first use wherein hope is to be improved in this case For every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as Christ is pure 1 Joh. 3. 3. Else that which now hindreth your comfort and peace will hinder them till it be taken away Sin is the great impediment of all our good This therefore must be the first work of this hope the purging away of sin Therefore the Church in my Text took that course Saying Let us search and try our wayes and turn again to the Lord ver 40. Do ye the like in a like case and that you may do so follow these Directions 1. Pray the Lord to shew wherefore he contendeth with you Iob 10. 2. with purpose of heart to forsake whatever sin provoketh him to anger This was Elihu's counsel to Iob. Surely saith he It is meet to be said unto God I have born chastisement I will not offend That which I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity I will do no more Iob 34. 31 32. Pray him also to shew you what he would have you to do as David prayed in Psal 86. 11. Teach me thy way O Lord I will walk in thy truth unite my heart to fear thy name Pray him that as he sends afflictions so he would supply grace that you may profit by them Foâ— he is the Lord our God the Holy one of Israel our Redeemer that teacheth us to profit Isa 48. 17. Repenting Ephraim found the benefit of this course God took notice of them bemoaning themselves with confession of their former unsubduednesse to Gods will and yoak and of their prayer Turn thou me and I shall be turned thou art the Lord my God Jer. 31. 18. What benefit had Ephraim hereby They tell that in ver 19. Surely after I was turned I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh c. 2. Having thus done search the Scripture and your own hearts to find out the particular sin or sins which have brought this affliction upon you or which do hinder the exercising of your hope 1. To find out the particular sin or sins which have brought the affliction upon you consider 1. For what sins God hath threatned in his Word or inflicted upon others such judgments as are upon you Ezek. 12. 25. Jer. 26. 4 5 6. Zeph. 3. 6 7. 2. How you have abused those things wherein or wherby God afflicteth you Eli and David were too indulgent to their children and were punished in them and by them Israel abused the corn and wine the wool and flax the silver and gold that God had given them Therefore God took them away Hos 2. 8 9. God caused the land to keep the Sabbaths while the Jews were in Captivity for their not sanctifying the Sabbaths in their own land And for their lightly esteeming the Word preached unto them the Lord brought a famine of the Word upon them Amos 8. 11. There is now much sicknesse and mortality among us did you not mis-spend your time and strength in the dayes of your health sundry are restrained from the publick Ordinances Is it not because they have disregarded them or been unfruitful and unprofitable under them 3. Search if you have not been faulty towards others in the things you now suffer your selves They that spoiled and dealt treacherously with others shall be spoiled and dealt treacherously with themselves Isa 33. 1. He that leadeth into Captivity shall go into Captivity he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword Rev. 13. 10. He shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy Jam. 2. 13. Do others wrong you in your names in your estates in any of their dealings with you Consider how you have wronged others Are others helplesse and hard-hearted towards you in your afflictions If upon search you find that you have been so to others give God the glory of his righteousnesse saying with Adonibesek as I have done so hath God requited me Judg. 1. 7. 4. If you have not profited by afflictions formerly upon you you may justly suspect that he reneweth and it may be increaseth your afflictions for that cause For so the Lord threatned his people of old If ye will not for all this viz. former lesser punishments inflicted on you hearken unto me then will I punish you seven times more for your sins Lev. 26. 18. and the same he repeats again and again four or five times in that Chapter And he did accordingly when the people of Israel turned not unto him that smote them the Prophet told them for all this his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still Isa 9. 12. and it is thrice repeated in that Chapter So hath the Lord dealt with us in this place for sundry years past he hath visited us with returns of sicknesses every following year sharper than the former because whatever purposes men and women had and whatever promises they made when Gods hand was upon them all wore off and came to nothing after he had released them So that we in this wildernesse may be justly charged for dealing with God as the people of Israel did in the wildernesse and have cause to expect as they found from the Most High Psal 78. 32. to 38. In this case God dealeth with his people as Physitians are wont to do with their patients upon whom when they find that the physick formerly given doth not work they second it with some stronger purge and when they find that the disease is so setled that quicker courses are not effectual they prescribe a course of longer continuance 5. Search to find out your own special corruptions the sinnes of your nature whereunto you are naturally that is by your natural constitutions more addicted and inclined then unto other the fins of your callings that is such as whereunto by occasion of your place and vocation or your course of life and conversation you may have more and more frequent occasions of and greater and stronger inducements and inticements to then others and the sins of the times and places in which you live This course David took and thereby proved that he was upright before God Psal 18. 