Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest

1. Do but consider this, That by living thus idly and unusefully thou comest to have all thy parts and thy spirits to corrupt; just as a standing water, as waters in a pond do corrupt, and putrefy by their standing, so men that live uselessly and are not active for God, and for the public good, according to the opportunities that God puts into their hands, their hearts do putrefy and grow corrupt, there is a corruption that comes upon all their parts, the beauty, the excellency, the quickness, the liveliness of their parts are taken away, and they begin to putrefy more and more, because they are not employed for God, what ever we have that we employ not for God, and are not active in for God, it putrefies, and however many men think it a great happiness, because they have estates, and they may live and do nothing, there is not a greater misery to a gracious heart, than to be useless for God, and for God to lay them aside as such as are useless, not to use them in his service, it is the greatest affliction to a Godly heart in the world; if God should take away their estates, it would not be such a great affliction, as to lay them aside and do nothing for God, and therefore let no man think, because he hath got a great estate, that therefore he may lie still, & do nothing, Oh! what will this man do when he shall be called to account for all his time, for all his opportunity for all his estate? certainly this will not be sufficient, that he can say, he did no hurt, no, but thou shouldest have been active for God, God is active for thee in saving thy soul, all the Attributes of God is working for thee, ⟨p. 214⟩and all the passages of his providence is working for thee if thou be saved, and therefore this is a wretched condition, for men to think no higher rest but merely freedom from outward trouble, and if there be any whose conscience tells them, this is the truth, this is my condition, and God speaks to my heart this day, this is the rest that I have sought after, know, that thou art not acquainted with the ways of God, for certainly the rest of an immortal soul is a high thing, Jesus Christ came into the world from the bosom of his father, and laid down his life to purchase rest for the soul, and dost thou think that Christ did this only to purchase this, that thou mayest be freed from some outward trouble in this world?

1. Do but consider this, That by living thus idlely and unusefully thou comest to have al thy parts and thy spirits to corrupt; just as a standing water, as waters in a pond do corrupt, and putrifie by their standing, so men that live uselesly and are not active for God, and for the publique good, according to the opportunities that God puts into their hands, their hearts do putrifie and grow corrupt, there is a corruption that comes upon al their parts, the beauty, the excellency, the quickness, the liveliness of their parts are taken away, and they begin to putrifie more and more, because they are not imployed for God, what ever we have that we imploy not for God, and are not active in for God, it putrifies, and however many men think it a great happiness, because they have estates, and they may live and do nothing, there is not a greater misery to a gracious heart, than to be useless for God, and for God to lay them aside as such as are useless, not to use them in his service, it is the greatest affliction to a Godly heart in the world; if God should take away their estates, it would not be such a great affliction, as to lay them aside and do nothing for God, and therefore let no man think, because he hath got a great estate, that therefore he may ly stil, & do nothing, Oh! what wil this man do when he shal be called to account for al his time, for al his opportunity for al his estate? certainly this wil not be sufficient, that he can say, he did no hurt, no, but thou shouldest have been active for God, God is active for thee in saving thy soul, al the Atributes of God is working for thee,