shal say then what need we regard what we do if any shal say so we need go no further with this man but say unto him Thou hast no part nor portion in this thing thou hast no part in the deliverance from the Law by Christ shal we sin because grace abounds God forbid the Lord forbid that there should enter any such thought into any of our Hearts They that are godly have the Spirit of God in them and will not Reason after such a manner however this is certaine that in Christ we do not depend for life and Death upon the works of the Law and therefore the way of the Gospel is a high way a supernatural way it is a way beyond that that most people imagine most people upon Earth look no higher for a way of Salvation but meerly through the works of the Law and they will certainly miscary by what you have heard You see that the way of Salvation is a higher thing than Nature The Fourth Lesson Fourthly We may learn from hence that if Christ have given Rest to beleevers by delivering them from the rigour and severity of the Law that now they are not to be cast by it for their everlasting estates then they need to be so much the more faithful with God to do what possibly they can to serve the Lord in an evangelical way Thou wert in such a condition that thou wert under such a Law as if thou didst fail in any one point thou wert cast for ever but now thou art under such a Law as God accepts of thee in Christ hadst thou not need be more faithful and industrious in thy endeavors in that thou hast received so much mercy to be under such a Covenant The truth is the other might discourage thee to think that let me do what I can my Soul is cast for my everlasting estate but now if thou beest brought under the Covenant of the Gospel and the Lord Christ hath made thee to know that thy Rest is in him how careful shouldest thou be to walk with him in all well pleasing to give up the strength of thy Soul to walk in his waies I wil appeal to thee suppose thou wert in the condition again that the Lord looked upon thee with a strict Eye and required such absolute obedience that if thou failest in any thing nothing that ever before thou didst should be accepted poor soul if the Lord should say to thee what if thou shouldest be delivered from this Law and be brought under the Law of Christ First that thou shalt not depend for thy everlasting estate upon the Law And Secondly that whatsoever thou doest shal be accepted though with much imperfection how wouldest thou prize this and even Covenant with God and say Oh! Lord bring my soul under this Covenant and I hope I shal for ever endeavour to walk in al wel peasing before thee this shal not by any meanes in the world quench my endeavors and make me more sluggish but more strengthen my heart As suppose now one should be in such slavery under the Turke that let him do what he can he shal be beaten and a Prince shal come and ransome him and take him into his owne house and expect no more obedience from him then the obedience of a Child adopting him for his Child and al the obedience that he wil expect shal be a childlike obedience and he wil be his father Now were it not a vild and unnatural thing for such a one to be careless of giving contentment to this Prince that wil accept of him as a Child when he hath delivered him from such a slavery and bondage that he was under before Thus it was with beleevers thou wert under a dreadful bondage under the Law and thou art brought to Christ and he makes thee to be a child of God and be procures that thy obedience shal be accepted that is filial and Child-like shalt thou be more negligent now then before now thou servest God upon better termes then ever before and wilt thou be more sluggish The Fifth Lesson Fifthly from our being delivered from the Law we are to Learne this That we are not to judg our coming into Christ nor to judge our faith by the Law by our coming to Christ we are delivered from the Law therefore I say we are not to make up any judgment of our coming to Christ nor to judge our faith by the rules of the Law Though the propounding of this it may be is a little obscure at first yet you wil find it of marvellous use to help beleevers in their way some beleevers very ordinarily especially weak ones judg of their coming to Christ or their faith by the Law they make the law a rule of their faith which certainly should not be for if by faith we are delivered from the Law then it must needs follow that the Law cannot be a rule of our faith You wil say what is that to make the Law a rule of our faith That is thus Beleevers think that because their faith is weak and ful of doubts ful of imperfections and doubtings therefore they have none at al. Now what is this but to make faith it self a legal thing for indeed if faith were legal then it could not be accepted where there were any mixture of imperfection a legal faith could never be accepted with any mixture of doubting and with any imperfection But an evangelical faith can be accepted This I may meet with perhaps afterwards but for the present it follows more fully and immediately from what hath been delivered from our rest from the Law and I desire to suggest it now to beleevers as a marvellous help to them that they do not make their faith legal as thus Come to many beleevers that are ful of doubts and feares and why do they not beleeve It is true say they there is rest to be had in Christ and much to be had in this I but this is to beleevers and I am afraid I am not a beleever And why art thou afraid thou art not a beleever because of such and such sins and because I cannot do as I would Now what is this but to make faith legal now faith that delivers us from the Law of al graces that must be evangelical our mourning for sin is to be looked upon as evangelical and yet some beleevers look upon their mourning for sin as legal they think God wil not accept of their mourning Why Because they cannot mourne as much as they would That is true if thou wert under the Law then no mourning at al would be accepted as under the Law but now thou must look upon it as evangelical and thy obedience as evangelical It is an il thing that beleevers look upon their mourning for sin and obedience and the like as under the Law and not as evangelical this is a great hindrance to them but now much more is it to
heart I am not able to do it but now mark how the Gospel runs in the Deu. 30.6 And the Lord thy God wil circumcise thy heart the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with al thy heart and with al thy soul that thou maist live· The Lord wil do it the Lord commands me to do it and yet withal the Lord saith that he wil do it I might instance in a great many other particulars that the Lord requires first what we should do and if we be left here now it is hard indeed but then if we can find a promise where God promises that he wil do it for us this wil be easier to us And indeed this is the diffierence between the Law and the Gospel the Law commands us what to do and gives no strength but the Gospel never commands us to do any duty but there is a promise that engageth the Lord to help the soul in the performance of that duty And now is not here rest for the soul when the soul shal look upon the large extent of the duty that the Law of God requires of it The Law requires of me to love the Lord with al my heart and with al my soul and with al my might and to keep his commandements and statutes and to circumcise my heart Lord what shal I do in this Now then when the soul can look upon Christ the covenant of grace consider that that runs thus that the Lord wil circumcise my heart that I may love the lord with al my heart with al my soul that I may keep his commandements his statutes that God doth as wel ingage himself to inable me to do the duty as he doth require me to do the duty now here is rest unto the soule I wil conclude this particular with this one similitude as it is with the body Physitians observe that together with every veine where the blood runs there runs likewise an artery together with the veine now the artery is the vehiculum of the spirits that are in the body of a man that puts liveliness and quickness into the body So for al the world thus it is in regard of the commandements of the Law and the Promises of the Gospel I compare the Commandements of the Law unto the veines they are these duties required of thee in the whol course of thy life but if thou hast veines of blood and hast no arteries no spirit thou wilt be but dul though the blood be ful in the veins yet there wil be little strength But now there is the spirit that goes along in the arteries that gives life to the veines So now they that are under the Law they know many duties that they ought to do I but except they have the promises of the Gospel to goe along with them they have little life little activity to do the duty Therefore Christians when you heare any duty out of Gods word that you ought to performe consider here is the duty here is the veine I but where is the artery there is a promise in the word that goes along with the duty to inable me to performe the duty Now if I take both together I may go on in the way of Godliness with a great deal of ease and quiet and no duty needs to be troublesom to me The want of the knowledg of this one thing makes the lives of many people to be very disconsolate and makes them go on deadly and dully in the performance of duty whereas if they would make use of this one thing when they are put upon any duty to search and find out in the word the promise wherein God inables us to do the duty and plead the promise and say Lord thou requirest the performance of this duty but thou hast promised to inable me to do it I say if thou wouldst do thus thou wouldest find that thy duties would not be burdensom to thee but thou wouldest say wel I see my soul hath rest in Christ in the performance of al those services that heretofore have been very greivous and burdensom to me Object I But you wil say We have many promises in the Gospel to inable us but the promises are conditional and I may forfeit the promise by not performing the condition Answ To that I answer We have in the Gospel absolute promises as wel as conditional promises there is some promises that depend upon no condition at al but only beleeving as that promise where the Lord saith I wil take away the heart of stone and give a heart of flesh what condition is there does God say that if you first repent and performe such and such duties that I require of you then I wil take away your heart of stone No that is an absolute promise And so likewise that promise I wil put my feare into your heart that you shal not depart from me God doth not make this promise with condition You wil say Why then hath not al their stony hearts been taken from them because the promise is absolute I answer it is absolute from any precedent condition but yet God would have us come to the promise and close with the promises and cast our souls upon it he does not promise to do such and such things upon condition that if you wil do such and such things before then I wil do this and that for you no but only this do you cast your soul upon the promise and depend upon it and when thy soul is at a loss in regard of conditional promises when thy heart misgives thee and tells thee that thou hast not performed the condition of such such promises that therfore they do not belong to thee and thou canst not for the present have comfort in the conditional promises then make use of absolute promises and cast thy soul upon them and they wil bring in the conditional promises and know this that al conditional promises depend upon absolute promises in the Gospel and as when thou canst not make use of conditional promises thou maist go to absolute promises so when thou makest use of absolute promises thou shalt be inabled to do what is required of thee in conditional promises And here is the difference between the Law and the Gospel the Law requires and doth not give strength to inable to do what it requires but the Gospel requires and gives strength to performe what it requires Sixtly There is rest unto those that come to Christ in this because when they performe duties in Christ they do not performe them that they might have life or that they might have pardon that they might get life by them or that they might obtain pardon by their duties but they performe them now as the fruit of their life and as a fruit of their pardon and this is a great deale of rest and ease to the heart in the performance of duties There are many
Pharoah did increase their bondage the Scripture tels us that the people saw that they were in an ill case so when we understand what a condition we are in under this bondage we may conclude that verily man is in an ill case by nature Secondly And a second Conclusion may be drawn hence That it is a mighty work to save a Soul it is not a slight thing for a Soul to come to be saved there must be great things done by God to save a soul Many people they confess it is true they are sinners but they cry to God to have mercy on them and so they think it is presently done but did you consider of the condition that you are in naturally and of the Righteousness of God you would then conclude it is a mighty work of God to save any soul and that you had need fal upon the seeking of your Salvation betimes And then Thirdly Hence wil follow this Conclusion also That those vain thoughts of men that they have had for pacifying their Consciences and the quieting of their hearts wil stand them in no stead As thus Many they reason thus I am not so bad as others What if you be not if you be under the Law you are cast a thousand thousand times over You wil say that you do some good thing and somtimes come to Church and pray to God but what is this to the keeping of the Law if thou beest in thy natural estate thy reasoning after this manner does argue that thou dost look after Salvation by what thou hast done and for men to say I do what I can and I am sorry with all my heart that I can do no better these are not reasonings that wil inable thee to stand with comfort before the infinite Righteous God thou must know in what state thou art in under the Law and how thou art cast by the Law these are not arguings that can bring rest to thy soul if it could Christ would never have called in this manner But you must know that such is your condition that all the Angels in Heaven and men in the world cannot give rest to your souls and if you did understand this you would thereby go away convinced of this truth wel I see that there is a burden upon me howsoever I have not been sensible of it and it is such a burden as wil press me down to eternal misery and I see now by this that I have need of a Christ Certainly if congregations were sensible of this burden of the Law Oh! How would their souls rejoyce in this and praise the Lord that their eares are blessed to hear such a sound of the Gospel as this Come to me and I wil give you Rest I appeal to you whether the opening of the Law be not of use to make you come to Christ there are a great many wanton spirits that cal those Ministers of God that seek out of Conscience to do good to Souls and to draw them out of their natural estates Legal men Legal preachers and the like I appeal to your consciences upon the knowledg of these things whether you wil not come to know the way of coming to Christ better then you did before if I should have named the name of Christ five hundred times over and over again would you have come to understand the mistery of God in Christ so much as by hearing what the difference is between the first covenant of works and being under the Law and to tel you that Christ came into the world to deliver us from this first covenant he comes and takes our Nature upon him and puts himself under the Law that he might free us from such a heavy yoak and bondage and in this blessed Scripture he calls all souls that do feel this yoak and burden to come to him that so they might have rest And thus much for this first Particular what the bondage is that the soul is under that is under the Law are you sensible of this Christ cals you perhaps some of you may say we have not been sensible of this do you begin to understand it Doth God begin to let in some light to you Do you begin to feel it somthing weighty upon your Hearts Blessed be God for it you are so much the fitter to hear of the covenant of Grace Now when you come home let the Husband say to the wife we hear of two covenants as you have it in the 4. of the Galla. 22. Here are two covenants and these two are set out in this Allegory of the bond-woman and the free-Woman now til we come to understand what the other covenant is we are under the former covenant the covenant of works this is that you should labor to understand the Husband and wife to aske one another of the difference between the two covenants ask but what the covenant of works is and upon what tearms that runs and the covenant of Grace and upon what tearms that runs and so you will come especially to understand that that follows in this text with more profit and advantage to your Souls CHAP. IX Of the Burden of Legal Performances What it is With the burdensomness thereof laid open in twelve Particulars 1. There is no inward principle of doing 2. In men that are only under the Law there 's a principle contrary to the performance thereof 3. Such are wearied with doing getting no supply of strength to perform duty 4. By their performances they stil contract more Guilt upon their Souls 5. What they do in Obedience unto the Law is only out of fear 6. And with much straitness of Spirit 7. Nothing comes of such Performances 8. They that perform Duty in a meer Legal way never attain their end which is peace with God 9. They know not whether God accepts of them or rejects them 10. They are forced unto Duties instantly presently and upon the sudden though to the hinderance of other Duties of greater concernment which God requireth of them at the same time 11. Though they go on ioyling yet know they not whether they shal bold out unto the end 12. Their Humiliation and trouble for not doing what they ought to do binders them from doing what God requires NOw there is one thing more that is as an Appendix unto the Burden of the Law flowes indeed from and is tyed unto the burden of the Law and that is the burden of Legal performances not only the burden of the Law in regard of what the Law requires the perfect obedience that the Law requires that burden comes from the Law it self but now there is a burden that many are under a very heavy and grievous burden and that is the burden of Legal performances and this is that that is to be the subject of this Chapter I intend to go no further then to speak of that burden to open it a little to you and that as I told you at the
