poor believer, and press him through the very ground, David (though a man according to God's own heart) yet cries out, under this burden, Who can underftand his errors? cleanfe thou me from fecret faults, Pfal. xix. 12. And the apostle Paul never complained fo much of any burden as of this, Rom. vii, 24. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of fin? To be rid of this burden, the poor believer many times would be content that this clay-tabernacle were broken into fhivers. 3. He is burdened many times with a sense of much actual guilt, which he has contracted through the untenderness of his way and walk. Confcience, that deputy of the Lord of hofts (being fupported by the authority of the law) frequently brings in a heavy indictment against the poor foul, and tells it, thus and thus thou haft finned, and trampled upon the authority of God the great lawgiver. In this cafe, the believer cannot but take with the charge, and own, with David, Mine iniquities are gone over mine head, they are as a burden too heavy for me to bear, Pfal. xxxviii. 4. And Pfal. xl. 12. Innumerable evils have compassed me about, mine iniquities. have taken bold on me, fo that I am not able to look up : they are more than the hairs of my head, therefore my beart faileth me. 4. He is fometimes fadly burdened with the temptations of Satan. The devil, that cunning archer, fhoots at him, and fore wounds and grieves him; fometimes whole showers of fiery darts dipt in hell are made to fly about his ears. God, for holy and wife ends fuffers the believer to be winnowed, fifted and buffeted by this enemy: And O but the believer is fore burdened in this cafe! Sometimes he is ready to conclude, with David, one day goes day or other I shall fall by this roaring lion, that about feeking to devour me. Sometimes he is brought to distraction, faying, with Jehoshaphat in great extremity, when furrounded by enemies, I know not what to do, but mine eyes are towards thee. But let not the believer think strange of this, feeing Christ himself was not exempted from the moleftations of this enemy. 5. Sometimes the believer is burdened with the burden of ill company. The fociety of the wicked, which perhaps is unavoidable, is a great incumbrance to him, and tends mightily to marr and hinder him in his work and warfare. Hence David utters that mournful and melancholy complaint, Pfal. cxx. 5, 6. Wo is me that I fojourn in Mefech, and dwell in the tents of Kedar. The believer is of Jacob's difpofition, with reference to the wicked, Gen. xlix. 5, 6. O my foul, come not thou into their fecret; unto their affembly, mine honour, be not thou united. And truly, firs, if the company and fociety of the wicked be not your burden, it is a fign ye are of their fociety. 6. Sometimes the believer is fadly burdened, not only with his own fins, but with the abounding fins and abominations of the day and place wherein he lives. I bebeld tranfgreffors, fays David, and was grieved. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, be-· caufe of the wicked, who break thy law, Pfal. cxix. 136, 158. O what a heart-breaking thing is it to the poor foul, to fee finners dafhing themselves to pieces upon the thick boffes of God's buckler; and, as it were upon the rock of falvation, running headlong to their own everlasting ruin, without ever reflecting upon their ways! His very bowels yearn with pity towards them, who will not pity themfelves, G4 felves. Upon this account, believers are frequently called the mourners in Zion: They figh and cry for the abominations that are done in the midst of Jerufalem, Ezek. ix. 4. 7. The believer is many times, while in this tabernacle, burdened with the public concerns of Chrift; he is a perfon of a very grateful and public fpirit. Chrift took a lift of them, while he was in a low ftate; and therefore he cannot but be concerned for the concerns of his kingdom and glory, especially when he sees them fuffering in the world. When he beholds the boar out of the wood, or the wild beast of the foreft, open and avowed enemies, wafting and devouring the Church of God; when he fees the foxes fpoiling the tender vines, and the watchmen wounding, fmiting, or taking away the vail of the spouse of Chrift, Song v. 7. When he fees the privileges of the Church of Christ invaded, her doctrine and worship corrupted, her ordinary meals retrenched by the ftewards of the houfe; these things, I fay, are finking and opprefling to his fpirit; he then hangs his harp upon the willows, when he remembers Zion. In this cafe, he is forrowful for the folemn affembly, and the reproach of it is his burden, Zeph. iii. 18. 8. The poor believer has many times the burden of great croffes and afflictions lying upon him, and thefe both of a bodily and fpiritual nature, and deep many times calleth unto deep; the deep of external trouble calls to the deep of inward diftrefs; and thefe, like two feas meeting together, do break upon him with fuch violence, that the waters are like to come in unto his very foul. Sometimes, I fay, he has a burden of outward troubles upon him; perhaps a burden of fickness and pain upon his body, body, whereby the crazy tabernacle of clay is fore fhattered: There is no foundness in my flesh, fays David, because of my fin, Pfal. xxxviii. 3. Sometimes he is burdened with poverty, and want of the external neceffaries of life, which is no ftrange thing, confidering that the Son of God, the heir of all things, became poor; and fo poor, that, as he himself declares, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air barve nefts, but the Son of man hath not where to lay bis head. Sometimes he is burdened with infamy and reproach; malice and envy striking at his reputation, and wounding his name. Falfe witnesses, fays David, rofe up against me, and laid to my charge things that I knew not, Pfal. xxxv. 11. Sometimes he is burdened in his relations, as by their mifcarriages. It was a grief of heart to Rebecca, when Efau married the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, Gen. xxvi. 34, 35. And no doubt David had many a fad heart for the mifcarriages of his children, particularly of Amnon and Abfalom. Sometimes he is burdened with the death of near relations: It is grievous to him when the Lord takes away the defire of his eyes with a ftroke. I might here tell you also of many trials and diftreffes of a more fpiritual nature, that the believer is exercised with, befides these already named. Sometimes he has the burden of much weighty work lying on his hand, and his heart is like to faint at the profpect of it, through the fenfe of his own utter inability to manage it, either to God's glory, or his own comfort, or the edification of others; fuch as the work of his ftation, relation, and generation, and the great work of his falvation: This lies heavy upon him, till the Lord fay to him, as he faid to Paul in another cafe, My grace is fufficient for thee. Some . times the believer in this tabernacle is under the burden of much darkness. Sometimes he is in darknefs as to his ftate; he walks in darkness, and has no light, infomuch that he is ready to raze the foundation, and to cry, I am cast out of thy fight; the Lord hath forfaken me, and my God bath forgotten me, Ifai. xlix. 14. Sometimes he is in darkness as to his duty, whether he fhould do or forbear. Many a perplexing thought rolls in his breaft, till the Lord by his Word and Spirit fay to him, This is the way, walk ye in it, Ifai. xxx. 21. Sometimes he is burdened with diftance from his God, who seems to have withdrawn from him behind the mountains; and, in this cafe, he cries, with the church, For thefe things mine eye weeps, and runs down with water, because the Comforter which should relieve my foul is far from me, Lam. i. 16. And fometimes it is a burden to him to think that he is at fuch a distance from his own country and inheritance; and, in this cafe, he longs to be over Jordan, at the promised land, faying, I defire to be diffolved, and to be with Chrift, which is best of all, Phil. i. 23. Sometimes again he is under the burden of fear, particularly the fear of death. Heb. ii. 15. we read of fome who are held in bondage all their life, through fear of death; and yet, glory to God, fuch have had a safe landing at laft. Thus I have told you of fome of these things wherewith the believer is burdened, while in the tabernacle of this body. The third thing in the method was, To speak of the believer's groaning under his burden: For, fays the apostle, We that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened. Upon this head I shall only suggest two or three confiderations. I. Con |