546 CHARACTER OE A SOUND, shall I not be confounded; therefore have I set my face like a flint; and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near that justifieth me : who will contend with me ? Let us stand together : who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help me : Who is he that shall condemn me ? Lo ! they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up ;" Isa. 1. 6 -9. xxxv. 4. xli. IQ. 13, 14. vii. 4. Jer. xlvi. 27, 28. Matt. x. 26. 3L "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils ; for wherein is he tobe accounted of? " Isa. ii. 22. " Curs- ed be the man that trusteth in man, &c. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord," &c. Jer. xvii. 5. 8, 9. Alas; how terrible is the wrath of God, in comparison of thewrath of man ! And how easy an enemy is the cruelest afflicter, in comparison of a holy, sin-revenging God ! Therefore the confirmed Christian saith, as the three witnesses, (Dan. iii. 16-18.) "We are not careful to answer thee in this matter: the God whomwe serve is able to deliver us. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will nbt serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." When Daniel knew that the decree was past, he prayed openly in his house, as heretofore; Dan. vi. 10. Moses " feared not the wrath of the king ; for he endured as seeing him who is invisible;" Heb. xi. 27. "The righteous are bold as a lion ;" Prov. xxviii. 1. " When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, they marveled ; " Acts iv. 13. Paul's bonds made others bold ; 2 Cor. xi. 21. Ephes. vi. 19, 20. Acts iv. 29. 31. " Perfect love casteth out fear ; " I John iv. 18. "If ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye ; and be not afraid of their terror, neither _bb troubled ; ", 1 Pet. iii, 14. " Sothat we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man shall do unto me;" Heb. xiii. 6. 2. But the weak'Christian, though he alsotrust in God, is much more fearful, and easily daunted and discouraged ; and ready with Peter to be afraid, if ha perceive himself in danger; Matt. xxvi. 69. He is not "valiant for the truth ; " Jer. ix. 3.' Though he can forsake all (even life itself) for Christ, (Luke xiv. 26. 33.) yet it is with a deal of fear and trouble. And man is a more signifi- cant thing to hiin than to the stronger Christian. 3. But the seemingChristian doth fear man more than God, and will venture upon the displeasure of God, to avoid, the displeasure of men that can. do him hurt; because he doth not soundly believe the threatenings of the word of God. L. 1. A Christian indeed is made up ofjudgment and zeal con- junct. His judgment is not a patron of lukewarmness, nor his zeal an enemy to knowledge. Hisjudgment doth not destroy,but increase his zeal ; and his zeal is not blind nor self-conceited, nor doth run
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