first opening of the text is the interpretation of Chrisostom upon this text You that are weary and heavy Laden that is you that are laden with the burden of seeking righteousness under the Law Come unto me and I wil give you Rest First I wil shew unto you what I mean by the burden of Legal Performances Secondly What a great burden this is and how much evil there is in it and so apply my self to those that are under this burden to shew to them how Christ cals them here in this text to come to him that they might have Rest First that which I mean by the burden of Legal Performances is this the performing of duties that are required by the Law meerly out of conscience because conscience puts men and Women upon those duties and doing them in the strength that they have of their own and looking upon what they do as the Righteousness which they must tender up to God as Righteousness for life now this is a Legal performance to perform duties in a Legal way is this to do what the Law requires meerly out of conscience because conscience tels me I must do it and to work in mine own strength though it be that that God gives yet but a natural strength and to make account of this to be as my Righteousness and to tender it up unto God for Righteousness unto life here is a Legal performance and this is to performe duties in a meer Legal way and those that do thus wil find that this will be a very great burden to their spirits it is a burden unto the Spirits of those that do thus unto the spirits of such as are conscientious indeed for we look not now upon men and Women as performing Duties out of Hypocrisie to be seen of men to make a show of what they have not in their Hearts we do not speak of such but we speak of those that have got into a higher form beyond such kind of Hypocrites such as perform duties out of conscience and yet rise no higher then looking at the Law that binds them to those duties and so tender them up to God as their Righteousness and do them for life making account that this is the thing that must bring them to life such as do this and are not acquainted any further with the mystery of the Gospel they do go under a most grievous burden all the daies of their lives I do not say that it is a burden to perform Duties that conscience requires when we do them to the Honor of God in the strength of Christ as a work of the sanctification of this spirit and as a fruit of our thankfulness for the Grace and mercy of God in Christ to us that is not a burden that is no burden at al but to do them meerly as being forced to them by conscience and as our Righteousness for life this is the burden and though there be no other principles that men and Women have but this yet they may be very conscientious so as not to dare to commit any known sin in secret they may make conscience of secret duties yea they may be aboundant in duties that is do perform many duties In the 6. of Micah and the 7. what shal we do say they Shal we give Rivers of Oyl and thousands of Rams and the fruit of our bodies for the sin of our souls there you have the expressions of those that are Legal they would know what they should do professing that they would be willing to do any thing for to save their souls offer thousands of rams and Rivers of Oyl for a sacrifice so one that is meerly Legal may perform many Duties yea he may be conscientious of every Duty that he knoweth there may be a kind of universal obedience in him to obey in al so far as he knows for the outward action he may make conscience of every thing that he knows to be the mind of God and yet do al this in a legal way and his performance may be rather a burden then that which shal do him good in the conclusion and bring him to life and except he doth come to know furher then yet he doth to know the evangelical performance of duties he cannot have true rest in his soul Now this as the other is a poynt of great consequence to many it may be divers that read this book may not so cleerely understand what this is they may not feel any such thing in their one experience but I suppose I shal speake to some even to their hearts and open their conditions to them whereby they shal say that they have not taken a right course to procure rest to their souls and to this end I speake that they may hearken to the blessed invitation of the gospel to come unto Christ that they might have rest as thus you perceive a little what I meane by legal performances now then we are to come to shew the burden of legal performances that they are very burdensome to those that are acquainted with nothing but to performe duties meerly from the law The first Burden of Legal Performances 1. Because now they are put upon duties that they have no principle to do to be put upon a work where there is no inward principle to do the work that must needs be burdensome conscience puts me upon the duty and that is right but I have no principle to do it yet I must do it conscience saith so whether I have a principle or no and though it is true I have no principle to do it so as the Law requires yet I may doe some outward performances now for me to goe about such a work to endeavour and strive to do al the work that the Law requires not onely the outward part but the wole worke and to be put upon to strugle and strive to do that which I have no inward principle to do that must needs be burdensome Al motions of nature that are from an external principle are violent and so tedious heavy and troublesome so this motion to duty that comes not from an inward principle of heart but is meerly legal conscience stands to put the soul upon duty but doth not put any principle into the soul to do it this is a violent motion and those that have the experience of this find it tedious heavy and troublesome Now here lieth the burden for it is not according to those vain conceits of men that the duty ought not to be done because they have no inward principle to do it but here is the burden that conscience binds you to do it you must do it though you have no principle in you to do it The second burden of Legal performances 2. Legal performances have a great burden in them because there is in al men that are but under the law before they come to be true beleevers sanctified by the spirit of Christ a contrary principle a principle
Christ what dost thou think that mercy is worth that cost the Blood of Christ Thou thinkest thou art a great sinner and that it must be wonderful mercy that must save thy Soul It s true and it 's well thou thinkest So but now consider further sinner what dost thou think of the mercy that shall be as much worth as the Blood of the Son of God For him to be made a curse for sinners will that do it If that will do it thou mayest come to him How much dost thou think the mercy of Christs coming to take Mans Nature upon him is worth to take our sinful Nature upon him If he will do it thou mayest come to Christ Yea Further know That the Lord Jesus Christ never receives any that come to him but Beggars none but Beggars none but miserable creatures none but those that are wretched that are vile and Christ did never yet from the beginning of the world receive any man upon these tearms because he was not so vile as another man as thus here is one that is thus vile here is another that is not altogether so vile I will receive him upon this ground because he is not so vile this was never the ground but when he receives them he receives them upon free Grace and therefore it is not how vile thou art for that is the Glory of Christ to save vile creatures and he saves none but those that come as Beggars those that come and do see themselves as vile wretched worthless unworthy miserable damned dust and Ashes in themselves Only such are objects for the Heart of Christ to be set upon rather make it an argument to drive thee more to him as David did in the 25. Psalm O Lord have mercy upon me pardon my Sin for it is great So Lord I am vile I am wretched I am unworthy and therefore Lord receive me Lord therefore I come unto thee do not say as Peter once did Master depart from me I am a sinful Man No but the truth is he should rather have said thus Master Come to me or Master I come to thee because I am a sinful man So thou shouldest not say O Lord depart from me because I am a sinful creature Or Lord do thou come to me because I am a sinful wretch And know that upon thy coming to him thou wilt have wonderful welcome wonderful great entertainment above all that thy Heart can think of O the great imbracing by Jesus Christ of those Souls that come to him and this is the very Reason why poor sinners at their first conversion have their Hearts so filled with joy because at their first coming to Christ Christ doth give them such wonderful imbracements til they come to be more Strengthened and then perhaps Christ will have them live rather by Faith than by sence It is in the new Birth as in the Birth of Nature Children when they are first born they shoote up mightily take a Child that comes very little out of the Womb come to it a quarter of a Year after the Child is shot up a great deal you may see it a great deal taller and bigger every Limb increased but take it at ten years Old and it grows not so much then as at the first and the Reason is because it coming out of the worm Womb it could not subsist if Nature did not hasten to strengthen it self at first so men when they come to Christ at first they shoote up and grow to such inlargement of Spirit and they do so sensibly perceive Yea and others do so sensibly perceive a greater growth at their first coming than afterwards because when they first come Christ will Strengthen them against all discouragements Christ will use you tenderly Christ will not upbraid you for your former sins and say What! you that have lived a prophane life a prophaner of my ordinances a scorner at my waies and at my people Christ will not upbraid the Soul but he wil be render of you he will pass by your sins and heal your weakness He will not break the bruised Reed nor quench the smoaking Flax. ARG. VIII Eightly Further Consider The infinite need thy Soul hath of Jesus Christ and therefore that should drive thee to him if the other Arguments do not draw thee Oh! Let that drive thee to Jesus Christ thou art an undone creature for ever without Jesus Christ all the mercy in Heaven can do thee no good without Christ all the Ordinances can do thee no good without Christ all the duties thou performest can do thee no good without Christ for before thou comest to Jesus Christ there is no Prayer no Duties that ever thou tenderest up to God that can be accepted and this is a sad condiâ—ion that all my Duties my Prayers my services are all cast away till I come to Jesus Christ Certainly this is so for thou must know that Jesus Christ is not only the great conveyer of all good from God to us but also all that comes to us from God must go through him and therefore there is cause thou shouldest hasten to Christ and never be at quiet all thy Life til thou hast some comfortable evidence that thy Heart hath closed with Jesus Christ there is an infinite necessity because al Ordinances Duties services whatever thou dost doth thee no good til thou come to Christ ARG. IX Ninthly Yea Further Christ is such a one as all the creatures one day will see a need of him Yea all that live under the sound of the Gospel they shall see a need of him and they shal curse themselves that when they lived under the sound of the Gospel and were called to come to Jesus Christ that yet notwithstanding they would satisfie themselves in the lusts of their spirits Christ came from Heaven once to us in the daies of his flesh but know that Jesus Christ shall come again in his Glory with all his Angels all his Saints about him and then how happy will those appear that in the time of their lives when they were called by the Ministery of the Gospell did come to Jesus Christ When Christ comes thus in his Glory perhaps you would then all go to Jesus Christ no friend if you will stay till then you will heaâ— another voice from Christ he will not come to call sinners to come to him then but he will come to bid them depart from him for all that the father gives him do come to him before then ARG. X. Yea and yet further let me tel you this that while you have heard the word of God by a poor minister in the name of Christ to cal you unto him to draw you to come unto him if you shal reject this invitation and other invitations that you have by the ministers of the Gospel know that of al the sins that ever you committed in al your lives this wil prove to be the greatest that you have stood
to have so much sin conveyed to us by Adam by propagation but thus As we may read in Rom. 5. By one man sin came into the world Now Adam he was the head of the first Covenant and by being the head of that al mankind are looked upon as members of the first Adam he being the head in that notion of the Covenant in that consideration Adam was not looked upon as a parent only as the first father but as the head and we are not looked upon only as the children of Adam but as members so that al men were looked upon as one in Adam and therefore the Scripture speakes but of two men the first Adam and the second Adam that look as sin is conveyed to us being members of the First Adam and he being the head of the First Covenant so grace comes to be conveyed unto the soul by our being members of the second Adam the Lord Jesus Christ being the head of the second Covenant here is the way of conveyance of holiness our union with Christ So that now the holiness that is in Christ comes to us by virtue of the mistical union As by virtue of the natural union of the members of the body with the head there comes animal spirits to the members of the body so by virtue of our mistical union with Christ our head there is conveyed holiness and grace to strengthen us against our corruptions As the oyntment did run from Aarons head 〈◊〉 â—to the rest of his members so Christ that is anoytâ—â—at hath the oyl not only of gladness but holiness too doth descend down to al his members by virtue of the union they have with him And for that end you have a most famous scripture in Rom. 8.2 For the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death It is a scripture that hath very much in it What doth he mean by the Law of sin and death The Law that is the mighty power that there is in sin and so in death that comes by sin in the hearts of unbeleevers There is a Law of sin the strength of sin I speak of sin hath strength going along with it hath power with it So a Law of sin there is in the hearts of men they are compelled to sin as I may so speake as a man is compelled to a thing by a law a law of sin though this be no excuse to them And let them know that so far as they are compelled to sin they are compelled to death to But how shal this Law of sin and death be overcome Marke the words The Law of the spirit of life in Christ hath made me free from the Law of sin and death The Law of the spirit of Life here is two gradations that is the holiness that is in Christ that is likewise a Law as wel as the corruption that is in the heart The corruption in the heart hath a strength in it and the holiness of Christ hath a strength in it too So that when grace comes into the heart the heart goes on in a way of holiness in a holy kind of necessity We can do nothing against the truth saith the Apostle But yet there is a necessity of willingness goes along with it too there is a Law of Love and kindness but by this word of Law is meant a strong impetuousness a mighâ—y power that carries the soul on to holiness Again secondly it is the Law of the spirit and of the spirit of life the holiness of Christ it is a holiness that is ful of life First it is Life And secondly it is the spirit of Life Now the spiriâ— of life is a higher degree then life as the spirit of a thing hath the quickning of the thing in it beyond what the whol bulke of the thing is When the spirit of herbs or any such thing is extracted you know those spirits have much quickning in them beyond the things themselves so the spirit would express the mighty activity in the holyness that comes from Christ it is life it is the spirit of life and then it is the Law of the spirit of life Oh my brethren you see then here that Godliness is no dul thing it is no heavy thing no poor weake contemptible thing but it is the life it is the life of Christ it is the spirit of life and it is the Law of the Spirit of life he speakes of grace when it comes to that as the Law of the spirit of life There is but two things in sin the Law of sin and death and in grace there is life and the spirit of life and the law of the spirit of life and al this in Jesus Christ It is not in our owne resolutions purposes endeavours but in our union with Jesus Christ and this it is that brings grace unto the heart though there be much corruption before yet the soul being thus one with Christ and looking upon Christ as the head of the second Covenant and doth draw virtue from Jesus Christ a mighty strong virtue to help the soul against corruption and quicken it in the wayes of God and thus comes the rest to the soul by Christ in sanctification Carnal hearts they know no way in the world how to get grace they heare talking of grace and leaving of sin but they know not how to get it and they wil go and pray read heare and the like I but you must know that grace lies in another way then you think of for you think it must come from God I but it must come from God in a mistical way through Christ Perhaps some of you hearing the mysteries of the Gospel understand this that as God is the fountain of al grace so it must be conveyed by Christ as through the cisterne I but you must understand also that you must have it from God through Christ as he is a head unto you and you are the members through a mistical union that your souls must have with Christ so as you be made one with Christ you must be made one with Christ As the member can never receive any spirit from the head except it be united to the body it is not by being tied to the body If you take an arme of flesh and tie it to a mans shoulder it wil never receive life that way but it must have a natural union Just thus your common Professors that meerly have the name of Christians and are not spiritually united to Christ they are like to Armes tiâ—d on to the shoulder or to wooden legs that are fastened upon mens thighes that want legs they have some use of those legs to help theÌ„ a little to go I but those legs have not virtue and life conveyed from the head So your common Christians they have some knowledg of Christ they are only fastened to Christ as a wooden leg is fastened to a mans
