A77983:467
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.
Consequence, 3.
Thirdly, If the Yoke of Christ be thus easy, and his Burden light, then you that are the people of God, that are come under this yoke, and have felt the easiness of this yoke, bless the Lord for it, and bless your selves for what ease you find in the ways of Jesus Christ. Think but thus with your self, there are others indeed, they have a strange conceit of the ways of Jesus Christ, and think them hard, and indeed, if their natures be not changed, they will be hard unto them, but blessed be God I find them otherwise, when I began to turn my face to Jesus Christ, my Father or Mother called me Fool, and said, you will have no comfort, and my Uncle and kindred, they told me that my comfort would all be gone, but blessed be God I did not hearken to them, but I find them otherwise, I do not find that these things bring me into any such bondage, but blessed be God I never had that comfort that now I have, Nay, I have that sweetness ease, and comfort, that I cannot but think, that if all the men in the world did seek now and feel that comfort that I feel, they would be in Love with the ways of God. I hope there are many that can think with themselves, did but all my kindred, and my friends, Yea, did but all the world feel that sweetness▪ ease, and comfort, that I feel in the ways of Christ, they would be in love with them. If you can speak so, Oh▪ blessed be God for this easy yoke of Christ. There might have been required a hard yoke, if Christ should say, Well, I endured a hard yoke for you, I came from the Bosom of my Father, and came under the curse of the Law for you, and if you ⟨p. 741⟩will be delivered, you must have a heavy yoke upon you too, if Christ should have required, that we should have been tied unto a Stake, and endured the fire and have been held unto it, and saved at last, yet we had cause to fall down and bless God for ever for this: but Christ requires no such thing, Christ reveals not only Salvation at last, but he reveals a fair way, he paves our way with Gold, so that we go through Canaan unto Canaan, not through the wilderness. It is true, before we came under the yoke of Christ fully, there was some trouble but take it in respect of the inward man I say, their way to a Heavenly Canaan is through Canaan, here in this world they have a Canaan that flows with Milk and Honey.