acknowledg that it is through grace that he hath but somewhat which God works through him that is the most natural to a rational creature to rest upon somewhat that he doth to make up his peace with God and to be his righteousness before God And it is a mighty work of God to beat off the heart from this especially The heart comes thus far to say it is true I can do nothing of my self but it is by the grace of God that I do al now for the heart not to rest upon this as its own righteousness this is the hardest thing in the world And although men may be convinced in their judgments that they should not rest in any such thing but go out of themselves to another principle yet it is the hardest thing in the world to come off from it and it is that makes the work of faith the most difficult thing in the world because it carries the soul out of it self from its own bottom from its own principles and the mistake of this thing is that that is the undoing of thousands of those that live under the sound of the gospel that when they have somewhat reformed their lives and think they are able to do thus and thus yet here they rest and go not out of themselves to look for rest out of themselves and do not come to Christ Quest You wil say What not rest upon what we do and are inabled to do upon Gods grace Faith it self is a resting upon Christ Ans No but this you must observe in your comming you must not rest upon your comming but upon Christ that you come unto for their may be a deceit in that too There be some that rest upon works of humiliation mourning for sin reforming their lives and they think that is their rest and peace Others go further and think they must beleeve in Christ but they wil rest upon their beleeving so they rest upon their comming and not upon the object that they come unto but we must be taken off from resting upon our comming upon our very beleeving and Christ must be all in all to have true rest in Therefore faith is a Supernatural grace because by that we are taken off from what we are in our selves and carryed on to somewhat else 6. Upon this follows likewise That faith is an humbling grace it is that that must needs humble the soul where it is for indeed it is the greatest self denial in the world for a creature to come to be willing to rely upon free grace for the soul to be so emptied of it self as to acknowledg there is no worthiness no good at al in it self and yet it is content to live eternally upon meere almes and to give God the glory of al. Is there any thing more hard to any of you then to live to be beggers al your daies to be beholding to others so as to live upon meer almes and nothing else al the dayes of your lives Now for the creature to be so emptied of it self as to live upon meere almes to al eternity upon nothing but meer free grace and upon a principle of life without our selves this is a mighty work of emptying of our selves and of self denyal And therefore in Rom. 10.3 It s spoken of the Jewes For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God This plainly shewes that the bringing the heart to rest upon the righteousness that is of God by faith for that is meant here requires a submission of the heart a laying down the heart and a humbling of the heart and indeed this is the very ground why the Lord doth so humble the spirits of men and women when he brings them to Christ because that the Lord knows that the very act the coming to Christ is an act of the greatest self denial in the world because the heart must be emptied of it self in that that is so much against the pride of mans heart to live eternally upon meer free grace and nothing else For there is nothing that man doth more desire then to have somewhat some stock of himself to live upon And indeed herein man comes to be more humble then Adam in innocency could be for Adam had a stock to live upon in his own hand to live upon in himself not but God was the principle of it but then God gave it him to live upon the stock of Grace he had in his owne hand But now in the second Adam the way of God towards us is otherwise the second Adam keepes the stock of life and grace upon which our soules must live eternally in his own hand I say they are in Christs hand not in our selves and therefore our life is a better and safer life then that was and thereby we cannot fal from God because we live by the principle of life that is in him It is a great mistery and almost impossible to unfould only some glimmering we have in the word that this is so 7. If there be nothing required but to come then another consequence wil follow from hence and that is this Hence then beleevers that come to Christ may learn this lesson to be willing to do and to suffer very much for Christ after they come because there was nothing required of them to the pardon of their sins but only to Come I strengthen the inference thus If God had said thus indeed I have sent a mediator to pacifie my wrath and to pardon your sins and before you come to Rest I require that you should suffer so many hundred yeares of torment in fire and that should be a preparation to come and then after you have suffered so much then you shal come and have rest suppose this had been the condition of the covenant now had it been so we had al had cause to have fallen upon our face and have blest his great name that we can have peace on any termes and we should have been not only willing to accept of these termes but to magnifie Gods grace that we can be thus saved at last But the Lord hath not required that first we should suffer such and such hard things and then Come to Christ but he calls upon us first to come and requires nothing before And therefore before we are able to do the Lord any service the Lord wil first accept of us and pardon us and heale us and interest us in himself and be our God and take us to be his Children and make us heirs of heaven and eternal life this at first before we shal ever be able to do him any service What an infinite grace of God is this how is he beforehand with us for he calleth to the greatest sinner that knowes what his sin is and is Laden saith God I require nothing before the receiving you to mercy but meerly to
Lord Christ gives you Rest First For the evidences to know whether your Rest be indeed the right Rest that is in Christ First This Rest in Christ it can never be but upon great discovery of glorious things that the soul was not acquainted with before many men go on and are quiet in their way and think that their rest is Christs rest how wil that appeare that it is Christs Rest It wil appeare that they have had poor weake grounds to stand upon only that which they have in a natural way they live quietly among men and the creatures doth not trouble them and in a prudential way they are loath to trouble themselves in their owne thoughts But now I appeal to thy soul what discoveries hast thou had of the glorious things of the covenant of Grace and the covenant of life in those waies that God hath had in his eternal counsels to reconcile God and thy soul What discoveries of Gods waies hast thou had to draw thy heart to Christ Thy Rest must come from these these must be the meanes to bring thy soul to rest if thy Rest come from blindness Ignorance and deadness of spirit it is far from the true Rest in Christ Secondly The Rest that the soul hath in Christ it is that that the Apostle speakes of in Heb. 14 It comes upon the soules ceasing from its owne worke as God ceased from his verse the 10. For he that is entred into his Rest he also hath ceased from his owne workes as God did from his As God did Rest the seventh day from al his workes he gives that note of the rest in Christ There remaines therefore a rest to the people of God for he that is entred into his rest he also hath ceased from his owne workes as God ceased from his He comepares the rest that the soul hath in Christ to Gods rest upon the seventh day Now saith he as God seased from his work that he wrougt upon the sixth day the seventh day he rested so whatsoever enters upon this rest he must cease from his owne workes what is that The work that a man workes for himself as in his natural estate every man in his natural estate doth not Gods work at al but works his owne work Now saith he look as God ceaseth from his owne work and then rests they that enter into this rest must cease from their owne workes those workes of sin that they lived in and wrought for themselves for their own endes while they were in their natural estates so that then examin this hast thou ceaâ—ed from thy own works dost not thou work for thy self in al thy waies Art thou taken off from thy self and al the creatures It may be thou dost some work but materially it is nothing of Gods thou prayest and makest profession of religion I but it is thy owne worke stil But if thou beest entered into this rest thou must cease from thine owne workes not only from those workes that are sinful in themselves but thou must not worke for thy self in the best things thou must be taken off from thy self in the best things thou must work the works of God and be emptied of thy self and then thy soul shal have rest That is both an evidence that thy rest is true and a meanes to bring rest unto thy soul Take heed that thy work be not thine owne work when thou dost any work I am about such and such a work I but is it my owne work or Gods work It is true there was a time that al the work I did was for my self and then if there were any argument whereby I could see that it was for my self I could work if it was for self ends if I had self to be promoted I could work this is the way of men in themselves But now when the soul hath entred into the rest of Christ he hath ceased from his owne workes and therefore now though there be not strong arguments and ends to perswade me to doe a work yet it is enough that it is the work of God and God shal have praise in it and I can work as earnestly and and strongly in the work as ever I did any worke for my self Thirdly Another note of the true rest of the soul in Christ is this The more rest thou hast in Christ the more active thou art for God the false rest that the soul hath makes it dul secure sluggish and negligent but now the true rest that is in Christ makes the soul mighty active and stirring maks it to do great things for God never had that ability to do for God as now when it hath had rest from Christ as now we know that many people are very active stirring when their conscience is stirred then they wil rise early in the morning and hear and read and pray and mightily stir when their conscience is stirred but if they have got any quiet and rest to their spirits they grow lazy dul and secure and are less active in the places God hath set them in then before but the soul that hath true rest from Christ is more active and lively in the work of God then before As Archimedes said give me a place where I could rest my self on and he thought then he could move the earth so let the soul get but once the foot stopt upon Christ so as he can have rest in Christ he can do more for God then ever he could before And therefore I remember and you may afterward by comparing find this note to be true that whereas God commanded Moses while they were going up and down in the wilderness and had no rest to make an altar for sacrifice of such a bigness so many foot in the story you shal find that when Solomon came to make an Altar to God he made it twice as big as Moses in the time of their being in the wilderness The two several places I cannot stand to look to but you shal find this note to be true that the altar of Solomon was as big again as the altar of Moses Why for they were then in a restless condition went up and down and were not at rest But now when they came to the Land of Canaan there they had rest and there the altar is as big again noting that they should offer as much sacrifice again as they did before in the time when they were in the wilderness in their restless condition So thy soul was once in the wilderness hurried up and down and then the altar for thy sacrifice was buâ— little but when once God brings rest to thy soul in Christ thy altar shal be as big again and thou shalt do as much more for God as thou didst before Fourthly Another note of the true rest in Christ is this if so be that thou hast this rest then that which is Christs rest is thine as thus If thou hast rest in Christ
