The sound believer, or, A treatise of evangelical conversion discovering the work of Christs…The sound beleever, or, A treatise of evangelicall conversion discovering the work of Christs…

3. By loading, tiring and wearying the soul by its own endeavours, until it can stir no more; for this is in every man by nature; when he sees that all he doth is sinful, and all he hath, his heart and nature to be most sinful; yet he will not yet come out of himself, because he hopes though he be for the present thus vile, yet he hopes for future time his heart may grow better, and himself do better then now; and hence it is that he strives, and seeks, & endeavours to his utmost to set up himself again, and to gain cure to all his troubles by his duties: now the law whose office is to command but not to give strength, and the Spirit that should give strength withdrawing it self, because it knows the soul would rest therein without Christ; hence it comes to pass that the soul feeling it self to labour only in the fire, and smoke, and to be still as miserable and sinful as ever before, hereupon it is quite tired out, and sits down weary, not only of its sin, but of its work, and now cries out, I see now what a vile undone wretch I am, I can do nothing for God or for my self, only I can sin and destroy my self; all that I am is vile, and all that I do is vile, I now see that I am indeed poor, and blind, ⟨p. 134⟩and miserable, and naked; & the truth is, beloved, here comes in the greatest dejections of spirit, for when the Lord smites the soul for sin, it hopes that by leaving of sin and doing better it may do well; but when it sees that there is no hope here of healing the breach between God and it self, now it falls low indeed: and I take this to be the true meaning of Mat. 11.28. Ye that labour, i. e. You that are wearied in your own way, in seeking rest to your souls by your own hard labour or works (as the word [Greek or Hebrew] signifies) and are tired out therein, and so are now laden indeed with sin and the heavy pressure of that, finding no ease by all that which you do; come to me, saith Christ, and you shall then find rest unto your souls: the Jews seeking to establish their own righteousness, seeking I say if by any means they might establish it, lost Christ; the Lord therefore will make his elect know they shall seek here for ease in vain: and therefore tyres them out.

3. By loading, tyring and wearying the soule by its own indeavours, untill it can stir no more; for this is in every man by nature; when he sees that all he doth is sinfull, and all he hath, his heart and nature to be most sinfull; yet he will not yet come out of himselfe, because he hopes though he be for the present thus vile, yet he hopes for future time his heart may grow better, and himself doe better then now; and hence it is that hee strives, and seeks, & indeavours to his utmost to set up himself again, and to gain cure to all his troubles by his duties: now the law whose office is to command but not to give strength, and the Spirit that should give strength withdrawing it selfe, because it knowes the soule would rest therein without Christ; hence it comes to passe that the soule feeling it selfe to labour onely in the fire, and smoake, and to be still as miserable and sinfull as ever before, hereupon it is quite tyred out, and sits down weary, not only of its sin, but of its work, and now cryes out, I see now what a vile undone wretch I am, I can doe nothing for God or for my selfe, only I can sinne and destroy my selfe; all that I am is vile, and all that I doe is vile, I now see that I am indeed poore, and blind,