yet all this will not satisfie for what is past many when they have sinned and their Consciences are a little awakned for it then they think to live better and to do otherwise afterwards as if they would make amends for what is done before but you must know that this is a meer deceit and wil not satisfie you must come to me saith Christ you must come to Christ and beleeve in him or otherwise all that you can do wil never make amends you wil say If we cannot make amends what shal become of us it is true if there were not a Savior a Christ our condition were sad Certainly amends must be made but it is impossible that ever you can make amends and this you must think of you must not only think of what you are bound to do for the time that is to come but how the breach of the law shal be made up for that which is past when the sinner comes to think of these two together I have thus sinned Lord what shal I do for time to come I what shal I do to make up the breach of the law for that which is past this wil burden the soul and the soul wil feel upon this such a burden that nothing in the world can give it rest tel it come to Christ If we did apprehend this we would see that our Condition out of Christ were a restless condition and this invitation of Christ would be very acceptable Now because I was loth to tel you of rest before I had opened a little this burden for otherwise you might say as those Jewes did to Christ in an other case when Christ told them If the Son made them free they should be free indeed why Say they are we bound to any man it is in John 8.32 why do you talk of freedom to us If I should have gone on in the invitation Come to me and I wil give you rest come to Christ Why what restless Condition are we in you might have said But now when you see your restless condition then I suppose you wil be willing to harken to the invitation Come to me and I wil give you rest those things wil make you to know what it is to beleeve and to come to Christ when you come to understand what you are in being out of Christ 8. An eighth particular is this That the Law accepts of no repentance as it wil not be made amends for so it wil not accept of repentance Let the Sinner be never so sorrowful for what he hath done and lament his sin never so much if he could bewail his sin with teares of blood the Law would not accept of this You wil say this is a strange doctrine that our repentance should not be accepted of I do not say absolutely that God wil accept of no Repentance but I say that the Law wil accept of no Repentance Repentance is the doctrine of the Gospel the Law preacheth no such doctrine as the doctrin of Repentance it is an evangelical doctrine but now repentance that is merely trouble of Conscience that I see my self in such danger of the Law this may be a natural repentance and not evangelical that is I see I have undone my self by reason of my sin and now am troubled and so go no further I say this is a natural repentance and not evangelical When you do think of repenting of your sins this is a saving meditation for you to think of your Repentance thus I am now sorry and Repent and am humbled for my sin I but this is through a second Covenant through a covenant of grace that this can be accepted it is infinit mercy in God and that in Christ it is purchased by the blood of Christ that any Sorrow for any sin shal ever be accepted of God you must thank Christ for that and therefore when you come to the work of mourning for sin you should come to it as a work of the Gospel as an evangelical work and so come freely to it for that which is a work of the Gospel is a fruit of the blood of Christ and it is a great mercy of God unto you that you may be admitted to come before him to sorrow for your sins in such a way as you may be saved al your tears and trouble for sin except it be through the grace of the gospel it is not accepted and yet how many thousands of poor souls never think of this in the work of their repentance perhaps when they lie upon their sick or death beds their consciences tels them that there is a hel and misery for sinners and there they lie roaring and Crying out but the truth is they never understand the way of God in the Covenant of grace and how the Lord hath looked upon the Children of men under the Covenant of works and now hath entred into a second Covenant through his Son and there hath provided a way for their salvation which could not be in the other covenant we are to know that the law doth accept of no repentance now O! what a bondage is this that when I am sorrowful for my sins and think that God wil pardon me then I am curst by such a Law that wil accept of no repentance but when we come to Christ there Godly sorrow is accepted of and it is said to be Sorrow unto life but that is the priviledg of those that are under the covenant of grace in Christ therefore consider seriously of this point that you may make a difference between a covenant of works and a covenant of grace I know nothing in al divinity that is greater for you to understand then these two things and those people that are not acquainted with these two covenants they understand but little in those misteries of religion that may bring Salvation I say little or nothing of true divinity is understood by people that do not understand the difference between the first and the second covenant between the covenant of works and the covenant of grace and the right understanding of the difference between these two would let in abundance of knowledg I dare undertake that after people come to have the understanding of these two and to know the difference of them in one quarter of a year they wil come to have let into their hearts more knowledg in the main principles of religion then they had in many years before and for want of knowing this one thing people do most grosly mistake in abundance of points of Religion and never come to understand and to know christ at al in that way that is propounded in the Gospel And that is the eighth thing Ninthly In the Ninth place the burden of the Law appears in this that it only opens to man his misery and there leaves him as if a Chyrurgeon should open a wound and there leave it as it were in the open aire The Law tels not
