Christ Inviting Sinners to Come to Him for Rest, Treatise · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
The Burden of Corruption ſet forth in eight particulars. 1. It is a ſoul burden. 2. It hath al other burdens in it. 3. It is a Continual burden. 4. It makes al other things to be a burden. 5. It is a burden to God himſelf. 6. It makes the ſins burdenſome to al others. 7. It makes him burdenſome to himſelf. 8. How greivous ſoever, we cannot be rid of it in this life.
FUrther for the properties of this burden, what a kind of burden it is, that the people of God fell under their corruptions.
The Firſt property of the burden of Corruption.
Firſt it is a ſoul-burden, other burdens are rather bodily, it is eaſier for a man to beare a burden upon his ſhoulders, then to beare a burden upon his conſcience, their it lies with torment, and the burden of corruption it is a burden upon our very conſciences. Many heretofore have ſaid that people muſt be content to beare, though things were required of them that ought not to be, if they went under them as a burden they thought they were wel enough; many things that were in the worſhip of God, falſe worſhip, they would ſay, for their parts they could be content they were otherwiſe, & they went under them as a burden, & they thought that was enough. It is true, if it was only a burden of our eſtates that it was only in outward things it was ſomthing, but when it comes to the burden upon our conſciences, we muſt learn to diſtinguiſh between the burden upon our ſhoulders, and between the burden upon our conſciences, and ſo many Chriſtians they could beare burdens upon their ſhoulders aſwel as others, but they could not beare any burdens upon their Conſciences.
The Second property of the burden of Corruption.
Secondly, It containes in it almoſt al other burdens, as thus, is poverty a burden, ſin makes us poor, is diſhonour a burden, ſin brings diſhonor, is debt, for a man to be in debt, a burden, ſin brings that too, forgive us our debts ſaith Chriſt, he teacheth us ſo to pray, ſin therefore hath al other burdens in it, and therefore a great burden.
The Third property of the burden of Corruption.
Thirdly, Sin is a burden that is Conſtant, night and day, continually it is upon the ſoul of the godly a burden; if men have other burdens upon them ſometimes they have eaſe, porters that carry burdens al the day, yet they have dinner times and at night they go to bed and reſt themſelves, ſo they have eaſe that way, but now ſin is alwaies a burden upon the Godly night and day, they cannot get off this burden, to lay of a burden a quarter of an houre it were ſome eaſe, but now ſin is ſo great a burden, as it is continually upon the ſaints.
The Fourth property of the burden of Corruption.
Fourthly, it is ſuch a burden, as makes al other burdens to be a burden, as it contains in it al other burdens, ſo ſin is that which makes al other things burdenſome that are burdenſome, as now a man or woman that is poor, poverty is a great burden, I but if there be ſin with poverty, that makes it a burden indeed; ſickneſs is a burden, I, but ſo far as ſin is mixt therewithal, ſo far it is a greater burden, and ſo loſs of eſtate and the like, as thus, I would compare al other burdens to this, as water in a tankerd when your tankerd-bearers carry water, it is a burden to them, but they have arts to make their tankerds light as can be, but now if they carried their water in tankards of Lead, though the water were no heavier, yet this would make it more burdenſome; ſo ſickneſs, poverty, loſs of eſtate, they are burdenſome to al that beare them, but yet the corruption of ſin when the heart is corrupted with ſin, that is as lead that makes it the greater burden, and therefore ſin in the heart is ſuch a thing as makes al other things burdenſome that are burdenſome. Though a man ſhould looſe al his eſtate in one night, this might be ſome burden, but he that hath ſin upon him, that makes al other burdens to be burdenſome.
The Fifth property of the Burden of Corruption.
Fifthly, Sin is a burden unto God himſelf, much more to the ſaints, God cries out that he is preſt under ſin as a Cart is preſſed that is ful of ſheaves, it is a burden to the ſpirit of God, and therefore it is ſaid that the ſpi…it of God is greived, and it muſt needs be a great burden to thy ſoul, when thou ſeeſt and knoweſt it is a burden to thy father, it is a burden to the ſpirit of God whereby thou art ſealed to the day of redemption. Is it not a burden to the heart of any ingenious ſpirit when he ſhal conſider that that which I have done is a burden to my father, to the ſpirit of grace? any ingenious child, it wil be a burden to him that he hath done any thing againſt his father, now ſo long as thou haſt any ſin in thee, thou art a burden to God and to the ſpirit of God.
The Sixth property of the burden of Corruption.
