what you do now and if they see that since you began to go to Sermons and to make more profession of Religion that your lives are more filled with discomfort and vexing and fretting and discouragement than before What will they say What waies are these Who would come into these waies they make theâ— mad and make them fools and unfit them for any business Oh this is a shame to he waies of Christ though it is true now thou seest more cause of humiliation than before but for all this know that this is not legal humiliation but evangelical humiliation and there is sweetness in that bitter of sin if thou understandest it in an evangelical way and though thou shouldest mourn for thy sin yet thou shouldest carry thy self with that gentleness and humility and meekness in thy spirit thou shouldst discover that sweetness of heart and cheerfulness and activeness in your callings going about your business better than ever before that they may say surely the way of Christ is easie and so others may be in love with them but if others shal see you to be more high and lofty in your spirits more proud more disdaining more neglective in your callings and more cross in your carriage than before then they will be kept off from those waies Consequence 5. Again if the waies of Christ be so easie certainly Jesus Christ will expect a great deal of service from you because he gives you much ease a man that walkes at liberty he may walk apace a Porter that hath a great burden upon him whilst that that burden is upon him he cannot go so fast if one should come and say to him Why do not you go faster he would answer if you had such a burden upon you as â— have you would go as softly as I do A cart that hath a great load upon it cannot go apace so here hath Jesus Christ laid no weight upon you in his waies then let us run the waies of Gods commandments Beleevers in the time of the Law they had Shackles they had a weight a burden upon them and therefore no marvel we do not read of so much holiness and spiritualness in the waies of the Godly in the times of the Law generally because I say their yoke was heavy and therefore they did drive very slowly on but now when Jesus Christ is come into the world and hath taken our yoke from us certainly Christ expects that we should now go on freely in his waies and abound in the work of the Lord and do more than they did in the times of the Law Read the Book of the Psalmes and see the sweetness of Davids spirit had David had the Epistles of Paul and had known all of Christ and heard so much of the Gospel opened to him How would he have said O! how sweet is thy Law and if his heart was enlarged he could run the waies of Gods commandments I but David he was under the burden of the ceremoniall Law for it is not that which is revealed in the Gospel certainly he had not the knowledg of the Gospel the things revealed there though he had a more then ordinary measure of knowledg and if he walked so freely and cheerfully in the waies of Christ certainly we should do much more Service for the Lord now the yoke is taken from us as the ceremonial Law in respect of charge we are freed from a great deal of charge that they were at therefore we should be more free when God requires it of us And they spent so much time in outward things in meer outward things then shall we grudge god our time in spiritual communion or grudg God time in our Families a quarter of an hour to Worship God in our Families morning and evening In the Lavv they spent abundance of time in the Service of God it may be you think it much to rise and come to hear the Word they vvere fain to go long journies to Worship at Jerusalem vvherever they lived in the country to go to Jerusalem to worship and yet their worship was but an external thing and in the greater part but bodily labor when they went thus to worship they had not the Mysteries of the Gospel opened to them as you have to recompence your labor therefore I say be more abundant in the service of God We have a notable Scripture for this in Acts 9. 31. of the state of the Church when once they had ease and rest marke what came of it Then had the Churches rest throughout all Judea and Galâ—lee and Samaria and were edified and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost weâ—e multiplied Here is the fruit of their rest The ease of a secure heart is that that makes it more barren in Gods waies but now the Church had rest through all Judea What then then they walked in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost and were multiplied and doth God give rest unto your Soul and peace to you then walk in the fear of the Lord and be edified and built up more and more and multiply the service of God more and more there is a promise that the people of God should be fat and well-liking in the times of the Gospel and flourish in the Courts of the Lord. There is two things that causeth Fatness the one is much Feeding the other is a great deal of rest and ease when men feed much and then have a great deal of ease this causeth fatness if there be either want of food or if there be never so much food yet if a great deal of labor it keeps them from fatness but when there is ease and food that causeth bodily fatness Now Christ expects in the times of the Gospel that all Christians should be fat and well liking that they should not be lean in their souls Why for 1. They have as plentifull food as ever was since the world began never had they better diet and more ful diet and wholsome diet than now And 2. He hath revealed likewise the blessed ease of the Gospel there was never a time wherein the Mystery of the Gospel was so much revealed to make the waies of Christ so easie as now there is a revealing indeed of the waies of the Gospel to be easie sensually and loose but wo to those that are thus at ease but I say there is a revealing of the Gospel and the waies of Christ to be easie spiritually Certainly formerly many went to Heaven more hardlier than we not only in respect of suffering but in respect of horror of sin the spirit of bondage there were scarce any brought to Jesus Christ but were brought with abundance of horror and had much of the spirit of bondage upon them and God did recompence them afterwards abundantly and we find this that it is true that many true Christians never knew so much horror of
difference between my child and the child of a heathen Lord is there no difference between this and the times of the Law thou sayest thy yoke is easy and thy burden is light but here is a great burden upon me that I have not that benefit that heretofore I had certainly my brethren Christ did not come into the world to lessen the Grace of God you will say they were in a worse condition then this but how are they in a better as for the covenant of Grace in Jesus Christ that certainly a Jew had they were saved by the same way that we are namely by beleeving in Jesus Christ now those that were beleevers and did understand Jesus Christ they had the same benefit by Jesus Christ that we have I but if their children now should not have the same benefit that they had I say then Christ hath brought a greater yoke upon beleevers in the times of the Gospel then was upon beleevers in the times of the Law and this is contrary to what Christ saith my Yoke is easy and my Burden light Methinks I wonder that any men that are Beleevers that have children of their own that should drinke in that opinion for certainly it cannot but be a greater Yoke upon them and if they should think there were no difference between their children and the children of heathen they should count it a great Yoke and they should think it better for them if they had lived in the times of the Law and before Christ came into the world for then they had benefit for their children Now we are delivered from the Yoke of the ceremonial Law that required hard things and we are not brought into a worse condition you cannot be in a worse condition saith Christ in coming unto me then you were in the times of the Law But especially the Morral law that was a great burden a great yoke as looked upon in the Covenant of works now for that I shal not need to speak much because I have opened it in the invitation of Christ Come unto me al ye that are weary and heavy laden and there I shewed unto you the burden of the Law and from that saith Christ I will give you rest I shewed how Christ delivers from the burden of the Law Certainly the Gospel then is a great ease to mention to you but two or three particulars in this then I shewd you there how it required absolute impossible things impossible unto us now not unpossible unto Adam nâ—t impossible to that power that Adam had at first but impossible to us Now it requires absolute perfection in every thing it doth not admit of any repentance no nor of any endeavour not to accept of it the Law accepts of no endeavour except he continue in every thing he accepts of no repentance But now saith Christ my yoke is easy I require nothing of you but what is easy the Law doth not accept of endeavour but I will accept of endeavour if there be a will I will accept of it if there be repentance I will accept of it the Law would not do â—t let a Sinner weep his heart out the Law would â—ot accept of it after you have sinned the Law binds â—ou over to an eternal curse and had not Jesus â—hrist come into the world you had been bound oâ—r to an eternal curse for ever and that is the reaâ—â— that the Angels cannot be saved and therefore saâ—h Christ take heed of this yoke this is a heavy bâ—den that there should be no mediating nothing should be accepted but saith Christ I will bring you an easyer yoke it is not so when you come to beleeve in mee now your endeavours shal be accepted and though you be imperfect yet if you be upright it shall be accepted CHAP. CXLIV The Yoke of Christ easier then the Yoke of Sin and Antichrist WEll the next is the Yoke of Sin the Yoke of Christ is farr easyer then that sin is the greatest slavery in the World it makes a man or woman a slave to the worst of Creatures that ever was made to the Devil himself to be a slave to sin it is to be a slave to the Devil we have many bills sent up to us to pray for those that are taken captives in Argire it may be there are some of you here that have been taken slaves there and you count that a miserable Yoke when you are made slaves to the Turke you thought your freinds that were at home were happy that had their liberty to go up and down Now Oh! you that ever felt that Yoke or that have heard the doleful complaint of that Yoke by your freinds that you would by that be sensible of the slavery to sin and to the Devil is it noâ— better to be in slavery to any men in the world then to the Devil When you go abroad you must neeâ—s go into the Alehouses to drink and to be amonâ—st company and abuse your bodies to drunkennâ—ss and uncleanness and you have eyes ful of adulâ—ery that cannot cease to sin and you will excuse your selves and say you cannot do otherwise â—hen you are slaves and are taken captive by the Devil to do according to his will that Text you haâ—e for it in 2 Tim. 2. And the last That they may recover themselves out of the Snare of the Devil that are taken captive by him at his will When a man is taken captive he cannot do his own will he cannot go whither he will but he must go whither his master wil have him and he cannot do what work he wil but he must do what his Master will have him So you cannot do what you would but you must do what the Devil would have you to do sin is a slavery to the Devil But now the obedience of the Gospel is that that brings the soul to be a subject to Jesus Christ your King so that here is the difference between the Devills service and Christs that in the one your work is a base slavery and in the other it is an honorable service Christ requires no base slavery of his subjects it were better to do any slavery and drudgery to Jesus Christ then to do any work for the Devil the Devil requires nothing but drudgery and Christ requires nothing but honorable service and therefore the Yoke of Jesus Christ is easyer then the Yoke of sin yea the Yoke of sin hath a great deal of contradiction in it there are cross commands they serve divers lusts one lust would have them do one thing and another would have them do another but now in the service of Christ there is a blessed agreement between them in the service of sin there is nothing but contradiction but in the service of Christ there is nothing but comly order and therefore his service is a great deal easier then the service of sin and the truth is if so be you did but know both of