in Christ 4 There is abundance of present good in affliction Page 360 Chap. 46. Containeth the conclusion of the last doctrine in the two former Chapters shewing how unbeseeming a thing it is for a beleever to be troubled in affliction Page 366 Chap. 47. Sheweth that beleevers are often under inward affliction and spiritual desertions Page 368 Chap. 48. 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 Page 371 Chap. 49. Sheweth that beleevers have not only Rest in but Rest also from afflictions Page 379 Chap. 50. Five markes of true rest in Christ I It is not but upon discovery of glorious things the soul knew not before II. It comes upon the soul ceasing from its own work III. It makes the beleever active for God IIII. Rest in those things wherein Christ rested V. True Rest wil abide the trial of the word Page 382 Chap. 51. Eight means to get and keep Rest in Christ 1 Beware of secret Sins 2 Be thankful for what good God hath given thee 3 Judg not thy self in time of temptation 4 In trouble wait upon God in the use of means 5 Meditate much upon the promises 6 Proportion humiliation to thy comfort 7 Be throughly grounded that thou art in Christ 8 Improve the Rest thou hast to God by doing much work to him Page 388 CHRIST INVITING SINNERS TO COME TO HIM MATTH 11.28 Come unto me al ye that Labor and are heavy laden and I will give you Rest CHAP. 1. Wherein There 's 1. The Dependance of this verse upon the former with the Scope of the Holy Ghost herein 2. The Meaning of the words 3. The Division thereof into three parts HAving opened unto you that great Doctrine of Reconciliation with God in Christ and of the willingness of God and Christ to be Reconciled to Sinners sending his Messengers to invite intreate and beseech in his Name though there was something else followed in the Chapter that I could willingly have handled yet because I would press on what hath been delivered about our Reconciliation with God in Christ and urge it further with a suitable argument I have pitched upon this text wherein we have set forth the willingness of Christ to be Reconciled to Sinners and a most gracious invitation of Jesus Christ to poor Sinners to come in unto him that they might have Rest for their Souls A Text that breatheth forth nothing but mercy and goodness to Sinners a Heart melting invitation In Jer. 31.12 we have a prophesie that Sinners shal come and flow together to the goodness Or to the bountifullness of the Lord as some of your books have it surely if there be any Scripture that holds forth the goodness and bountifulness of the Lord to Sinners so as to melt their hearts that they may flow unto it it is this in the Text. This invitation of Christ Come unto me ye that are Weary and heavy laden and I will give you Rest is that which hath been the Comfort of many a wounded Conscience of many a troubled Sinner having fastned upon it their Souls have been staied and they have been kept from sinking into the bottomless Gulf of dispaire thereby A Text that hath been of as great use unto afflicted Consciences as any in al the Book of God If ever there were a Heart breaking Scripture certainly here it is Come unto me ye that are weary and heavy Laden c. It is in it self an intire sentence if we take the 28. verse and no more it is ful of abundance of sweetness and filled up to the top with the Grace and goodness of the Lord. But â—ow if you observe the dependence of these words on the former the words that go before then you wil see that there is indeed a soul satisfying fulness of Mercy and goodness in the Lord held forth from this text and though many of you I question not have heard this Text often quoted Come unto me ye that are weary and heavy laden and I wil give you Rest yet perhaps few of you have observed how these words come in and have a sweet dependance upon the former If you compare these words with those that go before you shal see that they are very heart breaking expressions What did Christ say in the very verse before I 'll go no further Al things saith he are delivered unto me of my Father and no man knoweth the Son but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whomsoever the Son wil reveal him and then follows Come to me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I wil give you Rest The Text seems to be so ful of sweetness alone that it is seldom observed how this comes in after it But now we should look upon them thus and consider that they are the words of Christ Who after he had said Al things are delivered to me of my Fathet and no man knoweth the Son but the Father c. Immediately saies Oh! Come to me all ye that are weary and heavy Laden and I will give you Rest We may observe in this dependance of the words on the former these two things 1. Christ saith That al things are delivered to him of the Father and therefore come to me this depends upon the beginning of the 27. verse All things are delivered to me of my Father as if Christ should say Be it known unto you poor troubled afflicted Sinners that mourne under the weight and burden of your Sins I have all things delivered by the Father to me that is al the mercy al the Riches of Grace all the treasures al the goodness and Grace that is in the Father is given to me to dispence to you and al power is given to me of the Father to do good to poor troubled Sinners And therefore come to me Oh! come to me ye poor troubled and afflicted Sinners 2. No man knows the Son but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him that 's the second thing observable in the dependance of these words on the former saith Christ there is a most infinite communion between me and my Father and I know fully whatsoever is in the mind of God the Father what his Heart is towards sinners I know what his thoughts have been from al eternity about doing good unto poor Sinners there is a most neer conjunction between me and my Father and I alone can reveal the Father to poor sinners that are
to Christ thy comming to Christ doth give thee right to Jesus Christ If thy grace the grace of God doth make thee come that very act of thine in coming gives thee interest and right in him though thou hadst none before There needs no other right and challenge to Christ but Gods offering of Christ in the Gospel to thee and thy comming to him But now for it is pitty to let this pass it may be some may think wil not this tend to looseness to say it s nothing else but to Come to Christ I know it is extreamly abused many wayes many wil abuse it thus when we are preaching the Gospel that if at any time we preach the miserable condition of men to humble them they wil say it is a contradiction but I beseech you take heed of these vain Spirited men who seek not Jesus Christ in the way of the Gospel And though it may be through their weakness or the distemper of their hearts they wil not or do not see the way of the Gospel but they wil come to young people and weake Christians and say there 's contradiction in this for if this be true how can the other be true But these things that seem contradictory they are very agreeable one with another if you would seem to give judgment upon what we apprehend we shal make the Scripture to contradict it self But now those that are versed in Scripture and understand the mind of God in the Scripture can tel how to joyn these together though others think they contradict one another As that of Paul to the Romans That we are justified by faith without the works of the Law And that in James he saith we are Justified by workes A stranger would think these contradict one another but they that are acquainted with the way of the Scripture they can understand what this meanes So these men that would make contradiction in the preaching of Gods Ministers in the Gospel they are strangers to the way of God in the Gospel did they understand the way of God cleerly in the Gospel they would know how to make a sweet agreement of such things as they would make poor young ones and weak beleevers to beleeve there is a contradiction in them And therefore this I would hold and hope we shal for ever hold as a strong principle That the condition of the Gospel is only comming and that which the weight of our soules and eternal estates lies upon is not our humbling but it is the comming to Jesus Christ Do not say that this tends to loosness for that soul that sees Christ as the glorious mediator to come to save him this sight of Christ hath a great deale of power to sanctifie the heart for when I see this I see first that I have to doe with God and that there must be a mediator between God and me my sins have made such a breach between God and my soul this tends not to looseness And then as you were taught before comming notes a removing from one condition to another Then it notes secondly that my heart is taken off from the world from my lusts from my corruptions my comming implies this And thirdly when I consider the end of my comming what the soul aimes at when it comes thus I come to Christ to save me from the power of my sins as wel as the guilt of my sins I come to Christ as the fountain of al my happiness I come to him for life and grace and all good I come to him that I might live in him and that I might live to God by him Certainly to say that Christ requires only to come to him this doth not tend to loosness I come to Christ that I may commit my whole soul to him is not this a sanctifying grace Indeed to preach thus that you may come to Christ and no more this pleaseth Libertines but when we consider what