Imatges de pàgina
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manage bodily evils, which is called Fear; though even in these there may be an extreme, a fear where no fear is, Pfal. liii. 5. which is there afcribed to the wicked, and elsewhere threatened as a judgment, Lev. xxvi. 36. The found of a fhaken leaf fhall chafe them, Deut. xxviii. 65. The Lord fhall give thee a trembling heart. There is a prudent man who forefeeth the evil, aud hideth himself, Prov. xxii. 3. But there are also many fools that hide themselves, though they fee no evil. But I am not speaking of these; there is a vast difference between Care and Fear. By Fear, I mean that trembling, fluctuating, tormenting paffion, that doth not suffer the heart to be at reft, but doth, as it were, unhinge it, and loofen the joints of the foul, whether it break out into expreffions or no. It clouds the understanding, unfettles the will, difordereth the affections, confounds the memory, and is like an earthquake in the foul, taking it off from its own bafis, deftroying the confiftency of it, and hurling all the faculties into confufion. This, whether it break out into any unfeemly acts or no, (which commonly it doth) is itself an unfeemly temper for a wife man, much more for a godly. I might speak as a philofopher, and fhew how unbecoming a man, and how deftructive to him this paffion is; fo much, that whilft it doth predominate, it almoft robs him of that which is his greatest glory, even reason itself. But, to fay no worse of it, it is very oppofite, if not contrary to that noble grace of faith, whereby the steady foul refteth and lodgeth in the arms of God, as in its centre. But to speak to the thing in hand; what an unseemly paffion is this! We

would

would have the world to believe that we have laid up our happiness in God, and that we are troubled that we are so far from him; and yet we are afraid left that should be taken out of the way that keeps us at a distance from him: we flatter ourselves that we are in hafte for heaven, and yet we are dreadfully afraid left our rubs should be taken out of the way. How do these things hang together? Are we perfuaded, that if this earthly houfe of our tabernacle were taken down, we have a building not made with hands, eternal in the heavens? If not, why do we yet call ourfelves Chriftians? But I think I may take it for granted we are all fo perfuaded; and if so, why are we fo afraid it fhould be taken down? I am loth to speak what I think; yet methinks the entire and ardent love which we either do bear, or ought to bear to the bleffed God, and union and communion with him, should caft out this fear. This is fuitable to fcripture, 1 John iv. 8. I will not difpute how far finful fear for the body may carry a godly foul; the further, the worse, I am fure: but if any will needs be fo indulgent to his own paffions, and fo much an enemy to his own peace, as to encourage himself to fear (which is a ftrange thing) from the example of Abraham, denying his wife; or Peter, denying his Lord; let him compare the iffue, and then let me fee whether he dare go and do likewife: but if that will not fright you from fear, chew upon these two confiderations.

1. I pray you seriously dispute the matter with yourfelves, how far fear of fickness and death may confift with that ardent thirst after union

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and perfect communion with the bleffed God, with which we ought to be poffeft.

2. Difpute seriously how far it can stand with the fincerity of a chriftian. God hath not left us in the dark, as to this matter. I will turn you to a text or two, which methinks, fhould ftrike cold to all flavish trembling profeffors, Prov. xxviii. 1. Job xv. 20 21. The wicked travelleth with pain all his days, a dreadful found is in his ears: They are the words of Eliphaz indeed, but they agree with the words of God himself, Ifa. xxxiii. 14. The finners in Sion are afraid, fearfulness bath furprized the hypocrites: when I read over thefe texts, I cannot but pray, and cry, O my foul, come not you into the number of the wicked, and be not united into the affembly of hypocrites!

2. Take heed of fondness of the body: of a double act of it, priding, pampering.

1. Take heed you pride not your felves in any excellencies of the body. Doth this mortal body keep us at a distance from our God? Do we well then to love that which keeps us from that which is moft lovely? Why do we ftand fondly gazing upon that which keeps us from the bleffed fight of God? If you afk me, did ever any man hate his own flefh? I will ask you again, did ever any wife man love his own flesh above him that made it? Did ever any godly foul love his body in oppofition to his God? Oh, but it is a comely body! and what is a beautiful body, but a fair prison? A filver twift, or a clog of gold, can as really hinder the flight of a bird, and foreftal her liberty, as a ftone tied at her heels.

Nay,

Nay, thofe very excellencies which you so much admire, are fo much the greater hindrances. If we had learned that excellent leffon indeed, of enjoying all things only in God, then the several beauties and braveries of the body would be a help to our devotion; they would carry us up to an admiration and contemplation of that glorious and moft excellent being, from whom they were communicated: fo we might (in fome fenfe) look into a glass, and behold the beauty of God. But alas! thefe commonly prove the greater fnares many had been more beautiful within, had they been lefs beautiful without; more chaste, if lefs comely; many had been more peaceable, and more at peace too, if they had been lefs able to have quarrelled and fought. It was faid of Galba, who was an ingenious man, but deformed, that his foul dwelt ill; but fure I am it might better have been fo faid of beautiful Abfalom, or Jezebel, whofe bodies became a fnare to their fouls. On the other hand, they that want a beauty in their bodies, will perhaps labour to find an excellency in their minds far beyond it; as the philofopher advised to look often into a glass, ut fi deformis fis, corrigas formofitate morum, &c.

2. Take heed of pampering the body, of treating it too gently and delicately. Deny it nothing that may fit it for the fervice of God and your fouls, and allow it no more than may do that. Thy pampering is, 1. Unfeemly: What, make a darling of that which keeps us from the Lord! Carry it gently, and delicately, and tenderly towards that, which, whilft we carry about with us, we cannot be happy! 2. Injurious: If you bring up this Servant

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Servant delicately from a child, you shall have him become your fon at length; yea, your mafter. If you do by your bodies, as the fond king did by his fon Adonijah, 1 Kings i. 6. never difplease it, never reprove it, never deny it, it will do with you in time as he did, raise feditions in your foul. Go on and pleafe, and pamper, and cocker your bodies, and it will come to this at length, that you must deny them nothing; you must give whatsoever a whining appetite will crave, go whither your gadding fenfes will carry you, and speak whatsoever wanton fancy will fuggeft. Doth not the body itself fet us at a fufficient distance from God? But we must estrange ourselves more from him by pleafuring it, spend the time that should be for God, in decking, trimming, adorning it! When you cram this, you feed a bird that will pick out your eyes; you nourish a traitor, when you gratify this Adonijah. In a word, is it not enough that we all carry fire in our bofoms, but we must alfo blow it up into a flame? Nay, my brethren, do not fo foolishly.

And now, methinks, by this time, I may venture upon an exhortation, by degrees at leaft. 1. Watch against the body. You have heard how the fenfes, appetite, and fancy become a fnare to the foul's living unto, and converfing with God: now then, if you feriously defign communion with heaven, if you place your happiness in the knowledge and enjoyment of that Supreme and Eternal Good, it becomes you to watch. against all things that may diftract or divert you from it, or make you fall fhort of the glory of God. Men that live upon earthly defigns, whofe great

ambition

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