and last period of enioying their ends What warrant had Alexander for his assurance of subduing Asia Augustus of Pompey Cassius and the like and all subiect to corruption for where are now the great Monarchies of Assyria Media Persia Grecia and of the Romans well then being that men vndergoe such and so great labour and toyle for attaining vncertaine and corruptible glorie what should we do for attaining the rest spoken of here in the Text which once gotten is free from all corruption and whereof by the means here mentioned we may vndoubtedly be assured Take vpon you my yoke As man by nothing more is encouraged to vndertake great weighty matters then by hope and expectation of reward so failing and comming short of his ends he seldome misseth shamefull Apostasie and defection from his former resolution yea oftentimes although the error be in his owne false conceit and misunderstanding of the promise Thus Israel hearing in Aegypt that a Land flowing with milke and hony was prepared for them and that the Lord himselfe would safely conduct them into that good Land O they are a fire till the iourney be in force but how soone as come to the red Sea they see themselues enuironed with great and high mountaines on the one side the Aegyptian forces on the other and the raging waues of mercilesse water before their faces how soon they came into the desart and barren wildernesse and heard of the great strength and walled Cities of Canaan as men frustrate and disappointed of their promised reward like broken bowes they start backe and make defection from their former profession Many in hope and expectation of future preferment followed Christ in the beginning of his Ministerie fondly dreaming of a temporall kingdome but perceiuing in processe of time all things to fall out quite contrarie the Text saith That they went backe Ioh. 6.66 2. Tim. 4.10 Luk. 22.4 and walked no more with him This was Demas his bane Iudas his ruine Simons ouerthrow and a great stumbling blocke vnto the two disciples iournying towards Emmaus as by their owne conference euidently doth appeare Act. 8.19 We trusted that it had beene he which should haue redeemed Israel beside all this to day is the third day since these things were done yea and certaine women also of our companie made vs astonished which were early at the Sepulchre and when they found not his bodie they came saying that they had also seene a vision of Angels Act. 24.21 22 23 24. which said that he was aliue Therefore Christ for preuenting of this so great an inconuenience hath from time to time laboured rightly to informe such as come vnto him of the nature and qualitie of the entertainment which from his hands is to be expected Thus the Pharisee offering his seruice heareth That the Foxes haue holes Matth. 8.20 and the Birds of the Heauen haue nests but the Sonne of man hath not whereon to lay his head And here in the Text which now wee haue in hand hauing comfortably inuited all such as labour and are heauie laden vnder the burthen of their sins to come vnto him with a promise of rest lest men hereupon should promise vnto themselues worldly pleasure temporall felicitie and the fulfilling of the delights and desires of the flesh the missing whereof might afterwards occasion a disgracefull apostafie and defection from this holy profession therefore after the promise immediately he subioynes a large commentarie and exposition of his former words Take vpon you my yoke As if he should haue said I came not to cleanse you from your sinnes that being reconciled and receiued againe into the loue and fauour of Almightie God you should challenge libertie and freedome without all restraint at randon to wallow in sinne and iniquitie it is neither a bodily nor fleshly rest which from me is to be looked for and expected for why should the followers of a Prince whose kingdome is not in this world dreame of such things but the rest which I promise is spirituall Come vnto me and you shall find rest vnto your soules As concerning the things of this life you must learne to put off concerning the former conuersation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind putting on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Our freedome in Christ Iesus then is not such that as lawlesse men we may doe what we list but on the contrarie being ingrafted into his mysticall bodie wee must take vpon vs his yoke of repentance and faith by the one putting off concerning our former conuersation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts and by the other being renewed in the spirit of our minds putting on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Neyther is the Rest by Christ Iesus promised a cessation of tribulation and crosse but by faith being vnited vnto the great Shepheard we must take vpon vs his yoke of calamitie and trouble If any man will come after me let him deny himselfe and take vp his crosse Matth. 