Four books on the eleventh of Matthew

But now we are to proceed to a further thing to show you what there is in the way of Christ that makes it easy, which will be a further manifestation of the ease that there is in the ways of Christ that it is so, that hath been showed you before!: but now that it must needs be so, and how it comes to be so, how it comes to pass that the ways of Christ should have such ease to a gracious heart, Certainly, there is a great many Grounds for it.

BUt now we are to proceed to a further thing to shew you what there is in the way of Christ that makes it easie, which wil be a further manifestation of the ease that there is in the waies of Christ that it is so, that hath been shewed you before!: but now that it must needs be so, and how it comes to be so, how it comes to pass that the waies of Christ should have such ease to a gracious heart, Certainly, there is a great many Grounds for it.

First: They are such ways as have much in them, that if a gracious heart were put to it freely, that he may either impose them upon himself or not, he would rather impose them upon himself than otherwise, supposing him to be himself; that is, his mind enlightened and his heart in a good frame, he would take them upon himself, and certainly ⟨p. 704⟩this is no hard thing, that if a man were left to his liberty he will take it upon himself rather than not. Let any Christian lay this to his heart and consider what way of Jesus Christ he would be without, every gracious heart is a Law to himself, that Law is not a very hard Law that a man would make to himself, so the Scripture saith of the Godly that they are a Law to themselves, a Godly heart chooseth the ways of Christ, not as one chooseth the less evil of the two, so you may say he may choose them as the less evil, for he may be put to choose, • but I say, if he were left free & not put to it of necessity, if there were neither Hell nor Heaven, I do not know any thing in the ways of Jesus Christ and dare challenge any one to tell me, that if there were no Hell o• Heaven that any thing is in the ways of Christ but he would choose them: What is there that Christ requires of any Soul, but without any such consideration such a heart would choose? Would not he go rather according to the rules of equity and righteousness than iniquity and injustice? Is it not better to walk according to the rules of right reason, than to walk in irrational ways? But then a Believer one that hath Faith, acts from a Principle above Reason, a Principle that is supernatural, and look as one that is a rational creature, would choose those things that have the most agreement with the rules of right reason, so one that hath a higher principle a divine Principle, he would choose that that is according to the Principles of Divinity, according to the Divinity (as I may so say) that he hath in his heart; Yea, Afflictions, when we bring our hearts to Gods will, have no great burden in them, but are easy, but they are not so easy as Gods ways are for Afflictions, though they come to be easy, yet they are such, as if a Godly heart were put to it, he would, and he ought rather to choose to be without them.