Christ Inviting Sinners to Come to Him for Rest, Treatise · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
Three Concluſions ariſing from the former doctrine concerning the Burden under the Law; Namely, 1. That man by Nature is in an evil caſe. 2. That it is a mighty work to ſave a Soul. 3. That thoſe vain thoughts whereby men think to pacifie their Conſciences, will ſtand them in no ſtead.
NOw upon the hearing of theſe things, we may truly draw ſuch Concluſions as theſe.
Firſt, That certainly man is in an ill caſe, by Nature. It is obſerved of the people of Iſrael when Pharoah did increaſe their bondage, the Scripture tels us that the people ſaw that they were in an ill caſe; ſo when we underſtand what a condition we are in under this bondage, we may conclude that verily man is in an ill caſe by nature. Secondly, And a ſecond Concluſion may be drawn hence. That it is a mighty work to ſave a Soul; it is not a ſlight thing for a Soul to come to be ſaved; there muſt be great things done by God to ſave a ſoul. Many people, they confeſs it is true they are ſinners, but they cry to God to have mercy on them, and ſo they think it is preſently done; but did you conſider of the condition that you are in naturally, and of the Righteouſneſs of God, you would then conclude it is a mighty work of God to ſave any ſoul, and that you had need fal upon the ſeeking of your Salvation betimes.
And then Thirdly, Hence wil follow this Concluſion alſo, That thoſe vain thoughts of men that they have had for pacifying their Conſciences, and the quieting of their hearts, wil ſtand them in no ſtead. As thus: Many they reaſon thus: I am not ſo bad as others. What if you be not; if you be under the Law, you are caſt a thouſand thouſand times over, You wil ſay that you do ſome good thing, and ſomtimes come to Church, and pray to God; but what is this to the keeping of the Law; if thou beeſt in thy natural eſtate, thy reaſoning after this manner does argue that thou doſt look after Salvation by what thou haſt done, and for men to ſay; I do what I can, and I am ſorry with all my heart that I can do no better, theſe are not reaſonings that wil inable thee to ſtand with comfort before the infinite Righteous God; thou muſt know in what ſtate thou art in under the Law, and how thou art caſt by the Law; theſe are not arguings that can bring reſt to thy ſoul; if it could, Chriſt would never have called in this manner; But you muſt know that ſuch is your condition, that all the Angels in Heaven, and men in the world cannot give reſt to your ſouls; and if you did underſtand this; you would thereby go away convinced of this truth; wel I ſee that there is a burden upon me, howſoever I have not been ſenſible of it; and it is ſuch a burden as wil preſs me down to eternal miſery, and I ſee now by this that I have need of a Chriſt. Certainly if congregations were ſenſible of this burden of the Law; Oh! How would their ſouls rejoyce in this, and praiſe the Lord that their eares are bleſſed to hear ſuch a ſound of the Goſpel as this, Come to me and I wil give you Reſt. I appeal to you whether the opening of the Law be not of uſe to make you come to Chriſt; there are a great many wanton ſpirits, that cal thoſe Miniſters of God that ſeek out of Conſcience to do good to Souls, and to draw them out of their natural eſtates; Legal men, Legal preachers and the like; I appeal to your conſciences, upon the knowledg of theſe things whether you wil not come to know, the way of coming to Chriſt better then you did before; if I ſhould have named the name of Chriſt five hundred times over and over again, would you have come to underſtand the miſtery of God in Chriſt, ſo much as by hearing what the difference is between the firſt covenant of works, and being under the Law; and to tel you that Chriſt came into the world to deliver us from this firſt covenant; he comes, and takes our Nature upon him, and puts himſelf under the Law, that he might free us from ſuch a heavy yoak, and bondage; and in this bleſſed Scripture, he calls all ſouls that do feel this yoak and burden to come to him that ſo they might have reſt. And thus much for this firſt Particular, what the bondage is that the ſoul is under, that is under the Law; are you ſenſible of this? Chriſt cals you; perhaps ſome of you may ſay, we have not been ſenſible of this; do you begin to underſtand it? Doth God begin to let in ſome light to you? Do you begin to feel it ſomthing weighty upon your Hearts? Bleſſed be God for it, you are ſo much the fitter to hear of the covenant of Grace. Now when you come home, let the Husband ſay to the wife; we hear of two covenants as you have it in the 4. of the Galla. 22. Here are two covenants, and theſe two are ſet out in this Allegory of the bond-woman and the free-Woman, now til we come to underſtand what the other covenant is, we are under the former covenant, the covenant of works; this is that you ſhould labor to underſtand; the Husband and wife to aske one another of the difference between the two covenants; ask but what the covenant of works is, and upon what tearms that runs, and the covenant of Grace; and upon what tearms that runs; and ſo you will come eſpecially to underſtand that that follows in this text with more profit and advantage to your Souls.