from thence the word comes My Burden is light The meaning in the original is this it is such a light burden as man may have it upon him and dance with it leap and dance have joy and delight with this burden upon their backâ— other burdens presseth down makes a man go heavily but this burden is so light that those that have it on it makes their hearts light and easie that they can go and skip and dance with this burden upon them that is the word in the originall we have not a word in the English to express it thus and the word that you have in 2 Pet. 1. 5. hath some likeness to that that Christ means Add to your Faith Virtue and to Virtue Knowledg and to Knowledg Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godliness and so multiplies particulars And now the word is in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to lead in the dance and these virtues one to another it is true it signifies the ministring of the supplies that Members have from the Head only in your English it is said Add to your Faith Virtue it either signifies the ministring of the Head to the Members that which the Members receive by the ministring of the Head and so â—t is proper there that all the virtues we have they are but added one to another from the virtue that is ministred from Christ our Head to us Members Or else the word signifies to lead in a dance as first one goes and the other follows so Faith goes first and that leads on the other it signifies the delightfulness in Christianity when Faith goes before and al the other virtues coming after there is a delightfulness in all the waies of Godliness and Christianity and in the excercising of Virtues That for the meaning of the word My Burden is light such a Burden as will make the heart light and that one may have a Burden on and go lightly and skipping as if he had none Only one thing more for the opening of the words My Yoke is easie and my Burden is light I confess these two expressions many make but all one Yoke and Burden and others think there is a little difference thaâ— by Yoke is meant what Jesus Christ requires of us in the Gospel to do and by Burden is meant what we are required in the Gospel to suffer both active and passive obedience the coming under the rule and government of Christ in the Gospel that is a Yoke I but it is a very gentle Yoke and so when we come under the obedience of Christ to be professors of the Gospel we must expect to suffer much and bear great Burdens of affliction in the world I but saith Christ these Burdens of afflictions if they come and persecute you never so much here you shall find them but light burdens all that I require of you to do shall be easie and all that I require of you to suffer shall be light So that from hence we have this Point of Doctrine for I shal not handle them asunder but put them both together CHAP. CXXXIIII Doct. The way of the Gospel that brings to Heaven is an easie way This confirmed and explained in Six particulars DOCT. THat whatsoever Jesus Christ requires of us either in doing or in suffering it is very easie and very light The way of the Gospel that brings to Heaven is an easie way That is the Point And when we name it I suppose it will seem one of the strangest points that ever was preached or that you have heard of That the way of the Gospel to bring People to Heaven is an easie way it seems contrary to other Scriptures Strive to enter in at the straight Gate for straight is the Gate and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it and Ministers tel us the way to Heaven is a very difficult way and many times it is made an evidence of men that are but carnal and have not the power of Godliness in them that they find so much ease in their way I suppose these you have heard of Well before we have done with the Point we shall reconcile all these things only for the present seeing they are the words of Christ we must yeild them to have a truth in them That the Yoke of Christ whatever it is that Christ would have us submit unto it is easie whatever Burden he would have us bear in this world it is a light Burden Let all those that are continually complaining of the difficulties that lie in the waies of Godliness take notice of this Point many there are that make it their Religion to be continually complaining of difficulties that there are in Gods waies as if by that they would shew that they saw somewhat and felt somewhat more than others did and are never in waies of thanksgiving or in waies of rejoycing but alwaies complaining of the waies of God and what difficulties they find in them let them take notice that whatever thy thoughts have been heretofore or what thy Speeches have been about them yet Jesus Christ himself saith that his Yoke is easie and of his Burden that it is light Now therefore First I shall confirm it by Scriptures and then come to branch it into several particulars for the opening of it For Scriptures take these three the first is in Psal 119. 44 45. So shall I keep thy Law continually for ever and ever and I will walk at liberty for I seek thy Precepts The Soul that doth truly seek Gods precepts to be under the command of the precepts of God such a one walks at liberty never hath so much liberty as at that time when he seeks Gods precepts You may think that to be under the command of the word and especially that in seeking the commands of the Lord it will bring you into bondage There is no such liberty in the world as being under the command of God and seeking the commands of the word And then in Prov. 15. 19. The way of the slothfull is as a hedg of Thorns that is there is a great deal of difficulty in the way of the slothful now this is an opposition to the waies of the sâ—othfull But the way of the righteous is plain there is no such difficulty in his way a righteous mans way to Heaven it is a plain way a plain path he may go in it with ease it is not a rigid way it is not a stony way a thorny way but it is a plain way that a man may go easie there Now if you be walking in any place from Town to Town if you walk in a place where is plain way in the fields it is easie all the while Now you go to the City and you walk in the fields it is plain it is easie but when you come upon stones it is more difficult So it is here The way of the righteous is plain
much evil And so that other place in Job that I named about the Souls behavior before God when he saw the Glory of God In Job 42. 5. I have hâ—ard of thee by the hearing of the Ear but now mine Eyes see thee wherefore I abhor my self in dust and ashes this is the work of an humble heart to loath and abhor it self before the Lord. 6. The behavior of a Lowly heart in respect of it self it is to judg it selfe judgeth it self First Unworthy of any imployment unworthy of any service that ever God should imploy him in So you have it in that of Gideon in Judges 6. 