is the way of the Gospel I must first know what it is to come and then I must know that it is to leave somewhat to know wherfore I come that I may have al my happiness in him I come to him for life for salvation for union with God the father that I may enjoy communion with him to everlasting here is no liberty to looseness in comming but a blessed maintaining of the condition of the Gospel in the way of the soules coming unto Christ 4. It followes from hence that the weakest and the least degree of Faith that is wil give us interest in Christ because that nothing but comming to him is required It is not run to me or come strongly to me if I can but get to him though it be crawling though it be never so poorly never so weakely that doth it by comming and closing with Christ If that be the condition to come to such a place for a pardon though they come creeping upon their hands and feet through weakeness yet if they be but there they shal have that that is promised so say I though the soul in coming to Christ creep as it were upon hand and feet come with much weakeness it is that that gives interest in Christ not such and such degrees of Faith and confidence as some have It may be some poore weake Christians are troubled at this that they have not such confidence and assurance as others have they are ful of doubts and feares We are to know that it is not the degree and strength of Faith that is required in coming but comming to Christ Come to me though it be with shaking with trembling though with mixture of much feare yet come to me and you shal have rest 5. It follows from hence That the work of faith and bringing true rest unto the soul is a supernatural work it is comming to him that is it s the looking forward by a righteousness that is beyond our own it is a leaving our own righteousness not resting upon that and confiding in what we have are or can be inabled to do by the power of God I say that the way of the souls getting rest in Christ by faith it is supernatural for it is by such a way wherein the soul comes to deny it self in whatever it hath whatever it doth whatever it can be inabled to do by the power of God It rests not upon any thing that is in it or done by it no nor in any thing that God himself by his grace and infinite power can do in it I do not say do for it for that is in Christ but do in it beyond what is in it self or Gods infinite power is able to inable it to do it is comming to Christ and therefore going out of our selves this is supernatural for there is nothing more natural to mankind then this to rest upon his own bottom to desire the staff in his own hand to leane upon some worthiness and some good in himself this though he wil
Christ there is no returne of any guilt if Christ doth undertake for them that come to him though Christ doth undertake for what is past and what is to come yet as it is with a malefactor though perhaps he hath his pardon and be received into Favor yet he may think there is some alteration again but now the guilt that was upon thee shall never return upon thee again Though a man hath a pardon if he do not carry himself wel the former Guilt returnes again but when once the Soul is pardoned the former Guilt never returnes again the Lord wil blot out all their sinnes and remember them no more As when you cast a thing out of your Ship into the bottom of the Sea you never look for it again so it is with God all your sins shall be cast into the bottom of the Sea and shal be so far from you as the Guilt of them shall never come more to you when once you are come to Christ IX Ninthly There is not only deliverance from guiltiness our justification is not only privative but it is a clothing of the Soul with the Righteousness of Christ we have a perfect Righteousness that is the great Mediator of the new covenant here is a righteousness that I am not only pardoned but I have a perfect Righteousness to stand before the great God withal X. Yea Tenthly and Lastly The Rest we have in Christ is this that we are sure upon our coming to him that the great work of the day of judgment shal be the solemnity of our absolution the solemnity of thy pardon One of the great works that God intends to do at the great day of judgment it is certainly this to make thy pardon to be solemnized by men and Angels thou hast now thy pardon but the great work of God at that day shall be the solemnity of the absolution and pardon of the Saints then shal their sins be put away anew as the Scripture speakes and in the time of refreshment then shal your sins be done away they are done away before but then they shall be done away before men and Angels thou shalt not fear at the day of Judgment that God shal come and upbraid thee with thy sins al the while thou wentest under the guilt of sin what was more terrible to thy Soul than the thoughts of the day of Judgment Oh how can I stand before the Holy God at the great day and have all these sins charged upon me No come to me saith Christ and you shal never need to fear that great day of judgment any more for the great work of that day shal be to make your pardon to be solemnized so that you need not to fear any longer the day of Judgment but to long for that day and if the great day of judgment be not terrible yet the Particular day of Judgment may be terrible the Lord hath a Particular day of Judgment for every Soul in which God doth cast every man one way or other but then there shal be a great day of Judgment wherein all the world shal solemnly be judged Now then lay al these together Christ undertakes Christ satisfies the justice of his Father Christ satisfies the wrath of his Father Christ is an advocate at the Right hand of his Father Christ sprinkles thy Conscience with his own blood and thou standest as perfect in the point of justification as Abraham Isaac and Jacob and the Guilt of thy sins shal never return again And Christ undertakes for thee that thou shalt not come into Condemnation And thou hast a perfect Righteousness besides thy freedom from Death Christ clothes thee with his righteousness and so God the Father looks upon thee and Christ doth assure thee that the great work of the day of judgment shal be to solemnize thy pardon Thus saith Christ come to me all you that lie under the sence of the Guilt of your sins come to me and you shall have rest here I make all this good to you and all this rest is in thy coming to Jesus Christ all the rest in the world is worth nothing to this O therefore let us be willing to indure any trouble it is no great matter what trouble we indure in this World so we may come to Christ and this is but one branch this is but the easing of the Soul from the first Burden and yet even this to the Soul of a beleever will God make good if God give thee but a heart to make al these things real to thy Soul thou maiest depart in peace and go away and bless God and even say with the Psalmist in Psalm 116. And now my Soul return unto thy Rest The words are in the original Rests and now my Soul return unto thy rests Oh here are rests ten several rests for a Laden Soul that is under the guilt of sin do not think it much that we that are the Ministers of the Gospel should speak to you about the Restless condâ—on that you are in by reason of sin be willing that we should trouble you in a sinful way being we have so much rest to bring you to Do not think the Minister troubles you do not complain of the word that troubles mens consciences I appeal to you if there be any thing in Gods word to trouble mens Souls is there not again as much in Gods word to ease mens Souls and give Rest unto them Now this is Gods rest that is purchased by the blood of Christ our desire is that you might not cry Peace Peace unto your Souls when there is no peace and now when you hear but the beginning of the excellency that there is for the Soul in Christ Now you should even upon this cry to God Lord O that I might be partaker of this rest and still to desire to hear further and further of this blessed Rest that is to be had in Jesus Christ And thus much for the Rest that is to be had in Jesus Christ from the Burden of the guilt of sin CHAP. XXIX The deliverance from the Law by Christ set out 1. Privatively in five Particulars 2. Positively in five Points more THe next burden that was upon Laden sinners that Christ cals unto him it was the burden of the Law you that are under the burden of the Law come to me and I wil give you Rest I shewed in many Particulars wherein the burden of the Law consisted when I opened the former Point of the Load of sinners but now I am to come to shew how Christ doth deliver sinners from the burden of the law for so certainly he doth we are redeemed from the Law by Christ this is a great Point and the right understanding of this will help us exceeding much in the understanding of many truths in religion Wherefore first I shall shew you how far Christ hath not delivered us from the Law that is where it is where it is
offices between God and the soul and therefore let such as are in such a condition take heed of such temptations And these now are the helps to those that are under the burden of spiritual desertions there is enough in Christ to help them and these being observed they may come to have rest in Jesus Christ CHAP. XLIX Sheweth that beleevers have not only Rest in but Rest also from afflictions BUt now further besides all this Rest you have heard of there is a time when the Lord shal not only give the soul rest IN Afflictions but shal give the soul rest FROM Affliction yea it may be in this world He speaks as if there were a rest to the people of God to be delivered from affliction not only in Affliction but delivered from Affliction That place that we have in Isai 54.11 O thou afflicted tossed with Tempest and not comforted behold I will lay thy Stones with fair colors and lay thy Foundations with Saphires and I will make thy windows of Agates and thy gates of Carbuncles and all thy borders of pleasant Stones Thou art now afflicted Tossed Tempted and not comforted but it shal be otherwise with thee It is true indeed the Church ever since the beginning of the world hath been in an afflâ—cted condition tossed with tempest and not comforted not according to what is expressed but here is a promise of a glorious time when there shal be a sure Foundation laid and that Foundation of precious stones and rest there shal be And if you compare this scripture with that in Revel 21. You shall see it aims at a glorious time when Christ shal give Rest unto the Soul at vers 4. And God shal wipe away all tears from their Eyes and there shal be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shal there be any more pain for the former things are passed away And if you read after you shal find that he doth seem to allude unto this Isai 54. And there tels what those precious stones shal be that shal be the foundation of the happy estate of Gods Saints and that it is not to be in Heaven but here before