SPIRITUAL PEACE AND COMFORT. 425 suasion of his father's love to him, that he knows he will not cast him off, except he should be so vile as to renounce his father; which he is moderately. fearful or careful, lest by temptation he shouldbe drawn to do, but not distrustfully fearful, as knowing the helps and mercies of his father. But a slavish Tear, is, when a man, havingno apprehensions of God's love, orwillingness to show him mercy, doth look that God should deal.with him as a slave, and destroy him whenever he doth amiss. It is this slavish, tor- menting fear which I spend all this writing against. But yet a great deal, even of this slavish fear, may be in those sons, that knew not themselves to be sons. But suppose yoú were out of all fear of damnation ; do not belie your own heart, and tell me, Had you not rather be holy than un- holy ; pleasing to God than displeasing? Andwould not the hope of salvation draw you from sin to duty, without the fear of dam- nation in hell? But you will say, ' That is still mercenary, and as bad as slavish fears.' "I answer, ' Not so : this hope ofsalvation is the hope of enjoying God, and living in perfect pleasingness to him, and pleasure in him in glory ; and the desire of this is a de sire of love: it is love to God that makes you desire him, and hope to enjoy him. Lastly, I say again, Take heedof separating *hat God bath joined. If God, by putting in your nature the several passionsof hope, fear, love, &c., and by putting a holiness into these passions, by sanctifying grace, and by putting both promises and dreadful threatenings into his word ; I say, if God by all these means bath given you several motives to obedience, take heed of separating them. Donot fence ask your heart such a question, ' Whether it would obey if there wereno threatening, and so no fear.' Nor on the other side, do not let fear do all without love. Doubtless, the more love constraineth to duty, the better it is and you should endeavor with all your might that you might feel more ofthe force of love in your duties ; but do you not mark how you cherish that corruption that you complain of? Your doubts and tormenting fears are the things that love should cast out. Why, then, do you entertain them ? If you say, ' I cannot help it ;' why, then, do you cherish them, and own them, and plead and dispute for them? and say you do well to doubt, and you have cause ? Will this ever cast put tormenting fears? Do you not know that the way to cast them out, is notto maintain them by distrustful thoughts or words ; butto see their sinfulness and abhor them, and to get more high thoughts of the loving kindness of God, and the tender mercies of the Redeemer, and the unspeakable love that he bath manifested in his suffering for you, and so the love of God may be more ad- vanced and powerful in your soul, and may beable to cast out VOL. r. 54
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