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Show th~ band of I fay , fear n't, my meaning is: r. Fear nor wirh 'j/•l'ijh and di~r.Ciing fe•r. Fear is a pailion which lays fetter! uporr Ottr Spirit , an<l keeps rl1e Soul in Bondage. Jr is the ApoJiks cxprdTion, feme thro"fh fearnfDeatb are aU their li[<-time Subjtfl to Bo11dage; this is a bafe fear, and d il110naurs God many ways, •nd dcbilitatesand weal< ens the Soul, that it doth not, ir cannot (under thtfe !backlts) ufe irs legs to walk in the ways of God, with that ability and freedom as it ought. 2. Fear not with a d«frujlf"l unbelieving /ear. Take heed of f.,ch a feJr as {hould ilfue in any difiruil in God. 3· But fear with a moderate quickening fear; thert is a fear that deaderh rhc heart, er.d there is a fear which quickeneth and ad-· dcth wings unto it; you may experience it in your felves, a man may be fo afraid of a danger, that he COliDOt flir a foot tO remcve himfelffrom it; and he!llay be fo afraid as only to make him run a way the faller from the place where it is. Take heed of the form. r fear, but fear with the latter fear; we are bid to{erve the Lord · with fear, and to war~ out our Salvation witb fear and trembling:but they are the former degrees of fear, which lam in this place cautioning rhe Souls of Gods people againfr. This fear, which is fcldom found in a Soul, but from one of thefe caufes: r. Either .fome natural nulanchohck,_ dij1emper, which (as I have often told you ) difpofcth the mind of a man to fear where no ftar is, and is fcldom removed ; but by rhe blciling of God, upon the ufe offuch means as ·areproper to remove or abate the natural caufe, without rhe ceafing of which,for the proper effect ro ceafe were miraculo)o!S, and to ex peer ir, were but to make a trial of God, whethei he wGuld work a miracle, which.in plain Engli!b is but a tempting-of God. Or clfe, 2. The caufe of them is fame vehement impreffion, which Satan makes upon our Spirits, (which we call Temptation/ ) and rhcfe are very rare cafes unlefs where the former mentio~ ed caufe concurreth, for Satan in fc<h fears is feldome more thln a Social caH[e. Taking advantage of the difpofirion of the mind to receive fuch untoward impreilwns, Or, 3· Weak,_ne[s, or prrpoffeffim of the Judgment, with what is_ comr~ry to tbi< tr11tb, viz. That it is poffiblc for Souls to lofe thm )Utllficd eilate; Now let rhe caufe be what it will, the effetl: is certainly. r.:v11projitable. 2. Si~tfi<l. 3· Ground/eft. Which are three great arguments againil it. Let me a little inlarge upon each of them. I ~~ I. n The >DofJrine applied. I. It is unprofitable. We ,may fay offearas we fay of Fir~, It is a g"d Servant, but it is an iU Maf!er._ If a rna? can keep hts fear in the notion of a Servant, to ferve hts Soul in ItS watch-to'!'er, to !land centry againfi fin, i.t is an excellent Servant: yea gtv< me leave to tell you a man cannot keep houfe like a Chriilian with· out this Porter a; the Gates do rhis and live, Gen. 42. 18. that is, I durfi do you no wrong for I fear God; where a dread of God keeps the gates of a Chriilians. hcart,it will keep out many a bo!d tetnptation that would prefs tn to dellroy a Soul. The man m power tho'ugh he hath It in his power to opprefs his poor neighbour yet he d uri! nor do it, why? becaufe he f'aretb God. The T(adefman,though he hath an ad vantage from the ignorance or the inadvertency. of his cuflomer to cheat hiscuHomer,yet he duril not do it, beca'lfe he fears God. ~fay it is a? admirable Ser~nr, a~d a Chrif!ian cannot manage hrs concerns In the world wrthou~ 1~, helharfearJ >tnt G.d nor his wrath, what may he not do? but It IS a very bad Maftrr ; we may fay of it as J•b fald of the to.o importunate, or impertinent words of his friends, Job 6. 2 5. How foreibl6 are right word1 but y our argutngJ what do they reprove i' W hat ·a mighty thing is fear? how potent to awe our Souls, that are naturally extravagant and fubjetl: to wander out of the right paths of Gods Comma~dments? but fuch a fear as ~ h~ve defcri~ ed to ymi a llaviili .and difiractlng fear, an unbehevmg and dltlruilful fe~r, what good doth it doe? it weak~ns. t_he Soul, it keep< tt in a perpetual torment, it ma~es the ~o ul p1tttful fcrupu• Ious , unju(Hy diffident; in !bort It pt·onteth th_e Soul f~r norhingit difadvantageth the Soul for evay thmg that IS duty. . . . 2. lt is not meerly unprofitable, but 1t IS exceedmgly finful._ All fuch fear difcompofeth the Soul, and kc.eps it in _a contmual terror and torment; it fpoils all. th< So~tlJ' j ')'· and r'}oycmg tn the Lord; and gi vc me l"'!ve to tclf.y~u, ther'_s,nl)~hing fo promoveth 'holii1e(s, nothl ng r,norc puts the ~~ul on In !he ways of God _than a freedom and chearfi,lnefs ofSpmt.· Ir was one great frutt of thrill> Redemption, LH~. 1. 7 4· to deliv:r ~~ out ~{the band o{oHr ~nemiu, that we "ligf.>t ferve hi'i" witbOJftfo .r,m Hol!nefs a!'d !itghtt-. ·~fizrfi, aU the d.iys of,o':'~.J'fe: ,•nd, !Pr 1\vo\tk tell us, Heb. '2, .'5· "that ch1iil rhcn;fore <he,~, not ,only thlt tbro'!f!.h ~!t't.~Aemtght ilefl•·oy bu11 that had the e.owe!', of. l'fflth,ltvm ,t!Je DfWfA ~at that .he might J<liv<r"tbem who tbroHgb fear of death, WCrC an tbm Jife.ll_me · Vvv fo~• I |