and do the thing that before you did not do or else never be absolved by them but Christ will absolve you though you should never come to do the thing that he would have you to do if there be a willingness of heart to inquire into his mind and a willingness to do so farr as you know Now what a deal of difference is here Though you do not reforme the outward action yet if your heart be upright I will pardon your offences come to me saith Christ for my Yoke is easier then the yoke of the Law then the Yoke of sin and then the yoke of Antichrist Oh how just were it for us to be brought under the Yoke of Antichrist indeed that are not willing to be brought under the Yoke of Jesus Christ it is a great argument indeed that we are under the Yoke of sin when we are not willing to be under the yoke of Christ In Exodus 12 25 You shall read there of the Passover which was to put them in mind of the bondage that they were in spiritually it was to put them in mind to bless God for the deliverance from that bondage now Saith the Lord there It shal come to pass when ye be come to the Land which the Lord wil give you according as he hath promised that he shal keep this Service Now the word that is Translated Service it is the same word in the Original that is used when they were in Service under Pharoaâ— in the first of Exodus 14. They made their lives bitter in al manner of Service Now when they were delivered saith God you shall keep this Service as if the Lord should say Oh this is a great deal better Service then the Service you were in under Pâ—aroah you shall keep this Service Oh if you did but think of the difference between the Service of Antichrist and the Service of Christ it would be a very strong motive to perswade us to this Service rather then the former And so the Scripture you shal find comparing the Service of sin and the Service of Christ together it is said of sin that the service of sin it is a hard service sin hath a great deal of hardness in it In Prov. 13. 15. The way of transgressors is hard That you may annex to the former about the way of Antichrist and yet it is strange to think how men had rather be under any yoke then the yoke of Jesus Christ Therefore the Apostle saith in 2 Cor. 11. 20. Ye suffer if a man bring you into bondage if a man devoure you if a man take of you if a man exalt himself if a man smite you on the Face If the false teachers did any thing against you whatever they did to you you suffered it though they would exalt themselves over you bring you to bondage make themselves Lords of your faith you would suffer them but you will not suffer me and this is usual with men to suffer any kind of bondage from fals teachers rather then from the ministers of Jesus Christ men will complain of any Service under Jesus Christ rather then they wil be under the yoke of Jesus Christ If you were under a great bondage in the Prelatical Courts you cannot but know that if a minister would be a slave to the Bishop he might inslave all his parrish As now any people in the country if he would be gracious with the commissary he would bring any gentleman into slavery to attend upon him as he pleased and yet how willing are many rather to be under that bondage then any other whatsoever and men are loath for to come under this though we shew it to be Canonical out of Scripture this shewes the perversness of mens spirits CHAP. CXLV Eâ—ght Consequences from the former Doctrin 1. The world is mistaken about the service of Christ 2. A great sin to reject Christ 3. Bless God for this easie Yoke 4. Bring not an evil report upon the waies of Christ 5. Christ wil expect much Service it being so easie 6. Make not the Yoke of Christ hard 7. We should give up our Selves to Christ 8. It is an accursed thing to be an apostat COme we now to the First for I have two things yet to do having opened in what respects the yoke of Christ is easie there is First The Consequences and Corollaries to be drawn from all this that hath been said by way of Use And Secondly To shew how you may make the yoke of Jesus Christ easie to you what it is that facilitates it Consequence 1. For the Consequences hence First Certainly That mistake of the world about the service of Jesus Christ is rotten how many men will rather venture all the hardship of eternal misery of Hell fire then come under the yoke of Christ for the present in this world Certainly This is a dreadful thing for a man to have hard thoughts not only without Reason but such hard thoughts as when both are laid together either thou must come under the yoke of Jesus Christ or perish eternally and endure al the hardship of eternal fire hereafter in hell Well saith a carnal heart rather then I wil endure the crossing of my sin I wil venture the other I hope the other will not be but I will venture it now what a dreadful thing is this that you will venture this I will grant you are not convinced of it but you hear this ouâ— of the word often threatned and you cannot but acknowledg it is a great venture that you venture all the wrath of God and the curse of the Law and all that that God threatens in the word that will pursue those that do perish Now this is a hard venture now you venture all this rather then you will come under the yoke of Jesus Christ Oh what a mistake is this What excuse can ye have for your selves that run upon such a mistake as this is That that hath been delivered to you shews the great aggravation of thâ—s sin Consequence 2. And that may be a Second Particular a great aggravation of the wickednesâ— of mens hearts and of their lives saith the Lord in his word â— have sent my Son into the World to bring my mercy and goodness and love unto you and he is come for to deliver you from a heavy yoke and to lay an easie yoke upon you and to bring you to Heaven that way but now you refuse and reject him and will rather endure more hardship in your refusing of him and in damning your Souls then in subjecting to him and saving your Souls eternally Oh it will be a dreadful aggravation of mens sins at the great day what a dishonor do men â—ut upon Jesus Christ whenas they by their actions do as much as if they should say Oh the yoke that Christ wil put upon mens Necks is into lerable we cannot bear it I will rather be under the yoke of sin and under
heart Eyes more then God Now the behavior of an humble heart towards God is especially in these Particulars 1. An Humble Heart doth acknowledg the infinite distance that there is between God and it self and from this infinite distance that he sees between God and himself he comes to be more and more vile no man or woman in the world is humble except they have a knowledg of God they cannot be vile in their own Eyes in a Christian way except God hath made himself known to them but when the Lord doth acquaint the Soul with himself and the Soul comes to see and acknowledg the infinite distance between God and it and upon that comes to have high thoughts of God and low thoughts of it self this is the first work of an humble Spirit in respect of God You know that in Job 42. 4 5. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eare but now mine Eye seeth thee therefore do I abhor my self in dust and ashes Here was Jobs Humility Oh Lord I have a sight of thee I see an infinite distance between thee and me and it is this that makes me have such high thoughts of thee and low thoughts of my self and therefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes It may be many of you when you are put into an affliction perhaps God takes away your estate that makes you dejected God laies an affliction upon your body your Wife or Husband and that dejects you Oh but the right dejection of the Spirit is this I see an infinite distance between God and me and that is it that lowens my spirit more then any thing in the world I appeal unto you hath God beaten this upon your spirits the infinit distance between God and you and upon that you have layen low There is a notable Scripture in Prov. 30. and the beginning The words of Agur the Son of Jakeh even the Prophecy the man spake unto Ithiell even unto Ithiell and Ucal Surely I am more brutish then any man and have not the understanding of a man he spake to Ithiell even unto Ithiell and Ucal Now there is a great variety of interpretations of this place but I find the most carry it Ithiel and Vcal being two Names of Christ that Agur makes use of and so he speaks unto Christ as God for so Ithiel is God with me and it is suitable to that name of Christ that you have in the first of Matthew the 23. Christ is there called Emmanuel God with us and here his name is Ithiel God with me that is the difference between those two Names of Christ Ithiel and Emmanuel Immanuel is to signifie Christ being God and Man in generall for the good of mankind God with us but Ithiel is that name of Christ whereby a Beleever applies Christ to himself particularly not only is the Savior of the Elect the Savior of all Beleevers is God with all Beleevers but Ithiel he is God with me my Soul I apply him particularly to my own Soul he is God with me I look upon Christ as God to all Beleevers and to all Beleevers for their good but looking upon Christ as applying him to my own Soul So I look upon Christ as Ithiel God with me and therefore he repeats this twice The man spake unto Ithiel even unto Ithiel Oh! he loves to look upon Jesus Christ as God with him particularly with him And then Vcal Vcal signifies I shall be able to prevail and so it is the name of Christ noting that the confidence of a Gracious heart is to prevail in the strength of Christ against temptation against sin against corruption against all trouble whatsoever though I look upon my self as weak vile yet I look upon Christ as one in whom I shall prevail and so I call him Vcal I shall be able in him I shal prevail in him that is the meaning of these two words Ithiel and Vcal The man spake unto Ithiel even unto Ithiel and Vcal that is spake to Jesus Christ God in me and God in whom I shall prevail though I be weak in my self and now mark how he came to be low in his own eyes upon this Surely I am more brutish than any man and have not the understanding of a man in me I neither learned wisdom nor have the knowledg of the Holy and so he goes on he is hereupon very vile in his own eyes and yet mark before he doth express himself so vile he can look upon Christ as his Christ and he in whom he hath confidence to prevail so that Faith and Humility may go both together and the truth is one furthers the other the more faith and confidence we have in God the more we come to be vile in our own Eyes that is the first thing Secondly Upon this follows That an humble heart in behavior towards God hath a trembling heart walkes with God in a trembling way fears this great God that he hath such high thoughts of reverenceth before him In Isai 66. 4. There those two are put together The poor Contrite Spirit and one that trembles at his Word Herein the Soul shews it self to be a poor contrite low Spirit in that it trembles at any thing of God at any manifestation of God not in a slavish way but in a reverentiall way having this fear struck into him because of the greatness of that God that I see so infinitely above me and I see my self so low under this God and this makes me fear before him especially when he coâ—es into the presence of God this makes him fear before him throâ—gh the apprehension of his own meanness So Abraham when he speaks to God Gen. 16. 27 28. Dust and ashes hath begun to speak to thee O Lord This is the Reason of the reverentiall behavior of the Saints of God in the presence of God because of the fear of God Whereas a proud heart is bold before the Lord and presumptuous before the Lord and stands it out against God stands ouâ— against what is manifested in the Word that might make him tremble but the least word makes the humble heart to tremble As we go along we may examin our Humility whether your behavior be the behavior of an humble heart before God Do you find this That as heretofore your hearts were bold in the presence of God you could walk in a daring way before God now you can tremble at Gods word tremble in his peresence in a reverentiall way Thirdly An humble heart in the presence of God hath a relenting spirit humility of spirit manifests it self in walking towards God in this disposition that it relents and melts in Gods presence at any manifestation of Gods displeasure against him And this is likewise cleer in Scripture that Famous Example of Josiab in 2 Kings 22. 19. Because thine heart was tender or because it did Melt for so some Books hath it And thou didest humble thy self
