vident fear that opens our eyes to foresee danger, and quickens to a prudent and lawful use of means to prevent it; such was Jacob's fear, Gen. xxxii. 7. But it is the fear of diffidence I persuade you to keep your hearts from; that tyrannical passion which invades the heart in times of danger; distracts, weakens, and unfits the heart for duty; drives men upon unlawful means, brings a snare with it.

SECTION IV.-A Season of Danger.

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The fourth case is this-how a Christian may keep his heart from distracting and tormenting fears, in times of great and threatening dangers.

Now there are fourteen excellent rules or helps for keeping the heart from sinful fear, when imminent dangers threaten us.

1. The first is this-look upon all the creatures as in the hand of God, who manages them in all their motions, limiting, restraining, and determining them all at his pleasure.

Get this truth well settled by faith in your hearts; it will marvellously guard them against slavish fears. The first chapter of Ezekiel contains an admirable scheme or draught of providence; there you may see the living creatures who move the wheels, that is, the great affairs and turnings of things here below, coming unto Christ who sits upon the throne, to receive new orders and instructions from him, ver. 24, 25, 26. And in Rev. vi, you read of white, black, and red horses, which are nothing else but the instruments that God employs in executing his judgments in the world, as wars, pestilence, and death. But when these horses are prancing, and trampling up and down in the world, here is that which may quiet our hearts, that God has the reins in his hand. Wicked men are sometimes like mad horses, they would stamp the people of God under their feet; but the bridle of Providence is in their lips, Job i. 11, 12. It is terrible to meet a lion at liberty, but who is afraid of the lion in the keeper's hand?

2. Remember that this God, in whose hand all the

creatures are, is your Father, and is much more tender over you, than you are, or can be, over yourselves. "He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine eye,” Zech. ii. 8. Let me ask the most timorous woman, whether there is not a vast difference between the sight of a drawn sword in the hand of a bloody ruffian, and the same sword in the hand of her own tender husband? As great a difference there is in looking upon creatures by an eye of sense, and looking on them as in the hand of your God by an eye of faith. That is a sweet scripture to this purpose in Isa. liv. 5; "Thy maker is thy Husband, the Lord of Hosts is his name:" he is Lord of all the hosts of creatures in the world. Who would be afraid to pass through an army, though all the soldiers should turn their swords and guns towards him, if the general of that army were his friend or father? I have met with an excellent story of a religious young man, who being at sea with many other passengers in a great storm, and they being half dead with fear, he only was observed to be very cheerful, as if he had been but little concerned in that danger. One of them demanding the reason of his cheerfulness, "O," said he, "it is because the pilot of the ship is my father." Consider Christ, first as the King and supreme Lord over the providential kingdom, and then as your Head, Husband, and Friend, and you will quickly say, "Return unto thy rest, O my soul." This truth will make you cease trembling, and cause you to sing in the midst of dangers, "The Lord is King of all the earth; sing ye praise with understanding;" or, as the Hebrew word is " every one that hath understanding," namely, of this heart-reviving and establishing doctrine of the dominion of our Father over all the creatures, Psal. xlvii. 7.

3. Urge upon your hearts the express prohibitions of Christ in this case; and let your hearts stand in awe of the violations of them.

He has charged you not to fear; "When ye shall hear of wars and commotions, see that ye be not terri fied," Luke xxi. 9. "In nothing be terrified by your adversaries," Phil. i. 28. Yea, in Matth. x. 26, 28, 31, within the compass of six verses, our Saviour commands

us thrice, not to fear man. Does every big word of proud dust and ashes make thee afraid? Does the voice of a man make thee tremble? And shall not the voice of God? If thou art of such a fearful and timorous spirit, how is it that thou fearest not to disobey the plain commands of Jesus Christ? Methinks the command of Christ should have as much power to calm, as the voice of a poor worm to terrify, thy heart. "I, even I, am he that comforteth you. Who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man that shall be made as the grass; and forgettest the Lord thy Maker?" Isa. li. 12, 13. We cannot fear creatures sinfully, till we have forgotten God. Did we remember what he is and what he has said, we should not be of such feeble spirits. Bring thy heart then to this dilemma in times of danger -If I let into my heart the slavish fear of man, I must let out the reverential awe and fear of God; and dare I cast off the fear of the Almighty for the frowns of a man? Shall I lift up proud dust above the great God? Shall I run upon a certain sin, to shun a probable danger? O keep thy heart by this consideration.

