The Cause Use Cure of Fear, Section 2
SECT. II.
The wiſdome of God in planting His Church in the world, not the place of their reſt: And in implanting in them, This Affection of Feare; The True uſe thereof; The advantage His people get by it.
CHAP. I.
This world no paradiſe: The Church expects her heaven above, her Purgatory here: It is her Lords pleaſure ſo, and ſhe is content, and thankefull.
SEE What a place the Church lives in! where ſhe hath no reſt, nor muſt look for any. They who were diſquieted yeſterday, muſt look to be diſquieted againe: They that ſuffered, muſt ſuffer, and perhaps unto bloud. Laſt yeeres were vexatious and troublous; ſo are theſe: the next following may be worſe: If better, The Church will be very thankfull: if much more troublous, The Church hath counted the coſt, ſhe cannot be deceived, but ſhe can be very thankfull too. We ſee the Changes and Turnings in the world: They, who ſate at reſt as we doe, two yeares agoe, They ſit as a widow now: at five a clock all was peace, (for ſo I heard a Miniſter of their owne ſay) and before ſixe, behold War, and the terrours thereof on every ſide. This world now anſwers to the Iſraelites Wilderneſſe once, variety of feares and troubles here. Our life is as a Checquer work, interwoven with black and white, here Good, there Evill, but the Evill takes up the greateſt part: Bleſſed be God, that it is ſo, elſe even His owne People would be much in love with the place, where their Reſt is not; They would build Tabernacles here, never think of removing hence. If the cloud of feare and diſcontent did not ſometimes overſhadow them; if there were not unſetled times, we would ſettle on our lees; if there were not a want, when we are at the fulleſt, we would be ſo full of earth, that there would be no roome for heaven; If we had no feare, we ſhould have no Care; But we are ſtill in feare, for ſomething is ſtill wanting, and we feare and are troubled leſt that want ſhould not be ſupplyed: That want is ſupplyed, and then wee are in more feare then before, leſt we come to be at a loſſe again. To explaine this: We have a full eſtate, and health is wanting; we have plenty of all things, and health withall, but now the feare is, That the ſpoiler may come, men skilfull to deſtroy, and take away all, goods, life, and all. But ſuppoſe now we could be ſecure, That none of this could happen to us; our eſtates could be ſecured to us, and our health too, ſuppoſe it ſo, for we may ſuppoſe impoſſible things: then Abrahams (a)Gen. 15. ….feare troubles us, we have not a child to inherit: and then, WHAT is all our fulneſſe unto us? We make but a [What] of all the reſt of our enjoyments, becauſe a child is wanting, for ſo that good man did, though God be there as a portion: Then A child is given us, but what a feare there is leſt the child be taken away againe? why then, if we would keep him, we muſt ſacrifice him. That is true, but that is a death too; we cannot think of the withering of that Gourd, (ſuch a thing as that was, a child, is quickly withered) and ſo the goord withers, and we dye: That we feare is come upon us; It grows up as a flower, and is cut downe like the graſſe. And all this That Gods people may not fixe and faſten upon ſuch reeds, which, if you leane and beare upon, they break and pierce too: And yet we will leane upon them, we will be very glad of our gourds; then The LORD knaps them aſunder, Jonah 4. 6.withers them, and then we are troubled exceedingly.
In the laſt place, ſuppoſe we have health, and wealth, and peace withall, and children round about our table, yet there is a feare That we may be taken away in the midſt of all our fulneſſe. What is our life? We know what the Apoſtle anſwers, and every day James 4. 14.ſaith as much, It appeareth for a little time, & then vaniſheth away. A man is well to day, and dead to morrow, and this feare (if there be not a hand over it to ſubdue it) holds us in bondage all our life time.Heb. 2. 15.
But Bleſſed be God, ſo He unbottomes His People, drawing the heart to Himſelfe. If it were not for theſe feares, Faith would have no maſtery: but ſo it is, we are in ſuch feares often, and that is almoſt to be in death as often: ſo in this our wilderneſſe, and God beareth with our manners here; weaneth His people Acts 13. 18. foreign.from drawing ſo hard at the breaſts of the world: Aſſureth them, This is not the place of their reſt, but there remaineth a Reſt to his people, which ſhall laſt as long as Eternity is long, for ever. Therefore they may beare patiently their diſquietings, their changes here below, for a moment, a little, a ſmall (c)Eſay 26. 20. 54. 7.moment, quickly over, and then they ſhall ſee evill no more. (d)Zeph. 3. 15.Shortly they ſhall be above in the heaven of Heavens, where all is peace for evermore. And their diſquietments and fears make them work more ſtrongly after this place now: ſo God makes all work for their good, whereof in the cloſe This here muſt be conſidered, even
CHAP. II.
