Now, when God is pleased to send forth faithful witnesses of his truth, to awaken men out of their spiritual slumber, then is the devil most busy to second this security with the fear of man; one fearing this, another that, so that both together choak the truth of God in the heart. The best advice that can be given to a man in this case is, that he thoroughly search into his own condition, according to the tenour of the word of God, that he may not be deluded with vain hopes. By this means he may come to a full assurance of the state of his soul, and feel the Spirit of God witnessing with his spirit, that he is a child of God: but till he will thus search into the bottom of his heart, he cannot be freed from this fear. Nor will he be able to make a right use of any means at all that may be offered him: for without the power of the Holy Ghost, which till then he cannot have, a man will never get so far as to eye God only in all his actions; and till he does this, it is impossible he should discharge his duty without the fear of man. 2. As the want of self-denial is one of the chief causes of the fear of man, it will be absolutely necessary, in order to the subduing of it, to labour after a true self-denying frame of spirit: for as long as we fear the loss of our ease, or goods, or honour, or greatness in the world, so long we shall be loth, by a close following the steps of our Lord, to incur the displeasure of men; till therefore a man _renounceth himself, he cannot be his disciple_. But when once we seek no honour, but what cometh from God, nor any pleasure, but that of doing his will, we shall find it easy to confess the truth, with undauntedness, both in word and deed. Let him then, who will come after Christ, _deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow him_. And he that begins to be a proficient in this, will find the fear of man vanishing of itself: for why do we fear men? For no other reason, but because we are afraid of the cross. And why do we fear the cross? Because we understand not the infinite good that lies hid in it. Because we apprehend not, that, since the fall, whatever is really good, must spring up under the cross. 3. And that we may never be weary of bearing it, or faint in our minds, we should frequently and deeply meditate on the vanity, and even nothingness of this world, this idle dream, this vanishing shadow; on the nothingness of man himself, a worm, a vapour, a leaf driven by the wind; even in his best estate, _walking in a vain shew, and disquieting himself in vain_; on the glorious Majesty of the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth, and the unspeakable joys that are at his right-hand for evermore; on the several degrees of that glory, which shall be proportioned to our several degrees of obedience: and in particular, on the mighty rewards annext to the denial of ourselves, and chearful taking up our cross.