of any mercy as Hieram of the Cities that Solomon gave him what are these my Brother But what am I that I should have such a mercy Many because they have not what they would have they reject what they have as thus because they have not ful assurance of saving grace though God be putting them into the way that he useth to lead them that he purposeth to save this is nothing all is nothing Now thou shouldest say Lord Who am I that I should have the least mercy from thee This is the work of an humble spirit And if any affliction befal thee to be so far from thinking thy affliction great to say never any had such affliction as I Oh that is from the pride of thy heart it is because of thy pride that the affliction is so great were thy heart humbled the affliction would not seem so great but the mercy of God would seem great unto thee As now put a ball into a great Vessel and it seems to be nothing but put it into a little vessel and it wil seem greater so when the heart is little by humility then Gods mercy seems great and the truth is the lesse the heart is the mercy of God will seem the greater and the affliction seem the lesser it is because we are not sensible of our own vilenss and wretchedness and of what our condition might be that our afflictions are so great in our eyes as they are That is the next thing of an humble Spirit that it admires at the least mercy that it is so much and wonders at the greatest affliction that it is no more I am less then the least of all thy mercies 8. An humble spirit it is willing that God should put him into mean imployment and into hard imployment and into imployment that it can see no Reason for but only the wil of God Yea if the Lord should put him into the lowest work that ever creature was put into an humble spirit submits and thinks it is well if I may be in any service at al Let me be but as the hired Servant saith an humble Spirit As it was with the Gibeonites they were content that they might be but as Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water So they might but live The very Angels shew themselves humble in this kind to be willing to be Ministring Spirits to the poorest Saint in the world the poorest Saint in the world hath a guard of Angels about him night and day this shews the Lowliness of Angels and therefore we should be willing to be serviceable from their example in the lowest work for God and not think that my parts and my Spirit is fit to be imployed in higher waies As a Servant to think why am not I a Govenor I but to think that it is the condition God hath put me into this is his Duty And so for Services hard to Flesh and Blood Yet an humble Spirit will go on and the truth is humility in the behavior of the Spirit towards God appears in this to be content to obey God in what I see no Reason for in the world I know it is the mind of God and though I can see no Reason for it yet I will be content to do it here is subjection of the heart to God not stand wrangling Why should I perform Duties And why should I do so and so No but this is that that shal sway my Reason and all because God cammands it Now these are the main frames of an humble heart tovvards God and as long as vve go along Oh that vve vvould examine hovv far short vve come of Lovvly hearts it may bâ— vve vvere taught before that vve ought to be lovvly but here vve may that vve find come short and there vve may find matter of humiliation in our Prayers 9. An Humble Spirit and one Lowly in heart is willing to wait upon God his own time and in whatever way or means God shall please to work in it is fit that I should wait upon God for any thing I have who am so unworthy of any mercy and the Lord being so high above me between whom and my self there is such an infinite distance in Isa 27. 8. saith the Church there humbling it self before the Lord they do manifest their Humility thus Yea in the way of thy judgments O! Lord have we waited it is easie to wait upon God in the way of his Mercy but not so easie to wait upon him in the way of his judgments but an humble Spirit is willing to wait upon God even in the way of his judgments So in Lament 3. 26. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the Salvation of the Lord It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth An humble heart is willing to wait upon God in the waies of his judgments as wel as in the way of his mercies 10. The behavior of an humble heart in respect of God is this That it is resolved to do what it can to honor God whatever God doth with it though God destroy me and that everlastingly yet I desire to keep this resolution in my heart I will do what I can to Honor Him Many that are afflicted and troubled in Conscience they have some kind of Humiliation wrought but their Spirits have some kind of bitterness and sowrness against God and because they think somtimes God will cast them off therefore they are ready to cast off Duty too now that is an evident sign the heart is not throughly humbled so far as thou findest thy heart work thus when thou art afraid that God wil cast thee off therfore thou thinkest that it is best for thee to cast off Duty and to do no more Here is an Argument that thy heart is not humbled But now when thy heart is wrought to this that even at that tâ—me when thou art afraid that God will cast thee off for ever thou shalt resolve let God do with me what he wil though I perish for ever yet I am resolved I wil do what I can to Honor Him this is one that hath a lowly heart now the heart is brought low indeed such a heart is prepared for Gods mercies when it is in such a condition as this and this is that God expects from us we must not indent with God we must not thus stand upon our Tearms with God as many in time of trouble of Conscience when we speak to them to wait upon Him I they wil say they would be content to wait never so long if they might be sure at last that God would grant Mercy to them But wilt thou not be willing except thou maist be sure Thou must wait though thou art not sure it is thy Duty to wait though God do not for the present assure thee of Mercy Indeed if God were so much bound to thee as thou art bound to him then thou mightest
stand upon thy tearms But know that thou art infinitly bound to God and God is not at all bound to thee and therefore if thy heart be brought humble before the Lord thou wilt resolve whatever God doth with thee yet thou wilt do what thou Canst to Honor Him And these are the principal things of the behavior of an humble heart towards God and indeed the special work of Humility it is the work of the heart towards God which people little look upon People look upon pride in respect of others habit in their carriage towards others in their vanity of Cloaths and outward demeanors but the main work of Pride is in the behavior of the heart towards God and then we Sanctifie the name of God when we Sanctifie our hearts in an humble manner and the Reason why the hearts of sinners are not lowly before the Lord it is because they know not this God they know not that infinite distance that there is between the Lord and their Souls and here is the Reason why the Spirit of bondage lies so long many times upon sinners Why the Lord doth terrifie their Consciences It is that he might bring their hearts to be low before him that there might be the right behavior of a lowly Spirit before God himself CHAP. CXXIIII Twelve Properties of a Lowly heart in respect of it self 1. It is very suspicious of it self 2. It is willing to know the worst of it self 3. It is willing to look to his beginning 4. It is ashamed of it self 5. It loaths it self 6. It judgeth it self unworthy 7. It denies it self 8. It keeps down it self 9. It hides it self 10. Goes out of it self 11. Bemoans it self 12. Afflicts it self BUt now the second thing that hath been propounded is The behavior of a Lowly Humble heart in respect of it self and there are many things in this and they are of very great use for us for the ordering of our conversations before the Lord and the ordering of the behavior of our spirits in respect of our selves As 1. An Humble heart is very suspicious of it self I speak of that Humility that may concern our present condition here it is afraid lest there should be some secret evill in it self that yet it doth not know it is very fearful of the deceitfulness of its own heart though it doth not know for the present much evil by it self yet stil fears there is much lies hid that is not yet discovered It is a good thing for us to be jealous of our selves knowing how deceitful our hearts are the proud heart is ready to run away vvith all is content and thinks it self better than it is vvhereas the humble heart fears the worst of it self if it sees an evil in another Man or Woman it begins to reflect upon it self and is not this my heart too I am afraid that this evill is in my heart It is reported of Plato that vvhen he saw other men doing evil he vvould say to himself Nonne ego talis And am not I such a one have not I that evil in my heart So it is reporâ—ed of Bradford that vvhen he saw others commit sin he vvould fal a vveeping and a lamenting because he was afraid that there vvas that evil in himself that he saw in others though it did not break forth An humble heart vvhen it hears the threatnings of the vvord against any sin it begins to think thus And doth not this belong to me I am afraid that it may belong to me as vvel as to any others very suspicious and jealous of it self That is the first 2. An humble heart is unfeignedly vvilling to know the vvorst of it self and therefore it makes much of any truth that comes the nearest to its heart and that discovers it self unto it self it is glad of those truths vvhen there is a truth comes home to it to discover any evil that it did not see before it is glad of those truths and blesseth God that it comes to know any thing of it self more than formerly whereas a proud heart vvil rather vex vvhen any truth comes to discover any evil that it did not see before As some being deformed are not vvilling to have a Glass to present their true Image to them but an humble heart cries to God Lord try me Lord discover to me vvhat evil is in my heart And an humble heart loves that Company that vvil help it to see vvhat evil there is in it self or any vvay may discover vvhat evil there is in it and it vvil be meditating upon those things that may further discover it self unfeignedly vvaiting to know the vvorst of it self for vvant of this many a Soul goes on in an unsound false vvay and miscarries to all eternity because it is not willing to know the vvorst of it self That is the second 3. An humble Spirit doth often look back to its poor beginnings it loves to do it one that is lowly in heart doth love to be often looking back to its poor beginnings what once he was If God hath made an alteration in my condition let me consider what once I was what a vile wretch once I was loves to be often meditating upon that and so to be working upon it self to humble its own heart with such thoughts as those are Oh! what a poor condition was I not long since in both in regard of my outward condition and my inward spirituall condition An humble heart is not unwilling to be put in mind of both If God hath raised him from the Dunghil to a higher condition he puts himself in mind of what he was once is not willing to have the record of his own Parentage to be razed out but is willing to have it known what he was what poor breeding he had my Father a poor Man and my Mother a poor Woman and how poorly they lived notwithstanding God hath raised my estate he is willing to put himself in mind of it that he may get his proud heart to be humbled Agathacles that was raised to be a Prince he would be served in Earthen Vessels to put him in mind of his low condition that once he was in And that is very famous that we have of Jacob in Gen. 32. 10. I am not worthy of the least of all the Mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy Servant for with my staff have I passed over this Jordan and now I am become two bands I had nothing but even the poor Staff to pass over this Jordan withall but now I am become two bands so for men that perhaps came up to the City and that are come to live wel they were poor Boyes and had little at first and God hath blest their Estates and they are not unwilling to look back to what they were it may be some of you were poor ship Boyes and God hath in some Voyages raised you up to what you are
much evil And so that other place in Job that I named about the Souls behavior before God when he saw the Glory of God In Job 42. 5. I have hâ—ard of thee by the hearing of the Ear but now mine Eyes see thee wherefore I abhor my self in dust and ashes this is the work of an humble heart to loath and abhor it self before the Lord. 6. The behavior of a Lowly heart in respect of it self it is to judg it selfe judgeth it self First Unworthy of any imployment unworthy of any service that ever God should imploy him in So you have it in that of Gideon in Judges 6. 15. when the Lord had revealed to Gideon what imployment he would use him in Who am I saith he or my Fathers House He judgeth himself unworthy of any such imployment one lowly in Heart doth think it a great mercy of God to be imployed in any work it judgeth it self unworthy of suâ—h a mercy as this May be you may think that God should be beholding to you to imploy you in any work or service for him but if your heart were Lowly you would judg your selves unworthy to be imployed in any work of God Secondly It judgeth it self unworthy of the least of the Creatures of God I am less then the least of all thy mercies saith Jacob unworthy of the to bread that it Eates and the Air that it breathes in it doth not think much that it hath not what others have but judgeth it self before God unworthy of what it hath acknowledging that it hath forfeited all the comforts that God hath vouchsafed to it Yea Thirdly It is ready to charge it self with any evil even that which comes in somtimes by temptation an humble heart is ready charge it self to be the only cause of it as other men Hipocrites they are ready to charge temptation with what comes from their own corruption So an humble heart rather chargeth its own corruption with what comes from temptation You shal have vaine and carnal Spirits think to excuse the evil that comes from them with this the Devil tempted them this was a temptation the strength and violence of a temptation and they were led to it by the Devil and so judg the Devil for it and not themselves whereas the truth is it was not thy temptation so much as thy corruption the heart that is lowly and humble chargeth himself with all this is my corruption this is my wretched and wicked heart it is true the Devil might tempt me but were it not for my corruption the Devil could never prevaile Yea Lastly It judgeth it self worthy to be destroyed So that place in Ezek. 36 31. Whereas some Books have it You shall loath your selves The old Translation hath it And shall judg your selves worthy to be destroyed A Lowly heart is willing to pass sentence upon it self to accuse it self before the Lord and therefore passeth the sentence of eternal death upon it self so as to justifie God God is clear when he judgeth whatever the judgment of God is against the sin that I have committed I joyn with it I close with the judgment and I judg my self as God doth judg in his word it takes the sentence of Gods word and laies it to it self and judgeth it self If you judg your selves you shall not be judged saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11. 