Christ Inviting Sinners to Come to Him for Rest, Treatise · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
Of the Burden of Corruption, And that there is Corruption in the Saints. Being a Burden. 1. Of Grief. 2. Of Shame. 3. Of Fear. 4. Of Care. 5. Of Labor, and Toyl.
THe next Burden is the Burden of the remaining part of Corruption in the Saints, thoſe that are godly and have their part in Chriſt, and have come to Chriſt already but yet they muſt come again and again, that is though they be beleevers and have exerciſed Faith to unite them to Chriſt, they have ſtil remaining in them much Corruption, much Sin, they muſt come to Chriſt again to be eaſed of their Corruption, and ſtill all the daies of their Lives to be exerciſing of Faith in Chriſt, to be eaſed of the Burden of remaining Corruption that is in them.
That the Corruption that yet remaines in the Hearts of the Saints is a Burden, I ſuppoſe every one of you can witneſs, that are godly, there is no godly man or woman in the world but knows what the meaning of this Point is, perhaps the other Point of Legal performances was ſuch a Point that many of you ſcarce underſtood what it was, but becauſe I knew it was of exceeding uſe to others, though it might not be underſtood of many, they muſt not looſe their portion; but there is none that hath any ſpark of godlyneſs but do and wil underſtand what I mean, and what I ſhal ſay in this Point of the burden of Corruption that doth ſtil remain in the godly, in the beſt that live upon the Earth, and that every one acknowledgeth, it is in every mans mouth almoſt, we are al ſinners, but now here is the Difference between the wicked and the godly, the wicked have ſin enough in them, but it is no burden to them, but the godly have their ſins to be their burden, the remainder of ſin though it be never ſo litle, it is a moſt grievous Burden unto them, and to theſe I am to ſpeak out of this text, yea Chriſt himſelf ſpeaks to them, Come unto me, ye that are Laden with the Burden of Corruption, the burden of ſin that ſtil remaines in you, Come to me, and I wil give you Reſt in regard of that Burden.
Now to prove that there is a remainder of corruption in the godly that is a burden to them, I wil give you but one ſcripture that ſhal ſerve inſtead of the reſt, and that is in Rom. 7.24. O! wretched man that I am ſaith Paul who ſhal deliver me from this body of death, I thank God through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord, here we have indeed a cōmentary upon this text, who ſhal deliver me ſaith Paul O! Wretched man that I am who ſhal deliver me from this body of death, there's the firſt part, the burden of corruption & then he runnes to Chriſt, I thank God through Jeſus Chriſt, So then I my ſelf with my mind ſerve the law of God, but with my fleſh the Law of ſin, I have got eaſe and reſt by Chriſt by running to him, but marke the ſcripture, O; wretched man that I am, Paul though a godly man and one eminent in grace, yet had remaining in him a body of death, his ſin that was in him, he calls a body of death, it was as a deadly thing unto his heart, and it was as a body becauſe it was made up of many members as a body is, there were many ſins remaining in him, and al the faculties of his ſoul and members of his body were defiled with ſin, and therefore he cals it a body of death. Now the Apoſtle is ſo ſenſible of this, that he gives a grievous ſhreek as it were, O! wretched man that I am, he counts it his miſery, in that it appeares to be a burden, and then he ſhreikes out under his burden, O! wretched man that I am, As a man or woman that hath a burden laid upon their ſhoulders and being not able to beare it, they give a greivous ſhreik at the burden falling upon them, ſo doth the Apoſtle here. And obſerve further that the Apoſtle Paul had as much of the burden of affliction upon him as ever any one had; no man had more of the burden of affliction then he had as you may read in the Cor. 1.4. and Cor. 2.4. the afflictions of Paul were exceeding greivous, there was never any more abuſed then he was, he tels you of being ſtoned, ſuffering of ſhipwrake, and abuſed of his owne countri-men, that he ſuffered nakedneſs and hunger, and was whipt as if he had been the moſt notorious rogue in al the country, he had the burden of diſgrace upon him, accounted the off-ſcowring of the world, and the burden of poverty, wanted clo… and bread, and was fain to go up and down from place to place, yet notwithſtanding theſe burdens upon him, you never read that Paul did account himſelf a wretched man in regard of theſe burdens, you never read that Paul cryed out, O! wretched man that I am that I want …read, … I want cloaths, O wretched man that I am whipt, and abuſed, he doth not cry, out, O! wretched man that I am, who ſhal deliver me from affliction, who ſhal deliver me from perſecution no, we find in ſcripture that he rejoyced in affliction, when he was caſt into dungeons he could ſing pſalmes, and when he had the whip, he could ſing pſalms and rejoyce, but when he comes to his ſin then he falles under that burden, who ſhal deliver me from that, as if he ſhould ſay, O! Lord let me be never ſo much afflicted heere in this world, yet if I cold have my ſoul delivered from this burden of my ſin, I ſhould account my ſelf a happy man, and yet he was delivered from the guilt of ſin for he knew he ſhould never go to hel for his ſin, and he was delivered from the dominion of his ſin to, and yet he cries out under this burden of his ſin, who ſhal deliver me. I appeale unto many of you what cloſet or ſecret chamber of yours can ever witneſs that you were thus crying out in reſpect of your ſin, O wretched man or woman that I am, who ſhal deliver me from this body of ſin, from this wretched heart that I have, many of you we heare cry out of poverty, diſgrace, and trouble in your families and the like, but who of you cries out who ſhal deliver me from this body of death, from this ſin of my nature; many of you perhaps do not know whether you are delivered from the guilt of your ſin, you do not know whether any of your ſins are pardoned, you are not delivered at al, and yet you do not cry out, but Paul he was delivered from the guilt of his ſin, yet the very remainder of ſin in his heart was a burden to him, there is much ſin in many of your hearts, and you cry not out of it, Paul he was delivered and yet he crye… out of it, who ſhal deliver me from this body of death.