23. 6. Call to mind of what sins you have been formerly admonished and convinced publikely by the Ministers of the Word or privately by godly friends and others or secretly by the motions of Gods Spirit and checks of your own consciences but have not repented of them nor turned from them For it is Gods manner to open the ears of men and to seal instructions by afflictions as Elihu told Job though he mis-applyed it to his case Iob 33. 14. to 30. 2. Having found out the particular causes for which God contendeth with you add thereunto another search to find out those sins which hinder the exercise of this hope more directly and immediately as 1. Your aptnesse to have hard thoughts of God This is very injurious
him Psal 119. 49. without former experiences In like manner he worketh in believers in dark times when they cannot recal former experiences and want present sense of Gods love God quickeneth his people by quickening their in-looking to the naked promise Psal 119. 50. and thereby their hope also Isa 8. 17. Hence Jacob became such a mighty wrastler with God Gen. 32. with Hos 12. 4. God is ever mindful of his Covenant Psal 111. 5. and faithful in his Promises 1 Thess 5. 24. Hope looks at the good of the Promise and the goodnesse of the Promiser for that part of the Promise which is not yet performed as faith looks at the truth of the promise and faithfulnesse of the Promiser Now that hope thus grounded is a right hope may be proved because when faith in the Promises quickeneth and strengtheneth hope in believers then Gods ends are attained for which he giveth Promises His ends are these and the like 1. To make known unto his people his good thoughts and purposes concerning them Jer. 29. 10. This he doth to incourage them to hope for a good end and to endeavour in the use of good means to attain it ver 11 12. 2. To draw the Elect unto Christ in whom all Gods Promises are Yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1. 20. 3. To shew what credit God hath in the hearts of his people Joh. 3. 33. 1 Joh. 5. 9. 10. 4. To let believers see that they are richer in their lowest estate than others are in their greatest worldly possession For they have God himself for their portion when others have but his gifts Psal 4. 7. They have Christ and unsearchable riches in him Eph. 3. 8. who became poor that by his poverty we might be made rich 2 Cor. 8. 9. They have spiritual riches Rev. 2. 9. they are rich in faith Iam. 2. 5. whereas others have onely their bellies filled Psal 17. 14. Believers have a large estate in Promises 1 Tim. 4. 8. which are Gods bills and bonds and deeds of gift for a great while to come 2 Sam. 7. 19. They have much in possession and much more in hope 1 Pet. 1. 3. so that when we hope in his word God attaineth his end in giving his word Therefore hope grounded on the word is a right hope 2. By the formal act of hope you may try whether it is right or not Expectation is the formal act of hope This expectation hath three properties 1. It 's earnest Phil. 1. 20. 2. It 's patient Rom. 8. 25. Patient 1. Of Labouring 2. Of Suffering 3. Of Waiting Because between hoping and having there is a want of the thing desired and promised till Gods time for performing comes This delay is troublesome Prov. 13. 12. Therefore we have need of patience Heb. 10. 35. The Husband-man soweth in hope and waits with patience for the precious fruits of the earth Iam. 5. 7. which the Apostle there applies to believers 3. With continuance Iob 14. 14. Such waiting on God gives him the glory of his independency all-sufficiency immutability goodnesse faithfulnesse and wisdom it hath great blessings annexed to it Prov. 8. 34 35. Isa 30. 18. Isa 40. 31. The contrary is a compound of many sins of pride and impatience Psal 78. 41. and and discontent 2 Kings 6. 33. and unbeliefe Isa 28. 16. 3. By the proper effect of this hope you may know it to be right love floweth from faith and hope 1 Cor. 13. ult especially to God in Christ in whom we hope Hence he that hath this hope purgeth himself as Christ is pure 1 Ioh. 3. 3. and is diligent in using all Gods means with avoiding the contrary Heb. 10. 22. to 26. with dependance on God and trusting in him alone not in our abilities 1 Sam. 2. 9. Prov. 3. 5 6 or graces which gave Peter two fals nor in our performances Psal 127. 1 2. nor in the means themselves Hest 4. 14 16. Thus you see what are the characters of hoping in God aright If upon tryal you find them to be in you in truth that hope will not make you ashamed but you shall have cause to say with the Church in Isa 25. 9. Lo this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us c. The third Instruction is How to exercise hope in God aright in sundry cases wherein you are called to practise it These cases are of two sorts 1. Such as concern mens private conditions 2. Such as concern the publike The first sort of cases which concern the private conditions of believers are either for the present or for the time past or for the time to come We shall shew how this hope is to be excercised in these concernments severally and distinctly with Gods assistance 1. For the time present when believers are under excessive grief whatever is the cause of it whether sin or affliction in your persons or relations Believers as well as others are subject to many afflictions in this life Psal 34. 