The fear of caution is a good cure to the fear of distraction ; and the more of that, the less of this ; this fear will cure that, as one fire draws forth another, Heb. xi. 7. " Noah being moved with " fear, prepared an ark." In which he provided as much for the rest and quiet of his mind, as he did for the safety of his person and family. That which makes evils so frightful as they are, is their coming by way of surprize upon us. Those troubles that find us secure, do leave us distracted and desperate. Presumption of continued tranquillity proves one of the greatest aggravations of misery. Trouble will lie heavy enough when it comes by way of expectation, but it is intolerable when it comes quite contrary to expectation. It will be the lot of Babylon to suffer the unexpected vials of God's wrath, and I wish none but she and her children may be so surprized. Rev. xviii. 7. Oh ! it were well for us, if, in the midst of our pleasant enjoyments, we would be putting the diffi- cultest cases to ourselves, and mingle a few such thoughts as these with all our earthly enjoyments and comforts.
I am now at ease in the midst of my habitation, but the time
A PRACTICAL TREATISE OF FEAR. 289
Wiay be at hand when my habitation shall be in a prison. I see no faces at present but those of friends, full of smiles and honours ; I may see none shortly but the faces of enemies, full of frowns and terrors. I have now an estate to supply my wants, and provide for my family ; but this may shortly fall as a prey to the enemy, they may sweep away all that I have gathered, reap the fruits of all my labours. — Impius has segetes. 1 have yet my life given me for a prey ; but oh ! how soon may it fall into cruel and blood-thirsty hands ! I have no better security for these things than the martyrs had, who suffered the loss of all these things for Christ's sake. A double advantage would result to us from such meditations as these, viz. the advantage,
1. Of acquittance with 1m 1 1
a r\c ^- c r T- roubles.
2. Oi preparation tor j
1. Hereby our thoughts would be better acquainted ^^^th thesQ evils ; and the more they are acquainted with, the less they will start and friMit at them. We should not think it strano^e concern- ing the fiery trial, as it is, 1 Pet. iv. 12. It is with our thoughts as it is with young colts ; they start at every new thing they meet ; but we cure them of it, by bringing them home to that they start at, and making them smell to it ; better acquaintance cures this startling hinnour. The newness of evil *, saith a late grave and learned divine, is the cause of fear, when the mind itself hath had no preceding encounter with it, whereby to judge of its strength, nor example of another man's prosperous issue, to confirm its hopes in the like success ; For, as I noted before out of the Philosopher -f-, experience is instead of armour, and is a kind of fortitude, enabling both to judge, and to bear troubles ; for there are some things which are (Mo^jLohuzna v.cii 'Tr^od'^-inta, scare-crows and vizors, which children fear only out of ignorance ; as soon as they are known they cease to be terrible.
I know our minds naturally reluctate and decline such harsli and impleasant subjects : It is hard to bring our thoughts to them in good earnest, and harder to dwell so long as is necessary to this end upon them. We had rather take a pleasant prospect of future felicity and prosperity in this world ; of midtlplymg our days as the sand, mid at last dying quietly 'in our nest, as Job speaks. Our thoughts run nimbly upon such pleasant fancies, like oiled \\heels, and have need of trigging; but when they come into the deep and dirty ways of suftbring, there they drive heavily, like Pharaoh's chariots dismounted from their wheels. But that which is most pleasant is not always most useful and necessary ; our Lord
* Dr. Edward Reynold; f Epictetus.
290 A PRACTICAL TREATISE OF FEAR.
was well acquainted with griefs, though our thoughts be such great strangers to them ; he often thought and spake of his sufferings, and of the bloody baptism with which he was to be baptized, Luke xii. 50. and he not only minded his own sufferings before-hand, but when he perceived the fond imaginations and vain fancies of some that followed and professed him, deluding them with ex- pectations of earthly prosperity and rest, he gave their thoughts a turn to this less pleasing, but more needful subject, the things they were to suffer for his name ; instead of answering a foolish and groundless question, of sitting on his right and left hand, like earthly grandees, he rebukes the folly of the Questionist, and asks a less pleasing question, Mat. xx. 22. " But Jesus answered and " said, Ye know not what ye ask ; are ye able to drink of the cup " that I shall drink of, and to be baptized mth the baptism that « I shall be baptized with ? q. d. You do but abuse yourselves with such fond and idle dreams, there is other employment cut out for you in the purposes of God ; instead of sitting upon thrones and tribunals, it would become you to think of being brought before them as prisoners to receive your doom and sen- tence to die for my sake ; these thoughts would do you a great deal more service.
2. As such meditations would acquaint us better, so they would prepare us better to encounter troubles and difficult things when they come. Readiness and preparation would subdue and banish our fears; we are never much scared with that for which our minds are prepared. There is the same difference in this case, as there is betwixt a soldier in complete armour, and ready at every point for his enemy ; and one that is alarmed in his bed, who hath laid his clothes in' one place, and his arms in another, when his enemy is breaking open his chamber door upon him. It was not therefore without the most weighty reason, that the apostle presses us so earnestly, Eph. vi. 13, 14. " Take unto you the whole ar- " mour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, *« and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having your ^« loins girt about with truth, and having on the breast-plate « of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the " gospel of peace.'' We see the benefit of such previsions and provisions for suffering, in that great example of courage and con- stancy. Acts xxi. 13. " I am ready, (saith Paul) not only to be « bound, but to die at Jerusalem." And the same courage and constancy remained in him, when he was entering the very lists, and going to lay his very neck upon the block, 2 Tim. iv. 6. *' I " am ready to be offered up, the time of my departure is at hand." The word (Tcsvoc/xa/, properly signifies a libation or drink-offering, wherein some conceive he alluded to the very kind of his own
A PRACTICAL TREATISE OF FEAR. 291