perplexity of mind, like slaves that tremble at the whip which is held over them; thus many thousands live under the lash; fo terrible is the name of Death, especially a violent death, that they are not able with patience to hear it mentioned; which gave the ground of that saying, Praeftat semel, quam femper mori; it is better to die once, than to be dying always. And furely there is not a more miferable life any poor creature can live, than such a trembling life as this is. For,

1. Such a bondage as this destroys all the comfort and pleafure of life; no pleafure can grow or thrive under the shadow of this cursed plant. Nil ei beatum cui femper aliquis terror impendet, faith Cicero *, all the comforts we possess in this world are embittered by it. It is storied of Democles, a flatterer of Dionyfius the tyrant, that he told him he was the happiest man in the world, having wealth, power, majesty, and abundance of all things: Dionyfius fets the flatterer in all his own pomp at a table furnished with all daintes, and attended upon as a king, but with a heavy sharp sword hanging by a fiogle horfe hair right over his head; this made him quake and tremble, fo that he could neither eat nor drink, but defired to be freed from that estate. The design was to convince him how miferable a life they live, who live under the continual terrors of impending death and ruin. It was a fore judgment which God threatened against them in Jer. v. 6. " A lion out " of the forest shall flay them, and a wolf of the evening "thall spoil them; a leopard shall watch over their cities, every " one that goeth out thence, shall be torn in pieces." What a miferable life must those people live, who could not ftir out of the city, but they presently were seized by lions, wolves, and leopards, that watched over them, and Jurked in all the avenues to make them a prey! and yet this is more tolerable than for a man's own fear to watch continually over him.

2. And yet I could wish this were the worst of it, and that our fears destroyed no better comforts than the natural comforts of this life: but, alas, they alfo destroy our spiritual comforts, which we might have from God's promises, and our own and others experiences, which are incomparably the sweeteft pleafures men have in this world: but as no creature-comfort is pleasant, so no promife relishes like itself to him that lives in this bondage of fear; when the terrors of death are great, the confolations of the Almighty are small.

In the written word are found all forts of refreshing, strength. ening, 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 preffures, Ifa. xli. 10. "Fear not, for I am with thee; be not difmayed, 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 promise able to make the most timorous and trembling foul to shout with the joy of men in harvest, or as they that divide the spoil.

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There are found the encouraging promises of defence and protection, Isa. xxvii. 2, 3. and Isa. xxxiii. 2. promises that lead 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 affliction 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, Pfal. xci. 14, 15. and Pfal. cxxv. 3. And, which is most comfortable of all the rest, promises to fanctify and bless our troubles to our good, so that they shall not only cease to be hurtful, but, by virtue of the promise, become exceed. ing beneficial to us, Ifa. 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 weakness, and how apt our fears would be to make us fufpect our security by them, he hath, for the performance of them, engaged his wisdom, power, care, faithfulness and unchangeableness, 2 Pet. ii. 9. Ifa. xxvii. 2, 3. 2 Cor. xvi. 9. 1 Cor. x. 13. Ifa. xliii. 1, 2. In the midst of fuch promises so sealed, how chearful and magnanimous should we be in the worst times! and fay as David, Pfal. 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 fo. But even from 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 encouragement, 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 former troubles and distresses, God hath, by a fingular 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 providence upon the hearts of their enemies, to shew them favour, Gen. xxxi. 29. Pfal. xvi. 46. Jer. xv. 11.

There are alfo found the antient rolls and records of the admirable methods of his peoples 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 faithfulness, which never failed any foul that durst trust himself in its arms, Micah vi. 4, 5. Joshua vii. 9.

There are also to be found the records of his tender and moft fatherly care for his children, who have been to him as a pecoliar treasure in times of danger, Pfal. xl. 17. Deut. xxxii. 10, 11, 12. Ifa. xlix, 16. Job xlix. 16. Job 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 confider them.