The wiſdom of God in planting this affection of feare in His People.
BLeſſed be God, wee are in feares, often it is beſt for us ſo to be; wee ſhould ſurfeit every day of our ſweets, if the feare of looſing them did not allay the luſſiouſneſſe of the ſame: wee ſhould bottome our ſelves too ſtrongly upon our mountaine, if wee were Confident (wee are too conſident) it cannot be removed. Dayly experience tells us ſo much therein, That wee cannot ſtand feareleſſe upon the ſtrongeſt and beſt bottomed comfort, that hath its bottome upon the earth. And Bleſſed bee God for all this, even for this affection of feare: So alſo, and that The Lord hath put a vanity and vexation into the Creature, and feares many; feare make us all pull up our feet, and walke more warily; feare feeds us with food Convenient: So it clothes us: feare is our watch keeper: It is the moſt wakeing affection, moſt ſerviceable of any, if it doth Its office. It is the houſe-porter, the bodies Spiall: and the ſoules too, ſtill keeping watch: It is, next to love, the moſt Commanding affection: our keeper, and Truths keeper alſo; It is the beſt King in the world, (the great or little) for it keeps both tables. I ſhould ſpeake more of it, but I find my ſelf prevented here in a Booke called The Childs portion, Pag. 1…2, 163.whereto I would referr the Reader, if pleaſe him, I would rather ſpeake ſomewhat more touching the uſefulneſſe of this affection, God ſanctifying the ſame.
It makes the people of God to put no confidence at all in the fleſh: I meane by [Fleſh] All things under the moone: They cannot feare now the changes of things here below, and vexation from them, for they have been ſo uſed to it, That, which they feared from the creature ſo often came upon them, That now they expect no ſtability in the creature at all, but changes, and troubles, and vexations from it evermore. They can now ſuffer the ſpoiling of their goods with joy. They did indeed put ſome confidence in ſuch things, They thought ſuch things to be a HIGH WALL, (a) but it was (and they ſee it now to be) a meere conceit Prov. …. ….onelyonly, and no more. They know now, and they are fearleſſe about it, That the theefe and the robber breaks in upon theſe treaſures every day; therefore it is nor their treaſure, they account not of it ſo: they have laid up their treaſure in a ſafe place, where they feare not the thiefe nor the moath, and it is well they are ſo well inſtructed to diſcretion.
I remember a Story worth the noting, of Paulinus, Biſhop of Nola: he had abundance of wealth, but no affection to it; bags Aug. deciv. De… lib. 1. c. 10. V… l…ate pauper…imu… … c…p…o ſ…me ſanct….full, and coffers full, but his heart was not ſet upon that fulneſſe, but on a better treaſure, and full of the ſame. It was well for him that he had a Treaſure, which Man could not give, nor take away: For, though he was a very rich man but as yeſterday, yet was he ſtript of all preſently, and as poore as Iob. The Goths, a barbarous people, almoſt as any we can ſee or heare of, brake into that City Nola, like ſo many Devils, and did flee upon the prey, flee preſently upon all the Biſhop had in this world, and took it Cum ab cis …eneretur, ſi… corde ſuo, ut ab co poſtea cogno …imus, p… cabatur: Domine, non excrucier propter aurum & argentum: ubi e…m ſunt omnia mea tu ſ…is. ibid. &c.into their poſſeſſion, and the Biſhop priſoner alſo. Now mark his Prayer, for that was all the refuge he had now, being in the hands of Robbers: LORD GOD, Let me not be greatly troubled for my ſilver and gold: Thou knoweſt, Lord, it is not my Treaſure, That is laid up according to Thy Commands, Who didſt tell us long before, That this would happen, Theſe barbarous people would break in upon us for our ſinnes: therefore, Lord, I was warned, and laid up my Treaſure, as Thou haſt charged me, and as Thou knoweſt. What a wiſe man was this! Truly all his neighbours counted him ſo; for though they were not ſo wiſe before-hand, yet now they had learnt by ſad experience, (c)Si non praedente ſapientia certe conſequente experientia didicerunt.