I will take on the yoke of your
sins and curses." Nay, it is not such an exchange as is thus mutually
dependent; for it hath pleased the Father without consulting us, and the
Son without our knowledge or consent, to conclude what to do with the
heavy and unsupportable burden of sinners. The Father "laid upon him the
iniquities of us all, and he" of his own accord "hath borne our griefs,
and carried our sorrows," (Isa. lii. 4-6) and that burden did bruise him;
yea, "it pleased the Lord to bruise him," and it pleased himself to be
bruised. O strange and unparalleled love, that could digest so hard
things, and make so grievous things pleasant! Now I say, he having thus
taken on our burden already, calls upon us afterward, and sends forth
proclamations, and affectionate invitations, "Come unto me, all ye poor
sinners, that are burdened with sin, and wearied with that burden; you who
have tired yourselves in these byways, and laboured elsewhere in vain, to
seek rest and peace: you have toiled all night and caught nothing, come
hither, cast your net upon this side of the ship, and you shall find what
you seek. I have undertaken your yoke and burden, why then do you laden
yourselves any more with the apprehension of it? The real and true burden
of wrath I have already carried away, why then do ye weary yourselves with
the imagination of it? Only come to me, and see what I have done, and you
shall find rest and peace."

Now this being proponed absolutely unto sinners, and they being invited to
consent to that which Christ has done in their name, in the next place he
comes to impose his easy yoke upon us, not at all for any recompence of
what he hath done, but rather for some testimony of gratitude and
thankfulness on our part, and for the manifestation of grace and love on
his part. I do indeed conceive, that the imposition of the yoke of
Christ's laws upon believers, is as much for the declaration of his own
love and goodness, as the testification of our thankfulness. If you
consider the liberty, the beauty, and the equity of this yoke, it will
rather be construed to proceed from the greatest love and favour, than to
tend any way to recompence his love. Herein is perfect liberty, Psal.
cxix. 32, 45. It is an enlargement of heart, from the base restraint and
abominable servitude of the vilest lusts, that tyrannize over us, and keep
our affections in bondage. O how narrow bounds is the liberty of the
spirits of men confined unto,