Of Peace and Contentment of Mind, Book 3 · Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI. Of Feare.
FEare is a feeling beforehand of an evill to come, yet uncertaine, as leaſt in the circumſtance; And when the evill is come, Feare endeth, and turneth to ſorrow or deſpaire.
Feare is one of the moſt ſimple and naturall Paſſions. It is found even in the moſt unperfect animals, for God hath put it in all for their preſervation. The very Oyſters will ſhrink for Feare, when the knife doth but touch their ſhell.
As there are two evills to which men are obnoxious, paine and ſinne; there are two feares anſwering theſe two evils, the feare of ſuffering and the feare of ſinning.
Of the firſt none is altogether exempt, although the Spaniſh Scholler examined at Paris about his proficiency in Morall Philoſophy, and demanded what Feare was, covered his ignorance with this bravado, In noſtra patria neſcimus quid ſit timor. In our Country (ſaid he) we know not what Feare is. But without feare, a man can have neither prudence nor valour, for he that feares not the blow guards it not, and is ſlaine without reſiſtance.
The principall uſe of Feare is to prevent or avoyd evill. But when the evill is unavoidable, and now at hand, then reſolution muſt repreſſe Feare: Although even at that time feare doth good ſervice, for the feare of loſing honour or life erecteth a mans courage. Valour in combat is as often out of feare, as out of magnanimity; and it is often hard to diſcerne which of theſe contrary cauſes puts valour into a man. The certaineſt marke of valour by feare is cruelty, when he that hath diſarmed his adverſary in a duell kills him without mercy, and after a field wonne puts all to the ſword; for he ſheweth that he feareth his enemy, even when he is out of combat. But he that gives him his life ſheweth, that he ſeares him no more alive then dead.
The moſt valorous are not they that have no feare, for it is naturall to all men; but they, that know how to moderate it.
A man cannot Feare too little, for no evill can be avoyded by feare, but may much better be avoyded by judgement.
To feare things which neither ſtrength nor forecaſt can prevent is an anticipation of the evill. It is a great folly to loſe our preſent reſt out of feare of future trouble, as though it were not time enough to be afflicted when affliction comes.
But Feare doth more then to bring neere remote evills, it creates evill where there is none. And many evills which ſhall never come and are altogether impoſſible, acquire by feare a poſsibility and a reall being. We laugh at an hypocondriaque that thinks himſelfe to be made of ſnow, and is afraid to melt at the Sunne, becauſe he feares that which cannot happen to him. But a rich man tormented with feare of falling into Poverty, is much more ridiculous: For which of the two is the greater fool, he that feares that which cannot happen, or he that makes it happen by fearing it? The hypocondriack cannot melt at the Sun by the feare he hath of it, but a covetous man by his feare of being poore, is poore in good earneſt; ſo poore, that he wanteth even that which he hath, for he loſeth the enjoyment of his wealth by his feare of loſing it.
It may be truly ſaid that there is no vaine Feare, ſince all feares whether true or falſe are reall evils, and Feare itſelfe is one of the worſt evils. It makes a man more miſerable then a beaſt, which feeles no evill but the preſent, and feares it not but when the ſenſes give her warning of the neere approach of it. But man by his feare preventeth and ſends for the evill, ſtretching it by imagination very farre beyond his extent; many times alſo forging evill to himſelfe where there is none, and turning good into evill, for it is ordinary with us to be afraid of that we ſhould deſire.