19. Many are the afflictions of the righteous and not of some one kind onely but of divers kinds Job saith of every one his flesh upon him shall have pain and his soul within him shall mourn Iob 14. ult Herein two things are to be cleared 1. That it is our duty to grieve under affliction proportionately to the cause It is dedolency stupidity not to grieve for afflictions Jer. 5. 3. it is therefore our duty to grieve when God afflicteth us but more for Gods displeasure apprehended therein 2. It is our duty to grieve more for sin then for affliction 3. More for sin in our selves than in others And 4. For sin in our near relations more than in others more remote yet it is unlawful to let grief exceed the proportion allowed by the rules of Gods Word as all do who have not this hope 1 Thess 4. 13. The spirit of man is by corrupt nature unstable as water Gen. 49. 4. alwayes running forth unlesse as water is bounded by the bank or vessel into which it is put so our spirits be bounded and kept within Compasse by the Spirit of God VVould you know when grief exceeds or is immoderate You may know it by the effects 1. If it distempers and hurts the body Godly sorrow as such hurts no man it is healing to the soul and not hurtful to the body unlesse by accident the body being before under painful distemper which is apt to be increased by any grief Worldly sorrow causeth death 2 Cor. 7. 10. VVorldly sorrow is not onely that which is for worldly things but also that which is for sin upon worldly respects as the principal motives of it And that sorrow hurts the body and doth no good to the soul as David found when guile prevailed in his spirit Psal 32. 2 3 4. 2. If it hinders you from or in the performance of any duty 1. From it The good â—hief on the Crosse was in great grief yet that
to keep themselves and their cattle in their houses to escape the storm which Moses fore-told would kill all that were in the field The more we are prepared by this fear for afflictions before they come the lesse we shall be oppressed with them when they come For thereby either afflictions shall be weakned and lesse able to hurt us or we shall be strengthened and more able to bear them Now this hope whereof we speak being rightly excercised will be of great efficacy to quicken good fear and to subdue sinful fear in us Therefore I shall endeavour to shew you how you may excercise this hope aright in four Directions 1. Lay a sure ground-work for this hope to be built upon This is then done when you know that your soul saith the Lord is your portion For 1. This will assure your interest in God himself who is an all-sufficient portion When you can say with David The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my Cup Psal 16. 5. you may comfortably adde as he did in ver 6. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places yea I have a goodly heritage 2. This will cause you to cleave to the Lord with purpose of heart as Barnabas exhorted the Antiochians to do in Acts 11. 23. For where a mans treasure is there will his heart be also Mat. 6. 21. As the needle in the Compasse being touched with the Load-stone is in continual motion till it points to the North the reason whereof some conceive is because in the North are Rocks of Load-stone with which the needle so touched hath a sympathy so the soul being touched by the spirit of faith is in continual motion till it points unto God in Christ that living Rock and true Load-stone who draws believers to him by a spiritual sympathy which they have with him as he said in Ioh. 12. 32. I if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me Then and not before they have true rest Then they may say with David Return unto thy rest O my soul Psal 116. 7. 3. This will settle and strengthen your hearts against all distracting discouraging distrustful fears about future evils For things to come are yours when you are Christs 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. The worst that can be-fall you shall not loose that blessed union that is between God in Christ and your souls Not sin past for that is already pardoned and therefore shall not condemn you hereafter Rom. 8. 1. nor shall sin to come have dominion over you Rom. 6. 14. For you are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation 1 Pet. 1. 5. Nor death though it may separate two neer friends the soul and body yet it shall joyn together more fully and perfectly two better friends Christ and the soul which when it is absent from the body is present with the Lord 2 Cor. 5. 8. and in the Resurrection when both shall be reunited we shall be for ever with the Lord 1 Thess 4. 17. Nor temptations See how Paul triumphed over all principalities and powers over life and death over things present and to come in assurance that nothing should separate him or any true believer from the love of God in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 38 39. yea that all things should work for his their good Rom. 8. 