the great and generall day of judgment It appeares plainly by this that the Text saith That the Kings of the Earth shal bring their glory and honor unto it at the 24. verse The Nations of them which are saved shal walk in the light of it and the Kings of the Earth do bring their Glory and Honor unto it It is such a time of the Church as the Kings of the Earth shal bring their glory and their Honor unto it Now after the day of judgment in Heaven the Kings of the Earth do not bring their glory and their Honor to the Saints in Heaven but they shal bring their glory and their Honor to the Saints here It is a prophesie of such a happy condition that the Saints shal be in that the Kings of the Earth shal bring their Glory and their honor to them and therefore here it is upon this Earth this promise is made of a glorious time that the Saints shall have that all tears shal be wiped away from their Eyes here in this world and it seems to be spoken of the same time that was spoken of in the Chapter before in the 20. Chapter of the first Resurrection Now after that time it appeares that the Devil shal be loosned and Gog and Magog shal gather themselves together against Gods people after that time But there is such a world here for the people of God a rest to be had from all affliction even here upon the Earth to be hoped for when the saints of God shal be honored before all the world and all wicked and ungodly men shal be subdued before them But further there is certainly a rest of Glory in the world to come and that is to be added to al the rest when the saints shal keep an eternal Sabboth before the Lord and shal there be alwaies exercised in praising Magnifying and blessing of the great God Quest You will say Shall that be such a Rest in performing of Holy Duties I that shall be a rest indeed for there shal be no weariness of the flesh but the Soul shal be in a spiritual condition and the flesh shal be subservient to the soul that there shal be no wearisomness to the flesh that it shal enjoy communion with God and be in blessed visions with God and be in his Fathers House above al enemies above sin they shal neither sin more nor sorrow more nor fear more nor doubt more nor be troubled more this is the rest that the soul shal have in Christ And I make no question but Christ means this among the rest when he saith come to me But to speak of this glorious rest is a large point elswhere I have opened it at large what the glory of the Saints shal be in Heaven and therefore I shal speak no more in this Now then put al together that I have said concerning the Rest that I have spoken of and may we not conclude of this rest and wel may it have that epithite which is spoken in Isay 11.10 In that day there shal be a root of Jesse which shal stand for an ensigne of the people to it shal the Gentiles seek and his Rest shal be glorious Here it is spoke of the Rest of Christ his Rest shal be glorious We may wel apply it to the Rest of the Saints the saints shal have a glorious rest and it hath been shewed unto you in many particulars wherein I have opened this rest unto you that you may see it is a glorious rest CHAP. L. Five markes of true rest in Christ I. It is not but upon discovery of glorious things the soul knew not before II. It comes upon the soul ceasing from its owne worke III. It makes the beleever active for God IIII. Rest in those things wherein Christ rested V. True Rest wil abide the trial of the word YOU Wil say Oh that we did but know that this was our rest that we did not presume but that we were sure that the rest that we have in Christ was a true rest Now I told you before that there was a faith of adherence that might bring rest though there were not a faith of evidence But now you wil say if we might have both a faith of evidence as wel as a faith of adherence it would ad much to our Rest Now I wil help you to some notes whereby you may come to examin whether the Rest you have is the glorious Rest here spoken of and two things I shal doe because notwithstanding al this glorious Rest many of Gods servants here in this world are under much trouble of spirit I shal give further rules how to make use of the rest that is to be had in Christ and some rules likewise how to keep the rest when the
fathers were able to beare and that it is not only meant Ceremonial but moral it appeares at the 11. verse We beleeve that through the grace of our lord Jesus Christ we shal be saved even as they Now the grace of our lord Jesus christ is not only opposite to the ceremonal law but to the moral Law when it is taught in way of Justification to life So that this law that is such a yoke is that that is opposite to the grace of Christ that brings salvation it is that law that reveales Sin it is that law which is the minister of death by which the mouths of al come to be stopped so that it is a heavy yoke those that are under this Law that is such as are under the first covenant the Covenant of works that seek for Justification by that they are under a greivous burden they are the children of the bond woman for the law requires that that is impossible for them to do Now when a soul comes to see and understand it self to bee under the law such a Law as requires things impossible to be done this burdens the soul so by this means it comes to see the need it hath of Christ and Christ cals to such to come to him as if he should Say So long as you continue unbeleivers in your natural condition you are under Such a covenant for life as requires that of you which you cannot possibly do and therefore there is no resting in that condition Come therefore to me take my yoke my easie yoke the other is a heavy yoke But I wil shew you a way for ease and rest to your soules That is the first But though the law may require hard things impossible things yet it may remit in some other things Wherefore 2. In the second place this is the yoke and bondage of the Law that in every thing that it doth command it doth require absolute perfection accepts of nothing but absolute perfection in every thing that it doth Comand it doth not onely comand hard things but whatsoever the law requires it doth require an absolute perfection in it or otherwise casts the Soul if there be but a failing on any particular in any degree of that which the Law requires the Law casts the Soul by it It requires not only that the thing should be done but that it should be done in a right manner that it should be done out of a right principle that it should be done in the perfection of degrees to the uttermost that is required that there should not onely be a direction of our lives according to the rule but that we come up fully to the Rule this the law requires Now what a miserable yoke and burden is this for a poor soul to look upon the Law as requiring first things that I cannot do And secondly absolute perfection admitting of no imperfection at al this is a heavy yoke this neither we nor our fathers could beare and those that come to be sensible of this must needs be under a greivous burden and so se a need of Jesus Christ Christ cals those that do understand this It is true if it were thus and people were left without any help and remedy it were a sad condition truly if christ had not come into the world to put himself under the law we had been left thus and al those that do not understand the Gospel that have not had Christ preached unto them they are al thus they are al in this Condition they are under a law that they cannot performe that law which doth require absolute and perfect obedience in every thing or else casts them Thirdly The Burden of the Law is this you may say though it doth require perfect obedience but wil it accept of no endeavours at al suppose we do endeauor to obey to the uttermost that we can There are many men wil require things that are hard and beyond strength I but when there are endeavours to do that that is required that wil be accepted wherefore we are to know this that the Law accepts of no endeavours though a man or woman should strive their hearts out to obey to come to the height of the perfection of the Law the Law doth not accept of those endeavors It is true when the Soul comes unto Christ in the Gospel when the Soul comes under the covenant of Grace endeavors are accepted therefore do not say that God wil not accept of our endeavors and why should we endeavor Yes if you come unto Christ your endeavors wil be accepted as we shal shew you when we come to discourse the rest that the Soul hath in Christ But now here is an argument to drive poor souls to Christ to consider that while you are out of Christ your endeavors are not accepted you are not in away of life for life and Salvation it is not to be had in the condition you are now in for the Law requires obedience it must have the work done you can be but either under the covenant of works or the covenant of grace so long as you are under the covenant of works there the work is called for and not meerly endeavors that wil not do therefore the Apostle saith in the Rom. 10.5 For Moses describeth the righteousness of the Law that he which doth those things shal live by them You must either be Righteous by the Righteousness of the Law or by the Righteousness of Christ now if you would be Righteous by the Righteousness of the Law hear what it is he that doth these things shal live by them If you do them Moses doth not say he that endeavors to do these things he that strives to do these things No but Moses saith he that doth them he that doth these things shal live by them it must be doing and not endeavoring that the Law accepteth and that is the third thing wherein the bondage of the Law consists Saith Christ come to me and you shal have rest it is by beleeving in Christ that you must have rest There can be no rest but a grievous burden upon the soul til it doth come to Christ if it doth understand things and if it doth not understand these things it is in so much the worse condition though perhaps it be not sensible of such a burden through ignorance as most people spend off al their daies and through ignorance do not come to be sensible of it but when the Soul comes to understand what tearms there are between God and it and how it must stand before God that it must either stand by vertue of a Covenant of Works or a Covenant of Grace and that al naturally are under a Covenant of Works and so long as I am in my natural Condition I am under such a Law that accepts of no endeavors this must needs be a great burden unto the Soul and make it to see an absolute necessity of going to
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
