Four Books on Matthew 11, Book 4 · Chapter 143
CHAP. CXLIII.
The Yoke of Chriſt eaſier than the Yoke of the Law: For, 1. The Ceremoniall Law required abſtinence from the comfort of the Creature. 2. Its Service was chargeable. 3. The Ceremonies were beggarly Rudiments.
THE waies of Chriſt are eaſie.
Firſt: In regard of the yoke of the Law.
Secondly: In regard of the yoke and burden of ſin.
For the eaſineſs of Chriſts waies, in compariſon of the yoke of the Law, you know what the Scripture ſaith, in Acts 15. 10. That the Law it was a Yoke, which our Fathers nor we were neither able to bear. Even the Ceremonial Law, the way of Chriſt is eaſie in reſpect of that.
For Firſt: The Ceremonial part of the Law required abſtaining from the comforts of the Creature, the People of the Jews in the times of the Law were forbidden the uſe of many Creatures that we have a great deal of uſe of now; this is one eaſe that we have by Jeſus Chriſt, that we are to make uſe of all the Creatures, we need make no queſtion for Conſcience ſake of the uſe of any Creature, in the world, that is ſomwhat eaſier than to be reſtrained from this Creature and the other Creature.
And then, Secondly: We have a great deal of eaſe in reſpect of the Jews that were under the burden of the Ceremonial Law, becauſe that their ſervice it ſelf was very chargeable to their outward eſtates, their Sacrifices that they did offer up to God, How chargeable was it? What a great part of the eſtates of men did go forth, partly in the maintenance of their Levites? There is a great deal of murmuring now for a little Money for maintenance of Miniſters, but there if the account be ſummed up, the maintenance of the Levites was a great part of their eſtates, not barely the tenth of their Sacrifices. They had their Cities, divers, forty or more Cities that were theirs for their poſſeſſion. And many things might be ſhewed that way, the mighty charge that they were at for the ſervice of God ſeveral waies, not Tithes only, but Cities and the like; now God hath in a great part eaſed us of thoſe things that he required, of the People of the Jews, there is nothing now required but what is in moral equity, what is in common reaſon due to the Laborer for his work, only ſomwhat is due by that Scripture, Thou ſhalt not muzle the mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the Corn, ſo that all the maintenance now for the work of God is due in a way of common reaſon, but there was other things required in the ſervice of God in the times of the Jews, and that is an eaſe that is very ſuitable to many men, to have eaſe that way from their outward ſervice, yet certainly, the Lord (as we ſhal hear more by and by) requires of us more ſervice other waies.
And then Thirdly, In the ceremoniall Law, there the very ſervice of God had a kind of burden in it, for there were ſo many external performances, that the Holy Ghoſt cals them beggarly Rudiments, ſo many outward ceremonies, outward things, that were a burden to the outward man, and they were mean things, and childiſh things, in compariſon of the Goſpel, they are called by the Apoſtle Beggarly Rudiments: And truly, one would think, that when we ſhall read ſuch a Scripture as that, that ſhall call the ceremonies of the Law beggarly rudiments, that were the ceremonies appointed by God himſelf, and yet when they came to be abrogated they were called but beggarly rudiments, one would admire how it is poſſible that any one that profeſſeth Chriſtianity, ſhould come and conform themſelves to ſo many ceremonies as they have done, to ſuch beggarly rudiments; certainly, theſe muſt needs be beggarly rudiments much more, and what a ſtrange paſs were we brought into, that we ſhould count ſuch things the great Ornaments of Gods ſervice, whenas God did not require them but at that time, and that they are ſo vilified by God now. But inventions are never required by God, and therefore they are to be accounted more vile, and it is a great mercy to be delivered from the bondage of the outward ceremonies of the Law, though ſuch things as were once appointed by God, to ſpend ſo many daies as they did from their outward buſineſs, this is ſomwhat, Surely, if it were in mans power to appoint ceremonies, and make daies holy as many did undertake heretofore, we had been brought into a greater bondage than ever the Jews were under the Law, but Chriſt would have eaſe in the outward adminiſtration of his worſhip.
And then likewiſe, though God hath appointed ſome outward things, yet very few, for the outward part of his vvorſhip, What a few things are appointed by Jeſus Chriſt? vvhereas in the times of the Law, there vvere multitudes of external things, yea, and how eaſie are they that Chriſt hath appointed for the outvvard part of his vvorſhip; whereas in the times of the Lavv it vvas hard, as circumciſion, vvhat a hard thing vvas it to have to foreskin of the fleſh cut off? and you knovv it made them ſore, vvhen the men of Sichem vvere circumciſed, they vvere ſo ſore, that two or three men vvere able to deſtroy a vvhol City, novv Chriſt hath required no ſuch hardneſs of us.
And truly that may be one thing that may make us much doubt of the waies of many that put people upon ſuch vvaies, as in the Winter time to go into Rivers, and venture their healths & lives as they do, certainly, Chriſt requires no ſuch thing, if Chriſt did require ſuch a thing, I dare appeal to any to give me any one place in the old Teſtament vvhere there is a harder commandment than that, if that vvere a commandment then Chriſts yoke in that one thing is harder than any one thing that Chriſt required of the Jews, no one Duty ſo difficult to the outward man as that thing i…, now certainly the yoke of Chriſt as he himſelf ſaith, it is but eaſie, it is not hard to the outward man in ſuch external ſervices, Chriſt did not change one Ordinance from another to make it harder, there is no Ordinance that Chriſt did change from the Law to the Goſpel to make it harder, and there is no mercy that is allowed in the times of the Law, but is allowed in the times of the Goſpel.