15. when the Lord had revealed to Gideon what imployment he would use him in Who am I saith he or my Fathers House He judgeth himself unworthy of any such imployment one lowly in Heart doth think it a great mercy of God to be imployed in any work it judgeth it self unworthy of suâ—h a mercy as this May be you may think that God should be beholding to you to imploy you in any work or service for him but if your heart were Lowly you would judg your selves unworthy to be imployed in any work of God Secondly It judgeth it self unworthy of the least of the Creatures of God I am less then the least of all thy mercies saith Jacob unworthy of the to bread that it Eates and the Air that it breathes in it doth not think much that it hath not what others have but judgeth it self before God unworthy of what it hath acknowledging that it hath forfeited all the comforts that God hath vouchsafed to it Yea Thirdly It is ready to charge it self with any evil even that which comes in somtimes by temptation an humble heart is ready charge it self to be the only cause of it as other men Hipocrites they are ready to charge temptation with what comes from their own corruption So an humble heart rather chargeth its own corruption with what comes from temptation You shal have vaine and carnal Spirits think to excuse the evil that comes from them with this the Devil tempted them this was a temptation the strength and violence of a temptation and they were led to it by the Devil and so judg the Devil for it and not themselves whereas the truth is it was not thy temptation so much as thy corruption the heart that is lowly and humble chargeth himself with all this is my corruption this is my wretched and wicked heart it is true the Devil might tempt me but were it not for my corruption the Devil could never prevaile Yea Lastly It judgeth it self worthy to be destroyed So that place in Ezek. 36 31. Whereas some Books have it You shall loath your selves The old Translation hath it And shall judg your selves worthy to be destroyed A Lowly heart is willing to pass sentence upon it self to accuse it self before the Lord and therefore passeth the sentence of eternal death upon it self so as to justifie God God is clear when he judgeth whatever the judgment of God is against the sin that I have committed I joyn with it I close with the judgment and I judg my self as God doth judg in his word it takes the sentence of Gods word and laies it to it self and judgeth it self If you judg your selves you shall not be judged saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11. 32. This is the work of a Lowly Spirit it judgeth it self before the Lord. That is the Sixth Seventhly An Humble Spirit denies it self First It denies its own Reason if the truth of God be revealed in his word he wil not set his own Reason against the evidence of the truth but though I cannot see a Reason of what is in the word it is fit that I should yeild to what the Lord reveales in his wodr it is willing to deny his Reason in matters of Faith and there is a great deal in this and a special ground why the Lord batters the Heart of sinners many times it is to bring them down to deny their own reason So I remember Luther hath a speech concerning Reason in matters of Faith Reason it is a most bitter enemy to God and of Faith he means unsanctified Reason now an humble heart can deny its own Reason Yea Secondly He is much in denyal of his own will though my will be set strong to have such and such a thing yet what great matter is it saith a Lowly heart for the will of such a wretched Creature as I am to be crossed What if my will be crossed and that for ever I that have been guilty of crossing God so much an humble heart never thinks much to have its will to be crossed whereas there is nothing more todious and grievous to a proud Spirit then to have its will crossed but now when we can get that power over our selves as to be willing to deny our own wils then our hearts are indeed broken and we are brought to be lowly in heart before the Lord the heart of a sinner is never broken and humble til it can deny its own will many of you would know when you are humble enough if you find this that whereas before you thought it very much to have your wils crossed you find now that it is a very little matter to you to have your wills crossed this is a sign that your heart is humble And Thirdly An Humble spirit can deny his own ends whatever my ends were wont to be what plottings contrivings what designes I was wont to aime at now I find I can deny them I can renounce mine own ends and am not for my self an humble Spirit is not a selfish Spirit not aiming at his own ends Yea Further An humble heart can deny its own lawful contentments for God even those things that are in themselves lawful contentments that it might have much liberty in yet if I see that God may have more honor by my being abridged of such lawful contentments and my Brethren may have more good I am willing to deny my self in them to let them go it is not fit I should look after my self such a wretched Creature as I am that might have been in Hell long ago it is not so much for me to look at my self but if God may have any Glory and my Brethren any good I am willing to deny my own lawfull contentments so that an humble Spirit denies not only its sinful self but its lawful self denies all its own excellencies whatever they be willing that they should be buried denies his own honor cares not for his own disgrace I have been perhaps of such an opinion and if I should alter I should be dishonored and disgraced but if the truth of God may come up let my honor lie in the dust let the truth of God be advanced he is willing to deny himself This is the behavior of a lowly Spirit in regard of it self it doth deny it self and that is
that God should be glorified in his own way this is hard now let this and the other fal out I but yet saith a Lowly heart it is fit God should have his Glory which way he pleaseth and therefore he is not troubled Fifthly Humility brings a great deal of quiet because it freeth us from opposition or if it come it makes us yeild to the opposition it freeth us from opposition of men for so I told you in the opening of it an humble heart is afraid to give any offence and so it is not likely that others will offend him but if opposition do come a Lowly heart yeilds to it and when there is a yeilding in time of opposition when a blustring wind comes yet if there be a yeilding to it it doth no great hurt and so the heart that yeilds to opposition it hath quiet and Rest Sixthly Humility brings a great deal of quiet because it makes us rejoyce in the prosperity of others the great trouble and disquiet of the spirits of men in the world is that others are above them now an humble heart blesseth God that any are above it Seventhly An humble heart is under a great many of promises and there must needs be Rest and quiet to that Soul Eightly All crosses are smal to an humble Soul because he is smal in his own Eyes according to what proportion a man bears to his own Eye so his crosses are if his Crosses be great in his own eye then they are great crosses to him and therefore you account your afflictions great if you account your affliction in your own Eye I but now if you were smal in your own Eyes you would count your afflictions smaller But we cannot open the particulars of these except we go further in the opening of the Grace of humility and therefore as ever you would have Rest and quiet in these troublesome and restless times labor for humble and quiet spirits CHAP. CXXXI Exhortation to humility with five several means to get it 1. Labor to see the Excellency of it 2. Convince the Soul of its emptiness 3. Get the knowledg of God 4. Of Christ 5. Of our selves NOw then we come to the Use and Application some time might be spent in speaking about Examination to shew whether we are humble or not and then to shew the difference between being humble and humbled many are humbled by affliction brought low or by Terror Tormented but their hearts are not humble there is a great deal of difference between Humiliation and Humility but I shal refer that as a seasonable point to be handled at another time Certainly God hath made many people to be humbled and yet not humble in their Spirits And then another use may be to humble our Souls for the want of humility and indeed that is a good Humiliation to be humble for the want of humility to be humbled for our pride is an argument of the truth of humility as much as any thing whatsoever and certainly if I should go back and open the Particulars of the behavior of an humble Soul towards God its self and others Certainly never a Man and Woman but may lay his hand upon his Mouth and say Lord have mercy upon me how have I failed in the behavior of my