do their duty but with blowes and slashes they are set upon their duty now this is very burdensom if indeed they might be put upon it with love gentle and fair cariages they should do as much as they do with a great deale more ease but when al meanes that is used is rigorous and forcible this makes their lives burdensome unto them so it is here they that are legal performe duties but how the terror of the law the flashes of hel fire in their conscience and the fear of the Judgments of God come unto them except you do this you may fear that the Judgments of God wil pursue and follow you In the night season when they are in the darke they are filled with terror and when this terror comes upon them then they must go to prayer though they have no mind to go to prayer for their conscience else wil fly in their faces in the day time these are just like the Children of Israel in Egypt the taske masters put them upon their worke with rigor that their very lives were tedious to them whereas those that are sanctified they go to performe duties out of love and so their duties are sweet and delightful to them The 6. Burden of legal performances 6. From hence follows that those that are meerely legal in their performances they do their duty with much straitness of spirit they have no inlargment of heart usually very rarely in any thing they do but they do it if they do do it in a dul manner a dead way meerly the work done and no more their spirits are excedingly strait pray they must so much time they spend in prayer but when they are risen from prayer they find their harts are as strait as ever I do not say but a godly man or woman may be so at sometimes but when duties are performed in a legal way this is constantly so and Oh what a burden is this to a soul to think that I can never go into the presence of God but I have stil a dead straight heart others have enlarged hearts but I do the duty and nothing comes of it I feel my heart altogether straitned in the duty and so I go on in the rounds but stil am straitened dead and dul in the performance of the duty The 7. Burden of Legal Performances 7. Those that performe duties in a meer legal way find nothing to come of their duties but are meerly as a horse in the mil go the rounds or as if a man were to rive or cleave a knotty peice of wood he strikes but the knottiness of the wood gives the rebound to the axe and wedges and he can make no marke of it though a man strive and work hard yet if he findes his work goes on here is some comfort but when he works and works and it continues so stil this is burdensome If a man should be set to pull a logg out of a ditch and injoyned to work from morning to night and he pulls and pulls al the day and it stirs not is no further on in his work at night then he was in the morning and he must go to it the next day and nothing comes of his work this is very tedious so it is with those that are meerely legal in their performances they find little or nothing comes of al their performances and this must needs be very burdensome you that have been thus burdened know this very text concernes you and Christ hath thoughts of you and cals you to himself and saith Come to me as if Christ should say certainly there is another way for you to have ease and rest to your souls it is true you must go on and do your duty but you must come to know me in the gospel before yo◠〈◊〉 have ease and rest to your souls The 8. Burden of Legal Performances 8. Those that performe duties in a meer legal way the the truth is let them â—oll never so much in that way they can never attain to their end let them â—oil never so much performe duties never so many increase their duties a thousand fold yet they can never attain unto their end Their end what is that you wil say Their end is that they might have peace with God live and have eternal life it is true base hipocrites look at profit many wil make a show of religion get into houses and talk of good things that they may get good cheere meat and drink and a little gain being of a poor and unworthy Spirit but I speake of those that are grown higher then thuâ— those that performe duties out of conscience and yet never attain to their end nor never wil attain to their end in this way til they come to know more of Christ I speake of such as desire rest to their souls yet in this way of legal performances never gain this rest to their souls and and therefore it must needs be burdensome unto them The 9. Burden of Legal Performances 9. Those that performe duties in a meer legal way they goe on and performe duties but whether God accepts of them yea or no they cannot tel do them they must but whether God be their enemy or their friend they canot tel tender up duties to God they do every day but whether they tender them up to an enemy or a friend they do not know sometimes they have perhaps some good hopes that God accepts them but never come to any knowledg of Gods acceptance they go up and down continually with Jealous thoughts of God fearing leaâ—â—od wil take advantage of them at the last this musâ—â—e burdensome Many poor souls have gon on in tâ—â—tion one seven yeares after another and al for thâ— of coming to Jesus Christ for rest unto their soules then comes rest to the heart of a sinner when it knowes and can say upon good ground though my heart have much corruption though my duty have much imperfection yet through a covenant of grace what I do the Lord accepts of me whereas the other never comes to know that God doth accept them though they performe their duties never so wel The 10. Burden of Legal Performances 10. Those that performe duties in a meer legal way their spirits are hurried on to do the work to do the thing that conscience requires although in regard of their weakness the doing of such a thing at such a time wil hinder the doing of other duties that God requires of them but yet do it they must I do not say duties are not to be done at this time but such things as conscience tels them are good they are hurried on to do them presently though in regard of their weakness the doing of them now doth hinder them from doing other things of more consequence as we find by experience many that are weake yet under the command of conscience and are in a legal way suddenly there comes such a thing into their
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
the hearts of the godly that it is ready to cast them into the fire and into the water to do those things that are against their own inclination against their prayers against their resolutions against their vowes against their covenants though they see such a thing to be evil are convinced of it though they find a strong inclination against the evil though they have been at prayer to God to help them against it though they resolve with the strongest resolutions against it yea though they vow and Covenant yea they come to the sacrament and set to their seale so violent is their corruption that it carries and hurries them on in wayes of evil notwithstanding 4. Again the motions and stirring of Corruption are very burdensome unto the Saints in regard of the confused disorder that there is in the motions of their corruptions there is much disorder and confusion in the heart when corruption doth stir which causeth much disturbance what causeth more disturbance in a State in a Family in a Town then confusion and disorder nothing is more disorderly and confused then the corruption in our hearts and therefore burdensome it causes much perplexity in the hearts of the Saints because they find their corruptions working and stirring in such a confused way they find sometimes when they are in duty such strange confused working of their hearts that it is an extream burden upon them 5. Further the corruption of the heart works very maliciously and therefore the more burdensome that is it watcheth especially those times wherein it may do us most mischief then it wil be most stirring as a malicious enemy wil not only be troublesome to one that he is an enemy unto at sometimes but he watcheth if there be any time wherein he may do him more mischief then another I wil take that time saith an enemy so the corruptions of the hearts of men they watch when they may do the soul the greatest mischeif now many a christian may think though I find much corruption stirring many times yet if I could but be free when I get alone to have communion with God O! that it would let me alone at that time and so though I find it stirring at other times yet if it would let me alone at the hearing of the word but it comes at that time especially you wil have evil thoughts at prayer more then ever you had and at the hearing of the word light workings of spirit more then at other times and not only at the word but if there be but one truth that doth more neerly concerne the good of your soules then another you shal find your corruptions to hinder you then more then at another time and so at the sacrament and fasting there it wil be more working then at another time 6. yea and further if there be any time that through Gods mercy in a day of prayer fasting and the like if you can get your hearts to any comfortable frame brokenness of heart renewed resolutions to walk in the waies of God more strictly then before as many times it is in dayes of fasting and prayer above al times wil your corruptions be stirring after that more then any time thus maliciously when it may do you the greatest michief then it wil be most working Now what a burden is this to the soule as it is said of Christ in Matth. the latter end There you have the story of Christs baptisme and when he was baptised then came the holy Ghost upon him in the likeness of a dove and this manfestation of God from heaven This is my beloved sonn in whom I am wel pleased wel presently saith the text he was led into the wilderness to be tempted of the divel God was in the worke but the devil was malicious against him presently after a glorious manifestation of God the father to him As it was with Christ your savior so you must expect it wil be with you Christ when he had such a glorious manifestation of God the father from heaven to him then he was led aside then the divel presently came upon him so it wil many times be with you when at any time you have got your hearts up to God in a day of fasting prayer or the like and have got some sense of Gods love take heed of security at that time more then at al times and that is the reason that you shal find if you observe it that very often after a day of fasting after such a day that you have got most in if not the very night yet the next day you wil find strong workings of the corruptions of your herets to keep them down immediately after that time for the stirring of corruptions they are very malicious and watch for the time that they may do us the greatest mischief of al. 7. Further the stirring of the Corruptions that remain in us are very burdensome in regard of their unseasonableness by that I meane this to speak plainly to your hearts the stirrings of our corruptions if we shal gratifie them many times yeild to them as it were for peace sake as sometimes the heart of a man or woman is so troubled with the workings of corruption that they think they must needs yield that they might be quiet wel if thou shalt yeild to them to quiet them they wil come upon thee more and more with greater strength they wil come upon thee then before as now if any one that is troublesome to us in seeking to get such and such a thing of us and at length because of trouble to us we yield to them then afterwards they grow more and more upon us incroach more and more upon us and are very troublesome and burdensome to us it is so in the stirring of corruption if you yield to your corruption for one thing it comes more and more upon you so that the only quiet you can have is by being at open defiance with them now this is another thing wherby the corruptions of the hearts of Gods people are very burdensome to them 8. Lastly The Corruptions in the hearts of Gods people are very burdensome because they are very prevailing this is an higher degree they are burdensome in the root and then in the working they are more burdensome but then in the prevailing they are yet more burdensome If so be a Child of God that looks into his hearâ— and finds what a root of bitternese there is that makes him go heavily al his dayes but now when he finds such working and stirring of corruption this troubles him more he thinks though I have such a cursed nature though I cannot keep down the motions and stirrings of my corruption yet if I could keep them from working yea though I cannot keep them from working yet if I could but keep them from prevailing but alas they overcome me many times and this is the greatest burden of al that they prevail in our hearts
