A30566:951
Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest
Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest by Jeremiah Burroughs.Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest by Jeremiah Burroughes.
London: printed by Peter Cole, 1659
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
yet as soon as ever the things of the Gospel come to be revealed to them, they begin to have high thoughts of God, high and honourable thoughts of God; and those high and honourable thoughts of God, do mightily prevail upon their hearts to purge out sin, and sanctify their hearts exceedingly. Do but consider of those places where the preaching of the Gospel hath been but very little, what poor thoughts they have of God, they know not God, and therefore they live in all manner of Ungodliness. But now, when the preaching of the Gospel comes to any place, and God comes to be known, there the Devil is cast out, and the hearts of people being filled with the knowledge of God, they come to be sanctified unto the Service of God. That is another thing, It is Christ that reveals the Father unto the Soul, and so comes for to sanctify the heart.
yet as soon as ever the things of the Gospel come to be revealed to them, they begin to have high thoughts of God, high and honorable thoughts of God; and those high and honorable thoughts of God, do mightily prevail upon their hearts to purge out sin, and sanctifie their hearts exceedingly. Do but consider of those places where the preaching of the Gospel hath been but very little, what poor thoughts they have of God, they know not God, and therfore they live in all manner of Ungodliness. But now, when the preaching of the Gospel comes to any place, and God comes to be known, there the Devil is cast out, and the hearts of people being filled with the knowledg of God, they come to be sanctified unto the Service of God. That is another thing, It is Christ that reveals the Father unto the Soul, and so comes for to sanctifie the heart.
Eighthly, It is through Christ that the love of God is shed abroad into the heart of a believer, and that hath a mighty power to sanctify the heart, the shedding abroad of the love of God into the heart, this only can be in Christ. There may be, though out of Christ, common fruits of Gods bounty, general patience, goodness, and the like, but the special love of God, that hath a sanctifying power that goes along with it, it is that only that is in Christ, and when the soul comes once to have union with Christ, there flows the sweet sense of the love of God unto the heart, it is shed abroad, according unto the scripture Phrase, that the heart being filled with the sweetness of Gods love, and comes to be sanctified thereby, then all base love of the creature, and the love of sin comes to be eaten out, and the heart comes to be carried on, in a blessed, sweet, and gracious manner after the Lord. Al the terror of the Law cannot sanctify, so as the shedding abroad of the love of Christ in the heart can. Indeed, by the terror of the Law sin may be restrained, but by the terror of the Law the heart can never be sanctified. This is a certain truth, the terror of the Law may restrain from sin, but it can never sanctify the heart, the terrors of the Law are useful to be preached in that way, for to restrain Sin, but when we preach them, we do not think that we can thereby possibly sanctify the heart, corruption may be restrained for a while, but, that which must sanctify the heart must be the love of God in Jesus Christ, As I remember. Fulgentius, compares the love of God in Christ in the heart of a believer, to the fire that is within the furnace, and the love of God in his common bounty, to a few sparks that fly out at a distance from the mouth of the furnace; take all the love of God that is in the creature suppose the Lord should give unto you the possession of all the world, and should make a thousand worlds and give thee possession of them all, this were but as a spark from the furnace; but the love of God in Christ is as the