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THE SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED.

SERMON VIII.

PSAL. cxlvii. 11. The Lord taketh pleasure in those that fear him, in thofe that hope in his mercy.

gone through the doctrinal part, it only remains, that, in the

VI. AND laft place, I make a practical improvement of the whole; in doing which, I propose to enlarge at confiderable length, by adverting to the different parts of this fubject.-I begin,

I. WITH an use of information. It informs us, 1. That God in Chrift is full of good-will to poor finners. Since he will have them thus to depend upon him as children on a father, fearing and hoping in him; he it is who will have all men to be faved, and come to the knowledge of the truth, 1 Tim. ii. 4. Is not this a plain proof that he hath no pleasure in the death of him that dieth? Eccl. xviii. 13. and that their ruin is of themfelves, if they should perish; that he does not caft them off that hang by him, nor caft them out that come unto him, John, vi. 37.

2. That however profperous and favourable our cafe be, we have ground to keep up a holy

fear

fear upon our fpirits: "Happy is the man that feareth alway," Prov. xxviii. 14. Whether it be that our outward ftate in the world, or our fpiritual ftate, be peaceful, eafy, and profperous, ftill there is ground to fear, for we are in hazard of offending God in it. There is no way fo plain. and even, but we may stumble in it. Outward profperity ruins many: «The profperity of fools fhall destroy them," Prov. i. 31. And even in a profperous state of the foul, there is no fafety in being fecure and careless, for in the managing of that we are apt to offend: 2 Cor. xii. 7. "Left I fhould be exalted above measure, through the abundance of the revelations, there was given unto me a thorn in the flesh, the meffenger of Satan to buffet me, left I should be exalted above meafure." No paradife on earth but the ferpent may be found there; and if one were rapt up to the third heavens, like Paul, they will bring back with them a corrupt heart, ready to give them a flip, or lead them aftray. We are in danger of a heavy turn and fad change in our condition, we are "to ferve God with fear, and rejoice with trembling," Pfal. ii. II. See how quickly David's profperity was changed: Pfal. xxx. 7. "Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled." Job's condition, both temporal and spiritual, how fuddenly was it changed? Sovereignty lifts up and cafts down, and the anger of a jealous God may foon be stirred, so as to make a mighty overturn in one's condition; therefore we should not be "high-minded, but fear," Rom. xi. 20.

3. It informs us, that however low one's cafe be, there is still room for hope while here; therefore we should always entertain a kindly hope: Pfal. xliii. 5. "Why art thou caft down, O my foul? why art thou difquieted in me? Hope in

God,

God, for I fhall yet praife him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." One may be at his wits end with his difficulties, knowing of no outgate, but yet he may have ground of faith and hope, becaufe-fo great things have been done by our merciful God, as to raife us up. He made a world out of nothing, he has raifed the dead, and particularly Chrift, while the whole ele&t's fins lay as a grave-ftone on him. What, then, hinders him to do a great work for us, when he has done a greater? In him we may truft that he will yet deliver us, 2 Cor. i. 10. Whatever our cafe be, we are not the firft that have been in it, and delivered too in God's own way. Pfal. xxii. 4. "Our fathers trusted in thee, and thou didst deliver them." People are apt to fay, Never one was in fuch cafe as theirs. But, "is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time which was before us," Eccl. i. 10.; and fuppofe it were new, yet faith and hope in God are not in vain; for he has a new cure for a new cafe, Ifa. xliii. 18. 19. Whatever our cafe be, can it be worfe than a loft cafe? Luke xix. 10. "The Son of man came to feek and fave that which is loft." Can it be. worfe than a felf-deftroying cafe? Hof. xiii. 9. "O Ifrael, thou haft destroyed thyfelf, but in me is thine help." Can it be worse than a cafe in itself quite hopeless, even as dry bones? Ezek. xxxvii. 11. 12. but even by the Spirit of the Lord these bones can be made alive.—It is not beyond the reach of the power of God. Gen. xviii. 14. "Is any thing too hard for the Lord ?" who can be fo low, as that the everlasting arms cannot raise up with God nothing is impoffible. A word from heaven can make all things take a happy turn, for faying and doing are but one

thing with God. God fays to the finner, Believest thou that I can do these things? If thou doft, there is a ground of kindly hope.-In, a word, the covenant of promife reaches to, and includes mercy of all kinds, neceffary to make us happy; fo that we have not only God's power, but his will, to give us mercy in all cafes held out to us in the word, if fo be we will take his way of faith and hope.-From this fubje&t there is,

II. AN ufe of exhortation, in feveral branches. .. Fear the Lord; get and entertain a holy fear of God in your fpirits. The profane and licen tious lives of fome, the carnal and loose hearts of others, proclaim a general want of this, Pfal. xxxvi. 1. “The tranfgreffion of the wicked faith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes." But all fear of God is not a holy fear pleafing to God. There is a fervile fear, and a filial fear. Not to the former, but to the latter, I exhort you.

Herewith some various difficulties and inquiries may arise, which we shall endeavour to answer, fuch as,

1. When is the fear of God only flavish? In answer to this, take the following Observations : The fear of God is only flavish,

(1.) When it arifeth only from the confideration of God's wrath as a just Judge. This fear of God is to be found in the unconverted; they have the fpirit of bondage again to fear, Rom. viii. 15.; yea, in the devils, they believe and tremble, Jam. ii. 19.; and if the confcience once be awakened, though the heart be not fanctified, this fear cannot mifs to take place. It is a natural paffion flowing from felf-love and a fight of danger, which is fo much the more vehement, in propor

but be

tion as the danger apprehended is greater or fmaller, nearer or more distant. One under this fear, fears God the flave fears his master, because of the whip, which he is afraid of being lafhed; he abftains from fin, not out of hatred of it, cause of the wrath of God annexed to it. An apprehenfion of God's heavy hand on him here, or of hell and damnation hereafter, is the predominant motive of his fear of God, whom he fears only as an incenfed Judge, and his powerful enemy.

(2.) When it checks or kills the love of God. There is a fear oppofite to the love of God, which by this very character is difcovered to be bafe and fervile: 1 John, iv. 18. "There is no, fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment." There is a neceffary connection betwixt true fear and love, the one cannot be without the other; they are both links of the fame chain of grace, which the Holy Spirit gives those whom he fanctifies; but flavish fear fills the heart with hard thoughts of God, and the more it prevails, the farther is the foul from the love of God.

(3.) When it drives the finner away from God. Under its influence, Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God, and Cain went out from his prefence. All the graces of the Spirit, as they come from the Lord, fo they carry the finner back to him; so no doubt it is an ungracious fear of God that frights the finner away from him; for they that feek and return to him, will fear him and his righteoufnefs. This fear hath this effect in different degrees, and the higher the worfe:-It takes heart and hand from perfons in their approaches to God, 1 John iv. 18. quoted already; it kills them before the Lord, knocks all confidence and hope in God on the head, fo that their hearts at duty are like Nabal's,

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