Sixthly, As it is a burden to God, ſo it is that that makes us burdenſome unto al that we converſe with al, and the more Corruption that remaines in our Hearts, the more burdenſome we are to all that we converſe withal; ſome there are though truly godly, yet they have ſo much Corruption in them, that they are burdenſome to all that they converſe withal, as in a family, take thoſe that are paſſionate, though they have godlineſs lies at the bottome, yet how burdenſome are they to thoſe that converſe with them, others they have extream ſtout and ſtubborn Spirits, others have ſullen Hearts, extream ſullen ſpirits, others have ſlight and vain ſpirits, others proud and envious ſpirits, and others Covetous, now there is reaſon they ſhould feel the burden themſelves, for others feel the Burden when it breaks forth from them, and therefore it much more aggravates their Burden, thoſe that are truly godly that are overcome with paſſion when they think thus, Oh! what a Wretched Heart have I, that I ſhould break forth into paſſion, in ſuch and ſuch company, Oh! what a Wretch am I, that I ſhould not only be burdenſome to my ſelf but to thoſe that I converſe withal, I make no Queſtion, but I ſpeak to many that have lamented their condition in this kind alone, in that they have been ſo burdenſome to others, it is true, I have been a Burden to ſuch and ſuch, but the Lord knows it is much more a burden to mine own heart, and to my ſelf, therefore the remaining part of Corruption is ſuch a Burden to the godly, becauſe it is a burden to others, whenas all the people of God ſhould be uſeful in the places where they live, they ſhould live ſo as that all that live by them and with them ſhould bleſs God for them, this they ſhould endeavor to do, to live in ſuch a manner as all that come neer them ſhould bleſs God that ever they came neer, or had converſe with them.
The Seventh Property of the Burden of Corruption.
Seventhly, This Burden is ſuch a Burden, as makes thoſe that are godly to be burdenſome to themſelves, yea even to be weary of their lives many times, Why? For their Corruption in them is a great deal more grievous then Death would be to them. We uſe to expreſs a thing that is very grievous to us, and ſay it is death to us, thoſe that are godly can ſay ſo of their ſin, and that is one Reaſon that Paul gave that Name to his ſin, a Body of Death, Oh! Wretched Man that I am who ſhal deliver me from this Body of Death, Why? becauſe the remaining Corruption that then was in his Heart was as Death to him, ſo it is with the Saints, the Corruption that remaines in their hearts it is Death to them, and they can appeal unto God, and ſpeak thus in his preſence. The bitterneſs of death would not be ſo much to me a thouſand parts as this Corruption that is in my heart, Oh! this Corruption that is in my heart, that overcomes me after ſo many reſolutions, ſo many Prayers, ſo many Sacraments, ſo many ingagements, it is that which makes me weary of my life, as Rebeccah ſaid, if Jacob ſhould marry a Wife of the Daughters of Heth, it would make her weary of her Life; ſo ſaith the godly, this remaining Corruption in my Heart, makes me weary of my Life, what ſhal I do that carry ſuch a Body of Death about me ſo as I do. There are many Men and Women that in a diſcontented mood, ſay, they are weary of their lives, but this is in a diſcontented mood; but when could you ſay ſo in reſpect of your Hearts, when did you ſay, I lookt into my Heart, and I ſaw a great deal of ſin, Corruption, worldlineſs, Pride, Paſſion, and the like, and this is that which makes me weary of my Life. The truth is, the great thing that makes the people of God to be willing to die is this, becauſe they know when they die they ſhal be delivered from this Burden, and therefore when Death comes they entertaine it willingly, becauſe they know they ſhal ſin againſt God no more. There is many of you, when you have lived a long time in ſickneſs, and poverty, and are in great ſtraites many waies, you think if Death ſhould come to me I could be willing to die, becauſe then I ſhould ſuffer no ſuch things as now I do, I but that is no argument of Grace, but this is an argument of Grace, that becauſe of the great burden of Corruption that thou carryeſt about in thy Soul, therefore thou would'ſt be willing to die.
The Eighth property of the Burden of Corruption.
Eightly, Sin is a grievous Burden while we have it, and makes us weary of our Lives, and yet it is ſuch a Burden as we muſt certainly carry about with us, ſuch a Body as we know we ſhal never be freed from wholly while we live in this world, it is true, we may be freed from it in a great meaſure, Chriſt ſaith, come to me and you ſhal have Reſt, that is, ſome Reſt for the preſent, and whole Reſt in the Life to come, but we cannot be wholly freed from this Burden whilſt we are in this World. And thus much for the properties of this Burden, what a kind of Burden the people of God feel under their Corruptions.