3 t 8 The `Righteous Masai `Refling-place, or; praaical, and refle& upon our fclvcs, and among other things upon our inward man to fetthat in order. vree z. Secondly,by -way of inftruEfion,we feewhat happymen and women we migar ht be Poffble to if we were not our own foes, ifwe could attain this pitch to live without fe that live without nothing fhould trouble us, were it not a happycondition ? furelyit is,a thing feaz- feae. able, fome Saints bave attained it in a great -mcafure; you know .'David when Ziglagwas taken; his wives gone, all the fpoyl taken, and the people were ready,fó ftonehitn,what didpoor David? he can incourp áb n felfin theLordhit God not- withftandingthis. So it may be with a poor CÇ1riltian,his friends may fortkehimi perhaps the worldis gone,richer take to themfelves wings, it may Be his body is crazy and all things are out of order, yet this man can encourage htmfe f in the Lord his Pfal. 2i; God, he can fay to himfelffear toot Saida 'David, though Iwalkin the valley ofthe 'hallowof death, a doleful condition;yét Iwillfear none ill, PfaLz3. And in another place, though ten thaufand fhpaildcompafe me in on everyfide I i'aoild lay me down and reji. Though the Apoftles were watched by fouldiers,.:laid in the frocks, and for ought they knew the next day they Mould be brought to execution, yet they fing as merrily and sleep as heartily as if they hadbeen on a,Throne, and had been Kings in a Palace. Thus a good confciencewill snake a Chriftian happy, ifhe benot his own foe : but our hearts are.intangled with the world and worldly thing that for the molt part we fee not this priviledge. But I leave that. vfe 3. Next it may ferse tò reprehend and chide the moft ofus,'yeaall, in that we are Reproof for diftra&edwith fearsttnneceffary, fuckas fpend our fpirits, and confume our precis inordinate Pus time, Each things asmake our lives uncomfortable, anddifhononr God,and our fear. Religion and profdlion, and all to no purpofe. I. wt feaitoo Some things wefear a great while before vve need,perhaps that vweneednot fear soon. at all. One faith Lord, vvhat wouldbecome ofme if I fhould lofe my vvife ? ifI lhottlel lofe my children i or lofe myefface ? What vvould become of me if the times fhould be find, if there should bra dear year ? I can fcarfe bring both ends together nove. Another faith,vvhat fhall I do when I am old,and cannot takepains for ray liñint? dugs men fear a thoufand inconveniences. What need we meet evils halfvvay ?' vvhat need vvc create to our fclvcs fuch troubles ? fuficient fur the day are the troubles ofst. a. Toomuch. But in regardofcarnal fear, all things make us afraid more thanvve need, and the fear of ill oft -times perplexeth a man more than the ill it felf that lights upon him: And men ofamelancholly difpofiition they frame to themfelves filch ftrange Chi- meras, Imaginationsof thingsthat perhaps (hall never come to pafs,and fo trouble themfelves with a great deal of fear. Thouart afraid of fachand filch{offes,' per- haps thou maift die firft, and fuck things perhaps (ball never befal thee : labourto prepare thyheart before hand,and then fear themnot. I vvill (hew you the inconveniences of this, briefly. It brings a Firft ofall, thefe fears of loffesand renfles, and the like, theyoften bring a great teat deal o deal ofill to men ; nay, it brings a great deal of ill as thenatural event and confe- ll' quent of it, partly by the judgement of God, Ifs. 66. q. .1 will brine theirfears,' lfa.66;q. uponthem. And that thatw,c(edouenfear/hadcomeupon them. - This isthe way to bring ill upon them,vvhenmen vvill needs be miferable is it not juft vvithGod they should TheRomans will comeand take awayour Empire, and fo it vvas. Saul vvas afraid that David should fucceed him, and fo he did. When men vvill not learn to live l by faith, it is juft withGod ,to bring that thatthey fear upon them, becaufe they difltonour him by unbelief. unfits the .. lathefecond placeit not only brings ill,but it makes the heart unfit for illvvhen'it bean to beat comes. In thefear ofman there is a fnare : butiv the confidence ofthe Lord, there ells. , isafoere reward. In the fear of manthere is a fnare: what doth fear do? It in. fnares a man,it binds a man hand and foot,and layeshim flat before his enemy vvhen he comes, and then hisenemy tramples upon him. It fo vveakens theSpirits and difheartneth a manbefore it comes,that vvhen it comes he is no vvay able to bear its )por
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