Four Books on Matthew 11, Book 4 · Chapter 137
CHAP. CXXXVII.
Containeth a third and fourth Difierence between the eaſe of a Hypocrite, and true Beleever in the waies of God. For, 1. They are eaſie even to the Corruptions of a Hypocrite. 2. He takes up the waies God partially.
THirdly: Another Difference is this: The eaſe a carnall heart finds, it may not only ſtand with the eaſe under the Yoke of ſin to the Fleſh, but the truth is, even the Duties of Religion are eaſie to their corruptions, to their very corruptions, not only may ſtand with their corrupt waies, but are eaſie to the very corruption it ſelf, to the very ſinfull diſtemper of their hearts, this is a very evill and vile eaſe, for to perform holy Duties ſo, as to be eaſie to the very fleſh, to the fleſhly part, Indeed, the Yoke of Chriſt is eaſie unto the Saints, but it is not eaſie unto the fleſh, I mean to the corrupt part, it is not eaſie to that, I but the waies of Religion to carnall hearts is eaſie to their very corruption, to their corrupt part.
For, Firſt: There is agreement enough between any Duty they perform and their ſecret ſins, they can perform holy Duties and keep their ſins both together, and this now they find very eaſie. There is nothing in holy Duties that is againſt their ſin, yea, there is ſomthing in holy Duties that makes for their ſins, I do not ſay holy Duties in their own natures makes for their ſins, but their performing of them makes for their ſins, makes them the more quiet in their ſins. As thus, It makes more for their ſins, and they have more quiet in them upon two Peaſons.
As firſt by this means ſometimes their corruption and ſin is hidden, as you that have many Servants that are naught and vile, they will be very forward in good things, and go to Sermons, and Prayer and the like, that they might hide much of their ſin, that they might not be uſpected to be ſuch and ſuch, therefore they perform Duties of Religion; and now theſe Duties muſt needs be very eaſie to them: And ſo it is with many Hypocrites that go beyond civill men, and the Duties of Religion that that they perform, are more than civill men do, they will not only come to Church, but ſeem to be affected, not only be ex…erciſed in the ordinary Duties, but in extraordinary, Faſting and Prayer, not only come to hear the word, but repeat it in their Families afterwards, not only pray here, but pray in their Families, and Cloſets, yet ſo, as to cover their corruption, to cover their very filthineſs, now theſe Duties are very eaſie.
Or Secondly, which is a amore cloſe way, Becauſe it ſatisfies their Conſciences, their Conſciences would not be at quiet except they did ſomthing, a Man and Woman that walks in a carnall way, that hath a vile Spirit, a ſenſuall ſpirit in his conſtant way and courſe, if ſuch a one ſhould not do ſome good thing, having ſome enlightening of mind, his Conſcience being ſomwhat awakened and ſtirred, he could not be at quiet if he did not now and then pray, and now and then come to hear the word, and deſire Sacraments, his Conſcience would fly in his face, and would not be at quiet, now having many ſecret corruptions that he is loth to part with, he is content to do ſomthing, to take a Book, and read a Chapter, and go into his Cloſet, and pray in his Family, and will not neglect the word, but come to hear the word all the Lords day, come twice, and thrice to hear the word, now all theſe things are very good, and they are to be encouraged in them, but now examin I beſeech you, whether all the good and comfort that you find is not only this, that by theſe things your Conſciences are quieted, and ſo you go on more eaſie in ſome ſinfull way, becauſe of this, you can with the more eaſe let out your heart unto the world, you can with more eaſe take liberty to ſome haunt of evil that you are conſcious of, ſome ſecret ſin, you can take the more liberty, becauſe you have been exerciſed in holy Duties at another time. I beſeech you examin your heart in this, there is a great deal of ſecret corruption in this, & it is not very rare, not an extraordinary thing that I am ſpeaking of, but I fear it is an ordinary thing that I am ſpeaking of, that many people take the more liberty in ſome ſecret haunt of evil, becauſe they have been exerciſed in holy Duties at other times, they have been at faſting and prayer and perhaps their hearts have been ſtirred in Faſting & Prayer, but now what uſe make they of this? it is that they may be more ſluggiſh at other times, this is a curſed eaſe, an eaſe that may ſtand not only with your corruptions, but an eaſe to your corruptions, make you to go on in the way of ſin more quietly, What a horrid ſin is this? for a Man & Woman to make no other uſe of the Ordinances of Jeſus Chriſt than this, to this end, that he