28. A believer in Christ is as sure of the time to come as he is of the time presentor past For he can say with the Church in Ps 48. ult This God is our God and he will be our guid unto death and can look unto Christ as Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending which is and which was and which is to come the Almighty Rev. 1. 8. and he hath the promises of God in Christ for the future Isa 46. 3 4. Joh. 10. 27 28 29. 2. This ground work being well laid build upon it for the future by excersing this hope 1. In its purging work 1 Joh. 3. 3. to purge out inordinate affection whereby the soul cleaves close and fast to present things and creatures whence they are as affraid to part with them as one is to have a piece of linnen cloth or plaister plucked off from an ulcerous sore whereunto it sticketh so fast that it can hardly be pulled away without great pain and without drawing the skin and part of the flesh with it whereas if that ulcerous matter were purged and the sore healed the plaister would fall off it self and the cloth might be taken away without any pain or difficulty Hoping in God being rightly excercised worketh this great cure by rectifying mens apprehensions concerning the creatures and ordering their affections aright towards God looking at both with the eye of faith by Scripture light which represents all things out of God in Christ when they become the objects of our hope as vain and sinful and hurtful The creatures are good as they come out of Gods hand but as they are abused by being idolized they become vain and degenerate into nothing For as an idol is nothing in the world 1 Cor. 8. 4. nothing which men account it to be not to be trusted in So creature are but vain and empty like those blasted eares of corn in Pharaohs dream unlesse God fils them with his blessing It is a common errour and delusion to think that if you had such friends such relations such estates c. you should live happily and comfortably For as David said of an horse in reference to getting the victory an horse is a vain thing So we may say of all creatures being separated from God in reference to happinesse and comfort they are vain things to be trusted in for which Christ called that rich man a fool Luke 12. 19 20. 2. It is a sin against the first Commandement to give the honour which is due to God alone unto any creature as men do that glory in them Jer. 9. 23 24. and set their hearts upon them Psal 62. 10 11. This is idolatry Col. 3. 5. It is Atheisme a denial of Gods all-sufficiency which is his peculiar glory and the foundation of upright walking in the Saints Gen. 17. 1. It s the cause of all sins The Schoolmen do rightly define sin to be an aversion of the soul from the immutable God and turning of it to the mutable creature For all sin implies an over-valuing of the creatures and an under-valuing of God See with what indignation God reproves this sin in Jer. 2. 13 14. 3. Thus to cleave unto present things and creatures is very hurtful to your selves For 1. It steals mens hearts from God as Absalom stole the hearts of the people from David unto things that cannot profit nor deliver for they are vain 1 Sam. 12. 25. 2. It provoketh God to with-draw and with-hold his concourse and blessing from the creatures without which you cannot have any good from them nor by them your own experience may convince
he had rather be one day there then a thousand elsewhere and to be a Door-keeper in Gods House than to dwel in the Tents of wickednesse Psal 84. 9 10. The place of the publick holy assemblies was a Tent a Tabernacle an unfixed a moveable place yet he cals that an House a fixed Mansion The people dwelt in houses firmly built upon foundations yet David accounted the houses of wicked men Tabernacles he looked for no stability in the World but onely in the Church and fellowship of those that are in Covenant See how affectionately he speaks of Church Assemblies and Communion with them Psal 122. 8 9. of the same mind and spirit were the Saints in the Babilonish Captivity Psal 137. 5 6. And the same spirit works the like disposition in all the members of Christs mystical body whether one member suffer all the members suffer with it or one member be honoured all the members rejoyce with it 1 Cor. 12. 26. And they see good reason for their so acting in the concernments of the Churches of Christ For 1. They know that God hath recorded his Name there and his Name is put upon Church members and therefore his Name is honoured or dishonoured as things are well or ill with his Church Hence it was that Josua was so exceedingly afflicted for the flight of the people before Ai though but about thirty six were slain what shall I say when Israel flies before the enemies and the Canaanites will hear of it c. and what wilt thou do to thy great Name Iosh 7. 8 9. Therefore Christ teacheth us to joyn these together immediately Hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdom come to shew us that answerable to the well being of the Church which is the Kingdome of grace will be the honour of Gods Name in this World 2. They know that the welfare of all States and people where Churches are depends upon the welfare of the Church For so runs the promise Israel shall be a blessing in the midst of the land Isa 19. 24. Hence it was that the Saints could not be satisfied with their own private welfare if the Church of God was in affliction and danger or under reproach As you may see in Vriah 2 Sam. 11. 11. in Nehemiah Neh. 1. 3 4. with 2. 