32. This is the work of a Lowly Spirit it judgeth it self before the Lord. That is the Sixth Seventhly An Humble Spirit denies it self First It denies its own Reason if the truth of God be revealed in his word he wil not set his own Reason against the evidence of the truth but though I cannot see a Reason of what is in the word it is fit that I should yeild to what the Lord reveales in his wodr it is willing to deny his Reason in matters of Faith and there is a great deal in this and a special ground why the Lord batters the Heart of sinners many times it is to bring them down to deny their own reason So I remember Luther hath a speech concerning Reason in matters of Faith Reason it is a most bitter enemy to God and of Faith he means unsanctified Reason now an humble heart can deny its own Reason Yea Secondly He is much in denyal of his own will though my will be set strong to have such and such a thing yet what great matter is it saith a Lowly heart for the will of such a wretched Creature as I am to be crossed What if my will be crossed and that for ever I that have been guilty of crossing God so much an humble heart never thinks much to have its will to be crossed whereas there is nothing more todious and grievous to a proud Spirit then to have its will crossed but now when we can get that power over our selves as to be willing to deny our own wils then our hearts are indeed broken and we are brought to be lowly in heart before the Lord the heart of a sinner is never broken and humble til it can deny its own will many of you would know when you are humble enough if you find this that whereas before you thought it very much to have your wils crossed you find now that it is a very little matter to you to have your wills crossed this is a sign that your heart is humble And Thirdly An Humble spirit can deny his own ends whatever my ends were wont to be what plottings contrivings what designes I was wont to aime at now I find I can deny them I can renounce mine own ends and am not for my self an humble Spirit is not a selfish Spirit not aiming at his own ends Yea Further An humble heart can deny its own lawful contentments for God even those things that are in themselves lawful contentments that it might have much liberty in yet if I see that God may have more honor by my being abridged of such lawful contentments and my Brethren may have more good I am willing to deny my self in them to let them go it is not fit I should look after my self such a wretched Creature as I am that might have been in Hell long ago it is not so much for me to look at my self but if God may have any Glory and my Brethren any good I am willing to deny my own lawfull contentments so that an humble Spirit denies not only its sinful self but its lawful self denies all its own excellencies whatever they be willing that they should be buried denies his own honor cares not for his own disgrace I have been perhaps of such an opinion and if I should alter I should be dishonored and disgraced but if the truth of God may come up let my honor lie in the dust let the truth of God be advanced he is willing to deny himself This is the behavior of a lowly Spirit in regard of it self it doth deny it self and that is
off Now an humble Soul is an afflicted soul is willing to afflict it self before the Lord it is not so much sollicitous of comfort and is altogether for comfort would fain have comfort and comfort no but is willing to afflict it self and to burden it self with its own sin and to beat down it self as we read of Paul 1 Cor. 9. 27. the Text saith He beat down his body least after he had Preached unto others he himself should be a Reprobate Not to afflict our selves as Papists to be whipping our selves and to do those things that God never aequired at our hands but so far as any way God shal require it such a one is willing to afflict it self before the Lord the main work of the heart in this thing is that it is not sollicitous so much for comfort as to be willing to be afflicted before the Lord so far as God would have it afflicted So now put all these together and you may see the behavior of a lowly heart in respect of it self 1. It is suspicious of it self jealous least theâ—e should be some secret evil in the heart that it doth nor know of 2. It is willing to know the worst of it self 3. It looks often to its poor beginnings 4. It is ashamed of it self and thâ—t in the midst of its own excellencies 5. It loaths and abhors it self before the Lord. 6. It judgeth it self 7. It denies it self 8. It keeps down it self 9. It hidâ—â— it self 10. It goes out of it self and empties it self 11. It bemoans it self And lastly it afflicts it self so that your hearts now having these workings in them in reference to your selves you may by this examine whether you have humble and lowly hearts yea or no. CHAP. CXXV Three Consequences from the former Point ANd from all these things there are these three Consequences Consequence 1. First Here you may see how to examine your own hearts in respect of Humility whether you find these workings of an humble spirit in respect of your selves lay these and your hearts Level examine and call your hearts to an account when you get alone By these twelve foregoing Particulars Ask thy self as in the presence of God Is my heart thus Have I this lowly heart Christ would have me of a lowly heart Thus if you cannot find these charge your selves with the want of them and take an advantage even from the want of them to humble your hearts before the Lord because you have not these things that are the genuine and naturall workings of an humble Spirit for so they are if you can find your hearts coming off in in these Particulars in a natural way from a renewed nature you may have abundance of comfort that this Grace of Humility of Lowliness that Christ would have you learn is wrought in your Souls you have been a Proficient in Christs School but many may have cause upon the hearing of this to charge themselves with this that they scarce have begun to learn in the School of Christ to learn Humility Consequence 2. Secondly Another Consequence is this upon the consideration of these several workings of Humility in respect of our selves we may see That the work of a Christian is very much inward it is a work of reflection upon our selves if there were nothing to do in a Christians life but that that is external to perform some outward Duties to come and hear the word and speak good things and pray and make an outward profession The Life of a Christian were a great deal more easie but from this that you hear from the working of this one Grace of Humility you may see that the work of a Christian lies much within doors that Christians should be very busie within their hearts there are many workings within rather then without and therefore if you would profess your selves to be Christians and would indeed have the power of Godliness in your Hearts you must work â—uch inwardly there must be much reflection upon your own Hearts Consequence 3. Thirdly And Lastly Another Consequence is this by this that you have heard what the working of an humble Heart in respect of it self is we may take notice of the great power of Jesus Christ in the heart of a Christian wheresoever Grace is wrought Jesus Christ is very powerful and very strong in that Heart Certainly these things could never be in the Heart of a poor wretched sinner Yea in a heart that is Naturally very proud for so we are all and were not the Grace of Christ very powerful in the heart of a Christian these things could never be wherefore when you hear that these things are in a heart working thus we may conclude surely the power of Jesus Christ is very mighty and very strong Well thus you have the Grace of Humility presented to you towards God and your selves let us Learn to be of Lowly Hearts and be not at rest until you find these kinds of workings in your Spirits CHAP. CXXVI The First Property of Humility in respect of â—thers is that it thinks better of others then it self Which is laid open in divers Particular answers unto several doubts and Objections THere is yet one of these three things to be spoken unto in this Grace of Humility which is the third Particular what the behavior of an humble heart is in reference unto others For Humility much appears in that though the principal work in humility is in the carriage of the Soul in reference unto God and in reference unto it self yet there is very much in this grace of humility in the carriage of the Soul in reference unto our Brethren Now then the First thing wherein the behavior of an humble heart is in reference unto others and a principal thing it is of very great concernment and that is this First It thinks better of others then it self this great work of humility that hath very much in it as I shal shew in opening of it is held forth unto you in 2 of Phillipians 3 verse Let Nothing be done through strife or Vain Glory but in Lowliness of mind let each esteem others better then themselves Mark This is the Work of a Lowly mind Learn of me for I am Lowly in Heart You must be of lowly Hearts of Lowly minds what is that Saith the Apostle Let each esteem others better then themselves You wil say this indeed upon the very hearing of it doth make us judg it to be a great work of the Grace of God in the heart to esteem others better then themselves and â—ow that should be that I shall speak unto by and by in the opening of it but I shall first shew some Examples of it of esteeming others better then themselves That which Paul did Exhort the Phillipians to he did himself he did not preach to others that they should esteem others better then themselves and yet he would lift up himself above others No see
eternity and thy eternal estate Then be very Lowly and humble and then thou wilt know thy heart the reason why all Hipocrites go away with a formal profession and do not know their hearts and have falsness lie at the bottom it is from the pride of their own hearts because their hearts are not broken and are not humble therefore mark what God saith in Deut. 8. 2. Saith God to his people there when he would bring them into the wilderness And thou shalt remember al the way which the Lord thy God led thee these fourty years in the Wilderness What was it for For to humble thee and prove thee and know what was in thine Heart Whether thou wouldest keep his commandements or no all this was to humble thee and prove thee and to know what was in thy heart Did not God know what was in their heart before Yes certainly but he would have them know what was in their heart and how would he do it By humbling them and proving them God humbles men by bringing their estates Low and they come to know what is in their hearts thereby O! men that did prosper in outward things now in these times God hath taken their estates from them and they come to know more what is in their own hearts then before and in this God doth recompence their loss of Estate that they come to know their own hearts more Saith an humble soul true I have lost much of mine estate but yet withal I have come thereby to know more of mine own heart then ever I did before then I argue from the lesser to the greater if the loosing of a mans estate will try one then certainly the humbling of the heart will try one more that is the excellency of an humble heart it is a tryed heart the Lord may trust such a Soul let God set them about what he will to do or suffer an humble heart is fit for it Eightly And then the next thing is this an humble heart is fit to be imployed in great Services in any great thing for God no man or woman is so fit to be imployed in great things as those that are humble God himself did a more glorious work in his low estate then in his high estate the work of Redemption is a more glorious work then the work of creation and in what a low estate was the Lord Jesus Christ in redeeming the world Christ in dying and in being made a curse in that he redeemes the world and Christ never did from all eternity greater things then when he was made a curse for mans sin as he was a God Though he thought it no Robbery to be equal with God As in Pillip â— Yet he emptied himself as the word is and became obedient unto the death of the Cross I say there is a greater thing done by God there in that low estate then ever was done from all eternity before And as God doth greater things in his low estate then in his high estate so it is with man also he doth greater things in his low estate then when he is raised high And hence it is that those great instruments that God used for his honor were kept but low as Abraham he wandered up and down a long time and how was he tryed and humbled And so Joseph and Daniel that God intended to do such great things by and so al the worthies of God that God made choice instruments for his Glory they must first be low And Paul that was the choicest instrument that ever God had next to Christ how low was he in Acts 20. 