it were a great deal of ease and rest to ones spirit to consider of holy duties but as the way to heaven if a man were going a journy and knew the ende of his journy should be very glorious to him if it were to receive a crown a kingdom though it were a boysterous day and stormy weather and the way were very foul he would not be troubled at it but he would account it very comfortable to know that he is in the right way for he thinks this wil lead me to my journeys end and when I come there that wil make amends for al. And the truth is there were ease and rest enough in the waies of God if God did reveale no more unto a soul then this these are the wayes that lead thee to life and salvation that lead thee to a kingdom to glory especially considering that before we were out of the way we were wandering in the wayes of death and destruction and God by his Almighty hand hath brought us into the right way When a man is going a Journy of great consequence and he is gone out of the way and God by his providence hath brought him into his right way O! what ease is in his spirit Before when he was out of the way what distraction and disquietness of heart but now when he comes into the way Oh! what ease and quiet is in his spirit so I say this were ease and rest enough of spirit to know that whereas before the soul was wandering in the path of death now it is in the path of life But I tel you further then so that when thou art performing of holy duties and exercising of the grace of God in the performance of those duties thou art not only in the way of eternal life but thou art in eternal life it self not only in the way to the kingdom but in the kingdom not only in the way to heaven but in heaven it is eternal life This is eternal life to know thee the true God and thy son whom thou hast sent into the world And that place in the Epistle of St. John he speakes of a murderer one that did hate his brother in the first of John 3.15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him Then it appeares that one that loves his brother and is Godly and gracious hath eternal life abiding in him for that must needs follow if this be the evil condition of a wicked man that hates his brother that he hath not eternal life abiding in him then by the rule of contraries it must needs be a truth that he that hath holiness and loves his brother he hath eternal life abiding in him and therefore such a one he hath eternal life already to come downe to him he is in heaven already So the scripture makes grace but the beginning of glory it is no other but the very beginning of heaven in the soul And therefore in that golden chain in Rom. 8.30 Whom God hath predestinated them he also hath called whom he hath called them he hath justified whom he hath justified them he hath also glorified Marke but where is the link of sanctification It is not whom he hath predestinated he hath called and whom he hath called he hath sanctified and whom he hath sanctified he hath glorified One would have thought the chain should have gon along in that linke but there is no mention of sanctification Why because sanctification is nothing else but glorification begun and glorification is nothing else but the perfecting of sanctification Now I beseech you observe this as a most special thing that belongs to a Christian the best duties that we performe are nothing else but the life of heaven to us nay the truth is it is the life of God And therefore it is said of ungodly men before they come to Christ they are strangers to the life of God therefore when thou art come to Christ thou hast the life of God in thee and the life of heaven in thee and the beginning of Glory Glory and eternal life thou doest live whilst thou art in performance of holy duties What is the happiness of heaven but for the Saints and Angels to be exercised in magnifying the riches of God and of Christ now thou beginnest it here and therefore if thou knowest what this is thou art not I say to look upon any duty that thou performest meerly as a duty but thou art to look upon it as a priviledg yea as part of thy wages That is a certain truth that Gods work it is wages and the improving of that principle would help us very much in our Christian course if thou didst live and account every duty that thou performest to God to be wages Oh! with what sweetness wouldest thou go on in the performance of those duties that God requires of thee thou art receiving thy wages when thou art performing of duties In Rom. 6. and the last The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ At the 22. verse it is thus But now being freed from sin and become servants unto God you have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. You have your fruit unto holiness it is the fruite unto holiness which is the gift of God and holiness it is nothing else but the gift of God and the beginning of eternal life the fulness of eternal life that indeed is the end of it but the fruit that you have for the present it is holiness and that holyness that is the gift of God it is the beginning of eternal life here in this world Then indeed is a christian wel improved in Evangelical obedience when he doth account duties to be mercies and when mercies are turned into duties as when we turne Gods mercies into duties that is an argument we receive Gods mercies from a Covenant of grace and there wil be linkes of Gods mercies towards
unto the soul because it is such a principle as turns every thing to Good and that must needs bring rest when God sanctifies the heart works grace in the soul it is of that excellency that it hath a virtue and efficacie in it to turne every thing to good Now that were indeed a precious stone that could turne every thing into gold that it toucheth A great deal of labor there is about the Philosophers stone that they say turneth other mettals into gold now grace in the heart turnes every thing into gold as it were ever thing into good it hath that excellency in it that whatsoever befals such a man or woman grace can turne it to the good of them Al the workes of Gods providence al things that seem to goe never so contrary unto the good of a man or woman that hath grace if such a one do but act his grace or her grace this wil turne things that seem to be most contrary to the good of them it wil turne it unto good Those things that others vex at and fret at and think themselves undone by a gracious heart one that hath grace can turne them to advantage and get good by them such a one that is in such a condition they have got such a virtue from God God hath given them such a principle within as whatsoever befals them he can by the acting of that principle turne it to Good What need then such a man or woman have any trouble in this world no trouble wil you say do not such and such things fal cross to them such and such afflictions fal as cross to such men as any others That is true things may fall as cross to them as any I but they have a principle within them that turnes al those crosses and afflictions to good that we shal speake