in that case he cry out, "If thou, Lord, mark iniquity; O Lord, who shall stand."

4. Sometimes they are struck with fear through the prevalency of indwelling sin, enmity, unbelief, ignorance, carnality, and the like; swarms of heart-lusts, like an impetuous torrent, break in upon them; in which case they fear lest they be carried away to the dishonour of God, the ruin of the soul, and the wounding of religion. This made David to cry, Psal. xix. 12, "Who can understand his errors?" Psal. lxv. 3, "Iniquities prevail against me," &c. Paul, Rom. vii. “ I am led captive unto the law of sin. Wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of sin and death?"

5. Sometimes their hearts are intimidated with the black clouds of desertion, that overcast their sky, and interrupt the sweet manifestations of the love of God. In that case, they are like the disciples on mount Tabor; when, after a sight of the glory of Christ, the cloud overshadowed them, then they were afraid: or like David, Psal. xxx. 7: "Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled;" immediately after he had been saying, "Lord, by thy favour my mountain stands strong, I shall never be moved."

6. Sometimes their hearts are intimidated with the noise of great waters, I mean, the shakings and reelings of this lower world. Sometimes providence hath such an awful aspect as if it were going about to shake heaven and earth; the mountains are removed, and cast into the midst of the sea, and the "waters thereof roar" and swell; the "mountains melt," and the "perpetual hills bow" at the presence of the Lord, when he appears in his terrible majesty. In such a case as this, the prophet Habakkuk, chap. iii. 16, cries out, “When I heard, my belly trembled: my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones." And David, Psal. cxix. 129, says, My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments."

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7. Sometimes they are afraid at the wrath of man, and the fury of the persecutor. Sometimes the Lord, for holy and wise ends, lets loose the seed of the serpent, the rage and fury of man, under the influence of natural enmity; and, in this case, they are ready to be stricken with a sinful and slavish fear, Is. li. 13: "Thou hast feared every day, because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy."

8. The dangerous situation of the church and cause of Christ is sometimes matter of fear to the saints of God. When the ark of God was in the open field, Eli's heart fell a trembling. When men are allowed to lift up their axes upon the carved work of the temple, when the "boar out of the wood," and the "wild beast of the forest are devouring" the

Lord's vineyard, and the "foxes spoiling the tender vines;" then, and in that case, the true children of Zion are ready to say with the church, Lam. i. 10, "The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things; for the Heathen have entered into her sanctuary, and her stones are poured out in the top of every street."

9. Sometimes we find them stricken with fear at the thoughts of the awful approach of death the king of terrors; as we see in the case of Hezekiah, when the sentence of death was passed upon him, Is. xxxviii. 10, &c., "I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years. I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. a crane or swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove; mine eyes fail with looking upward: O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me." Some are said to be held in bondage all their days through fear of death. Thus I have told you of some of these evils that are ready to intimidate the hearts of the Lord's people.

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II. The second thing is, to give some account of that faith which fortifies the soul against the fear of these evils. I do not design at present to insist upon the nature of faith, having not long ago insisted on this subject: only I offer you, 1. Some of its names. 2. Its ingredients. 3. Some of its con

comitants.

First, I offer a view of it in its scriptural names. Sometimes it is called a trusting in the Lord: "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee Though he should slay me, yet will. I trust in him." Sometimes it is called a looking to the Lord: "They looked unto him, and were lightened.-Look unto me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth. Let us run our race, looking unto Jesus." Sometimes a staying ourselves on the Lord: Is. xxvi. 3: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee," &c. Sometimes a casting of our burden on him: Psal. lv. 22: "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain thee." Sometimes it is called a fleeing to him as a refuge, as the manslayer fled to the city of refuge when pursued for his life: Psal. cxliii. 9: "Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee for help." Faith is a fleeing in under the wings of Christ's mediation and intercession, as the birds under the wings of the dam..

Secondly, I would give you some of the ingredients of that faith which fortifies the soul against the fear of evil.

1. Then, It has in it a knowledge and uptaking of a God in Christ, revealing himself as reconciled, and making over himself to us in a well ordered covenant: for it is only a God

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in Christ that can be the object of our faith and love; and they that thus know his name, will put their trust in him."

2. It has in it a firm and fixed persuasion of the truth and certainty of the whole revelation of his mind and will, in the word, and particularly of his promises, as yea and amen in Christ. Hence Abraham's faith (Rom. iv.) is described by a persuasion; he was "fully persuaded, that what he had promised, he was able also to perform." And it is said (Heb. xi. 13,) of the Old Testament worthies, who died in faith, "They saw the promises afar off, and were persuaded of them."

3. It has in it an application of the promises to the soul itself in particular; so that it not only looks on it as true in general, but true to me. The man finds the promise indefinitely endorsed to every man to whom it is intimate, Acts ii. 39. "The promise is unto you, and to your seed, and to all that are afar off," &c., attended with this declaration and promise, that "whoever believes sets to his seal that God is true:" and that "whosoever believeth, shall not perish :" therefore the man takes it home to himself in particular, as a security for all the grace that is contained in it, saying, "I believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ I shall be saved: God hath spoken in his holiness, I will rejoice:" and "In this will I be confident."

