Four books on the eleventh of Matthew

as you heard before, a gracious heart hath the more activeness in it the more ease it hath, now as his activeness in goodness causeth easiness in his heart, so the easiness in his heart causeth activeness in goodness, there is a mutuallness in these two, and indeed this latter is the more facile for people to exam in themselves by, perhaps every one cannot group to that activeness of heart, but now hath it this power upon your hearts, that you are more fruitful than before? This is the ease of a gracious heart, if it doth so.

as you heard before, a gracious heart hath the more activeness in it the more ease it hath, now as his activeness in goodness causeth easiness in his heart, so the easiness in his heart causeth activeness in goodness, there is a mutuallness in these two, and indeed this latter is the more facile for people to exam in themselves by, perhaps every one cannot group to that activeness of heart, but now hath it this power upon your hearts, that you are more fruitfull than before? This is the ease of a gracious heart, if it doth so.

Ninthly, And then the ease that a carnal heart hath in the ways of God is from hence, because he hath but only one principle in his heart, when he is in the ways of God, and when he is in the ways of the world, he is acted but by the same principle in both, there is not a contrary principle in his heart, one that carries him one way, and another that carries him another way: but the ease of a gracious heart, is this, that he finds a stronger principle, that overcomes a contrary principle of corruption in him, there lies his ease, a carnal heart goes on and performs Duties, and hath not divers principles in his heart to carry him this way or that way, but hath only one principle, a carnal principle that carries him on to serve his own ends, and sometimes he can serve his ends in one thing, & sometimes in another thing, but one that is Godly finds ease from hence, from the power of Gods Grace that doth overcome his corruption, I find a stirring in my heart, but I thank God I can get the victory, the ease of a Godly heart comes from the victory that it gets, but it is not so with a carnal heart, your civill men do not find ease from their victory, because what they do is not suitable to them, but a Godly man finds that there is a principle of Grace that opposeth the principle of lust and corruption, and therefore can say since I set my heart towards God and his ways, I have found more corruption than before stirring, but I thank God I have got victory over them, I find a conquest gotten over the corruption that is stirring in my Soul, and that is my ease, another man, he finds no corruption stirring in his heart, and therefore no marvel if he find ease, but now a Godly man finds a contrary principle to that which is good stirring in his heart, and then finds Gods Grace coming in upon his heart to help him against that corruption, and this brings ease and quiet to him.