A77983:377
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.
Fifthly Thou complainest and sayest this yoke is hard, consider that the casting of the yoke off would be a great deal harder, and therefore there is no cause to complain, can a man in a rational way ⟨p. 680⟩complain of a yoke to be hard, whenas the casting of the yoke off would be a harder thing then the bearing of it? therefore the Hebrew word that signifies sin, signifies also labour and trouble, there is more trouble if thou shouldest cast off the yoke, thou wouldest find more distress of spirit, and more difficulty in casting off the yoke, then to be under the yoke. It is true, those that be carnal and wicked, do not find it so, but if thou hast Grace, if thou shouldest cast off the duty because of the difficulty thou wouldest find it more difficult to be without the duty, then to perform it. As I will instance to your own experiences, you fiend sometimes that your hearts are loth to come off to prayer in a morning, or if you do pray, you do it slightly, now do not you find your hearts off the hooks all the day long after, have not you more trouble all the day long when your conscience tells you that you should go and seek God and pray, I but other things are more easy, and that is a hard thing, and therefore you neglect it, now do not you find it more difficult to be with out prayer in a morning, then is in all the labour of prayer? compare one day with another, and see which is the easyest. The yoke of Christ that was upon David, might be somewhat hard to the flesh but the casting off the yoke broke his bones, therefore in Psal. 51. He cries to God, to restore to him the joy of his Salvation and to heal those Bones of his that were broken, That the Bones that thou hast broken may rejoice, that expression the Prophet hath, Psalm, 51. vers. 8. Make me to hear joy and Gladness, that the Bones that thou hast broken may rejoice, so that it broke the very Bones of David, the casting off the yoke of Christ, the trouble that David felt in his heart, it was such a burden to him as broke his bones, now when did ever any duty that David performed break his bones? though ⟨p. 681⟩it might a little pain his flesh, and be a little burdensome to his flesh, yet it was not that which broke his bones, the casting off the yoke of Christ is a greater burden, and more troublesome to a gracious heart then to keep it on.