Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest

The Sixth Misery.

The Sixt Misery.

Sixthly, there is this evil in the burden of Legal performances, that if so be that by these Duties their consciences come to be quieted, then they are kept of from Jesus Christ, there are no people more kept of from Jesus Christ, then those that perform Duties in a Legal ⟨p. 70⟩manner, and have quiet of Conscience that way, ye• not only kept from Christ, but further, they set up their Duties in the place of Christ, and make them to be their very justification; what is it that many people would present before the Lord for their Righteousness and Hope of Heaven, but performance of such and such Duties, that the Law requires: now here's a mighty mistake though we are bound to obey Gods Law, yet for us to come and make this our Righteousness before God, and set it up before the Lord to be our interest for eternal life, this is to put Jesus Christ out of his office, and make our own Duties to be our Saviours, this now is exceeding dangerous, and yet how many people are there that do thus, and therefore I have been willing to be the Larger in this Point because it is not an argument that we do every day meet withal, and also because I would have many whose Consciences begin to be enlightened and much troubled to know where they are, what is the ground of their trouble, and where the bottom of their trouble lies; there are many people that are so far to be beloved, that they are very conscientious of Duty and abstain from those sins that others live in, and perform Duties that others neglect, but they go on very heavily and sadly for many years together, and the truth is, they know not the ground of their trouble, from whence their trouble comes: now by that that I have opened to you in this Point, you may come to know whence all your trouble comes, whence it comes to pass that you have gone on in that sadness and heaviness as you have done, you have done your duties in a Legal way, you have not been acquainted with the way of the Gospel.