944 A Difcourfe of the Fear of God, F---~y their Days in difcouraging Fears or worldly Bufi;;;rs:-s-;;;;;;poffi~1 hcy bap. I 6. will make a Tnal, but they find tfthey are refolute one day, they are llaggcring the ~next; ift her are ftrong one day they ar.e wea~ another, and at ~cfl li ke Peter, when he was wal long ~pon the Water, he fltpt wtth one Foot and funk wit h the other: Jer. :z. :z s. Therefore they are_ of tbe temp_er of thofe ~n the Prophet J eremy , they foid tl 1ere was 110 hnpe, and therefore they will follow thetr orvn IVIlJS ; I fhall never conquer thefe ~'~~s , 1:;fuc~~;~1~0~~ f~~~~~ ~ft~ Y,~~e:j,:~~e;;:~;i~J1;;~1 fit I! ill, and go no fer· I. Do you not belic1'e that there are degrees of Torments in Hell? And therefore fu ppoGng this g:anted , that you c~nnot attain ~o that Pcrfeaion which ~od re9uires: wrll you theretore loofen the Rems to all W,cJcednefs? A cooler Hell IS a !nod of Heaven; there are fome lafht with Scorpions, others whipt but with Rods, I fpea k as to the degrees of Torment. · 2. Second':J, Was ever the Spirit of God defeC\ive to thole that fincercl y endea - voured ? Hath not God promifed to give his Spirit to thofc that a1k it ? 3- T hirdly, Is not Divine Grace ftrong enough to conquer the Powe r of Hell , apd the Deceitfulnels of our Hearts? Is not the Efficacy of the Di vine Nature fuffic ient !~h~~pi~1 i~~~~~~!~0e~'fc~~~er'~ur~~~ftD;r';;~~Fst:h~: ~s ?~~~~d~~'; ~jl ~v~l ~~a!lll~~~d~~ Grace in the Soul [carter and triumph over Temptations and Corruptions ? Sure I am that Sin is not an infinite Evil in it felf ; but Grace hath an In fi nite Power,. there's an Omnipotency goes along with ir. And therefore it is very grea t Madne!S for a Perfon to fay thus, I will not endeavour againll my Corrupt ions,. becau fc I fear I fhall never get the ViCtory over them; it is juft as if a Man in the midlt of a great Storm, for fear of it lbould leap into the Sea, this you !mow were Madnefs: So for a Man, becaufe he fears he cannot by l1is own Power and Strengtl1, get ViC\ory over Ius Corruptions; therefore he will leave himfclf to the Swinge of them. Suppofe a Man when he is half a Mile diftant from his Enemy, D1ould draw l1is Sword and brandifl1 and flourifh it in the Air, as if he would wound him by thcfe FJourj{hings, you would look upon this Man as mad ' But if this Man fhould mount an Ordnance, ~~r~e~~~ :.~:fo~~~~J:saTth~~~; t~~dl~nop1Jb~~t~~o~a:h~11 ~a~~~1 ~;,~u~o:~~ nif ~~~ Act proceeds from the Pouder,, Fire, and Cannon, "hiciJ difcharge the Bullet. So for a Man indeed to refolve agamft hiS Lulls by hiS own Power, and by the Strength of his own Refolutions, this can do no good ' But for a Man by the Sword of the Spirit, and by the Strength of Chrift, to go out againft his Corruptions; tl1is is as the difcharging of a Cannon, there IS fame reafon to expeC\ that ExecutiOn lbould be done becaufe fuch a Perfon is carried forth by the Power of God. Thus I have opened ;he lirft Head of thofe Sins which oppofc ~he Fear of God by way of Excefs, and that is Slavifh Fear. ' cHAP. XVI. Of Superflitio~ Fear, in refpeEl of things Natural, Cafual, and Religio~, which do oppofe the Fear of God by way of Excefs. Steond':J THERE is a Superftitious Fear, which likewife by way of Excefs, ' doth oppofe the Fear of God. I !ball rank this under Three Heads. ~: ~~~~~~!~~~ ~~~~ j~ ~~~~ ~~ :~:~~~ ~:;~:l" 3· Soperftitious l'ear in refpeet of thmgs Rehgwus. Fi¥jf, In refpeet of things Natural : And here I fl1all principally touch upon two things, both which are evident to Expeneace, ,_ The
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