The Vanity of the Lives and Passions of Men, Chapter 15
CHAP. XV.
Of the vanity of the paſsion of Fear.
AS nothing can be ſo good, but it may be abuſed, ſo nothing can be ſo evil, but good uſe may be made of it. Wine is excellent and good, for it hath a natural propriety to rejoyce the heart;Pſal. 104.15. and yet divers men abuſe Wine, and by the immoderate drinking of it, become worſe then bruit Beaſts, becauſe they deprive themſelves of Judgment and Reaſon. The Viper is naturally rank poyſon, and yet the Mithridate, and other Antidotes againſt venoms, are compoſed of it; even ſo this paſſion of Fear is much abuſed, and made worſe then it is, although it proceed from an evil ſpring, I mean, the weakneſs and infirmity of men; yet God is pleaſed to make good uſe of it to convert ſinners, and to make them proſecute with greater fervency, then they would otherwiſe do, the ways of Righteouſneſs. Divers conceive Fear to be a Feminine paſſion, and unworthy to be harbored in a Maſculine Breſt; yet it maketh the proudeſt of men to be cautious, and circumſpect in their undertakings, and clips the wings of their vain hopes, and ambitious deſignes. Tacitus ſaith,See Tasitus in the life of Nero. That it ſerves as a curb to the licentious will of Princes, and of all others that are in power and authority; and for inſtance ſaith, That as long as Agrippina, the mother of the Emperor Nero lived, of whom he ſtood in fear, his actions were not ſo exorbitantly wicked, as after her death; but he having like a graceleſs ſon, deprived her of life, took free liberty to commit the greateſt impieties that his heart could imagine. And Joaſh King of Juda did the like; for as long as Jehojada, the high Prieſt lived, whom he feared, he ſeemed to love the Lord; but ſoon after his death, he gave himſelf over to Idolatry and cruelty; for like an ungrateful wretch, he cauſed Zechariah, 2 Chro. 24.17, 22.the ſon of Jehojada to be ſlain, becauſe he onelyonly delivered unto him, the meſſage he had received from the Lord. Divers prefer Love, before Fear; but there cannot be any true Love without Fear. Others ſay, it is better to be feared, then beloved, but it is better to be equally loved and feared; for men without Love, endevor to be rid of the object of their Fears: But if men be beloved and feared; this compoſure keeps off all danger, and begets ſecurity and obedience: Neither can there be any filial obedience without Love; for the obedience that proceeds from Fear, is not free,Prov. 1.7. and 20.2. but forced. The fear of the Lord, is the beginning of knowledg. And the fear of a King is as the roaring of a Lyon; who ſo provoketh him to anger, ſinneth againſt his own ſoul. How much more ſhould men be afraid to provoke Gods wrath by their ſins? and yet that is one of their leaſt fears; for they fear thoſe things which they ſhould not fear, and fear not to ſin, which they ſhould moſt fear. But ſith the fear of the Lord, is the beginning of wiſdom, and of all ſaving knowledg; which knowledg doth teach men to be afraid of ſin, which is the greateſt evil: Give me leave to inlarge my diſcourſe upon theſe enſuing particulars, that you may know to fear nothing but ſin.
1. On the definition of Fear.
2. On the Nature of it.
3. On the cauſes and remedies of mens fears.
4. On the evil and good Effects of Fear.
5. On the Spirtiual uſe of Fear.
The Moraliſts do vary in opinion,Boujou in his Commentaries upon Ariſtotles Ph…ſ. lib. 16. cap. 6. concerning the definition of this Paſſion of Fear. Fear, ſaith one, is a paſsion, and apprehenſion of an evil that is to come; but near at hand, and looked for, and unlikely to be avoided. Fear, ſaith another,The Biſhop of Marſeille, p. 408. is nothing elſe, but a Grief and Dolor of the ſoul, apprehending an evil at hand; in which men ſee little probability it can be eſchewed, although it aims at the annihilation of their Being, or to ſome diſmal diſgrace, that threatneth their life or eſtate. Yet it will appear by the nature, the proprieties and effects of Fear; that men are rather tranſported with Fears of imaginary Evils, then of real; and that mens fears do but rarely proceed from the annihilation of their Being: However, it is the fourth paſſion, incident to the irraſcible Appetite, and the oppoſite and great Antagoniſt to the noble paſſion of Undantedneſs.