19. He tels the elders of Ephesus He had served the Lord with all humility of mind and with many Tears and Temptations And God fitted him to be a great instrument of his Glory In 2 Cor. 12. 9. You have a notable expression of Paul for this purpose the latter part of the verse Most gladly therefore wil I rather glory in mine infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me therefore I take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches in necessities in persecution in distresses for Christ sake for when I am weak then am I strong Paul could Glory in his infirmities and he speaks of his infirmities that he would take pleasure in in reproaches persecutions distresses for Christs sake but now Mark these two expressions that follow upon this first That the power of Christ might rest upon him The power of Jesus Christ rests upon Paul when he was brought into a low estate and when he could humbly submit himself so far to the hand of God as to rejoyce in his infirmities Paul could never do such great things for God as then And then again Saith he When I am weak then am I strongest Oh Humility is that that makes the Soul fit for any Service for God though humble men may lie hid for a while and be as it were under the hatches for it yet certainly God intends great things for humble Hearts and what he doth not now he will reserve for them hereafter and make them instruments of his Glory in a more special manner but at one time or other every humble soul shal be a glorious instrument of the praise and honor of God this we may boldly affirme You will say they may live obscurely and die I grant it but then God hath another time to make them glorious instruments of his praises hereafter and to shew forth himself in Glory upon them to recompence what Glory they were willing to deny here in this world and willing to be deprived of as submitting to the will of God Ninthly Further Humility hath this excellency in it That it is that that puts an ornament upon al Graces it is as it were the Lustre Beauty and Ornament the Varnish Nay that is too mean a Phrase it is the Glory and true Beauty of every Grace in a man I remember Chrisostome hath such an expression as this Whatever a man doth without Humility though he should work Miracles he were but as a dead Dog Let a man do never so much yet there is no Beauty in what he doth where there is no humility but Humility puts an Ornament and Beauty upon all Graces That place is known in 1 Pet. 5. 5. we have often had occasion to make use of it Be clothed with Humility I have told you somtimes the propriety of the word signifies the dressing with Ribbons fine beautiful Ornaments Be clothed with Humility it is the beautiful ornament of a Christian and of al the Graces of a Christian it puts off Grace and every action with a Grace as I may so say And that some think to be the meaning of the Promise that we shall speak unto afterwards In 1 Pet. 5. 5. God resisteth the Proud and giveth Grace to the Humble It is true as we shall shew afterwards that God gives Grace that is the Graces of his Spirit but there is a
trim must be Wormes meat ere long and lie rotting in the Dust And what difference wil there be between those that are rich and those that are poor I remember I have read of one that coming into a place where was a heap of Skuls and among others he heard that Alexanders Skul lay there he desires to know of the man which was Alexanders Skul saith the man yonder Skul that hath hollow eyes saith he to the man al Skuls hath this I saith the man and Alexanders too there is no difference between Alexanders Skul and others Skuls Death makes al the same You that are rich and above others and your Hearts are ready to be â—uft up within a while what difference will there be between an Almes-body and you may be this difference will then be that the poor man if he dies he hath not so much to answer for so many Talents and you die and have had great talents and you have all them to answer for Do but consider of this what you wil be if these things be taken from you and that will prick the Bladder of Pride in respect of your naturall condition And what State you will be in Consider this you must stand naked before the great judgment Seat of God every one of you that are here you must after a while stand naked before the dreadful judgment Seat of God to receive your dreadful doom for whatsoever you have done in the Flesh Now you had need to walk humbly before the Lord here considering what you shal be brought under to stand naked before him and give an account of al your waies whatever you are proud of you must give account of it before God of all your Grace how you have used it Now you that want matter of meditation and want matter of Prayer when you go to Prayer you would fain go and humble your heart and you would go and meditate and you cannot meditate you find your thoughts very barren these things that have been here spoken may be some kind of supply to you for meditation and to help you in Prayer to humble your selves there and bring your spirits Low cast but your thoughts upon these several heads What was I What was I in my natural estate What I might have been if God had taken advantage of me how he might have taken me in the Act of sin at such a time in such a place and if he had taken me what had become of me then And then what a great deal of trouble it was to Heaven and Earth to redeem my soul and what am I yet in al the faculties of my soul and members of my Body what a wretched heart I carry about with me stil and what should I be if God should withdraw himself from me the Lord hath been gracious to me but if he should withdraw himself from me what should become of me And what shal I be both in my naturals and likewise when I shal stand before the great God to give account of all my waies now the working of these things again and again upon my heart and especially the making use of these things in Prayer to express these things before the Lord in Prayer or mention these things when you are between God and your own souls and beseeching the Lord that he would settle these things upon your souls to humble your hearts it would be a mighty means to bring your hearts low and to keep them low This shal suffice for adding to what was said for the working of us to this humble frame of heart FINIS THE FOURTH BOOK VIZ. The only ready Way to Heaven Matth. 11. 30. For my Yoak is easie and my Burden is light CHAP. CXXXIII The words in the 30. verse Opened and Explained AND now we come to the last verse For my Yoke is easie and my Burden is light Here we have the Reason and Encouragement the Reason why we should take the Yoke of Christ upon us and the encouragement to take it because it is easie and his Burden is light MY YOAK Christ would have us take his Yoak upon us that you had in the former verse but the Spirits of men are loath to be brought under a Yoak they count it burdensome therefore saith Christ Learn of me for I am Meek and Lowly in heart and then My Yoak is easie and my Burden light when once you have but learned Meekness and Humility you shall then find my Yoak easie and my Burden light Easie The word here that you have translated in your Books Easie is Crestos in the Greek a word that signifies Profitable Vtility and Commodious so it might be turned and upon this those that were called Christians Justin Martyr hath such an expression he called them Crestians from this word because they were men that were usefull and profitable and so they might be called Crestians as wel as Christians my Yoak is profitable and that makes it easie whatsoever it be that a man undertakes yet if it bring much profit with it you count it easie you that take a great deal of pains and endure much difficulty at Sea go to the Indies yet if it bring in profit you count it easie because there is so much profit coâ—es in Secondly As the word signifies Profit so it signifies Gentleness in opposiâ—ion to Severity to roughness harshness or rigidness and so I find the word in Rom. 11. 22. saith the Apostle Behold the goodness and severity of God there it is Crestos of easiness for so Crestos there is the same word only here is the Adjective and there the Substantive the easiness and gentleness and severity of God severity and gentleness opposed to one another God is very gentle and sweet and good unto some and is very severe unto others So Take my Yoak upon you for it is easie that is it is gentle in opposition to severity and this is very suitable to what Christ hath said before Learn of me for I am Meek and Lowly in heart and my Yoak is as I am Low as I am of a gentle disposition as I am Meek so you shall find my Yoke my Yoke is very genle you shall find no rigidness no harshness no hardness in in my Yoke that is the meaning of the Yoke For my Yoke it easie and my Burden is light it may be a Yoke and seem to be heavy to you but the Yoke is easie but it may be a burden wel if â—t be a burden it is light the word is Nimble agile it is a very strange thing that it should be a burden and yet light it may be a burden to flesh and blood it may be in some respects burdensome many waies I but when you have taken it upon you you will find it light Now the word translated here Light it is taken from the lightness and agility of Stags of those Creatures that are very swift and agill and nimble and light in their motion
very work that the Father set Christ upon Christ did count it to be a Gift from the Father and so the work that Christ sets us upon if we have the Spirit of Christ in us we wil count it a Gift from Jesus Christ Christ doth give it and this by the way would be a special Evidence of true Grace in the heart the soul that shall count Gods waies Priviledges as well as Duties surely hath true Grace truly they are easie then if they be Priviledges as wel as Duties that is the second Evidence 3 Thirdly And the third Evidence is this The Yoke of Christ is easie and his Burden is light for there is no gracious heart but would rather come under any Yoke any Burden in the world than willingly to cast off any Yoke and Burden of Jesus Christ name what Yoke you will what Burden you will rather than a gracious heart will be from under Christs Burden and Christs Yoke O! saith he let me come under that Yoke and that Burden Yea further If God doth put any Yoke any Burden of affliction upon one that is Gracious if that Yoke and Burden of affliction may but bring his neck more under the Yoke of Christ than before and bring him more under Christs Burden than before a gracious heart doth think it well worth the bearing thinks himself fully recompensed in the bearing of any Yoke if it may any way further him to come under the Yoke of Christ more as thus before I had a wanton Spirit and I could not get my self to put my neck under the Yoke of Christ to be quiet as I ought to have been Well but now the Lord Christ hath laid the Yoke of affliction upon me and that hath in some measure subdued my heart so that I can come and put the Yoke of Christ upon me better O! blessed be God that ever I had the Yoke of affliction upon me that now brings me under the yoke of Christ more Canst thou say so blessed be God for this affliction Surely then the Yoke of Christ is easie that a heart is willing to bear any Yoke that may but further it to the bearing of the Yoke of Christ that is the third Evidence 4. Fourthly It is an easie Yoke certainly for it is Christs Yoke it must needs be easie because it is Christs and that upon these two grounds First Christ himself is Gentle and Sweet and Lovely Christ himself hath no Rigidness no Sowrness in him towards People as you heard at large when we opened the Meekness and Lowliness of Christ now if Christ be meek and lowly he loves no bitterness and rigidness If I had to deal with a man that I were sure had all the Meekness and al the Love and all the Gentleness in him of all the men in the world that ever lived put all their Meekness and Gentleness and Sweetness together into one man and I were sure I should never have any Yoke upon me but what that man should lay upon me truly I would never fear any rigidness One man hath Meekness and Gentleness I but he hath Rigidness too and another man hath one drop and another another drop I but put all these into one and surely that man hath a great deal of Meekness now Jesus Christ hath all in him and if it be his Yoke then it must needs be easie And Secondly Consider what was the end of Christs coming into the world the end of Jesus Christs coming into the world was this he saw poor wretched man that he was under a Burden of sin and misery and he was content to come and take their natures upon him and deliver their souls from pain and trouble and misery he came not into the world to impose Iron Yokes but he came into the world to bring the mercy of the Father to bring the treasure of the riches of the Father into the world and was anointed by the Father to that end