Christ Inviting Sinners to Come to Him for Rest, Treatise · Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
The Sad condition of ſuch as are under the Burden of Legal Performances ſet forth in Six Particulars. 1. That which ſhould be accounted their happineſs, is their Miſery. 2. It is a means to cauſe hard thoughts of God. 3. It cauſeth great diſcouragement. 4. They bring an evil report upon the waies of God. 5. They keep no proportion therein. 6. They are kept off from Chriſt.
NOw that which remaines is to ſhew you the ſad condition of men and women that are under this Legal Performance, that are in this condition; we ſhal find that the condition is very ſad and inſupportable to many: and this text wil appear to be a text of wonderful mercy, if we do ſet out before you the ſadneſs and grievouſneſs of thoſe that are under this Burden.
The firſt Miſery.
Firſt, Is not this a ſad thing, that that thing which ſhould be the cheif joy of ones heart in this world; which we ſhould account our priuiledg, happineſs, and the beginning of eternal life; that we ſhould account that a miſery to us, as thus, the performance of Duty, to do that which God cals for, we ſhould account it our priviledg, happineſs, and the beginning of eternal life. And indeed it is ſo, if we do it in the way that God requires, but now one that is under this burden doth the things in the meer outward act, but doth them as neceſſary evils, accounts them as evil things, only he canno… avoid them; this man and womans condition is very ſad, that that which others accounte their happineſs, life, and Glory, he accounts as his Miſery.
The Second Miſery.
Secondly, there is this evil alſo in the burden of Legal performances, that this is a means to cauſe hard thoughts of God, and if God go no further with them then this, that they perform Duties in a Legal way, this wil occaſion many hard thoughts of God and of his waies, and they may find that they have ſo, many times when their hearts are pinched with this burden, they have many hard thoughts of God, and hard thougths of his Law, and hard thoughts of his waies, this is very greivous when the ſoul comes to find the commandements of God to be grievous and ſo to murmure and repine againſt God as many do that are in trouble of conſcience, they go on in Duties but becauſe they get no peace, nor comfort, nor Maſtery over their corruptions, they begin to repine and murmure at God, ſay they: I have done thus and thus, and I have performed Duties and nothing comes of them, and there upon they begin to leave and hate them.
The Third Miſery.
Thirdly, there is this evil alſo in the burden of Legal performances that it cauſes a ſinking diſcouragement; their heart doth ſink in exceeding diſcouragment, after a while they go on in performance of Duties and find nothing comes of it, and they ſink under it in diſcouragment; they think it is in vain to go any further, and they are deſirous to caſt it off wholly, and think it is the only way for their eaſe and reſt, hence follows, that therefore there is a way open to temptation for the Devil to come and tempt them either to looſneſs or to diſpair: it is many times the end of ſuch poor creatures except God be pleaſed to come in and reveal Chriſt unto them; one of theſe two is the Concluſion, either they caſt off the Duties that before they made conſcience of, and ſo grow to be looſe and prophane; or otherwiſe if conſcience purſues them more and more they grow to diſpaire, and ſomtimes upon their ſick bed and death bed, come into a raving and raging diſtemper; as by experience we find that many after they have been a long time under a troubled conſcience, and gone on in a Legal way they have grown very prophane; there was a time that they durſt not neglect Duty in their family and cloſet, but they come afterward to think that this was but Legal, and now they caſt them off, and give themſelves to looſneſs, and then they have nothing to plead for themſelves but this, that they were under Legal performances, and they leave them off, and thus they go this way to Reſt, but Oh! woful this is to go to the Devil for Reſt, if you had come to Chriſt you might have had Reſt, but theſe give up their Souls to the Devils Reſt, and grow to looſneſs and