4. Remember how much needless trouble your vain fears have brought upon you formerly, and how you have disquieted yourselves to no purpose.

"And hast feared continually because of the oppressor, as if he were ready to devour; and where is the fury of the oppressor?" Isa. li. 13. He seemed ready to devour, but yet you are not devoured. I have not brought upon you the thing that you feared. You have wasted your spirits, disordered your souls, and weakened your hands, and all this to no purpose. You might have all this while enjoyed your peace, and possessed your souls in patience. And here I cannot but observe a very deep policy of Satan in managing a design against the soul by these vain fears. I call them vain, in regard of the frustration of them by Providence; but certainly they are not vain, as to the end Satan aims at in raising them; for herein he acts as soldiers are accustomed to act in the siege of a garrison, who, to wear out the besieged by constant watchings, and thereby unfit them to make resistance when they storm it in earnest, every night give them Div. No. XVIII.

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false alarms, which, though they come to nothing, yet do notably serve this further design of the enemy. O when will you beware of Satan's devices?

5. Consider solemnly, that though the things you fear should really fall out, yet there is more evil in your own fear, than in the thing feared; and that not only as the least evil of sin, is worse than the greatest evil of suffering, but as this sinful fear has really more torment and trouble in it, than there is in that condition you are so much afraid of. Fear is both a multiplying and a tormenting passion; it represents troubles as much greater than they are, and so tortures and racks the soul much worse, than the suffering itself could. So it was with Israel at the Red-sea; they cried out, and were sore afraid, till they put foot in the water, and then a passage was opened through those waters which they thought would have drowned them. Thus it is with us; we look through the glass of carnal fear upon the waters of trouble, the swellings of Jordan; we cry out, O they are unfordable! We must needs perish in them-but when we come into the midst of those floods, we find the promise made good, "God will make a way to escape," 1 Cor. x. 13. Thus it was with blessed Bilney. When he would make a trial of what he could bear, by putting his finger into a candle, not being 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 cheerfully into the flames, with this scripture in his mouth, "Fear not, for I have redeemed thee: I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine; when thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt," Isa. xliii. 1, 2, 3.

6. Consult the many precious promises which are written for your support 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 destruction wasteth at noon day." There are particular promises suited to particular cases and exigencies; and there are general promises, reaching all cases and conditions: Such are these, Rom. viii. 28, "All

things shall work together for good to them that love God;" and Eccles. viii. 12, "Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet it shall be well with them that fear the Lord." Could you but believe the promises, your hearts should be established. Could you but plead them with God, as Jacob did, Gen. xxxii. 12, "Thou saidst, I will surely do thee good," they would relieve you in every distress. 'But that promise,' you may say was made personally and by name to him; but these are not so made to me.' If Jacob's God be your God, you have as good an interest in them as he had. The church, a thousand years after this transaction betwixt God and Jacob, applied that which God spake to him, as if it had been spoken to themselves; "He found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us," Hos. xii. 4.

7. Quiet your trembling hearts by recording and consulting your past experiences of the care and faithfulness of God in former distresses.

These experiences are food for your faith in a wilderness condition, Psal. lxxiv. 14. Byt his David kept his heart in time of danger, 1 Sam. xvii. 37; and Paul his, Cor. i. 10. It was sweetly answered by Silentiarius, when one told him that his enemies were way-laying him to take away his life, "If God take no care of me, how have I escaped hitherto?" you may plead with God old experiences 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 Moses pleads on that account with God, "Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people, as thou hast forgiven them from Egypt until now," Numb. xiv. 19. He does not say as men do, Lord, this is the first fault; thou hast not been troubled. before to sign their pardon; but, Lord, because thou hast pardoned them so often, I beseech thee pardon them once again. So in new straits say, Lord, thou hast often heard, helped, and saved in former fears; therefore now help again, for with thee there is plenteous redemption, and thine arm is not shortened.

8. Be well satisfied that you are in the way of your