! 3 16 `The kghteous MansAe(ling-place, or, Va. s. 7keaf. We are deli- vered from our enemies either, Luke s.47. a. By NC011; ciliation. wilibe the confequent of the thing ; for Chrif urgeth this tohis own Difciples, Fear not him that can kill thebody, &c. And to do things mcerly without any re-I (pelt to punifhment at all ; I knowno reafon why any man Ihouhi afire to that; perfeftion. For God while we arehere, bath given us thefemontes,tofir us up to avoid evil ; and it is well if we can heartily and truly,' out of love to God do it, by.all.themotives that Godbath propounded. To have afearmeerly for puniftmenr,and fillro retain the love offin,andno re, fpe for loveto the commandment of God,this is not acceptable io'God in a laving manner: but ter havean eye to God, . and,tò abfain from fin, partly outof love to God, andpartly out of`fear ofpunishment, this is acceptable toGod. For a man. Inuitlove himfelfinfubordinatton ró thelove ofGod ; and thereforehemay look to theavoiding ofevil, and to the gettingofgood eternal to foul and body. Now thefefears,wemay confider o_ fthem thus. Thenaturat fear a may be accom- panied with the Spirit, but it comes nix from the Spirit, that Inuit be ordered by the word of God. . Setondly,carnal fear comes not from the (pirit,nor is accompánieclwith it : this is ever to be mortified,ihia we muff takeheed of and this fear Abrahamis exhorted àgainft here. Thirdly, thefearthat is fervile, it comes from the fpirit,but it is not accompanied . with the (pint. As thedawningof the day theSun is the cáufe of it, yet theSim is not prefent whin the day days ns,'but fome glimpfe goes before him : this we muff -cherifh, fo as we.bring it to filial fear, and thenwe dealaright in that. Laftly,for filial fear, we mutt. cherish that at all timcs,we mulllabour to get fills more reverent refpeft ofthe Majcfy of God. So 1 have briefly lhewed youwhat fear st And what fear we muff labour to be freed from; all flavifh and carnal fear, in regard of the world, or any thing in theworld ; any ill that may befall us, or any good that may be taken from us. Now you fee that a Chriftian is fuch a man as may live without all fear,that is carnal ; Fear not them that can (illthe body. And in .1fit..8. ta. Fear not their fear. What is the ground of this? I will tell you briefly ; Chrif, came into the world todeliver us front all our ene- mies that we mightfervehim withoutfear, in bolinefi and righteoufneft, Luke. t. 47. So then the ground is this, thatman that hath nò enemies; that man that cannot poffibly be molefedwith any evil, what need he fear ? For there is no evil in the world that can furprize a man that is incovenant withGod, that labours to keep his covenant, but by the power of-the Spirit hemay conquer it. For only evil, and evil future is the objeft of fear. Now, if there be no evil thatcan befal achild of God, but fuchas may be conquered,he fhould contemnit,and not fear it. Now all the enemiesofa Chrifianare either reconciled or conquered and foyled, and what then needhe fear them? For God that is an enemy to every man naturally, he is reconciled; Chrifbath made our peace withGod, hebath made our atonement, we need not fear him flavifhly ; though we may,and muff fear himwith a filial fear,wemuff not beafraid of himwithhorror, as to run fromhim ; but we muff folove him, as to reverence beforebia foot fool. Again,in regardof the evilsof the world,they are enemies too: but how ? Chrif, bath been pleated to Tweeter: there to us: all things inthe world (faith the Apofle, (peakingofafliftions, Rom.8.) theywork, forgood to them thatfear God. Shall aman be afraid of his own good ? Nay, there is nothing in the worldthat moreworks our good, than afliftions, and loffes,and croffes a we might (pareanything better than their: ¡hall we be afraidof that that works our good ? Death it is reconciled, and made our friend : Itwas the greatef enemy ; Chrift bath pulledout thefling, and changed the natureof it ; he bath made itthebirth-dayofeternity, a fweet paffage to abetter life. Death brings not evil to a man that is in covenant withGod, but rather terminates all evil, that he is molefedwith in theworld. Sothen fomeene- mies are reconciled andmade our friends,and thefe we haveno reafon to fear. Agtiaiu, a
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