4. It has in it a persuasion of the power, love, and faithfulness of the Promiser. A persuasion of his power to do as he has said; as Abraham, Rom. iv. he was "persuaded that what he had promised, he was able also to perform." A persuasion of his love: "How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God!" &c. A persuasion of his veracity and faithfulness, that "he is not a man, that he should lie, neither the son of man, that he should repent."

5. It has in it a renouncing of all other refuges, as entirely insufficient to shelter the soul against those evils with which it is surrounded: Hos. xiv. 3: "Ashur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses; neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ye are our gods:" Jer. iii. 23: "In vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, or multitude of mountains."

6. An expectation of help and safety from a God in Christ, against all these evils that the man is pursued with: Psal. Ixii. 5, 6: "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be moved." Psal. cxlii. 4, 5: "I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me; refuge failed me; no man cared

for my soul. I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge, and my portion in the land of the living."

7. This faith has a leaving of ourselves and all our cares and concerns upon him, to be disposed of according to his will and pleasure. The man is content to take what lot God in his providence shall see fit to carve out for him: 1 Sam. xv. 25, 26: "The king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city if I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and show me both it, and his habi tation. But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee: behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him."

Thirdly, I will give you a few of the concomitants of this faith which guards the soul against intimidating fears in a time of danger.

1. Then, It is accompanied with a blessed quietness and tranquillity of soul, amidst all the dangers of a present, life. Hence says the Lord to his people, Is. xxx. 15: "In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." The man having run in under the wings of Shiloh, the perfections of a God in Christ, he cries with David, "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, makest me to dwell in safety," Psal. iv. last.

2. It is accompanied with a waiting upon the Lord, in a way of duty, for his gracious presence either in grace or providence: "He that believeth, does not make haste. The vision is for an appointed time; though it tarry, wait for it," &c. Mic. vii. 7: "I will look unto the Lord: I will wait for the God of my salvation," &c. Psal. cxxx: My soul waiteth for the Lord, like them that wait for the morning," &c..

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3. It is ever accompanied with prayer, earnest prayer, at a throne of grace. Faith having got the promise in its arms, runs straight to a throne of grace with it, to sue for the promised blessing, Psal. Ixii. 8: "Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him." Prayer is just the breath of faith; and to pray, and not to believe, is to beat the air; and to believe, and not to pray, is nothing but a presumptuous confidence, that will never bear a man through in the evil day.

4. It is accompanied with a holy obedience or regard to all God's commandments: Psal. cxix. 166: "I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments. Show me thy faith by thy works," Jam. ii. 18. Let us never pretend to believe the promise, if we do not keep his commandments: Psal. l. 16, 17: "Unto the wicked, God saith, What hast thou to do to take my covenant in thy mouth? seeing thou hatest instruction," &c.

5. It is frequently accompanied with a soul-ravishing joy

in the Lord: Is. xii. 2: "Behold, God is my salvation: I will trust and not be afraid:" and then it follows, "With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." Psal. Ixiv. 10: The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory." 1 Pet. i. 8:"Whom having not seen, we love; in whom, though now we see him not, yet believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory." Hab. iii. 17-19, &c. Thus I have given you some account of that faith that fortifies the heart against the fear of evil.

I shall now endeavour to prove, and make it evident, that faith does indeed inspire the soul with a holy boldness and courage, or that it is a noble antidote against these intimidating. evils that threaten danger. And this will appear from the following particulars. The courage of faith ap

pears,

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1. From that serenity wherewith it possesses the soul amidst these evils and dangers that threaten it with utter ruin: Psal. xxxii. 6, 7: "Surely in the floods of great waters, they shall not come nigh unto him. Thou art my hiding-place, thou shalt preserve me from trouble: thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance." Psal. xxvii. 3, 5: Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me, he shall set me up upon a rock." The man,, through faith, like Noah, sings in the very midst of the waves, without fear of being swallowed up.

2. The courage of faith appears in the hard work and service that it will adventure on when the Lord calls. O, says faith, when it hears God saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Here am I, send me: I can do all things through Christ strengthening me:" he has promised to bear my charges, and therefore "I will go in his strength," &c.

3. From the enemies and dangers that it will look in the face without being daunted. The three children, when the wrath of the king was like the roaring of a lion against them, threatening them with a burning fiery furnace seven times heated, their faith enabled them to a holy and indifferent boldness: We are not careful to answer thee, O king, in this matter: the God whom we serve will deliver us."

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4. The courage of faith appears in the bold and daring challenges that it can give to all enemies and accusers. Says Paul, Rom. viii. 32, 33, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?" The challenge is universal in respect of all accusers, in respect of all accusations, and in respect