446 HOLY FORTITUDE. of power, and holy fortitude; 2 Tim. 1.7. Wait on the Lorca, and be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thyheart; wait I say on theLord; Ps. xxvii. 14. But be sure in all your addresses to the mercy-seat, have an eye to Christ Jesus the Mediator, your advocate at the throne, and the Captain of your Salvation, who is engaged to see yon brought safe to heaven. The Father has entrusted you as sheep in his hand, and he will not suffer you to perish. Look to him as your great High-priest and Intercessor in heaven ; and since you have such a High-priest as Jesus the Son of God, who can be touchedwith thefeeling of our infirmities, let us come boldly to the throne ofgrace, that we may obtainmercy, and findgrace to help in time of need ; lieb. iv. 14, 15, 16. Many a feeble christian who has gone to the mercy-seat, trembling and terrified under huge apprehensions of danger, and almost overwhelmed with tumult- uousfears, has risen up from his knees with a heavenly calmness and composure : The army of his fears has vanished at once, and he has gone out to face the most formidable of his adversaries, withdivine resolution and courage. " I sought theLord and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him and were enlightened, and their faces werenot ashamed. The angel of the Lordencampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good : Blessed is the man that trusteth in him ;" Ps. xxxiv. 4--S. " In the day when I cried, thou answeredst me : and didst strengthen mewith strength in my soul ;" Ps. cxxxviii. 3. 1V. Get a greater degree ofweanedness from the flesh, and from all the delights and satisfactions that belong to this mortal life : Then as you will not feel so great a pain in being stripped of them, so neither will your soul be filled with terror, when you are in danger of losing them. Learn to put off a little of that sinful tenderness for sett; which we brought into the world with us. One of the firstlessons in the school of Christ, is self-denial ; %iat. xvi. 24. If any man will corne after me, that is, be my disci- ple, let him denyhimself, and take up his cross, and follow me. It is a certain tender fondness for our flesh that makes us afraid of pain. It is a fondness for our name and reputation that makes us afraid of reproaches. It is a fondness for our possessions, and our easy circumstances in the world that makes us afraid of poverty : And too great a fondness for life makes us afraid of dying. . Whensoever therefore the cause of Christ plainly calls us to risk our name and honour in the world, to part with our wealth or our ease, and to venture and to expose life itself; we shrink from the command; slavish and sinful fear pre- vails mightily upon us, because welove earth, and self; and flesh better than we ought to do. Wemust subdue this self-love, and
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