that have true holiness and Sanctification Your civil man and moral man he hath restraining Grace that keeps in his Corruption and what he doth it is through strength of Reason he sees in Reason that to live in such a wicked course as others do to Lie Swear Drink be unclean Cheat and Cozen the light of Nature teacheth that this is a sin And so the Heathen the moral Philosophers that is those that by the light of Nature saw the evil of such notorious vices and saw what the Rules of Nature were for the guiding of their manners So I say your civil men they have improved somwhat of the light of Nature they see by the light of Nature that they must not live in such and such sins as others do and it is better to live justly yea and to be bountiful to the poor many reach so far I but all this goes no further then the common light of Nature then the prudence and Reason of a man as a rational creature may carry him to Quest You will say what is more Answ This is more there must be Sanctification of the Heart through the Mediation of Jesus Christ there must be a principle of Grace that must come into the Heart as a fruite of the Second Covenant that God hath made with sinners in Jesus Christ through the mistical union that the Soul hath with Jesus Christ this is higher Now when a Soul comes beyond civillity it is wrought upon by God after this manner I come now to see the breach that there is between God and my Soul what my estate is by Nature that I am a Child of wrath I am dead in sins and trespasses though I have not lived so wickedly as such and such have done yet I see my self a Child of wrath and an heir of Hell and death notwithstanding all that I have done And I see that only through the blessed Mediation of Jesus Christ this breach is made up and I can only have union with God through him and his Spirit of Sanctification that must come to my Soul through the Covenant of the Gospel I must have my Heart raised up to God in an other manner not only to live civilly but holily to have the Image of God renewed in me through the Spirit of Christ and so to live the life of Christ and feel continual supply to come to my Heart through Christ to feed upon the promises through the Covenant of Grace and thereby to have my Heart Quickned more and more and to perfect my holiness in the fear of God through the promises of the Gospel This is more then the civil and meer morral man can come unto Your civil man is known First In this that what he doth is meerly according to common prudence and light of Nature Secondly The cheif of his Religion it is in Negatives that he is not so bad as other men And Thirdly If he have any thing positive it is but in outward actions serving of God but as for being acquainted with the mystery of Godliness and power of holyness of the necessity of a Mediator of the need of continual supply of Grace from Jesus Christ this he seeth not And further This civil man he is not burdened with Corruption with the remainer of corruption but thinkes himself in a very good condition Indeed he saith he must be saved by Jesus Christ but I put this to any civil man in the world what need doest thou Find of Jesus Christ for thy sanctification art thou so burdened with those inward corruptions in thy spirit that the world can take no notice of And dost thou goe groaning under thy Corruption so as to see the need of the mediation of Jesus Christ a supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ to help thee against thy Corruption and sanctify thy heart this thou art not acquainted withal this is a point above thee and therefore in this point we come to see the difference between civility and true holiness We come to see by this that Godliness and holiness it is a mystery The scripture speakes of a mystery of Godliness and of the power of Godliness and Godliness is therefore powerful because it is a mystery If we must have our holiness from Christ as a mediator that Christ is first filled wsth holiness and our soules by faith must draw our holiness from him then certainly Godliness is a mistery the Godliness that must save soules is a mystery beyond that which ordinary men of the world understand Few understand what is the way of God in conveyance of grace unto the soules of those that he intends eternal life unto The way of God in conveyance of grace unto the soul is not this in giving you reason to understand that such and such things are naught and therefore for your own ease and quiet in the world you must live civilly but the way of God is to reveal his son to you and reveale a necessity of union with Christ to be made a member of him and to draw virtue from him as from a head and to see a fountain of life from him flowing into thy heart continually so as to repaire to Jesus Christ the second person in trinity made man for thy soul I say to repair to him as the fountain of al grace to be conveied from him unto the soul here is the mistery of holiness that is beyond al the civility and morality in the world Oh that you did but by this point understand somewhat of the mistery of Godliness and that it might cause but some suspicious thoughts in the hearts of those that have lived but civilly and morally that for many years together it may be have bin good neighbors pay every one their own and no body can accuse them for wrong but Oh that they would bethink themselves wel I have lived thus and thus long but hath my soul bin acquainted with the mystery of the Gospel to fetch virtue from Christ as a mediator And have I a stock of grace from him to trade by that what I trade by I have from him Have I found the burden of my inward corruption And have I got ease and rest by virtue of the promises of the Gospel And have I searched into the Covenant of Grace and found there promises to convey comfort unto my soul Hath my heart been exercised after this manner Certainly if thou hast not thou knowest not what the way of the Gospel is what an evangelical life is what is a true evangelical life When the soul is inabled to live upon Christ that thou feelest thy heart live upon Christ sucking and drawing virtue from Christ for the mortifying of thy corruptions and quickning thy heart in the way of holiness this is a true evangelical life and that is another consequence drawn from this That Godliness is a mystery and beyond civility and morality III. Another Consequence that may be drawn is this Hence then we may
instance you know that the Scripture tels us that the flesh fights against the Spirit and the spirit fights against the flesh there is a continual fighting by this Corruption against al that is good now that there should be Corruption in the Heart that continually fights against God that is a more fearful thing so it is in thy Heart Now to be alwaies in a fight or a combate it is a fearful thing we count it a great burden that there should be Wars and Rumors of Wars within our gates I but there is a greater war in thy Heart It is a thing that was not thought possible ever to be in England that there should be found such a Generation that should indanger their lives to make them and their posterity slaves and yet for this they fight who doth not see but the victory wil be this in the Conclusion But I wil shew you a worse thing then this in every of your Hearts there are such Corruptions in your Hearts as put your Souls to fight to mischeif your selves to bring your selves to be slaves to the Devil this is in your Hearts though indeed some are not sensible of this and what is the reason that if corruption be a Burden that some people â—eel it not One Reason is this because they are dead in sins if this whole building should fal upon a dead man he would not feel it and take this as an infallible argument that thou art dead in sins and trespasses if thou dost not feel the Burden of thy corruption that man and woman that is not sensible of the sin that is in their Souls I dare in the Name of God pronounce that Man or Woman dead As it is in Nature though we may loose the sense of seeing or of smelling or of hearing yet we may live yet the sense of feeling or touching that cannot be lost if we be living if we loose the sense of feeling certainly that man or Woman is dead no sense inwardly or outwardly there is some sense of feeling so long as there is life So here though there may be many weaknesses in men and Women yet when they do not feel the Burden of their Corruptions at al certainly they are dead men and Women Now you that are weary and heavy Laden come to me saith Christ And I will give you Rest know that Christ speaks to you not only out of pity as to those that Labor under the Burden of Legal performances but out of love and know that by this you come to be fitted for Christ and it is that that is as delightful to the heart of Christ to give ease and Rest to his poor Servants that Labor under the Burden of Corruption as to do any thing in the world it was a special end why Christ came into the world to dissolve the works of the Devil our Corruptions are from the Devil and are tied close to us and they easily beset us as the expression is now I say it was the end why Jesus Christ came into the world to dissolve the works of the Devil that is when he sees his poor Servants under this burden and to cry out under it as Paul did who shal deliver me then Christ comes to cut this bond and so to dissolve the works of the Devil and give ease and Rest to their Spirits You do wel when you struggle and strive against your Corruptions with all the strength you have but the great work you have to do that you may be delivered from your Corruptions is to renew your act of Faith in Christ to make use of those Scriptures wherein Christ is said to be our Sanctification as wel as our Redemption and to act our Faith upon those Scriptures and that is the way to ease our Souls of these Burdens CHAP. XV. In what respects the stirrings and motions of Corruption 〈◊〉 very burdensom 1. They continually fight against the Spirit of Grace in the Heart 2. They are sudden 3. They are ful of Confusion and disorder 4. They work very Malitiously 5. They watch opportunity to do mischief 6. They are very unseasonable 7. They are very prevalent NOw besides the Corruption of our Nature the stirring of Corruption is very burdensome unto the Soul I suppose if a Man or Woman did know what corrupt Nature is in them and though this corrupt Nature did not stir yet it would be very burdensome but we are to know that this corrupt Nature doth not lie stil but is alwayes working stirring acting and putting it self forth unto that that is evil now the motions of sin are burdensome 1. For First they are continually fighting against the Spirit of God and the spirit of grace in the heart the flesh lusteth against the spirit now to have a continual fighting and Combating in the soul is it not very burdensome as a family where there is a continual falling out never a day that you come to some families but there is falling out and fighting is it not burdensome to live in such a family now in the hearts of men and women there is a continual fighting If one should be in a family where the husband and wife is continually fighting one with an other and the children and servants flying in the face one of an other that would be burdensome now in the heart of man there is the flesh and spirit continually fighting one against another is not war in a kingdome a burden and especially when men shal fight to make themselves slaves as I said before would any man ever have thought it possible that there should be such folly in the hearts of any in England to fight to make themselves and their posterity slaves that the very victory that they should get was to bring them to be slaves now the fight with corruption it is for this end 2 And then the stirring of corruption is sudden many times a man or woman that is gracious and godly that finds their heart in some good temper and working for God suddenly their corruptions wil be stirring in them unexpectedly which is extream greife and damp to their spirits and causeth many times exceeding much trouble to them suddenly that no body can understand the cause of it but themselves 3. And then the stirring of Corruption is violent the stirring of Corruption in the hearts of the Saints are many times extream violent and outragious the divel stirs up their Corruption and indeed the corruptions themselves are as it were divels in them that do as the divel that was ready to be cast out of him that was possessed he causeth him to foam at the mouth so there is extreame violence of corruption in the hearts of the Saints It was a Lamentable conditition of the poor Child that was possessed in the Gospel when the father came to Christ for help because when the evil spirit came it cast him into the fire and into the water So corruption is so violent in
