OF THE FEAR OF GOD.

THE whole of religion, experimental and practical religion, lies in these two things, to fear God and keep his com mandmemts, Eccl. xii. 13. God is to be served with reverence and godly fear, Heb. xii. 28. concerning which may be observed,

I. The object of fear, not the creature, but God. There is a fear due to men, fear to whom fear; to parents from their children, Eph. vi. 1. 2. from wives to their husbands, 1 Pet. iii. 5, 6, and a fear and reverence which servants should show to their masters, Eph. vi. 6. there is a fear and reverence which ministers of the word should be had in by those to whom they minister, 1 Sam. xii. 18. and a fear to be rendered to magistrates, Rom. xiii. 7. and if earthly magistrates and masters are to be feared and reverenced, much more the King of kings and Lord of lords.

But then men are not so to be feared as to be deterred by them from the service of God, Matt. x. 28. if God is on the side of his people, as he most certainly is, they have no reason to fear what man can do unto them. 1. God only is the object of fear, Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God: because he is so much the object of the fear of good men, he is called fear itself; the fear of Isaac is used for the God of Isaac, Gen. xxxi. 42. By the Lacedemonians Fear was worshipped as a deity, and had a temple for it, as Pavor and Pallor, fearfulness and paleness, were by Tullus Hostilius among the Romans; but none but the true God is the object of fear. 11. He is to be feared because of his name and nature; that thou mayest fear this fearful and glorious name, The Lord thy God, Psal. cxii. 9. when at every turn men are apt to say, O Lord O God! good God! &c. it is no other than taking the name of God in vain. 111. God not only essentially but personally considered is to be feared, God, Father, Son, and Spirit; it issaid of the Jews in the later day, that they shall seek the Lord their God, and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter

days, Hos. iii. 5. Jehovah the Son is also the object of divine reverence, Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread; and Jehovah the Spirit also; the Israelites in the wilderness rebelled against him, and he turned to be their enemy, Isai. Ixiii. 10. IV. God, in his perfections, and because of them, is the object of fear; as his majesty and greatness in general; particularly his omnipotence, his omniscience, his omnipresence, to which may be added, his justice and holiness, at whose wrath the nations tremble, and are not able to bear his indignation. v. The works of God make him appear to be a proper object of fear and reverence; his works of creation, the Psalmist on mention of them says, Psal. xxxiii. 5-8. Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him; Fear ye not me, saith the Lord? will ye not tremble at my presence? which hath placed the sand for the bound of the sea; at the same time the stupidity of the people is observed, Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God that giveth rain, &c. Jer. v. 22, 24. v1. The judgments of God which he threatens, and inflicts, render him an object of fear says David, My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments, Psal..cxix. 120. see Isai. ii. 19, 21.

II. The nature and kind of fear. There is a fear which is not good nor commendable, and it is of different sorts; there is an idolatrous and superstitious fear, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. There is an external fear of God as in the men of Samaria, who pretended to fear the Lord, as the priest instructed them, and yet served their own gods; There is an hypocritical fear, which Satan insinuated was Job's case, Doth Fob fear God for nought? Job i. 9. And there is a servile fear, a spirit of bondage to fear, this arises, 1. From a sense of sin, and the guilt of it on the conscience, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, &c. 2. From the law entering the conscience of a sinner; persons in such a condition would be glad of rocks and mountains to fall on them. 3. From the curse of the law, and the weight of it on the conscience. Its language is, Cursed is every one that continueth

not in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them, Gal. iii. 10. 4. From a view of death as the demerit of sin; The wages of sin is death, the just desert of it. 5. From a dread of hell and everlasting damnation.

But there is a fear of God different from this and opposite to it, and may be called a filial fear, such as that of a son to a father; the scriptures called it godly fear, Heb. xii. 28. Now this arises, 1. From the spirit of adoption; Ye have not received, says the apostle, the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 2. From the love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Spirit, which produces love to God again; there. is no fear, no slavish fear, in love. 3. This filial fear is attended with faith and trust in God; it is a fiducial fear, Psal. xxxi. 19. and cxv. 11. Job was a man that feared God, and yet he could say, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. 4. It is a fear that is consistent with great joy in the Lord; Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling, Psalm ii. 11. 5. Such a fear is opposed to pride and selfconfidence; Be not high minded, but fear, Rom. xi. 20.