ly now he that is the lawgiver is thy redeemer thou comest now to receiv the law from the hand of a mediator here indeed is the principle ease and rest of a gracious heart to the mind of a Saint a beleever that now he comes to receive the Law from the hand of a mediator There is many that speake of deliverance from the Law as it came by Moses but if we understand things aright we have no such cause to think that necessary to be delivered from the Law as it came by Moses in one sence that is thus Moses was a tipe of Christ as a Mediator for so he is called a Mediator in Gal. 3.19 It was ordained by Angels in the hand of a mediator God made use of the ministry of the Angels in delivering the law and he gave it in the hand of a mediator not to the people immediately for they were not able to beare it but in the hand of Moses because he was to bring the Law from God unto them and it was not immediately given unto them but in his hand as in the hand of a Mediator Now Moses is called a Mediator here as a tipe of Christ as he was a tipe of Christ as he was a tipe of Christ in diverse respects so in this and he tipified Christ in this particular that the Law to beleevers comes not unto them meerly from God as a righteous and just God as their Judg but comes unto them in the hand of Christ as their Mediator and there is a great deal of comfort in the Law to receive it thus to receive it from the hand of Christ who is their Mediator and as I shewed before who is their advocate for so he is called in scripture that now they should receive the Law by his hand that is at the right hand of the Father to be their advocate to plead for them when they shal through infirmity break the law this is a mighty rest to the soul therefore beleevers are to look upon the Law coming from God but coming from God in the hand of a Mediator to look upon their mediator as indeed their Law-giver not only handing the Law to them as Moses did but the truth is the Law-giver himself Christ the Mediator hands the Law to them yea is their Law-giver and receives the Law for them now this must needs be a great ease a great Rest to the Soul if it understands this aright Thirdly In Christ now thy condition is such that though there be never so many imperfections never so many weaknesses Yea strong Corruptions yet if there be but the least Spiritual good the least work of Gods Grace in thee the Lord hath a special Eye to that little good that there is in thee and all thy Corruptions all thy imperfections shall not hinder the acceptation of the little spark of good that is in thy Soul this is our freedome by Christ For in the opening of the Law there I shewed that whatever good man doth do being under the Law let it be what it wil yet except it be perfect it is al rejected All that are in their natural condition and under the first Covenant whatever they do if there be any imperfection mingled with it it is not at al accepted but here is the Rest that beleevers have that the case is altered with them Now though there be much corruption remaining in them if the Lord sees but one spark of grace though never so weak though it be but as the smoking flax as the bruised Reed yet they are accepted of God having but the least spark of any good at al in them this is a mighty ease to the Souls of those that labor under the bondage of the Law That before seeing so much Corruption in their Hearts they had little Hopes of acceptation of any thing that was in them now the Lord hath regard to any thing that is good be it never so smal Yea And he wil find it out too Perhaps thy Grace may be so smal that it may be buried in the heâ—â— of Corruption that thou shalt not be able to find it out The condition of some Christians is as a Maid that shal go in the morning to the hearth and there raking up and down in the ashes to see if she can find some spark of fire and she finds none and is ready to think there is none there but perhaps there may some spark lie in a corner though she finds it not So it is here corruption in the Heart is like the Ashes and Grace is like some spark that lies in a Corner and when poor Souls go to examin their Hearts they see a great deal of Ashes a great deal of Corruption and are ready to conclude the fire is out no spark there I but though rhou canst not find a spark there yet being in Christ God will find it when thou canst not thy self if there be any that lies in any corner as we hope there is some sparks in many though there is so much Corruption in the Hearts of many godly people that we wonder where their Grace lies so much passion frowardness and the like well were it indeed that these were under the Covenant of works under the Law that corruption that doth appear in them would cause all to be cast off whatever might lie secretly in their Hearts God would cast it off but now if they be such as are under the Covenant of Grace and the Lord hath brought them to Christ this is the Rest and ease for their Souls that all the Corruption that is in them shall not hinder the acceptation of the least spark of the Grace of God that the Lord hath wrought in them Fourthly As the Lord wil find out every spark of good that is in them so even their desires and endeavors after the will of God though they are not able to attaine to what they would it shal be accepted as the deed The other was suppose you do not do the will of God yet if there be any habit any disposition any principle of Grace though nothing be done though they cannot perceive any begining of it yet that shal be accepted but this is further let them but strive to do Gods will let them Labor after perfection and the Lord accepts the will for the deed Hence in Scripture those that are godly are called perfect As many as are perfect and Be ye perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect Quest You will say Can we be perfect in this World Answ No But this is the Grace of God in the Gospel that those that come to Christ the Lord accepts the will for the deed here is blessed ease and Rest for the Soul in Christ wert thou under the Law this could not be and though men say they do and they Hope God will accept of their desires and endeavors It is true if thou art come to Christ Christ will accept
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