spirit towards God my self and others Lord my heart hath not answered to that that hath been spoken in the word the truth is the best of us all have cause to be humbled before God because they are not humble as they ought To be proud of heart one compares it to an Onion that if you pill off one part of it there is another pil afterwards pill off that and there is another still and another and another til you come to the end so when there is some pride take off one and under that pride there lies more take off that and under it there lies more and take off that and under it lies more continually more and more pride there lies in the heart of Men and Women and that man and woman that thinks they have not proud hearts I dare challenge them in the Name of God that they have proud hearts As John saith 1 John 1. and last vers If we say we have not sin we Lie so if we say we have not pride it is an evident Argument we Lie and it is an evident Argument we have pride Pride is like the Garment the first that is put on and the last that is put off and it is that that the heart sticks more in then any thing else and therefore Christ saith of his Disciples that were humbled they denyed al for Christ and yet mark what Christ saith concerning them In Matth. 18. There they inquired who should be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven Jesus takes a little Child and sets him in the midst of them and saith Verily Verily I say unto you except ye be converted and become as little Children ye shal not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Now were not they become as little Children Had not they humility They were gracious and godly I but this is true of one that is gracious and humble he hath a great deal of pride stil and he had need be converted and become as little Children to be humbled more and more It is an excellent frame of Spirit that we read of in Hezekiah he had an humble Spirit and yet lifted up in Pride yet mark what the Text saith in 2 Chron. 32. 25. 26. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the Pride of his heart it is said in ver 25. But Hezekiah rendred not according to the benefit done to him for his heart was lifted up Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the Pride of his heart It is true the best of all have Pride in their hearts But can you say I have humbled my self for the Pride of my heart that you are jealous of your own hearts You are afraid of the Pride of your hearts and you watch over your hearts that upon the first stirring of your heart you labor to keep it down that you find your heart humbled for your Pride if you have this you have that that an Hypocrite hath not the least of either to be jealous over his heart or to keep down his heart or to watch over his heart or to observe the stirrings of his heart An Hypocrite hath not the least of this Now if you find this perhaps you find temptation prevails with you to commit a great sin for that you are humble and to neglect your Duty for that you are humble I but are you humbled for the Pride of your own hearts when you can charge your Souls for the Pride of your hearts between God and your Soul when you can search your heart and find it out and go lament it in the bitterness of your heart this is a good sign Perhaps when the pride of your heart breaks out and shames you before
go under Christs yoke more comfortably but he would not have Christs yoke less that is there is no duty that Christ requires of a gracious heart that it would be freed from I appeal to you that are gracious hearts what one duty that Christ requires of you when you are your selves that you would be freed from Look through the whol book of God and you shal find it so of the Saints And here is a great difference now between an Hypocrite and a Gracious man an Hipocrite would fain do this duty but not that and omit this but not that but a gracious heart saith Lord I am not willing only to do what thou requirest of me but Lord whatsoever thou requirest of me I would chuse it if I had my choice but I leave that till I come further only now to shew that it is easy because no gracious heart that will ever take up any other yoke but saith let me alwaies be here surely it must needs be easy then that is a fifth Evidence Evidence 6 And the Sixth and Last Evidence is this it is taken from the experience of the Saints and that is as great a demonstration as any thing that which I have found experimentally that I find so it is taken from the experience of the Saints there is none that are truly Gracious though they may be afflicted with temptation especially when they are grown in the waies of Christianity but they have some experience of it perhaps at first they find it somwhat hard to get their necks under but afterwards they will say well I never found that rest that ease that quiet upon my â—oul as since I got my neck fully under the yoke of Christ since I brought my self to resign my self fully wholly to the ways of Jesus Christ I bless God I have had great ease and rest Just as it is with your ships if your ship Stick fast in the Sands and water the Waves come and beat against your ship and it is ready to break but now if it is got off from the Sands and wholly upon the Water then away it goes and you may hold a cup of wine in your hands and it goes away with ease so it is with a Godly heart when he is part in Gods waies and part in the mudd and doth not fully give up himself to Gods waies then he findes trouble and his Conscience flies in his Face and he cannot sleep quietly but let the Soul fully resign it self to Christ to be guided by him Oh! the unspeakable joy that there is in this Heathens may talk and have witty discourses about tranquillity of mind but only the true Cristian can have the true tranquillity of mind never could the soul say till now my soul returne unto thy rest let there be never such commotions in the world and troubles and stirs in the World yet I can retire to God and I can bless my self in God and bless God in what I injoy when I can say as in the presence of God to my soul O my Soul return to thy rest I never had such rest and quiet in any waies as I find in these Surely these Six things do evidence the truth that his yoke is easy and his burden light CHAP. CXXXVI The Second Particular mentioned Chap. 13. Is opened in two differences between a Carnal heart and a Gracious Soul in the waies of God 1 The Hypocrite finds ease in the waies of God and Sin both 2. The Hypocrite hath some ease because he mistaks the Yoke of Christ contenting himself with the outward forme of Godliness but theb eleevers ease comes from the power of it BUt now many carnal hearts they think it easie Gracious hearts may think this point at first hearing very strange but carnal hearts they think I we like this point wel enough for men keep such a do and make the waies of God so difficult to go on in a faire way that is easy but to be put to so much trouble and pains there must be Such praying and humbling and such strict keeping of the Sabbaths this is that disturbs now because civil men they find ease as well as carnal hearts that will be the next thing for Indeed I was loth to speak so much of the easiness of the waies of Christ without shewing the difference between the rest and ease of a carnal heart or an Hipocrite and a true Gracious heart an Hipocrite and a carnal heart shal find no ease and rest at al though a gracious heart shal Wherfore the differences between that ease which a carnal heart finds and that which a gracious heart finds in Gods ways they are many First of al a carnal heart finds ease in Christs yoke and ease in the yoke of sin both they find ease in both yokes when they have a temptation to sin that is comfortable to them when it is suitable to their own ends to their own waies when they come to performe duty and