that is his very soul his life his peace his comfort al his happiness he had committed to him and so left al with him Now then take al these together and when Christ cals the sinner to come to him that is O! Sinner first beleeve this that I am the great redeemer that is come into the world to stand between Gods wrath and your soules and to make up peace between God and you and let there be an unsettling of your hearts from whatsoever heretofore your Souls did Rest in Creature comforts your own Righteousness Duties self respects and ends whatsoever they are let your hearts be taken off from them all and let your hearts now be in a stirring working disposition towards me let all your whole Souls be stretching forth to me and come and cast all your burdens upon me and leave your Souls with me and I will take care of them thus come to me Now then when any soul that is thus Laden shall answer to this cal of Christ and shal say Lord I come here is the very voice and answer of Faith when the Soul can say Oh! Lord I come I see thee to be the blessed Mediator between God and my Soul and for whatsoever my heart hath setled in heretofore Oh! Lord it shal be no more and my heart begins to stir after thee and I stretch forth my Soul to thee O Blessed redeemer and here I cast my burdens upon thee none can ease me but thy self and I leave my self with thee I commit all to thee and betrust all that I have or can do my eternal estate with thee Lord I come here is the soul that comes to Christ Then may the Soul be said to come to Christ when there is an answer in these five Particulars All this is contained in this word COME though you cannot apprehend it til it be unfoulded as a piece of needle work when it is foulded up there is all the work indeed within but we cannot see it til it be laid open and spread before us then we can see all that is in it So though there be many expressions in the Scripture that we understand not yet there they be but this is the work of the Ministry to spread them and to lay them before you and lay them open to you that you may see the Grace of God in another manner when they be unfolded now thus doth Christ call those that are Laden to come to him CHAP. XIX How Christ calls Sinners unto him set forth in two Particulars Namely 1. By an outward and general call 2. By a Particular call to Particular Sinners And how to know the voice of Christ YOu will say how and in what manner doth Christ call to me Christ is in Heaven I cannot hear Christ call to me Now for the call of Christ First There is a general cal in the word there Christ calls under the sound of the Gospel to come to him but this call is rather a command of Christ then an invitaion to shew unto al what is their Duty to do rather then to invite them But now there is a more special call unto those whom the Father hath given to Christ and though they make use of the general call in the word yet there is a special call to them that is Christ by his Spirit doth open the Riches of the Gospel of the Grace in him to their Souls by his Spirit inwardly he doth shew them to their Souls Others come and hear the outward cal that is when a Minister of God shal come and open the Gospel and there shew how God hath given his Son to us he hath taken our Nature upon him and died for sin and tel them that God requires all here in the Gospel to beleeve in his Son they hear his outward cal I but they whom the father gives to Christ have the Spirit of God sent together with the word to open the Riches of Christ that though they have heard it a hundred times before Yet when the spirit comes there is a shewing of the beauty and Riches of the Gospel more then ever that allures their Souls to come to Christ Secondly Not only this but the Lord when he cals such as shall indeed have mercy by Christ and have his invitation to be effectual he doth give a Particular cal unto that Soul besides the general cal God doth not only in the word cal sinners and saith Christ came to save Sinners and those that were lost but Christ comes in Particular to such and such Souls and cals them in a Particular special manner For the Ministers of God they are bound in the Preaching of the Gospel to give a general invitation to come to him but God beside the general hath a Particular cal there is a voice of God in Particular to the Soul that he intends to bring to his Son such a one hears a voice behind him as the Scripture speaks saying this is the way to Salvation the way you have gone all this while is not the way to life you will perish in that way Christ is the right way As thus I will open it in the general and Particular call by this similitude A Prince that hath had many of his subjects Traitors yet he is pleased to send forth a general Proclamation makes a Proclamation to those subjects and makes it in general tearms that though you have been thus and thus Traiterous against me yet I am content every one that will come to such a place at such a day and submit himself he shall have a pardon here is the general Proclamation and this is incouragement to come But now suppose there were some poor Traitor that because sensible of his wickedness and how unreasonably he hath dealt with his Prince and may be sits alone bemoaning his condition and troubled in his spirit and thinks with himself how shall I be able to see the Face of my Prince Oh! woe to me for the wickedness of my waies Suppose the Prince should come by and behold such a one take notice of him that is got into some corner or other and is there smiting of his Breast and lamenting his condition that he should so provoke his Prince as he hath done And should call this poor creature and say to him Oh thou poor Creature that art in such a place come thou to me For so is the work of faith God comes in particular to the soul doth not only come in general but after his general Call when he doth see the soul troubled the Lord doth give a particular Call to him and saith O! thou poor Creature thou art under this burden and thus sensible of it and lamentest that thou hast lived thus and thus and made such a breach between me and thy soul do thou come to me And the truth is till God speak in particular to the soul the proclamation of God in general will not bring in sinners so Christ doth
thing is Christ invites in another manner CHAP. XX. That there is nothing required of Sinners but to come to Christ with nine Consequences arising from hence and what hath been laid down in the two former Chapters 1. There is not any worthiness required in such as come to Christ 2. The Soul needs not to be troubled about the time and measure of its Humiliation before its coming to Christ 3. Nor about what interest it hath in Christ before its comming to him 4. That the least degree of Faith will give the Soul interest in Christ 5. That the work of Faith is Supernatural 6. That Faith is an humbling Grace 7. That beleevers after their coming to Christ should be willing to do and suffer much for Christ 8. That they who are once in Christ shal never be cast off 9. That they know not what to do when they loose their interest in Christ NOw the third thing is That there is nothing else required saith Christ Come to me and I will give you Rest Blessed Christ is this all that thou requirest yes come to me and you shal have Rest You have it often exprest in Scripture thus Come and buy Wine and Milk and Honey without price it is but coming and indeed the very coming is buying And so in the 22. of the Revel and the 17. And the Spirit and the Bride say come and let him that heareth say come and he that is athirst come and whosoever will let him take of the Water of Life freely Here is nothing but come three times come and there is nothing else required nothing that thou shouldest bring with thee but only come Only in this remember how I opened it what it is to Come and then there is nothing else required but only come Then this gives light to many things 1. That there is no unworthiness of any sinner be he what he will be before this invitation that is sufficient to hinder Why Because Christ doth not say you that have been thus vild and wretched you shal do thus and thus first and then come to me No Whatever you have been the first thing that Christ requires to ease Rest and peace is to come to him It is true there are some things in the Nature of comming required that must needs be done before the compleat act of coming as I must know what Christ is and know my self c. these things of necessity are required not because these are any condition of the Gospel but because the other cannot be done without them For I would open it thus to follow the former Metaphor Suppose the King should tel a Traitor that upon condition that you come to such a place at such a time you shall have your pardon Well all that is required for his pardon is but coming to that place how if this man be at a great distance from that place and many difficulties that hinder him Sâ—ormes Tempestuous weather and many friends to hinder him this is implyed that he must have such a deep apprehension of the worth of his pardon and of his miserable condition if he be not pardoned that there must be a strong resolution in him to go through all difficulties whatsoever But marke this resolution of his and the difficulties that he meets withal in the way these are no part of the condition of the pardon all the condition of the pardon is but to be at such a place such a time but yet the other things they follow of themselves that if he doth come and there be such difficulties in the way then he must have such a sense and apprehension of the good of his pardon as may stir up in him such resolutions to pass through all difficulties But the first thing that brings him his pardon is his being there So it is here with the Soul its true the thing that bringâ— my Soul and yours to pardon Rest and Peace with God it is our coming to Christ but now because there is a great distance between Christ and us many difficulties in the way many things that would keep us from Christ the wickedness of our Hearts this temptation and that lust Now it cannot possibly be If we come to Christ but we must know and become apprehensive of the worth of the pardon which may raise up in our hearts such strong resolutions to pass through all Difficulties whatsoever and there is no Reason why God troubles any man for sin but only this that he might have such an apprehension of the Good of the pardon of his sin as may stir in him strong resolutions to get to Christ But now this resolution is not the condition of the Covenant the condition is only to come the condition is not because we are afflicted because we see our sins but to come to Christ 2. It follows likewise from hence That no Man or Woman that God is working upon to come to Christ need trouble themselves about the degree of humiliation or the time of humiliation You have a great many that are ready to take advantage and to cry out against men that they Preach legally when they say they must be humbled and the like I know no man living that ever Preached so that they must be first under the Law thus long under the Law before they come to Christ but if you would know what degree of humiliation is sufficient only so much as can bring you to Christ that is so much as can stir up your Hearts to resolve to pass through all difficulties to come to Christ then you have the measure and the time of humiliation sufficient and you need not trouble your selves any further about this I have not been humbled so long as another Man or such a time but if you come to Christ For if I come to Christ I must know what I come for for a Pardon A pardon of what for my sin my sin that I am condemned for there must be a sense of this and if you come thus far you need not be afflicted for any degree or time of humiliation or the like for you have that that is sufficient and God wil accept of your coming if once you be come to him God wil not say Oh! but Friend how have you been humbled in your comming God knows you have past through many difficulties God knows you would never have prised Christ except you had known what the worth of Christ is by knowing what a miserable creature you are without him God wil not do this but wil welcome you when you come let the sinner be what he wil Christ wil own him 3. This helps us about interest in comming to Christ you wil say come to Christ but how shal I know that I have any right to come to Christ This very point answers it that nothing is required but comming that which hath given any soul from the begining of the world any interest to come to Christ is only comming
God but there is somthing comes between God and you all things are yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods so that God himself is the infinite Fountain of all good Christ is as it were the Cisterne into which all the mercy and goodness of God is to be conveyed and beleevers by Faith have every one a Pipe as it were put into this Cisterne so they come to have conveyed all good the fullness of the divine Nature they are united unto Christ and so have all Mercy conveyed from God unto them here is a strong argument to draw the heart to come to Christ because Christ is the great conveyance of all good from the â—her unto the Soul is not the mercy of God sweet unto a Soul that is Laden with the Burden of Sin This mercy you must have in me saith Christ or else you shall never have a drop of it We are to know therefore that by our sins the conduit Pipe of all the Mercy in God is stopt so as not one drop of saving mercy for eternity can be let into the Soul and though we should cry for mercy never so much and shreeke out yet we are to know that the Pipe is stopt by sin and there is no other way to open this pipe but only by Jesus Christ he is the opener of the pipe of Gods infinite Grace let out to the Children of men Now if we look upon the Grace of God we are first to consider that by our sins we have stopt the current of al the Grace of God and it is only Christ that lets out this current and now Christ saith come to me all you that would have mercy Would you have Mercy O yes it is true we would have mercy but we find this Mercy of God is stopt by our sins Now saith Christ come to me and by me all the sluces of the Grace and mercy of God are opened to poor Souls we know God is a God of mercy the God of all consolation in himself the Father of mercies he is infinitly merciful so that when we come to God we come to the God of mercy the God of all consolation we come to the Father of mercies we come to him who is infinite in mercy whose Nature is mercy to him that is imfinitely above all creatures in mercy All the merciful creatures in Heaven and Earth in comparison of him are nothing Yea take all the merciful Saints in the world the most merciful dispositions that were in all the creatures in the world and put them into one man you would say this were a merciful man If all the mercies in all the bowels of all the Saints that ever were from the beginning of the world were put into one man would not you think him to be a merciful man if he called you to come to him for mercy would you not come Such a man that hath all mercies of all the Saints that ever were in the world put into him yet this man would be a most cruel man in comparison of the infinite mercy that is in God If we were in cruel straites and had to deal with such a man that had the bowels of the mercy of all the men in the world those that are in misery they go to their friends and say Oh! it is wel I did fal into such a merciful mans hand But now thou that art a poor troubled sinner if thou comest to Christ thou comest into the Arms into the bowels of the infinite God that is infinitely above the bowels of all mercies that are either in Heaven or Earth and therefore come to him Secondly Further not only come unto the bowels of mercy but by coming to Christ thou comest to God as a Father Come to me saith Christ thou shalt not only come to the Father but the first moment you come to me I shall present you to God as a Child and God to you as a Father the infinite God is a deadly enemy to all out of Christ but by coming to Christ there is peace with him you come to have union with him and you come to be made one with God into the neerest union with God next unto the Hypostatical union There is divers sortes of union with God there is the Hypostatical union but next unto that is a Mistical union and such a union have the Saints the Soul that was before an enemy unto God and cast out from him the first moment that such a Soul comes to Christ it hath such a union with God that is the neerest union that any creature can have next unto the human Nature of Jesus Christ Thirdly Yea Not only to be united to him but thou shalt come presently to have his Image stamped upon thee his Spirit put into thee to live the Life of God to have communion with him here and thou shalt be saved the very moment thou comest to him thou shalt have Righteousness to stand in the presence of the infinite Holy God I You will say if we come to God we come by Christ but God is a Holy and a Righteous God and how shall we be able to stand before him being a Righteous God and we such sinners Therefore this is answered by this that the first moment thou comest to Christ he will put the holy Robes of his Righteousness upon thee that shall make thee able to stand before the infinite God so that whatever thou art in thy self it is impossible but God should be wel pleased with thee and should take delight in thee as his own thou may'st walk up and down in the presence of God and all because He sees thee in the Robes of Christs Righteousness Fourthly And further The first moment thou comest to Christ thou shalt be safe to eternity for all the hazard of miscarrying to eternity is over at the first moment thou comest to Christ this thou shalt have in the first moment of thy coming to Jesus Christ this is for the comfort of those that come to Christ More of these Particulars we shall have when we come to the promise that is here made in the Text And you shall have Rest ARG. VI. Sixtly For a further argument of drawing the Heart unto Jesus Christ when he cals to come to him consider what a poor wretch thou art in thy self a vile base forlorne Deformed Miserable Succourless Helpless Shiftless Creature a Beggar If a Prince as he goes along in the Streets seeing a poor Beggar lying upon the ground in the durt should be pleased to call to such a creature and say to him come to me would it not reviue his Spirit If one should tel him the King the Prince cals how would he stir himself Now thou art the poorest Creature in the world never any poor creature that lay groveling in the durt ful of Sores and wounds was in a worse condition then thou art when thou seest such a one think that thy condition is far