Secondly, The nature of Fear is different from the nature of Joy; for Joy dilates the blood, and the vital ſpirits reſiding in it, from the heart, to the utmoſt parts of the body; contrarily Fear withdraws the blood from the extreams of the body to the heart, becauſe Fear is a cold paſſion; and the heart finding this cold to oppreſs it, withdraws, and calls as it were, the blood and vital ſpirits from the further parts of the body to his ayd, that by their natural heat, he may be revived and cheriſhed. And that is the reaſon, why divers men and women have been deprived of life, by a ſudden fear or fright, becauſe this cold paſſion congealeth the blood about the heart, as a great froſt congealeth water into Ice; but if the Fear be not ſo violent, yet it produceth a great alteration in the body; for mens and womens faces will become as white as a cloth, and ſometimes all their members will tremble as a leaf; and the motion proceeding from this alteration, is ſo ſwift, and forcible, that women great with-childe, miſcarry by it; nay, it doth oftentimes turn the childe in their womb, which depriveth the mother, and the childe of life. But Fear and Dolor have a great reſemblance one with the other; for they have both this withdrawing quality, and are both of an extream cold and dry nature; and therefore Fear and Sorrow are compared to the Winter Seaſon, and Joy and Delectation to the Spring and Summer, in which the vegetative Creatures ſprought and ſpring out their branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits; but in Winter time, they withdraw their ſap, which is their life, into their Roots, as Fear and Sorrow doth draw the blood and vital ſpirits about the heart; that is the eſſential cauſe and motion of mens lives: Having both one and the ſame end, the vegetatives to preſerve themſelves from the Froſt and Snow, and the heart to warm and cheriſh it ſelf, againſt theſe cold and froſty paſſions of Fear and Sorrow.
Thirdly, The cauſes of mens fears are many, and of ſeveral natures; and by conſequence, their remedies muſt be proportionable unto them: I will therefore ſpeak firſt of the cauſes, and to every cauſe apply the remedy; but as I have ſaid a little before, mens fears do oftner proceed from imaginary evils, then from the real; and the worſt propriety of this paſſion of Fear is, That it anticipates, and creates Fears in the Minde, the real effects of which evils, oftentimes are not like to trouble ſuch as apprehend them, nor their childrens children; which kinde of Fear proceeds from a diſtruſt of Gods providence, and therefore as odious to God as any other kinde of Fear, as it ſhall be proved, when I come to ſpeak of the effects of this paſſion. Firſt, Worldly men Fear to looſe their honors and dignities. Secondly, Their treaſures and riches. Thirdly, The enjoyment of their delights and pleaſures. Theſe three fading, and vaniſhing things, are the moſt common cauſes of mens fears: The remedies againſt theſe, are, Firſt, to conſider, that there are not many noble called; 1 Cor. 1.26.28.and that the things which are moſt deſpiſed, God hath choſen. Prov. 23.5.Secondly, That riches certainly make themſelves wings, they flie away as an Eagle towards heaven. Thirdly, That pleaſures are of no continuance, and leave a ſting in the conſcience at their departure,Eccleſ. 2.11. and are but meer vanity and vexation of Spirit. Fourthly, Men fear Poverty, and to prevent the ſame, addict themſelves for the greater part to unlawful courſes of gain, remembring not this wiſe ſaying of Solomon. Prov. 28.2….He that maketh haſte to be rich, ſhall not be innocent. Poverty is no Vice, and yet men abhor Poverty more then any Vice, nay, more then Sin, the worſt of evils. The remedy againſt Poverty, is Contentedneſs; for many beleeve they are poor, when they are rich; and many think themſelves rich, when they are poor. As Chriſt ſaid to the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans, Becauſe thou ſayeſt, I am rich, Revel. 3.14.and increaſed with goods, and have need of nothing, and knoweſt not that thou art wretched, and miſerable, and poor, and blinde, and naked. Contentedneſs is a gift, and grace of God; for if men be never ſo rich, and want that grace, they are but poor and miſerable, and like Cormorants that can never be ſatisfied. This Fear alſo proceeds from Diſtruſt, and the remedy of it, is to relie upon Gods providence, and on this precept, and promiſe of our bleſsed Saviour. Which of you, by taking thought, Matth. 