Four Books on Matthew 11, Book 4 · Chapter 135
CHAP. CXXXV.
Six Evidences of the former Doctrine in the laſt Chapter. 1. Becauſe the word that injoyns theſe waies is Sweet. 2. A Gracious Soul counts his Duties his priviledges. 3. He would rather come under any other Burden, than caſt off the Yoke of Chriſt. 4. Becauſe Chriſt whoſe Yoke it is, is Gentle. 5. Never any truly that put their neck under this Yoke, would willingly take it out again 6. The Experience of all the Saints of God prove the Point.
FOr the firſt then: The Evidences that do demonſtrate, that certainly the waies of God are eaſie, and his Burden is very light unto thoſe that have indeed ſubmitted their necks unto the Yoke of Jeſus Chriſt.
Evidence 1.
Firſt. The firſt Evidence is this: Surely Gods waies are eaſie unto them, for there is none that is truly Gracious, but they account the word of God that doth require them to walk in thoſe waies, very ſweet unto them, and they prize it highly, now if there were difficulty and a harſhneſs in Gods waies. Certainly, though the word of God may be accounted juſt and righteous, yet it would not be ſweet and comfortable unto the Soul; but there is nothing more ſweet and comfortable unto a Gracious heart, than the word of God that doth require ſuch waies of him. Ye know the expreſſion of David, that It is ſweeter than the Hony and the Hony Comb, more precious than Silver or Gold, or any riches of the world, read but Pſal. 119. and there in every verſe almoſt, you find ſuch expreſſions, of much ſweetneſs that David did find in the word of God, if the word be ſweet and delightful, certainly the waies of God muſt needs be ſweet and delightfull that are required in the word, that is the firſt.
Evidence 2.
Secondly: Surely they are ſweet and delightful, for thoſe that are in Gods waies, do not account what they do only to be Duties, but Priviledges; they look upon every thing that Chriſtian Religion requires of them, not only as Duties, but as Mercies, as that wherein their happineſs conſiſts, I have received mercy from the Lord that I may be faithful ſaith Paul, I do not ſay, I have received mercy from the Lord, that I may go to Heaven, that I may be rewarded, and have ſuch and ſuch bleſſings, but I count it mercy from the Lord, that he makes me faithfull in this way, not only dutifull, but faithfull. The Saints of God do not account the bonds of obedience to be fetters to them, they account them chains of Gold about their necks for Ornament, not bonds of neceſſity to tie them to obedience, becauſe otherwiſe they would not obey them, but I ſay, every Law of God is counted by the Saints of God to be as chains of Gold▪ Ornaments to them, that they account their Glory as wel as their Duty, & therefore in the Revelation we find, the new City is deſcribed thus, that her ſtreets is paved with Gold, that is, the very way & path of the Saints it is a Golden way, it is paved with Gold, it is a glorious way, now that which a man accounts his Priviledg, and Dignity, & Glory, that muſt needs be eaſie, their ſuffering actively and paſſively, Paul counts his ſufferings Glorious, and Moſes counts his ſufferings more than the riches of Egypt. If ſo be that you had given unto you as much Gold as you could carry, the weightier the bag, the lighter would your heart be, you would count the burden ſo much the more lighter, by ſo much the more was in it, Certainly, the ſuffering for Chriſt, and dying for Chriſt is riches, it is ſo to a Gracious heart, may be this may be a Riddle to carnal hearts, many carnall hearts think they muſt do ſuch good things, and if they do not, they muſt periſh, and go to Hell, and therefore they force themſelves upon Duty, I but it is otherwiſe with a Godly heart, he doth not think, I muſt do this, but his work is wages, every work that a Child of God doth is wages to him, the man works hard, I but he expects the more, he expects wages: So an Hypocrite may work, he may do ſomthing, but he expects wages, but a Gracious heart his work is wages, Receiving the end of your Faith, the Salvation of your Souls, there is receiving continually while we are working. Saith Chriſt in Joh. 17. 4. Father I have finiſhed the work that thou gaveſt me to do: So the very work that the Father ſet Chriſt upon, Chriſt did count it to be a Gift from the Father, and ſo the work that Chriſt ſets us upon, if we have the Spirit of Chriſt in us, we wil count it a Gift from Jeſus Chriſt, Chriſt doth give it, and this (by the way) would be a ſpecial Evidence of true Grace in the heart, the ſoul that ſhall count Gods waies Priviledges as well as Duties, ſurely hath true Grace, truly they are eaſie then, if they be Priviledges as wel as Duties, that is the ſecond.
