mi 40 Deliverancefrom the .lingofFears, or Rev, s, fa. ;3. 114. Objet?. Anfw. Plal. 41. End. 14 U. pral. z ;. holdeth thee in prifonfrom whence thou jhaltnot go out , till thou hail paid the ut. moftfarthing. Nowwhen a man looks on Death as a Jaylor, that holdth all in the grave, till the great Judg of heaven and earth calleth for them , at the general day ofAffizes, that great day ofappearance, when all the world (hall be gathered to- gether, and every prifon thatl giveup their prifoners , Thelea andthe grave(hall give up their dead. I fay when a man ftandeth thus as reconciled to God , or at leaft, asone that Both not apprehend this reconciliation, is notperfwaded o this, that God is reconciled to him, it is no marvel if Death be terrible to him. Therefore in the fixth of the Revelation; The King and Captains, and thegreat and mighty men, they cryed to the mountains tofall upon them, and tokide themfrom the prefenee ofthe Lamb; becaufe the great dar ofwrath n'as come, andmho could(land. So wee fee in 33. Ifa. 14. there is crying out concerning the coming ofGod , the fsnteers in Sion, the hypocrites are afraid, what is their fear ! who fhaü dwell with everlaffing burnings ? andwho fbaü remain withconfirmingfire ? when they (hall fee nothing but terrour and wrath in God , fire and confumption, when they fee nothing but fuch terrible things, then fearcometh upon them. Nowmatk, hypo- crites Rand altogether unreconciled,and therefore it is no marvel if theybe afraid: and the Saints of God, fo Fevre as they are defeftive in the affurance of Gods love, fo farce they conceive themfelves in the (fate of Hypocrites, and therefore they re fo full of fears. Again , a fecond thingthat they Rand tmrefolved of, is concerning the future eftates of their fouls andbodies after death, they are not lure ofthis, that there is a better conditionafterwards: this is that great queftion, whither go we? Igonow out of the body, and whither then? Igo out of the world, and whither then.? I am going out of the companyofmen, and whither then ? Thal' I go to Angels and Saints, or to divels ? thall I go to Heaven or to Hell ? Ihalli have a beeing or not, in mifery or inhappinefs ? Theyknownot what /hall become ofthem , they are unrefolved ofthis point, of their own Rate to come, whether they fhall bein happi- nefs orhorrour after death,and therefore Death is terrible.You havethe point ope-i ned ; I will anfwer an objeftion or two , and then come to theufe. . It may be objefted : It feemeth the fervants of God are not kept under e fear ofdeath : all thofe that are in the Rate of grace, have faith ; faith, that deth thefe fears, and therefore fince they are in the Rate ofbeleevers, how can ey be held under thefear ofdeath? To this I anfwer briefly; there is faith in all the childrenof God that are effeEtu- ally called, but we muf know that Faith is confiderable two w.ayes, firft as it is in conflift., and fecondly as it is out ofconflift. Now the faithof Gods fervants in confli&, fo fometime it is in confli& with fear, and fadnefsof fpirit, why are thou call down ob myfoal ? why art thoudifyuicted within me? &c. Sometime it is in confli&with reafon and fenfe; thus the people of Ifrael, when they came into the Wildernefs ; they looked for nothing but dying, and deltruftionofnature ( for fence prefented itto them,) therefore faith Motes ( which isthe voice offaith)Stand Rill, andfee the falvation of God, &c. Now in this conflift the fuccefs is doubtful, fometime (as it was between Amalekand Ifrael fighting together ) erimalek pre- vailed, and Ifrael had the worf : fometime Ifrael prevailed, and Am sleit had the worn, fo fometime, Faith prevaileth againft feufe, and thofe fears that arife from fence, and fometime again carnal fears, and f nfe prevailethagainf Faith; now ac- cordingly are thofe eft'eEìs in the hearts of Gods children. Butfecondly, fometime Faith is out ofconflift, it now triumphed.) in affbrance, it is come now to fulla6urance of Faith, as it is called in the Scripture, and then there is nothing fo comfortable, anddefirable asdeath it felfto the fervantsof God. Sa we fee David in thez;. Pfal. Though Iwalkthrough the valley ofthefhadow.of death ! will fear none ill, for thou Lordare withme: And fo theApofle Saint Paul, triumphethover all things , Nothing/hallfeparate us from the love ofGodin Cbrif , neither principalities nor powers, nor life, 'azordeath, nor things tocome; nothing !hall do it, the ApoRles faithnow was out Ofconfli&, it had got the field, the dayof Senfe, and now he looks on death with comfort. So that I fay in thatmeafure that, Faith works, in that meafure, fear of death ceafeth. Secondly;
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=