it not the word of the Lord hast thou not now a gracious offer Is it not a mercy that thou art out of hel this day and is it not a mercy that thou art not drowned in the sea that thou art brought to land to heare one more offer to come to Christ Wilt thou yet go on in thy sins Wilt thou yet prize thy lusts before al that infinite good that is in Jesus Christ dost thou think this wil be peace in the end How wilt thou be able to look God in the face another day It s mercy thou needest and Mercy thou must have or else thou art for ever miserable and wilt thou reject this mercy Oh! that the Lord would cal in your consciences to help on this work There hath been I hope by al that hath been said some Illumination about Christ yea and some cords of Mercy have been fastened upon your hearts Now if God would but stir up conscience give a command to conscience and say never suffer this man or this woman to be at quiet til they come to my son til their hearts be taken off from al things that hinder them from coming to my son let them never be at quiet til then it were a happy thing if God would give this command to conscience that so many might answer to this invitation of Christ that when Christ saith come to me ye that are laden the soul answers Lord I come Quest I but you wil say Suppose God hath been calling me and I have rejected him I have been in some forwardness to come to Christ and my lusts have drawn my heart back again for you tel us that the Lord useth to be quick with sinners when they have rejected his grace now have you any word of comfort for such if these shal come that have abused Gods grace and mercy and turned back upon him have you any comfort for such Ans I wil onely give you one scripture for those and that is in Jeremiah 3. and the 22. verse and Oh! that the Lord would fasten this scripture upon your hearts Returne ye back-sliding children and I wil heale your back-slidings Mark here is the answer Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God This scripture in the name of God do I present to you that have drawn back from the grace of God that once were in a good frame and now are back-sliders once more in the name of God do I cal to you Oh! returne thou back-slider the Lord Jesus Christ is ready now to healthy back-slidings now then secretly say Lord I come and when thou comest into thy closet in a more solemn manner and art al alone resigne up thy soul to Jesus Christ and say Lord thou hast invited me this day to come to Christ now Lord I give up my self and all that I have and am to thee my estate my Body my honor and all that I have to come to thee and then not only those good things shall be made good but the promise likewise then Christ shall give you Rest These times are times of distress and therefore seasonable to hear of Rest whatever troubles fal out yet if thou come to Christ thou shalt be safe thy self Christ doth ingage himself to give Rest unto thy Soul And so much for the Invitation it self CHAP. XXIII The Doctrine arising from the dependance of the promise upon the Invitation That God will have us when we are coming to Christ to have respect to our selves NOw the next thing that follows is the promise that Christ makes to poor Laden sinners that do come unto him He will give them Rest And I will give you Rest It is too much for any creature to say thus Yea it were too much boldness and presumption for all the Angels in Heaven to make these words as their own for them all to say thus Come unto us all ye that Labor and are heavy Laden and we will give you Rest Yet here in this text there is not only one that is greater than Solomon but one that is greater than all the Angels in Heaven and men that ever lived upon the Earth that saith Come unto me all ye that Labor and are heavy Laden and I will give you Rest They are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of the Father that is equal with the Father God blessed for ever He saith Come unto me ye that Labor and are heavy Laden and I will give you Rest This is that that now we are come unto The gracious promise that Christ makes to draw Souls unto himself he will give them Rest And I will give you Rest And what more fit Argument and seasonable can there be at this time this time we know is a time of trouble a time of disturbance there is much perplexity and distress in our Nation and what will be more acceptable unto us than this to hear of Rest this is that that Christ doth promise to al them that come to him that beleeve in him he saith he will give them Rest Before I come to open this gracious promise which is exceeding ful of marrow and fatness as we shall find when we come to the opening of it I shall first give you one note briefly from the connexion of these words with the former Come to me ye that Labor and I will give you Rest You see Christ that he might draw sinners to himself makes a gracious promise of that that he knows will do good to sinners at the Heart he will give them Rest From hence the note is this in the general That God would have us even when we are coming to Christ have some respect to our selves and Christ encourageth us in coming to him even to have some aime at our own good That is the note cleerly from the Connexion of the words Before we open the promise I will give you Rest saith he if you come to me in that Christ doth propound that which he knows will take the Hearts of sinners as a great good unto them to draw them to himself hence I say the note it cleer That in our coming to Jesus Christ it is lawful for us to have some aime at our own good Yea not only lawful for us but we ought so to do for we are to look upon Christ so as Christ propounds himself unto us not only lawful I say to look upon Christ so as he propounds himself to us but it is our duty so to look upon him Now when Christ propounds himself unto us as an object to draw our Hearts to him he doth propound himself as one wherein our souls shal gaine abundance of good one that we shall get much by Now though it is true we should Labor to be above our selves as much as may be we should Labor to deny our selves in some sence yet not so but that we are to look at our own good even in our coming unto Jesus Christ
Christ we should seeke rather for holiness and sanctification from Christ then that we might have peace Would you know the reasons you say you tel us that Christ is our sanctification but we have not found such sanctification from Christ to increase holiness but what is the Reason you have exercised your faith upon Christ mainly that you might have peace that you might have enlargement and comfort as others have and that is the reason that your holiness is scant if you had exercised your faith in Christ that you might have holiness then you might have had more peace Saith Christ be it unto thee according to thy faith so in this case Christ saith to every beleever be it according to thy faith according to what you exercise your faith so be it unto you As do you exercise your faith for peace and comfort and mainly for that you have some peace and comfort but you shal not have so much holiness but do you exercise your faith for holiness most then you shal have most holiness Now certainly a true christian prizeth holiness rather than peace and I know no surer argument for the truth of grace and the difference between an hipocrite and one that hath true grace than this the hipocrite would have holiness that he might have peace I but the true beleever would have peace that his peace might increase his holiness Secondly Another rule is this Though Christ doth give in grace increase of sanctification and holiness yet do not depend upon what Christ gives in for the present but stil keep thy heart sensible of the need of new supplies There is many Christians when they have been at duty and have exercised faith upon Christ for this rest of sanctification and have got somewhat some enlargement and some quickening of spirit and some resolution in the way of God here they rest and now they think they are wel they think to live upon this stock a great while But now we are to pray for our daily bread and to depend upon Christ for new supplies of grace and holiness every day every moment according to every worke that we are set about to go to Christ for new supplies as if we had nothing at al given us before and Christ wil be wel pleased with this that though we have never so much Grace yet to go to him to renew our faith as if we had none at all that iâ— as strongly I do not mean that we should apprehend that we have none at all but as strongly and eagerly to exercise faith upon Christ for new supply of holiness as if we had none at all and indeed those that seem to have none exercise Faith in Christ most Thirdly For Conclusion of all take this as a Rule Those Christians that do most converse with Jesus Christ in the blessed way of the Gospel those will increase most in Grace and they have this by way of Sanctification I wil give you but only that one Scripture in way of allusion to apply it to this in Acts 4 13. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived they were unlearned and ignorant men they marvelled and they took knowledg of them that they had been with Jesus Peter and John had much boldness they had strength of Grace they had much boldness notwithstanding all their opposition But how came they by it they were unlearned men ignorant men poor weak men in regard of their naturals and yet they had got aboundance of Grace so as to make their profession of Christ with boldness notwithstanding all the rage of their potent adversaries and the people wondred how they could get such strength as they had but saith the text they took knowledg of them that they had been with Jesus It was that that did so raise their spirits it was that quickned them and inlarged their Hearts so much with Grace that they had been with Jesus that they had conversed boldly with Christ Now I would apply this in a spiritual sence that as Peter and John did grow to that height and strength of Grace by conversing bodily with Christ much more may Christians grow to a height strength and fulness of Grace by much converse with Jesus Christ Converse with Christ in a way of Faith and that will mightily enlarge thy Heart in Grace And the truth is when you see any Christian that perhaps his natural parts may be but weak but yet you see him grow in Grace mightily he hath a mighty large Heart for God and hath much spirit in prayer and his conversation is very holy and convincing you may conclude this man and this woman to have been with Jesus Christ that is converst much with Jesus Christ Would you know whence it is that you see many poor Christians not long since how they have grown in holiness and you think they have got a great deal more than you have got they can depend upon God more and can rejoyce in tribulation more and they have more spiritualness and more Savor in their conversation and find a great deal more sweetness in the waies of God than you whence is it Their means perhaps is not more their outward means their parts in Nature is not more whence grows it then Would you know whence They have been with Jesus they converse much with Christ and you may have it too The Reason why you have been a professor perhaps twenty or thirty years and you now grow old and yet perhaps weak still and it is as much as can be said of you that there is some hope that there is some good in you but for the seeds and sparks of divine Nature that are in others spirits there is no such matter at all what is the Reason because they are not acquainted with this drawing of Sanctification from Christ by the exercise of Faith Wel thus much shal suffice for this Rest the rest of Sanctification the Rest of holiness that brings abundance of Rest unto the Heart according as that encreaseth so doth holiness encrease CHAP. XLIV Sheweth that a beleever hath Rest in Christ in all troubles he can meet with in the world which is laid out in four Particulars 1. All afflictions are at his disposal 2. In him the curse is taken away 3. They stand with Gods love 4. They are measured by God NOw we come to the fifth Burden you may remember the fifth Burden was The Burden of outward affliction come to me saith Christ you that are burdened with the guilt of your sins you that are burdened with Legal performances you that are burdened with remaining corruption that is in you come to me and I will give you Rest Now what Rest have been from all those you have heard Now Lastly come to me you that are under the burden of afflictions for that is a Yoak as we opened when we handled the point of being Laden the Burden of affliction bodily afflictions or spiritual
then look what Christ hath rest in that is thy rest too as now what is the rest of Christ Christ hath rest especially in three things there are three things that are the rest of Christ Gods rest in his Saints His rest in his Ordinances And his rest in his Sabbaths Now those that are partakers of true rest for their Soules in Christ look what Gods rest is thy rest is As now for the Saints the soul hath rest in them that is thy soul hath content and rest in them in their company Marke what is said of them in Zepha 3.17 Saith the Holy Ghost The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty he wil save he wil rejoyce over thee with joy he wil rest in his Love he wil joy over thee with singing Is the society and company of the saints a rest to the or rather a trouble to thee Oh to many the company of the saints it is a trouble to them but when they get into their own company amonst their own Companions then they have some Rest And then for the ordinances for that you have a text in the 132. Psalm and 14. Speaking of Zion For the Lord hath Chosen Zion he hath desired it for his habitation this is my rest for ever here wil I dwel for I have desired it Oh in Zion in ordinances in duties in the worship that is tendered up to thee here is my rest for ever and here is my delight Lord let me have rest this way my spirit is never so much at rest as when I am in the duties of Gods worship when I am exercised in Gods ordinances here my soul is at rest what ever I have else If I should have peace again and enjoy estate quietly yet except I have Gods ordinances I cannot have rest Now doth thy soul enjoy more rest in the ordinances then in any other way then thy rest is Christs rest And then for the sabboth you know what the scripture saith what a sabboth is it is nothing but rest and is the saboth a day of Rest unto thy soul do not many people think the sabboth day most troublesome to them especially if they be kept to holy duties prayer hearing the word the like Suppose you be put to pray in your closet then to pray in your family and to aske some questions to your servants children and then come to the publick and there to sanctifie the name of God and then when you come home again to examin your family over what they have learned and so prepare your selves again to the ordinance and so to spend your self in prayer and hearing and excercising al the day would not this be a weariness to many of you And would not many of you say as those in Malachy When wil the sabboth be over Men indeed count the sabboth a rest Why because they cease from working and they put on fine cloths and go abroad and walk in the feilds and upon this they count the sabboth a rest surely such are not acquainted with the rest that is in Christ but if thy soul be acquainted with this rest then the sabboth is but a tipe of that rest that thou shalt keep in the highest heavens it is but a tipe unto thee and a forerunner of that Glorious Rest that thou shalt enjoy hereafter Fifthly If thy soul have true rest it is such rest as wil abide examination of the word of God though it doth touch to the quick and the more the word doth touch to the quick the more it comes to thy soul the more rest thy soul hath In Heb. after the Holy Ghost had spoken of the rest that is to the people of God in 12. saith he The word is quick and powerful and sharper then any two edged sword peircing to the dividing a sunder of Soul and spirit and of the Joynts and Marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the Heart As if he should say if you enter into the Rest of Gods people you shal have such a rest as wil abide the most narrow and quickening searchings of the word of God the word of God will search you through and through and your rest shal be such a rest as wil abide the search A rest that comes by the word the more the word searcheth the more it increaseth quickning it searcheth between the marrow and the bones and the more rest a true gracious Heart finds CHAP. LI. Eight means to get and keep Rest in Christ 1. Beware of secret sins 2. Be thankful for what good God hath given thee 3. Judg not thy self in time of temptation 4. In trouble wait upon God in the use of means 5. Meditate much upon the promises 6. Proportion humiliation to thy comfort 7. Be throughly grounded that thou art in Christ 8. Improve the Rest thou hast to God by doing much work to him OBJECT BUt you wil say notwithstanding al this you have spoken yet many of the Saints of God though they have been careful to do what you have said yet they do not find this Rest you speak of in Christ Answ It is true it is not enough for you to be a beleever for one may be a beleever and yet not have the evidence of the Graces in Christ so as to have Rest unto his Soul You will say what should we do then First Take heed that there be no secret sin abide in your spirits you had need examine and look to that for that wil be a thorne in the flesh that wil trouble you if there be any secret sin thou livest in it wil be as a thorne in the flesh that thou canst not be quiet Secondly Another thing that will hinder the rest of beleevers is That because they have not so much as they desire they wil not take notice of what good God hath granted to them because they have not al they would have they think they have nothing at al. Now take heed of that though thou hast not all yet take notice of what God hath done for thee and be thankful for that We read of the Women in the Gospel that went â—o seek Christ they found the Angels and heard news of him though they found him not at first So though thy soul find not Christ for the present and the rest thou desirest yet if thou hast any news of him any beginning of Gods work in thy Soul take notice of that Should the Women have said what is that to us that we find the Angels and that we hear news of him it is Christ that we seek No they said not so And therefore I say bless God for what ever thou hast it is more then others have bless God for it and that is the way to have more Thirdly Never judg of thy self as thou feelest thy self in a time of temptation it may be thou art under a temptation or spiritual desertion now do not judg of thy self as