come to the Church and somtimes pray and receive Sacraments and the like they think they find a great deal of ease there they are content with both now it is quite otherwise with a gracious heart a gracious heart finds ease in the yoke of Christ but there is nothing more burdensom to a gracious heart then the yoke of sin the yoke of Christ is such an ease as cannot stand with ease under the yoke of any sin but the yoke of sin it is burdensome and intollerable unto the heart that hath true ease in the yoke of Jesus Christ Yea and the more ease any gracious heart hath in bearing the yoke of Christ the more intolerable is the burden that such a heart hath when it is under the yoke of sin if at any time sin doth prevail with one that is come under subjection to Jesus Christ O! how greivous is that sin and therefore greivous because such a foul knows what the difference is between the yoke of Christ and the yoke of sin therefore it is grievous It is not only greivous because it brings terror to the soul through fear of judgment and fear of hell but it is grievous because the soul knows a difference between the yoke of Christ and the yoke of sin As now if a man hath been acquainted with a service to some Noble man or Prince and hath a great deale of Honor and respect and gained very much and afterwards this man should come to be a slave in the Gallies Oh how burdensom would this be to him upon this ground because he once knew a better service he knew what it was to serve such a Prince that was a gracious Prince and loved him and delighted in him and required nothing of him but that that was very suitable to him now if such a one comes to the Gally it will be very greivous Truly thus it is a true Gracious heart that hath been acquainted with the yoke of Christ if at any
what is it that is in thee amiss What is it that thou wouldest fain have the word come close unto to help thee against What is the speciall corruption thou wouldest have the word to mortifie in thee If now you set your selves before you come to the word to examin your hearts and when you are there to attend to the word as that which is your life upon which your eternall estate depends and so to sanctifie the name of God in his word and not to dare to cast off any truth knowing that your Soul may lie upon that very truth and to drink in the word of God in every thing that is revealed according to Gods mind this will be a very hard thing you will complain of almost an intolerable Burden But now a gracious heart finds more ease when it Sanctifies God in the power of Godliness in hearing the word than in a formall Duty Alas when such a one comes in a formall way and goes away and gets nothing such a one is troubled at such a Sermon it brings more Burden and grief to such a heart to come to the word and not find profit by the word than any other thing can do almost nothing can be more difficult than this You find no difference you come to the word and you get nothing and you go away with as much comfort as at other times it is as easie to you but now a Gracious heart cannot find ease except he finds Christ in the Duty but you can find ease in holy Duties though you never find Jesus Christ in holy Duties I appeal to you if this thing God would be pleased to settle upon the hearts of Men and Women it might be a very great settlement to their hearts you perform holy Duties What is the ease in holy Duties meerly the performance of the Duty but now if your ease were that which is the ease of a true Gracious heart it comes from the meeting with Jesus Christ in holy Duties And so for the Sabboth how easie is it to keep the Sabboth to do as the most it is easie Why Because you do not now work in your calling as other daies you do and you put on your best Cloaths and come and meet with your Neighbors and so you come to Church and home again and have better fare at your Tables than other daies and somtimes walk up and down the Fields this is easie But now the Saints find the ease of the Sabboth to be this that whereas upon the week day I am busied about other things and so have not that immediate Communion with Jesus Christ as at other times now upon the Sabboth my Soul comes to enjoy more immediate communion with Jesus Christ when I awake I am put upon it more to mind spirituall things to prepare my heart for him And now this whol day is dedicated for my converse with Jesus Christ and it is no more to me but the very Type and forerunner of that eternall Sabboth that I hope to enjoy in the highest Heavens hereafter and so it is easie to me Now methinks whatever trouble I have in the week time in my business in my calling the Sabboth day that refresheth me again and makes me fit for my calling and my heart that was so perplexed with outward crosses and with the troubles of the world that did so dead and dul my Spirit the Sabboth quickens me again and adds new strength again for I have found Christ refreshing my Soul Now is there not a wide difference between the ease of a carnall heart and a Gracious heart in holy Duties The one meerly mistakes the Yoke of Christ And so for the Sacrament It is an easie thing for a man to come in his best Cloaths and take a piece of Bread and a cup of Wine but he knows not what is the power of Godliness in such a holy Duty he thinks that the outward coming to the Sacrament makes amends for all though he hath been a wicked carnall wretch the week before now if he comes to the Sacrament the meer performing the Duty that makes amends though there be no preparation before no spiritualness in the Sacrament no discerning of the Body of Jesus Christ and the Mysteries of Jesus Christ no closing of his heart with Jesus Christ in the Sacrament no engaging his Soul to God no renewing his Covenant with God as he comes to receive the Seal of Gods Covenant with him no such things But now a Gracious heart cannot find ease in taking the Sacrament except it find Christ the ease it hath in the Sacrament it is in preparing the Soul for communion with Jesus Christ it is in the exercise of Faith and repentance the more Faith is exercised and the more Repentance exercised the more the heart is broken in the Sacrament the more ease a man hath and the more he gets his heart engaged to God in the Sacrament and the more he hath renewed his Covenant the more ease he hath I when a man can go to the Sacrament and do this O! this is a good day indeed And indeed this I am speaking upon is as great a point of Religion for the helping of you to know the frame disposition of your hearts how things stand between God and your Souls as any thing I know What it is in holy Duties that brings most ease to your Souls whether it be the bare externall performance of them or the spirituall performance of them is the power of Godliness in them that holy Duties for the matter of them cannot satisfie your heart except you find your hearts sanctified by them and Gods name sanctified â—n them that is the second note of difference between the ease a carnall heart finds in the waies of God and the ease a gracious heart finds CHAP. CXXXVII Containeth a third and fourth Difierence between the ease of a Hypocrite and true Beleever in the waies of God For 1. They are easie even to the Corruptions of a Hypocrite 2. He takes up the waies God partially THirdly Another Difference is this The ease a carnall heart finds it may not only stand with the ease under the Yoke of sin to the Flesh but the truth is even the Duties of Religion are easie to their corruptions to their very corruptions not only may stand with their corrupt waies but are easie to the very corruption it self to the very sinfull distemper of their hearts this is a very evill and vile ease for to perform holy Duties so as to be easie to the very flesh to the fleshly part Indeed the Yoke of Christ is easie unto the Saints but it is not easie unto the flesh I mean to the corrupt part it is not easie to that I but the waies of Religion to carnall hearts is easie to their very corruption to their corrupt part For First There is agreement enough between any Duty they perform and their secret sins they can
