Fenceagain/I unneceffaryFears. '3 :t 9 For the fear takes away all the joy and content that a man may take in the prefenti good that he enjoyes at the hand of God,that he cannot enjoy tha,becaufe he fears; I know not what ill that may come; and then when that ill comeshe is not to bear it, his fpirit is fo weak. . I might thewmuch hurt that this fear Bothboth to the foul, aitdro the bodyof man. ... To the body, ofman, howdoth it weaken and contra& the Spirits? and bring It hurts the difeafes ? and fometimes death it Pelf ? body. Fear doth much hurt to the foul. Ir äò h burr to Naturally, he foul. Spiritually. t. Nacutal! Naturally; it weakens a man in regard of the operations ofhis foul,- that Y the body is not a fit inftrument for the foul to work by It :makes a'gian do divers things rattily and inconfiderately, and divers things out of itreogitarlevi that he knows not what he doth , he is unfit for holy duties, vnftable:inr:alirtlads wages. As he is thus in regard ofhis place and calling, foinregard of,the dutiesof.Gods 2. Spinmal!ÿ, fervice, he cannot do thefe with a quietheart, with a peaceableepirir, while he l pofleft with thefe fears. . You Ihall feealtnoft all the fins inthe world come from thisfear.: What wasthe Fear the reafon that Abraham and Sarah did equivocate ? wasit nbt fear' (in that particular) grOond of ofmen more than God ? and fo they put God upon a miracleaorpreferve Sarahs notl Gns. chaflity in the cafe of A6inseteck.. What was the reafon that eífaron yielded to make an Idol for-the .people of Ifrad, and -fo joyned in Idolatry with them ? he was afraid of the people that they might. do him fome hurt, he durft not craft God with his ,prefer- vatiön. So Peter denied his Matter out of fear ; What iythe reafon that a Minifter Both not fometimes reprove fin- ? that a Magiftrate doth not fometimes reform that that is amifs ? It is flavith fear, they will not truft God tomaintain themin hisown caufe. What is the reafon that many fervants lie, be. it is out of a slavifh fear of their matters. t And fo inregard of the things of the world, menare inordinatelyafraid that they (hall lofe fomewhatthey poffefs, andtherefore they takeindirect courfes. Still this slavith fear, and horror, anddiftruft ofGod, itis almoft thecaufeofall fin, as we may obferve in the world. .- Thisbeingfoprejudicial, in the laft place, let usfence ourhearts againft thisfear. vie 4. By this means we (hall honour Religion,andmakeour lives comfortable, incourage To fence out other Saints of God, and draw people to like Religion, when it yields fuch fwcet beans agaiofi contentment to the fouls ofmen. For do but once again mufter together all our enemies, and fee ifwe have caufe No caufe of fear. fear, For our fpiritual enemies. Will any man fear a wounded foe? for theLord God t. Of fpiritual hath wounded Satan,and trampled him under our feet,andbrought us as Joflrtta did enrtnies. his Captains, to fet our feet upon the neckofprincipalities,and powers,that through the mighty power ofGod, we aremore than conquerors; and thall we fear fuels an enemy as this s Shall we fear thofe fins that we are humbled for, and which God bath made as if they had never been ? For the evils of the world : Why fhould we fear them ? thofe corre&ions a Of woedly that, are immediately from God, there is no caufe of fear in them. As thus : If God take away thy Wife, or thy Child, or thy friend, or a part of thy fuh- fiance, what caufeof fear is there : Fearnot (faith cod) Iwill chaffife thee in mea- fure, andwifnotmake afull endofthee, Ger. q,6. z8.) yet thoufhalt not be altogether Iec46.2. . uncorreffed. And then remember, God proportions the corre&ion toour ftrength, as a Fa- ther, not as a Judge, : he aims at our amendment, not at our ruine ; Ifhe take away a friend, that we doted too much on ifwe fet our minds too much on the world, and
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=