riírea. XI. Of SartEt; ccatirn: 187 verycafe, people are offended at the duty of believing on Chriff, as too flight and eafy a remedy to cure the leprofyof the foul ; they would have force hard- er thing enjoined them, to the attainment of fo great an end as this everlafting falvation. The per- formance of all the máral law is not accounted work enough for this end, Matth. xix 17, zo. However eafy the work of believing feemeth to many ; yet common experience hath Chewed, that men are more eafil y brought to the rnoft hurdenfome, unreafonable, and inhuman obfervations ; as the Jews and Chrifti- an Galatians were more eafilybrought to take upon their necks the yoke of Mofes' law, which none were able to bear, Acts xv. to. The heathens were more eafily brought to burn their forts and their daughters in the fire to their gads, Deut. xii. 31. The Papifts are more eafily brought to their vows of chaftity and poverty, and obedience to the molt rigorous rules of monaftic difcipline ; to macerate and torture their bodies with faftings, fcourges, and pilgrimages; and to bear all the exceflive tyranny of the Papal hierarchy, in a multitude of burdenfome fuperftitious and ridiculous devotions. They that flight the work of faith for its eafinefs, Chew, that they were never yet made fenfible of innumerable fins, and the terrible curfe of the law and-,wrath of God that they lie under ; and of the darknefs and vanity of their minds, the corruption and hardnefs of their hearts, and their bondage under the powor of fin and Satan; and have not been truly humbled, without which they cannot believe in a right man- ner. Many found believers have found by experi- ence, that it hathbeen a very hard matter to bring their hearts to the duty of believing; it bath colt them vigorous ftruggles and fharp confliets with their own corruptions, and Satan's temptations. It is fo difficult a work, that we cannot perform it without themighty working of the Spirit of God in our hearts, who only can make it to be abfolutely eafy to us, and A a 2
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