more unto in answering to the fifth burden of outward afflictions but only to shew it now in the rest that the soul hath in sanctification because it turnes al things to good Sixthly and Lastly Sanctification is a rest to the soul because indeed it is the beginning of glory it is but the beginning of heaven and we are in heaven there is nothing but rest there is peace and rest in heaven sanctification is glorification begun and therefore rest unto the soul This now is the first particular I wil give you rest that is come to me you shal have power over your corruptions you shal have grace and holiness that shal be rest unto your souls CHAP. XXXVII Sheweth that Sanctification is only IN Christ SEcondly That this sanctification it is in Christ al the sanctification of a Christian it is in Christ there are some common gifts that God gives unto other men there are gifts of nature there are gifts of common grace gifts of the spirit of God that are beyond the gifts of nature yet they are such as are given in a common way to those that are strangers to Christ The heathen had many coÌ„mon gifts and so others now may have many common gifts but sanctification is the proper gift of Christ it is only to be had in Christ Al the strength of nature natural abilities education morality natural parts can never raise the heart to the least degree of sanctification I mean of the sanctification that is saving In a large sense it may be called a sanctification as the scripture sometime doth a setting some kind of men apart for such ends but sanctification that is true holiness that is the image of God and the beginning of glory that is only in Christ and al the strengâ—h of nature and parts can never raise the soul unto the least degree of it And that it is only in Christ I shal give you some scriptures to shew it and it wil further appeare when we come to the third thing in shewing you how it comes from Christ which is the principle That text is very ful for it which we have in 1. Cor. 1.30 if there were no other But of him are ye in Jesus Christ who of God is made unto us wisdome and righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption Christ is made unto us of God wisdome to enlighten our blindness and righteousness for our justification and sanctification and redemption that is to deliver us from al kind of evil to deliver us from the power of sin and to renew the image of God in us that is sanctification and redemption that is to deliver us from al kind of evil and to bring us to the redemption of the sons of God to the perfect liberty that is appointed to sons Christ is made to us sanctification sanctification that is not only that Christ hath merited our sanctification but in a further degree efficiently so as our sanctification is from him and it is he that workes it in us and upholds it in us the beginning and the progress of our sanctification it is from him as wel as merrited by him For we are to know that Christ hath laid down his life to merit of God the father as wel sanctification as justification or glorification Christ hath not only laid down his life for to merrit the pardon of our sins to purchase that from God to save us from hell but it was a special end of Christs laying down his life to merit our being set at liberty from the bondage of our sins our deliverance from corruption the renewing of the image of God in our soules for the present which is that indeed may cause us to prize holiness somewhat more then we have done We must not look upon holiness as a duty that we must be holy and as a necessary meanes to heaven but we must look at holines as the purchase of the blood of Christ he hath purchased holiness for al those that he hath layed down his life for And therefore as we shal see afterwards it is impossible for any to be holy but those that have part in Christ so that Christ is made sanctification by his merit and by the efficiency that is in him it is he likewise that works it in our hearts we have it not immediatly from God the father but from God the father through Christ through his son we come to have sanctification and therefore we shal see it afterwards how different our sanctification is from the image of God that there was in Adam at first and the holiness that there was in Adam Adam he had his holiness immediately from God as Creator but those that are now made holy and sanctified now they have not their holiness and sanctification immediately or as from God their Creator but they have it from Christ Christ that is the second person in trinity he it is that is made to us sanctification And then that it is in Christ appeares further in that notable place in Rom. 7. that was quoted in the former point about the load of corruption Where saint Paul cries out
ever God and man to be an ordinance to heal the souls of his people surely then those that look up to him by the eye of faith wil receive healing of their souls as they did receive by looking upon the brazen serpent The very beholding of Christ hath a power to sanctify the heart And therefore if you would have holyness you must often look upon Christ set Christ in your eye be not only poring upon your Corruptions and looking downward into the blackness that there is in your spirits Many Christians are laboring under the burden of their corruptions a long time why because they spend their time and strength meerly in poring upon their corruptions and looking down to their corruptions But Oh Christian thou must look up set thy eye upon Christ the great ordinance and behold him as the great ordinance set up by God the Father for the conveyance of grace to the souls of beleevers and for the healing of al their souls and wounds and then there wil come healing virtue from him We read of the poor woman that had the bloody issue that spent al upon the Physitian shee did but come to Christ and touch the hem of his garment and then she was healed Surely Christ hath a great deal of virtue in him that the very touch did heal her and therefore he saith who hath touched me virtue went from him at the very touch of the hem of his garment Christ is the great ordinance and he is ful of virtue and excellency the looking upon him and touching of him brings virtue to the soul to heal the soul of its corruption Thirdly more particularly Christ brings sanctification unto the heart because the death of Christ is appointed by God to have an efficacy to mortify sin and corruption it is from application of the death of Christ filled with virtue and appointed by God for that end that it should have efficacy upon the heart to mortify corruption in the heart A man may resolve against his corruption he may vow and covenant against a sin he may strive and struggle against a sin he may pray against a sin he may fast to overcome his sin he may use all meanes that he thinks he can possibly use to overcome his sin and yet stil his sin not dead in him perhaps the meanes that he may use to restrain sin may keep down his sin but it wil never mortify his sin The application of the death of Christ that is appointed by God for Christ is appointed himself as the great ordinance But now more particularly I say that the way that is appointed by God for the mortifying of corruption it is the application of the death of Christ to the soul the virtue that comes from Christ as a dying Christ from Christ as a crucified Christ from Christ as a dead Christ to mortify corruption in the heart That is cleer from that place in Rom. 6. the begining What shal we say then shal we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid how shal we that are dead to sin live any longer therein dead a part of his coming know you not that so many of us as were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death therefore we are buried into Baptism by his death And in vers 5. