the terrors of death are great, the consolations of the Almighty are small.
In the written word are found all sorts of refreshing, strengthen- ing and heart-reviving promises prepared by the wisdom and care of God for our relief in the days of darkness and trouble ; promises of support under the heaviest burdens and pressures, Isa. xH. 10. " Fear not, for I am with thee ; be not dismayed, for I am thy " God ; I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will *' uphold thee with the right-hand of my righteousness." A pro- mise able to make the most timorous and trembling soul to shout with the joy of men in harvest, or as they that divide the spoil.
There are found the encouraging promises of defence and pro- tection, Isa. xxvii. 2, 3. and Isa. xxxiii. S. promises that leacf us unto the Almighty power of God, and put us under the wings of his care in time of danger.
Promises of moderation and mitigation in the day of sharp af- fliction, that we may be able to bear it, Isa. xxvii. 8. 1 Cor. x. 13. Promises of deliverance out of trouble, if the malice of man bring us into trouble, the mercy of God will assuredly bring us out, Ps. xci. 14, 15. and Psal. cxxv. 3. And, which are most comfortable of all the rest, promises to sanctify and bless our troubles to our good, so that they shall not only cease to be hurtful, but, by virtue of the promise, become exceeding beneficial to us, Isa. xxvii. 9. Rom. viii. 28.
All these promises are provided by our tender Father for us against a day of straits and fears; and because he knew our weak- ness, and how apt our fears would be to make us suspect our secu- rity by them, he hath, for the performance of them, engaged his wisdom, power, care, faithfulness, and unchangeableness, 2 Pet. ii. 9. Isa. xxvii. % 3. 2 Cor. xvi. 9. 1 Cor. x. 13. Isa. xliii. 1, 2. In the midst of such promises so sealed, how cheerful and magnani- mous should we be in the worst times ! and say as David, Psal. xlix. 5. " Why should I fear in the day of evil ?" Let those that have no God to flee to, no promise to rely upon, let them fear in the day of evil, I have no cause to do so. But even fiom these most comfortable refuges in the promises our own fears beat us ; we are so scared that we mind them not so as to draw encourage- ment, resolution, and courage from them. Thus the shields of the mighty are vilely cast away.
So. for all the choice records of the saints experiences in all for- mer troubles and distresses, God hath, by a singular providence (aiming at our relief in future distresses) preserved them for us ; if danger threaten us, we may turn to the recorded experiences his people have left us of the strange and mighty influence of his pro-
280 A PRACTICAL TEEATISE OF FEAK.
vidence upon the hearts of their enemies to shew them favour, Genu xxxi. 29. Psal. xvi. 46. Jer. xv. 11.
There are also found the ancient rolls and records of the admira- ble methods of his people's deliverance, contrived by his infinite and unsearchable wisdom for them, when all their own thoughts have been at a loss, and their understandings posed and staggered, Exod. XV. 6. 2 Chron. xx. 12, 15. 2 Kings xix. 3, 7.
There are the recorded experiences of God's unspotted faithful- ness, which never failed any soul that durst trust himself in its arms, Micah vi. 4, 5. Josh. vii. 9.
There are also to be found the records of his tender and most fatherlv care for his children, who have been to him as a peculiar treasure in times of danger, Psal. xl. 17- Deut. xxxii. 10, 11, 12, Isa. xlix. 16. Job xlix. 16. and xxxvi. 7. 2 Chron. xvi. 9.
All these and many more supports and cordials are made ready to our hand, and provided for a day of trouble ; but alas ! to what purpose, if our own fears so transport us, that we can neither apply them, nor so much as calmly ponder and consider them.
S. To conclude ; by these fears we are deprived of those mani- fold advantages we might gain by the calm and composed medita- tions of our own death, and the change it will make upon us; could we sit down in peace, and meditate in a familiar way upon death : could we look with a composed and well-settled mind into our own graves, and not be scared and frightened with the thoughts of death, and startle whenever we take it (though but in our thoughts) by the cold hand : To what seriousness would those me- ditations frame us ? And what abundance of evils would they pre- vent in our conversations ? The sprinkling of dust upon new writing prevents many a blot and blur in our books or letters : And could we thus sprinkle the dust of the grave upon our minds, it would prevent many a sin and miscarriage in our words and actions. But there is no profit or advantage redounding to us either from pro- mises, experiences, or death itself, when the soul is discomposed and put into confusion by its own fears. And thus you see some of those many mischievous effects of your own fears.
Prescribing the rules to cure our sinful Jears, and prevent these sad and zvqful effects of them.
Sect. I. ▼ ▼ E are now come to the most difficult part of the work, viz. the cure of the sinful and slavish fear of creatures in
A PRACTICAL Tr.EATISi^. OF FEAS. 281
times of danger, which if it miglit, through the blessing of God be effected, we might hve at heart's ease in the midst of all our ene- mies and troubles, and, like the sun in the heavens, keep on our steady course in the darkest and gloomiest day. But before I come to the particular rules, it will be necessary, for the prevention of mistakes, to lay down three useful cautions about this matter.
1 Caution. Understand that none but those that are in Christ are capable to improve the following rules to their advantage. The security of our souls is the greatest argument used by Christ to ex- tinguish our fears of them that kill the bodij^ Matth. x. 28. But if the soul must unavoidably perish when tlie body doth_, if it must drop into hell before the body be laid in the grave, if he that kills the body doth, by the same stroke, cut off the soul from all the means and possibilities of mercy and liappiness for ever, what can be offered in such a case, to relieve a man against fear and trembling ?
2 Caution. Expect not a perfect cure of your fears in this life ; whilst there are enemies and dangers, there will be some fears working in the best hearts : If our faith could be perfected, our fears would be perfectly cured; but whilst there is so much weak- ness in our faith, there will be too much strength in our fears. And for those who are naturally timorous, who have more of this passion in their constitution than other men have, and those in whom melancholy is a rooted and chronical disease, it will be hard for them totally to rid themselves of fears and dejections, though in the use of such helps and means as follow, they may be greatly reUeved against the tyranny of them, and enabled to possess their souls in much more tranquillity and comfort.