A77983:445
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.
CHAP. CXLIV.
The Yoke of Christ easier then the Yoke of Sin, and Antichrist.
Well, the next is the Yoke of Sin, the Yoke of Christ is far easier then that, sin is the greatest slavery in the World, it makes a man or woman a slave to the worst of Creatures that ever was made; to the Devil himself, to be a slave to sin it is to be a slave to the Devil, we have many bills sent up to us, to pray for those that are taken captives in Argire, it may be there are some of you here that have been taken slaves there, and you count that a miserable Yoke, when you are made slaves to the Turk, you thought your friends that were at home were happy that had their liberty to go up and down. Now Oh! you that ever felt that Yoke, or that have heard the doleful complaint of that Yoke by your friends, that you would by that be sensible of the slavery to sin, and to the Devil: is it no• better to be in slavery to any men in the world then to the Devil? When you go abroad you must needs go into the Alehouses, to drink, and to be amongst company, and abuse your bodies to drunkenness, and uncleanness, and you have eyes full of adultery that cannot cease to sin, and you will excuse your selves, and say, you cannot do otherwise, •hen you are slaves, and are taken captive by the Devil to do according to his will, that Text you ha•e for ⟨p. 727⟩it in 2 Tim. 2. And the last, That they may recover themselves out of the Snare of the Devil, that are taken captive by him at his will. When a man is taken captive, he cannot do his own will, he cannot go whither he will, but he must go whither his master will have him, and he cannot do what work he will, but he must do what his Master will have him. So you cannot do what you would, but you must do what the Devil would have you to do, sin is a slavery to the Devil. But now the obedience of the Gospel, is that that brings the soul to be a subject to Jesus Christ your King, so that here is the difference between the Devils service, and Christs, that in the one, your work is a base slavery, and in the other, it is an honourable service, Christ requires no base slavery of his subjects, it were better to do any slavery and drudgery to Jesus Christ, then to do any work for the Devil, the Devil requires nothing but drudgery, and Christ requires nothing but honourable service, and therefore the Yoke of Jesus Christ is easier then the Yoke of sin;