most in the world do live and die and perrish in blindness and in woful disperate hardness of Heart for where almost is the Man and Woman that is convinced of this Restless condition That ever were in this Restless condition This I dare undertake to aver concerning every one that you were once in such a condition as I have now spake of how you have got out of it that you must look to and what argument you have that you can be able to rest your Souls upon for your deliverance out of this condition do you examine but this condition every one is in naturally Abraham Isaac and Jacab was in this condition once and therefore every one must look unto it now while this Rest is opening unto you and here indeed is the Reason of the tumultuousness of spirit that is in most people What is the Reason that people hurry up and down in seeking after the things of this world That they are in a Restless condition Their Souls have not union with God in Jesus Christ and therefore they are hurried up and down here in this world to seek after comfort this way and that way but the truth is as with the unclean spirit in the Gospel they seek for Rest but find none as I tould you before the Dove sought up and down for Rest but she found none til she came to the Arke and so the Reason of the disturbance of the Spirits of Men and Women is from hence that they are not acquainted with the true Rest that there is in Christ but we let this pass Only one thing more in this point before we shal come unto the next and that is to shew the insufficiency that there is in al things in the world to give Rest unto the Soul til we come to Christ Al men out of Christ are in a Restless condition There is an insufficiency in al things in the world to give Rest til we come to Christ And for that I shall give two or three Reasons I. First Because the Rest of an immortal Soul must needs be in the reference it hath to God Now al the Transactions between God and us are only in the hand of Christ it is not committed unto any creature to transact any thing between God and us for any good but through Christ now then if al our Rest must needs be in our reference unto God and al the Transactions between God and us must be in the hand of Christ the Mediator then certainly there is an insufficiency in al things in the world to give Rest unto our souls II. Secondly There is an insufficiency in all things in the world to give Rest unto the Soul because the misery that we are in is so deep and the happiness that our Souls are capable of is so high that it is impossible that any creature can reach the one or the other either to deliver from the one or to raise up unto the other only Jesus Christ in whom we have Rest can do it because that there was never any thing that came to that depth of humiliation nor hath that height of Glory put both together Christ hath subjected himself to the lowest degree of humiliation that ever creature could subject it self unto and Christ is in the highest degree of Glory that it is possible for any creature to be in above al creatures his subjection unto sorrow and trouble was such as no creature can subject unto and his glory is higher than any creature is capable of therefore he and only he is able to deliver from the depth of misery in which the Children of men are and raise them to the true happiness and Glory that their Natures are capable of III. Thirdly There is an insufficiency in all creatures to give Rest unto the Soul because all ceatures here in this world that we have to do withal except the Angels in Heaven are under the curse and the Angels are only ministring spirits to attend upon Christ and to be sent upon Christs errand they do nothing but in order to Christ now all other creatures are under the curse and being under the curse through mans sin it is impossible that those creatures that are under the curse should give Rest unto our Souls and I do not know any argument in the world of greater strength to take off the Hearts of men from resting in creature comforts than this to understand cleerly that al creatures here in this world are under the curse through our sins the whole world that is under the curse by our sins cannot make us happy and therefore there is an insufficiency in al things in the world to give Rest unto our Souls Do but consider then what are the things that most people Rest in Particularly and then we shal see the vanity of men in seeking for Rest out of Christ CHAP. XXVII The insufficiency of every thing besides Christ to give Rest to the Soul is further enlarged with several Choice Considerations FIrst There are some that are so vile as the cheifest Rest and comfort of their Souls is in the pleasure of sin in the delight that they do take in satisfying of their sinful lusts that is the comfort and Rest of their Souls if they be troubled at home Wife Children or Servants do but trouble them what do they do to ease themselves they go abroad among company and there drink and play and swear and perhaps be unclean And others when they are crossed how do they ease themselves by venting their passion and the truth is it is a most holy truth I am speaking of Oh! That ever it should enter into the Heart of a creature to make it to be the greatest quiet ease and Rest of his Soul to satisfie himself in sinning against the blessed God and yet I appeal unto you do not your consciences tel you some of you that this is your condition And do you not know Men that the greatest comfort ease quiet and Rest of heart that they have in this world is in the satisfying of their sinful lusts How far is this from seeking out Rest in Christ in the Son of God in the great Mediator of the Covenant yet this is the condition of most people take away the satisfaction of their Souls in their sinful lusts and they have nothing to quiet their Hearts with but when they are there now they are safe now they are quiet Do but consider of this one thing that now I am speaking of That to have Rest and quiet in any way of sin it is no other but just as if a man had a burning Feaver and he cals for a pot of Water gets it to his mouth and drinks it up every drop now in the very time he is pouring this down his Throat he hath some Rest some ease he finds some ease from the fit of the feaver while he is drinking down the pot of Water but do you think this wil be Rest
thee but know this that it is the priviledg of a beleever it is not the priviledg of every one there is a generation of men that are under the Law whose desires shall not be accepted as I shewed in opening of the burden of the Law But the man that doth these things shall live by them So runs the Tenure of the Law but here is ease for thy Soul if thou doest understand how the Law runs thy Heart cannot but sink within thee but this is that that gives ease to the Soul I am now come under another condition I being in Christ Christ gives Rest and ease unto the Souls of those that come to him that their desires and endeavors shal he accepted of God as performances now this is a blessed estate Fifthly The Rest of the Soul in Christ as it hath reference to deliverance from the burden of the Law consists in this That now al the Duties that God requires at thy hand are required in a sweet and a gentle way the services that God requires are required of thee in a gentle and a loving way God indeed comes and requires the same things that the Law requires of thee I but he comes to draw thy Soul with the Cords of Love We beseech you saith the Apostle by the mercies of God Rom. 12.1 That you give up your selves a living sacrifice Holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable Service We beseech you by the mercies of God Now the bond-slaves that are under the Law they have not Duties required of them by such cords and bonds of Love but if thou dost these things thou shalt live if not thou shalt die do and live sin and die so the Law requires duties at your hands that are under the bondage of the Law but now beleevers in Christ their duties are required by the mercies of God We as Embassadors beseech saith the Apostle And if there be any Love any Consolation Such kind of arguments are used to them and were it that we preached only to beleevers these kind of arguments were only necessary and it becomes those that are drawn by the Gospel to be drawn by such arguments and it is a good argument that your Souls are drawn by the power of the Gospel and are come to Christ if you find the Lord doth draw your Hearts that way and that those Duties of obedience that formerly you were put upon in a rigorous way meerly by the terror of your consciences your consciences flashing Hell fire in your Faces if you did not perform them if now you find that the Grace of God in the Gospel draws your Hearts more powerfully It is true every way you should give to God obedience upon any tearms but now when you find that God draws your Souls this way it is an argument that you come to have Rest in Christ We read in the History of the Ceremonial Law a type of these things that I am now speaking of that the Book of the Law was laid under the mercy seate you shal find in the story that the Book of the Law was laid under the mercy seate between the Cherubins under the mercy seate there the Book of the Law was laid that was the place that God appointed for it to shew that even thus doth the Law of God come now upon the Hearts of beleevers it comes upon them as it were under the mercy seat in the mercy seat beleevers look upon the Book of the Law lying at the mercy seat that is every Commandement comes unto them in a gracious alluring way together with abundance of mercy to draw their Hearts unto the obedience of it Sixthly Coming to Christ you have rest from the Law in this that the Grace of God in Christ doth much melt the Heart and when it hath melted the Heart to milk out the flagons of it then this melting of Heart is accepted exceedingly by God is very precious in the Eyes of God now this comes from the Grace of God that we have in Christ and it is a mighty Rest of Soul to know this As I told you before It is not enough for any of you to say it is true we are all sinners but God knows I mourn for my sins I am troubled for my sins that is not enough for thee friend but art thou one that art delivered from thy natural condition From being under the Covenant of works Art thou one that is come to Christ and brought to Christ Art thou one that is in the state of beleevers being a member of Christ Then thy repentance and mourning is acccepted As now it is in many Cases between Men and Men some men are in such a Capacity that if they do such a thing it is accepted but if another man that is not in the same Capacity do the same thing he will not be accepted so it is here those men that are in this Capacity in Christ and have together with the sorrowes for their sins the sorrows of Christ presented to the Father Canst thou when thou art sorrowing for thy sins present the sorrows of Jesus Christ by Faith unto the Father Then thou art accepted but know this that no sorrow for sin is accepted but such as is joyned with the presentation of the sorrows of Christ unto the Father Now what an ease is this to the Soul That now the Heart hath a means to melt it for the Heart was hardened before the sorrow for sin is such that the Heart remains hardned it is no other sorrow but this as it is with Marble-stones the Marble-stone is hard but yet in wet wether it will give and be very moist but stil it is as hard as it was it is a stone stil So it is with many that are troubled for their sins being only the trouble that comes from the Law they are troubled but yet there remaines much hardness in their Heart much peevishness and frowardness against God and against men You shall find in many people who have trouble of conscience yet there is much peevishness and frowardness in them against God and against man now when you see this in the Hearts of people manifested in their expressions waies and conversations remember the stones that you see upon pavements in wet wether they give and may be water trickles down from them and yet they remain hard still But now when the Gospel comes it doth not only cause some sorrow but the Heart melts and this is accepted as very precious before God and that is the Reason that we have in Scripture so many expressions of Gods high esteem of broken Hearts and contrite Spirits and how God looks at them He that dwels on high yet looks to him that is of an Humble and contrite Spirit and that trembles at his word and let me speak this one word for the ease of them that are troubled and are come to Christ those tears that come from thy melted Heart through the
Grace of the Gospel they are of all things most precious in the Eyes of God next to the blood of Christ next to the drops of Christs blood thy mourning Lamenting Spirit is one of the most precious things in the Eyes of God God treasures up every one of them and this is the Rest of the Soul the Soul may have abundance of Rest therefore in Christ when thou comest to know that thy mourning for thy offences is accepted of God Seventhly The ease that the Soul hath from the burden of the Law is this That whereas before through the severity of the Law sin did make thy Soul an object of Gods wrath take sin as it was in it self and coming from thee God having no respect in Christ towards thee sin made thy Soul an object of Gods wrath Yea and of hatred too for so the Scripture tels us plainly that the Lord hates the workers of iniquity now being come to Christ according to this invitation Come to me ye that are Laden now your sins being looked upon in Christ do rather make you an object of pitty and compassion to God not from any virtue not from any thing in its own Nature but in regard of your condition as thus let a tender Mother look upon the Child that is sick that is wounded it is true the Mother cannot Love the distemper or love the wound the Mother would not have the sickness or the wound upon the Child but doth not the sickness or wound that is upon the Child make the Child to be an object of pitty and Compassion Make the bowels of a tender Father and Mother to yern so much the more to the Child So here the Lord now looks upon thy sin being in Christ as thy sickness as thy wound and therefore doth pitty thee as under thy affliction rather then under thy sin For the truth is all those that are the Saints of God and are come to Christ they look upon their own sins as their affliction as the greatest affliction they have in the world as I shewed when I spake of the load and Burden of Corruption that remaines in their Hearts Now God therefore looks up on thy sin as thine affliction and as for any other thing that is thy affliction as it is the breach of the Law or the like Christ undertakes for that and so thou art delivered from the wrath that it doth deserve and those evil effects that should come of it through the revenging justice of God Christ hath undertaken it but yet it remaines thy affliction though thou art delivered from guiltiness and condemnation yet one that hath a gracious Heart Reasons thus Though I be delivered from my sin from the Guilt of it from the condemning power that the Law hath through my sin yet it is my affliction my trouble and so I look upon it now peace and Rest be to that Soul from what the Law can require so that as we go along we may not only see the benefit we have by Christ but who they are that are thus delivered those who though they know they are delivered from the Burden of it yet they do account their sins the afflictions of their Soul whereas others that are meerly Legal they apprehend their Souls as guilty and under condemnation but if they were delivered from it they would look upon their sins as their wounds and afflictions The Saints they see that they are now made the objects of Gods pitty and compassion towards them and hence is the Reason that Christ is willing if it be possible to find many excuses that may be made for his poor Servants thou shalt not need to find out any excuse if there be any thing that may alleviate and lessen thy sin Christ will find it our and lessen it for thee You know what Christ saith to his Disciples when they were sleeping and could not watch one hour though he rebukes them yet he saith though the flesh is weak yet the Spirit is willing Mark how Christ excuse them they do not say when Christ comes and saith cannot you watch with me one hour Alas it is true Master the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak they do not say thus but Christ saith so to them and the truth is this is the way to leave their excuse to Christ their way is to aggravate their sins as much as may be and it is the temper of those that are come to Christ it is not their care to lessen their sins but they do what they can to aggravate their sins and lay it upon their Hearts for the humbling of their Souls but Christ undertakes to excuse them And therefore you that have so many excuses for your sin just as your Grand-Father Adam had he put it off to the Woman and the Woman unto the Serpent and one to another so you it is true my Nature is passionate and I am froward by Nature and a hundred such excuses men have whereas all thy care should be to humble thy Soul for thy sins and if there be any thing to alleviate thy sin and lessen it Christ will do that and the more thou excusest thy self the greater will be thy sin and it is better for thee for another to excuse it than thy self As when a Child or servant shal offend and one that is a neer friend or neighbor shal come and excuse them this is a great deal better than if they did it themselves Now those that are under the Law they have no excuse to be made for them but those that are come to Christ they have Christ to make al the excuses for them Oh! take heed of abusing the rich grace of God in Christ this I know that this is such a pure quality that it hath not such a malignant quality in it that it wil be abused and where you see any such quality know that they have it not aright they have something else instead of the thing as sometimes you shal see two things as like one another as can be suppose drinks made with some kind of composition they shal look just like one another but one shal have some venom in it enough to kil one and the other shal be wholesome and able to recover one yet both shal have the same â—ur and the same tast so it is with the free gracâ—â—d in Christ you may have the same word spoken â—e thing exprest to one and to another the very same thing preached for the outside of it for the word for the expression in a sermon the same doctrin raised for the expression and yet they shal be so carried that one shal have a malignancy in it and the other shal have a soveraigne power in it now when the soul hath the true rest in Christ that rest hath not such a malignant power to make the heart worse by it But of that I shall speake more afterwards Eighthly When thou art come to Christ thy soul