deal of ease in respect of the Jews that were under the burden of the Ceremonial Law because that their service it self was very chargeable to their outward estates their Sacrifices that they did offer up to God How chargeable was it What a great part of the estates of men did go forth partly in the maintenance of their Levites There is a great deal of murmuring now for a little Money for maintenance of Ministers but there if the account be summed up the maintenance of the Levites was a great part of their estates not barely the tenth of their Sacrifices They had their Cities divers forty or more Cities that were theirs for their possession And many things might be shewed that way the mighty charge that they were at for the service of God several waies not Tithes only but Cities and the like now God hath in a great part eased us of those things that he required of the People of the Jews there is nothing now required but what is in moral equity what is in common reason due to the Laborer for his work only somwhat is due by that Scripture Thou shalt not muzle the mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the Corn so that all the maintenance now for the work of God is due in a way of common reason but there was other things required in the service of God in the times of the Jews and that is an ease that is very suitable to many men to have ease that way from their outward service yet certainly the Lord as we shal hear more by and by requires of us more service other waies And then Thirdly In the ceremoniall Law there the very service of God had a kind of burden in it for there were so many external performances that the Holy Ghost cals them beggarly Rudiments so many outward ceremonies outward things that were a burden to the outward man and they were mean things and childish things in comparison of the Gospel they are called by the Apostle Beggarly Rudiments And truly one would think that when we shall read such a Scripture as that that shall call the ceremonies of the Law beggarly rudiments that were the ceremonies appointed by God himself and yet when they came to be abrogated they were called but beggarly rudiments one would admire how it is possible that any one that professeth Christianity should come and conform themselves to so many ceremonies as they have done to such beggarly rudiments certainly these must needs be beggarly rudiments much more and what a strange pass were we brought into that we should count such things the great Ornaments of Gods service whenas God did not require them but at that time and that they are so vilified by God now But inventions are never required by God and therefore they are to be accounted more vile and it is a great mercy to be delivered from the bondage of the outward ceremonies of the Law though such things as were once appointed by God to spend so many daies as they did from their outward business this is somwhat Surely if it were in mans power to appoint ceremonies and make daies holy as many did undertake heretofore we had been brought into a greater bondage than ever the Jews were under the Law but Christ would have ease in the outward administration of his worship And then likewise though God hath appointed some outward things yet very few for the outward part of his vvorship What a few things are appointed by Jesus Christ vvhereas in the times of the Law there vvere multitudes of external things yea and how easie are they that Christ hath appointed for the outvvard part of his vvorship whereas in the times of the Lavv it vvas hard as circumcision vvhat a hard thing vvas it to have to foreskin of the flesh cut off and you knovv it made them sore vvhen the men of Sichem vvere circumcised they vvere so sore that two or three men vvere able to destroy a vvhol City novv Christ hath required no such hardness of us And truly that may be one thing that may make us much doubt of the waies of many that put people upon such vvaies as in the Winter time to go into Rivers and venture their healths lives as they do certainly Christ requires no such thing if Christ did require such a thing I dare appeal to any to give me any one place in the old Testament vvhere there is a harder commandment than that if that vvere a commandment then Christs yoke in that one thing is harder than any one thing that Christ required of the Jews no one Duty so difficult to the outward man as that thing iâ— now certainly the yoke of Christ as he himself saith it is but easie it is not hard to the outward man in such external services Christ did not change one Ordinance from another to make it harder there is no Ordinance that Christ did change from the Law to the Gospel to make it harder and there is no mercy that is allowed in the times of the Law but is allowed in the times of the Gospel And further That is another Argument that is very perswaâ—ive to the Beleever and his children for if God should deny this condition to the children in the times of the Gospel that was in the times of the Law it would make the Gospel to be harder than the Law and the truth is the denying such a mercy to Beleevers children would be a harder yoke to Beleevers a greater burden to them than all the ceremonies were to the Jevvs in the times of the Lavv. As suppose this if a Beleever should plead thus Lord there vvas a time vvhen thou didst not only receive me into Covenant but receive my child too and give my child the seal of the Covenant likevvise and there vvas a time that I had such a priviledg that not only I but my child vvas in a different condition from the Heathen the Heathen round about me vvas not in such a condition as I vvas in in regard of my posterity and I counted this a great mercy but Lord since the time I vvas converted and imbraced Christian Religion and since the time that Jesus Christ is come as suppose a Jevv should speak thus one that vvas a Jevv before Christs time and should live til Christ came and should plead thus Lord hast thou brought a greater burden on me since Christ came than I had before Christ came for before Christ came I had such a liberty that vvas as dear to me as my life that I vvould not be vvithout for all the vvorld that I should not only have my self but my child separated from the world and be in covenant with thee and under the Seal of thy Grace but Lord since Christs coming into the world and since I imbraced religion though I may come and take the seales though I may be in covenant with thee yet now my child may not there is no