16.24 and follow me Take vpon you my yoke The word yoke in his proper signification is an instrument framed by the wit and inuention of man for combining and ioyning beasts together in Carts or Coaches for the more easie and swift carriage of ponderous and weightie things wherein three things offer themselues to our consideration first a distinct and seuerall kind of labor and working for beasts vnder the yoke are confined vnto one particular manner of trauaile secondly the weight and heauinesse of the burthen for yoking presupposeth an intention in the owner to lay more vpon the beasts then otherwise conueniently they could be brought to beare and thirdly the crueltie of the Dryuer because beasts vnder yoke restrained from working as they would are bitterly pusht and prickt forward with goades whips scourges and the like From which three properties of a yoke the Pen-men of holy Scripture haue drawne three seuerall metaphors vsing the word sometimes for the doctrine instruction and teaching wherein the Lord traines and brings vp his Church here vpon earth because as a yoke confines beasts vnto a definite and certaine kind of working so doctrine institution and teaching commaunds vs to thinke speake and doe after this or that manner These haue altogether broken the yoke and burst the bonds Ier. 5.5 that is they haue forsaken and cast off the obedience of Gods commandements If in this sence we vnderstand Christ his words the meaning will be that by faith in his death we are not so freed from the yoke of his Law as that we haue libertie to doe what wee list but by faith in the Mediator being reconciled vnto God we are to take this yoke vpon vs vsing the Law as a guide a path and sure way to walke and passe through
the wildernesse of this life into the spirituall Canaan of euerlasting happinesse Herein then stands the difference betweene Christians and Iewes as concerning the workes and obseruation of the Morall Law that the one is bound to a strict performance of the exquisite and exact iustice required therein vpon paine of death and euerlasting damnation according to that of Moses Deut. 27.26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to doe them But Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the Law Gal. 3.13 so that wee are not confined within these straits eyther by perfect and absolute obedience to purchase life or in case of defect and failing in the least to expect the fearefull sentence of death and damnation to passe vpon vs howsoeuer a serious and earnest endeuour be required in putting off concerning our former conuersation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts Eph. 4.20 and putting on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse being not without law to God but vnder the law to Christ for the more that wee are bound to the mercie and fauour of God the more are wee obliged to conforme our selues to his good will and pleasure Rom. 9.21 Being then that by faith in his Sonne we are freed from the curse of the Law the Father for Christ his sake accepting our halfe-maimed and imperfect obedience as absolute and without blame let it beget in our hearts rather a more earnest endeuour of performing the Law as a perfect path of righteousnesse then carelesse Epicurisme in following our owne wayes professing and saying with the blessed Apostle Rom. 7.22 I delight in the Law of God after the inward man Sometimes againe because of the second propertie the word Yoke is vsed for the heauie burthen perplexitie and sorrow which in case of disobedience the Law bringeth vpon the soules and consciences of men in which respect the Law is often called a yoke Act. 15.10 Why tempt yee God to put a yoke vpon the necke of the Disciples which neither our fathers nor wee were able to beare that is Why labour yee to intangle and bring againe within the curse of Gods Law those who by faith in Christ may well be freed there-from Gal. 5.1 And againe Stand fast in the libertie wherewith Christ hath made vs free and be not intangled againe with the yoke of bondage in which sense Christ his my yoke imports an Antithesis and opposition betweene the Law of Faith and the Law of Workes as if he should haue said You haue heretofore laboured and beene heauie laden vnder the intolerable yoke and heauie burthen of the Law which was neuer able to afford you any comfort or giue rest vnto perplexed spirits Rom. 3.20 for by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh liuing be iustified in his sight take therefore vpon you my yoke of the Gospel you shall find rest vnto your soules Sometimes because of the third propertie the word yoke is vsed for the hard vsage calamity and tribulation which men receiue indure at the hands of others Of old time I haue broken thy yoke burst thy bonds Ier. 2.20 28.2.14 Thus speaketh the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel saying I haue broken the yoke of the King of Babylon and againe I haue put a yoke of Iron vpon the necke of all these Nations that they may serue Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon And in this sense although I neither dare nor doe reiect the former after a speciall manner are Christ his words here to be vnderstood that in this life such as come vnto him stand in neede of calamity