III. Wherein the fear of God appears, and by what it is manifested. 1. In an hatred of sin; The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, Prov. viii. 13. 2. It shews itself by departing from it; By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil, Prov. xvi. 6. 3. The fear of God appears in men in not allowing themselves to do what others do; So did not I, because of the fear of God, Neh. v. 15. Not that such who fear God are without sin; Job feared God but was not free from sin; but they cannot give themselves that liberty to sin that others do. 4. The fear of God manifests itself by a carefulness not to offend God nor man; to put no stumbling block before any, but fear the Lord; for to do otherwise would be contrary to it, Lev. xix. 14. 5. The fear of God in men is seen by a constant attendance on the worship of God; and, 6. By their withholding nothing from God, though ever so dear unto them, whenever he requires it of them; so Abraham received this testimony, Now know I that thou fearest God, Gen. xxii. 12.

IV. The springs and causes of the fear of God, or from whence it flows. 1. It is not from nature; of the wicked David says, There is no fear of God before his eyes, Psalm xxxvi. 1. 2. It arises from the grace of God, it is a gift and grant of grace; that there were such an heart in them that they would fear me, or who will give such an heart? Deut. v. 29. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for ever, Jer. xxxii. 39, 40. 3. It is implanted in the heart in regeneration. 4. The word and prayer are the means of attaining it, Psalm xxxiv. 11. and, 5. It is encouraged, promoted, and increased by the fresh discoveries of the grace and goodness of God, They shall fear the Lord and his good. ness; There is forgiveness with thee thou mayest be feared, Psalm cxxx. 4.

V. The happines of those that fear the Lord. I. With respect to things temporal. 1. It is promised they shall have no want, not of temporal good things, O fear the Lord, ye his saints, for their is no want to them that fear him, Psal. xxxiv. 9, 10. 2. Though they may have but little of the good things of this world, yet better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasures and trouble therewith. 3. Even wealth and riches are promised to be in the house of that man that fears the Lord, Psal. cxii. 1. 3. Prov. xxii. 4. which can only be understood of some, since the fear of the Lord itself is the good man's treasure, Isai. xxxiii. 6. 4. It is said that the man that fears the Lord shall eat of the labour of his hands; he shall not only be happy in his person, but in his family; his wife shall be as a fruitful vine, and his children as olive plants round about his table. 5. They that fear the Lord are in the utmost safety; the angel of the Lord encamps round about them, Psal. xxxiv. 7. 6. The fear of the Lord prolongeth days. 11. With respect to things spiritual. 1. The Lord is said to take pleasure in them that fear him, Psal. cxlvii. 11. 2. They are accepted of him, and are acceptable to him, Acts x. 34, 35. 3. The heart of God is towards them; Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him, Psal. ciii. 13. 4. The eye of the Lord is upon them for good;

The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, Psal. cxxxiii. 18. 5. His hand is ready and open to communicate to them; he gives them his grace, and at last gives them glory. 6. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; the secrets of of his heart's love: he uses them as his most intimate bosom friends. 7. They are remembered by him with the favour he bears to his own people; a book of remembrance is said to be written before him for them, Mal. iii. 16. 8. It is promised to them that fear the name of the Lord, that unto them the Sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings. 9. Salvation, a fresh view of interest in it, is nigh them that fear the Lord, Psal. lxxxv. 9. 10. Great and good things are laid up for such persons in the heart of God, O how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, Psal.

Xxxi. 19.

OF FAITH IN GOD AND IN CHRIST.

CONCERNING which may be observed,

I. The kind of faith to be treated of; for faith is a word of a different use and signification. 1. It sometimes signifies the veracity of God; as when the apostle says, Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect, Rom. iii. 3, 4. sometimes veracity among men, Matt. xxiii. 28. 2. It is sometimes used for the doctrine of the gospel, the word of faith, Gal. i. 23. 3. There is a divine and an human faith; a divine faith proceeds upon a divine testimony; an human faith proceeds upon the testimony of man, 1 John v. 9. 4. There is a faith of miracles, which proceeds upon a revelation some way or other made by God to a man, which he believes; either that a miracle should be wrought by him, or should be wrought for him; of the former sort; see Mark xi. 22, 23. 1 Cor. xiii. 2. of the latter; see Matt. x. 1. Mark xvi. 17—20, 5. There is what is called an historical faith; it may be called a theoret. ic faith, a speculative one, receiving all things in the theory, but reducing nothing to practice. 6. There is also a tempora ry faith; the stony ground hearers for a while believe, and in