are notoriouſly ſcandalous in in their lives, I ſuppoſe if you wil obſerve it, you need not go far to find examples in this kind: but others that cannot get the Maſtery of their conſciences, they grow to diſpair, when they come upon their ſick beds their hearts are overwhelmed with diſpair and ſo they die; Now Oh! what pity it is to looſe ſuch Souls as have gone thus far in the way of Religion. As thus: Firſt, they do the ſame things that Gods people do for the outward act, they do the ſame things the Saints do. Secondly, They are very Conſcientious of what they do, make conſcience of their very thoughts, and of their ſecret waies. Nay, Thirdly, they know they have to do with God in every thing, they have their hearts ſo wrought upon, that they ſet themſelves in the preſence of God alwaies. Nay, Fourthly, They have the fear of God the fear of eternity upon their hearts continually, and yet periſh at laſt; and al for the want of knowledg of the Goſpel: it is true theſe men ſay right, that if their were any ſuch who did put them upon Duties and not open to them the Reſt that is in the Goſpel and in Chriſt, if they did ſo, they are rightly blamed for putting men upon Duties, God forbid that any that take upon them to preach the mind of God unto people ſhould reſt here, in meerly putting of men upon the performance of Duties, for we know to be under the Law and to do Duties in a meer Legal way; is a moſt fearful burden, but now this is our work, to invite you to come to Jeſus Chriſt that you might have Reſt, if there be any that knows what it is to be burdened with Legal performances, the maine thing I ſhal do is to invite them to come to Jeſus Chriſt, and we ſhal I Hope bring them to their Reſt, ſeeing Chriſt doth invite them ſo graciouſly to come unto him for their Reſt.
The Fourth Miſery.
Fourthly, there is this evil in the burden of Legal performances, that they who perform duties in a Legal way, do bring an evil report upon the waies of God, for they go alwaies heavily and dully on in Gods waies, and ſo they bring an ill report upon the waies of God, whereas when the Heart is ſanctified and caryed on by a divine principle, ſuch a one makes the waies of God beautiful and lovely to thoſe that they converſe withal, but they that perform Duties meerly in a Legal way they go on ſo Penſively, ſadly, and dully, that there is no beauty at al in their Converſation, and they make others afraid of thoſe waies that are ſo tedious and irkſome to them.
The Fift Miſery.
Fifthly, There is this Evil in the burden of Legal performances: that thoſe that perform Duties meerly in a Legal manner they do not keep any proportion in the waies of God and in their Duties, but meerly according to the ſtirring of conſcience, if conſcience be awakened & ſtirred then they are careful to perform duties, but if conſcience do not ſtir them they are careleſs again & therefore thoſe that do perform Duties in this manner, you ſhal not obſerve an evenneſs in their waies, but ſomtimes they are very ſtrict and dare not for their Lives omit any Duty, but at other times they are looſe again, for it is according to the beating of their conſciences, they do not work according to the new Nature, for that which works according to a new Nature works in an even way, wherein is a proportion between one Duty and another, and this may be an argument of tryal whether that that you do be from the change of Nature, or from other principles; if there be a proportion between one duty and another, you be not very forward in ſomthing and backward in another, that is a ſign it is done from a new Nature, but if you make conſcience of ſome thing, and at other times in other things take more liberty this is a ſign that what you do is but Legally done, and this muſt needs be burdenſome: as it is a burden to a man to go upon uneven ground one Leg up and another down, ſo for a man to perform Duties up and down, forward and backward, here is a Great deal of burden in that way, whereas thoſe that come to perform Duties by the ſpirit of God, in them their way is made even for them; not but that Gods people may ſomtimes be better then they are at other times, yet there is generally an evenneſs and proportion between their actions.
The Sixt Miſery.
