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warp and bend from the rules of that integrity and candor, which should be inseparable at all times from a Christian : whom (faith God to his Ifrael) haft thou been afraid, that thou haft lied, and haft not remembered me? God finds falshood, and charges it upon fear, q. d. I know it was against the resolutions of my people's hearts thus to dissemble, this certainly is the effect of a fright; who is he that hath scared you into this evil? It was Abraham's fear that made him dissemble to the reproach of his religion, Gen. xx. 2, 11. And indeed it was but an odd fight to fee an heathen so schooling and reproving great Abraham about it, as he there doth.

It was nothing but fear that drew his son Isaac into the like fnare, Gen. xxvi. 7. And it was fear that overcame Peter against his promise, as well as principle, to say concerning his dear Saviour, I know not the man, Matth. xxvi. 69. Had Abraham at that time remembered, and acted his faith freely upon what the Lord said to him, Gen. xvii. 1. Fear not, Abraham, 1 am thy shield, he had escaped both the fin and the shame into which he fell, but even that great believer was foiled by his own fears; and certainly this is a great evil, a complicated mifchief. For,

1. By these falls and scandals, religion is made vile and contemptible in the eyes of the world, it reflects with much reproach upon God and his promises, as if his word were not fufficient security for us to rely upon in times of trouble, as if it were fafer trufling to our wit, yea, to fin, than to the promises.

2. It greatly weakens the hands of others, and proves a fore discouragement to them in their trials, to see their brethren faint for fear, and ashamed to own their principles; sometimes it hath this mischievous effect, but it is always improved by Satan and wicked men to this purpose. And,

3. It will be a terrible blow and wound to our own confciences, for such flaws in our integrity we may be kept waking and fighing many a night; O fee the mischiefs of a timorous and faint spirit !

Effect 3. Slavish fears of the creature exceedingly strengthen our temptations in times of danger, and make them very efficacious and prevalent upon us, Prov. xxix. 25. The fear of man brings a fnare. Satan spreads the net, but we are not within its reach, till our own fears drive us into it; the recoiling of our spirits from some imminent dangers, may cause the pulfe of a true Christian to intermit and faulter, how regular foever it beats at other times; this will cause great trepidation and timi.

dity in men that are fincere and upright, and that is it that brings the snare over their fouls. Aaron was a good man, and idolatry he knew to be a great fin, yet fear prevailed with that good man to give too much way to that great evil, Exod. xxxii. 22. Thou knoweft the people that they are fet upon mischief, faith he, in his own excuse in the matter of the golden calf, q. d. Lord, I durft do no otherwise at that time, the people were violently and paflionately fet upon it; had I refifted them, it might have cost me dear.

It was fear that prevailed with Origen to yield fo far as he did in offering incenfe to the idol, the confideration of which fact brake his heart to pieces. It was nothing but fear that made David play the fool, and act so dishonourably as he did, I Sam. xxi. 12. Fear is a fnare in which Satan hath caught as many fouls as in any other of his ftratagems and snares whatfoever.

It were ealy to give instances, so many and so sad, as would enlarge this head even to tediousuess, but I chuse rather to come to the particulars, wherein the danger of this snare of the devil confifts. And,

1. Herein lies the ensnaring danger of finful fear, that it drives men out of their proper station, out of their place and duty, befide which there is none to be found, but what is Satan's ground. The fubtle enemy of our falvation is aware that we are out of gun-shot, beyond his reach, whilst we abide with God in the way of our duty, that the Lord is with us, whilft we are with him, and there is no attempting our ruin, under the wings of his protection. If ever, therefore, he meaneth to do any thing upon us, he must get us off that ground, and from under those wings; and there is nothing like fear to do this: then we are as the birds that are wandering from their nests, Prov. xxvii. 8. or like Shimei out of his limits.

2. Fear is usually the first passion in the foul that beats a parley with the enemy, and treats with the tempter about terms of rendition; and, as the French proverb is, The castle that parleys, is half won. It is fear that confults with flesh and blood, whilst faith is engaged with God for the fupply of strength to endure the siege. We have a sad, and doleful instance of this in Spira; he tells us how his own fears betrayed him, by parleying with the tempter: for thus Mr. Bacon, in the history of his life, records the occafion of his fall. Whilst

Spira ws tossing upon the restless waves of doubts, without guide to trust to, or haven to flee for fuccour, on a fudden, • God's fpirit assisting, he felt a calm, and began to difcourse with himself in this manner: Why wanderest thou thus " in uncertainties? Unhappy man! cast away fear, put on thy "shield of faith; where is thy wonted courage, thy goodness,

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thy constancy? Remember that Christ's glory lies at the stake, " fuffer then without fear, and he will defend thee, he will tell " thee what thou shalt answer; he can beat down all danger, " bring thee out of prison, raise thee from the dead; confider "Peter in the dungeon, the martyrs in the fire, &c."

• Now was Spira in reasonable quiet, being resolved to yield • to those weighty reasons; yet holding it wisdom to examine • all things, he confults, also, with flesh, and blood; thus the battle renews, and the flesh begins, in this manner: ' Be well "advised, fond man, consider reasons on both sides, and then "judge: how canst thou thus overween thine own fufficiency, " as thou neither regardest the examples of thy progenitors,

nor the judgment of the whole church? Dost thou not con"sider what misery this day's rashness will bring thee unto? "Thou shalt lose all thy substance gotten with so much care, " and travail, thou shalt undergo the most exquisite torments " that malice itself can devise, thou shalt be counted an heretic " of all, and to close up all, thou shalt die shamefully. What " thinkest thou of the loathsome stinking dungeon, the bloody

ax, the burning faggot? Are they delightful? &c." Thus through fear he first parleyed with the tempter, confulted with flesh and blood, and at last fainted, and yielded.