unto him As thus if a man be doing a work that is hard suppose he layes on upon a knotty piece of timber and there is nothing comes of his work and it doth not go on before him and he spends his strength and gets nothing for the present by his worke he quickly grows weary But now if a man be doing a work that the more strength he spends the more he gets the more his strength is inlarged the more renewed and never gets more strength then when he is spending of strength and that when he is at work he receives in sweetness by it surely this man wil go on in the work he may work singing when al the while he is working he spends not so much strength as he gets and he doth not only work to receive wages but there is commings in sweetness comming in the very time of his work this man works with a great deale of ease Thus it is in Evangelical obedience when a soul comes to performe duties in this way now his strength is renewed day by day the more service thou dost for Christ the more strength comes in As now a man that is benummed with cold perhaps you that are marriners when you come to handle your cables or any thing in the ship you can scarce feel any strength by reason of cold but when you are at work and you begin to be warme your strength comes in So it is with a Christian when he begins to perform duties it may be he is dul dead and the like but let him go on in the duties and then strength wil come in I appeale to many of you that have performed duties you have gone to do a duty and you have been dul and unfit for it and you have been ready to let it alone thereupon wel but conscience puts you upon it and you must do it now when you were in the duty hath not Christ come in and hath not the strength of Christ come in to inable you to do the duty that you never could imagine it which for ever might be an incouragement to you to go on in the duty and to avoid that temptation never to neglect the duty from any unfitness to the duty for when you are at the duty then comes in strength from Christ to performe the duty for you cannot expect strength to come in before you come to the duty but up and be doing and then strength wil come in Yea and the more duty you do the more strength wil come in and hence it is that a Godly man though he may be weary in duty yet he can never be weary in doing of duty he may see a difference between himself and carnal men Take a Godly man though he may be weary in duty yet he can never be weary of duty whereas it is otherwise with those that performe duties in the strength of a natural conscience those that perform duties in the strength of a natural conscience are weary in working As some tools you know wil weare in the using but others the more you use them the more brighter and better they wil grow So it is with those that perform duties in the strength of a natural conscience they wil wear away and that is the reason that they leave them off but one that performes duties in an Evangelical way the more he doth the more he shal be able to do and therefore Christians let that be an incouragement to you the more you do the more you shal be inabled to do he that had five talents and used those five talents he had more talents given him and he that had but one and sate down sullen and used it not it was taken from him and as strength comes in so thou shalt suck in a great deal of sweetness into thy heart In the keeping of thy commandements saith David there is great reward not only for the keeping of them but in the keeping of thy commandements Now when a man is working if so be he had his wages comming in every houre when he is a working it would incourage him but if he thinks he must stay for his wages that is more greivous the work that is done with present sweetness comming in that work is an easy work and that is the reason of that expression In Hosea 10. vers 11. Ephraim is as a heifer that is taught and loveth to tread out the corne but I passed upon her faire neck I wil make Ephraim to ride Judah shal plow and Jacob shal break his clods The text seemes to be hard at the first reading but there is much in it suitable to what I am speaking of Ephraim is as a heifer that is taught and loveth to tread out the corne but saith God I wil make Ephraim to ride Judah shal plow and Jacob shal break his clods I wil make Ephraim not only to tread out the corne but to plow The meaning was this you know that was the law you must not muzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corne whereas we thresh the corne they had their oxen to tread out the corne and it was the law that al the while he was treading out the corne his mouth must not be muzled but he might feed al the while he was treading out the corne now this was easier then when the beast was sent to plow and had no corn to eate the while Now saith God Ephraim loves only easy work if he may have the work that is sweet for the present Ephraim is content with that work but Ephraim doth not love the work that is difficult at first and sweet afterwards So this shewes that one that is of a lazy disposition he loves the work that hath sweetness at the present Now truly there is no other work that the Gospel requires at our hands the Gospel doth not require so much plowing as the work of treading out the corne Al the work that the Gospel requires of beleevers is such as the heifer had while he was treading out the corne that is al the while thou art working thou maist be eating thou maist have the blessed sheaues of the Gospel to feed upon for there doth come a constant sweetness into the hearts of the faithful in doing the work of the Lord go on in doing the work of the Lord and thou shalt find rest and sweetness in thy soul comming in upon thee And that is the reason that Schollars can study so hard many houres together which would be tedious unto others I put it to you that are imployed in other things that think the work of a schollar so easy a work get up in a morning and shut your selves into your closet and read meditate and write for two or three houres together and then come forth and go to it again and spend half a day or a whole day together in studying meditating writing and see if you do not find it more tedious and
tiresome to the flesh then any other work But now Schollars though it is tiresome to the flesh they can go on and make it easy to them why because they find sweetness in their work it is not with them as with â—ther men other men work that they may have wages afterwards but al the while they are about their work they have truths come in and heavenly notions comes in to them while they are about it and so makes the work easy unto them this is happiness of a Christian that the while he is in his work the sun of righteousness shines upon him and there is sweetness comming in unto him and herein is rest and ease in the performance of duty Tenthly and lastly When the soul comes to Christ it finds abundance of rest in holy duties because now it hath the love of God shed abroad in its heart and that makes every thing delightful to it the love of God is shed abroad in the heart you know Jacob because he loved Rachel though he was abroad in frosty nights he accounted it nothing because he loved Rachel Oh! when the love of God is shed abroad in the heart of a Christian then there is nothing that he doth but is delightful to him it makes every thing easy For that is a certain rule that love is ashamed to mention any difficulty you never hear love to complain of any thing to be heard and those that complain of holy duties to be heard certainly they want the love of God Now you have heard in these ten particulars wherein the ease and rest of spirit in performance of holy duties doth appeare there is much more to be said in the latter end of the Chapter when it is said that Christs yoke is easy and his burden light which if God give opportunity we shal come unto APPLIC I. Now from al this first here you may see the happiness of a Christian you do not think that a Cristian is happy here but he shal not have only heaven hereafter but his way to happiness is heaven here Oh how good is the way of the Gospel that gives us rest in our way to heaven such rest that al the malice in the world and of 〈◊〉 cannot disturbe the peace and rest of a Christian II. Hence we see the reason why true beleevers do persevere you hear oftentimes speaking of the doctrine of perseverance you are ready to thinke I but is it certain the soul that once comes to have true Grace shal certainly persevere yes certainly one that is once come to Christ wil not go from him again why because there is so much rest in holy duties It is true those that are drawn to holy duties they wil not abide as it is said The son abides in the house but a servant abides not alwaies in the house So such as perform duties in a legal way they wil be gone they wil not abide but now one that is come into Christ and hath a son-like disposition he continues As we say in phylosophy no violent thing or motion is perpetual and indeed those that performe duties in a legal way a hundred to one but they wil prove Apostates at last but one that performes duties in an Evangelical way wil continue and hold out unto the end III The maine use of al is to stirr up the hearts of those that are Godly to know what the Gospel means to exercise much faith in Christ that they might have much comfort in performance of duties Do not content thy self that thou doest duty but think with thy self Oh I have heard of such a way that Christians in performance of duty find a great deale of rest and ease why should not I get that way Thou hearest of it Oh! that thy soul might be unquiet til thou comest to understand the way then your duties would be more sound more spiritual more supernatural more acceptable then they are The Lord loves a cheerful giver and so he loves a cheerful server you love to heare your servants sing at their work but if you set your child or servant about a work and he goes heavily and dully about is grumbling and pineing and think you to be a hard master then he doth but a little work so they that perform duties in a legal way the truth is they perform little duty and that is not acceptable but when a soul comes to find rest in duty it makes it more spirituall more plentiful and more acceptable and those duties are very pleasing unto the Lord. CHAP. XXXVI Sheweth the Rest from the remainder of Corruption to be Sanctification and that to be a great Rest Laid open in six particulars 1. It is the right temper of the heart 2. In it the soul doth in great part attain its end 3. In it the Soul lives the life of God 4. It raiseth the soul above the region of al troubles 5. It turnes every thing to good 6. It is the beginning of Glory YOu may remember when we handled the point of the load that was upon sinners we shewed that the remainder of corruption was a great burden it was so great a load that it made the Apostle cry out Oh! wretched man that I am who shal deliver me from this body of death How that was a load hath been already opened That which we have now to do is to shew what rest is to be had in Christ against this fourth burden Come to me saith Christ al you who are sensible of the corruption of your heart and find the remainder of sin that is in your heart to be a burden come to me I wil give you rest against that We are not now to speak of the rest in deliverance from the trouble of soul in the sense of the guilt of sin that was before spoke of but now we are to speak of the rest in giving power against the remainder of corruption that there is in the heart This rest is the rest of Sanctification that here we are to speak of I wil give you rest And in this point there are a great many of useful and sweet things that might require very large handling but I shal endeavor as much as I can to contract al within a few things for this rest of Sanctification There are in it these five things to be followed that ye may see cleerly the method that I shal proceed in and so go along with me First I shal shew you that Sanctification is a great rest to the soul or deliverance from corruption is a great rest to the heart of a beleever there is much rest in Sanctification Secondly That this rest it is in Christ al our Sanctification and helping against corruption is in Christ Thirdly How Christ comes to be this rest unto the Soul Fourthly Some consequences that wil follow from this consideration of Christs being the rest of Sanctification unto the heart Fiftly Conclude with exhortation to come unto