Season 4. ' The fourth special season of expressing our utmost dili- ' gence in keeping our hearts, is the time of danger and public dis- ' traction ; in such times the best hearts are but too apt to be sur- ' prized by slavish fear ; it is not easy to secure the heart against dis- ' tractions in times of common distraction. Jf Syria be confederate ^ with Ephraim, how do the hearts of the house of David shake, ' even as the trees of the wood, which are shaken with the wind ?
* Isa. vii. 2. When there are ominous signs in the heaven ; on the
* earth distress of nations, with perplexity ; the sea and waves roar- ' ing, then the hearts of men fail for fear, and for looking after those ' things which are coming on the earth, L'uke xxi. 25, 26. Even a
* Paul himself may " Sometimes complain of fightings within, when ^' there are fears without," 2 Cor. vii. 5.
But, my brethren, these things ought not to be so, saints should be of a more raised spirit : So was David, when his heart was kept in a good frame, Psal. xxvii. 1. "The Lord is my light, and my salvation; " whom shall I fear ? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom *' shall I be afraid ?" Let none but the servants of sin be the slaves of fear, let them that have delighted in evil, fear evil; impius tantuni metuit, qjicmtum nocuit. O let not that which God hath threatened as a judgment upon the wicked, ever seize upon the breasts of the righteous. " I will send (saith God) faintness into their hearts in the "land of their enemies, and the sound of a shaking leaf shall chase *' them," Lev. xxvi. 36. O what poor-spirited men are these, to fly at a shaking leaf! which makes a pleasant, and not a terrible noise; and is in itself a kind of natural music : But to a guilty conscience the whistling leaves are drums and trumpets. " But God hath not given " us the spirit of fear, but of love, and of a sound mind," 2 Tim. i. 7. A sound mind as it stands there in opposition to the spirit of fear, Is an unwounded conscience, not infirmed by guilt : And this should make a man as bold as a lion. I know it cannot be said of a saint what God spake of Leviathan, that he is made without fear: There is a na- tural fear in every man, and it is as impossible to be wholly put off as the body itself is: It is a pretiu^hationoj'thc mind^ arising from theap- prehension ofapproachingdanger ; and as 1 ong as dangers canapp roach us, we shall find some perturbations within us. It is not my purpose to commend to you a stoical apathy, nor yet to take you off from such
HOW TO KEEP THE HEAUT FRoM FEAUS. ASI
a degree of cautional, preventive fear as may fit you for trouble, and be serviceable to your souls ; there is a provident fear that opens our eyes to foresee danger, and quickens to a prudent and lawful use of means to prevent it : Such was Jacob"'s fear. Gen. xxxii. 7, 9? 10, &c. But it is the fear of diffidence I persuade you to keep your hearts from ; that tyrannical passion which invades the heart in times of danger; distracts, weakens, and unfits the heart for duty; drives men upon unlawful means, and brings a snare with it. Well then, the fourth case will! be this :
Case 4. Hozo a Christian inay heep his heart from dist? acting' and tormenting Jears^ in times of great and threatening dangers.
Now there are fourteen excellent rules, or helps, for the keeping the heart from sinful fear, when imminent dangers threaten us : And the first is this,
Rule 1. Look upon all the creatures as in the hand of God, wJio manages them in all their motions, limiting, restraining, and de- termining them all at his pleas2ire.
Get this truth well settled by faith in your hearts ; it will mar- vellously guard them against slavish fears. The first chapter of Ezekiel contains an admirable scheme, or draught of providence ; there you may see the living creatures who move the wheels, viz. the great affairs and turnings of things here below, coming unto Christ, who sits upon the throne, to receive new orders and instruc- tions from him, ver. 24, 25, 26. And in Rev. vi. you read of white, black, and red horses, which are nothing else but the instruments which God employs in executing his judgments in the world, as Wars, pestilence, and death : But when these horses are prancing, and trampling up and down the world, here is that may quiet our hearts, that God hath the reins in his hand. Wicked men are some- times like mad horses, they would stamp the people of God under their feet, but that the bridle of providence is in their lips. Job i. 11, 12. A lion at liberty is terrible to meet, but who is afraid of the lion in the keeper's hand ?
Rule 2. Remember that this God, in zchose hand all the creatures are, is your Father, and is much more tender over you, than you are, or can be, over yourselves : " He that toucheth you, toucheth the ** apple of mine eye," Zech. ii. 8. Let me ask the most timorous woman, whether there be not a vast difference between the sight of a drawn sword in the hand of a bloody ruffian, and the same sword in the hand of her own tender husband ? As great a difference there is in looking upon creatures by an eye of sense, and looking on them as in the hand of your God by an eye of faith ; that is a sweet scrip- ture to this purpose, Isa. liv. 5. " Thy maker is thy Husband, the " Lord of Hosts is his name:" he is Lord of all the hosts of creatures in the world : Who would be afraid to pass through an army, though Jill the .soldiers should turn their swords and guns towards him, if
452' HOW TO KEEP HIE HEART FROM FEARS*
the general of that army were his friend, or father ? I have met witli an excellent story of a rehgious young man, who being at sea, with many other passengers in a great storm, and they being half dead with fear, he only was observed to be very cheerful, as if he had been but httle concerned in that danger : One of them demanding the reason of his cheerfulness, ' O, (said he) it is because the pilot ' of the ship is my father.' Consider Christ, first as the King, and supreme Lord over the providential kingdom, and then as your Head, Husband, and Friend, and thou wilt quickly say, " Return " unto thy rest, O my soul.'"' This truth will make you cease trem- bling, and cause you to sing in the midst of dangers. Psal. xlvii. 7. " The Lord is King of all the earth, sing ye praise with understand- " ing ;'' " (or, as the Hebrew word is,) Every one that hath under- " standing," viz. of this heart-reviving and establishing doctrine of the dominion of our Father over all the creatures.
Rule 3. Urge wpon your hearts the express prohibitions of Christ in this case: and let yoiir hearts stand in awe of' the violations ofthern.