and tribulation for suppressing and keeping downe the exorbitant wickednesse and vnruly wantonnesse of the flesh Take vpon you my yoke then is the same with that of our Sauiour If any man will come after mee Mat. 16.24 10.30 let him deny himselfe and take vp his crosse and follow me and againe He that taketh not his crosse and followeth mee is not worthy of me Whosoeuer will come after me let him deny himselfe and take vp his crosse and follow me The happinesse then which wee finde in Christ Iesus Marke 8.34 doth not consist in the delights and pleasures of the flesh but in the quieting calmenesse of the mind Come vnto me and ye shall find rest vnto your soules let vs not then bee dismaied or cast downe if so bee seeking rest and quietnesse by faith in the Sonne of God wee be inuironed with the snares of calamity and tribulation for it is the good-will and pleasure of our heauenly Father to lay this yoke vpon vs whilst we liue here vpon earth First to call to our remembrance the generall Apostasie and defection by vs in our first Parents made from the Lord our God for the world knoweth not the fearefull disease lothsome contagion and fierce wrath and indignation thereby violently drawne vpon the whole posterity and consequently by the reares of repentance and faith in the Mediator sue not for atonement nor seeke to bee reconciled vnto this consuming fire Therefore it pleaseth the wisdome of our great Aduocate to lay this yoke vpon the neckes of his Disciples that by these sowre fruits vnderstanding the bitternesse of the roote they may thereby be incited and stirred vp to sue vnto the true Elisha 2. King 2.19 4.40 IESVS CHRIST for curing these poisoned waters and sweetning this deadly meale Secondly thereby to beget in our hearts a deeper consideration and higher esteeem and value of our atonement and reconciliation made by the death and al-sufficient sacrifice of Iesus Christ the better the patient vnderstands the danger of his disease the more thankfull is he vnto the Physicion for his cure the more euidences vnfallible arguments that men haue of death the more ioifully and gladly do they receiue their pardon hee that 's adiudged to bee burnt quicke escapes afterwards with the losse of a finger by this small taste better knowes the greatnesse of the Iudge his fauor then if so be he had not at all felt any heate of the fire Euen so the sufferance of temporal afflictions the least part of that which our sinnes haue deserued at the hands of the Lord makes vs vnderstand the great obligation wherin we are bound vnto the Sonne of God by whom we are redeemed from so great damnation and more thankful vnto his holinesse for so great a blessing for if so be these excrements be so heauy what should the whole burthen haue bin if we find such and so great difficulty in bearing the smallest and least part what if the whole desert of our transgressions had bin layd vpon vs Thirdly the yoke of calamitie and tribulation serues for preuenting of future slips according to that of the Prophet Danid Psal 119.67 71. Before I was afflicted I went astray but now haue
are naked and are buffeted and haue no certaine dwelling place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and labor working with our owne hands 1. Tim. 4.10 And againe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for therefore wee labour and suffer reproach because we trust in the liuing God who is the Sauiour of all men especially of those that beleeue Mat. 26.9 and in the 26. of S. Mathews Gospell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Why trouble ye the woman for shee hath wrought a good worke on mee In like manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in wearinesse and painfulnesse 2. Cor. 11.27 in watchings often in hunger and thirst in fastings often in coldnesse and nakednesse and againe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither did wee eate any mans bread for nought 2. Thes 3.8 but wrought with labour and trauell night and day that wee might not be chargeable vnto any From hence then it is easie to vnderstand who and what manner of ghuests they be whom Christ so friendly exhorts all by-respects set aside directly to come vnto him First such as either in the Ceremonies of the ancient Law the traditions of men or precise and strict performance of the Morall Law with great labor perplexitie trouble seek the fauor of God peace of conscience and euerlasting happines but after vnexpressible anguish finding rather further torture torment of conscience then any least beginnings of ease are ready to giue ouer as men by their owne endeuours wholly and altogether vnable to stand in the presence of a consuming fire those our Sauiour Iesus Christ louingly inuites not to despaire in this their wrestling with the wrath of God nor any longer to confide and trust in their owne righteousnesse whence no comfort at all is to be expected but altering their course to come or beleeue in him vnto whom all things requisite and necessary for the safegard and saluation of mens soules are giuen of the Father vnto which sense