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warp and bend from the rules of that integrity and candor, which fhould be infeparable at all times from a Chriftian: of whom (faith God to his Ifrael) haft thou been afraid, that thou haft lied, and haft not remembered me? God finds falfhood, and charges it upon fear, q. d. I know it was against the resolutions of my people's hearts thus to diffemble, 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 diffemble 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 fon Ifaac into the like fnare, Gen. xxvi. 7. And it was fear that overcame Peter against his promife, as well as principle, to fay 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 faid to him, Gen. xvii. 1. Fear not, Abraham, am thy fhield, he had efcaped 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 mischief. For,

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

2. It greatly weakens the hands of others, and proves a fore difcouragement to them in their trials, to see their brethren faint for fear, and ashamed to own their principles; fometimes it hath this mifchievous 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 consciences, for fuch flaws in our integrity we may be kept waking and fighing many a night; O fee the mischiefs of a timorous and faint fpirit!

Effect 3. Slavish fears of the creature exceedingly ftrengthen 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 fpreads the net, but we are not within its reach, till our own fears drive us into it; the recoiling of our fpirits from fome imminent dangers, may caufe the pulfe of a true Chriflian to intermit and faulter, how regular foever it beats at other times; this will caufe great trepidation and timi.

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dity in men that are fincere and upright, and that is it that brings the fnare 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 excufe in the matter of the golden calf, d. q. 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 coft 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, 1 Sam. xxi. 12. Fear is a foare in which Satan hath caught as many fouls as in any other of his ftratagems and fnares whatfoever.

It were eafy to give inftances, fo many and fo fad, as would enlarge this head even to tedioufuefs, but I chufe rather to come to the particulars, wherein the danger of this faare of the devil confifts. And,

1. Herein lies the enfaaring danger of finful fear, that it drives men out of their proper ftation, 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-fhot, beyond his reach, whilft we abide with God in the way of our duty, that the Lord is with us, whilst 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 ufually the firft paffion 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 caftle that parleys, is half won. It is fear that confults with flesh and blood, whilft faith is engaged with God for the fupply of ftrength to endure the frege. We have a fad, and doleful inftance of this in Spira; he tells us how his own fears betrayed him, by parleying with the tempter: for thus Mr. Bacon, in the hiftory of his life, records the occafion of his fall. Whilst

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Spira ws toffing upon the reftlefs waves of doubts, without • guide to trust to, or haven to flee for fuccour, on a fudden, God's fpirit affifting, he felt a calm, and began to difcourfe ⚫ with himself in this manner: Why wandereft thou thus

in uncertainties? Unhappy man! caft away fear, put on thy "fhield of faith; where is thy wonted courage, thy goodness, "thy conftancy? Remember that Chrift's glory lies at the stake, "fuffer then without fear, and he will defend thee, he will tell "thee what thou shalt anfwer; he can beat down all danger, "bring thee out of prifon, raise thee from the dead; confider "Peter in the dungeon, the martyrs in the fire, &c."

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Now was Spira in reafonable quiet, being refolved to yield to thofe weighty reafons; yet holding it wisdom to examine all things, he confults, alfo, with flesh, and blood; thus the battle renews, and the flesh begins, in this manner : Be well "advised, fond man, confider reafons on both fides, and then judge: how canft thou thus overween thine own fufficiency, "as thou ncither regardeft the examples of thy progenitors,

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nor the judgment of the whole church? Doft thou not con"fider what mifery this day's rashness will bring thee unto? "Thou shalt lofe all thy fubftance gotten with so much care, "and travail, thou fhalt undergo the most exquifite torments "that malice itself can devife, thou shalt be counted an heretic "of all, and to close up all, thou shalt die shamefully. What "thinkeft thou of the loathfome ftinking dungeon, the bloody

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

3. It is fear that makes men impatient of waiting God's time, and method of deliverance, and fo precipitates the foul, and drives it into the fnare of the next temptation. Ifa. li. 14. "The "captive exile hafteth 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 soul is thus prepared, by its own fears, it becomes an eafy prey to the next temptation; by all which you fee the mifchief that comes by fear, in times of danger.

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

nefs of heart prevail upon us, in a time when we have the greateft need, and use of courage, and our perfeverance, peace, and eternal happiness rely, and depend fo much upon it, let all fcrious Chriftians judge. It is fad 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, 1 Cor. xvi. 13. We find, in all ages, thofe that have manifested most courage for Chrift in time of trial, have been those whofe faith hath furmounted fear, and whose hearts were above all difcouragements from this world.

Such a man was Balil, as appears by his anfwer to Valens, the emperor; who tempting him with offers of preferment, received this answer, offer these things, faid he, to children: and when he threatened him with grievous fufferings, 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 Chriftians were animated; they feared not the faces of tyrants, they fhrunk not from the most cruel torments: and it redounded not a little to the credit of Christianity, when one of Julian's nobles, prefent at the tormenting of Marcus, bishop of Arethusa, told the apoftate to his face, We are ashamed, O emperor, the Chriftians laugh at your cruelty, and grow more refolute by it. So Lactantius alfo teftifies of them, Our women and children, faith he, not to speak of men, overcame their torments, and the fire cannot fetch fo much as a figh from them. If carnal fear once get the afcendant over us, all our courage and refolution will flag and melt away; we may fuffer out of unavoidable neceffity, but shall never honour Chrift and religion by our fufferings.

Effect 5. Carnal fear is the very root of apoftacy, it hath made thousands of profeffors to faint and fall away in the hour of temptation. It is not fo 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 apoftafy, Matth. xxiv. 9, 10. " Then shall "they deliver you up to be afflicted, and fhall kill you, and ye "fhall be hated of all nations for my name's fake, and then "fhall 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 refiftance weak: Satan knocks at the door, and fear opens it, and yields up the foul to him, except

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fpecial aid and affiftance come in featonably from heaven; fo long as we can profefs religion without any great hazard of life, liberty, or eftares, we may thew much zeal and forwardness in the ways of godlinefs: 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 ufually made from a free and open, to a clofe and concealed practice of religion; pot opening our windows, as Daniel did, to fhew 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 efcape danger by letting fall our profeffion which might expofe us to it: but if the inqueft 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 fo, or elfe be marked out for ruin; then faith fear, Give a little more ground, and retreat to the next fecurity, which is to comply feemingly 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 diffemble and hide our principles. Eamus ad communem errorem, faid Calderinus, when going to the mafs, Let us go to the common error; and, as Seneca advifeth about worshipping the Roman gods, In animi religione non habeat, fed in actibus fingat; let us make a femblance and fhew of worshipping them, though our hearts give no religious re pect to them. But if ftill the temptation hunts us farther, and we come to be more narrowly fifted, and put to a feverer test, by fubfcribing contrary articles, or renouncing our former avowed principles, and that upon penalty of death, and lofs 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 fhipwreck both of truth and peace.. This was the cafe of Cranmer, whose fears caufed him to fubfcribe 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 fo 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 otherwife 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

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