may have rest in him for in Christ there is an undertaking by a surety through the grace of the gospel in him thou hast revealed to thee that there is an undertaking by surety this is a deliverance from the Law whereas the Law requires perfect obedience at our hands in our owne persons their Law requires of the soul that it shal pay the debt in its own person the soul that sins shal die Now the grace of the Gospel comes and tels thee of a surety and such a surety as God himself professes he is wel pleased to accept of and is as contented with him as he is to have the debt paid by the creature by the debtor himself and this is a great ease Would it not be a great ease to any of you that when a creditor shal come upon you for a debt layhold upon you or put you in prison and afterwards the debt should be paid by another and layd upon him and the creditor shal accept of him and the creditor shal say wel wil this man be your surety and pay the debt if so then saith the creditor I am satisfied I am contented what ease is this unto the debtor Thus it is with the soul that comes to Christ when he hath been laden under the Law and the Law comes to the soul for the payment of the debt now coming to Christ imediately Christ is entertained as the surety by God the father and so there is the transaction of the debt upon him th◠ease from the Law in this relation Ninthly 〈◊〉 al this there is this ease from the Law that the sinn◠〈◊〉 Christ is delivered from al this rigor bondage and other things that I spoke of in the Law and yet so delivered from the Law by satisfaction to the Law and this is further ease to the soul I am delivered from the Law But how by satisfaction to the Law there is satisfaction to the Law that is such satitfaction as the Law-giver himself doth accept of which is only in Christ not al that I can do can possibly do it if I could conceive that God were so merciful as to accept of any thing I can do yet it could not be satisfaction to the Law but now our deliverance from the Law is in a way that is satisfaction unto the Law and here now is ease that the soul is freed so as the Law is satisfied too Tenthly Wheras the law required constant obedience and if there were obedience to the end to the last act and the last act were sin al the other would be forgotten so as the soul would yet perish notwithstanding and the Law could not assure any man of continuance to the end the law could never do it could not assure any so long as they were under the power of it though they had ability to obey and they went on according to their ability went on divers yeares yet they could never have assurance but that they might fal at last and so perish Wel but now coming to Christ there is not only satisfaction for what is past but an assurance of holding out unto the end an assurance that this covenant that thou art now come under in Christ that there shal never be any forfiture of it and that is a mighty ease and rest the ground and foundation of divers of these things were opened before when I shewed how in Christ we were freed from the guilt of our sins but now these are things that do flow from thence and the presenting of these further shewing the consequences of what then was said may be further rest unto the soul For though I did al the other things as the principle of them yet every poor soul is not able to draw forth every of these particulars now that is the help of those that are weake to see the several steps of Gods grace in Christ not only to see it in the lump but see how it streames in the particulars of it to have these presented before their souls it is a mighty help to their faith and comfort and this last that I have spoke of it is not less then the rest but indeed it is the compleating of al the former that the soul that comes to Christ hath this rest in Christ that it is brought into a covenant and with assurance that there shal never be any forfiture of that covenant for it is a part of the covenant that God should give Grace unto the soul so as is shal never come to forfeit to loose the blessing of the covenant they may for the present loose some comfort of the Covenant but to be put from the blessing of the Covenant it shal never be It is a part of the purchase of the blood of Christ that al that come to him shal never be cast off from him again it cost the blood of Christ and this is a priviledg that beleevers have more then ever Adam had Adam was under a covenant of workes and he was able to keep the Covenant I but Adam never had this promise from God that he should never forfeit it that he should never so break the Covenant as to be undone Adam never had that promise But now all beleevers that are come to Christ they have this ingagement upon a sure ground for it is upon a dear purchase Christ hath laid down his blood for thee for this thing as well as any other thing that thy Soul may come into an everlasting Covenant never to be forfeited And now if all these Particulars be put together and these things be made cleer to the Soul by the Eye of Faith if there be an Eye of Faith to behold the reality of all these things that I have persented to you I appeal to you is there not Rest to those that come to Christ Is it not worth a great deal of pains to come to Christ Is there not that that will recompence all at last whatever trouble there is at first the work of humiliation and the like yet when you come to Christ there is that that wil recompence al your former trouble As I said before in the concluding of the other Particular so may I say of this as it is in Psalm 116. And now my Soul returne unto thy Rest So may all beleevers say upon good ground if these things be true that we have now heard Then my Soul returne unto thy Rest for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee indeed Oh therefore be in Love with the Gospel study it much look unto the depth of it and prize Jesus Christ that hath purchased such a Rest unto your Soul And you who are about coming to Christ be Restless in your Spirits til you come to have this Rest and it were a lamentable thing that any thing in the world should meet with you in the way and quiet your Hearts that any thing should quiet your Souls but Christ And you that are beleevers improve this
poor troubled souls whose consciences pul them on to duty but why do they performe them because conscience accuseth them for their sins and they know what need they have of Gods mercy they stand guilty before God and therefore they perform duties that they might get a pardon and they know that they were made for eternity and therefore they make conscience of duties that they might get eternal life by them as I when I opened shewed the burden that there was in legal performances But now when the soul comes to Christ it hath rest in this for the very first thing that is done in Christ is that al thy sins are discharged the pardon is granted and thou art put into an estate safe for thy eternal life and al the hazard of eternal life is now over Now then that that is required of thee is only as the fruit of the pardon of thy sin and as a fruit of thy safe condition that thou art put into for thine eternal life and here is a great deal of difference between performing of duties that I might have pardon that I might get eternal life by it and performing of duties as a fruit of my pardon and as a fruit of the assurance of my wel being to al eternity As for instance a man that is in danger of his life stands before the judg and there is no way for pardon for him but he hath his book given to him as you know the way is to have the benefit of the Clergy as we use to cal it now when he knows if he reads he shal have his life but life lies upon it and the judg is strict and sets one by him that the ordinary shal not prompt him and he wil have him read out and his life lyes upon it I suppose you have heard of some that were able schollers and able to reade wel enough at other times yet at such a time were not able to read one word for a world But suppose this man now have his pardon and you then put him to read then he can read with delight he hath freedom enough now to read his eyes that were bound before are loosned Now suppose he were to read a Psalm of mercy before he had his pardon and when he had his pardon there is a Psalm of thankfulness for his life given him to read he could read it then with delight just thus it is with those that performe duties in a legal way they stand before God as their judg and look upon what they performe as that which their souls depends upon that if I do not do such and such things that is commanded me my soul lyes upon it alas this straitens the heart and it is put into a condition of feare But now when the soul is come to Christ and the Lord hath granted pardon to it and hath quieted it by the blood of his son now sayes God read performe duties and let al the duties you performe be in way of blessing my name and praising of me for giving of you your lives And indeed this is the principal ground of al that God requires of such as are come to Christ meerly that thou shouldest go out before the Lord in way of thankfulness for pardoning thy sins and accepting of thee in his Son And so likewise if so be a man were amongst his enemies and should be set to do some work and business and is set so to it that if he do not do it he is a dead man they wil have his life if he doe not do it alas he goes about it with a great deal of dread and fear But now if this man should come home to his fathers house and his father sets him about a work and he doth it so that though he would not do the work yet he should not loose his life he should go about it with a great deal more freedom of spirit Thus it is with beleevers when they come to Christ they come to their fathers house and their father sets them about workes but so as he wil not lay their lives upon it their soul doth not ly upon their duties thy eternal estate doth not lie upon duties as heretofore you have heard in being freed from the Law so now make use of it in deliverance from legal performances That the Lord though he wil be strict to mark what is done in every duty he wil not be strict to take advantage of thee It is true it is said that the Lord spared not his owne son but he wil spare thee In Malachy 3.17 The Lord wil spare them as a man spareth his own son hat serveth him And so in the Romans it is said God did not spare his own son and yet in Malachy that he wil spare thee as a man spareth his only son that serveth him What should be the meaning of this That God should not spare his only begotten son the Lord Jesus Christ he wil not spare him but thee This is the reason he did not spare him that he might Spare thee here is the reason why God wil so spare thee in the performance of thy duties because he would not spare his son he was so exact to him that he might not be so exact to thee Indeed when Christ came to performe duties the life of al the world lay upon that that if Christ had failed in one thing the life of al the world lay upon it yet so they lay upon him that they were not grievous to him because he was most able to perform it But thou must make use of Christs performances in way of obedience so as to give thee rest ease in performance of thy duties think thus I come now to performe duties and thankes be to God my life my eternal estate lyes not upon it but Christ what he performed my soul and al the world lay uyon what he did and the weight that Christ was willing to take upon him in his obedience is that which makes any obedience so easie and comfortable to me I remember we read in the Law that in peace offerings a female was accepted in other cases ordinarily God required the male but in peace offerings the female now peace offerings was for thanksgiving and indeed the whole life of a Christian is nothing else but a peace-offering his whol conversation al the duties that God requires of any christian it is nothing else but a peace offering to offer an offering of thanks-giving for the mercy he hath received from Christ in this peace offering the Lord accepts of a female though it be but weake And this is the sixth thing wherein the rest of the soul in the performance of holy duties when it is once come to Christ doth consist Seventhly As the soul doth not performe duties that it might get life thereby it is not in that way now so the performance of duties when the soul is come to Christ is a part of
eternal life it self and therefore there is rest in it it is so far from getting eternal life by it as it is rather eternal life it self then so much as any way to eternal life for this may be said though I performe duty it is true God hath taught me so much that now under the Gospel we must not think to get eternal life by our duty by our works this is popery yet it is the way to eternal life the way that tends to it it is via ad Regnum the way to the kingdom though not the cause of Raigning Nay I wil shew you a further thing then so the wayes of obedience and holiness in a Christians course they are rather eternal life it self then the way to it they have more excellency in them then being the way to life It is true it were a great deal of ease and rest to ones spirit to consider of holy duties but as the way to heaven if a man were going a journy and knew the ende of his journy should be very glorious to him if it were to receive a crown a kingdom though it were a boysterous day and stormy weather and the way were very foul he would not be troubled at it but he would account it very comfortable to know that he is in the right way for he thinks this wil lead me to my journeys end and when I come there that wil make amends for al. And the truth is there were ease and rest enough in the waies of God if God did reveale no more unto a soul then this these are the wayes that lead thee to life and salvation that lead thee to a kingdom to glory especially considering that before we were out of the way we were wandering in the wayes of death and destruction and God by his Almighty hand hath brought us into the right way When a man is going a Journy of great consequence and he is gone out of the way and God by his providence hath brought him into his right way O! what ease is in his spirit Before when he was out of the way what distraction and disquietness of heart but now when he comes into the way Oh! what ease and quiet is in his spirit so I say this were ease and rest enough of spirit to know that whereas before the soul was wandering in the path of death now it is in the path of life But I tel you further then so that when thou art performing of holy duties and exercising of the grace of God in the performance of those duties thou art not only in the way of eternal life but thou art in eternal life it self not only in the way to the kingdom but in the kingdom not only in the way to heaven but in heaven it is eternal life This is eternal life to know thee the true God and thy son whom thou hast sent into the world And that place in the Epistle of St. John he speakes of a murderer one that did hate his brother in the first of John 3.15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him Then it appeares that one that loves his brother and is Godly and gracious hath eternal life abiding in him for that must needs follow if this be the evil condition of a wicked man that hates his brother that he hath not eternal life abiding in him then by the rule of contraries it must needs be a truth that he that hath holiness and loves his brother he hath eternal life abiding in him and therefore such a one he hath eternal life already to come downe to him he is in heaven already So the scripture makes grace but the beginning of glory it is no other but the very beginning of heaven in the soul And therefore in that golden chain in Rom. 8.30 Whom God hath predestinated them he also hath called whom he hath called them he hath justified whom he hath justified them he hath also glorified Marke but where is the link of sanctification It is not whom he hath predestinated he hath called and whom he hath called he hath sanctified and whom he hath sanctified he hath glorified One would have thought the chain should have gon along in that linke but there is no mention of sanctification Why because sanctification is nothing else but glorification begun and glorification is nothing else but the perfecting of sanctification Now I beseech you observe this as a most special thing that belongs to a Christian the best duties that we performe are nothing else but the life of heaven to us nay the truth is it is the life of God And therefore it is said of ungodly men before they come to Christ they are strangers to the life of God therefore when thou art come to Christ thou hast the life of God in thee and the life of heaven in thee and the beginning of Glory Glory and eternal life thou doest live whilst thou art in performance of holy duties What is the happiness of heaven but for the Saints and Angels to be exercised in magnifying the riches of God and of Christ now thou beginnest it here and therefore if thou knowest what this is thou art not I say to look upon any duty that thou performest meerly as a duty but thou art to look upon it as a priviledg yea as part of thy wages That is a certain truth that Gods work it is wages and the improving of that principle would help us very much in our Christian course if thou didst live and account every duty that thou performest to God to be wages Oh! with what sweetness wouldest thou go on in the performance of those duties that God requires of thee thou art receiving thy wages when thou art performing of duties In Rom. 6. and the last The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ At the 22. verse it is thus But now being freed from sin and become servants unto God you have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. You have your fruit unto holiness it is the fruite unto holiness which is the gift of God and holiness it is nothing else but the gift of God and the beginning of eternal life the fulness of eternal life that indeed is the end of it but the fruit that you have for the present it is holiness and that holyness that is the gift of God it is the beginning of eternal life here in this world Then indeed is a christian wel improved in Evangelical obedience when he doth account duties to be mercies and when mercies are turned into duties as when we turne Gods mercies into duties that is an argument we receive Gods mercies from a Covenant of grace and there wil be linkes of Gods mercies towards
