Flea 4. But some will object that they cannot help their fears and tremblings when anv danger appears ; because fear is the dis- ease, at least the sad effect and symptom of disease, with which God hath wounded them : a deep and fixed melancholy hath so far prevailed, that the least trouble overcomes them ; if any sad afflictive providence befal, or but threaten them, their fears pre- sently rise, and their hearts sink, sleep departs, thoughts tumul- tuate, the bbod boils, and the whole frame of nature is put into
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disorder. If therefore the Lord should permit such great and dreadful trials to befal them, they can think of nothing less than dying by the hand of their own fears, before the hand of any ene- my touch them ; or, which is a thousand times worse, be driven by their own fears into the net of temptation, even to deny the Lord that bought them.
Ansxcer. This I know is the sad case of many gracious persons, and I have reason to pity those that are thus exercised : O it is a lieavy stroke, a dismal state, a deep wound indeed : but yet the wisdom of God hath ordered this affliction upon his people for gracious ends and uses; hereby they are made the more tender and watchful, circumspect and careful in their ways, that they may shun and escape as many occasions of trouble as they can, being so unable to grapple with them. I say not but there are higher and nobler motives that make them circumspect and tender, but yet the preservation of our own quietness is useful in its place, and it is a mercy if that or any thing else be sanctified to prevent sin, and pro- mote care of duty. This is your clog to keep you from straying.
2. And when you shall be called forth to greater trials, that which you now call your snare, may be your advantage, and that in divers respects.
1. These very distempers of body and mind serve to imbitter the comforts and pleasures of this world to you, and make life it- self less desirable to you than it is to others; they much wean your hearts from, and make life more burdensome to vou than it is to others, who enjoy more of the pleasure and sweetness of it than you can do. I have often thought this to be one design and end of providence, in permitting such distempers to seize so many gracious persons as labour under them ; and providence knows how to make use of this effect to singular purpose and advantage to you, when a call to suffering shall come ; this may have its place and use under higher and more spiritual considerations, to facilitate death, and make your separation from this world the more easy to you * ; for though it be a more noble and raised act of faith and self-denial to offer up to God our lives, when they are made most pleasant and desirable to us upon natural accounts, yet it is not so easy to part with them as it is when God hath first imbittered them to us. Your lives are of little value to you now, because of this bur- densome clog you must draw after you, but if you should increase your burden by so horrid an addition of guilt, as the denying
• It was common with tlie martyrs to sweeten death to themselves, by reckoning what infirmities it would cure them of, one of his blindness, another of his lameness,
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Christ or his known truths would do, you would not know what to do with such a hfe ; it would certainly lie upon your hands as a burthen. God knows how to use these things in the way of his providence to your great advantage.
2. Art thou a poor melancholy and timorous person ? Certainly if thou be gracious as well as timorous, this will drive thee nearer to God ; and the greater thy dangers are, the more frequent and fervent will thy addresses to him be : thou feelest the need of ever- lasting arms underneath thee to bear thee up under, and to carry thee through smaller troubles, that other persons make nothing of, much more in such deep trials, that put the strongest Christians to the utmost of their faith and patience.
And 3dly, What if the Lord will make an advantage out of your weakness, to display more evidently his own power in your support.^ You know what the apostle saith, 1 Cor. xii. 9, 10. '' And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee ; for my *^ strength is made perfect in weakness : most gladly therefore will " I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon « me — for when I am weak then am I strong.'' If his infirmities might serve as a foil to set off the grace of God with a more bright and sparkling lustre, he would rejoice in his infirmities, and so should you : Well then, let not this discourage you, the infirmity of nature you complain of may make death the less terrible; it served to that purpose to blessed Basil, (as you heard before) when his enemy threatened to tear out his liver, he thought it a kindness to have that liver torn out, that had given him so much trouble. It may drive thee nearer to God, and minister a fit opportunity for the display of his grace in the time of need.
Plea 5. But what if God should hide his face from my soul in the day of my straits and troubles, and not only so, but permit Satan to buffet me with his horrid temptations and injections, and so I should sail Uke the ship in which Paul sailed, betwixt these two boisterous seas ; what can I suspect less than a shipwreck of my soul, body, and all the comforts of both, in this world and in that to come ?
Answer 1. So far as the fears of such a misery awaken you to pray for the prevention of it, it may be serviceable to your souls, but when it only works distraction and despondency of mind, it is your sin and Satan's snare. The prophet Jeremiah made a good use of such a supposed evil by way of deprecation, Jer. xvii. 17. " Be not a terror unto me, thou art my hope in the day of evil." q. d. in the evil day I have no place of retreat or refuge, but thy love and favour ; Lord, that is all I have to depend on, and re- lieve myself by : I comfort myself against trouble with this con- fidence, that if men be cruel, yet thou inlt be kind ; if they frown, thou wilt smile ; if the world cast me out, thou wilt take me in ;
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but if thou shouldest be a terror to me instead of a comforter, if they afflict my body, and thou aifriglit my soul with thy frowns too*; what a deplorable condition shall I be in then ! Improve it to such an end as he did, to secure the favour of God, and it will do you no harm.