Jlgainft ji-fl{ul fear of Men, and fufferingby them. fo far as it is btjl for thee to be faved, then he is not God : Away with All,if,n, and then tear not man. 347 9· 3· Direct. 3· Remember wbat man it that thou art afr.>id of: He is a bubble raifed by PtOvi- Dirta. 3· dtnct to tofs about the world, and for God to honour himfdf by or upon: HI! is the mecr product Job. rJ. z.r. of hi; makers will : His breath is in his Nofiril:;: he is hafiing to his dull, and in that day his world. ~~al.t. s, 6. ly hopes and choughts do perifh with him: He is a worm that God can in 01,1e moment t.read into pf~J~:,J. :o, the Earrh and Hell: H.: is a dream, a Chadow, a dry leaf or a littlechaff, that s blown awhile about Job 1c:~, 8. the world: He is jull ready in the height of his pridc- and fury, ~o. drop into the grave; and that Vi_flor uricenf, fo:~mc mau or all rhofe men, whom now thou fearefi {hall one of thtfe days, moll certainly lye roe- 1 l:p? gf ~14 -h ting in the duH, and be hid in darknefs, lefi their ugly_fig?t and f\ink be an a~noyance to the liying. ~~e~n~ft f:~r. e where now are all the proud ones rhat made fuch a bu(sle m the world but awh1le agoe? Inone age they Nunc illud look big, arid boafi of their power, a.nd rebd, and ufurp authority, and are mad to b,e Grear and Rulers doqu:miz,. • in theWorld, or per£ecute the M:inifiers and people of the Lord; and in the next (or in the fame ) ltuod ubertun they are viler than the dirt; their carkaffes are buried, or their bones fcatttred abroad and made the ~;~~~::dehonour and wander of beholders. And is this a creature to be feared above Gad, or agaiofi God? li.:edecurre- ; feelfa. 51. 7· HtarJteHtome Jetbat~nowri.glueoufneji,thepeople inwho[e be3rt i-1 my Law. Fear y~ bu,ipfomem not tbe reproach of mm, neither be aftgjdof tbeir rtvitiJtgJ: Fortbe moJbjluU eat tbem up Lik! a garment, ~ccuun: eft aJtd t~e wormjhaJJ eat ~hem lik._e wool: hHt ~y rigiJteoufo~fs ]hall be fir eve.r a.nd ~y fal~atirm from g~- ~;e~~~Gmfr- , 11eroltJCf to generaiJon, I fa. 2· 22• ceafi ye from num r:f!bofe ~rtath. U m hu ~o)trzl.r, f or wberem ricrtr beficged U he tc be accounted of, PfaJ. 146. 3, 4· Put not )lOUr trujt tn Prmcu, ncr m the fon of man, Hippq, in whom there U no help : hi-1 brtasb gottb f orth, be returntth to bl1 earth; in that very day all bif tbougbtt perijh. When Herod was magnitied as a God, he could not fave himfelf from being devoured alive by worms. When Pharaoh was in his pride and glory, he could not iave his people from Frogs and Flies and Lice. Saith God toSennacb.,ib, The Vi,gi>t, the Daughter of Zion 1mb defpifed thee, aJtd la11~hed thee !O [corn-- •nd bathjhaf<!n her head at thee ; whom haft thou rcproacbed and hl>f pheamed, and Jgainjl whom haft thol< exalted thy voice and lifted thine cyet on high 1 0 what a worm is man that you are fu afnid ot ! . ?· 4· DireCt. 4· Remember that men at :well at Vevi/1 are chained, and dependant ::pmt Go4Jand haye Dire&. 4~ n?power but what he giveth tbem, and can do nothing but by hi1 permif!ion. And 1f GodwiU. have it · done, thou haft· hi>promife· thar it fhall work unto thy good, Rpm. 8. zS. And are you afraid Id\ God n\Ould ebyo.u good by them > If you fee the knife or lancet in an enemiet hand only, you might fear it; but if you fee it in the Surgeo1U Qr in a fatherr hand, though nature will a litde Valemini31m~ flu ink, yet Reafim will forbid you to make any great matter of it, or inordinately to feu. ·what if juilUs ab tm– God will permit J of,pht brethren to bind him, and fell him to the Amalekices > and his mallers Wife pm<.o« Joli, to caufe Rim to be imprifor.ed ? Is h,e not to be trufied inall this, that he will turn it to his good ?an.o . 