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
come and cast your souls upon me You may say Lord we that have been guilty of so many sins so many years might it not be just that God should require and say I but you shal live so many yeares to my honor live so many yeares to my service and then I wil pardon and accept of you no but saith God I wil receive you and accept of you upon your comming before ever you are able to do me any kind of service no saith God come to me and you shal have first my favour and you shal be first accepted and first pardoned and then indeed I expect service from you then I expect that you should live as the redeemed ones of the Lord and al that you shal do afterwards shal be but in way of thankfulness to me for my grace And indeed thus do beleevers live in the world though they look upon what they do in a way of duty but they do it in a way of thankfulness that is the special thing that carries them on the grace of God in his son and that is a stronger argument to al kind of duties that now God requires of them then what they had before God doth not cal upon you to suffer first and then he wil pardon your sin no but saith God I wil bestow my favour first upon you and try whither you wil suffer afterwards God wil not do as men try them whether they wil suffer and deserve their favours before they bestow them on them but saith God I wil first bestow my favours upon you and then I wil try whether you wil suffer for me and do me service And therefore the less God requires as a condition before we come to Christ the more should we be willing to do for God after we are come to Christ As a man that shall receive a poor child into his family and make him his heir the less that was procured to the favour of the man the more if the child be ingenious wil he do to him in way of thankfulness Indeed if the friends of the Child come and indent with the man and promise him a hundred pound the Child thinks he is not so beholding to his master for their was money given with him I but now if you should ly at the dore and no friend to look after you and not a rag upon you and if then he wil take you in and teach you his trade and make you the heir of al he hath Oh! now how infinitely ingaged are you to him that how my master doth al this for me and there was nothing done before to procure his love Thus Jesus Christ is a forehand with us Come to me only come to me that you might have Rest 8. Hence follows another note of very good use seeing nothing is required first but only coming to Christ here is a strong ground of assurance that those that are once in Christ shall not be cast away but shall have eternal life for there is not so great a distance between eternal life and the members of Christ as there is between one that is in his Natural estate and a member of Christ Now God hath done more for thee in bringing thee unto Christ then he shall do for thee when he brings thee unto Heaven For there is a geater distance between thee and Christ than there is between thee a Member of Christ and a glorified Saint in Heaven and if God bring thee over this great distance meerly out of free Grace and nothing required but coming that now thou art a member of Christ and therefore hast right to Heaven and thou canst challeng Heaven through the Righteousness of Jesus Christ and God hath put a principle of life into thee to live unto Jesus Christ a principle of everlasting life into thee when there was no principle at all God brings thee to Jesus Christ meerly out of free Grace Now if thou comest so freely to him surely thou shalt not be shut out of Heaven and therefore it may be a mighty incouragment What if when we were enemies we be Reconciled to Christ much more now shall we be saved by his life If when I was in the Gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity God gave me mercy upon coming to his Son surely he will not cast me out of Heaven 9. Another note that we may learn from hence is this That those that are beleevers if at any time through their negligence sluggishness or fals they loose the assurance of Gods love in Christ loose their Rest in Christ here they have a direction to know what to do Look how thou did'st at first when thou attainedst first Rest in Christ it was not by any Righteousness of thine own nor by thy humiliation though that might make some way towards it So now when thou art a beleever and hast lost the assurance of Christs Love and the comfort of Rest in Christ now thou must go and take the same way again Christ cals those that are beleevers to come to him those that have lost the assurance of Faith that is the way for Rest to renew the act of thy coming to Christ just as thou did'st before Though God did humble thee yet the thing that did bring thee Rest was the coming to Jesus Christ so much more should'st thou do now being a beleever When thou hast not the Rest in Christ thou desirest thy way is to renew thy act of coming of going to Christ and so you may sooner come to have Rest that way than by thinking thus I know not whether my evidences be right or no and I had need look to them and therefore I had need to look whether my humiliation be right and my Sanctification be right or no. I say the renewing the act of thy faith in coming to Christ will bring Rest sooner and safer Rest and therefore thou shalt come to see thy Sanctification better too by renewing the act of thy Faith in coming unto Christ and thou wilt have thy Rest sooner that way it follows from hence because at first conversion there is coming Thus much for the Consequences that follow from the point of Christs requiring only to come CHAP. XXI Nine Rules to be observed in right coming to Christ 1. Rest not in outward means that lead to Christ before Christ himself be enjoyed 2. Pitch rather upon Christ himself than upon the good things of Christ 3. Come with the whole Soul 4. Keep Christ continually in thine Eye 5. Be convinced that whatsoever keeps thee from Christ comes not from God 6. Take heed and beware of al discouragements and hinderances 7. Keep the Heart stil tending to Christ 8. Give up thy self to Gods Spirit 9. Often renew the act of coming come often to Christ NOw there is only two things remaine and that is some Rules to be propounded about our coming to Christ And then some means to draw the Hearts of sinners to come
