A77983:484
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. CXLVI.
The means to make the ways of Christ easy to our selves. 1. Our obedience must be evangelical. 2. Keep the heart in a readiness to every duty. 3. Get the heart in love to the duty. 4. Loose not your encouragements. 5. Continue not in the guilt of any Sin. 6. Order the duties of your condition. 7. Leave the Success wholly to God. 8. Bind not your self to what Christ doth not. 9. Lay hold upon all opportunities. 10. Preserve all experiences. 11. Beware of disturbing passions. 12. Entertain communion with the Saints. 13. Exercise much faith. 14. Get strength of Grace.
The meanes to make the waies of Christ easy to our selves. 1. Our obedience must be evangelical. 2. Keep the heart in a readiness to every duty. 3. Get the heart in love to the duty. 4. Loose not your incouragements. 5. Continue not in the guilt of any Sin. 6. Order the duties of your condition. 7. Leave the Success wholly to God. 8. Bind not your self to what Christ doth not. 9. Lay hold upon all opportunities. 10. Preserve all experiences. 11. Beware of disturbing passions. 12. Entertaine communion with the Saints. 13. Exercise much faith. 14. Get strength of Grace.
The last thing that I intend in this point is, To show how we may come to facilitate the ways of Godliness to our selves, that is, how we may come to live so under the yoke of Christ, as to make it easy unto our selves, for certainly, though Christs yoke be easy, yet many people of God find more difficulty in Gods ways then they need, there is an art, a skill, a mystery of ⟨p. 751⟩Godliness, which if you come to hit on right, you may carry on the work of Godliness with power, and yet with a great deal of ease and sweetness. As you know a workman that is skilful in his trade indeed, and can handle his tools well, and is exercised in it, he carries on his work with ease, it goes on before him delightfully whereas an unskilful young workman, that cannot tell how to handle his tools, he will keep a bungling and stir, and tires himself, and doth not carry his work on with ease, and doth but a little work, and doth it not well neither, those Workmen that do their work well, with most ease, they do the most work. Now for those rules to be observed, that may help us to make the ways of Christ easy to us, they are these.