ing, and to have that written in
his heart,--to be in a manner transformed by the shining glory of these
laws, to be a living law? What is it, I pray you, deforms these fallen
angels, and makes them devils? Why do we paint a good angel in a beautiful
and comely image, while the devils are commonly represented in the most
horrid, ugly, and monstrous shape and visage? Is it not this that makes
the difference, that the one is fallen from a blessed subordination to the
will of God, and the other keeps that station? But both are equal in
nature, and were alike in the beginning.

Add unto this, the equity of Christ's yoke. There is nothing either so
reasonable in itself, or yet so suitable to ourselves. For what is it that
he puts upon us? Truly no new commandment; it is but the old command
renewed. It is no new law, though he hath conquered us, and hath the right
of absolute dominion over us; yet he hath not changed our fundamental
laws. He changes only the present tyrannical yoke of sin: but he restores
us, as it were, to our fundamental liberty we formerly enjoyed, and that
sin forced us from, when it conquered us. Christ's yoke is not a new
imposition. It is but the ancient yoke that was bound upon man's nature by
God the Creator. The Redeemer doth not invent or contrive one of his own;
he only looses off the yoke of iniquity, and binds on that sweet yoke of
obedience and love to God. He publishes the same laws, many of which are
already written in some obscure characters upon our own minds; and he
again writes them down all over in our hearts. There is nothing superadded
by Jesus Christ, but a chain of love to bind this yoke about our necks,
and a chain of grace and truth to keep his laws. And truly these make the
yoke easy, and take away the nature of a burden from it. O what mighty and
strong persuasions! O what constraining motives of love and grace doth the
gospel furnish, and the rarest cords to bind on Christ's yoke upon a
reasonable soul,--cords of the most unparalleled love!

I shall only add unto all this, that as herein Christ hath expressed or
completes the expression of his love upon his part; so upon our part it
becomes us to take on his yoke, in testimony of our thankfulness. We owe
our very selves unto him. What can be more said? We owe ourselves once and
again; for we are twice his workmanship, first created by him, and then
renewed or created again unto good works. We are bought with a price, we
are not