us so when we account our duties to be mercies that is an argument there is evangelical obedience in the heart and there wil be a constancy in the heart in performing of them Those that performe duties in an Evangelical way they look upon them as a golden chain about their necks for ornament and not as a chain about their necks as bonds and Fetters to tie them to them Here is the difference between one that performes duties in a legal way and one that performes duties in an Evangelical way One that performes duties in a Legal way he lookes upon duties as bonds about his neck he is bound to them as with a chain but the other that performes duties in an Evangelical way his duties are as ornaments as chains of Gold about his neck And the ground of this similitude I have in Prov. 3.22 My son keep sound wisdom and discretion so shal they be life unto thy soul and grace unto thy neck The wayes of wisdome that is the wayes of Godlyness they are life to the Godly and they are a grace to the neck that is they carry Gods commandments about with them not as a prisoner carries his chaines but as one that carries a chain about his neck and he glories in it That place is very observable likewise for this that you have in Deuter. 33. comparing ver 2. with the words that follow after Verse the second The Law of God is called a fiery Law From his right hand went a fiery Law for them But marke verse 4. Moses commanded us a Law even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. From hence this note plainly results that let there be never so much seeming severity in any Law of God in any commandement that requires duty yet even this commandement of God is accounted an inheritance unto the soules of the Saints of God to be as the joy of their hearts they account their riches to be in Gods commandements not only to be in heaven but the very commandement they account their riches and their happiness Many men and women take upon them the commandements of God and the duties of obedience as necessary burdens they must do them I but the Saints those that come to Christ they take the commandement of God upon them as that wherein their riches their glory the joy of their heart doth consist and therefore how often do you heare of David saying that the commandements of God were sweeter to him then hony and the hony combe That they were more delightful to him then gold and riches And so in the Proverbs Better then Rubies and precious stones He doth not say the glory of heaven is better then al these but the way of Wisdom and the commandements of God are better then al these So that here is the life of a Christian he performes duties not onely as a way to heaven but as an injoying of heaven while he is serving of God and this is the seventh particular wherein the rest of the soul in Christ doth appear in the performance of holy duties Eighthly When a Christian is brought to Christ Christ gives him rest in the performance of holy duties because that Christ doth elevate and raise his spirit to be some way proportionable to whatsoever God requires of him ther 's an elevation of spirit a strengthening of the spirit in Christ to come to some kind of proportionableness to what the Law of God requires of them It is true set a poor weake man a sick man about any hard worke and Oh! how tedious is it unto him for a sick man to go and carry such a burden or to do such a hard work it is very irksome unto him but now when this man comes to be healthy and strong to have his veines ful of blood and his arteries ful of spirits now he goes along in his work and accounts it no burden at al because he hath got strength in him So the commandements of God they are hard to those that performe them in a natural way from a natural conscience notwithstanding al the strength that can come in by a natural conscience the commandements of God are very hard unto them but when once the spirit of Christ comes there is strength As it is said where the spirit of Christ is there is Liberty so where the spirit of Christ is there is strengâ—h As the holy Ghost speakes in Isa 11.2 The spirit of the Lord shal Rest upon him the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledg and of the fear of the Lord. The spirit of counsel and Might shal Rest upon Christ and so in the measure of it the spirit doth rest upon every member of Christ the spirit of Life of Might and of counsel And therfore the Apostle St. Paul saith in the 2. of Tim. the 1. and the 7. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power of Love and of a sound minde This spirit of power is in those that are come to Christ there is a power of godlyness in them They are said in Coll. 1.11 To be strengthened with al might according to his glorious power The Apostle at least prayes for that to intimate thereby to us that there is that to be had in Christ there is a strengthening with al might according to his glorious power unto al patience and long-suffering with joyfulness giving thanks to the father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Though they be weake yet they have a union with one that is strong wherein they may come to be strengthened with al might not only according to Gods power but according to his glorious power unto al patience and long-suffering with joyfulness The duties of patience long-suffering are as hard duties as any hut in Christ there 's the glorious power of Christ let out to strengthen them to the duties of patience and al long suffering with joyfulness CHAP. XXXV Two other wayes whereby the former point is cleered with some consequences from the same and the use of the whol The First way is that whilst the soul is performing duty the strength of it is continually renewed Secondly The soul hath the love of God shed abroad into the heart The first Consequence is happiness of a Christian here Secondly Hence cometh the perseverance of beleevers The use of al is to exercise much faith in Christ Ninthly The Rest that the soul hath in Christ that is to goe on in duties with freedom of spirit without making them burdensome to it is this when the soul comes to Christ it hath not only strength to do the duty but whilst it is performing of duty it hath this strength renewed and it receives in sweetness and good and strength from Christ while it is in action while it is in the performance of duty and his duty is very easy sweet and comfortable
body they make some use of Christ some profession of Christ can speake of Christ what they heare spoken of Christ is somewhat serviceable and useful to them I but they have not life from Christ and hence they have not holiness from Christ they have not the true holiness that comes from the Law of the spirit of life that is in Christ Sixthly Another thing that is to be considered of in Christ how the rest of sanctification comes to the soul through him is this In Christ there are the greatest arguments for holiness that possibly can be imagined and Christ comes to be a rest of sanctification that way when the soul comes unto Christ and knowes Christ in the right way the soul sees in Christ enough against sin and for holiness if it never saw any thing else there is enough in Christ to help against sin and for the furtherance of of holiness that that is discovered in Christ hath a mighty power to help the soul against sin and to further it in the way of holiness as now to instance the mighty arguments that there are in Christ against sin and for holiness as CHAP. XXXIX Containing two strong Arguments in Christ for holiness First In him the soul sees the greatest breach between it and God by reason of Sin Secondly In him it sees the greatest Hatred of Sin in God FIrst in Christ there the foul sees the greatest breach that can be imagined that sin made between God and the creature it is true when we preach the Law to you and tel you of the curse of the Law that is due to sin this acquaints you with somewhat of the breach that sin made between God and you and this may terrifie you but the truth is the breach between God and a soul by sin is never throughly seen til you come to Christ the soul never throughly sees sin til then when it comes to Christ and sees Christ indeed sees Christ so as one that hath union with him then it understands the evil of sin after another manner then ever it did before And that is the reason that faith doth more purge the heart from sin then al the terrors of the Law possibly can do yea if God should let a crevis into hel and let you see into al the torment that is there they could not discover so much the evil of sin to you as when you come to have a real sight of Jesus Christ how sin made such a breach between God and us as can be made up no other way but the son of God must come and take upon him mans sin this is the greatest discovery of the evil of sin that possibly can be Object You wil say Others know this as wel as beleevers It is true they know it after a sort but none can know this throughly but those that through faith have the real sight of Christ and so have the real sight of the evil of sin in Christ Secondly another strong argument of the evil of sin in Christ is this the infinite hatred of sin in God that God should so infinitly hate sin that he would not spare his owne son this shewes the evil of sin We heare much of hell and of the terror of the Law now when I come to consider the fruit of Gods hatred of Sin in his son this shewes me a great deale more the evil of sin And therefore though the terror of the law may restrain men from sin I but when the soul comes to know the infinite wrath of God against sin that he would give his son to satisfie for sin this shewes the evil of sin and this shewes the infinite holiness of God that he would send his only son to purchase holiness And in this we see the infinite love of Christ to die for sin the infinite price of the soul to purchase it and the infinite difficulty in the deliverance from sin and nothing can prevail upon the heart more then the viewing of Christ There is so many things that I cannot speak of them that when the soul comes to Christ makes the soul hate sin and makes it in love with holiness The knowledg of Christ in any common way hath as much power to restrain sin as any thing but now the knowledg of Christ in a spiritual way in a saving way it hath an infinite efficacy in it And the truth is the special way for a soul to help it self against its own corruptions it is much to dive into the knowledg of the Gospel look into the Gospel pry into the mystery of the Gospel be much conversant in the mistery of the Gospel and there consider what argument thou maiest draw against thy sins They are poor low arguments that common people draw against their sins they have a temptation to sin and they think Oh! let me take heed I do not do it for my master and mistris wil know of it or such a one wil know of it or if I do it I shal be brought to punishment these are poor low arguments But saith a beleever Oh let me not commit sin Why It is that that brought the son of God down from heaven to be made a curse for man It is that that made the greatest stir in the world that ever was it is that that Gods soul infinitly hates and it is that that made such a breach between the soul and God as only can be made up by the son of God These are the arguments that a beleever hath against sin and a beleever being conversant â—n these arguments and often exercising faith in Christ they being made real to the soul They must needs have a mighty power to overcome any corruption whatsoever As we read in the Gospel when the husband man that let out the vineyard sent for fruit and they took the servant and beate him and killed another at length saith he I wil send my son surely they wil reverence him So may I say there is such and such arguments against thy sin to overcome thy Corruption and to put thee on to the way of holiness perhaps those arguments thy corruptions break and they are but like Sampsons cords thy corruption snaps them asunder like flax I but saith God I wil send my son and reveale the glorious misteries of the Gospel in my son I wil shew to their souls what my son hath done and what the deep counsels for the salvation of their soules in my son are and these shal prevail upon you And here is the reason of al their fearfulness of sin and strictness in walking with God when the Gospel hath convinced them you wonder why they wil be so strict and fearful to offend do you wonder at it Oh my brethren they have arguments perhaps that you know not of God hath revealed much of his son to them the wonderful misteries of Godliness revealed in his son and they are the arguments they go upon They do
heat of the furnace and as the heat you know consumes stubble combustible matter put into it so there is that heat in the love of God shed abroad in the heart by Christ that consumes the lust of the heart and the soul growes up into holiness thereby It is with the heart of a Beleever as it is with the fruites of the earth you know that the frost may keep down some weeds but it is the sun-shine it is the beams of the sun and the warme beames that makes the fruit to ripen and to grow up that fruit that growes in the sun is soonest ripe your grasse that growes in the orchard is sowre and the beast wil not eate it and other herbs that grow in the shade comes to no maturity nor to be so good as those that grow in the sun fruit that growes upon the wal how quickly doth that grow ripe whereas the other that grows in the shade withers so there are some that live altogether under Legal feares and trouble of conscience perhaps they have somtimes fruite but it is sour fruit it is not so sweet fruite as comes from those that are under the sun-shine of the Gospel that have the shine of the love of God upon their hearts their fruite is sweet and they thrive better and looke more lovely and live a more amiable and lovely life then the lives of others And this is another way how Christ comes to be our sanctification in shedding abroad the love of God into the heart and that the scripture is ful of how the love of God is shed abroad in Jesus Christ Ninthly Christ is our Sanctification in this respect becaus al the promises of the Gospel are made to us in him he is the foundation of al the promises that are in the Gospel they are al made good in him they have a boundance of sanctifying power in them Christ is our sanctification I say because it is through him that the promises are made which hath a mighty sanctifying power As for the First In 2. Cor. 1.20 For al the promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen unto the glory of God by us Al the promises of God in him are yea in him amen al Gospel promises are made unto us by christ that is a very useful a notable meditation to consider of al promises that they come unto us from Christ an excellent meditation to set out the excellency of Jesus Christ that in him are al the promises they are in him yea what is the meaning of that That is they are confirmed to us in Christ in him they are made certain to us they are made good in him or as some of your books read it thus For al the promises of God in him are yea and I find it is I know not whether it be in your books but Calvin Beza and other interpreters say it is read in some copies thus Therefore in him let them be yea and Amen unto the glory of God by us Al the promises of God in him are yea that is they are made certain things in Christ as the foundation therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so Beza saith it is read therefore let them be Amen in him unto the praise of God That is as God hath made al promises in him as certain so let us look upon Christ and see the promises of God in him and beleeve in them and so by our faith say Amen unto the promises that are made in him unto the glory of God so shal we Glorifie God when we shal look upon the promises by our faith and say Amen unto our soules Now the word Amen signifies firme and sure that is the meaning of the word Amen Sometimes it signifies at the end of our prayer so be it Amen it is an Hebrew word that signifies so be it let it be O Lord as we have prayed and according to thy promise that is the meaning of the word Amen when you conclude your prayer with Amen It is a word that is used for faith and it is the expression of faith after we have made our prayer and that is the meaning here therefore al the promises in him are yea they are made in Christ and affirmed in Christ as certain therefore in him let them be Amen unto the soul let them be as firme and certain things unto us for us to rest upon unto the glory of God by us and thereby shal we glorifie God ye have so many precious promises in Christ but now they are unto the glory of God by us we by faith say Amen to them and we make them as firme and sure unto our soules by the exercise of our faith upon them So you may understand in some measure this scripture which hath exceeding much in it thus you see by Christ the promises are made to us Quest I but you wil say How doth this help our sanctification Answ I answer exceeding much there is nothing helps the sanctification of the soul of a beleever more then the promises of the Gospel those that are exercised in the promises of the Gospel they grow more abundantly in sanctification then others The promises of the Gospel are channels not only of mercy for our salvation but of holiness for our sanctification and for that you have a most excellent scripture 2. Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us clense our selves from al filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God It is as ful a scripture as I know any here you may see what use the holy Ghost would have you make of the promises of the Gospel and of mercy It may be you think that seeing there is such promises of mercy you may take more liberty to the flesh but that is not the reasoning of the spirit he would not take more liberty therby but seeing we have such promises saith he let us clense our selves from al filthiness filthines cannot stand with beleeving of promises And marke he saith from al filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit So that it is not enough for you to say you have as good a heart towards God as any others I thank God my heart is right my spirit is right I but you must clense from al filthiness of the flesh as wel as of the spirit and these promises if you have the right use of them they wil be mighty clensing And marke from al filthiness it is not enough to clense from some gross filthiness that is that you do not live in the grost sins that others of the world live in and that your neighbors live in that you are not whoremungers drunkards cheaters prophaners of the saboth and the like but these promises wil cleanse from al filthiness that is there shal be no filthiness that shal stick to you as to the wicked and ungodly but it wil clense gradually by degrees from al Filthiness of
much exercised withal and that was Heman that was the penman of the 88. Psalme you read it in the title it was a song or Psalme for the sons of Korah To the cheif musician upon Mahalath Leannoth Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite a Psalm of Heman Now this Heman was one of the greatest men exercised with desertions upon the face of the earth If you read this Psalm at your leisure you shal find that though he was a man very Godly yet exceedingly exercised with spiritual desertions and afflictions the Lord withdrew the comforts of his spirit from verse the first saith he Oh Lord God of my salvation I have cryed day and night before thee verse the 3. My soul is ful of troubles and my life draweth nigh unto the grave verse the 4. I am counted with them that go downe into the Pit I am as a man that hath no strength free among the dead c. verse the 7. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me and thou hast afflicted me with al thy waves What a strange expression is this of a godly man And then there is outward afflictions mingled with spirituall afflictions verse the 8. Thou hast put my acquaintance far from me thou hast made me an abomination unto them I am shut up and I cannot come forth verse the 9. My eye mourneth by reason of affliction verse the 13. But unto thee have I cryed Oh Lord and in the morning shal my prayer prevent thee Lord why castest thou off my soul why hidest thou thy face from mee God had hid his face from him verse the 15. I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted He was acquainted with these spiritual afflictions from his youth up verse the 16. Thy fierce wrath goeth over mee thy terrors have cut me off What expressions are here for a godly man and when we read this Psalme and know it is the Psalme of a Godly man speaking how greatly he was afflicted we may be put in mind of that scripture If the righteous scaresely be saved where shal the ungodly and the sinner appeare Where shal the sinner appeare if such a man that was wise that the spirit of God saith of him that he was one of the wisest men that lived upon the face of the earth and yet afflicted excercised with inward afflictions the Lord hiding his face from him In 1. Kings 4.31 There the Holy Ghost speakes of this Heman that was thus afflicted speaking of the wisdom of Solomon it is said He was wiser then al men then Ethan and Heman c. So that it appeares by that that Heman was one of the wisest for else it could not be an argument of Solomons wisdom that he was wiser then al men and that he excelled in wisdom above any other And yet this man had the terrors of God upon his spirit Therefore let none of you when God seemes to withdraw himself and afflict you say that your condition is worser then ever any ones was when any of you have such thoughts as these are remember the 88. Psalme and when you think of the great greif sorrow and trouble that is upon you and are ready to think that it is greater then others then go and read the 88. Psalme As Luther was wont to say when they were in any trouble go and sing the 46. Psalm So when you are in trouble and sorrow and greif then say come let us go and read the 88. Psalm and remember who was the penner of that Psalm Heman a godly man and what his condition was and then thou shalt see that thy condition is not so sad as his was CHAP. XLVIII Containeth Seven Directions how a beleever may get Rest from Christ in spiritual Desertions First Look upon Christ as once in the same condition Secondly Look to Christ as ful of Grace and Goodness Thirdly Look to Christ as an advocate at the right hand of God Fourthly Look to Christ for fulfilling the promise of sending the Comforter Fifthly Go to Christ as at first in thy Conversion Sixthly Keep good thoughts of God Seventhly Resolve never to take Rest in any thing else beside Christ WELL but now though thy condition be as bad as his yet there is Rest in Christ to be had for thee and Christ cals thee to come to him that he may give thee Rest I shal not need to spend time in opening what this rest is in Christ in this particular because it is contained in what was said before as in deliverance from the guilt of sin the burden of the Law and the remainer of corruption and the like those things if they were made good to the soul they might give rest But now al that I intend to shew shal be what course the laden sinner must take in this case to have rest in Christ for the soul it is delivered from the guilt of sin and the wrath of God though it cannot apprehend the love of God and the pardon of the guilt of sin yet it hath it already but now to help such a deserted soul in this case that it might begin to have the use of the good that there is to be had in Christ therefore by way of direction to have ease in that greivous condition First Labor to exercise thy faith upon Christ as one that was once in the same condition in some degree and some measure as thou thy self art in that is a good way for one that hath spiritual desertions I say to look upon Christ as one that for the present was in this affliction for Christ was deserted and this breeds a great deale of rest to the soul in outward afflictions If one that is in poverty exercise faith upon Christ who was poor as I told you before The Foxes have holes and the birds have nests but the son of man hath not where to lay his head To exercise faith upon Christ as poor doth help to give ease and rest unto the soul under the burden of the affliction of poverty so when a soul feels the burden and trouble of spiritual desertions the soul should look up to Christ as one that was under such desertion as when he was in the garden and professeth that his soul was heavy to the very death and that he began to be amazed with the apprehension of the wrath of God Now when thou art in a combate and strife in thy spirit with temptation know that Christ was in such a combate and strife he sweat drops of blood It may be the soul is in combate and in trouble and gets to prayer and the soul is in a sweat remember what a sweat Christ was in when God withdrew himself from him and especially when he was upon the cross there he tels you plainly that he was forsaken My God My God why hast thou forsaken mee Thou thinkest that God hath withdrawn himself from thee no he wil not withdraw himself from
thou findest thy self at that time As now if so be a man when he hath been long in a Quartan Feaver or one that hath layen long in the Disease of the Pox if he shal at last look upon his visage and judg of the constitution of his body according to his countenance this would discourage him but he must judg of his constitution at that time when the distemper is not upon him So many poor Christians they judg of their condition then when they are under the greatest temptation No you should rather judg of your estates as you are when you injoy your selves most when God and your souls are together and most free from temptation If a man would weigh Gold perhaps the Gold hath one grain more then the weight yet if you come to weigh it and hold it in the wind the wind may toss up the scale and make the Gold seem to be too light and you wil say the Gold is not weight Why Because the wind tosseth up the scale the other way But now if you would see whether the Gold be weight indeed hold it steady where the wind comes not So if you would weigh your condition aright do it at that time when your spirit is most setled and staied and do not do it when temptation tosseth you up and down Fourthly Another help to beleevers to prevent another hinderance of their rest is this That their spirits because they have not what rest they would have many times grow impatient and trouble themselves more then God would have them Now this is a Rule labor to quiet your hearts by waiting upon God in the want of comfort and Labor in the use of what means God shal give you for a waiting frame That Text is very notable for that purpose in Isai 30.7 For the Egyptians shal help in Vain and to no purpose therefore have I cryed concerning this their strength is to â—it stil And than at verse 15. Thus saith the Lord God the Holy one of Israel in returning and Rest shal ye be saved in quietness and confidence shal be your strength but ye would not And so in Isaiah 52.12 For ye shal not go out with hast nor go by flight for the Lord will go before you and the God of Israel wil be your rereward There shal not be a tumultuous hurrying hasty Spirit You wil say can a man make too much hast to get assurance of Gods Love in Christ The truth is you make the best speed when you can in the quiet and calme of your spirits waite upon God while he wil please to speak to your Souls when we can go on in the use of means til God seal up by his spirit of assurance to your Souls Many Reasons might be given to put on the Soul to waite upon God but I pass on Fiftly Another Rule is this be much in Meditation upon the promises swallow down promises do not let them role upon your Tongues Wicked men they role the promises upon their Tongues but they do not take them down But now as when we take bitter Pils the way is to swallow them down whole when we take sweet things the way is to chew them if a man should chew his Pills he would suddenly throw them out of his Mouth So a Godly man should not chew the Pills that is by Meditating upon the threatnings of the Law this is not the way rather swallow down the Pills by Meditating upon the Gospel and the Covenant of Grace and so thy soul may come to find rest in Christ this way And when thou hast done al that thou canst yet stil the only way is for thee to depend upon God in his ordinances and to pray for the spirit no evidence that can be given can quiet the Heart till that comes to pass But now if so be the soul hath gained this what a thing is it for the soul to loose it again In Isaiah 26. â—0 Come my people enter thou into thy Chambers and shut the doores about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast What is it to come and enter into our Chamber To get into Christ our hiding place and then shut the dores that is take heed of parlying with temptation As thus now when as the Lord hath given thee rest and thy rest comes in by the word by applying the word to thy soul now shut the dore against temptation there wil arise some fears and Jealousies at that time now therefore shut the dore against al surmises â—eaâ—es and Jealousies and call for the word let the word be the rule for thy fear as wel as for thy comfort and rather depend on one Scripture for thy comfort then upon a thousand Jealousies for thy fear And this is now to shut the dore against temptation resolve here will I venture here is the word of God which is sure and certain and for temptation the Devil will trouble me with the Rapping and knocking at the dore but let him Knock as long as he will I have got a promise here and I will venture my Soul upon this promise And for want of this though thou hast gotten the promise yet upon every temptation thou openest the dore You know in time of danger when any come and rap at the dore wil you open the dore presently No you bid your Servant ask who it is and they must give a good account what they would have and from whence they come before you wil open the dore So when any temptation raps at thy soul inquire what it would have and whence it comes doth it come from God or no or from the Devil Many people they think the word to be a rule for their Faith but they think the word is not a rule for their fear you must have as good a warrant for refusing any comfort that is tendred to you as wel as for the taking of any comfort and if you would observe that rule that you wil never refuse comfort but you wil have a word to warrant you If the Lord come to you and say why did you refuse such comforts and you say I was in fear and Jealousies I but if God should say what word have you for it What were you able to answer Oh This is that that God wil require of you for it is a dishonor to the truth of God that whenas there is a word to ground thy Faith upon and nothing but Jealousies to ground thy fears yet thou wilt make thy Jealousies and thy fears to weigh down the word Sixthly Again according to the degrees of thy inlargment so let thy Humiliation be as thou findest thy Heart inlarged with joy at the same time let thy Grace work downward in way of Humiliation observe a proportion betwen thy joy and Humiliation many people are inlarged upon the joy they have in Christ but they are not humbled and therefore they vanish Seventhly Again Be not satisfied meerly that thou art in Christ and a beleever but labor to be throughly grounded that thou art in Christ for who knows what troubles and desertions thou maist meet with al labor to roote thy soul be established in Christ grounded in Christ to be a grounded Christian aâ—d therefore not to live upon sence but to live by Faith when thou hast sence Eightly Lastly Improve thy rest for God be sure to do much work when the Lord gives thee Rest as we use to say of outward peace it brings plenty so the truth is the peace thaâ— God gives in our consciences and the rest that we have in Christ should make us plentiful in all good works And by these rules if thou dost keep the dore shut against temptation if according to the degrees of thy inlargment thy Humiliation is If thou art not satisfied meerly that thou art in Christ and a beleever but laborest to be throughly grounded that thou art in Christ if thou dost roote thy soul in Christ and if thou dost improve thy rest to God to do much work for God when he gives thee Rest Thus doing thou shalt have rest an abiding rest unto thy soul thus thou shalt be in thy Chamber of Rest with the door shut while the indignation is overpast thus thou shalt have rest in the time of evil and all the troubles in the world shal be but as the rattling of the Rain upon the Tiles while thou art in the House Yea and the rest thou hast in Christ is but the forerunner of the glory that thou shalt have with Christ which thou oughtest to long for when thou hast fears and troubles thou oughtest to pray O Lord Jesus Christ fulfil the things thou hast promised to thy Servants and give Rest and Peace unto my Soul FINIS * See my Treatise on 2 Cor. 5.19 20. See my Treatise of the Evil of Sin See the treatise of the evil of sin