the yoke of the Devil and under the yoke of Antichrist then under the Yoke of Jesus Christ whereas the truth is Jesus Christ is come into the world to bring such a way of Sweetness and Love and Mercy and Ease unto us as if all the Angels in Heaven and men in the world had set all their Wisdomes on work from the beginning of the world to find out a way to bring us to Heaven they could not have found out such a way as this and yet this way to be refused Oh the aggravation of men at that day And the truth is that which I have delivered to you out of this Text if you shall yet continue under the yoke of your sins and be bond-slaves to the Devil in your wicked courses these things shall another day rise up in Judgment to stop your Mouths when this shal be brought against you did not you live in such a Town And such a place And where you heard such a Text opened to you that if you would come to Jesus Christ his yoke was easie and his burden was light and that the way of Jesus Christ brought such sweetness and love and mercy And yet you refused it and you would chuse rather to be a bondslaves to my enemy the Devil then come under the yoke of my son Oh How will this aggravate your sin another day I beseech you let not what we speak unto you be an aggravation of your sin the Reason why I have been so long upon this Text was to take away the stumbling blocks that men laid in the waies of Christ and to draw your hearts to the Love of the waies of Jesus Christ But now if you should reject the waies of Christ and continue under the yoke and bondage of sin after all this will be the fruit of the Sermons that they will be called over again at the day of judgment to make your yoke and burden heavier when you are under the wrath of God to all eternity And that may be a second use of this Point Consequence 3. Thirdly If the Yoke of Christ be thus easie and his Burden light then you that are the people of God that are come under this yoke and have felt the easiness of this yoke bless the Lord for it and bless your selves for what ease you find in the waies of Jesus Christ Think but thus with your selfe there are others indeed they have a strange conceit of the waies of Jesus Christ and think them hard and indeed if their natures be not changed they wil be hard unto them but blessed be God I find them otherwise when I began to turn my face to Jesus Christ my Father or Mother called me Fool and said you will have no comfort and my Uncle and kindred they told me that my comfort would all be gone but blessed be God I did not harken to them but I find them otherwise I do not find that these things bring me into any such bondage but blessed be God I never had that comfort that now I have Nay I have that sweetness ease and comfort that I cannot but think that if al the men in the world did seek now and feel that comfort that I feel they would be in Love with the waies of God I hope there are many that can think with themselves did but all my kindred and my friends Yea did but all the world feel that sweetness ease and comfort that I feel in the waies of Christ they would be in love with them If you can speak so Oh blessed be God for this easie yoke of Christ There might have been required a hard yoke if Christ should say Well I endured a hard yoke for you I came from the Bosome of my Father and came under the curse of the Law for you and if you will be delivered you must have a heavy yoke upon you too if Christ should have required that we should have been tied unto a Stake and endured the fire and have been held unto it and saved at last yet we had cause to fal down and bless God for ever for this but Christ requires no such thing Christ reveals not only Salvation at last but he reveals a fair way he paves our way with Gold so that we go through Canaan unto Canaan not through the wilderness It is true before we came under the yoke of Christ fully there was some trouble but take it in respect of the inward man I say their way to a Heavenly Canaan is through Canaan here in this world they have a Canaan that flows with Milk and Honey It is true the Jews were in a servile way and God would not bring them into Canaan but through the Wilderness and it is true in outward view there is a great deal of trouble to come to you but in regard of the inward man there is a spiritual Canaan to bring us to the Heavenly Canaan and the Saints they may suck Milk and Honey continually if they do not hinder themselves all the way they are going to the Land of Canaan the Lord hath appointed them to suck sweetness and honey out of the Promise of the Gospel all the way they go while the wicked have nothing but Swill and Dogs meat â—o suck and to feed upon And here is the difference between a Godly man and a wicked man an ungodly man or woman is appointed for execution and he lives upon the basket in the mean time he hath nothing to maintain him as a Prisoner he lives upon the basket this is his life in comparison of a Godly mans life he is going on to execution even in this world now between the greatest Prince that is and what the Saints have in this world there is this difference the one is appointed to execution and lives upon the basket to maintain him till the day of execution and the other is going to immortality to receive a Kingdom to live upon the greatest dainties that Jesus Christ brought from the bosom of his Father from the Riches and Glory of his Father here in this world he hath that that sweetens his life and hath his food in some respects better than the food of the Angels he feeds upon Manna that comes from Heaven though he be in the Wilderness of this world Oh bless God and Jesus Christ that hath made such a way for thee to Heaven and love these waies of Christ and speak well of them and labor to promote them and all that ever you can and live so as you may not bring an â—ill report upon the waies of Christ that others may not be deterred from the waies of Jesus Christ by your lives Consequence 4. And that may be another Use if the waies of Christ be so easie then do not bring an ill report upon them Do not lead such discontented sullen dejected lives especially you that have carnal Husbands carnal Wives carnal Parents carnal Masters and Mistresses they look upon you
Christ himself to look upon you as having a fulness of all strength in him and for Christ to come and assist you As now a man that hath a weak Child he may come with his hand and enable the Child to do that which he could not do but the strength that I speak of now is as when one that was a Child before is made a strong man and hath Marrow put into his Bones and Blood into his Veins so this strength is such a strength that is the Riches of his Glory according to the inward man Mark First Here is strength Secondly Here is strength in the inward man strength in the outward man is not so much as the inward man Thirdly Here is strengthened with might Fourthly This strength is by the Spirit now the Scripture useth that word Spirit to express strength by Their Horses are not Spirit but Flesh And then again It is by the Spirit of God And then it is according to the Riches of the Spirit of God such strength and such might and the Spirit of God in the inward man such as shall shew forth the riches of Gods Spirit and then Lastly The riches of his Glory So that the Saints may come to have in them such strength in the inward man with such might by the Spirit of God and according to the riches of God and the riches of his Glory you must not satisfie your selves til you find such a work of Gods grace in you as may manifest the riches of the glory of Gods power Now Christians Do you work so as by your strength in the waies of Religion you do manifest the riches of the Glory of Gods power If you do then certainly the waies of Religion wil be easie to you And then another Scripture which is to shew you that there is a great deal of strength to be had to enable you to go on is that in the 1. of the Collossians and ver 11. Strengthened with all might through his glorious power unto al patience and long-suffering with joyfulness here is strengthened with might strengthened with all might and this according to Gods power and according to his glorious power and unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness mark when we come to have strength from God that is when we come to the hardest things to exercise patience then we have patience and all patience and and joyfulness and giving thanks to the Father and nothing but thankfulness and joyfulness though our condition be such as needs patience Now these rules being put together they may make the way of Christ easy you may run the waies of Gods commandements and go leaping to Heaven and certainly the more easy and the more sweet they be unto you the more sweet will they be to others and you will bring a better report upon the waies of religion and make the waies of God amiable and lovely unto others