6.27, 28, 29, 31, 33.can adde one cubit unto his ſtature? and why take ye thought for rayment? Conſider the Lillies of the field, how they grow; they toyl not, neither do they ſpin. And yet I ſay unto you, That Solomon in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of theſe. And in the 31, 33. Verſes. Therefore take no thought, ſaying, What ſhall we eat, or what ſhall we drink, or wherewith ſhall we be clothed? But ſeek ye firſt the Kingdom of God, and his Righteouſneſs; and all theſe things ſhall be added unto you. Fifthly, Men fear to loſe their wives, women their husbands, Parents their children, and children their Parents, and one friend another: But this Fear proceeds from the want, they conceive, they will have of their help, and aſſiſtance. The remedy to this Fear, is this conſideration, That all men are mortal, and that all are of the duſt, Eccleſ. 3.20.and all turn to duſt again. And let not Chriſtians have leſs conſtancy then a Heathen; to whom tidings being brought,Plutarch in his Morals. that his onelyonly ſon was dead, he anſwered, I knew he was not begotten to be immortal; and to utterly root out this Fear, which proceeds from the diſtruſt of the want of their ayd or aſſiſtance, let men have always in their minde,Rom. 8.28. this ſaying of Saint Paul, All things work together for good to them that love God. Sixthly, Men fear perſecutions, tribulations, and afflictions: This Fear proceeds from the infirmity of the fleſh, and from the puſillanimity of mens mindes, and from an antipathy of nature, who abhorreth Anguiſh and Dolor: The remedy of this Fear, is Fortitude, and an undanted Courage; with this aſſurance, That by tribulations and croſſes, God is pleaſed oftentimes to call his children to repentance, and make them more fervent and zealous in the ways of Righteouſneſs. As the Prophet David ſaith,Pſal. 119.67. Before I was afflicted, I went aſtray, but now I have kept thy word. Seventhly, Men fear baniſhment and long impriſonments: This Fear alſo proceeds from want of a Maſculine courage; for a Heathen could ſay, when he was baniſhed,Plutarch in his Morals. That the whole world was his Native Countrey. The onelyonly remedy againſt this Fear, is Patience; and as the priſon doth retain mens bodies, ſo it may, if they make good uſe of their baniſhment and impriſonment, refrain them from ſin, and increaſe their Moral vertues, and Spiritual Graces.Acts 16.25. Paul and Silas prayed, and ſung Pſalms, and praiſed God in priſon. And Sir Walter Rawleigh, and La Nove, have made themſelves famous by the learned Works they have written in priſon.See Plutarch in their lives. And Solon and Cicero did improve their learning, and Moral vertues, in their exile or baniſhment. Eightly, Men fear lingring and tedious Diſeaſes; as the Conſumption of the Lungs, the Hectick Fever, and the waſting of the Liver: But this Fear proceeds from their natural infirmitie, that is impatient of pain; for lingring Diſeaſes prepare men for repentance, whereas ſudden diſeaſes deprive them oftentimes of that Grace. The remedy againſt this Fear, is to ſeek to the Lord, before men ſeek after the Phyſitians; for the iſſues of life and death, are in his hands. Ezekiah, 2 Kings 20.2, 6, 7.King of Judah, was ſoon cured of his Mortal diſeaſe, becauſe he called and prayed unto the Lord, with an unfeigned ſincerity of heart. Ninthly, Men fear to fall into a decrepit age: A vain and ridiculous Fear, ſith the oldeſt man alive doth commonly hope, and deſire to live a yeer longer. It is true, that if decrepit age and poverty do meet, it may be called, The Miſery of Miſeries; for beſides the many infirmities that are incident to decrepit age, the waywardneſs common to it, is the moſt inſupportable, for it maketh all things diſtaſtful unto them; and being deprived by Poverty, of all worldly comforts, this aggravates far more the miſery of decrepit age. The remedy of it, is to attend with patience, the time appointed by the Lord, of the ſeparation of the body and ſoul, and to ſay with old Simeon, Luke 2 29.Lord, now letteſt thou thy ſervant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have ſeen thy ſalvation. Tenthly and laſtly, Men are afraid of death, and eſpecially the wicked, becauſe it deprives them of their honors, riches, and pleaſures (the injoyment of which, is their Paradiſe upon Earth) and ferries them over to the eternal woes. But death is welcom to the children of God; for they account death as their deliverer, who frees them from the continual miſeries, and afflictions of this world, who are commonly their portion in this life; for they are aſſured, that the ſting of death hath been taken away, and that the redemption of their ſins hath been purchaſed at a dear rate, viz. By the ſheding of the precious blood of the onelyonly Son of God, our bleſſed Saviour Jeſus Chriſt. And therefore defie death, and ſay to her face, O death, where is thy ſting? 