But now to open this, I ſhal ſhew, Firſt how man… waies the remaining part of corruption is a burden to the Saints.
Secondly, What kind of burden it is.
Thirdly, Open the particulars, ſhewing that ſinful nature is a burden, and the ſtirring of corruption a burden, and the prevailing of corruption a burden.
Fourthly, Why it is that God doth ſo in his providence order things, that his owne ſaints ſhal be under the burden of corruption, and ſo make ſome application of it.
Firſt, Then in what reſpect the remaining part of ſin and corruption in the heart of the ſaints is a burden.
The Firſt burden of Corruption.
Firſt, It is a burden of greife unto them, you know grief cauſeth heavineſs and ſadneſs, now the remainder of corruption that they find in them, it is as lead and lies heavy upon their ſpirits in regard of greif, it is the cauſe of their grief and trouble; ſome wil ſay perhaps ſometimes to others, ſuch and ſuch that are profeſſours of religion they go very ſadly and heavily, and when once you come to be ſo ſtrict in your way, you wil looſe al your comfort, for ſuch and ſuch are alwaies ſad and penſive, but do you know what is the reaſon of their ſadneſs, you have as much cauſe to be ſad as they, the burden is not becauſe they are religious, but becauſe they are no more religious, not becauſe now they do more duties then they did before, but becauſe they cannot find their hearts come up to their duties as they would, do not atribute their greif to their godlyneſs, but rather ſay to thy ſelf thus, if they that do ſo much for God, are yet ſo much troubled and greived, becauſe they do no more for God, how much cauſe of trouble and greife have I then, that do nothing at al for God.
The Second burden of Corruption.
Secondly, The remaining part of corruption in the hearts of the ſaints, it is a burden of ſhame, greif is a burden, and ſhame is a burden, many that can beare great burdens, that can beare the burden of poverty yet are not able to beare the burden of diſgrace, eſpecially to thoſe that are moſt ingenious, it is one of the greateſt burdens in the world, now the ſaints they are aſhamed of the corruption that remains in them, they account it a ſhame before the Lord and before his bleſſed Angels, and in regard of themſelves, what they know of themſelves that the world knowes not of, they look upon it as aſhame that they do even loath and abhor themſelves as the ſcripture ſpeakes; it may be their lives are ſuch as others do honor and have high thoughts of them, but they being acquainted with their own hearts, and looking into the ſecret working of their own ſpirits, they ſee ſo much evil there, as they ſee much cauſe to abhor and loath themſelves, and to lie down in their ſhame before the Lord, whom they know doth ſee into their hearts a great deale more then they can ſee themſelves. I wil appeal to any one that knows his owne heart, if God ſhould open your heart and make it known to your friends and acquaintance ſo much evil as is in your heart in the performing of one duty, if al men ſhould know ſo much evil as is in your heart at one time, in praier or hearing a ſermon, would you not be aſhamed, now God knowes and ſees al the baſeneſs and vildneſs of your ſpirits, and the godly knowing this, they cannot but be aſhamed and go under this burden of ſhame with heavy hearts.
The Third burden of Corruption.
