Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest

The second burden of Legal performances.

2. Legal performances have a great burden in them, because there is in all men that are but under the law before they come to be true believers sanctified by the spirit of Christ, a contrary principle, a principle quite against those duties, opposite unto them, there is a contrary stream in them, they go against wind and tide, you know what a burdensome thing it is for the boatman to go against wind and tide, he must put to a great deal of strength, so it is here till the soul come to believe in Christ and to have the spirit of Christ, having only conviction of conscience and being put upon duties, there are such corruptions in the heart, and such evil principles in all men naturally, that are as wind and tide against those duties; and yet saith conscience you must do them though you find your inclinations to be never so strong another way, yet conscience tells you you must do them, and when God is pleased to put strength into conscience it will make a man or a woman to go on in duty though it be never so cross to their own nature; you will say if it be cross to their own natures why do they not leave it off? No they dare not, notwithstanding; so, it is true, we shall show you afterwards, that even ⟨p. 55⟩godly men and believers are burdened with corruptions, they have contrary principles to the duty too, I but they are not so prevailing as with unbelievers that are only legal, It is a tedious thing you know to cast a stone upward, not only to cause a stone to move any way, that is some trouble, because you keep it from its centre, but to put it upon a motion that is quite contrary to the principle, that is burdensome, because all heavy things have principles in them that work downwards, therefore to put them upon those things that are quite contrary to their natural principles, it is a motion that will cause burden, and that because you keep them from their own centre: so conscience may keep a man and woman from their own centre, from those wicked courses that their natures are inclined unto, and all the while they are kept from the course that their natures do so strongly incline them unto, it must needs be burdensome to them, until God come and sanctify their hearts, they may be a great while without any sanctification, many whose consciences are convinced may go on in duties, without sanctification in them.