Sixtly, there is this evil in the burden of Legal performances, that if ſo be that by theſe Duties their conſciences come to be quieted, then they are kept of from Jeſus Chriſt, there are no people more kept of from Jeſus Chriſt, then thoſe that perform Duties in a Legal manner, and have quiet of Conſcience that way, ye… not only kept from Chriſt, but further, they ſet up their Duties in the place of Chriſt, and make them to be their very juſtification; what is it that many people would preſent before the Lord for their Righteouſneſs and Hope of Heaven, but performance of ſuch and ſuch Duties, that the Law requires: now here's a mighty miſtake though we are bound to obey Gods Law, yet for us to come and make this our Righteouſneſs before God, and ſet it up before the Lord to be our intereſt for eternal life, this is to put Jeſus Chriſt out of his office, and make our own Duties to be our Saviors, this now is exceeding dangerous, and yet how many people are there that do thus, and therefore I have been willing to be the Larger in this Point becauſe it is not an argument that we do every day meet withal, and alſo becauſe I would have many whoſe Conſciences begin to be inlightned and much troubled to know where they are, what is the ground of their trouble, and where the bottom of their trouble lies; there are many people that are ſo far to be beloved, that they are very conſcientious of Duty and abſtein from thoſe ſins that others live in, and perform Duties that others neglect, but they go on very heavily and ſadly for many years together, and the truth is, they know not the ground of their trouble, from whence their trouble comes: now by that that I have opened to you in this Point, you may come to know whence al your trouble comes, whence it comes to paſs that you have gone on in that ſadneſs and heavineſs as you have done, you have done your duties in a Legal way, you have not been acquainted with the way of the Goſpel. You wil ſay, what is that way, how ſhal we be eaſed of this burden, when I come to that, there I ſhal ſhew in ſome meaſure the Reſt that we have in Chriſt from al thoſe burdens, that I have opened, Chriſt wil not have us omit duties every a whit the more, but in Chriſt we ſhal ſee how they are performed with a great deal more eaſe then before, not more eaſie to the fleſh, but in the ſpirit, and whoſoever you are that are under this Burden of Legal performances, if your hearts tel you this is my condition, the Lord knows it is my condition, I have indeed made conſcience of my waies a great while, but I have gone on juſt in this Legal way as hath been ſhewed in this Point: if this be your condition, ſo far be comfort to you, and know that Jeſus Chriſt cals you, it is true, your condition is for the preſent ſad, yet there is help, Hope, and Remedy in Chriſt, come to him and he hath promiſed to give you Reſt, and teach you to honor God, that ſhal be more comfort to your Souls than this way you are in, the way of the Goſpel is a ſafe way, and a ſpeedy way for comfort, and it is as holy a way too, therefore the way of the Goſpel doth not cal to you to make leſs conſcience of your Duties than you did; No, but it is as holy a way, and a more ſafer and ſpeedier way than that now you are in, Chriſt cals you.
Queſt. But you wil ſay, Doth Chriſt cal to theſe to come to him for Reſt, as if he did approve of their condition, and as if it were a thing that ought to be that people ought to be burdened by theſe Legal performances.
Anſw. There are ſome of the burdens here, that it is true ought to be, and Chriſt approves of them, that is to be ſenſible of the guilt of our ſins and the remaining part of corruption, &c. and Chriſt cals theſe as approving of them ſo far as they are good, though not truly good, but there are other burdens that are upon ſinners that Chriſt cals to come to him to be eaſed of, not as they are approved of by Chriſt, but Chriſt pities them, and hath compaſſion upon thoſe that are under thoſe burdens, as being under a great miſery, as now when a man ſhal make Conſcience of his waies, when Chriſt ſhall ſee a poor ſoul to make Conſcience of his waies, to have the fear of God and his eternal eſtate upon him, to Labor and do what he can and al this while not in the right way, but thinking by this to make up his Righteouſneſs with God and eternal life, Chriſt ſees that al his labor wil come to nothing, if he go on in this way he wil looſe all his Duties, and notwithſtanding all the conſcience he makes of holy Duties he wil periſh at laſt, except he comes to underſtand the way of the Goſpel, of juſtifying ſinners before his tribunal fear, notwithſtanding al the Duties he performs, except he come to underſtand this he will periſh, now in pity and tender compaſſion to ſuch a Soul that hath done ſo much and gone ſo far, the Lord Chriſt doth cal ſuch a Soul to come to him, that it may have Reſt and peace, that indeed it might have that Righteouſneſs that may make it ſtand with comfort before the great God, and come to have eternal life at laſt, but for our comming to Chriſt and our Reſt in him, that belongs to the other Point, Thus much for the opening of the burden of Legal performances.