Thirdly, The remaining part of Corruption in the hearts of the godly, it carries with it a burden of feare, fear you know is a great burden as wel as greif and ſhame though the evil be not ſo great upon them, yet if their be an evil apprehended to come upon them, it is a great burden to them, as thoſe that dare not go out of dores in the night becauſe of feare, or dare not be in the dark becauſe of fear, when they are delivered from their feares, do they not account that it was a great burden, now the godly they have a great deal of fear upon their hearts, and the truth is thoſe that are godly they fear more what their owne evil hearts ſhould bring upon them, then what al the divels in hel and al the creatures in the world can bring upon them, and that is a good fear, but yet it makes them walk heavily: others feare, ſometimes they fear men, fear thoſe that wil come and take away their eſtates and undo them, feare their enemies or feare the divel, but one that is godly he feares more his own heart, the evil that may come to his ſoul by that, then al the hurt that al the divels in hel can do to him, for they cannot afflict more then the body, I but this brings an evil upon the ſoul, it breakes their communion between them and God, and therefore they are afraid of ſin before it comes, they have experience of their hearts what evil it hath done to them, and ſo are afraid of miſcarrying, and afraid of the evil conſequences of their ſin, they do not know what miſchief their ſin might poſſibly bring upon them, and ſo they goe under this burden of fear along time together, even thoſe that are truly godly.
The Fourth burden of Corruption.
Fourthly, The remaining part of corruption in the hearts of the ſaints, is a burden of care, for men and women to be alwaies careful, to be ful of care, you know that is a great burden that many of you are acquainted with, that when you have a great deal of buſineſs upon you and much lies upon you, when your thoughts are ful of care, is it not a great burden to you? many men that have been ful of buſineſs, and afterwards have got over their buſineſs, what a freedome do they account it, the ſaints they have a burden of care upon them, becauſe they find ſo much to do with their own hearts that they had need be watchful night and day over them, they have had experience what their hearts have done, when there hath not been a ſtrict watch over …hem, and therefore there is no Child of God but if he be in a right temper he is a careful man, ſo long as we live in this fleſh our condition is ful of feares, and ſo we muſt neds be ful of care in this world, though there be a great deale of difference between the diſtracting care that wicked men have about their outward eſtate, and the care of the godly about keeping their peace wth God, making up their peace with God, avoiding the occaſions & temptations to ſin, & recovering themſelvs again when they have been overcom by ſin, I ſay this muſt needs make them ful of care, when a man hath a great buſineſs upon him he is ful of care, there is no men in the world that have ſo much buſineſs upon them as ſuch a man and Woman that is godly, they know that they have greater buſineſs that lies upon them, then al the world beſides, the care of the whol world lies upon them, yea and they have not only buſineſs of great conſequence upon them, but multitude of buſineſs, the life of a Chriſtian is a buſie life, a life of a great deale of buſineſs, a Chriſtian Woman hath abundance of buſineſs to do, and therefore it is a moſt vild thing for one that profeſſes he… ſelf to be a Chriſtian, to be idle and to ſpend her time vainly, haſt thou nothing to do? you ſpeake of paſſing away time, a godly man or woman hath enough to do they have to provide for eternity, and to make their peace with God. And beſides there is multitud… of buſineſs upon them & they have multituds of hindrances too, if you have great buſineſs, multitude of buſineſs, and multitudes of hindrances, and eſpecially if you are undone if you ſhould miſcarry, this now wil make you very careful. A man though he ſhould miſcary in the world, it is not ſo great an evil, as for a Chriſtian to miſcary in any one duty that he doth performe, a Chriſtian when he goes to performe a duty he thinks thus, I muſt now cauſe al the faculties of my ſoul to be working in every duty that God cals for, wel, and if I miſcarry in the duty I look upon it as a greater evil then if I were undone in my eſtate, or body, and I find abundance of hindrances, that wil indanger me to miſcarry, therefore I muſt needs be very careful; now in Chriſt there is a great deal of eaſe in this reſpect, thoſe that are acquainted with the way of Chriſt, they are mightily eaſed of the burden of care, now thoſe that do performe duties and do not come to Chriſt, ſo much as they are kept off from Chriſt, ſo much the more wil the burden of care be, not only thoſe that performe duties in a legal way have the burden of care upon them but the Godly alſo.
The Fifth Burden of Corruption.
Fifthly, The Corruption that remaines in us it brings a burden of Labor and toil, for there is no ſuch intenſiveneſs in any labor in the world as a Chriſtian hath againſt his corruptions, he doth not onelyonly ſay as many ſlight and vain ſpirited men and women do, Lord have mercy upon me, and we are al ſiners, and I would do otherwiſe I have good deſires: no, but a Chriſtian knowes that he muſt draw forth al the faculties of his ſoul and bend them againſt his corruption, and if ever he Toil, Labor, and ſpend his ſtrength, it muſt be in this way againſt his corruption, now there is eaſe in Chriſt for this burden too, Why? becauſe Chriſt gives power againſt corruption, the way of reſt in him is by comming to him, ſo that we ſhal not need to toil and Labor in them as before; now if grief be a burden, ſhame a burden, Feare a burden, care a burden, and if Laboring and Toiling be a burden, then thoſe that are Godly are under a great burden in regard of their Corruption, this five-fold burden.