that he might open Prison doors to Captives and that he might powr oyle upon them to supple souls that was his end saith he I came not into the world to condemne it but to save it that I might bring the mercy of my father into the world that I might open the passages of the infinite mercy of my Father that by your sins was shut up though there was an infinite ocean of mercy in my Father yet not one drop could issue out from him therefore I came to open the sluces as it were and let them out upon you and if there be any other end it is rather by accident then that which Christ aymed at but that Christ aymed at was to open the sluces of the infinite mercy of God upon man Now if this were the end of Christs comming into the world then certainly those that are deare to him and that he was willing to lay down his life for they shal find nothing from him but gentleness he will lay no yoke or burden upon them but what is very easy and very light therefore it must needs be easy because it is Christs that is a fourth Evidence Evidence 5. Fiftly It must needs be easy and light for there was never any in the world that put his neck under this Yoke especially if you take it for the yoke of obedience never any put his neck under this yoke that would have his neck out again that would wish Christs yoke otherwise then it is for his active obedience and they would have the passive too but in the conclusion they would never repent them that ever they were under it but especially for the former there was never Godly Christians when they were themselves and did consider of things except it were in time of temptation but take them at that time when they are themselves I say there was never any that could wish their neck out of Christs yoke that could wish the yoke of Christ easier then it is they would be freed from nothing that Christ requires when they are themselves and understand things It is true Ignorantly and when they do not understand things and in time of temptation then they may do otherwise but take a Christian and let him be himself and let him consider and understand the thing and there was never any that could wish his neck out of the yoke or wish it easier then it is It is true a gracious heart may be weary of himself because he cannot beare the yoke of Christ as he would do but he is never weary of Christs yoke he may be weary of the corruptions of his heart that hinder him from bearing the yoke as he should do but he would not have the yoke less then it is Take one that is Godly though he be weak you will say it is true they that are strong wil not wish it less but those that are weak they may well consider it thus a gracious heart he would be glad to have more strength to
go under Christs yoke more comfortably but he would not have Christs yoke less that is there is no duty that Christ requires of a gracious heart that it would be freed from I appeal to you that are gracious hearts what one duty that Christ requires of you when you are your selves that you would be freed from Look through the whol book of God and you shal find it so of the Saints And here is a great difference now between an Hypocrite and a Gracious man an Hipocrite would fain do this duty but not that and omit this but not that but a gracious heart saith Lord I am not willing only to do what thou requirest of me but Lord whatsoever thou requirest of me I would chuse it if I had my choice but I leave that till I come further only now to shew that it is easy because no gracious heart that will ever take up any other yoke but saith let me alwaies be here surely it must needs be easy then that is a fifth Evidence Evidence 6 And the Sixth and Last Evidence is this it is taken from the experience of the Saints and that is as great a demonstration as any thing that which I have found experimentally that I find so it is taken from the experience of the Saints there is none that are truly Gracious though they may be afflicted with temptation especially when they are grown in the waies of Christianity but they have some experience of it perhaps at first they find it somwhat hard to get their necks under but afterwards they will say well I never found that rest that ease that quiet upon my â—oul as since I got my neck fully under the yoke of Christ since I brought my self to resign my self fully wholly to the ways of Jesus Christ I bless God I have had great ease and rest Just as it is with your ships if your ship Stick fast in the Sands and water the Waves come and beat against your ship and it is ready to break but now if it is got off from the Sands and wholly upon the Water then away it goes and you may hold a cup of wine in your hands and it goes away with ease so it is with a Godly heart when he is part in Gods waies and part in the mudd and doth not fully give up himself to Gods waies then he findes trouble and his Conscience flies in his Face and he cannot sleep quietly but let the Soul fully resign it self to Christ to be guided by him Oh! the unspeakable joy that there is in this Heathens may talk and have witty discourses about tranquillity of mind but only the true Cristian can have the true tranquillity of mind never could the soul say till now my soul returne unto thy rest let there be never such commotions in the world and troubles and stirs in the World yet I can retire to God and I can bless my self in God and bless God in what I injoy when I can say as in the presence of God to my soul O my Soul return to thy rest I never had such rest and quiet in any waies as I find in these Surely these Six things do evidence the truth that his yoke is easy and his burden light CHAP. CXXXVI The Second Particular mentioned Chap. 13. Is opened in two differences between a Carnal heart and a Gracious Soul in the waies of God 1 The Hypocrite finds ease in the waies of God and Sin both 2. The Hypocrite hath some ease because he mistaks the Yoke of Christ contenting himself with the outward forme of Godliness but theb eleevers ease comes from the power of it BUt now many carnal hearts they think it easie Gracious hearts may think this point at first hearing very strange but carnal hearts they think I we like this point wel enough for men keep such a do and make the waies of God so difficult to go on in a faire way that is easy but to be put to so much trouble and pains there must be Such praying and humbling and such strict keeping of the Sabbaths this is that disturbs now because civil men they find ease as well as carnal hearts that will be the next thing for Indeed I was loth to speak so much of the easiness of the waies of Christ without shewing the difference between the rest and ease of a carnal heart or an Hipocrite and a true Gracious heart an Hipocrite and a carnal heart shal find no ease and rest at al though a gracious heart shal Wherfore the differences between that ease which a carnal heart finds and that which a gracious heart finds in Gods ways they are many First of al a carnal heart finds ease in Christs yoke and ease in the yoke of sin both they find ease in both yokes when they have a temptation to sin that is comfortable to them when it is suitable to their own ends to their own waies when they come to performe duty and come to the Church and somtimes pray and receive Sacraments and the like they think they find a great deal of ease there they are content with both now it is quite otherwise with a gracious heart a gracious heart finds ease in the yoke of Christ but there is nothing more burdensom to a gracious heart then the yoke of sin the yoke of Christ is such an ease as cannot stand with ease under the yoke of any sin but the yoke of sin it is burdensome and intollerable unto the heart that hath true ease in the yoke of Jesus Christ Yea and the more ease any gracious heart hath in bearing the yoke of Christ the more intolerable is the burden that such a heart hath when it is under the yoke of sin if at any time sin doth prevail with one that is come under subjection to Jesus Christ O! how greivous is that sin and therefore greivous because such a foul knows what the difference is between the yoke of Christ and the yoke of sin therefore it is grievous It is not only greivous because it brings terror to the soul through fear of judgment and fear of hell but it is grievous because the soul knows a difference between the yoke of Christ and the yoke of sin As now if a man hath been acquainted with a service to some Noble man or Prince and hath a great deale of Honor and respect and gained very much and afterwards this man should come to be a slave in the Gallies Oh how burdensom would this be to him upon this ground because he once knew a better service he knew what it was to serve such a Prince that was a gracious Prince and loved him and delighted in him and required nothing of him but that that was very suitable to him now if such a one comes to the Gally it will be very greivous Truly thus it is a true Gracious heart that hath been acquainted with the yoke of Christ if at any
one duty lets in another and this is the difference between one that is truly acquainted with the waies of religion and an Hypocrite the one when he sets upon one duty that one duty so tires him that he hath no mind to another but now a godly heart one duty doth but let him in another by performing one duty he is fitted to another duty and this is a sign you performe duty in a right way when it is thus with you it is true the outward man may be tired but yet the heart is in a better frame to performe duty the next time one duty is an in let into another and helps on the other that is a Third Fourthly The waies of Christ they are easy because they bring strength with them and encreaseth strength certainly that work must needs be an easy work that a man gets strength by his work and the more he works the more strength he gets It is true great works come to be difficult because you do not only not get strength but you spend strength but now the waies of religion the more you work the more strength you have and the more work you do the more strength comes in It is true the natural strength may be spent I but there is inward strength comes in encreaseth and is supplied by Jesus Christ the Body that carries the Soul I but the Soul is no burden to the Body the Soul supports the Body and enables the body to move and makes it lighter if the Soul were gone the body would be a heavy lump heavier than when the soul lives in it so such a kind of burden is the waies of Religion to a gracious soul no other burden than the soul is to the body when the soul is there it is no burden but it rather helps the Body it makes the Body lighter and so when any work of Grace is added more than before the burden comes to be lighter and easier In Prov. 10. 29. The way of the Lord is strength to the upright their very way is strength surely then their way is easie that which is strength cannot be a hard way now the way of the Lord is strength to the upright an Hypocrite indeed if he wil meddle with the way of God he is tired as those in Malachi What a weariness is the waies of God to them I but it is to an Hypocrite but the way of the Lord is strength to the upright A man that hath a carnal heart he is tired presently you that complain for want of strength and you have no heart to set about Duties of Religion because you say you are weak the more ye set about these Duties the more strength you shall have There is many a Man and Woman that praies away their strength in prayer and strengthens their sin in prayer and I shewed you how to carnal hearts their very duties may be easie to their sins but now a gracious heart doth not pray away his strength but he shal have more strength in his Soul for the present and he shall see it afterwards You wil say How shall I know that for my body is weary and tired if you get but a litle time to refresh your body with sleep or the like when you come to prayer again you wil have more strength to the Duty there was more strength in your Spirit then when you were in the Duty only your natural strength did fail and therefore do as much as you can in holy Duties do not fear tiresomness in them you will do more than you did before That is the fourth thing that makes them to be easie because they beget strength Fifthly They must needs be easie because that in all the waies of Religion there is ever more good fuccess a gracious heart evermore finds success in the waies of Godliness now that way that a man alwaies hath success in is very easie to him you count that work very easie work that alwaies thrives in your hand and that you may certainly know that it wil succeed before you go about it If a man go about a work and he is uncertain in the success and he thinks I may take a great deal of pains but I know not how I shall speed Oh that is tedious I but now when he goes out to the work of the Lord where he knows he shal never fail of success this work is very easie to him In the first Psalm it is said that a Godly man prospers in every thing that be doth whatever he doth shall prosper it is true we may set upon outward things and not have success but there was never any gracious action since the beginning of the world but had success here is the difference between your outward imployment and your gracious imployment your earthly and your spiritual imployment in one though we work never so well according to the Rules of our Art yet there wil not be success in what we do alwaies but now let us perform any holy Duty we shal never lose any action though we may not see it yet we shal certainly prosper in it and therefore there is a great deal of ease Sixthly A great deal of ease must needs be in Gods waies because that a gracious heart is continually receiving his wages in all his work Now that is a very easie work ye shal not need be working all the day and receive no wages at night but a Godly man is receiving his wages continually while he is working In 1 Pet. 9. Receiving the end of your Faith the Salvation of your Souls Receiving the end of your Faith he doth not say that ye shal hereafter receive the end of your Faith but ye are now receiving every moment in every Duty ye perform you are receiving the end of your Faith there is no holy action but there is somwhat of the Glory of Heaven in it and the Soul doth receive somwhat of the Glory of Heaven in every holy action so that he shall not need to stay for Heaven hereafter that indeed were enough one would think to make any of the waies of God easie the beleeving the Glory we shal hereafter have in Heaven it were enough to make any journey easie that we shal have a Crown at the end of it but it is not so with the Saints they have not ease because they know that they shal have Glory hereafter but they have a Heaven while they are doing their holy Duties therefore are easie in regard of their end as many things may be easie in regard of that that comes afterwards and so may be good in regard of the good which is to come but the actions of Religion are part of the happiness and of the Glory of the Soul and if we were well principled in this it would be a great means to help us to go on with a great deal of ease in the duties of Religion That it is the happiness and Glory of
