task-master over our head, but impressed within as a sweet principle in our hearts, and working from thence naturally. This makes a soul find pleasure in purging out of sensual pleasures, and ease in doing violence to corrupt self, even undoing it for God, having no will but his: The remainders of sin and self in our flesh will be often rising up, but this predominant love dispels them. So this fear works with delight.

And further, that we may know how serene and sweet a thing it is, it is here likewise joined with confidence, trusting, a quickening confidence always accompanying it; and so, undoubtedly, it is a blessed thing. Blessed is he that feareth. Fear sounds rather quite contrary, hath an air of misery; but add, whom? He that feareth the Lord, that touch turns it into gold. He that so fears, fears not: He shall not be afraid; all petty fears are swallowed up in this great fear, as a spirit inured with great things is not stirred nor affected at all with small matters. And this great fear is as sweet and pleasing as these little fears are anxious and vexing. Secure of other things, he can say, “If my God be pleased, no matter who is displeased; no matter who despise me, if he account me his; though all forsake me, my dearest friends grow estranged, and look another way, if he reject me not, that is my only fear; and for that I am not per plexed, I know he will not." As they answered Alexander when he sent to enquire what they most feared, thinking possibly they would have said, Lest he should invade them: Their answer was, e fear nothing but lest Heaven should fall upon us; which they did not fear neither. A believer hath no fear but of the displeasure of Heaven, the anger of God to fall upon him, he fears that; that is, accounts that only terrible; but yet he doth not fear, doth not apprehend it will fall on him, is better persuaded of the goodness.

of his God.

So this fear is still joined with trust; as here, so often elsewhere".

There is no turbulency in this fear, it is calm and sweet; even that most terrible evil, that which this fear properly apprehends and flies, sin, yet the fear of that goes not to a distraction. Though there is little strength, and many and great enemies, mighty Anakims of temptations from without, and corruption within, and so good reason for a holy humble fear and self-distrust, yet this should not beat us off; yea, is most fit to put us on to trust in him who is our strength. Courage! the day shall be ours, though we may be often foiled and down, and sometimes almost at a hopeless point, yet our head is on high, he hath conquered for us, and shall conquer in us; therefore, upon this confidence, so fear as not to fear, Why should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? (which I take is some grievous affliction, and that with a visage of punishment of sin; guiltiness to be read in it, yet not fear.) "If I trusted in wealth, and boast myself in the multitude of riches, then that being in hazard, I must fear; leaning on that, it failing, I might fall. But this is my confidence, ver. 15. God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for he shall receive me; wealth cannot, but he can. It buys not a man out from his hand, but he buys from the hand of the grave. So the wold is; for the visible Heavens even in their fall, and the dissolution of nature, would not affright a believer". Si fractus illabatur orbis, &c.

Alas! most persons have dull or dim apprehensions and shallow impressions of God, therefore they have little either of this fear or this trust. God is not in all their thoughts, but how to compass this or that design; and if they miss one, then to another, they are cast from one wave upon another:

b Psal. xxxiii. 18. xl. 3. and cxlvii. 11. d Psal. xli. 1.

Psal. xlix. 5.

And if at any time they attain their purpose, find it but wind, a handful of nothing, far from what they fancied it.

Oh! my brethren, my desire is, that the faces of your souls were but once turned about, that they were towards him, looking to him, continually fearing him, delighting, trusting in him, making him your all. Can any thing so elevate and ennoble the spirit of a man, as to contemplate and converse with the pure ever-blessed spring and Father of Spirits? Beg that you may know him, that he would reveal himself to you; for otherwise no teaching can make him known, it is to light candles to seek the sun, to think to attain to this knowledge without his own revealing it. If he hide his face, who then may behold him? Pray for this quickening knowledge, such a knowledge as will effectually work this happy fear and trust.

You that have attained any thing of it, desire and follow on to know the Lord, particularly, so as your hearts may repose on him; so fear as you may not fear, He would have our spirits calm and quiet, for when they are in a hurry and confusion, they are then fit for nothing; all within makes a jarring unpleasant noise, as of an instrument quite out of tune.

This fear of God is not, you see, a perplexing, doubting, and distrust of his love; on the contrary, it is a fixed resting and trust on his love. Many that have some truth of grace are, through weakness, filled with disquieting fears; so possibly, though they perceive it not, it may be in some a point of wilfulness, a little latent undiscerned affectation of scrupling and doubting, placing much of religion in it. True, where the soul is really solicitous about its interest in God, that argues some grace, but being vexingly anxious about it, it argues that grace is low and weak: A spark there is even discovered by that smoke; but the great smoke still continuing, and nothing

seen but it, argues there is little fire, little faith, little love.

And this, as it is unpleasant to thyself, so to God, as smoke to the eyes. What if one should be always questioning with his friend, whether he loved him or no, and upon every little occasion were ready to think he doth not, how would this disrelish their society together, though truly loving each other? The far more excellent way, and more pleasing both to ourselves and to God, were to resolve on humble trust, reverence and confidence, most afraid to offend, delighting to walk in his ways, loving him and his will in all, and then resting persuaded of his love, though he chastise us; and even, though we offend him, and see our offences in our chastisements, yet he is good, plenteous in redemption, ready to forgive. Therefore let Israel trust and hope, let my soul roll itself on him, and adventure there all its weight; he bears greater matters, upholding the frame of Heaven and earth, and is not troubled nor burdened with it.

The heart of a man is not sufficient for self-support, therefore naturally it seeks out some other thing to lean and rest itself on. The unhappiness is, for the most part, that it seeks to things below itself; these being both so mean and so uncertain, cannot be a firm and certain stay to it. These things are not fixed themselves, how can they then fix the heart? Can a man have firm footing on a quagmire, or moving sands? Therefore men are forced in these things still to shift their seat, and seek about from one to another, still rolling and unsettled. The believer only hath this advantage, he hath a rest high enough and sure enough, out of the reach of all hazards. His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.

The basis of this happiness is, He trusteth in the Lord. So the heart is fixed; and so fixed, it fears no ill tidings.

This trust is grounded on the word of God, re

vealing the power and all-sufficiency of God, and withal his goodness, his offer of himself to be the stay of souls, commanding us to rest on him. People wait on I know not what persuasions and assurances, but I know no other to build faith on, but the word of promise, the truth and faithfulness of God opened up, his wisdom, and power, and goodness, as the stay of all these, that renouncing all other props, will venture on it, and lay all upon him. He that believes, sets to his seal that God is true; and so he is sealed for God, his portion and interest secured. If you will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.

This is the way to have peace and assurance, which many look for first, Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. So here, the heart is fixed by trusting.

Seek then clearer apprehensions of the faithfulness and goodness of God, hearts more enlarged in the notion of free grace, and the absolute trust due to it; thus shall they be more established and fixed in all the rollings and changes of the world.

Heart fixed.] Or prepared, ready, prest, and in arms for all services; resolved not to give back, able to meet all adventures, and stand its ground. God is unchangeable; and therefore faith is invincible that sets the heart on him, fastens it there on the rock of eternity: Then let winds blow, and storms arise, it cares not.

This firm and close cleaving unto God, hath in it of the affection, which is inseparable from this trust, love with faith; and so a hatred of all ways and thoughts that alienate and estrange from God, that remove and unsettle the heart. The holiest, wariest heart is surely the most believing and fixed heart; if a believer will adventure on any one way of sin, he shall find that will unfix him, and shake his confidence, more than ten thousand hazards and asf Isa, xxvi. 3.

e Isa. vii. 9.