l!.ooiitng unto 'Jjcfus. Chap. 3.Seer. 4 ·~--------~----~ 4· If it be fo that ufually they are pen(!ve and fad, it is not becaufe of Religion, but becaufe they are not more Reltgwus; oecaufe they find fo much want of godli. nefs in their own hearts ; thts was the caufe of Pauls heavinefs, 0 wretched man that 1\om. 7 , , 4 _ 1am, wl.o J~a!l deliver '!'e from_rhil body of du•th ? and yet know, thlt all tl!efe fad. neffes are true preparanves to JO)'; and therefore in the very next words, the Apo– file break> out toto that fwee~ Doxolo~y, 1 thank._ God through Jefu< Chrij/ our Lord. Never was true !orrow for hn, but. rt ended in rejoycings , and praifes, and thankfgiving to God. . . Why rhen be convmced; ah decerved fouls! fay not that God is an hard Mallet·' reaping wber~ he fowe~ not, and gather'ing where he flrawed not ; f>y not that hi; wayes arnedrous, and rrkf~me, anquncomfonable wayes; but rather rafle, and fee, a~ tr,y how good the Lord rs ;_ experrence the truth of thefe words, My/oak.;il eafie, And my burthmuL.ght: What ~s lighter than that burthen, which infiead o bunhening ehears up the parry on whrch 1t JS lard ? J uft ltke thofe bunhens of Cinna111on that refrdh thof~ that carry them through the deep fands of Arabia. An holy Divine once endea– vourr~g to convmce men of the fweetnefs and pleafamnefs Qf Gods wayes by his own experrences, 1 call heavm and earth to record ( farth he) that thefo thin,us are truths of God; they are not. notr..ons, or conctzts, but certain realities: Another Byes fomewhat higher, If mm wouldin Mrnejf (fayes he) abandon the devils forvice, affdgive up their names to Chrijl in truth; And try, I da-n a/Jure them in the Word of life and truth, they r,ro~t!d not ~.~change the fr.ddtjf hour of all their life ·~frerward, with the prime tmd flower of all their former fen{u_AI pleajiem,might they h.1ve ten thol1and worlds to boot; her wayes are rrov, 3· '7· IV'!)'es of pieafure, farth Solomon. 2. You that are fo convinc'd, I befeech you carry on the work of God fweetly, corn; fortably, and with delight : the Pfalmifl !ayes, Bleffid il the man that delights in the Law of the Lord. And bieffid are the undefiled in the !My, whowallz chearfu!ly in the Law of the Lord. Andbieffidil the man that delighteth gr~atly inhi< Law, And it was wrir– ten upon the heart of Chrilt, 1delight to do thy wilt 0 my God, yea thy Law il within mJ' Vfe 2. Pt..l. 1.1,2.. ¥falt19.r. l'fol 40. 8. heart; as God loves acheerful giver~ fo a cheartul ferver, Cometak; my yoak_zrpon you, faith Chrift, for my yosk._u eafie; it rs not an Iron yoak of bondage, but achain of heavenly peads to adorn your fouls. · ~eft. r. Oh but how lhould we carry on the ivork, theyolk,the duty, the practife of Piety,and of Religion pleafamly? I anfwer. .Anjiv. 1. He fure to keep the heart right and upright within ; let all we do be in fincerity, and let all we arc in refpect of the inner man be at peace within; fence and reafon can teU us, that according to the temper within, fo there is the relifhing of things without; he that acts in fincerity, and hath peace within, can ea(ily go through the duties that are required without, with joy and comfort. 2. Exercife faith in the work and office of the holy Ghofl; Imeanthatworkand office to which the holy Gboft is defigned, by the Father, and the Son, both to help h1s . people, an_d to be the Comforter of his people. r. The holy G~oft is defigned to help · J(om s t6. his people ; Lik£wife the Spirithelperh uur infirmities; the word m tb; Ongmal ~ doth • ""'~'!'Mf'· properly imply fuch an help, as when another man of Clrength ~nd abdrty Cleppeth ro, to (2~""'-'· fuflain the burthen thatlyeth upon weak tl10ulders; why, thrs makes Chrrfts bunhen Juh ,,. >6. light, we do not bear all the weight, for the holy Ghoft puts under hrs fl10ulder. 2. The and •>· 16 • holy Ghoft is defigned to comfort his people. Chrirl:-calls him the Spirit, the C?mforrer; becaufe he brings in a kind of fpiritual joy, and fpiritua! comfort.. Mark, 1t rs not a natural but a fpiritual joy · Oh what a vaft differenceis there betwlxtthe comfons of a carnai heart, and the coO:forts of the godly ? the one com_es from a little meat, or drink or creature vanity· but the orher com<s fi·om the exercrfe of fauh, about the of– fice of the holy Ghofi, ~ho is defignecl to this work? furely here is the way ro carry on duty fweetly and comfortably, and with delight ( i.) to be m the exercrfe offanh on the work a;d office of the holy Ghoft, as he is our Helper and Comforter, i Pc:t. 2. 9· 1 Pet.2.9. , d 3. Underftand what is in Chri:1ian Religion, and in the pracbfe of it to cawe <- light. As-- . . . I. In every duty and gracious ai1mg of rt, there IS more of the Glory of God , than in the whole frame of Heaven and Earth befides.; Herczn u my Fa– ther glorified th,1t you bc~tr mtlcb fnrir , John 15. 8. ph if we bm th~s lookedtl~:
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