The good of early obedience, or, The advantage of bearing the yoke of Christ betimes discovered in part, in two anniversary sermons, one whereof was preached on May-day, 1681, and the other on the same day in the year 1682, and afterwards inlarged, and now published for common benefit / by Matthew Mead.

CHAP. XI.

Wherein the tryal of our state is pressed with seven reasons for it.

USE 2. Of examination. If it be the great concernment of every one to take up Christs Yoke betimes; then the question is, what progress have you made in this duty? what Yoke are you under? that of sin, or that of Christ? for all men, young and old, rich and poor, high and low, bond and free, are under one of these Yokes, either the Yoke of sin, or the Yoke of Christ. These are the two great Lords of the world, and have the most extensive rule and dominion; and therefore as ye read of the rule and Government of Christ, so you read of the rule of lust, and the domi∣nion of sin; and of being servants of sin, and servants of righteousness. Now whose Yoke are ye under? no man can be said to be under both; no man can serve these two masters. He that is under the Yoke of sin is free from righ∣teousness, Rom. 6.20. And he that is under the Yoke of Christ is free from sin, Rom. 6.14. Can ye make it out that ye are under the Yoke of Christ? this is a question of ve∣ry great importance, and therefore every man should labour to be satisfyed about it. And that for these seven reasons.

1. Because every one of us are naturally under the Yoke and thraldom of sin; not on∣ly ignorant of God and Christ, but enemies

to God and Christ; and not only enemies by natural depravation, but by actual oppo∣sition; enemies by wicked works, Coloss. 1.21. serving divers lusts and pleasures, Tit. 3.3. Every man naturally is the servant of sin (Rom. 6.17.) till he be made free by Christ, and brought under his Yoke by the power of con∣verting Grace. Now what do ye know of this in your selves? can ye say, being made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteous∣ness? Rom. 6.18.

2. So long as a man is under the power of sin, he is in a state of wrath. The reign of sin subjects the soul to the wrath of God; and no wonder, for it is the highest contempt and affront the creature can put upon God to give up himself to the dominion of sin; he that doth sin, transgresseth the law; but he that subjects himself to the power of it, con∣temns the law, and despises the Authority of him that gave it; and there is nothing can lay man under the wrath of God more than this.

3. Because many there are that deceive themselves about the Yoke of Christ, think∣ing they have put it on, when they are mi∣staken. Few will deny that subjection to Je∣sus Christ is a duty; but the misery is, they undo themselves with a self-deluding confi∣dence that they have taken the Yoke of Christ upon them when they have not. Many bless themselves in the goodness of their conditi∣on, and the uprightness of their hearts with Christ, when it is no such matter. Solomon says, there is a generation that are pure in their

own eyes, and yet are not washed from their fil∣thiness, Prov. 30.12. This was the case of Laodicea; she thought her self rich, her state good, her interest firm, her heart right, when it was quite otherwise; wretched, and mise∣rable, and poor, and blind, and naked, Revel. 3.17. who better perswaded of the goodness of his case than Paul, and yet he was an ut∣ter enemy to Jesus Christ at the same time? Rom. 7.9.

4. To be deceived in a matter of this mo∣ment is a thing of very dangerous conse∣quence. If you take counterfeit money for true, the loss is not great; but if you take common Grace for saving Grace, an hypo∣critical obedience to Christ, for subjection to the Yoke of Christ, a deceit in this matter is as much as the soul is worth. It is an un∣doing mistake; the foolish virgins that went out to meet the bridegroom, thought their hearts had been right with Christ; that they had had oyl enough in their lamps, and of the right kind, till the coming of Christ disco∣vered the mistake; and it was such a mistake as proved their utter undoing.

5. It is a good argument of the goodness of thy condition, and of thy sincerity of heart to be willing to come to the touch∣stone. Some are great enemies to trying Doctrines; they can't indure the searches of the word; but cry out against such preach∣ers as censorious; these men will take Gods work out of his hand, and be judges of mens hearts and states, say they. This is a very great

sign of an unsound heart; they come not to the light lest their deeds should be reproved. Tertul∣lian says of Hereticks, they are lucifugae scriptu∣rarum, they cannot indure to be tryed by the word. So it is with an unsound professor.

6. The knowledge of this is of great use, living and dying.

First, It is very useful in life, it is that which you will be forced to have recourse to a thousand times before you dye. When temptations or desertions are upon you, the sense of the uprightness of your heart in your walking with God will be an admirable sup∣port. So it was to Job, when he was under the hidings of God, and had lost the wonted comfort of the light of his countenance, he comforts himself in his own uprightness. He knows the way that I take,—my foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept and not declined, neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips, Job 23.11, 12.

Secondly, It is of great use in death. For what is it that can support the soul in a dying hour, but a sense of interest in Christ evi∣denced by the uprightness of the heart in walking with him. This was that Hezekiah had recourse to when the sentence of death was upon him, Isai. 38.3. Remember O Lord how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done that which was good in thy sight. O it is a blessed thing in a dying hour to have a witnessing conscience to the sincerity of our obedience. For if our hearts condemn us not, then have we confidence

towards God, 1 John 3.21. It is of great use therefore to put this matter to the tryal. For,

7. The day is coming when God will put it to the tryal. The fire of that day shall try every mans work of what sort it is. It is not the livery of Christ, nor the badge of bap∣tism, nor the name of a Christian, nor out∣ward profession of Religion that will stead us in that Day. It is not saying Lord, Lord, but doing the will of God that will then stand us in¦stead; not a profession of Christ, but an un∣seigned subjection to him. Christ is said in that Day to separate the sheep from the goats, and to set the sheep at his right hand, and the goats at his left. The one for a blessing, the other for a curse. And who are the sheep? why he tells you John 10.27. they that hear his voice and follow him; and to these he gives eternal life, v. 28. And who are the goats? but carnal sinners that will have their lusts ra∣ther than Christ; that cast off his Yoke, and will not have him rule over them. And what is their doom? bring them out and slay them before me.

There will be but two sorts of men in that day; saints and sinners; obedient and diso∣bedient; subjects and rebels; the great que∣stion then will be, whose servants you have been? to whom have you lived? to the world? to lust? or to Jesus Christ? and according to this, so shall your sentence be; as you have lived, so shall you be judged, see Rom. 2.6, 7, 8. And therefore as ever you would be

able to lift up your heads in the Day of Gods tryal, it concerns you to try your selves.

Notes

• Rom. 6.17, 18.
• Matt. 6.24.
• 1 John 3.4. Amos 2.4.
• Matt. 25. v. 1.
• v. 3.
• v. 10.
• John 3.20.
• 1 Cor. 3.13.
• Matt. 7.21.
• Matt. 25.32, 33.
• Luk. 19. v. 14. v. 27.