Simile. | Parallel.
A Weight or Burden that bears hard, or lies heavy upon the Breast of a Person, ready to crush him to pieces, is very grievous, worse to be born, than a Weight upon the Legs or Arms, &c. | Sin is a Weight or Burden, that lies heavy upon the Soul of an enlightened Christian, and this is the cause it is so grievous, it presseth down the Powers of the Noble and Superior Part of the Creature. Lay a Weight upon a Stone, and that will bear it, and not break or yield under it; but if a great and mighty Weight be laid upon such things, that are tender, or of a soft substance, how sorely will it mar and crush that? So a stony-hearted Sinner, tho he hath great Mountains of Sin and Guilt lying upon him, he complains not, he is, alas! unsensible (and to use the Apostle's Words) past feeling, his Heart being like a Rock,1 or the nether Millstone; but a poor Saint whose Heart is tender, God having taken away the Heart of Stone, and given him a Heart of Flesh, he is sensible of this Burden, his Soul and Conscience cannot bear it, he cries out in great Anguish and Horror of Spirit.
II. Some Weights and Burdens laid upon some Men, are so heavy that they cannot be born, the strongest Man cannot stand under them, &c. | II. Sin is such a Burden or Weight that no Man is able to bear, it will make the stoutest Heart to ache, and the strongest Back to stoop; it made David (that mighty Man of God) to cry out,2 I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly, &c. All my Bones are broken. Nay, when this Weight was laid upon the Lord Jesus, whom God made strong for himself, how did it crush him, and cause him (if I may so say) to stagger and sweat under it, as if it had been great Drops of Blood falling down to the Ground: 'Tis said his Soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto Death,3 and that he went forward and fell on the Ground. He bore our Sins upon his own Body on the Tree. O what a Mercy was it, that God laid help upon one who was Mighty; tho he was able to bear this Weight, yet how did it make him to cry out, under the Burden of it, Father, if it be possible, let this Cup pass from me, &c. There is a twofold Weight in Sin. 1. As it hinders our Justification. 2. As it hinders our Sanctification. The first respects the Punishment that is due to it; and that Weight Jesus Christ bore for us, which none was able to do besides himself.
III.
Simile. | Parallel.
A Weight or Burden that bears hard, or lies heavy upon the Breast of a Person, ready to crush him to pieces, is very grievous, worse to be born, than a Weight upon the Legs or Arms, &c. | SIn is a Weight or Burden, that lies heavy upon the Soul of an inlightned Christian, and this is the cause it is so grievous, it presseth down the Powers of the Noble and Superiour Part of the Creature. Lay a Weight upon a Stone, and that will bear it, and not break or yield under it; but if a great and mighty Weight be laid upon such things, that are tender, or of a soft substance, how sorely will it mar and crush that? So a stony-hearted Sinner, tho he hath great Mountains of Sin and Guilt lying upon him, he complains not, he is, alas! unsensible (and to use the Apostle's Words) past feeling, his Heart being like a Rock,1 or the nether Milstone; but a poor Saint whose Heart is tender, God having taken away the Heart of Stone, and given him a Heart of Flesh, he is sensible of this Burden, his Soul and Conscience cannot bear it, he cryes out in great Anguish and Horrour of Spirit.
II. Some Weights and Burdens laid upon some Men, are so heavy that they cannot be born, the strongest Man cannot stand under them, &c. | II. Sin is such a Burden or Weight that no Man is able to bear, it will make the stoutest Heart to ake, and the strongest Back to stoop; it made David (that mighty Man of God) to cry out,2 I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly, &c. All my Bones are broken. Nay, when this Weight was laid upon the Lord Jesus, whom God made strong for himself, how did it crush him, and cause him (if I may so say) to stagger and sweat under it, as if it had been great Drops of Blood falling down to the Ground: 'Tis said his Soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto Death,3 and that he went forward and fell on the Ground. He bore our Sins upon his own Body on the Tree. O what a Mercy was it, that God laid help upon one who was Mighty; tho he was able to bear this Weight, yet how did it make him to cry out, under the Burden of it, Father, if it be possible, let this Cup pass from me, &c. There is a twofold Weight in Sin. 1. As it hinders our Justification. 2. As it hinders our Sanctification. The first respects the Punishment that is due to it; and that Weight Jesus Christ bore for us, which none was able to do besides himself.
III.
- 1Eph. 5.19. Ezek. 36.26. Psal. 38.4.
- 2Psal. 38 6.
- 3Luke 22.44. Mark 14.•2, 33. Psal 89.19
