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their natural courage, and from fainting under his rebukes, as weak-hearted ones are liable to.

But the fear of God Or, (2.) Not to offer Chrift; for, fays the But the kindly hope attacks the awakened secure one. What

Laftly, They arm us on every hand against our adverfary the devil: James, iv. 7. "Submit yourfelves therefore to God; refift the devil, and he will flee from you." There are two things, one of which the devil drives at continually: Either, (1.) To go forward with all ease in the way of fin; for, says the liar, there is no hazard; and thus whole fhoals of finners go on to the pit. will repel this temptation. to return to God, or go to murderer, there is no hope. repels this. By this laft he finner, and by the former the ever be your cafe, then, get your fouls poffeffed of this kindly hope and holy fear. Beware of quitting either hope or fear. Are you at eafe, and your hope great? O balance it with fear, left, having too much. fail without ballast, ye suddenly be overcaft and overwhelmed. Are you in trouble, and your fears great? O buoy up your fouls with hope, left ye fink altogether. For motives, confider,

Which

1. The want of any of them makes you a prey to your grand enemy, 1 Peter, v. 8. « Be fober, be vigilant, for your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; whom refift ftedfaft in the faith." ever of the avenues of the foul ftand the enemy will enter by it; and once he get in, you not what havock he Are you fearless? he will have his fnares fitted for that cafe. Are you hopeless? be sure he will take his advantage of it.

may

open,

make there.

know

2. The fafety of the foul in this finful and enfnaring world depends on your entertaining both. The mariner may easier fail the ocean without VOL. I.

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his

his compafs, the blind man go over his heights and depths without his guide, than you go through this world without thefe; for the worst that can befal them is the death of the body, but your fouls will be ruined.

Laftly, The want of either is highly dishonourable to God. Is there a God in heaven, and will you not fear him? Has his Son died to purchase hope to finners? and has he declared in his word, that he would have you hope in and for his mercy, and will ye not do it? Mal. i. 6. "A fon honoureth his father, and a fervant his mafter: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a mafter, where is my fear? faith the Lord of hosts." By the want of fear, you declare you value greatnefs; and by the want of hope, that ye can put no truft in his word.- -I come now,

do not

IV. To fhew what is that pleasure which the Lord takes in fuch.

1. He approves them in fo doing. The Lord fays, Thou dideft well that it was in thine heart, though Satan may fuggeft it to be prefumption, Pfal. cxv. 11. "Ye that fear the Lord, truft in the Lord; he is their help and their shield." What God requires to be done, he will furely approve of when it is done; this he requires, and therefore will approve of it.

2. He accepts of them; he is well pleased with the perfons that do fo. The exercise of these graces is a piece of very acceptable service to God, which he takes off finners hands for Christ's fake, though it be attended with many imperfections. That unbelief which remains in the hearts of them that fear God, makes them fufpect they will be very unwelcome to hope for good at the Lord's

hand;

hand; but it is a mistake, for such exercise is very pleafing to the Lord.

3. The Lord delights in them that do fo. Their name may be Hephzibah, for the Lord de lighteth in them, as a father does in his child, who both fears him, and hopes for good at his hand.

(1.) The Lord delights in their perfons. Jer. xxxi. 20. "Is Ephraim my dear fon? is he a pleasant child? for fince I fpake against him, I do earnestly remember him ftill, therefore my bowels are troubled for him: I will furely have mercy upon him, faith the Lord." They are accepted in the beloved; their fear carrying them to Christ, and their hope fixing them upon him as the storehouse of all bleffings. Being covered with imputed righteoufnefs, they are all fair and lovely in the eyes of the Lord, there is no fpot in them, Song, iv. 7.

(2.) He delights in their graces. Song, iv. 16. "Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits." Holy fear and hope are the fruits of his own Spirit in the fouls of his people, that grow up there as in a garden, being watered with the dew of heaven. They are leading graces, which bring along with them a train of others, all tending to promote holiness in heart and life.

(3.) In their duties. Prov. xv. 8. "The prayer of the upright is his delight." Where the fear of the Lord has place, the duties of religion will get room; the foul will be afraid of neglecting to pay. its due homage unto the Lord; and hope being joined thereto, will bring them to the Lord with expectation of good at his hand; and this is the Lord's delight.

(4.) In their company. Song, v. 1. «I have come into my garden, my fifter, my fpoufe." He

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loves

loves to have them near him, hanging about his hand, converfing with him, receiving his word from his mouth, and making their requests known to him: Song ii. 14. "Let me fee (fays he) thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for fweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely." The mighty God, who has his higher house in heaven, has the contrite fpirit for his lower houfe.} fhall now proceed,

V. To confirm the doctrine of the text, or fhew, that the Lord taketh pleasure in those, whatever cafe they be in, who entertain a holy fear of him, with a kindly hope in his mercy.-For this purpose, confider,

1. This is anfwerable and agreeable to the revelation of God's mind in his word, what he has made known of himself both in the law and in

the gofpel. The fear of God is the great purpose of the law, hope for his mercy through Chrift is the great purpose of the gofpel. The law was given in fuch an awful manner, as might fill finners with the dread of the great Lawgiver; the gofpel brings in the bleffed hope to loft finners, fo that this fear and hope, answering the defign of both, cannot mifs of being very pleasing to God.

2. It glorifies God in his glorious perfections, difcovered to us in the face of Jesus Christ. The great end of the gofpel-contrivance is, to fhew the glory of God in Chrift as in a glass: 2 Cor. iv. 6. "For God, who commanded the light to fhine out of darkness, hath fhined in our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrift." Now, the entertaining of these two, fear and hope, doth at once give him the glory of all thefe. Holy fear gives him the glory of his awful majefty, inflexible juftice, infi nite power and holiness; kindly hope gives him the

glory

glory of his free grace, mercy, love, and goodnefs and the joining of these two together gives him the glory of his infinite wifdom, that hath found out the way to give vent to both in the finner's cafe.

3. It is agreeable to the Spirit's work of grace on the foul, whereby the finner is first cast down, and then lifted up. The Spirit of God coming to the elect foul, finds it fecure, carelefs, and prefumptuous, thinking itself " rich and increased in goods, and ftanding in need of nothing," Rev. iii. 17. The fpirit then discovers what a God, and what a law, the finner has to do with, and fo works. this holy fear in the heart. When the foul is awakened, it is ready to defpond; and the Spirit, by the doctrines of the gofpel, works this hope. Thus the finner comes and cleaves to Christ.

Laftly, The Lord is very gracious unto fuch. They are entertained with fome off-fallings while they hang about his hand in the ordinances and duties of religion: Pfal. Ixv. 4. "We shall be fatisfied with the goodness of thy houfe, even of thy holy temple." Yea, they are filled as with marrow and fatnefs; God makes known his fecrets to them, even the fecrets of his covenant : Pfal. xxv. 14. “The fecret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will fhew them his covenant." He fhews them alfo the fecrets of his word: Luke, xxiv. 32. " And they faid one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the fcriptures ?" Alfo the fecrets of his works, and the difpenfations of his providence. And at length they fhall be admitted to the full fruition of him in a better world; they fhall enter into the joy of their Lord, and be for ever with him.

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