3. To conclude, by these fears we are deprived of those manifold advantages we might gain by the calm, and composed meditations of our own death, and the change it will make upon us; could we fit down in peace, and meditate in a famili. ar way upon death: could we look with a composed and wellsettled mind into our own graves, and not be scared and frighted 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 meditations frame us? And what abundance of evils would they prevent 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 fin and mifcarriage in our words and actions. But there is no profit or advantage redounding to us either from promises, experiences, or death itself, when the foul is discomposed and put into confufion by its own fears. And thus you see some of those many mischievous effects of your own fears.

Prefcribing the rules to cure our finful fears, and prevent these fad and woful effects of them.

Sect. I. WE are now come to the most difficult part of the of creatures in times of danger, which if it might, through the blessing of God, be effected, we might live at hearts ease in the midst of all our enemies and troubles, and, like the fun in the heavens, keep on our fteddy course in the darkest and gloomiest day. But before I come to the particular rules, it will be neceffary, for the prevention of mistakes, to lay down three ufeful cautions about this matter.

work, viz. the cure of the sinful and slavish fear

I Caution. Understand that none but those that are in Chrift are capable to improve the following rules to their advantage The security of our fouls is the greatest argument used by Christ to extinguish our fears of them that kill the body, Mat. x. 28. But if the foul muft unavoidably perish when the 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 foul from all the means and possibilities of mercy and happiness 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, whilft there are enemies and dangers, there will be fome fears working in the best hearts: If our faith could be perfected, our fears would be perfectly cured; but whilft there is so much weakness 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 fuch helps and means as follow, they may be greatly relieved against the tyranny of them, and enabled to possess their fouls in much more tranquillity and comfort.

3 Caution. Whosoever expects the benefit of the following prescriptions and rules, must not think the reading, or bar remembring of them will do the work, but he must work them into his heart by believing and fixed meditation, and live in the daily practice of them. It is not our opening of our cafe to a physician, nor his prescriptions and written directions, that will cure a man, but he must resolve to take the bitter and naufeous potion, how much foever he loath it; to abstain from hurtful diet, how well foever he loves it, if ever he expect to be a found and healthful man. So it is in this case also. These things premised, the

1 Rule. The first rule to relieve us against our flavish fears, Is feriously to confider, and more thoroughly to study the covenant of grace, within the blessed clasp and bond whereof all believers are. I think the clear understanding of the nature, extent, and stability of the covenant, and of our interest therein, would go a great way in the cure of our finful and flavish fears.

A covenant is more than a naked promife; in the covenant, God hath graciously confulted our weakness, fears, and doubts, and therefore proceeds with us in the highest way of folemnity, confirming his promises by oath, Heb. vi. 13, 17. and by his feals, Rom. vi. 11. Putting himself under the most folemn ties and engagements that can be, to his people, that from so firm a ra tification of the covenant with us, we might have strong consolation, Heb. vi. 18. He hath fo ordered it, that it might afford ftrong fupports, and the most reviving cordials to our faint and timorous spirits, in all the plunges of trouble both from within, and from without. In the covenant God makes over himself to his people, to be unto them a God, Jer. xxxi. 33. Heb. viii. 10. Wherein the Lord bestows himself in all his glorious essential properties upon us, to the end that whatsoever his almighty power, infinite wisdom, and incomprehensible mercy can afford for our protection, support, deliverance, direction, pardon, or refreshment; we might be assured shall be faithfully performed to us in all the straits, fears, and exigencies of our lives. This God expects we should improve by faith, as the most sovereign antidote against all our fears in this world, Ifa. xliii. 1, 2. "Thus faith the Lord that created thee, "O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel; fear not, for I " have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou "art mine; when thou passest through the waters, I will be " with thee," &c. Ifa. xli. 10. "Fear not, for I am with thee, " be not dismayed, for I am thy God."

And if thou, reader, be within the bonds of the covenant, thou mayest surely find enough there to quiet thy heart, whatever the matter or ground of thy fears be: If God be thy covenant God, he will be with thee in all thy straits, wants, and troubles, he will never leave, nor forsake thee. From the covenant it was that David encouraged himself against all his troubles, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. "Although my house be not so with God, yet