Four books on the eleventh of Matthew: viz: I. Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest. II. Christ the great teacher of souls that come to him. To which is added a treatise of meekness and of anger. III. Christ the humble teacher of those that come to him. IIII. The only easie way to heaven. By Jeremiah Burroughs, preacher of the Gospel at Stepny and Cripple-Gate, London.

CHAP. CXXX.

Humility brings Rest unto the Soul in Eight Par∣ticulars, 1. It ventures upon nothing before it sees Gods call. 2. The Head of such, is lower then their condition. 3. He is never disappoin∣ted in the World. 4. He would have God have his Glory. 5. It freeth from opposition, o•• mak∣eth the Heart yeild to it. 6. It makes the Heart rejoyce in the property of others. 7. It is under many promises. 8. All Crosses are smal to an Humble Heart.

BUt now we come to open the promise, and then we will apply altogether, the promise here made to those that are lowly in Heart, I will give you Rest. Now I shal not need to open the Rest that a Christians heart hath that comes to Christ, that hath been done at large in the former verse, Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy Laden, and I will give you Rest. Therefore here I shall only shew, how Humility, and Lowliness of heart gives Rest unto the Soul, There is, I confess, a great correspondency between those two Graces, and therefore I shal speak the less now of the Rest of the Soul in humility, because there is a great affinity between this and Meekness, now one that is Lowly in heart must needs live at Rest.

First, Because such a one dares not venture upon any thing before he sees Gods cal, a bold spirit will venture upon any thing when he hath not Gods cal, and there he meets with trouble, but now a Lowly Spirit thinks

thus, is this Gods way? Have I a word for it? And a cal for it? If I have, Let me go on whatever comes of it, if he meet with trouble in such a business, if he can say, I undertook it thus, I had Gods cal, what abundance of Rest hath he? What is the Reason that men are dis∣quieted in the world, and troubled? It is because they rush upon things without Gods cal. When the Soul can appeal to God, Lord, I would not undertake such a thing, nor such a thing, though I say, there might be some preferment by it, and somewhat got by it, yet, Lord, thou seest the uprightness of my heart, that I would not venture upon it without thy cal, and then when I saw that, I ventured upon it, such a Soul must needs have a great deal of quiet.

Secondly, One that is humble hath Rest because he can never be in so low a condition, but his heart is lo∣wer then his condition. This is an excellent frame of Spirit, though my Estate is low, yet my heart is lower, if you be able to say so, you that have low Estates▪ your care is how you can raise your Estates▪ if I could raise my Estate as high as others. Then I should have a great deal of Peace and comfort, No, thy way must be to lowen thy Heart, that is the way to raise thy Estate. If a mans affliction be above his Heart, and his heart be∣neath the affliction, if the fire he under the fewel then the fire quickly catcheth the fewel, but now if the Fire be above the fewel, it will not so soon kinkle it, so I say in a mans affliction, if a mans heart be above his affli∣ction I mean in a sinful way, he hath lifted up his heart, and he would have higher things then these things are, and these things are beneath his spirit, he hath a higher design and plot, and aimes at greater things, and these things are beneath what he would have, Oh! Then the affliction troubles the Spirit, but when a mans spirit is beneath his afflictions then a man hath a great deal of Rest and quiet, he is lower then his afflictions and there∣fore he is quiet.

Thirdly, Another thing in the Lowliness of heart that doth bring quietness, and hath affinity with it, is this: One that is Lowly in heart, hath never any disappointments in the world; nothing is more troublesome, and disquieting to a mans spirit then disappointment, now one that is Lowly in Heart, he expects no great matters in this world, and there∣fore he cannot be much disappointed in any thing that befals, and so he is quiet; you that have great plots and designes in your heads and make account of great things in the world, there will follow many Crosses that wil disappoint you, and how do they disquiet you, you may account of such a voy∣age, and when it is lost, how unquiet are you? Whereas one that is Lowly in heart, he is quiet, and goes on in obedience to God, and that is that he looks to most, to go on in his calling in obedi∣ence to God, and leaves the issue to God, and there∣fore if there be any thing coming in, he receives it thankfully, because he is most unworthy, if he be crossed he is not much disappointed, because he looks for no high things.

Fourthly, An humble heart must needs bring Rest, because this is the guise and frame of it, it would have God to have his glory his own way; and this one principle, Oh, What abundance of quiet, and Rest would it bring to a mans spirit. That God should have his Glory, we all yeild to that, I but that God should be glorified in his own way, this is hard, now let this and the other fal out, I but yet, saith a Lowly heart, it is fit God should have his Glory which way he pleaseth, and there∣fore he is not troubled.

Fifthly, Humility brings a great deal of quiet, because it freeth us from opposition, or if it come,

it makes us yeild to the opposition, it freeth us from opposition of men, for so I told you in the ope∣ning of it, an humble heart is afraid to give any offence, and so it is not likely that others will offend him, but if opposition do come, a Lowly heart yeilds to it, and when there is a yeilding in time of opposition, when a blustring wind comes, yet if there be a yeilding to it, it doth no great hurt, and so the heart that yeilds to opposition it hath quiet and Rest.

Sixthly, Humility brings a great deal of quiet, because it makes us rejoyce in the prosperity of o∣thers, the great trouble and disquiet of the spirits of men in the world is, that others are above them, now an humble heart blesseth God that any are above it.

Seventhly, An humble heart is under a great ma∣ny of promises, and there must needs be Rest and quiet to that Soul.

Eightly, All crosses are smal to an humble Soul, because he is smal in his own Eyes, according to what proportion a man bears to his own Eye, so his crosses are, if his Crosses be great in his own eye, then they are great crosses to him, and therefore you account your afflictions great, if you account your affliction in your own Eye, I but now, if you were smal in your own Eyes, you would count your afflictions smaller. But we cannot open the parti∣culars of these, except we go further in the opening of the Grace of humility, and therefore as ever you would have Rest and quiet in these troublesome and restless times, labor for humble and quiet spirits.