(an after-wiſdome, that comes too late) That ſo they ſhould have done too; They ſhould have laid up their Treaſure where their Teacher did, and charged his people ſo to doe. For mark how it hapned to thoſe after-wits, They counted the wedge of gold their Treaſure, and all their care and feare was To ſecure that, ſo they hid it in the ground. The Robbers came, they knew there was ſilver and gold both, and they would have it, and by torments the enemy forced the diſtreſſed Captives, To tell where they had hid their treaſure. Nay the Adverſaries cruelty was ſuch, That they tormented ſome poore wretches, that had neither ſilver nor gold, upon ſuppoſition that they had both, and diſſembled the having of it. Other ſome, the richeſt men amongſt them, were ſo hardy, That they would die upon the rack rather then diſcover where their gold was; and ſo they were admoniſhed (ſaith the Author) by ſuffering ſuch Si autem to… queri quam aurum prodere maluerunt admonendi crant, qui tanta patiebantur pro auro, quanta eſſent ſuſtinenda pro Chriſto. ibid. &c.things, rather then betray their gold, WHAT THEY SHOULD HAVE SUFFERED FOR CHRIST. Other ſome againe, the feweſt of them, could not be forced to betray their Treaſure, or forgoe the ſame, for, indeed, they had not laid it upon earth, but in heaven, where Robbers could not break-in, and ſteale: So well they had profited by their feare about ſuch uncertaine things, that now they were not carefull about them at all. They could take joyfully the ſpoiling of ſuch goods, knowing in themſelves, That they had in heaven a better and enduring ſubſtance. Heb. 10. 34.And ſo the Father concluſes, No man kept his gold but by denying In e… tormenta nemo Chriſtum confitendo amiſit: nemo aurum niſi negando ſervavit.it: that is, by taking off his love and feare from it: and no man kept Chriſt, but by confeſſing him, (that is) by giving up his love and feare unto him.
2. It is ſo with and about their children too; Their diſcreet feare hath taught them, not to be carefull about children neither: The Lord gave them, He may take them; They can bleſſe His Name in all: They did not ſet their hope, nor their hearts on ſuch periſhing things, and then, when God takes them away, their hope is where it was, and heart alſo, even in heaven, where their Love, and JOY, and TREASUREIS: And they can ſubmit to their FATHER in heaven; It is Hee, The LORD, He hath done it, and they are ſilent; It is His will ſo, thereto they reſolve all, and there they reſt, ſaying, The will of the LORD be done. So their feare (the Lord ſanctifying it) hath taught them touching their Children.
3. They have brought their hearts to the ſame point touching their life alſo; that is a precious thing: skin after skin, a man will part withall to ſave his life: And yet, they are not now fearfull about it; it is of ſmall continuance here below: and, while it doth continue here, it is full of changes and ſorrows. They are the leſſe carefull about it. They that have been moſt afraid, and ſo would ſave their life, have ſooner loſt it, and upon the greateſt diſadvantage. They, who have loved their life more then Chriſt, Who is the life of their life, have loſt their life, and Him too: and They that have hated their life in this world for His ſake, have made no account of it in reference to Chriſt, and their love to Him, have kept it unto eternall life. (c)John 12. 2…That is the life they think upon, of being BLESSED FOR EVER; That is a life indeed. This here, in compariſon, abides but a moment, a ſmall, a little moment, not worth the ſetting our feare upon, ever ſince we could look through it, what a life it is. They make no account of any thing, but what ſets them backward or forward toward eternity, where they ſhall live bleſſed for ever in eternity: … nitas facit bonum infinite melius; malum infinite pe…us.The thought wher… of makes that which is good, infinitely better; and that which is evill, infinitely worſe. Thereon, upon Eternitie, they place their feare now, and concerning this life they are fearleſſe. We have ſeene what uſe the righteous make of feare, they work good out of it: and by theſe unquiet motions here below, they get an eſtabliſhment in God. I come now in the third place to the meanes whereby the righteous Nation can and doe maſter their feares, keeps them under ſo, as they are a quiet habitation, when all about them are full of ſtirs, a tumultuous people.