You might have all this while enjoyed your peace, and poffeffed your fouls in patience. And here I cannot but obferve a very deep policy of Satan, managing a defign against the foul by thefe vain fears: I call them vain, in regard of the frustration of them by Providence; but certainly they are not in vain, as to the end Satan aims at in raifing them; for herein he acts as foldiers ufe to do in the fiege of a garrifon, who on purpose to wear out the befieged by conftant watchings, and thereby unfit them to make refiftance when they storm it in earneft, do every night give them falfe alarms, which though they come to nothing, yet doth notably ferve this further de fign of the enemy. O when will you beware of Satan's devices? Rule 5. Confider folemnly, That though the things you fear hould really fall out, yet there is more evil in your own fear, than in the thing feared.

And that not only as the leaft evil of fin is worse than the greatest evil of fuffering; but as this finful fear hath really more torment and trouble in it, than is in that condition you are so much afraid of; fear is both a multiplying, and a tormenting paffion; it reprefents troubles much greater than they are, and fo tortures and wrecks the foul much worse than when the fuffering itself comes. So it was with Ifrael at the Redfea, they cried out, and were fore afraid, till they put foot into the water, and then a paffage was opened through those waters, which they thought would have drowned them. Thus it is with us; we looking through the glass of carnal fear, upon the waters of trouble, the fwellings of Jordan, cry out, O they are unfordable! we must needs perish in them: But when we come into the midst of thofe floods, indeed, we find the promise made good; "God will make a way to efcape," 1 Cor. x. 13. Thus it was with bleffed Bilney, when he would make a trial, by putting his finger to the candle, and not able to endure that, he cried out, What, cannot I bear the burning of a finger? how then shall I be able to bear the burning of my ⚫ whole body to-morrow?' And yet when that morrow came, he could go chearfully into the flames, with that scripture in his mouth, Ifa. xliii. 1, 2, 3. "Fear not, for I have redeem"ed thee: I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine; "when thou paffeft through the waters, I will be with "thee; when thou walkeft through the fire, thou shalt not "be burnt."

Rule 6. Confult the many precious promifes which are written for your fupport and comfort in all dangers.

These are your refuges, to which you may fly and be safe ; "When the arrows of danger fly by night, and deftruction "wafteth at noon-day." There are particular promises fuited to particular cafes and exigencies; and there are general promises, reaching all cases and conditions: Such are thefe, Rom. viii. 28. "All things fhall work together for good," &c. And Ecclef. viii. 12. "Though a finner do evil an hundred times, and his "days be prolonged, yet it fhall be well with them that fear "the Lord," &c. "Could you but believe the promises, 66 your hearts should be established,” 2 Chron. xx. 29. Could you but plead them with God, as Jacob did. Gen. xxxii. 12. "Thou faidft, I will furely do thee good," &c. they would relieve you in every distress.

Objection. But that promise was made perfonally, and by name to him, fo are not these to me.

Anfwer. If Jacob's God be your God, you have as good an intereft in them as he had. The church, a thousand years after that tranfaction betwixt God and Jacob, applied that which God fpake to him, as if it had been spoken to themfelves, Hof. xii. 4. "He found him in Bethel, and there he "fpake with us."

Rule 7. Quiet your trembling hearts by recording and confulting your past experiences of the care and faithfulness of God in former diftreffes.

These experiences are food for your faith in a wilderness condition, Pfal. lxxiv. 14. By this David kept his heart in time of danger, 1 Sam. xvii. 37. and Paul his, 2 Cor. i. 10. It was sweetly anfwered by Silentiarius, when one told him that his enemies way-laid him to take away his life, Si Deus mei curam non habet, quid vive? If God take no care of me, how have I efcaped hitherto? You may plead with God old expe. riences to procure new ones; for it is in pleading with God for new deliverances, as it is in pleading for new pardons. Now mark how Mofes pleads on that account with God, Num. xiv. 19. "Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people, as 4 thou haft forgiven them from Egypt until now." He doth not fay as men do, Lord, this is the firft fault, thou hast not been troubled before to fign their pardon: But, Lord. because thou hast pardoned them fo often, I beseech thee pardon them once again. So in new ftraits, Lord, thou haft often heard, helped, and faved in former fears; therefore now help again," for with thee there is plenteous redemption, and thine arm is not shortened.

Rule 8. Be well fatisfied that you are in the way of your duty, and that will beget holy courage in times of danger.

"Who will harm you, if you be followers of that which is "good?" Pet. iii. 13. Or, if any dare attempt it, " you "may boldly commit yourselves to God in well-doing," 1 Pet. iv. 19. It was this confideration that raised Luther's fpirit above all fear: In the caufe of God (faid he) I ever am, and ⚫ ever shall be ftout;' herein I affume this title, Cedo nulli, a good caufe will bear up a man's fpirit bravely. Hear the fay ing of a heathen, to the fhame of cowardly Chriftians: When the emperor Vefpafian had commanded Fluidius Prifcus 'not to come to the fenate; or if he did, to speak nothing but 'what he would have him; the senator returned this noble anfwer, That as he was a fenator, it was fit he should be at the fenate; and if being there he were required to give his advice, he would speak freely that which his confcience commanded him; the emperor threatening, that then he should 'die; he answered, Did I ever tell you that I was immortal? • Do you what you will, and I will do what I ought; it is in your power to put me to death unjustly, and in me to die • conftantly.'

all

Righteousness is a breast plate, the caufe of God will pay your expences; let them tremble whom danger finds out of the way of duty.