deal of ease in respect of the Jews that were under the burden of the Ceremonial Law because that their service it self was very chargeable to their outward estates their Sacrifices that they did offer up to God How chargeable was it What a great part of the estates of men did go forth partly in the maintenance of their Levites There is a great deal of murmuring now for a little Money for maintenance of Ministers but there if the account be summed up the maintenance of the Levites was a great part of their estates not barely the tenth of their Sacrifices They had their Cities divers forty or more Cities that were theirs for their possession And many things might be shewed that way the mighty charge that they were at for the service of God several waies not Tithes only but Cities and the like now God hath in a great part eased us of those things that he required of the People of the Jews there is nothing now required but what is in moral equity what is in common reason due to the Laborer for his work only somwhat is due by that Scripture Thou shalt not muzle the mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the Corn so that all the maintenance now for the work of God is due in a way of common reason but there was other things required in the service of God in the times of the Jews and that is an ease that is very suitable to many men to have ease that way from their outward service yet certainly the Lord as we shal hear more by and by requires of us more service other waies And then Thirdly In the ceremoniall Law there the very service of God had a kind of burden in it for there were so many external performances that the Holy Ghost cals them beggarly Rudiments so many outward ceremonies outward things that were a burden to the outward man and they were mean things and childish things in comparison of the Gospel they are called by the Apostle Beggarly Rudiments And truly one would think that when we shall read such a Scripture as that that shall call the ceremonies of the Law beggarly rudiments that were the ceremonies appointed by God himself and yet when they came to be abrogated they were called but beggarly rudiments one would admire how it is possible that any one that professeth Christianity should come and conform themselves to so many ceremonies as they have done to such beggarly rudiments certainly these must needs be beggarly rudiments much more and what a strange pass were we brought into that we should count such things the great Ornaments of Gods service whenas God did not require them but at that time and that they are so vilified by God now But inventions are never required by God and therefore they are to be accounted more vile and it is a great mercy to be delivered from the bondage of the outward ceremonies of the Law though such things as were once appointed by God to spend so many daies as they did from their outward business this is somwhat Surely if it were in mans power to appoint ceremonies and make daies holy as many did undertake heretofore we had been brought into a greater bondage than ever the Jews were under the Law but Christ would have ease in the outward administration of his worship And then likewise though God hath appointed some outward things yet very few for the outward part of his vvorship What a few things are appointed by Jesus Christ vvhereas in the times of the Law there vvere multitudes of external things yea and how easie are they that Christ hath appointed for the outvvard part of his vvorship whereas in the times of the Lavv it vvas hard as circumcision vvhat a hard thing vvas it to have to foreskin of the flesh cut off and you knovv it made them sore vvhen the men of Sichem vvere circumcised they vvere so sore that two or three men vvere able to destroy a vvhol City novv Christ hath required no such hardness of us And truly that may be one thing that may make us much doubt of the waies of many that put people upon such vvaies as in the Winter time to go into Rivers and venture their healths lives as they do certainly Christ requires no such thing if Christ did require such a thing I dare appeal to any to give me any one place in the old Testament vvhere there is a harder commandment than that if that vvere a commandment then Christs yoke in that one thing is harder than any one thing that Christ required of the Jews no one Duty so difficult to the outward man as that thing iâ— now certainly the yoke of Christ as he himself saith it is but easie it is not hard to the outward man in such external services Christ did not change one Ordinance from another to make it harder there is no Ordinance that Christ did change from the Law to the Gospel to make it harder and there is no mercy that is allowed in the times of the Law but is allowed in the times of the Gospel And further That is another Argument that is very perswaâ—ive to the Beleever and his children for if God should deny this condition to the children in the times of the Gospel that was in the times of the Law it would make the Gospel to be harder than the Law and the truth is the denying such a mercy to Beleevers children would be a harder yoke to Beleevers a greater burden to them than all the ceremonies were to the Jevvs in the times of the Lavv. As suppose this if a Beleever should plead thus Lord there vvas a time vvhen thou didst not only receive me into Covenant but receive my child too and give my child the seal of the Covenant likevvise and there vvas a time that I had such a priviledg that not only I but my child vvas in a different condition from the Heathen the Heathen round about me vvas not in such a condition as I vvas in in regard of my posterity and I counted this a great mercy but Lord since the time I vvas converted and imbraced Christian Religion and since the time that Jesus Christ is come as suppose a Jevv should speak thus one that vvas a Jevv before Christs time and should live til Christ came and should plead thus Lord hast thou brought a greater burden on me since Christ came than I had before Christ came for before Christ came I had such a liberty that vvas as dear to me as my life that I vvould not be vvithout for all the vvorld that I should not only have my self but my child separated from the world and be in covenant with thee and under the Seal of thy Grace but Lord since Christs coming into the world and since I imbraced religion though I may come and take the seales though I may be in covenant with thee yet now my child may not there is no
humbled for our sins in an evangelical way as wel as performe duty in an evangelical way Now evangelical humiliation it is a sorrow for sin not that we might purchase pâ—â—don for that sorrow as we must not perform a duty to think to purchase Heaven neither must we sorrow for sin to think to satisfie for sin and to purchase pardon for our sin but our very sorrow for sin must have a sweetness from Christ in it it must be out of love our very mourning must be a fruit of love and not come from the fear of being destroyed eternally for such sins that is legal sorrow I have sinned against God and therefore am afraid that God will destroy me eternally and therefore I am sorry No but I have sinned against the Lord a gracious and a merciful Father and the Lord yet hath made a Covenant with me that he will not take advantage of my sin that he will not destroy me and therefore my soul mourns and laments the rather for my sin that I have sinned so much against the grace of the Gospel as I have done Sorrow evangelically and then your sorrow wil have more sweetness in it then all the joy that the men of the world have when all their Corn and Wine and Oyl is encreased not only when God lifts up the light of his countenance but even the very sorrow of your heart for sin may have more sweetness in it then all the men of the world have when their Corn and Wine and Oyl encreaseth Many Christians have much bitterness in their sorrow but certainly Evangelical sorow the tears of it is Rose water that hath a great deal of sweetness it is sweet both unto God and sweet unto the soul even while the soul is sorrowing there is sweetness in the heart and this is the difference between legal terror and Evangelical sorrow the one hath nothing but bitterness and gal in it and the other nothing but sweetness That is the first thing Secondly Another way to facilitate and make easie that we do is this Labor to keep our hearts in a constant readiness and preparation to every duty Duties are very hard because we fall upon them unprepared we are not in a readiness continually unto every good work you know when you are set about any work and if you have many things to prepare and to look for when you should go about your work it will go off but heavily and it will be more troublesom but now when every thing is prepared in a readiness then how soon and how easie doth the work go on when you are going to Sea there is making a great deal of preparation aforehand now when the Ship is rigged and trimmed every thing ready then you are at an instant able to put off and set saii and go away when al things are ready you go off with ease If you would entertain Guests if they come upon you suddenly and you have nothing ready what a deal of stir is in the house what running up and down this way and that way but now if things be ready when they come they are entertained with a great deal of delight and all things in the house are in order and things go off very easily and there is no trouble in it Truly thus it should be with a Christian he should not only perform duties now and then but his life should be a constant walking with God so that he should be alwaies in readiness for every duty that God requires of him so it comes to be easie As now for the duty of Prayer you should keep your hearts in a praying frame continually and then prayer would be easie it would be an easie thing for you to pour forth your souls to God when you keep your hearts in a praying frame all the day long It may be when you go to prayer you find a great deal of trouble within you your thoughts wander and your affections are dead and dul and you rise up discouraged But what is the reason you do not keep your heart all the day long in a praying frame in a heavenly temper and frame in the day time and therefore when you come to pray at night there is no readiness in your hearts to the duty but you are altogether indisposed to it And so to come unto the Sacrament you find it a great labor and toyl to prepare for the Sacrament as you should I speak of those that make conscience of preparation many times they find it a mighty toyl a hard work I but Christians should keep themselves alwaies in a Sacramental disposition a Sacramental frame alwaies having their spirits savoring of the meditation of the death of Jesus Christ that nothing should be more familiar to a Christians Soul than the meditation of the death of Christ and of discerning the Lords Body and the Covenant of grace and giving it self likewise to God in a Covenant of grace this should be continually and then if you should receive the Sacrament every day you might be fit for it or every week you would be fit for it Now People think it a great matter and make a great deal of do about receiving of it often whereas the truth is the Saints of God they should be in as great a readiness to receive the Sacrament as to hear the word or to pray and that would be a mighty ease unto them therefore if things were as they should certainly it would be more convenient to have it more ordinary and constant every Lords day the Sacrament The Christians in the primitive times would receive it every day in the year and they kept their heart in readiness to such kind of duties let it be what work it wil be You should be patient in affliction if affliction come upon you and your heart is not in a readiness to alter your condition Oh! it wil be a grievous burden to exercise patience it wil be a hard thing for you now you should keep your hearts ready for every condition that is the true work of grace in the Soul to keep the soul in a constant bent Godward and that Soul wil do things very easily Somtimes you have much ado with your children when strangers come to keep them in good order the reason is you neglect them at other times and that is the reason that they trouble you when strangers come but keep them in a good order at all times and then you wil have them right at those times So it is with the heart keep the heart prepared and ready to every good work and then every work wil be easie Object But you wil say That is a great deal of toyl and labor to keep our hearts alwaies bent and ready to good works To that I answer at first it may be some labor and toyl but those that have once got their hearts into a readiness find it not so hard but have a great deal
