A77983:308
Four books on the eleventh of Matthew
Four books on the eleventh of Matthew: viz: I. Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest. II. Christ the great teacher of souls that come to him. To which is added a treatise of meekness and of anger. III. Christ the humble teacher of those that come to him. IIII. The only easy way to heaven. By Jeremiah Burroughs, preacher of the Gospel at Stepney and Cripple-Gate, London.Four books on the eleventh of Matthew: viz: I. Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest. II. Christ the great teacher of souls that come to him. To which is added a treatise of meekness and of anger. III. Christ the humble teacher of those that come to him. IIII. The only easie way to heaven. By Jeremiah Burroughs, preacher of the Gospel at Stepny and Cripple-Gate, London.
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.
Evidence 2.
Secondly: Surely they are sweet and delightful, for those that are in Gods ways, do not account what they do only to be Duties, but Privileges; they look upon every thing that Christian Religion requires of them, not only as Duties, but as Mercies, as that wherein their happiness consists, I have received mercy from the Lord that I may be faithful saith Paul, I do not say, I have received mercy from the Lord, that I may go to Heaven, that I may be rewarded, and have such and such blessings, but I count it mercy from the Lord, that he makes me faithful in this way, not only dutiful, but faithful. The Saints of God do not account the bonds of obedience to be fetters to them, they account them chains of Gold about their necks for Ornament, not bonds of necessity to tie them to obedience, because otherwise they would not obey them, but I say, every Law of God is counted by the Saints of God to be as chains of Gold▪ Ornaments to them, that they account their Glory as well as their Duty, & therefore in the Revelation we find, the new City is described thus, that her streets is paved with Gold, that is, the very way & path of the Saints it is a Golden way, it is paved with Gold, ⟨p. 643⟩it is a glorious way, now that which a man accounts his Privilege, and Dignity, & Glory, that must needs be easy, their suffering actively and passively, Paul counts his sufferings Glorious, and Moses counts his sufferings more than the riches of Egypt. If so be that you had given unto you as much Gold as you could carry, the weightier the bag, the lighter would your heart be, you would count the burden so much the more lighter, by so much the more was in it, Certainly, the suffering for Christ, and dying for Christ is riches, it is so to a Gracious heart, may be this may be a Riddle to carnal hearts, many carnal hearts think they must do such good things, and if they do not, they must perish, and go to Hell, and therefore they force themselves upon Duty, I but it is otherwise with a Godly heart, he doth not think, I must do this, but his work is wages, every work that a Child of God doth is wages to him, the man works hard, I but he expects the more, he expects wages: