Chapter 10: The Sad Condition of Those Under the Burden of Legal Performances Set Forth in Six Parti
over sin becomes so overwhelming that it almost argues away the blessed comfort offered by the Gospel to their souls.
Chapter 10 The Sad Condition of Those Under the Burden of Legal Performances Set Forth in Six Particulars.
1. That which should be accounted their happiness is their misery.
2. It is a means to cause hard thoughts of God.
3. It causes great discouragement.
4. They bring an evil report upon the ways of God.
5. They keep no proportion therein.
6. They are kept away from Christ.
Now, what remains is to show you the sad condition of men and women who are under this legal performance. We shall find that their condition is very sad and insupportable to many. This text will appear to be one of wonderful mercy if we lay before you the sadness and grievousness of those who are under this burden.
The First Misery First, is it not a sad thing that what should be the chief joy of one's heart in this world—what should be considered one's privilege, happiness, and the beginning of eternal life—is instead accounted as misery? Consider this: the performance of duty, doing what God calls for, should be seen as our privilege, happiness, and the beginning of
eternal life. Indeed, it is so if we do it in the way God requires. But one who is under this burden performs duties in the mere outward act, considering them as necessary evils, and views them as unpleasant things they cannot avoid. This man or woman's condition is very sad, as what others see as their happiness, life, and glory, they perceive as their misery.
The Second Misery Secondly, there is this evil also in the burden of legal performances: it becomes a means to cause hard thoughts of God. If God goes no further with them than this, that they perform duties in a legal way, it will lead to many hard thoughts about God and His ways. They may often find themselves having such thoughts when their hearts are weighed down by this burden. They will think harshly of God, His law, and His ways. This is very grievous when the soul finds God's commandments to be burdensome, leading to murmuring and complaining against God, as many do who are troubled in conscience.
They continue in their duties, but because they receive no peace, comfort, or mastery over their corruptions, they begin to complain and murmur against God. They say, "I have done this and that, I have performed duties, and nothing comes of it." As a result, they begin to abandon and even hate those duties.
The Third Misery Thirdly, there is this evil also in the burden of legal performances: it causes a sinking discouragement. Their hearts sink into exceeding discouragement. After a while, they go on performing duties and find
nothing comes of it, and they sink under it in discouragement. They think it is in vain to go any further and desire to cast it off entirely, thinking that is the only way to find ease and rest. Hence, a way is opened for temptation, for the Devil to come and tempt them either to looseness or despair. Many times, this is the end of such poor souls unless God is pleased to come in and reveal Christ to them. One of these two conclusions follows: either they cast off the duties they once conscientiously performed and grow loose and profane, or if conscience continues to pursue them, they grow to despair.
Sometimes, on their sickbed or deathbed, they fall into a raving and raging condition. By experience, we find that many, after a long time under a troubled conscience and performing duties in a legal way, have grown very profane. There was a time when they dared not neglect their duties—whether in family or private devotion—but later, they think this was merely legal and cast them off, giving themselves to looseness. Then they have nothing to plead for themselves but this: that they were under legal performances, so they left them off, thinking they have found rest. But, oh, how woeful it is to go to the Devil for rest! Had they come to Christ, they might have had true rest, but instead, they give their souls to the Devil's rest, growing loose and scandalous in their lives. I suppose if you observe carefully, you will not have to go far to find examples of this.
Others, who cannot master their conscience, fall into despair. When they come to their sickbed, their hearts are overwhelmed with despair, and thus they die. Oh, what a pity it is to lose souls that have gone this far in the way of religion. Consider this:
First, they do the same outward acts as God's people, performing the same duties.
Secondly, they are very conscientious in what they do, making their thoughts and secret ways a matter of conscience.
Thirdly, they know they have to do with God in everything. They have their hearts so attuned to this that they set themselves in the presence of God continually.
Fourthly, they have the fear of God—the fear of eternity—upon their hearts constantly, and yet they perish at last, all for lack of knowledge of the Gospel.
It is true that those who accuse certain preachers of putting people under legal duties without showing them the rest found in the Gospel and in Christ are right in their blame. It is a grievous burden to be under the Law and to do duties merely in a legal way. But our work is to invite you to come to Jesus Christ that you might have rest. If there are any who know what it is to be burdened with legal performances, the main thing I shall do is invite them to come to Jesus Christ, and I hope to bring them to their rest, for Christ graciously invites them to come to Him for that rest.