the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or heauy laden fitly doth agree for the Law is by the Prophet Esay 9.4 compared to a burthen Thou hast broken the yoke of his burthen and the staffe of his shoulder the rodde of his oppressour as in the day of Midian and againe They binde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heauy burthens and grieuous to bee borne and lay them on mens shoulders but they themselues will not moue them with one of their fingers Mat. 23.4 such then as confident in their owne strength haue earnestly endeuoured the atonement of Righteousnesse by the workes of the Lawe but by experience finding the heauinesse of this yoke and greatnesse of their inability by their owne endeuours to stand in the presence of so great and terrible a Iudge are truly humbled and cast downe vpon the sense and feeling of this their weakenesse such I say are fit ghuests for CHRISTS Table as appeareth by his reply vpon the Pharises modest and discreete speech Marke 12.34 Thou art not farre from the Kingdome of Heauen The second sort of ghuests whom by these words Christ so fauourably inuites to come vnto him are those who vpon a sense and feeling of their manifold transgressions the apprehension of the wrath of God and horror of the last day are at the pit and pinch of desperation it selfe wherunto also the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very fitly doth accord and agree for Esay speaking of the burthen of sin and wrath of God sayth He hath borne our griefes Esa 3.4.11 and carried our sorrowes yet did wee esteeme him stricken smitten of God and afflicted he shall see the trauell of his soule and shall be satisfied by his knowledge shall my righteous Seruant iustifie many for hee shall beare their iniquities Zach. 5.7 and Zacharie speaking to this same purpose sayth that Wickednes sitteth vpon a talent of lead and Dauid speaketh of transgression as of a heauy burthen Mine Iniquities are gone ouer mine head Psal 38.4 as an heauy burthen they are to heauie for me so that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without either violence or strayning are properly vnderstood of such as labour and are heauy laden vnder the weight and intolerable burthen of their sinnes Thirdly such as vnder the heauie burthen of crosse and calamitie are grieuously perplexed and borne downe but finding no ease nor way to escape are ready well-nigh to sinke vnder the burthen those Christ louingly and friendly exhorts not because of their present calamities to thinke themselues cast off of God or debarred from the Kingdome of Heauen but all such extremes set aside to come vnto him where vndoubtedly they shall finde rest vnto their soules either by a finall remouall of their calamitie as Hanna Mordecai Rebecca and diuers others or mitigation and asswaging the heat of their tribulation Gen. 39.21 Dan. 6.12 3.23 as Ioseph whilst hee liued in Pharaohs Iayle Daniel in the Lyons denne or if their further good require continuance in tribulation by the sweete influence of his holy Spirit quieting and calming their distressed and perplexed spirits in the agonie and greatest heate of the fiercest temptations as Stephen in his martyrdome Dauid in the dayes of his ttouble and the blessed Apostles in their seueral persecutions for the Gospels sake These then being the ghuests whom so louingly Christ bids and comfortably inuites to come vnto him it is easie from bence to vnderstand who they be that debar and make themselues vncapable of the grace of Christ First such as drunke with a vaine conceit and opinion of their owne righteousnesse thinke themselues sufficiently able to performe and obey the commandements of the Lord and consequently feele not themselues labouring and heauie laden vnder the burthen of their sinnes Secondly Epicures and all such as weigh not nor regard their sinnes thinke not vpon the wrarh of God and terror of the last Iudgement but carelesly contemne neglect and despise the same of whom the Apostle speaking sayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 4.19 who being past feeling haue giuen themselues ouer vnto lasciuionsnesse to worke all vncleannesse with greedinesse Thirdly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as besotted with the dainties and soft allurements of the world feele not their miserable and wretched estate in regard of their manifold transgressions and dreadfull Iudgement of Almighty God nor think vpon the fauour and grace of God here and euerlasting happinesse in the life to come Fourthly and lastly such as vpon the sense and feeling of their sinnes and apprehension of Gods wrath and indignation against them for their transgressions beeing thorowly humbled and cast downe choose rather to sink in the bottomlesse pit of death and desperation then to come vnto Christ Iesus the Spirituall Physicion and Comforter of sicke and diseased soules And I will giue you rest Feare of punishment and hope of reward are two maine motiues whereby man is either encouraged in the wayes of godlinesse or restrained from transgressing the Commandements of the Lord