For remedy to that diſeaſe we muſt learne our Saviours Philoſophy. Matth. 6.34. To every day is ſufficient the affliction thereof. If the evill muſt come, we muſt expect it, not go fetch it. Let us not make ourſelves miſerable before the time. Let us take all the good time that God gives us. Perhaps the evill will come, but not yet. Perhaps it will not come at all. There is no Feare ſo certaine, but it is more certaine yet, that we are as often deceived in our fears, as in our hopes. And this good we reape out of the inconſtancy of humane things, againſt which we ſo much murmure, that it turnes as ſoone towards good as towards evill. Habet etiam mala fortuna inconſtantiam, or if it turne not to good, it turnes to another evil. The arrow ſhot againſt us with a ſmall declination of our body will miſs us, and hit our neighbours head. A little winde will turne a great ſtorme; A ſudden commotion in the State will create every where new intereſſes. He that held us by the throat will be ſuddenly ſet upon by another, & will let us go to defend himſelf. If we ſee no way for us to ſcape, God ſeeth it. After we have reckoned all the evill that our adverſary can do, we know not what God will do. In the creation he made the light to ſhine out of darkneſſe, and ever ſince he takes delight to fetch the comfort and advancement of thoſe whom he loveth, out of the things they feare. That which we feare may happen, but it will be for our good. Unto many the bed or the priſon hath bin a Sanctuary in an ill time. Unto many the publique calamity hath bin a ſhelter againſt the particular. Many times that which lookes grim a farre off, ſmiles upon us neere hand. And what is more common then to be promoted by thoſe things which we feared moſt? Exile and confiſcation condemne us often to a happy tranquillity, taking us from the crowd and the tumult to ſet us at large and at reſt.
Theſe conſiderations ſerve to decline, not to overcome the evill. Wherefore there is need of ſtronger remedies. For that we may be healed of Feare it is not enough to ſay, Perhaps the evill will not come, or will not prove ſo terrible as it lookes. Say we rather, Suppoſe the evill muſt unavoydably come, I do imagine the worſt; Say it be poverty, cloſe priſon, torture, the ſcaffold, the axe; All that, can take nothing from me that I may call mine; God and a good conſcience are mine onelyonly true goods, which no power and no violence can take from me; All the reſt is not worth the feare of loſing: Iſa. 12.2. Behold God is my ſalvation, I will truſt and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my ſtrength, and my ſong, he alſo is become my ſalvation.
Then the remedy to the ſhaking ague of feare conſiſteth in knowing theſe two things. The evill and the liberatour; The evill cannot be very great ſince it hath an end, No evill of this world but ends by death, Death it ſelfe is good ſince it ends evills; how much more when it begins eternall goods? to the right Chriſtian, death is not a matter of feare but of hope. Let us take away from the things we feare that hideous vizard which imagination puts upon them, calmely looking into their nature, and getting familiarity with them by meditation. Let nothing that is incident to humane condition ſeeme ſtrange or new to us. What happens to one may happen to any other. The ordinarieſt cauſe of feare is ſurpriſe. That we be not ſurpriſed we muſt think betimes upon all that may come, and ſtand prepared for all. So nothing ſhall ſeeme ſtrange when it comes.
But the chiefe remedy againſt feare is to lift up our hearts to the great Liberatour that hath goods and evills in his hand, that ſends afflictions and deliverances, that brings downe and brings up againe, that gives us ſtrength according to the burden which he layeth upon us, and multiplyeth his comforts with our afflictions. Being perſwaded that God is moſt wiſe and moſt good, and that all things work together for good unto them that love him, we will repreſſe our feare of the accidents of life and ſecond cauſes, ſaying, The will of the Lord be done; we are ſure that nothing but good can come to us, ſince nothing can come but from God.
Whereſore inſtead of fearing to ſuffer evill we muſt feare to do it, which is the ſafeſt courſe to prevent ſuffering. He that commits ſin is more unfortunate then he that ſuffers paine, for ſuffering moveth Gods mercy but ſin moveth his indignation. That man cannot but feare ſinne that beareth in mind that God hates it and markes it; There then we muſt feare, and the chiefe deliverance that we muſt aske of God is, that he deliver us from every evill worke. 2 Tim. 4.18. As we feare ſufferings becauſe of themſelves, ſo muſt we feare evill workes, becauſe of the evill that is in them, beſides the ſufferings that attend them ſoone or late. This Feare of love and revecence towards God, puts out all other Feares: He that feares God, needs not Feare any thing elſe.