The Fourth Misery Fourthly, there is this evil in the burden of legal performances: those who perform duties in a legal way bring an evil report upon the ways of God. They go on heavily and dully in God's ways, giving others a poor impression of God's ways. When the heart is sanctified and carried on by a divine principle, such a one makes the ways of God beautiful and lovely to those with whom they interact. But those who perform duties merely in a legal way go on so pensively, sadly, and dully that there is no beauty at all in their conversation, and they make others afraid of those ways, perceiving them as tedious and irksome.
The Fifth Misery
Fifthly, there is this evil in the burden of legal performances: those who perform duties merely in a legal manner do not maintain any proportion in the ways of God and in their duties, but act merely according to the stirring of their conscience. If conscience is awakened and stirred, they are careful to perform their duties, but if conscience does not stir them, they are careless again. Therefore, those who perform duties in this manner display inconsistency in their ways. Sometimes they are very strict, daring not for their lives to omit any duty, but at other times they become lax again. It is all according to the stirring of their conscience, not from the new nature.
For that which works according to a new nature works in a steady and consistent way, keeping proportion between one duty and another. This may be a means to test whether what you do is from a changed nature or from other principles. If there is consistency between one duty and another, and you are not overly zealous in one thing and negligent in another, that is a sign that your actions are from a new nature. But if you make conscience of some things and, at other times, allow yourself more liberty in others, it is a sign that what you do is done merely in a legal way. This must be burdensome: it is like walking on uneven ground, with one leg up and the other down, creating a great deal of weariness. Those who perform duties by the Spirit of God, however, find their way made even for them.
Not that God's people are always equally devout, but generally, there is a steady and proportional walk in their actions.
The Sixth Misery Sixthly, there is this evil in the burden of legal performances: if, through these duties, their consciences come to be quieted, they are
kept away from Jesus Christ. There are no people more kept away from Christ than those who perform duties in a legal manner and find peace in their conscience through such means. Not only are they kept from Christ, but further, they set up their duties in the place of Christ, making them their justification. What is it that many people present before the Lord as their righteousness and hope of Heaven but the performance of such duties as the Law requires?
This is a great mistake. Though we are bound to obey God's Law, to make this our righteousness before God, setting it up as our claim to eternal life, is to remove Jesus Christ from His rightful office and make our own duties our saviours. This is exceedingly dangerous, yet how many people do this! I have taken more time with this point because it is not an argument we encounter every day, and also because I would have many, whose consciences have been enlightened and troubled, understand the root of their trouble and where it truly lies.
There are many people who are so far to be praised, as they are conscientious in duty, abstaining from sins that others indulge in, and performing duties that others neglect. Yet, they go on heavily and sadly for many years, not knowing the true ground of their trouble. They do not understand why they have been weighed down with sadness and heaviness for so long. The truth is, they have been performing their duties in a legal way, without knowing the way of the Gospel.
You may ask, "What is this way? How shall we be freed from this burden?" When I come to that, I shall show in some measure the rest we have in Christ from all these burdens I have described. Christ does not call us to omit duties any more than before, but in Christ, we shall see how these duties can be performed with much more ease
than before—not easier to the flesh, but in the spirit. Whoever you are that are under this burden of legal performances, if your heart tells you, "This is my condition," know that the Lord knows your condition. You may have made conscience of your ways for a long time, but you have done so in the very legal way described here. If this is your condition, take some comfort, knowing that Jesus Christ calls you. Your present condition may be sad, but there is help, hope, and remedy in Christ. Come to Him, and He has promised to give you rest and teach you to honour God in a way that will bring more comfort to your soul than the way you are now in. The way of the Gospel is a safe and speedy path to comfort, and it is a holy way too.
The Gospel does not call you to make less of your duties than you did before. No, it is as holy a way as the one you are in now, but much safer and quicker. Christ calls you.
Question:
But you may ask, "Does Christ call those to come to Him for rest, as if He approves of their condition? And is it something that should be, that people ought to be burdened by these legal performances?"
Answer:
Some of these burdens, it is true, should be, and Christ approves of them. For example, being aware of the guilt of our sins and the remaining corruption in us. Christ calls such people, approving of these burdens in so far as they are good—though not truly good in the sense of justifying them. But there are other burdens upon sinners that Christ calls them to come to Him to be freed from—not because He approves of them, but because He pities them. He has compassion on those who are under these burdens, seeing them as suffering great misery.