2 c. and in Daniel though he was as highly preferred as a subject could be in the greatest Monarchy Dan. 10. 2 3. Hence also when there hath been a double affliction upon them both publick and private the publick hath swallowed up the private and made it inconsiderable in comparison As we see in Eli. 1 Sam. 4. 18. and his daughter in law the wife of Phineas ver 21 22. Lastly hence it was that when they have had a double opportunity of doing or procuring good to the publick and to their own private they have preferred the publick advantage before their own private interest Thus Terentius a Christian Commander in the Wars under the Emperor Valens who was an Arrian being willed by that Emperor for a special service done by him to demand what he would made his petition to the Emperor which he presented to him in writing that the Christians might have the liberty of a Church by themselves to worship God apart from the Arrians The Emperor read his petition and disliking it tore it and threw it away Terentius meekly gathered up the scattered pieces and professed to the Emperor that if he could not be heard in Gods cause he would not make any suit for his own profit How may this worthy man shame most Christians in these dayes who if their garners may be ful their sheep multiply their oxen be strong to labour their sons be as plants grown up and their daughters polished and set forth with ornaments and there be no complaining in the streets think themselves happy and regard not what becomes of religion and of Christs cause and interest in the Churches take not to heart the afflictions of Gods people if their trading increase one good bargain will more comfort them then all the calamities of the Church can grieve them they can hear and speak of the breaches and ruins of Sion as the Athenians did of news without remorse or regard Brethren it is a weighty matter to read letters and receive intelligence in them concerning the state of the Churches You had need to lift up your hearts to God when you are about to read your letters from our native Country to give you wisdom and hearts duly affected that you may receive such intelligences as you ought For God looks upon every man in such cases with a jealous eye observing with what workings of bowels they read or speak of the concernments of his Church You see in Amos 6. 6. how his wrath was incensed against those who solaced themselves with their private prosperity but were not sick their hearts aked not for the afflictions of Joseph 3. They know that if they with-draw from being helpful to the Church God will do good to his Church without them but he will be avenged upon them that desert or neglect his cause and people This Argument Mordecai used to Hester in Hest 4. 13 14. and it prevailed mightily with her to run the utmost hazard of her own person when there might be hope of some good to the Church thereby ver 16. For the contrary Meroz was cursed by the Angel of the Lord because they came not to the help of the Lord against the mighty Iudg. 5. 23. Though men cannot help the Lord essentially or personally yet they may be said to help him relatively in his cause and people when they own his cause and people and appear on that side when Satan and his instruments raise persecutions and reproaches against them Though the Lord needs not mens help in such cases for when he saw that there was no mon no intercessor his own arm brought salvation unto him Isa. 51. 16. yet it is our duty to shew on whose side we stand For Christ will look at them as his enemies that disown his cause and people at such times as he saith He that is not with me is against me Mat. 12. 30. Are the people and wayes of God under reproach Christ is reproachd in them and with them Rom. 15. 3. Object Ah! but they are called fools and fanaticks Answ When was it otherwise Bernard complained of the like in his time Ipsa Religio in opprobrium venit timor Domini simplicitas reputatur ne dicam fatuitas That is Religion it self comes into reproach and the fear of God is accounted simplicity that I say not folly And before him Augustine describes the scoffs and frumps of luke-warm professors against the zeal of those that were fervent in spirit serving the Lord Quid insanis aiunt nimius est Nuncquid alii non sunt Christiani Ista stultitia est dementia est That is Why art thou mad say they your zeal is
too much What are none Christians but you That is folly it is fanatiquenesse And before his time long how were the ancient Christians in the Ten Persecutions 300 years after Christ traduced reproached Rev. 12. 10. Before that in the Apostles dayes Paul saith of himself and the rest we are fools for Christs sake c 1 Cor. 4. 10. and if we be besides our selves it is to God 2 Cor. 5. 13. Peter and John esteemed it a grace to be disgraced for Christ Acts 5. 41. Christ well knew how crosse to the natural affection of all men reproach and disgrace is therefore he to arme his disciples against it shews them the happinesse they should have by suffering reproaches and revilings for his sake and the Gospel Mat. 5. 11 12. and the woâ—â—â— issue of declining it Mar. 8. 28. Christ added as a motive to incourage his Disciples in suffering reproaches that so persecuted they the Prophets Mat. 5. 