1 Cor. 15.55.O grave, where is thy victory? The ſting of death is ſin, and the ſtrength of ſin is the the Law; but thanks be to God, which giveth us victory through our Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
Fourthly, The Effects of this Paſſion of Fear, are of two ſorts, viz. Evil and Good: The firſt evil effect of it, is,The evil effects of Fear. That it dants the courage of men, and makes valiant Souldiers become cowards; and this is called a Panick Fear: The Greek and Roman Hiſtories are full of inſtances to prove it, which I will paſs over for brevity ſake, and will onelyonly relate this enſuing,See Philip de Commines in the War of the Publike good; for ſo it was called, or the battel de Monlebery. recorded by Philip de Commines. In the beginning of the reign of Lewis the eleventh, King of France, the Duke Charls of Burgundy, and the diſcontented Officers of the Crown of France, joyned with him, raiſed a great Army, and came neer to Paris, againſt the ſaid King; who hearing of their approach, came againſt them with another great Army, and having both pitched their Camp, within a mile one of another, with a reſalution to give battel; the next day it fell out to be a miſty morning, and certain Troops of Horſe being on both ſides ſent out, to diſcover the intentions of both Armies, they ſaw as they imagined, a great range of Lanciers ſtanding on a high ground, the Bourgonians conceiving they came towards them; and the French imagining they came towards their Camp; and ſo tranſported both with a Panick fear, they fled as hard as they could drive towards their Camp, and raiſed a fearful alarm, ſaying, The enemies were at hand; and ſo put both Armies into a ſtrange confuſion; but when the Sun had diſperſed the miſt, it was apparently ſeen that theſe imaginary Lanciers were but Tyſels growing upon a long high bank. And the two Armies being mixt, the French having the better, another Panick fear came amongſt the French Horſe,Fear begets cruelty in effeminate Princes. by a falſe rumor that the King was ſlain; that made them flee as if all had been loſt; and had not the King ſuddenly ſhewed himſelf, the French Army had utterly been routed. Secondly, Fear begets cruelty in the hearts of effeminate Princes; for it hath been obſerved that Puſillanimity is ever accompanied with Fear: The effeminate Emperors of Rome have all been addicted to this paſſion of Fear;See Tacitus, Dion, Herodian and Suetonius. Caligula did uſually hide himſelf under a bed out of fear, when it Thundred and Lightned; and Nero, Domitianus, Commodus and Heliogabalus were afraid if men did but whiſper together: and they were all more cruel then Tygers or Cannibals. Thirdly, Fear hath no regard to conſanguinity; Tiberius Nero out of fear, deſtroyed by one means or other, all his neareſt kinſmen,See Tacitus in the Life of Nero. and cauſed the valorous and noble Germanicus his Nephew to be poyſoned by Piſo. And Lewis the Eleventh King of France, cauſed his own Brother Charls Duke of Normandy to be poyſoned out of Fear;See the Hiſtory of France and of England. and ſo did Richard the Third, his two hopeful Nephews: And out of reaſon of State, or more properly out of Fear, The elder ſons of the Ottoman Family, have for theſe many years cauſed their younger Brothers to be ſtrangled. Fourthly, Fear doth in admirable Effects go beyond Nature; for a Secretary of the State of Florence, being over night condemned to die, was ſo tranſported with the Fear of death, that out of the violent apprehenſion of it, the hair of his head and beard,See the Florentine Hiſtory. which was as black as a Crow, became before the morning as white as ſnow. Laſtly, Fear is the couſen german of diſpair; for it makes men to eſchew the ſhame of a publike death, to lay violent hands on themſelves; For Hannibal rather then he would ſuffer to be made a publike ſpectacle of ſhame to the Romans, poyſoned himſelf: And Cardinal Wolſey rather then he would loſe his head upon Tower-Hill, did the like, and died in Leiceſter Abbey.