may go on more quietly in the waies of ſin, now this is an abhorring thing to a gracious heart, a gracious heart finds eaſe in the way of Duty but it is more eaſie becauſe it ſtrikes at their corruptions, and mortifies their corruptions, Oh! bleſſed be God for his Ordinances, for before I came to be exerciſed in them, and had power and life in the uſe of them, I had eaſe in my ſin, but ſince the time I ſet my ſelf to follow God indeed in his Ordinances, and have had communion with God in his Ordinances, I thank God I can have no eaſe in my ſin, that though my corruptions ſometimes overcome me, yet by the performance of holy Duties I find it makes my corruptions more burdenſome to me, and God that knows my heart knows this, it is my deſire that I may never find eaſe in any ſinfull way, and I love all the waies of God better, becauſe they will not let me be at quiet in the waies of ſin. And this is the reaſon that you that come to the word of God, many times, you hear many things that you like well, and you love them wel, but becauſe they diſquiet your corruptions, and you cannot have quiet in your ſinfull way, therefore you ſit at home, and you wil not come to hear the word. Oh, many men, they would love Sermons, and love to hear ſuch a man, but only for this one thing, that they wil not let them be at quiet, they cannot go on fo quietly in ſome ſinfull way which their hearts hanker after, and therefore thoſe Sermons that do not diſquiet them in this kind, Oh, they love them exceedingly, it is that I have obſerved; you ſhall have many Women, ignorant People and others, when they come to hear a Sermon that hath a great deal of Latin, and quaint expreſſions in it, Oh, how they commend this, and what an excellent Sermon was this? and what an excellent Man was this? It may be ſaid of thoſe Sermons, as Bradford ſaid of the Maſs, The Maſs doth not bite, therefore you love it; and ſo men uſed to love the common Prayer, alas, it did not bite, they would come, and ſtand, and hear a man read out of a Book a while, this did not bite, whereas a Prayer that comes from the heart, and fearcheth into mens hearts▪ that ſtirs their corruptions, and therefore they do not love it. And ſo it is in regard of the word, let the word come to ſearch the heart, and come neer, to divide between the marrow and the bones, to come into the ſecret of the hearts of men and women then for the ſoul to love the word ſo much the more, and to ſay Oh! this is the word of God that gives eaſe to my ſoul, I find more eaſe by ſuch a miniſtry then I find by any miniſtry, this is the eaſe of a Gracious heart: but a corrupt heart wil have eaſe only in that way that is moſt ſubſervant to his own luſts That is the third difference.
Fourthly, Another difference is this, The eaſe that a corrupt heart hath in the waies of God, it is that eaſe that he hath in taking up the waies of God but by holineſs, it is in partial obedience, it is but in part of the yoke of Chriſt, it is not in all the yoke of Chriſt he can take up ſome part, ſome pieces of the yoke of Chriſt but if you come to urge him to take up all the ways of God then he crys out, what! muſt we make Conſcience of all our thoughts, of al our words, and all our actions? muſt we anſwer for every action before the judgment ſeat of Chriſt? Oh! this he counts to be hard & greivous to him, he could be content with ſomthing, but to take up the ful yoke, and all the yoke of Jeſus Chriſt, that he thinks an intollerable burden; that he muſt have the ſcripture, the word of God to be the rule of all his actions, that is ſomwhat hard: But now a gracious heart finds the greateſt eaſe when he comes up unto all Gods commands, It is true▪ indeed ſaith he, I cannot come to that pitch as to obey them perfectly but yet my heart is ſo far brought off as to ſubject my ſelf to all the commands of God if at ſomtimes he yields to ſome, and then at other times unto others, that brings more trouble to his ſpirit, but now when he can find his heart ſubmitting to all the precepts of God, then he finds moſt reſt, all the waies of wiſdom are pleaſant. A Child of God finds no one thing in the waies of God that is not eaſy, and the more it comes to an univerſal obedience in every thing, the more eaſe it hath when indeed it doth but begin to make ſome enterance upon Gods waies, and takes up ſome duties and not all, then it finds trouble, but when it comes to take up all, and comes to yeild univerſal obedience, then it finds eaſe. Now examin your hearts in this you find it may be ſome eaſe in the waies of religion, O! but it is but partial obedience, you take this, and leave that, obſerve this, a partial obedience, is an eaſy obedience to a carnal heart, but an univerſal obedience is the moſt eaſy obedience to any Gracious heart.