CHAPTER XV.

Concerning false Fears.

THE second head to which I reduced impediments to true peace, is false fear; for if you doubt, fear, or despair of your estate, without cause, it will much disturb and hinder your peace.

I. Of needful holy Fear.

There is a holy fear and despair wrought in man, when God first convinceth his heart and conscience of sin; whereupon, through sense of God's wrath and heavy displeasure, together with a sense of his own disability in himself to satisfy and appease God's wrath, he is in great preplexity; being out of all hopes to obtain God's favour, or to escape the vengeance of hell by any thing which he of himself can do or procure. This is wrought more or less in every man of years before conversion, as in those which were pricked to the heart at St. Peter's sermon, and in St. Paul himself, and in the jailor. This is a good necessary fear, serving to prepare a man for his conversion. For in God's order of working, he first sendeth the spirit of bondage to fear, before he sendeth the spirit of adoption to enable a man to cry, Abba, Father. This fear, and trouble of conscience arising from it, is good; and maketh way to true peace.

Moreover, after that a man is converted, though

he have no cause to fear damnation; yet he hath much matter of fear, for as much as he is yet subject to many evils both of sin and pain; as, lest he offend God, and cause his angry countenance, and his judgments; also, lest he should fall back from some degrees of grace received, and lest he fall into some dangerous sin, and so lose his evidence of heaven, and comforts of the Spirit. Wherefore we are commanded to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling," and to pass the whole time of our sojourning here in fear.

This fear, while it keepeth due measure, causeth a man to be circumspect and watchful lest he fall; it exciteth him to repent, and quickeneth him to ask pardon and grace to recover, when he is fallen; yea, is an excellent means to prevent trouble, and to procure peace of conscience. But the fear of which I

am to speak, and which, because it disturbeth true. peace, is to be removed, is a groundless and causeless fear that a man is not in a state of grace, although he hath yielded himself to Christ, by true faith and conversion: and hath not only given good hope to others, but, if he would see it, hath cause to conceive good hope that he is indeed in a state of grace.

II. Of causeless Fear, and the Springs thereof.

This fear may arise either from natural distempers, Satan joining with them; or from spiritual temptations, arising from causeless doubts.

I. Of fears which arise from natural distempers.
By natural distempers, I mean a disposition to

frenzy or melancholy, in which states of body the spirits are corrupted through superabundance of choler and melancholy, whereby first the brain, where all notions of things are framed, is distempered, and the power of imagination corrupted, whence arise strange fancies, doubts, and fearful thoughts. Then, secondly, by reason of the intercourse of the spirits between the head and the heart, the heart is distempered and filled with grief, despair, and horror, through manifold fears of danger, yea, of damnation; especially when Satan concurs with those humours, which as he easily can, so he readily will do, if God permit.

Where there is trouble of this sort, it usually bringeth forth strange and violent effects, both in body and mind, and that in him who is regenerate, as well as in him that is unregenerate. Yea, so far,

that (which is fearful to think) even those who, when they were fully themselves, did truly fear God, have, in the fits of their distemper, through impotency of their use of reason, and through the devil's forcible instigation, had thoughts, and attempts of laying violent hands upon themselves and others, and when they have not well known what they have done or said, have been heard to break out into oaths, cursing, and other evil speeches, who were never heard to do the like before.

These troubles may be known from true trouble of conscience, by the strangeness, unreasonableness, and senselessness of their conceits in other things; as to think they have no heart, and to say they cannot do that which indeed they do, and a thousand other odd conceits, which standers-by see to be most

false. Whereby any man may see that the root of this disturbance is in the fancy, and not in the heart.

Their

Although, both the regenerate and unregenerate, according as they are in a like degree distempered, are in most things alike; yet in this they differ; some beams of holiness will glance forth now and then in the regenerate, which do not in the unregenerate, especially in the intermissions of their fits. desires will be found to be different, and if they both recover, the one returneth to his usual course of holiness with increase: the other, except God work with the affliction to conversion, continueth in his accustomed wickedness. It pleaseth God, that for the most part his own children who are thus distempered, have the strength of their melancholy worn out and subdued before they die, at which time they have some sense of God's favour to their comfort; but if their disease continue, it is possible they may die lunatics, and, if you judge by their speeches, despairing, which is not to be imputed to them, but to their disease, or to Satan working by the disease; if they gave good testimony of holiness in former times.

When these troubles are merely from bodily distempers, though they be not troubles of conscience, yet they make a man incapable of the sense of peace of conscience. Therefore, whosoever would enjoy the benefit of the peace of his conscience, must do what in him lieth, to prevent or remove these distempers. And because they grow for the most part from natural causes, therefore, natural as well as spiritual remedies must be used.

1. Take heed of all such things as feed those

humours of choler and melancholy, which must be learned of experienced men, and of skilful physicians, and, when need is, take physic.

2. Avoid all unnecessary solitude, and, as much as may be, keep company with such as truly fear God, especially with those who are wise, full of cheerfulness and joy in the Lord.

3. Forbear all such things as stir up these humours; as, over much study, and musing too much upon any thing, likewise all sudden and violent passions of anger, immoderate grief, &c.

4. Shun idleness, and, according to strength and means, be fully employed in some lawful business.

5. Out of the fit, the party thus affected must not oppress his heart with fear of falling into it again, any otherwise than to quicken him to prayer, and to cause him to cast himself upon God.

6. Out of the fits (and in them also, if the party distempered be capable) spiritual counsel is to be given out of God's word, wisely, according as the party is fit for it, whether to humble him, if he hath not been sufficiently humbled, or to build him up and comfort him, if he be already humbled.

7. Lastly, Remember always that when the troubled person is himself, that he be moved to prayer, and that others then pray much with him, and at all times pray much for him.

When these troubles are mixed, coming partly from natural distemper, and partly from spiritual temptation: then the remedy must be mixed of helps natural and spiritual. What the natural helps are, hath been shown, also what the spiritual in general, and shall be shown more particularly, in removing false fears arising from spiritual temptations.