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death Again in vers 6. Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin The old man is crucified with him in his being crucified there is a virtue in Christs death for the crucifying of corruption that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin He doth not say that we might have some power against sin that sin might be restrained or that such a particular sin may be kept down but that the body of sin might be destroyed So that in the application of the death of Christ there is not only the overcoming of this particular sin but the Body of sin comes to be destroyed all those principles of sin in the soul with the connexion of them and joyning one to another as the Members are joyned in the Body they come to be destroyed that is though not wholly cast out and radicated yet the ruling power of them is taken away as soon as ever the soul is come to Christ the Body of sin hath a deadly stroke given to it There are many of you striving against this particular corruption somtimes one and somtimes another for those that are Gods Children their hearts are more inclined unto some sins than others and at somtime to some particular sin more than other It may be one labors under the burden of passion and another of unbelief and another of Pride and another of wantonness and divers particular corruptions they are laboring under It may be at some times you find one corruption stir and you strive against that and another time another corruption stirs and you spend your strength against that but now here 's the way to strike at the whol Body of Corruption at once If one shal go to cut down a Tree and stand chopping at one sprig and one branch and another branch the Tree may stand long enough for al that But now if he would get the Tree down he goes to the root and a few blows gets down all there So this is the wisdom of a Christian That when he comes to labor against any corruption he doth not spend his time so much against this or that particular corruption but strikes at the body of corruption and how gets he strength against that By applying the blood of Christ the death of Christ by faith against that and by this means the body of death comes to be destroyed And here is the reason that Christians in a little time grow so much and get so much power against their corruptions whereas others are a long time before they get any power at all Those that are not acquainted with the way of Christ you shall have one that hath been a notorious wretch a wicked person a swearer a Sabbath-breaker if it please God to bring him to the Word and reveal Christ to the soul you shall have a mighty change in this man in a week a great change that he doth not only leave off now drunkenness and then lying and then swearing and then Sabbath-breaking but all goes down together Why Because at one application of the death of Christ al the body of sin comes to be destroyed though not quite dead and withered As a Tree though it may be dead yet the Leaves may be green still So though there be not at first the withering of them yet there is the deadly stroke given and therefore the way to kill them is to renew the application of the death of Christ And indeed this should be the care of a Christian not to
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
the flesh And spirit or of spirit not to make you make conscience of wicked actions but cleanse you from your very thoughts these promises wil clense from the filthiness of the flesh I perhaps they may a little serve the turne for them I but from the filthiness of the spirit the filthiness of the thoughts the Filthiness of the affections those inward spiritual wickednesses Of pride malice and the like May be you would count it a vild thing to be accused of whordom the Filthiness of the flesh I but what say you to the filthiness of the spirit of pride malice distrust earthly mindedness and such like these promises are to clense from the filthiness of the spirit aswel as of the flesh And then perfecting holiness in the feare of God it makes them fear God more and then it perfects holiness such a one as is acquainted with the promises of the Gospel is content with no measure of holiness but growes higher and higher til he comes to perfection Here you see the use of promises what a clensing nature promises have Oh my brethren be much exercised in promises lay up promises if you would get power over your corruptions And then one scripture more for this is that in 2. Pet. 1.4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises The promises of the Gospel they are precious more worth then a world a beleever that knows the preciousness of the promises accounts more of them then of his estate What do you account precious that you may have your ships laden home with precious things I but to have your hearts filled with precious promises it is far better then these But now wherein do these promises appeare to be so precious It appeares by this whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature that by these great and precious promises you might be partakers of the divine nature that is of holiness of sanctification that is called the divine nature having escaped the corruptions that is in the world through lust By these the soul escapes the corruption that is in the world by lust and not only escapes the corruption of the world that is doth not live so wickedly as others do but comes to be made partaker of the divine nature through these promises So that Christ is the rest of sanctification because in him al promises are made they have a mighty clensing virtue to sanctifie the heart you would willingly have interest in promises and have the mercy that the promise holds forth now as you would have the interest in the promises and have the mercy that the promises holds forth so you must labor to feele the efficacy of the promises to clense your hearts and make you partaker of the divine nature Tenthly Christ is sanctification because in him al the ordinances are effectual the ordinances are effectual only in Christ Christ gave his ordinances unto his Church at first and then they come to be effectual through him It is not what you come to heare in the word but how much of Christ you have in the word you come to the sacrament it is not what you partake of there but what of Christ you get there it is not what you partake of there but what of Christ you get there it is Christ in the word sacrament and prayer that is the efficacy of al the ordinances the ordinances are but al as the vehiculum Christi the conveyance of Christ unto the soul And therefore we should when we come to any ordinance think with our selves what have we of Christ what have we of Christ here have we met with any thing of Christ here In the word prayer sacraments hath my heart been drawn neerer to Christ in them For certain it is that it is Christ that is the virtue and kernel of al the ordinances Hence it is that those that are acquainted with Christ and have been brought to him they come to profit more in one month now by the ordinances then they did in al their lives Before the ordinances were as empty things and liveless things to you but in Christ they come now to be made effectual Eleventhly Christ is our sanctification by sending the holy Ghost into our hearts for the holy Ghost comes from the father and the son we can never expect the saving work of the holy Ghost nor the sanctifying worke of the holy Ghost but through Christ for so Christ saith in that place in John 16.14 concerning the spirit He saith he wil send his spirit He shal glorifie me for he shal receive of mine The spirit the holy Ghost doth receive of Christ when he comes into the heart therefore if there be any sanctification by the Holy Ghost it must be through Christ he must receive of Christ he works from the father and from the son And therfore the scripture hath that phrase We are baptised into one spirit that is by being baptised into Christ having the inward work of baptisme we are made partakers now of that one spirit the Holy Ghost Now such is the excellency of sanctification as it cannot be wrought by any natural meanes but it must have the Holy Ghost to be sent into the heart and therefore the saints are said to be the temple of the Holy Ghost Now what ever worke of the Holy Ghost there is required for sanctification that must be in and through Christ and from Christ The Holy Ghost never comes to sanctifie any but the members of Jesus Christ for he is the spirit of Christ as wel as of the father and never comes to any but to the members of Christ in this work of sanctification There are some common gifts of Gods spirit that the heathens have but for this gift of true holiness it is only in the members of Christ that the holy Ghost doth come into Lastly Christ is our sanctification by his Kingly power swaying his scepter in our hearts and ruling there subduing our lusts as a king subdues rebels and walking and governing the hearts of his people Christ doth exercise a kingly power when any soul doth beleeve when Christ comes into any heart he comes into the heart to exercise a kingly power there to set up his throne in a kingly manner and by this he comes to sanctifie the heart and give rest And as in a kingdom there are mutinies seditions and the like so in the hearts of sinners there are mutinies and seditions even against God himselfe But now whenas the king sends forth power that very power prevailes against al things if it prevail in a way of justice al things are brought into right and due order again So here when Christ comes into the heart as king of righeousness and then as king of peace hereby he comes to bring rest and quiet unto the heart by his kingly power Carnal hearts they think that the kingly power of
Christ we should seeke rather for holiness and sanctification from Christ then that we might have peace Would you know the reasons you say you tel us that Christ is our sanctification but we have not found such sanctification from Christ to increase holiness but what is the Reason you have exercised your faith upon Christ mainly that you might have peace that you might have enlargement and comfort as others have and that is the reason that your holiness is scant if you had exercised your faith in Christ that you might have holiness then you might have had more peace Saith Christ be it unto thee according to thy faith so in this case Christ saith to every beleever be it according to thy faith according to what you exercise your faith so be it unto you As do you exercise your faith for peace and comfort and mainly for that you have some peace and comfort but you shal not have so much holiness but do you exercise your faith for holiness most then you shal have most holiness Now certainly a true christian prizeth holiness rather than peace and I know no surer argument for the truth of grace and the difference between an hipocrite and one that hath true grace than this the hipocrite would have holiness that he might have peace I but the true beleever would have peace that his peace might increase his holiness Secondly Another rule is this Though Christ doth give in grace increase of sanctification and holiness yet do not depend upon what Christ gives in for the present but stil keep thy heart sensible of the need of new supplies There is many Christians when they have been at duty and have exercised faith upon Christ for this rest of sanctification and have got somewhat some enlargement and some quickening of spirit and some resolution in the way of God here they rest and now they think they are wel they think to live upon this stock a great while But now we are to pray for our daily bread and to depend upon Christ for new supplies of grace and holiness every day every moment according to every worke that we are set about to go to Christ for new supplies as if we had nothing at al given us before and Christ wil be wel pleased with this that though we have never so much Grace yet to go to him to renew our faith as if we had none at all that iâ— as strongly I do not mean that we should apprehend that we have none at all but as strongly and eagerly to exercise faith upon Christ for new supply of holiness as if we had none at all and indeed those that seem to have none exercise Faith in Christ most Thirdly For Conclusion of all take this as a Rule Those Christians that do most converse with Jesus Christ in the blessed way of the Gospel those will increase most in Grace and they have this by way of Sanctification I wil give you but only that one Scripture in way of allusion to apply it to this in Acts 4 13. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived they were unlearned and ignorant men they marvelled and they took knowledg of them that they had been with Jesus Peter and John had much boldness they had strength of Grace they had much boldness notwithstanding all their opposition But how came they by it they were unlearned men ignorant men poor weak men in regard of their naturals and yet they had got aboundance of Grace so as to make their profession of Christ with boldness notwithstanding all the rage of their potent adversaries and the people wondred how they could get such strength as they had but saith the text they took knowledg of them that they had been with Jesus It was that that did so raise their spirits it was that quickned them and inlarged their Hearts so much with Grace that they had been with Jesus that they had conversed boldly with Christ Now I would apply this in a spiritual sence that as Peter and John did grow to that height and strength of Grace by conversing bodily with Christ much more may Christians grow to a height strength and fulness of Grace by much converse with Jesus Christ Converse with Christ in a way of Faith and that will mightily enlarge thy Heart in Grace And the truth is when you see any Christian that perhaps his natural parts may be but weak but yet you see him grow in Grace mightily he hath a mighty large Heart for God and hath much spirit in prayer and his conversation is very holy and convincing you may conclude this man and this woman to have been with Jesus Christ that is converst much with Jesus Christ Would you know whence it is that you see many poor Christians not long since how they have grown in holiness and you think they have got a great deal more than you have got they can depend upon God more and can rejoyce in tribulation more and they have more spiritualness and more Savor in their conversation and find a great deal more sweetness in the waies of God than you whence is it Their means perhaps is not more their outward means their parts in Nature is not more whence grows it then Would you know whence They have been with Jesus they converse much with Christ and you may have it too The Reason why you have been a professor perhaps twenty or thirty years and you now grow old and yet perhaps weak still and it is as much as can be said of you that there is some hope that there is some good in you but for the seeds and sparks of divine Nature that are in others spirits there is no such matter at all what is the Reason because they are not acquainted with this drawing of Sanctification from Christ by the exercise of Faith Wel thus much shal suffice for this Rest the rest of Sanctification the Rest of holiness that brings abundance of Rest unto the Heart according as that encreaseth so doth holiness encrease CHAP. XLIV Sheweth that a beleever hath Rest in Christ in all troubles he can meet with in the world which is laid out in four Particulars 1. All afflictions are at his disposal 2. In him the curse is taken away 3. They stand with Gods love 4. They are measured by God NOw we come to the fifth Burden you may remember the fifth Burden was The Burden of outward affliction come to me saith Christ you that are burdened with the guilt of your sins you that are burdened with Legal performances you that are burdened with remaining corruption that is in you come to me and I will give you Rest Now what Rest have been from all those you have heard Now Lastly come to me you that are under the burden of afflictions for that is a Yoak as we opened when we handled the point of being Laden the Burden of affliction bodily afflictions or spiritual
afflictions come to me and you shal have Rest Now the spiritual afflictions have been spake of much in the handling of the former burden and yet may be somwhat more afterwards when I shal come to speak about spiritual desertions those kind of afflictions that many times are upon Christians and there is Rest unto their Souls in regard of them But for the present all that I shall say now is about outward afflictions come to me and you shall have Rest The afflictions of sickness and poverty and persecution and dishonor and trouble here in this world For we are to know that there is Rest in Christ even in regard of this and abundance of Rest Those that are acquainted with the mystery of godliness and the way of Gods Grace in Christ though they may meet with much trouble in this world yet they find abundance of Rest of spirit in Christ in regard of those troubles Indeed Christ did not say come to me and I will presently free you from all trouble that you cannot expect but come to me and this I will promise you that you shall have Rest in your spirits your condition may be as troublesome in regard of outward things here in this world as any but this I wil promise I will ingage my self for that you shall have Rest unto your souls in all conditions whatsoever that you shall be put into And is not this a blessed Rest Especially in regard of these times such times as these so ful of distractions when men are spoiled of their goods and persecuted and still we are afraid every day when all these outward comforts may be wrested from us This point perhaps may be to some more seasonable than to others what to tel some of the burden of the Law this is a spiritual thing and they have no Skil of it to have Rest from the trouble of the Guilt of sin this is spiritual and they have little Skil of that to have Rest from the remaining corruption in their hearts this is spiritual still and they have no skil of that neither I but now I come to speak of that which all of you will be sensible of in regard of outward afflictions I that is somwhat that the Hearts of all men wil say it were a good thing to be in Christ to have Rest in regard of outward afflictions Now it is the way of God to draw men to his Son in their own way to shew the good that is in his Son in that way which themselves are sensible of and those that are strangers to Christ may be sensible of this as to think that if that be made out that is here promised that indeed iâ— a blessed thing to be in Christ now that I shal open to you only I will give you one Scripture more for iâ— and then proceed to the opening of it It is in the 16. of John and the 33. These things have I spoken to you that in me ye might have peace in the world you shal have tribulation but be of good chear I have overcome the world This is a ful text Christ foresaw that his disciples should have a great deal of affliction in this world and this is spoken to them but a little before Christs death a little before Christ was to die and go from them he tels them of a great deal of affliction they should have in the world But saith Christ these things have I spoken in me ye shal have peace though ye have trouble in the world I will not free you from trouble but I wil give you peace to your Souls in those troubles in me ye shal have peace though in the world you have trouble and be of good chear I have overcome the world though you shall have troubles in the world yet I will give you Rest for I have overcome the world and therefore be of good chear for all the troubles that you shal meet withal shall not take away the peace of your spirits the Rest of your Souls So that then here the point that now we are to enter upon is That in Christ there is Rest in the midst of all afflictions of all troubles that we can meet withal in this world For First A beleever coming to Christ must needs have Rest whatsoever afflictions he meets withal for when he is come to Christ he may in him come to know that there is no affliction either doth or can befal him but is at the dispose of him that is his Father and the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ and is not this a great deal of Rest To know that what comes unto me though there be such and such instruments evil instruments to bring trouble upon my estate or name or otherwise yet I know that all this is by the wise ordering and disposing of that God that is the Father of Jesus Christ and in him is now my Father Were it that you could be all assured of this now that you should never hence forward have any loss in your estate any sickness in your body any trouble in your family any way or should have no affliction ever befal you but it should be at the dispose of your owne father he should dispose of it and your Father a wise and Loving Father or take the deâ—rest Friend that ever was in the world and if I say you should be made sure of this from heaven that you shal never have any affliction in this world but it shal be by his dispose would not this bring rest into your hearts though you had a disquiet heart before Would there not be a great deal of calme quiet and rest upon your spirits I make no question but if such a voice should come from heaven and you should know it were a voice from heaven and not a delusion saying be of good comfort you that are so troubled for feare of losse and outward afflictions be of good comfort thou shalt never have any one minute of an hour of trouble and affliction more than thy tender father or mother shal be willing unto would not this give rest and quiet unto thy spirit Certainly hadst thou faith to know that al comes from thy father in Christ for when we are come to him he is our father in Christ and al that comes to us is from him through Christ thou couldst not but have rest and peace Secondly By comming to Christ there is rest from outward afflictions for in him there is the taking away of the curse it is Christ that hath taken away the curse of al afflictions and therefore there must needs be rest unto the soul tâ—rough Christ Faith in Christ â—eacheth beleevers to worme afflictions as I may so say to worm them that is to get out the worm that is there The trouble that eates the heart in affliction it is the worm of the Curse for al afflictions are part of the curse in themselves in their owne nature as
if it were but the exercise of the Grace of Faith that thou art put upon in thy affliction there may be more good to thee in that then thou canst imagine There is more excellency in the exercise of any one Grace but especially in the exercise of Faith then in all prosperity in the World if God should give thee a kingdome it may be thou hast lost thy land thy House and goods I but God hath put thee upon the exercise of Faith now more then ever Now know that the exercise of one Grace is more then a kingdome to thee better then all the prosperity in the world thy friends may come and tell thee this and that I but dost thou feel thy affliction Sanctified to thy Soul Dost thou feel thy Heart drawn nearer to God Dost thou find the discovering of thy Heart more and the purging out thy Corruption more and thy Heart quickned in the waies of God more This wil bring Rest unto thy Soul for you have heard Sanctification is Rest unto the Soul therefore Sanctification of afflictions unto the Soul must needs bring Rest unto it Seventhly God is with his people in time of affliction by Christ thou hast the presence I say of God in thy affliction Gods gracious presence is only in his Son no man comes unto the Father but by the son it is true both waies as no man comes to the Father but by Christ so the Father comes to no man in a gracious way but by Christ now Gods gracious presence wil be with them in his Son I will be with thee in the fire and in the Water that is enough for the Soul to Rest upon that God wil be with them in the Fire and in the Water in Isa 43.2 When thou passest through the Water I wil be with thee and through the flouds they shal not overflow thee when thou walkest through the Fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shal the flame kindle upon thee for I am the Lord thy God the Holy one of Israel thy Savior I wil be with thee saith God so that there is Gods presence to support them now as ye heard al the promises are yea and amen in Christ in Christ they are al made good so that Rest in affliction comes by Christ As now in sickness art thou in sickness see what Rest there is in Christ in time of sickness in Psalm 41.3 The Lord wil strengthen him upon his Bed of sorrow thou hast made all his Bed in his sickness Surely then thou wilt lie soft thou shalt have Rest there Many poor sick people complain they cannot Rest they cannot lie soft their Bed is not made well their Bed is not made easie high in one place and low in another now here is a promise that God wil make the Bed of his people in the day of their sickness in the day of their trouble what an expression is here of Gods love that we may know how God tenders his people And though it be but a hard bed a flock bed a bed of straw you may lie easie if God make it And here you see in this psalme God promiseth to make the bed of his people now if you have not Rest it is because you have not been acquainted with the promises nor not exercised Faith upon the promises such a promise will bring Rest unto the Soul when you cannot Rest otherwise And so I might give you Scriptures likewise for poverty the many sweet expressions that we have in Scripture for the quieting of the Heart in poverty the special regard that God hath to poor people especially such as are godly who are in poverty I might name abundance of Scriptures as that The Lord hath chosen the poor to be Rich in Faith And the Gospel is preached unto the poor And not many mighty and noble but the poor receive the Gospel And in Zeph. 3.12 I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people and they shall trust in the Name of the Lord The Lord hath respect to them and if thou be godly and poor thou maist search into Scripture and find abundance of expressions to give thee Rest Christ was made poor that he might make us Rich doth therefore poverty trouble thee Consider that Christ he was poor and the poverty of Christ it was to make me Rich and all the evil of my poverty is taken away by Jesus Christ If poor people would exercise their Faith upon the poverty of Christ that he was made poor for so he saith though he was the Lord of all yet the foxes had holes and the Birds had nests but he had not whereon to lay his Head Christ had not so good a House as any of you Christ had not a cottage to dwel in but went abroad from one place to another therefore exercise but thy Faith upon the poverty of Christ and that will help thee in thy poverty And so for dishonor the Scripture is very ful that way too In Matth. 5.9 Blessed are ye when men shall speak all manner of Evil against you for my names sake And that in Peter Blessed are ye when ye suffer reproach for the Spirit of Glory shall Rest upon you Now all these promises in time of affliction is made to us in Christ and therefore come to me saith Christ you shal have the vertue and efficacy of al these promises Indeed carnal Hearts they do not think the promises of the Gospel worth any thing and they think that if they can have no more comfort but that this is poor comfort but those that are godly they know that there is abundance of comfort and sweetness to be had in the promises of the Gospel Eightly The abundance of present good that Christ will bring unto the Hearts of the Saints that shal swallow up all the trouble of affliction the abundance of present good shall swallow up al the bitter of affliction As thus now suppose you have a little Vinegar one drop of Vinegar if there were a pinte or quart of the sweetest liquor in the world put into it could you tast the Vinegar the tast would be taken away So now the Soul that comes to Christ and exerciseth Faith upon him Christ brings in the present good besides that that it shal have hereafter the present good that is enough to sweeten all things and to satisfie the Soule Christ sets up such a light in the Heart that such a one hath light in the midst of darkness though there be darkness round about yet there is such satisfying Contentments in Christ that is enough to overcome all the bitterness that is in the world such a one though never so afflicted yet is able to say with David as before My Soul return unto thy Rest And indeed all afflictions to those that are beleevers and have the exercise of Faith I do not speak of all beleevers one may be a beleever and yet not have Rest in
thee but know this that it is the priviledg of a beleever it is not the priviledg of every one there is a generation of men that are under the Law whose desires shall not be accepted as I shewed in opening of the burden of the Law But the man that doth these things shall live by them So runs the Tenure of the Law but here is ease for thy Soul if thou doest understand how the Law runs thy Heart cannot but sink within thee but this is that that gives ease to the Soul I am now come under another condition I being in Christ Christ gives Rest and ease unto the Souls of those that come to him that their desires and endeavors shal he accepted of God as performances now this is a blessed estate Fifthly The Rest of the Soul in Christ as it hath reference to deliverance from the burden of the Law consists in this That now al the Duties that God requires at thy hand are required in a sweet and a gentle way the services that God requires are required of thee in a gentle and a loving way God indeed comes and requires the same things that the Law requires of thee I but he comes to draw thy Soul with the Cords of Love We beseech you saith the Apostle by the mercies of God Rom. 12.1 That you give up your selves a living sacrifice Holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable Service We beseech you by the mercies of God Now the bond-slaves that are under the Law they have not Duties required of them by such cords and bonds of Love but if thou dost these things thou shalt live if not thou shalt die do and live sin and die so the Law requires duties at your hands that are under the bondage of the Law but now beleevers in Christ their duties are required by the mercies of God We as Embassadors beseech saith the Apostle And if there be any Love any Consolation Such kind of arguments are used to them and were it that we preached only to beleevers these kind of arguments were only necessary and it becomes those that are drawn by the Gospel to be drawn by such arguments and it is a good argument that your Souls are drawn by the power of the Gospel and are come to Christ if you find the Lord doth draw your Hearts that way and that those Duties of obedience that formerly you were put upon in a rigorous way meerly by the terror of your consciences your consciences flashing Hell fire in your Faces if you did not perform them if now you find that the Grace of God in the Gospel draws your Hearts more powerfully It is true every way you should give to God obedience upon any tearms but now when you find that God draws your Souls this way it is an argument that you come to have Rest in Christ We read in the History of the Ceremonial Law a type of these things that I am now speaking of that the Book of the Law was laid under the mercy seate you shal find in the story that the Book of the Law was laid under the mercy seate between the Cherubins under the mercy seate there the Book of the Law was laid that was the place that God appointed for it to shew that even thus doth the Law of God come now upon the Hearts of beleevers it comes upon them as it were under the mercy seat in the mercy seat beleevers look upon the Book of the Law lying at the mercy seat that is every Commandement comes unto them in a gracious alluring way together with abundance of mercy to draw their Hearts unto the obedience of it Sixthly Coming to Christ you have rest from the Law in this that the Grace of God in Christ doth much melt the Heart and when it hath melted the Heart to milk out the flagons of it then this melting of Heart is accepted exceedingly by God is very precious in the Eyes of God now this comes from the Grace of God that we have in Christ and it is a mighty Rest of Soul to know this As I told you before It is not enough for any of you to say it is true we are all sinners but God knows I mourn for my sins I am troubled for my sins that is not enough for thee friend but art thou one that art delivered from thy natural condition From being under the Covenant of works Art thou one that is come to Christ and brought to Christ Art thou one that is in the state of beleevers being a member of Christ Then thy repentance and mourning is acccepted As now it is in many Cases between Men and Men some men are in such a Capacity that if they do such a thing it is accepted but if another man that is not in the same Capacity do the same thing he will not be accepted so it is here those men that are in this Capacity in Christ and have together with the sorrowes for their sins the sorrows of Christ presented to the Father Canst thou when thou art sorrowing for thy sins present the sorrows of Jesus Christ by Faith unto the Father Then thou art accepted but know this that no sorrow for sin is accepted but such as is joyned with the presentation of the sorrows of Christ unto the Father Now what an ease is this to the Soul That now the Heart hath a means to melt it for the Heart was hardened before the sorrow for sin is such that the Heart remains hardned it is no other sorrow but this as it is with Marble-stones the Marble-stone is hard but yet in wet wether it will give and be very moist but stil it is as hard as it was it is a stone stil So it is with many that are troubled for their sins being only the trouble that comes from the Law they are troubled but yet there remaines much hardness in their Heart much peevishness and frowardness against God and against men You shall find in many people who have trouble of conscience yet there is much peevishness and frowardness in them against God and against man now when you see this in the Hearts of people manifested in their expressions waies and conversations remember the stones that you see upon pavements in wet wether they give and may be water trickles down from them and yet they remain hard still But now when the Gospel comes it doth not only cause some sorrow but the Heart melts and this is accepted as very precious before God and that is the Reason that we have in Scripture so many expressions of Gods high esteem of broken Hearts and contrite Spirits and how God looks at them He that dwels on high yet looks to him that is of an Humble and contrite Spirit and that trembles at his word and let me speak this one word for the ease of them that are troubled and are come to Christ those tears that come from thy melted Heart through the
Grace of the Gospel they are of all things most precious in the Eyes of God next to the blood of Christ next to the drops of Christs blood thy mourning Lamenting Spirit is one of the most precious things in the Eyes of God God treasures up every one of them and this is the Rest of the Soul the Soul may have abundance of Rest therefore in Christ when thou comest to know that thy mourning for thy offences is accepted of God Seventhly The ease that the Soul hath from the burden of the Law is this That whereas before through the severity of the Law sin did make thy Soul an object of Gods wrath take sin as it was in it self and coming from thee God having no respect in Christ towards thee sin made thy Soul an object of Gods wrath Yea and of hatred too for so the Scripture tels us plainly that the Lord hates the workers of iniquity now being come to Christ according to this invitation Come to me ye that are Laden now your sins being looked upon in Christ do rather make you an object of pitty and compassion to God not from any virtue not from any thing in its own Nature but in regard of your condition as thus let a tender Mother look upon the Child that is sick that is wounded it is true the Mother cannot Love the distemper or love the wound the Mother would not have the sickness or the wound upon the Child but doth not the sickness or wound that is upon the Child make the Child to be an object of pitty and Compassion Make the bowels of a tender Father and Mother to yern so much the more to the Child So here the Lord now looks upon thy sin being in Christ as thy sickness as thy wound and therefore doth pitty thee as under thy affliction rather then under thy sin For the truth is all those that are the Saints of God and are come to Christ they look upon their own sins as their affliction as the greatest affliction they have in the world as I shewed when I spake of the load and Burden of Corruption that remaines in their Hearts Now God therefore looks up on thy sin as thine affliction and as for any other thing that is thy affliction as it is the breach of the Law or the like Christ undertakes for that and so thou art delivered from the wrath that it doth deserve and those evil effects that should come of it through the revenging justice of God Christ hath undertaken it but yet it remaines thy affliction though thou art delivered from guiltiness and condemnation yet one that hath a gracious Heart Reasons thus Though I be delivered from my sin from the Guilt of it from the condemning power that the Law hath through my sin yet it is my affliction my trouble and so I look upon it now peace and Rest be to that Soul from what the Law can require so that as we go along we may not only see the benefit we have by Christ but who they are that are thus delivered those who though they know they are delivered from the Burden of it yet they do account their sins the afflictions of their Soul whereas others that are meerly Legal they apprehend their Souls as guilty and under condemnation but if they were delivered from it they would look upon their sins as their wounds and afflictions The Saints they see that they are now made the objects of Gods pitty and compassion towards them and hence is the Reason that Christ is willing if it be possible to find many excuses that may be made for his poor Servants thou shalt not need to find out any excuse if there be any thing that may alleviate and lessen thy sin Christ will find it our and lessen it for thee You know what Christ saith to his Disciples when they were sleeping and could not watch one hour though he rebukes them yet he saith though the flesh is weak yet the Spirit is willing Mark how Christ excuse them they do not say when Christ comes and saith cannot you watch with me one hour Alas it is true Master the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak they do not say thus but Christ saith so to them and the truth is this is the way to leave their excuse to Christ their way is to aggravate their sins as much as may be and it is the temper of those that are come to Christ it is not their care to lessen their sins but they do what they can to aggravate their sins and lay it upon their Hearts for the humbling of their Souls but Christ undertakes to excuse them And therefore you that have so many excuses for your sin just as your Grand-Father Adam had he put it off to the Woman and the Woman unto the Serpent and one to another so you it is true my Nature is passionate and I am froward by Nature and a hundred such excuses men have whereas all thy care should be to humble thy Soul for thy sins and if there be any thing to alleviate thy sin and lessen it Christ will do that and the more thou excusest thy self the greater will be thy sin and it is better for thee for another to excuse it than thy self As when a Child or servant shal offend and one that is a neer friend or neighbor shal come and excuse them this is a great deal better than if they did it themselves Now those that are under the Law they have no excuse to be made for them but those that are come to Christ they have Christ to make al the excuses for them Oh! take heed of abusing the rich grace of God in Christ this I know that this is such a pure quality that it hath not such a malignant quality in it that it wil be abused and where you see any such quality know that they have it not aright they have something else instead of the thing as sometimes you shal see two things as like one another as can be suppose drinks made with some kind of composition they shal look just like one another but one shal have some venom in it enough to kil one and the other shal be wholesome and able to recover one yet both shal have the same â—ur and the same tast so it is with the free gracâ—â—d in Christ you may have the same word spoken â—e thing exprest to one and to another the very same thing preached for the outside of it for the word for the expression in a sermon the same doctrin raised for the expression and yet they shal be so carried that one shal have a malignancy in it and the other shal have a soveraigne power in it now when the soul hath the true rest in Christ that rest hath not such a malignant power to make the heart worse by it But of that I shall speake more afterwards Eighthly When thou art come to Christ thy soul