Anal 43 Deliverancefrom the . :ng ofFears, or The words ( you fee ) are eafie ; there are two points that arife from them. Firft, that Gods children; thofe for whom Chrift died , are many times held ftrongly under thefear ofdeath. Secondly, that Chrift by his death freeth them from thófe fears. I thall only infitt at this time principally on the brit ; 'that Gods own children, the Children thatwere partakers offefh andblood (it is taken either for the humane nature, or the infirmities of thatnature ) even their children were held under the fear ofdeath. I will thew the grounds ofit. The fear ofdeath in the childrenof God, arifeth either from fome cages with- out, or fromfomewhat within them. From without them, and fo the fear arifeth from God, an alt of his providence upon his children. Or from Sathan, a work ofhis malice. Thefe are the eaufes fromwith- out. For the firft, God in hisprovidence , and that in his fpecial and fatherly provi- deuce,whereby he doth order all. things for the good of his children, for the prefent increafe of their grace, and the fitting them for glory hereafter; He (I fay ) in his providence ordereth it thus, that they tlaall be kept (many of them ) a great while under thefear of death, and this he doth for fpecial good ends. To humble The firft , is to humble them. his chi.dten. Adam as loon as he had finned againit God , as his fall was by pride ( he would have had a higher condition then he was in ) fo when Godwould bring him back again, he beginneth MI to humble him : and how dothhe that ?Dull thou art(faith he) and to duff thou (halt return: he fheweth him, that he was a dead man by fin, and fo would have the meditation ofdeath to humble Adam , and in him all Isis pofterity after him. So David, when he defired that fome means might work upon his enemiesfor pfal. 9, so. their good, heprayeth, Put them infear, that theymay know that they are but men: He doth not only pray that mortality might beprefented to them, but fo prcfented, that it might leave an imprcflìon offear upon their affe&ions, that they mightknow what they are , that they have not their beefing , or the power of fubfilling them- {elves, but that theymulti look for it above themfelves, to him that hath the iffsees a. Cot e z oflife anddeath in his own hand. And this is neceffary , that allthe fervants of God Ihould bekept humble by fome means or other. The Aponte Pau! ( you fee) he had attained a great meafure of grace, yet he 4andeth in need of fomething to humble him, therefore the meJfenger' of Sathan warfens to buffet him, that be fhouldnot be exalted above meafure, that he might be kept humble. God intendeth to raifc up his children to a glorious eftate, therefore as men lay a low foundation , when they intend to ere& a high building ; fo God layette th e foundation, of all grace and comfort in his fervants, in humiliation : therefore he will not only have them mortal, but hewill have them apprehend their mortality , and dying condition with fear, that they maybe humbled by this fear. That is the fielt thing. Secondly God aimeth at the ltrengthening of faith in his fervants. While a man looks to fence , and is upheld by fenfible comforts, there is not that exercifeof faith: now every grace i¡atrcngthcned by cxercife, that God therefore may have faith exercifed, and fo ftaitgthned in his fervants , he will expofe them to the fear ofdeath. The Aponte Paul found this: we received( faith he) the fentence ofdeath, that we might not trufi in ourfelves, but in him that raifeth to up from the dead., He doth not only fay thus, we acknowledge this to be a truth, that we muff die; but we received the fentence of death, received it as a man receiveth a fentence of death from a Judge , received-it fo , as it made fame imprefion upon out hearts , received it with fome inward fenfe, with fome inwardfear : which was Obfervat. Gods chil- drenate rub: je hco the fearof death. The outward cantes of the feat of death. r. God. To liteng- then their. faith- a Cor.t.9,to.
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