12. which of the Prophets escaped sharp tryals this way yea David himself though a King was despised by Michal for his zeal in bringing home the Ark and dancing before it with his head uncovered as one of the vain persons said she but David was so far from being discouraged thereby that his zeal was more inflamed and his resolution increased it was before the Lord said he which chose me before thy Father c. And I will be yet more vile then thus and will be base in mine own sight c. 2 Sam. 6. 21 22. I have spoken the more largely unto this because the present temptation of this time in the other afflictions of the Churches is the reproachful titles put upon the people of God whom prophane men call Phanaticks But if he is a fool that will be laughed out of his coat much mure is he a fool and a mad man that will suffer himself to be laughed out of heaven that will hazard the losse of his soul and salvation to free himself from the mocks and scoffs of a prophane and sinful World If Christ had not for our sakes endured the crosse despising the shame we could never have been redeemed and saved let us go forth therefore unto him without the Camp bearing his reproach Heb. 13. 13. In the same Epistle the Christian Hebrews are exhorted to call to remembrance the former dayes in which after they were illuminated they endured a great fight of afflictions partly whilest they were made a gazing stock both by reproaches and afflictions and partly whilest they became companions of them that were so used Heb. 10. 32 33. Let us do likewise and own the reproached and persecuted people and cause of Christ in suffering times With-hold not countenance entertainment protection from such if they come to us from other Countreys as from France or England or any other place Be not forgetful to entertain strangers for thereby some have entertained Angels unawares Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them and them which suffer adversity as being your selves also in the body Heb. 13. 2 3. the Lord required this of Moab saying Make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noon day i. e. provide safe and comfortable shelter and refreshment for my people in the heat of persecution and opposition raised against them hide the out-casts bewray not him that wandereth Let mine out-casts dwell with thee Moab be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler Isa 16. 3 4. Object But so I may expose my self to be spoiled or troubled He therefore to remove this objection addeth for the danger is at an end the spoiler ceaseth the treaders down are consumed out of the land While we are attending to our duty in owning and harbouring Christs witnesses God will be providing for their and our safety by destroying those that would destroy his people Two helps I shall propound to arm you against those fears of reproach or dangers whereby men are apt to be drawn to flinch from the cause and witnesses of Christ in suffering times 1. Strengthen your faith A sight of the invisible God and an eye to the recompence of reward so quickened and strengthened the faith of Moses that he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Aegypt Heb. 11. 25 26. And as faith will strengthen you hereunto so faith will be strengthened hereby in your prayers against being lead into temptation and left unto scandalous evils that might expose you to just reproach Therefore David having put up this request to God that none that wait on God and seek him should be ashamed or confounded for his sake urgeth this as an Argument to strengthen his faith Because for thy sake I have born reproach shame hath covered my face Psal 69. 5. 6 7. 2. Exalt God as the highest object of your fear Fear God as he ought to be feared fear him above all The greater fear will expel the lesser Therefore the Lord prescribes this fearing him aright as the best remedy against all carnal fears whereby men are wont to be hindred from obeying God in those duties that will expose men to hurt from the creature Isa 8. 12 13. and Chap. 51. 7 8 12 13. So doth Christ in Mat. 10. 28. The balking of any duty which God commandeth is the ready way to bring upon you by the wrath of God that very evil which you fear that the doing of your duty will expose you to by the wrath of men This was that Argument which the Prophet Jeremy used to Zedekiah in Jer. 38. 19 20 21 22 23. Because he fearing lest the Iews that were fallen to the Caldaeans should deliver him into their hand and they should mock him by disobeying the Commandement of God brought upon himself as a just punishment from the wrath of God the thing which he feared 2. The next thing to be shewn for your instruction is how they that are so qualified should exercise this hope in reference to the publick concernments of the Churches in this their low and afflicted condition For this purpose I shall propound two directions 1. See that you lay a sure foundation of this hope a firm ground-work for this hope to be built and exercised upon faith in God as his Churches portion is this ground-work Therefore let the eye of your faith through the glasse of the word look unto God in this case as Jehosaphat did in 2 Chron. 20. 12. We have no might against this great company that commeth against us neither know we what to do but our eyes are upon thee Look not so much with the eye of sense downward and round about you as with the eye of faith upward and into the scripture-promises There if the Lord open your eyes you shall see that more are with the Church and cause and people of God then can be