Evidence 3
Thirdly: And the third Evidence is this, The Yoke of Chriſt is eaſie, and his Burden is light; for there is no gracious heart but would rather come under any Yoke, any Burden in the world, than willingly to caſt off any Yoke and Burden of Jeſus Chriſt, name what Yoke you will, what Burden you will, rather than a gracious heart will be from under Chriſts Burden, and Chriſts Yoke, O! ſaith he, let me come under that Yoke, and that Burden.
Yea further, If God doth put any Yoke, any Burden of affliction upon one that is Gracious, if that Yoke and Burden of affliction may but bring his neck more under the Yoke of Chriſt than before, and bring him more under Chriſts Burden than before, a gracious heart doth think it well worth the bearing, thinks himſelf fully recompenſed in the bearing of any Yoke if it may any way further him to come under the Yoke of Chriſt more; as thus, before I had a wanton Spirit, and I could not get my ſelf to put my neck under the Yoke of Chriſt, to be quiet as I ought to have been; Well, but now the Lord Chriſt hath laid the Yoke of affliction upon me, and that hath in ſome meaſure ſubdued my heart, ſo that I can come and put the Yoke of Chriſt upon me better, O! bleſſed be God that ever I had the Yoke of affliction upon me, that now brings me under the yoke of Chriſt more, Canſt thou ſay ſo, bleſſed be God for this affliction? Surely then the Yoke of Chriſt is eaſie, that a heart is willing to bear any Yoke that may but further it to the bearing of the Yoke of Chriſt, that is the third.
Evidence 4.
Fourthly: It is an eaſie Yoke certainly, for it is Chriſts Yoke, it muſt needs be eaſie, becauſe it is Chriſts, and that upon theſe two grounds.
Firſt: Chriſt himſelf is Gentle, and Sweet, and Lovely, Chriſt himſelf hath no Rigidneſs, no Sowrneſs in him towards People, as you heard at large when we opened the Meekneſs and Lowlineſs of Chriſt, now if Chriſt be meek and lowly, he loves no bitterneſs and rigidneſs. If I had to deal with a man that I were ſure had all the Meekneſs, and al the Love and all the Gentleneſs in him of all the men in the world that ever lived, put all their Meekneſs, and Gentleneſs, and Sweetneſs together into one man, and I were ſure I ſhould never have any Yoke upon me but what that man ſhould lay upon me, truly, I would never fear any rigidneſs. One man hath Meekneſs and Gentleneſs, I but he hath Rigidneſs too, and another man hath one drop, and another another drop, I but put all theſe into one, and ſurely that man hath a great deal of Meekneſs, now Jeſus Chriſt hath all in him, and if it be his Yoke, then it muſt needs be eaſie.
And Secondly: Conſider what was the end of Chriſts coming into the world, the end of Jeſus Chriſts coming into the world was this, he ſaw poor wretched man, that he was under a Burden of ſin and miſery, and he was content to come and take their natures upon him, and deliver their ſouls from pain, and trouble, and miſery, he came not into the world to impoſe Iron Yokes, but he came into the world to bring the mercy of the Father, to bring the treaſure of the riches of the Father into the world, and was anointed by the Father to that end, that he might open Priſon doors to Captives, and that he might powr oyle upon them, to ſupple ſouls that was his end, ſaith he, I came not into the world to condemne it, but to ſave it that I might bring the mercy of my father into the world, that I might open the paſſages of the infinite mercy of my Father that by your ſins was ſhut up, though there was an infinite ocean of mercy in my Father, yet not one drop could iſſue out from him, therefore I came to open the ſluces, as it were, and let them out upon you, and if there be any other end, it is rather by accident then that which Chriſt aymed at, but that Chriſt aymed at was, to open the ſluces of the infinite mercy of God upon man. Now if this were the end of Chriſts comming into the world, then certainly thoſe that are deare to him, and that he was willing to lay down his life for, they ſhal find nothing from him but gentleneſs, he will lay no yoke or burden upon them but what is very eaſy, and very light therefore it muſt needs be eaſy, becauſe it is Chriſts, that is a fourth Evidence
Evidence, 5.