And further, That is another Argument that is very perſwa…ive to the Beleever and his children, for if God ſhould deny this condition to the children in the times of the Goſpel that was in the times of the Law, it would make the Goſpel to be harder than the Law, and the truth is, the denying ſuch a mercy to Beleevers children would be a harder yoke to Beleevers, a greater burden to them than all the ceremonies were to the Jevvs in the times of the Lavv. As ſuppoſe this, if a Beleever ſhould plead thus, Lord, there vvas a time vvhen thou didſt not only receive me into Covenant, but receive my child too, and give my child the ſeal of the Covenant likevviſe, and there vvas a time that I had ſuch a priviledg, that not only I, but my child vvas in a different condition from the Heathen, the Heathen round about me vvas not in ſuch a condition as I vvas in, in regard of my poſterity, and I counted this a great mercy, but Lord, ſince the time I vvas converted, and imbraced Chriſtian Religion, and ſince the time that Jeſus Chriſt is come, as ſuppoſe a Jevv ſhould ſpeak thus, one that vvas a Jevv before Chriſts time, and ſhould live til Chriſt came, and ſhould plead thus, Lord, haſt thou brought a greater burden on me ſince Chriſt came than I had before Chriſt came, for before Chriſt came I had ſuch a liberty that vvas as dear to me as my life, that I vvould not be vvithout for all the vvorld, that I ſhould not only have my ſelf, but my child ſeparated from the world, and be in covenant with thee, and under the Seal of thy Grace, but Lord▪ ſince Chriſts coming into the world and ſince I imbraced religion, though I may come and take the ſeales, though I may be in covenant with thee, yet now my child may not, there is no difference between my child and the child of a heathen, Lord is there no difference between this and the times of the Law? thou ſayeſt, thy yoke is eaſy, and thy burden is light, but here is a great burden upon me, that I have not that benefit that heretofore I had, certainly, my brethren, Chriſt did not come into the world to leſſen the Grace of God: you will ſay, they were in a worſe condition then this, but how are they in a better? as for the covenant of Grace in Jeſus Chriſt, that certainly a Jew had, they were ſaved by the ſame way that we are, namely by beleeving in Jeſus Chriſt, now thoſe that were beleevers, and did underſtand Jeſus Chriſt, they had the ſame benefit by Jeſus Chriſt that we have, I but if their children now ſhould not have the ſame benefit that they had, I ſay then Chriſt hath brought a greater yoke upon beleevers in the times of the Goſpel, then was upon beleevers in the times of the Law, and this is contrary to what Chriſt ſaith, my Yoke is eaſy, and my Burden light. Methinks, I wonder that any men that are Beleevers, that have children of their own, that ſhould drinke in that opinion; for certainly, it cannot but be a greater Yoke upon them, and if they ſhould think there were no difference between their children and the children of heathen, they ſhould count it a great Yoke, and they ſhould think it better for them if they had lived in the times of the Law, and before Chriſt came into the world, for then they had benefit for their children. Now we are delivered from the Yoke of the ceremonial Law that required hard things, and we are not brought into a worſe condition, you cannot be in a worſe condition ſaith Chriſt in coming unto me then you were in the times of the Law.
But eſpecially the Morral law, that was a great burden, a great yoke, as looked upon in the Covenant of works: now for that I ſhal not need to ſpeak much, becauſe I have opened it in the invitation of Chriſt, Come unto me, al ye that are weary and heavy laden, and there I ſhewed unto you the burden of the Law, and from that, ſaith Chriſt, I will give you reſt. I ſhewed how Chriſt delivers from the burden of the Law, Certainly, the Goſpel then is a great eaſe, to mention to you but two or three particulars in this, then I ſhewd you there how it required abſolute, impoſſible things, impoſſible unto us now, not unpoſſible unto Adam, n…t impoſſible to that power that Adam had at firſt, but impoſſible to us. Now it requires abſolute perfection in every thing, it doth not admit of any repentance, no nor of any endeavour, not to accept of it, the Law accepts of no endeavour, except he continue in every thing, he accepts of no repentance. But now, ſaith Chriſt, my yoke is eaſy, I require nothing of you but what is eaſy, the Law doth not accept of endeavour, but I will accept of endeavour, if there be a will I will accept of it, if there be repentance I will accept of it, the Law would not do …t, let a Sinner weep his heart out, the Law would …ot accept of it; after you have ſinned▪ the Law binds …ou over to an eternal curſe, and had not Jeſus …hriſt come into the world, you had been bound o…r to an eternal curſe for ever, and that is the rea… that the Angels cannot be ſaved, and therefore ſa…h Chriſt, take heed of this yoke, this is a heavy b…den, that there ſhould be no mediating, nothing ſhould be accepted, but ſaith Chriſt, I will bring you an eaſyer yoke, it is not ſo when you come to beleeve in mee, now your endeavours ſhal be accepted, and though you be imperfect, yet if you be upright, it ſhall be accepted.