The good Effects of Fear may be theſe: Firſt,Six good Effects of the Paſſion of Fear. If it were not for the Fear of the puniſhments appointed by the Laws of the Land, to chaſtiſe the miſdemeanors of men, the Rodes and Highways would be ſo full of Thieves and Murtherers, that honeſt men ſhould not be able to go from one Town to another. Secondly, If it were not for Fear, Laws and Magiſtrates would be trampled under feet, and all manner of Obedience, Reverence, and reſpect would be baniſhed; Joane would be as good as my Lady, and Jack-Straw would be as good as my Lord Mayor; the Foot-man as good as his Lord, and the Servant as good as his Maſter; but Fear of correction makes every one to give honor to whom honor is due, and to know his Rank and Degree. Thirdly, If it were not for Fear, raſh and timerary men would fix their hopes beyond the Stars, and would think nothing impoſſible unto them; but fear clips their wings, and makes them to be more conſiderate. Fourthly, Fear is the only Antidote againſt the venome of preſumption; and were it not for Fear, this world could not ſubſiſt; for there never was an Age ſo full of Phaetons and Icarus's as this, that would with their waxed wings flee to Heaven, or burn the Earth by the guiding of Phoebus Chariot, if Fear did not reſtrain them. Fifthly, Fear is the faithful Counſellor of great Politicians and Stateſ-men, who would otherwiſe vaunt themſelves (as the great Mathematician Archimedes did, to remove the World, or turn it up-ſide down, if he could finde out a ſolide Foundation to plant his Mathematical Inſtruments) to ſet all the World together by the ears, to make their Prince the only Monarch of the Earth, by the means of their deep Machiavilian Policies: but Fear whiſpers them in the ear, that Policy hath ever been and ever ſhall be ſubordinate to Deſtiny, and that the ſecret Decrees of God ſhall come to paſs in deſpite of them, and will turn their Wiſdom and Policy into fooliſhneſs. Sixthly, As fear of temporal puniſhment is a Curbe to reſtrain open and groſs Sinners from criminal offences: ſo the Fear of eternal puniſhment is a ſtrong motive to withdraw civil men from their ſecret ſins; for let civil men be as private in their ſins as they can, yet the All-ſeeing Eye of God and their own Conſcience are witneſſes of their ſin; ſo that their Conſcience which is their Accuſer, doth infuſe into their minde this Fear of eternal puniſhment, whereby they are as much reſtrained from their ſecret ſins, as the groſs Sinners are by the Fear of temporal puniſhment. And as the hope of the recompence of reward doth draw many into the way of righteouſneſs; ſo the Fear of eternal puniſhment doth enforce many to forſake ſin, and to turn unfainedly unto God; for Sinners muſt be firſt humbled and brought low by the terror of the Law, before they can unfainedly embrace the gracious Promiſes of the Goſpel: I do therefore conclude, that ſpiritual Fear joyned with ſpiritual hope, are effectual means to beget in Chriſtians a hunger and thirſt to obtain by the merits of Chriſt eternal life.
Fifthly, The ſpiritual Uſes of Fear may be theſe. 1. Men are not only to fear, The ſpiritual uſes of fear.but alſo to love God; that their fear may not be a ſervile, but a filial fear; for the Divel himſelf fears and trembles at the very name of God; yet doth he not love, but hate and deteſt him. 2. Men are not only to fear to diſobey God, but they are alſo to endevor to do his will, and to perform his commandements, that they may neither commit ſins of commiſſion, nor ſins of omiſſion; for it is not ſufficient for them to eſchew evill, but they muſt alſo endeavor to do good. 3. Men are not only to fear and to love God, but they are alſo to love, and to fear to offend their neighbors, that they may fulfill the ſecond Table as well as the firſt, and obſerve this precept of our bleſſed Saviour:Math. 7.12. Therefore all things whatſoever you would that men ſhould do to you, do ye even ſo to them: for this is the Law and the Prophets. 4. Men are not only to love and fear God, but they are alſo to love, fear, honor and reſpect his Subſtitutes or Deputies upon Earth; I mean the ſupream and ſubordinate Magiſtrates to whom he hath given the ſword of Juſtice in hand for to preſerve the Innocent, and to puniſh the wicked;Rom. 13.1. For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God. 5. Men cannot fear God, except they fear to commit ſin, becauſe there is nothing more odious to God then ſin; and ſuch as fear God, do hate and abhor ſin: for the fear of the Lord doth always precede the hatred of ſin, as it appears by this ſaying of Solomon, Prov 10 27.…Fear the Lord, and depart from Evil: Intimating, that men cannot depart from ſin before they fear the Lord: And how pleaſant & acceptable this fear is unto God, it may be collected by theſe ſayings of the Prophet David, Pſal. 61.5.Thou haſt, ſaith he, given me the heritage of thoſe that fear thy name; meaning, that ſuch as fear the Lord, have a moſt excellent Heritage, as it is by him confirmed by theſe words,Pſal. 16.6. The lines are fallen unto me in pleaſant places; yea, I have a goodly Heritage. And in another place he ſaith, that God is the help and ſhield of thoſe who fear him. Again, Solomon ſaith,Pſal. 115.11. The fear of the Lord prolongeth days, Prov. 10.27.but the days of the wicked ſhall be ſhortned: Whereby it appears that ſuch as fear the Lord, have moſt excellent prerogatives. 6. The fear of the Lord is the rareſt jewel under the Sun; for King Solomon after he had ſhewn in his Book of recantations, that all things under the cope of Heaven were but meer vanity and vexation of ſpirit, he concludes, That to fear God, Eccl. 12.23.and to keep his Commandments, is the whole duty of man. And I conclude with him, that all fears whatſoever (except it be the fear of God, and the fear of ſin) are meer vanity and vexation of ſpirit.