of God very much the experience of this is very much I do not know how it comes to pass but certainly now there is a great deal less communion between Gods people than formerly the times have been when some that have been alone have bin striving and tugging and could not get their hearts into any good frame they have come buâ— into the company of Gods people laid their experiences together and warmed themselves together and then they have gone away and they have thought nothing too hard that God should require of them to do or to suffer they would go into their closets and pour out their hearts if there were trouble in the Family between Wife and Husband in regard of passion when they have been amongst Gods people they could carry themselves in a gracious manner Oh! communion much communion with the Saints of God it is that that facilitates the waies of Religion We know in travelling if a man be travelling a journey all alone especially if he have wind and weather against him his way is tedious to him very hard and grievous and he is tired in his journey but now if he travel and have good company and good discourse and is joyfull and cheerful when he is going his journey is nothing when he comes to the Inn he saith I thank God I am not weary at al Why is it so the journey is long I but the company is good the dâ—scourse is good and that makes it easie So it is in our journey to Heaven we complain of tediousness in our journy Why is it because we love to be alone As many that are of a dumpish disposition loving alwaies to be alone there is a time indeed that people should be alone they have sweet refreshings from God that way but there is a time to have Society with the Saints and it is an ordinance appointed by God for the facilitating of Gods waies while we are passing in the wilderness in our way to Heaven and therefore make Conscience of that to have Communion with the people of God to spiritualize your Communion and make what use you can of them to help you in your Christian course 13. Another Rule is this Exercise much Faith Faith doth facilitate every action as Unbelief makes every thing difficult let a man be put upon any duty if he have an unbelieving heart it is difficult Why because before he comes to it he saith I shal never go through with it and therefore comes heavily to it all the while his unbelief prevails his work goes heavily on but let a man come to a work and come to purpose A man of confidence and of spirit he saith let me take such a thing another man he is toyling laboring and he saith I shal never bring it to any thing but now another man that is of a lively constitution faith he let me come to it and he carries it on with ease and the truth is when Christians see Gods call to any work they should not pore upon the difficulty but exercise Faith and come with courage to the duty and God will carry you through God that cals me to a work he will give me strength in the work and therefore let me go to the work as if I were carried through it already go on with confidence and resolution and take heed of Unbelief up and be doing and the Lord wil be with you so do you say to your souls when you are discouraged in the work Oh such and such have miscarried and how shall so weak a soul as I do Wel up and be doing and the Lord will be with you 14. Lastly Do not satisfie your selves that you have grace but labor to have strength of grace that is easie to a strong man that is hard to a weak now Christians should not satisfie themselves with Gods grace God hath begun grace in thee you will say he that hath the least dram of grace it will carry him to Heaven I but it is a great deal of grace that must make the waies of Religion easie and delightful to thee Therefore look into the word and when thou dost exercise Faith or make use of any Ordinance Do it for the encrease of grace for strengthening thy self strengthen those weak things that are in thee that thou maist go on steadily in the waies of Religion and know to that end that though thou beest never so weak yet there is strength enough to be had Look into the word of God and you shall find there that there is a most glorious strength that is possibly to be attained unto by Christians in Ephes 1. 18 19. that place that we have often made use of What is the exceeding greatness of his power to us ward which beleeve according to the working of his mighty power Mark this Text it is not only meant of the greatness of Gods power in working Faith in us but the greatness of his power toward us who do now beleeve God doth put forth power greatness of power and exceeding greatness of mighty power and the same that he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at the right hand of God Thou mai'st come to have by the exercise of Faith the power of God put forth his almighty power to give thee Faith so now by the exercise of Faith thou mai'st have the power of God the greatness of his Power the mighty power of God and the exceeding greatness of the mighty power of God and the same that God put forth when he raised Christ from the dead set him at the right hand of the Father Thou sai'st thou hast a dead heart but wil not the power of God that raised Christ from the dead raise thy heart exercise Faith Lord I go about such a business it is difficult because of the hardness of my heart But Lord wil not the power that raised Christ from the Grave raise my dead heart And so Lord I have a heart sunk down to the things of the world I but Lord hast thou not promised to put forth the same power into the hearts of thy people that set Jesus Christ at thy right hand Wil not that power raise up my heart to Heaven and give me an heavenly heart Now here is strengthening of thy Faith from the word of God and that strength that the Scripture holds forth that God himself wil put forth into the heart of his people upon the exercise of Faith And so in Ephes 3. 16. That he will grant unto you according to the Riches of his Glory to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man what a heap of expressions are here therefore I put you upon this not to content your selves with weak grace for there is abundance of strength not only the strength in Christ but the strength that is conveyed into the heart by the Spirit of Jesus Christ it is one thing for
Christ himself to look upon you as having a fulness of all strength in him and for Christ to come and assist you As now a man that hath a weak Child he may come with his hand and enable the Child to do that which he could not do but the strength that I speak of now is as when one that was a Child before is made a strong man and hath Marrow put into his Bones and Blood into his Veins so this strength is such a strength that is the Riches of his Glory according to the inward man Mark First Here is strength Secondly Here is strength in the inward man strength in the outward man is not so much as the inward man Thirdly Here is strengthened with might Fourthly This strength is by the Spirit now the Scripture useth that word Spirit to express strength by Their Horses are not Spirit but Flesh And then again It is by the Spirit of God And then it is according to the Riches of the Spirit of God such strength and such might and the Spirit of God in the inward man such as shall shew forth the riches of Gods Spirit and then Lastly The riches of his Glory So that the Saints may come to have in them such strength in the inward man with such might by the Spirit of God and according to the riches of God and the riches of his Glory you must not satisfie your selves til you find such a work of Gods grace in you as may manifest the riches of the glory of Gods power Now Christians Do you work so as by your strength in the waies of Religion you do manifest the riches of the Glory of Gods power If you do then certainly the waies of Religion wil be easie to you And then another Scripture which is to shew you that there is a great deal of strength to be had to enable you to go on is that in the 1. of the Collossians and ver 11. Strengthened with all might through his glorious power unto al patience and long-suffering with joyfulness here is strengthened with might strengthened with all might and this according to Gods power and according to his glorious power and unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness mark when we come to have strength from God that is when we come to the hardest things to exercise patience then we have patience and all patience and and joyfulness and giving thanks to the Father and nothing but thankfulness and joyfulness though our condition be such as needs patience Now these rules being put together they may make the way of Christ easy you may run the waies of Gods commandements and go leaping to Heaven and certainly the more easy and the more sweet they be unto you the more sweet will they be to others and you will bring a better report upon the waies of religion and make the waies of God amiable and lovely unto others Wel consider what hath been sayed in this text Many truths you cannot but acknowledg that they nearly concerne you now know that God will require this text at our hands this invitation of Christ come to me al ye that are weary heavy laden I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden light The truth is the same and the very marrow of the Gospel is in this invitation of Christ and therefore I have laboured to shew you as fully as I could what the spirit of God doth intend in this invitation and to lay before you all those truths that are here and have laboured to work them upon your hearts hoping that the impression of divers things that have been delivered from this scripture in the invitation of Christ are upon your spirits and shall remaine in many of your souls even to the day of Christ so that Jesus Christ when he shall come again with another invitation and say come come ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you I say Christ will look upon you having the impression of this invitation upon your hearts And certainly Christ when he shal come to judgment when poor souls shall bring this impression upon their hearts he wil entertain them with a great deal of cheerfulness and he wil give them another invitation Christ saith now come come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden take my yoke upon you and learn of me for my yoke is easy and my burden light doth this invitation prevaile hath these arguments prevailed with your spirits and do you keep the impression of these upon your spirits can you if Jesus Christ were to come to judgment shew the impressions of these invitations upon your hearts and say Lord thou hast invited us and many arguments hath been used to draw us unto thee and our spirits are come to thee and behold now the impressions of those truths upon our hearts Oh! if you shal be able at the day of judgment to shew the impressions of these truths upon your hearts you will be happy and then you shal have the other invitation come ye blessed of my father that will come fully upon you the remembrance of the work of this invitation upon you Oh! how sweet will it be to you And for others that shall live wickedly when they shall come to that day when Christ shall invite others unto him come ye blessed of my father when they shall remember that there was a time when we heard a blessed sweet invitation of Christ opened to us in the Ministry of the word we heard Christ calling Come come and professing that his yoke was easy and his burden light and yet we followed after our lusts and wicked sinful lusts and wicked sinful waies and now we heare that the Saints that did come upon his invitation that they shal be blessed for ever but Christ will not cal us to him we would not have his yoke upon us then and therefore now we must be cast off and have the iron yoke of the wrath and vengeance and curse of eternal displeasure upon us Now the Lord perswade you to take those easy yokes of Christ upon you for the present rather then Gods eternal wrath and displeasure should come to be your portion hereafter FINIS