1mmol:tre; what jf he will phmir Shimei to curfc DtJvid, or the King to cafi Dan,iel into the Lyons D ·:n, or the ~~1-!5-~ ;u~threc: Confdfors into the Furnace of Fire? Do you believe that your Fathers wil) is the difpofcr of der~ fvo~~c all? "and yet are you afraid of man? Our Lord told Pilate when he boal\cd of his power to rake diG:eflit : nea away his life or fave ir, ~l101e couldji have nopowtr at aU again)i me except it were given Jbee from mor;~_, qui pr~ tW(JiJe, Job. 19· I 1· ~~~~};r:~~;i1~1 . bun:uum, in locum p~rfecutoris fui acctpit imperium. Pa~tl!. Diacomu t. 1. P· r~ I know you will fay that it is only as Gads infi:rumeots that you feat them, and that ifyou were cer- Obj. We fear tain of his favour, and were not tirfi afraid of his wrath, you iliould not fear rhe wrath' of men. the.rp ~nly 11> Anfw. By this you may fee then what it is to be difobedient, and to cheri!h your fears of Gods dif- God, mfuu, pleafure and to hinder y_our own ~ifurance of his lovi:, when this mu~ be the caufe of, or. the pre- ~~J~~rtd. renfe for fo many other hns : But ef really you fear them bur as the mftrumcntt of Godt difpleafim 1. Why then did you no more fear hit difpleafure before, when the danger from men did not appear ? you know God never wanteth in£lruments to execute his wrath or will; 2. And why fear you not rhe fin which dorh difpleafc him more than the inllruments, when they could do you no hurt were it not for fin? 3• And why do you not more fear them as tempt~rJ than as affiiC:ttrs ? and confcquently why fear you not their flattcric:s and enticements and prefermems and your profperiry, more than adverfiry, when profperity more drawerh you away to tin. 4· And why fear you not HeU more than any thing that man can do againfi you, when Gnd thrdatncth Hdl more than humane penalties. 5• And why do you nor apply your fclves to God chi.eft.y for deliverance; bur fludy how to padfie man? why do ybu with more fear and care and diligence and complyar.cc apply your felves to thofe that you are afraid of, if you fear God more than them ? Repent and make your peace .with ~od !~rough Chrill, and then be quiet, if ir be G~d that you are afraid of : Your bufine/s then ts not h.. fl. with the Creature, but with God. 6. And tf you fear them only as Gods infi:ru~ mcnts, why ' .h not your fear make you the more cauteloufiy to fly from further guilt, but ra(her make yen t( -·ink o! Hretching your confciences as far as evtr you dare, and vtmuring as far as you dare upon.Gods d1fplcafure, to efcape mans > Are thefe fignes that you feJT them only as the Injlr~tmenttof Gods difpleafure ? or do you fee how deceitful a thing your heart is ? Indeed man is ro be feared in a full fubordination to God, I· As his officers commanding us to obey him, 2 . As his txtcutio~terJ punitbing us for difobeying .him. 3· But not as Satans infiruments (by Gods permiffion). affiiCl:ing us for obeying him, or without dcfert. Ram. 13. 3, 4· For Rulert art ~tot a ttrrour to good ii>oriiJ but to the evil : wilt thou then nol be afraid of lhe power; I)o thai wbich iJ g"d ,;,.dthoujhal• h~ve
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