Wel consider what hath been sayed in this text Many truths you cannot but acknowledg that they nearly concerne you now know that God will require this text at our hands this invitation of Christ come to me al ye that are weary heavy laden I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden light The truth is the same and the very marrow of the Gospel is in this invitation of Christ and therefore I have laboured to shew you as fully as I could what the spirit of God doth intend in this invitation and to lay before you all those truths that are here and have laboured to work them upon your hearts hoping that the impression of divers things that have been delivered from this scripture in the invitation of Christ are upon your spirits and shall remaine in many of your souls even to the day of Christ so that Jesus Christ when he shall come again with another invitation and say come come ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you I say Christ will look upon you having the impression of this invitation upon your hearts And certainly Christ when he shal come to judgment when poor souls shall bring this impression upon their hearts he wil entertain them with a great deal of cheerfulness and he wil give them another invitation Christ saith now come come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden take my yoke upon you and learn of me for my yoke is easy and my burden light doth this invitation prevaile hath these arguments prevailed with your spirits and do you keep the impression of these upon your spirits can you if Jesus Christ were to come to judgment shew the impressions of these invitations upon your hearts and say Lord thou hast invited us and many arguments hath been used to draw us unto thee and our spirits are come to thee and behold now the impressions of those truths upon our hearts Oh! if you shal be able at the day of judgment to shew the impressions of these truths upon your hearts you will be happy and then you shal have the other invitation come ye blessed of my father that will come fully upon you the remembrance of the work of this invitation upon you Oh! how sweet will it be to you And for others that shall live wickedly when they shall come to that day when Christ shall invite others unto him come ye blessed of my father when they shall remember that there was a time when we heard a blessed sweet invitation of Christ opened to us in the Ministry of the word we heard Christ calling Come come and professing that his yoke was easy and his burden light and yet we followed after our lusts and wicked sinful lusts and wicked sinful waies and now we heare that the Saints that did come upon his invitation that they shal be blessed for ever but Christ will not cal us to him we would not have his yoke upon us then and therefore now we must be cast off and have the iron yoke of the wrath and vengeance and curse of eternal displeasure upon us Now the Lord perswade you to take those easy yokes of Christ upon you for the present rather then Gods eternal wrath and displeasure should come to be your portion hereafter FINIS
difference between my child and the child of a heathen Lord is there no difference between this and the times of the Law thou sayest thy yoke is easy and thy burden is light but here is a great burden upon me that I have not that benefit that heretofore I had certainly my brethren Christ did not come into the world to lessen the Grace of God you will say they were in a worse condition then this but how are they in a better as for the covenant of Grace in Jesus Christ that certainly a Jew had they were saved by the same way that we are namely by beleeving in Jesus Christ now those that were beleevers and did understand Jesus Christ they had the same benefit by Jesus Christ that we have I but if their children now should not have the same benefit that they had I say then Christ hath brought a greater yoke upon beleevers in the times of the Gospel then was upon beleevers in the times of the Law and this is contrary to what Christ saith my Yoke is easy and my Burden light Methinks I wonder that any men that are Beleevers that have children of their own that should drinke in that opinion for certainly it cannot but be a greater Yoke upon them and if they should think there were no difference between their children and the children of heathen they should count it a great Yoke and they should think it better for them if they had lived in the times of the Law and before Christ came into the world for then they had benefit for their children Now we are delivered from the Yoke of the ceremonial Law that required hard things and we are not brought into a worse condition you cannot be in a worse condition saith Christ in coming unto me then you were in the times of the Law But especially the Morral law that was a great burden a great yoke as looked upon in the Covenant of works now for that I shal not need to speak much because I have opened it in the invitation of Christ Come unto me al ye that are weary and heavy laden and there I shewed unto you the burden of the Law and from that saith Christ I will give you rest I shewed how Christ delivers from the burden of the Law Certainly the Gospel then is a great ease to mention to you but two or three particulars in this then I shewd you there how it required absolute impossible things impossible unto us now not unpossible unto Adam nâ—t impossible to that power that Adam had at first but impossible to us Now it requires absolute perfection in every thing it doth not admit of any repentance no nor of any endeavour not to accept of it the Law accepts of no endeavour except he continue in every thing he accepts of no repentance But now saith Christ my yoke is easy I require nothing of you but what is easy the Law doth not accept of endeavour but I will accept of endeavour if there be a will I will accept of it if there be repentance I will accept of it the Law would not do â—t let a Sinner weep his heart out the Law would â—ot accept of it after you have sinned the Law binds â—ou over to an eternal curse and had not Jesus â—hrist come into the world you had been bound oâ—r to an eternal curse for ever and that is the reaâ—â— that the Angels cannot be saved and therefore saâ—h Christ take heed of this yoke this is a heavy bâ—den that there should be no mediating nothing should be accepted but saith Christ I will bring you an easyer yoke it is not so when you come to beleeve in mee now your endeavours shal be accepted and though you be imperfect yet if you be upright it shall be accepted CHAP. CXLIV The Yoke of Christ easier then the Yoke of Sin and Antichrist WEll the next is the Yoke of Sin the Yoke of Christ is farr easyer then that sin is the greatest slavery in the World it makes a man or woman a slave to the worst of Creatures that ever was made to the Devil himself to be a slave to sin it is to be a slave to the Devil we have many bills sent up to us to pray for those that are taken captives in Argire it may be there are some of you here that have been taken slaves there and you count that a miserable Yoke when you are made slaves to the Turke you thought your freinds that were at home were happy that had their liberty to go up and down Now Oh! you that ever felt that Yoke or that have heard the doleful complaint of that Yoke by your freinds that you would by that be sensible of the slavery to sin and to the Devil is it noâ— better to be in slavery to any men in the world then to the Devil When you go abroad you must neeâ—s go into the Alehouses to drink and to be amonâ—st company and abuse your bodies to drunkennâ—ss and uncleanness and you have eyes ful of adulâ—ery that cannot cease to sin and you will excuse your selves and say you cannot do otherwise â—hen you are slaves and are taken captive by the Devil to do according to his