Captives bound in chains, made free by Christ their surety

1. It is to sinful man, and the sinful part of man that holy duties are so displeasing and so burdensome; it is because your Souls are distempered, and not from any thing in the nature of holiness; this is plain because the Angels of God, that are without sin, do not find it a burden but a pleasure to be obedient unto God; and when the people of God shall be perfectly cured of all Soul-diseases, they shall not find any difficulty or tedious irksomeness in constant and perpetual holy actings; and man as made at first by God, did take pleasure, and did find great delight in his conformity to the will of God. It is plainly then from the corruption of your depraved nature, and the wickedness of your own hearts, that you find this difficulty in Religion and that holiness is such a burden to you; as a man that is distempered doth not savour and relish his food: what others taste sweetness in, is bitter unto him, the cause is not in the meat, but in the palate; should this man cry out, my meat is bitter or rather my disease is great and dangerous; or should he therefore refuse his sustenance, and rather die with hunger than receive his food? So should you cry out and complain, Godliness is burdensome, and Religion is a tedious task? or rather blame the corruption of your heart ⟨p. 67⟩that what is pleasant and delightful unto others is so heavy and displeasing unto you? do you say God's commands are grievous, others have said and found they are not so, 1 Joh. 5.3. Do you say, Christ's yoke is heavy, and his burden not to be born? Christ tells you, His yoke, and his burden is light, Mat. 11.30. Do you find the serious constant study of the holy Word of God to be burdensome to you? David found it to be sweet, and pleasant, and delightful, Psal. 119.35. as sweet to him as riches to a worldly man, Psal. 119.14. and better to him than thousands of gold and silver, Psal. 19.72. do you find God's commands to be to you as bitter as gall, others have found them to be sweeter than honey, or the honey-comb, Psal. 19.10. are they unto you unpleasant? they are to others more desirable than their necessary food, Joh. 23.12, whence comes this to pass, that the same commands of God and the same religious duties are sweet to others, but bitter to you, pleasant to others and burdensome to you? is it not apparent that it is from the wickedness of your own depraved hearts?