A77983:471
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 5.
Again if the ways of Christ be so easy, certainly, Jesus Christ will expect a great deal of service from you because he gives you much ease, a man that walks at liberty, he may walk apace, a Porter that hath a great burden upon him, whilst that that burden is upon him he cannot go so fast, if one should come and say to him Why do not you go faster? he would answer, if you had such a burden upon you as • have; you would go as softly as I do. A cart that hath a great load upon it, cannot go apace, so here hath Jesus Christ laid no weight upon you in his ways, then let us run the ways of Gods commandments. Believers in the time of the Law, they had Shackles, they had a weight, a burden upon them, and therefore no marvel we do not read of so much holiness, and spiritualness, in the ways of the Godly in the times of the Law generally, because, I say their yoke was heavy, and therefore they did drive very slowly on, but now, when Jesus Christ is come into the world, and hath ⟨p. 744⟩taken our yoke from us, certainly, Christ expects that we should now go on freely in his ways, and abound in the work of the Lord, and do more than they did in the times of the Law. Read the Book of the Psalms, and see the sweetness of Davids spirit, had David had the Epistles of Paul, and had known all of Christ, and heard so much of the Gospel opened to him, How would he have said, O! how sweet is thy Law? and if his heart was enlarged, he could run the ways of Gods commandments, I but David, he was under the burden of the ceremonial Law, for it is not that which is revealed in the Gospel, certainly, he had not the knowledge of the Gospel, the things revealed there, though he had a more then ordinary measure of knowledge, and if he walked so freely, and cheerfully in the ways of Christ, certainly, we should do much more Service for the Lord, now the yoke is taken from us, as the ceremonial Law in respect of charge, we are freed from a great deal of charge that they were at, therefore we should be more free when God requires it of us. And they spent so much time in outward things, in mere outward things, then shall we grudge god our time in spiritual communion or grudge God time in our Families, a quarter of an hour to Worship God in our Families morning and evening?