Rule 9. Get your confciences fprinkled with the blood of Chrift from all guilt, and that will fet your hearts above all fear.

It is guilt upon the confcience that foftens and cowardizes' our fpirits: "The righteous are bold as a lion," Prov. xxviii. I. It was guilt in Cain's confcience that made him cry,

"E

very one that meets me fhall flay me," Gen. iv. 14. A guilty confcience is more terrified with conceited dangers, than at pure confcience is with real ones. A guilty finner carries a witness against himself in his own bofom. It was guilty Herod cried out, John Baptist is rilen from the dead." Such a confcience is the devil's anvil, on which he fabricates all those fwords and spears, with which the guilty finner pierces and wounds himself; guilt is to danger, what fire is to gun-powder; a man need not fear to walk among many barrels of powder, if he have no fire about him.

Rule 10. Exercife holy truft in times of great diftrefs.

Make it your business to trust God with your lives and comforts, and then your hearts will be at reft about them. So did

Char. of Wisdom, p. 358.

David, Pfal. lvii. 3. "At what time I am afraid, I will truft in thee;" q. d. Lord, if at any time a ftorm rife, I will make bold to fhelter me from it under the covert of thy wings. Go to God by acts of faith and truft, and never doubt but he will fecure you. Ifa. Ixii. 3. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whofe mind is ftayed on thee, because he trusteth in "thee." God takes it well when thou comeft to him thus ; Father, my life, my liberty, or estate, are hunted after, and I cannot fecure them; O let me leave them in thy hand : The 66 poor leaveth himself with thee;" and doth his God fail him? No," thou art the helper of the fatherlefs," Pfal. x. 14. that is, thou art the helper of the destitute one, that hath none to go to but God. And that is a fweet fcripture, Pfal. cxii. 7.

He fhall not be afraid of evil tidings, his heart is fixed, "truffing in the Lord;" he doth not fay, his ear shall be privileged from the report of evil tidings he may hear as fad tidings as other men, but his heart fhall be privileged from the terror of those tidings, "his heart is fixed."

Rule 11. Confult the honour of religion more, and your perJonal Jafety lefs

Is it for the honour of religion, think you, that Christians fhould be as timorous as hares, to start at every found? Will not this tempt the world to think, that whatever you talk, yet your principles are no better than other mens? O what mifchief may the discoveries of your fears before them do! It was a noble faying of Nehemiah, chap. vi. 11. "Should fuch a man 66 as I flee? And who, being as I am, would flee?" Were it not better you should die, than that the world should be prejudiced against Christ by your example? For, alas! how apt is the world, who judge more by what they fee in your practices, than by what they understand of your principles, to conclude from your timorousness, that how much foever you commend faith, and talk of affurance, yet you dare trust to thefe things no more than they, when it comes to the trial. let not your fears lay fuch a stumbling-block before the blind world.

Rule 12. He that will fecure his heart from fear, must first fecure the eternal interest of his foul in the hands of Jefus Chrift. When this is done, then you may fay, Now world, do thy worst. You will not be very follicitous about a vile body, when you are once affured it fhall be well to all eternity with your precious fouls. "Fear not them (faith Chrift) that can "kill the body, and after that, have no more that they can do." The affured Chriftian may fmile with contempt upon all his

enemies, and fay, Is this the worst that you can do? What fay you, Chriftians? Are you affured that your fouls are safe, that within a few moments of your diffolution they shall be received by Chrift into an everlasting, habitation? Well, if you be fure of that, never trouble yourfelves about the inftrumeats and means of your diffolution.

Objection. O, but a violent death is terrible to nature!

Anfwer. But what matter is it, when thy foul is in heaven, whether it were let out at thy mouth, or at thy throat? Whether thy familiar friends, or barbarous enemies, stand about thy dead body, and clofe thine eyes? Alas! it is not worth the making fo much ado about; Nihil corpus fentit in nervo cum anima fit in coelo, thy foul shall not be fenfible in heaven how thy body is used on earth; no, it fhall be swallowed up ia life. Rule 13. Learn to quench all flavish creature-fears, in the reverential fear of God.

This is a cure by diverfion: It is a rare piece of Christian wisdom to turn thofe paffions of the foul which most predominate into spiritual channels; to turn natural anger into spiritual zeal, natural mirth into holy cheerfulness, and natural fear into an holy dread and awe of God. This method of cure Christ prescribes in that forementioned place, Matth. x. like to which is that in Ifa. viii. 12, 13. fear not their fear; but how shall we help it? Why, " fanctify the Lord of Hofts himself, and let "him be your fear, and your dread." Natural fear may be allayed for the prefent by natural reafon, or the removal of the occafion, but then it is but like a candle blown out with a puff of breath, which is easily blown in again; but if the fear of God extinguish it, then it is like a candle quenched in water, which cannot easily be rekindled.

Rule 14. Lastly, Pour out thofe fears to God in prayer, which the devil and your own unbelief pour in upon you in times of danger.

Prayer is the best out-let to fear; where is the Christian that cannot fet his probatum eft to this direction? I will give you the greatest example in the world to encourage you in the use of it, even the example of Jefus Chrift, Mark xiv. 32. When the hour of his danger and death drew nigh, he gets into the garden, feparates from the difciples, and there wrestles mightily with God in prayer, even unto an agony: in reference to which the apottle faith, Heb. v. 7. "Who in the days of his flesh, when " he had offered up prayers and fupplications, with fstrong cries "and tears, to him that was able to fave him from death, and "was heard in that he feared." He was heard as to strength