then look what Christ hath rest in that is thy rest too as now what is the rest of Christ Christ hath rest especially in three things there are three things that are the rest of Christ Gods rest in his Saints His rest in his Ordinances And his rest in his Sabbaths Now those that are partakers of true rest for their Soules in Christ look what Gods rest is thy rest is As now for the Saints the soul hath rest in them that is thy soul hath content and rest in them in their company Marke what is said of them in Zepha 3.17 Saith the Holy Ghost The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty he wil save he wil rejoyce over thee with joy he wil rest in his Love he wil joy over thee with singing Is the society and company of the saints a rest to the or rather a trouble to thee Oh to many the company of the saints it is a trouble to them but when they get into their own company amonst their own Companions then they have some Rest And then for the ordinances for that you have a text in the 132. Psalm and 14. Speaking of Zion For the Lord hath Chosen Zion he hath desired it for his habitation this is my rest for ever here wil I dwel for I have desired it Oh in Zion in ordinances in duties in the worship that is tendered up to thee here is my rest for ever and here is my delight Lord let me have rest this way my spirit is never so much at rest as when I am in the duties of Gods worship when I am exercised in Gods ordinances here my soul is at rest what ever I have else If I should have peace again and enjoy estate quietly yet except I have Gods ordinances I cannot have rest Now doth thy soul enjoy more rest in the ordinances then in any other way then thy rest is Christs rest And then for the sabboth you know what the scripture saith what a sabboth is it is nothing but rest and is the saboth a day of Rest unto thy soul do not many people think the sabboth day most troublesome to them especially if they be kept to holy duties prayer hearing the word the like Suppose you be put to pray in your closet then to pray in your family and to aske some questions to your servants children and then come to the publick and there to sanctifie the name of God and then when you come home again to examin your family over what they have learned and so prepare your selves again to the ordinance and so to spend your self in prayer and hearing and excercising al the day would not this be a weariness to many of you And would not many of you say as those in Malachy When wil the sabboth be over Men indeed count the sabboth a rest Why because they cease from working and they put on fine cloths and go abroad and walk in the feilds and upon this they count the sabboth a rest surely such are not acquainted with the rest that is in Christ but if thy soul be acquainted with this rest then the sabboth is but a tipe of that rest that thou shalt keep in the highest heavens it is but a tipe unto thee and a forerunner of that Glorious Rest that thou shalt enjoy hereafter Fifthly If thy soul have true rest it is such rest as wil abide examination of the word of God though it doth touch to the quick and the more the word doth touch to the quick the more it comes to thy soul the more rest thy soul hath In Heb. after the Holy Ghost had spoken of the rest that is to the people of God in 12. saith he The word is quick and powerful and sharper then any two edged sword peircing to the dividing a sunder of Soul and spirit and of the Joynts and Marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the Heart As if he should say if you enter into the Rest of Gods people you shal have such a rest as wil abide the most narrow and quickening searchings of the word of God the word of God will search you through and through and your rest shal be such a rest as wil abide the search A rest that comes by the word the more the word searcheth the more it increaseth quickning it searcheth between the marrow and the bones and the more rest a true gracious Heart finds CHAP. LI. Eight means to get and keep Rest in Christ 1. Beware of secret sins 2. Be thankful for what good God hath given thee 3. Judg not thy self in time of temptation 4. In trouble wait upon God in the use of means 5. Meditate much upon the promises 6. Proportion humiliation to thy comfort 7. Be throughly grounded that thou art in Christ 8. Improve the Rest thou hast to God by doing much work to him OBJECT BUt you wil say notwithstanding al this you have spoken yet many of the Saints of God though they have been careful to do what you have said yet they do not find this Rest you speak of in Christ Answ It is true it is not enough for you to be a beleever for one may be a beleever and yet not have the evidence of the Graces in Christ so as to have Rest unto his Soul You will say what should we do then First Take heed that there be no secret sin abide in your spirits you had need examine and look to that for that wil be a thorne in the flesh that wil trouble you if there be any secret sin thou livest in it wil be as a thorne in the flesh that thou canst not be quiet Secondly Another thing that will hinder the rest of beleevers is That because they have not so much as they desire they wil not take notice of what good God hath granted to them because they have not al they would have they think they have nothing at al. Now take heed of that though thou hast not all yet take notice of what God hath done for thee and be thankful for that We read of the Women in the Gospel that went â—o seek Christ they found the Angels and heard news of him though they found him not at first So though thy soul find not Christ for the present and the rest thou desirest yet if thou hast any news of him any beginning of Gods work in thy Soul take notice of that Should the Women have said what is that to us that we find the Angels and that we hear news of him it is Christ that we seek No they said not so And therefore I say bless God for what ever thou hast it is more then others have bless God for it and that is the way to have more Thirdly Never judg of thy self as thou feelest thy self in a time of temptation it may be thou art under a temptation or spiritual desertion now do not judg of thy self as