Two treatises the first of fear, from Isa. 8, v. 12, 13, and part…

5. Effect.

Carnal fear is the very root of Apostasy, it hath made thousands of professors to faint and fall away in the hour of temptation, it is not so much from the fury of our enemies without, as from our own fears within, that temptations become victorious over us; from the beginning of fears Christ dates the beginning apostasy, Matth. 24. 9, 10. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name sake, and then shall many be offended. When troubles and dangers come to an height then fears begin to work at an height too, and then is the critical hour; fears are high, and faith is low; temptation strong, and resistance weak. Satan knocks at the door, and fear opens it, and yields up the soul to him, except special aid and assistance come in seasonably from heaven, ⟨p. 58⟩so long as we can profess Religion without any great hazard of life, liberty, or estates, we may show much zeal and forwardness in the ways of godliness, but when it comes to the sharps, to resisting unto blood, few will be found to own and assert it openly in the face of such dangers. The first retreat is usually made from a free and open to a close and concealed practice of Religion; not opening our windows as Daniel did, to show we care not who knows we dare worship our God and are not ashamed of our duties, but hiding our principles and practices with all the art and care imaginable, reckoning it well if we can escape danger by letting fall our profession which might expose us to it: But if the inquest go on, and we cannot be secured any longer under this refuge, we must comply with false worship, and give some open signal that we do so, or else be marked out for ruin; then saith Fear, give a little more ground and retreat to the next security, which is to comply seemingly with that which we do not allow, hoping God will be merciful to us, and accept us if we keep our hearts for him, though we are forced thus to dissemble and hide our principles. Eamus ad communem errorem, said Calderinus, when going to the Mass, Let us go to the common error; and as Seneca adviseth about worshipping the Roman Gods, in animi religione non habeat, sed in actibus fingat, let us make a semblance and show of worshipping them, though our hearts give no Religious respect to them: