Obs. III. Fear is the proper object of gospel comminations, which ought to be answerable to our several conditions, and grounds of obnoxiousness unto those threatenings.-This is that which the apostle presseth us unto, on the consideration of the severity of God against unbelievers, peremptorily excluding them out of his rest, after they had rejected the promise. "Let us, "saith he, "fear therefore." What fear it is, that in respect unto believers is here intended, hath been declared. We shall now inquire how far, and wherein the minds of men ought to be influenced with fear from gospel threatenings, and of what use that is in our walking with God..

For there is, as was said, a threatening included in the example of God's severity towards unbelievers, before insisted on. And unto that the apostle hath a retrospect in this exhortation; as well as he hath also a regard to the present promise, whose consideration ought to have the same influence on the minds of men, as shall be declared.

Gospel threatenings are distinguished first with respect to their objects, or those against whom they are denounced, or to whom they are declared, and with respect to their own nature, or the subject-matter of them. Of the persons intended in them there are three sorts. First, Such as are yet open or professed unbelievers. Secondly, Such as make profession of the faith, profess themselves to believe, but indeed do not so in a due and saving manner; who also admit of many respective considerations. Thirdly, True believers.

For the subject-matter of them they may be referred unto these two general heads. First, Such threatenings as express displeasure to be exercised in temporary things. Secondly, Such as denounce everlasting wrath and punishment. According to this distribution, we may consider what is and ought to be their influence on the minds of men, with respect unto the fear which we inquire about.

First, Some gospel comminations respect, first, properly and directly, professed unbelievers, as such, and so continuing. As the sum of all promises is enwrapped in those words, " He that believeth shall be saved," Mark xvi. 16. so the sum of all these threatenings, is in those that follow: "He that believeth not shall be damned." A similar summary of gospel promises and threatenings we have, John iii. 36. "He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." And threatenings of this nature are frequently scattered up and down in the New Testament; sce Rom. ii. 8, 9. 2 Thess. i. 6-10. 1 Pet. iv. 17, 18. And these threatenings may be so far called evangelical, in as much as they are proper to the gospel, and distinct from all the threatenings of the law.

The law knows no more of gospel threatenings than of gospel promises. The threatenings of the law lie against sinners, for sins committed; the threatenings of the gospel are against sinners, for refusing the remedy provided and tendered unto them. They are superadded unto those of the law, and in them doth the gospel, when rejected, become death unto death, 2 Cor. ii. 18. by the addition of that punishment contained in its threatenings, unto that which was contained in the threatenings of the law. Now, the end of these threatenings, First, On the part of Christ, the Author of the gospel, is the manifestation of his power and authority over all flesh, with his holiness, majesty and glory, 2 Thess. i. 6-10. Secondly, On the part of the gospel itself. 1. A declaration of the necessity of believ ing. 2. Of the worth and excellency of the things proposed to be believed. 3. Of the price and esteem which God puts upon the acceptance or refusal of them; and in all, the certain and infallible connexion that is between unbelief and eternal destruction. 4. The vindication of it from contempt, 2 Cor. x. 6. Thirdly, On the part of unbelievers, to whom they are denounced, the end and design of them is to ingenerate fear in them. 1. A fear of dread and terror, with respect unto the authority and majesty of Christ their author. 2. A fear of anxiety, with respect unto their present state and condition. 3. A fear of the punishment itself to be inflicted on thent. And these things do well deserve a more full handling, but that they are not here directly intended.

Secondly, Gospel-threatenings may be considered with respect unto all sorts of unsound and temporary believers. For besides that this sort of persons continuing such, do and will finally fall under the general threatenings against unbelief and unbelievers, there are peculiarly two sorts of threatenings in the gospel that lie against them.

1. Such as respect their present, and, 2. Such as respect their future condition. Of the first sort are those severe intimations of anger and displeasure, which our Lord Jesus Christ gave out unto sundry members of the churches in the Revelation, notwithstanding the profession that they made. He discovers their hypocrisy and falseness, under all their pretences; and threatens to cut them off, if they repent not, chap. ii. 16. 20-22. chap. iii. 3. 15-18. And this duty is always incumbent on thein, to whom the dispensation of the gospel is committed; namely, to declare these threatenings unto all that may be found in their condition. For not only may they justly suppose that such there are, and always will be, in all churches, but also many do continually declare and evidence themselves to be in no better state. And the disco

very hereof unto them by the word, is a great part of our mi nisterial duty.

2. There are such as respect their future condition, or threatenings of eternal wrath and indignation, with especial regard unto that apostasy whereunto they are liable. It is manifest that there are such comminations denounced against deserters, apostates, such as forsake the profession which they have made, which we shall have occasion to speak unto in our progress, for they abound in this epistle. Now these in the first place respect these unsound professors of whom we speak. And this for two ends. First, to deter them from a desertion of that profession wherein they are engaged, and of that light where unto they have attained. For although that light and profession would not by and of themselves eternally save them; yet, 1. They lie in order thereunto, and engage them into the use of those means which may ingenerate that faith and grace, which will produce that effect. 2. The deserting of them casts thent both meritoriously and irrecoverably into destruction. Secondly, To stir them up unto a consideration of the true state and condition wherein at present they are. Men may as well fail in their profession, or come short of that grace which they own, Heb. xii. 15. as fall from that profession which they have made. And these threatenings are denounced against the one miscarriage as well as the other.

The general end of these gospel comminations with respect unto these unsound professors, is tear. Because of them, they ought to fear. And that, 1. With a fear of jealousy as to their present condition. The consideration of the terror of the Lord declared in them ought to put them on a trembling disquisition into their state, and what their expectations may be. 2. A fear of dread as to the punishment itself threatened, so far as they fall under conviction of their being obnoxious there

unto.

Thirdly, Gospel threatenings may be considered as they respect believers themselves, and in that sense we may consider what respect they have unto God, and what unto believers, with what is the proper effect of them designed of God to be accomplished in their spirits.

There is a difference between promises and threatenings of the gospel. For the promises of God are declarative of his purposes unto all believers that are "called according to his purpose," Rom. viii. 28-31. The threatenings are not so to all unbelievers, much less to believers. But they are means to work the one sort from their unbelief, and to confirm the other in their faith. Only they are declarative of God's purposes towards them who have contracted the guilt of the unpardonable sin; and declare the event as to all finally impenitent sinners.. First, They have a respect unto the nature of God and are

declarative of his condemning, hating, forbidding that sin which the threatening is denounced against. It is an effectual way to manifest God's detestation of any sin, to declare the punishment that it doth deserve, and which the law doth appoint un to it, Rom. i. 32.

Secondly, They have respect unto the will of God, and declare the connection that is by God's institution, between the sin prohibited and the punishment threatenened. As in that word,"He that believeth not shall be damned." God by it declares the infallible connection that there is by virtue of his constitution, between infidelity and damnation. Wherever the one is final, the other shall be inevitable. And in this sense they belong properly to believers; that is, they are to be declared and preached unto them, or pressed upon their consciences: for,

First, They are annexed to the dispensation of the covenant of grace, as an instituted means to render it effectual, and to accomplish the ends of it. The covenant of works was given out or declared in a threatening; "The day that thou ea test, thou shalt die;" but in that threatening, a promise was includ ed of life upon obedience. And the covenant of grace is principally revealed in a word of promise; but in that promise threatening is included, in the sense, and to the purposes before mentioned. And as we have shewed before, these threatenings are variously expressed in the gospel. And they are of two sorts;

1. Those threatenings, the matter of which in the event hath no absolute inconsistency with the nature and grace of the covenant. Such are all the intimations of God's severity to be exercised towards his own children, in afflictions, chastisements, trials and desertions. For although these things and the like, in respect of their principle and end, belong unto love and grace, and so may be promised also, yet in respect of their matter, being grievous and not joyous; afflictive to the inward and outward man, such as we may and ought to pray to be kept or delivered from, they are proposed in the threatenings annexed to the dispensation of the covenant. See Psal. lxxxix. 30-33. Rev. ii. and iii. And this sort of threatenings is universally and absolutely annexed to the dispensation of the covenant of grace; both as to the manner of this giving, and the matter or event of them. And that because they are every way consistent with the grace, love and kindness of that covenant, and do in the appointment of God, tend to the furtherance of the obedience required therein.

2. Such, as in respect of the event are inconsistent with the covenant or the faithfulness of God therein; as the comminations of eternal rejection upon unbelief or apostasy, which are

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many. Now these also belong to the dispensation of the covenant of grace, so far as they are declarative of the displeasure of God against sin, and of his annexing punishment unto it; which declaration is designed of God, and sanctified for one means of our avoiding both the one and the other. And whatever is sanctified of God for a means of deliverance from sin or punishment, belongs to the dispensation of the covenant of grace.

Secondly, This denouncing of threatenings unto believers, is suited unto their good and advantage in the state and condition wherein they are in this world. For believers are subject to sloth and security, to wax dead, dull, cold and formal in their course: these and many other evils are they liable and obnoxious unto whilst they are in flesh. To awake them, warn them, and excite them unto a renewal of their obedience, doth God set before them the threatenings mentioned. See Rev. ii. and iii.

Thirdly, The proper effect of these threatenings in the souls of believers, whereby the end aimed at in them is attained and produced, is fear. "Let us therefore fear." Now, what that fear is, and therein what is the especial duty that we are exhorted unto, may briefly be manifested from what hath been already laid down.

First, It is not an anxious, doubting, solicitous fear about the punishment threatened, grounded on a supposition that the person fearing shall be overtaken with it; that is, it is not an abiding perplexing fear of hell-fire that is intended. We are commanded indeed " to fear him who can cast both body and soul into hell," Luke xii. 4, 5. But the object assigned unto our fear is God himself, his severity, his holiness, his power, and not the punishment of hell itself. It is granted that this fear with a bondage-frame of spirit thereon, doth and will often befal believers. Some deserve by their negligence, slothfulness, unfruitful walking and sinful ways, that it should be no better with them. And others also walking in their sincerity, yet by reason of the weakness of their faith, and on many other accounts, are oft-times detained in such a bondage state and condition, as to fear with dread and terror all the day long. This, therefore, is oft-times a consequent of some of God's dispensations towards us, or of our own sins; but it is not any where prescribed unto us as our duty; nor is the ingenerating of it in us, the design of any of the threatenings of God. For,

1. This is contrary unto the end of all other ordinances of God: which are appointed to enlighten, strengthen and comfort the souls of believers; to bring them to constant, solid, abiding peace and consolation. It cannot be, therefore, that at the same time God should require that as a duty at their hands,