3. It is fear that makes men impatient of waiting God's time, and method of deliverance, and so precipitates the foul, and drives it into the snare of the next temptation. Ifa. li. 14. "The

captive exile hasteth to be delivered out of the pit." Any way, or means of escape, that comes next to hand, faith fear, is better than to lie here in the pit; and when the foul is thus prepared, by its own fears, it becomes an easy prey to the next temptation; by all which you see the mischief that comes by fear, in times of danger.

Effect 4. Fear naturally produceth pusillanimity and cowardliness in men, a poor, low spirit, that presently faints, and yields upon every flight assault. It extinguisheth all Chriftian courage, and magnanimity, where-ever it prevails; and therefore you find it joined, frequently in the scriptures, with difcouragement. Deut. i. 21. "Fear not, neither be discouraged, " with fainting, and trembling." Deut. xx. 3. "Let not your "hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble;" with dismayedness, Deut. xxxi. 6. and faint-heartedness, Ifa. vii. 4. these are the effects, and confequents of finful fear. And how dangerous a thing it is, to have our courage extinguished, and faint

ness of heart prevail upon us, in a time when we have the greatest need, and use of courage, and our perfeverance, peace, and eternal happiness rely, and depend so much upon it, let all ferious Chriftians judge. It is sad to us, and dishonourable to religion, to have the hearts of women, as it is faid of Egypt, Ifa. xix. 16. when we should play the men, as the apostle exhorts us, I Cor. xvi. 13. We find, in all ages, those that have manifested most courage for Chrift in time of trial, have been those whose faith hath surmounted fear, and whose hearts were above all discouragements from this world.

Such a man was Bafil, as appears by his answer to Valens, the emperor; who tempting him with offers of preferment, received this answer, offer these things, said he, to children: and when he threatened him with grievous sufferings, he replied, Threaten these things to your purple gallants, that give themfelves to pleasure, and are afraid to die.

And this was the spirit of courage and magnanimity with which the generality of the primitive Christians were animated; they feared not the faces of tyrants, they shrunk not from the most cruel torments: and it redounded not a little to the credit of Chriftianity, when one of Julian's nobles, present at the tormenting of Marcus, bishop of Arethusa, told the apostate to his face, We are ashamed, O emperor, the Christians laugh at your cruelty, and grow more refolute by it. So Lactantius also teftifies of them, Our women and children, faith he, not to speak of men, overcame their torments, and the fire cannot fetch so much as a figh from them. If carnal fear once get the afcendant over us, all our courage and resolution will flag and melt away; we may fuffer out of unavoidable necessity, but shall never honour Christ and religion by our sufferings.

Effect 5. Carnal fear is the very root of apostacy, it hath made thousands of professors to faint and fall away in the hour of temptation. It is not so much from the fury of our enemies without, as from our fears within, that temptations become victorious over us. From the beginning of fears, Christ dates the beginning of apostasy, Matth. xxiv. 9, 10. "Then shall "they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you, and ye "shall be hated of all nations for my name's fake, and then "shall many be offended." When troubles and dangers come to an height, then fears begin to work at an height too, and then is the critical hour; fears are high, and faith is low; temptation strong, and resistance weak: Satan knocks at the door, and fear opens it, and yields up the soul to him, except VOL. IV.

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special aid and assistance come in seatonably from heaven; fo long as we can profess religion without any great hazard of life, liberty, or estares, we may thew much zeal and forwardness in the ways of godliness: but when it comes to the sharps, to refifting unto blood, few will be found to own and affert it openly in the face of fuch dangers. The first retreat is usually made from a free and open, to a clofe and concealed practice of religion; pot opening our windows, as Daniel did, to shew we care not who knows we dare worship our God, and are not ashamed of our duties, but hiding our principles and practice with all the art and care imaginable, reckoning it well if we can escape danger by letting fall our profession which might expose us to it: but if the inquest go on, and we cannot be fecured any longer under this refuge, we must comply with false worship, and give fome open fignal, that we do so, or else be marked out for ruin; then faith fear, Give a little more ground, and retreat to the next security, which is to comply seemingly with that which we do not allow, hoping God will be merciful to us, and accept us, if we keep our hearts for him, though we are forced thus to dissemble and hide our principles. Eamus ad communem errorem, said Calderinus, when going to the mass, Let us go to the common error; and, as Seneca adviseth about worshipping the Roman gods, In animi religione non habeat, Jed in ačtibus fingat; let us make a semblance and shew of worshipping them, though our hearts give no religious respect to them. But if still the temptation hunts us farther, and we come to be more narrowly fifted, and put to a severer test, by subscribing contrary articles, or renouncing our former avowed principles, and that upon penalty of death, and loss of all that is dear to us in this world; now nothing in all the world hazards our eternal falvation, as our own fears will do; this is like to be the rock on which we shall split all, and make an horrible shipwreck both of truth and peace. This was the cafe of Cranmer, whose fears caused him to subscribe against the dictates of his own confcience, and cowardly to betray the known truth; and indeed there is no temptation in the world that hath overthrown so many, as that which hath been backed and edged with fear; the love of preferments and honours hath flain its thousands, but fear of fufferings its ten thousands.

Effect 6. Sinful fear puts men under great bondage of fpirit, and makes death a thousand times more terrible and intolerable than it would otherwise be to us. You read of fome, Heb. ii. 16. "who through the fear of death were all their life-time fub"ject to bondage," i. e it kept them in a miferable anxiety and