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ed out of all its troubles. And is it not as dear to God as ever? Is he not as able to save it now as forinerly? Though we know not whence deliverance should arise, yet the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, 2 Pet. i. 9.

7 Direct. If you can fetch no comfort from any of the former arguments, then, in the last place, try whether you cannot draw some comfort out of your very troubles; surely this trouble of yours is a good argument of your integrity. Union is the ground of sympathy; if you had not some rich adventure in that ship, you would not tremble as you do when it is in danger besides, this frame of spirit may afford you this argument, that if you be sensible of the church's troubles, Jesus Christ is much more sensible of, and solicitous about it than you can be; and he will cast an eye of favour upon them that mourn for it, Isa. lvii. 18.

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4 Season. "The fourth special season "of expressing our utmost diligence in "keeping our hearts, is the time of danger and public distraction in such "times the best hearts are but too apt to "be surprised by slavish fear, it is not ea<< sy to secure the heart against distraction " in times of common destruction. "Syria be confederate with Ephraim, how

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"do the hearts of the house of D.. "shake? even as the trees of the whits CC which are shaken with the wind, Isa. `n"2. When there are ominous signs in t "heavens, on the earth distress of nations, "with perplexity, the sea and waves roar"ing; then the hearts of men fail for fear, "and for looking after those things which "are coming on the earth, Luke xxi, 25, "26. Even a Paul himself may sometimes "complain of fightings within, when there "are fears without, 2 Cor. vii. 5.

BUT, my brethren, these things ought not to be so; saints should be of a more

raised spirit so was David, when his heart was kept in good frame, Psal. xxvii. 1.. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Let none but the servants of sin be the slaves of fear; let them that have delighted in evil, fear evil. O le not that which God hath threatened as 2 judgment upon the wicked, ever sieze upon the breasts of the righteous; I will send (saith God) faintness into their hearts in the land of their enemies, and the sound of a shaking leaf shall chase them, Lev. xxvi. 36. O what poor spirited men are these, to flee at a shaking leaf! which makes a pleasant, and not a terrible

ed ouse, and is in itself a kind of natural as deaic! But, to a guilty conscience, to se whistling leaves are drums and trumkn/ets : but God hath not given us the spiyrit of fear, but of love, and of a sound mind, 2 Tim. i. 7. A sound mind, as it stands there in opposition to the spirit of fear, is an unwounded conscience, not infirmed by guilt; and this should make a 'man as bold as a lion. I know it cannot be said of a saint, what God spake of Leviathan, that he is made without fear : there is a natural fear in every man, and it is as impossible to be wholly put off, as the body itself is: it is a perturbation of the mind, rising from the apprehension of approaching danger; and, as long as dangers can approach us, we shall find some perturbations within us. It is not my pur pose to commend to you a stoical apathy, nor yet to take you off from such a degree of cautional preventive fear, as may fit you tor trouble, and be serviceable to your souls. There is a provident fear, that opens our eyes to foresee danger, and quickens to a prudent and lawful use of means to prevent it such was Jacob's fear, Gen. xxxii. 7, 9, 10, &c. But it is the fear of diffidence I persuade you to keep your hearts from, that tyrannical passion which invades the heart in times

of danger, distracts, weakens, and unfts the heart for duties, drives men upon unlawful means, and brings a spare with it. Well then, the fourth case will be this.

4 Case. How a christian may keep his heart from distracting and tormenting fears in times of great and threatning dangers.

Now there are fourteen excellent rules or helps, for the keeping of the heart from sinful fear when eminent dangers threaten us and the first is this;

1 Rule. Look upon all the creatures as in the hand of God, who manages them in all their motions; limiting, restraining, and determining them all at his plea

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Get this great truth well settled by faith in your hearts, it will marvellously guard them against slavish fears. The first of Ezekiel contains an admirable scheme or draught of providence; there you may see the living creatures who move the wheels, viz. the great affairs and turnings of things here below, coming unto Christ, who sits upon the throne, to receive new orders and instructions from him, v. 24, 25, 26. And in Rev. 6. you read of white, black and red horses; which are nothing else but the instruments which God employs in executing his judg

ments in the world, as wars pestilence and death; but when these horses are prancing and trampling up and down the world; here is that may quiet our hearts, that God hath the reins in his hand. Wicked men are sometimes like mad horses, they would stamp the people of God under their feet, but that the bridle of providence is in their lips, John xix. 11, 12. A lion at liberty is terrible to meet; but who is afraid of the lion in the keeper's hand?

2, Rule. Remember that this God, in whose hands all the creatures are, is your father, and is much more tender over you, than you are or can be over yourselves; he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye, Zech. ii. 8.

Let me ask the most timorous woman, whether there be not a vast difference betwixt the sight of a drawn sword in the band of a bloody ruffian, and the same sword in the hand of her own tender husband? As great a difference there is in looking upon creatures by an eye of sense, and looking on them as in the hand of your God by an eye of faith. That is a sweet scripture to this purpose, Isa. liv. 5. Thy Maker is thy husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; he is Lord of all the hosts of creatures in the world: who would be afraid to pass through an army, though all the

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