will that Text you haâ—e for it in 2 Tim. 2. And the last That they may recover themselves out of the Snare of the Devil that are taken captive by him at his will When a man is taken captive he cannot do his own will he cannot go whither he will but he must go whither his master wil have him and he cannot do what work he wil but he must do what his Master will have him So you cannot do what you would but you must do what the Devil would have you to do sin is a slavery to the Devil But now the obedience of the Gospel is that that brings the soul to be a subject to Jesus Christ your King so that here is the difference between the Devills service and Christs that in the one your work is a base slavery and in the other it is an honorable service Christ requires no base slavery of his subjects it were better to do any slavery and drudgery to Jesus Christ then to do any work for the Devil the Devil requires nothing but drudgery and Christ requires nothing but honorable service and therefore the Yoke of Jesus Christ is easyer then the Yoke of sin yea the Yoke of sin hath a great deal of contradiction in it there are cross commands they serve divers lusts one lust would have them do one thing and another would have them do another but now in the service of Christ there is a blessed agreement between them in the service of sin there is nothing but contradiction but in the service of Christ there is nothing but comly order and therefore his service is a great deal easier then the service of sin and the truth is if so be you did but know both of
them you would say as much We cannot compare two things together to know which is heavier then the other except we understand both of them you that are beleevers and are got under the Yoke of Christ yet through temptation you are brought to some service of sin now though sin do reign over you yet you are brought under the service of sin in a great measure but now if you would compare when you keep closesâ— to Christ and the waies of holiness whether you do not find more ease to your spirit then when you have liberty to sin You think it is fine to go abroad and be merry with your friends and abuse your selves you think this is a fine thing I but when you come home your hearts ake upon it and your bodies are worse two or three daies after O! but when you walk with God in a holy manner and walk with God in your calling and pray morning and evening and walk close with God and ever and anon have ejaculations to God and have the face of God shining upon you and so when you go to rest and lie down in the bosom of a reconciled Father to have for your pillow the bosom of a reconciled Father eat your food as that which comes from the fruit of your labor and the blessing of God and sitting with your yoke fellow blessing God for those good things he grants unto you and looking upon your children as the blessings of God unto you and seeing the grace of God in them and in all these things expecting that after a while you shal be taken from the world that you shall never sin more nor sorrow more nor never be troubled more nor never tempted more when you shall see the face of God and enjoy his presence everlastingly Is not here a better life than to be under the bondage and drudgery of the Devil to swear and rail and vex and fret and contend one with another Is not here a great deal more ease Certainly if you will make triall you shall find abundance of ease and it is a good means to draw the heart of any one to repentance when they hear O! what a difference is there between my state now and that whenas I walked close with God What a deal of vexation and trouble have I now whereas when I kept close with God how much better was it then with me then it is now one day then was better then ten thousand worlds now If I should live a thousand years to live â—ne day as I did before when I walked close with God O! this is far better and the thoughts of this makes them to returne to God and say with them in Hoseâ— let me returne again for then it was better with me then now thus for the yoke of sin And then to name one thing more the yoke of Christ is easier then the yoke of Antichrist for so Christ speaks not only for what is for the present but what is afterwards and this scripture is an exhortation to us now aswell as to the Disciples in Christs Time now saith Christ it is easyer then the yoke of Antichrist he saith so to you now suppose Christ were here in this time among you and should say take my yoke upon you for my yoke is easy and my burden light you have heard somwhat of the yoke of Antichrist my yoke is easier you will say what is the yoke of Antichrist I opened it a little in Christs discipline and you shall see it here in the yoke of Antichrist First Take my yoke upon you and I require you to be under no kind of government but what you shal appoint your own officers Antichrist he will appoinâ— hiâ— officers but Christ he allows you to chuse your own officers And Secondly No law that you shal be under for your spiritual estate as a Church that which is properly ecclesiastical and spiritual no law but what I appoint in my word I will not give liberty to men to make what laws they will make no law enjoyned for your spiritual estate but what I appoint if there be a company of men and women that meet in a congregation and meet not only as Christians but as men and women there is somwhat common to them as men and women and there indeed the lawes of men may take hold of them in those actions that are but humane and civill but now in those things that are properly ecclesiastial and spiritual that concerns the spiritual man such things as I must expect for spiritual efficacy upon my Soul to work upon my heart to draw me to God or to bring God to me in these things I am under no law but the law of Jesus Christ no men in the world have power no not Church officers nor civil officers neither Magistrates nor Ministers have any power to put any Law upon a church in regard of the spiritual estate of it in regard of any spiritual ordinance but such as are in the word of God Christ is the great Law-giver and hath made them already and and they are to look that those Lawes be kept but they are to make no new ones there is no new act no new Statute for the ordering of men in their spiritual estate Those things that are properly spiritual to work upon the inward man that concernes the worship of God to draw their hearts to Christ or Christ to them to work upon their hearts there can be no new act no new Law made by Magistrates or any church officers in the world but only such as you find in the Scripture now this is a great ease to a Christian to think Lord thou tenderest my Soul so much that none can command any thing but what thou hast set down in the word and what thou hast commanded indeed Lawyers are to shew men the Lawes of the state and Ministers are bound to shew the people if there be any Law and to teach it the church but there is no law that Ministers are bound to open but only the commands of Jesus Christ they may be made use of as men as publick men and as opportunity serves be helpful in the civil State but as Ministers they have nothing to do but to open the Laws of Jesus Christ and this is a great ease whereas this is the bondage of Antichrist he will make laws to bind conscience and so though a man should keep all Gods laws yet he may be damned to eternity by breaking his laws and therefore he makes it a bondage in this regard that a man should be not only in danger of eternal damnation by disobedience to Christs laws but a thousand laws that he never knows And that is the second ease of the yoke of Christ that there shall be no Laws to govern the Church but the laws of Jesus Christ Thirdly The difference between the yoke of Antichrist and the yoke of Christ is this Antichrist requires submission