Fiftly, It muſt needs be eaſy and light, for there was never any in the world that put his neck under this Yoke, (eſpecially if you take it for the yoke of obedience) never any put his neck under this yoke that would have his neck out again, that would wiſh Chriſts yoke otherwiſe then it is, for his active obedience and they would have the paſſive too, but in the concluſion they would never repent them that ever they were under it, but eſpecially for the former, there was never Godly Chriſtians when they were themſelves, and did conſider of things, except it were in time of temptation, but take them at that time when they are themſelves, I ſay, there was never any that could wiſh their neck out of Chriſts yoke, that could wiſh the yoke of Chriſt eaſier then it is, they would be freed from nothing that Chriſt requires when they are themſelves and underſtand things. It is true, Ignorantly, and when they do not underſtand things, and in time of temptation, then they may do otherwiſe, but take a Chriſtian, and let him be himſelf, and let him conſider and underſtand the thing, and there was never any that could wiſh his neck out of the yoke, or wiſh it eaſier then it is. It is true, a gracious heart may be weary of himſelf, becauſe he cannot beare the yoke of Chriſt as he would do, but he is never weary of Chriſts yoke, he may be weary of the corruptions of his heart that hinder him from bearing the yoke as he ſhould do, but he would not have the yoke leſs then it is, Take one that is Godly, though he be weak, you will ſay, it is true, they that are ſtrong wil not wiſh it leſs, but thoſe that are weak they may well conſider it thus, a gracious heart he would be glad to have more ſtrength to go under Chriſts yoke more comfortably, but he would not have Chriſts yoke leſs, that is, there is no duty that Chriſt requires of a gracious heart that it would be freed from, I appeal to you that are gracious hearts what one duty that Chriſt requires of you when you are your ſelves, that you would be freed from, Look through the whol book of God, and you ſhal find it ſo of the Saints. And here is a great difference now between an Hypocrite, and a Gracious man, an Hipocrite would fain do this duty but not that, and omit this, but not that; but a gracious heart ſaith, Lord, I am not willing only to do what thou requireſt of me, but Lord, whatſoever thou requireſt of me, I would chuſe it, if I had my choice, but I leave that till I come further, only now to ſhew that it is eaſy, becauſe no gracious heart that will ever take up any other yoke, but ſaith, let me alwaies be here, ſurely it muſt needs be eaſy then; that is a fifth Evidence.
Evidence, 6
And the Sixth and Laſt Evidence is this, it is taken from the experience of the Saints, and that is as great a demonſtration as any thing, that which I have found experimentally, that I find ſo, it is taken from the experience of the Saints, there is none that are truly Gracious though they may be afflicted with temptation, eſpecially when they are grown in the waies of Chriſtianity, but they have ſome experience of it, perhaps at firſt they find it ſomwhat hard to get their necks under, but afterwards, they will ſay, well, I never found that reſt, that eaſe, that quiet upon my …oul, as ſince I got my neck fully under the yoke of Chriſt, ſince I brought my ſelf to reſign my ſelf fully & wholly to the ways of Jeſus Chriſt, I bleſs God I have had great eaſe and reſt. Juſt as it is with your ſhips, if your ſhip Stick faſt in the Sands and water, the Waves come and beat againſt your ſhip, and it is ready to break, but now if it is got off from the Sands, and wholly upon the Water, then away it goes, and you may hold a cup of wine in your hands and it goes away with eaſe, ſo it is with a Godly heart, when he is part in Gods waies, and part in the mudd, and doth not fully give up himſelf to Gods waies, then he findes trouble, and his Conſcience flies in his Face, and he cannot ſleep quietly, but let the Soul fully reſign it ſelf to Chriſt to be guided by him, Oh! the unſpeakable joy that there is in this. Heathens may talk, and have witty diſcourſes about tranquillity of mind, but only the true Criſtian can have the true tranquillity of mind, never could the ſoul ſay till now, my ſoul returne unto thy reſt, let there be never ſuch commotions in the world, and troubles and ſtirs in the World, yet I can retire to God, and I can bleſs my ſelf in God, and bleſs God in what I injoy, when I can ſay as in the preſence of God to my ſoul, O my Soul, return to thy reſt, I never had ſuch reſt and quiet in any waies as I find in theſe. Surely theſe Six things do evidence the truth, that his yoke is eaſy, and his burden light.