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dying within them, and become as a ftone; fo when they should run for their life, it cuts the finews of their endeavours; when they would wrestle for the blessing, it makes their knees feeble, and their hands hang down. It makes them first averse to duty, and then give up with it; they deal with God as one with his avowed enemy, into whose presence he will not come, Gen. iii. 8. The people of God have fometimes had a touch of this, 2 Sam. vi. 9. "And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and faid, How fhall the ark of the Lord come unto me?" Though it never prevails with them to extinguifh love, yet fometimes a believer is like a faulty child, who, instead of humbling himself before his parents, hides himself in fome corner, and is fo frighted, that he dare not come in, and look the parent in the face; but this is a moft dangerous cafe, especially if it lasts long.In a word, it makes them run to physicians of no value. For what is more natural than men that are frighted from God under apprehended danger, to run to fome other quarter, and that to their own ruin, Rev. vi. 16. " And faid to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that fitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb."

2. What is to be thought of this flavish fear of God? To this I anfwer, There is fomething good in it, and fomething evil.

(1.) There is fomething good it, namely, the fear of God's wrath for fin, which lies unpardoned on the guilty finner, or which the finner may be inclined to commit: James, ii. 19. "Thou believeft that there is one God, thou doft well." To caft off fear of the wrath of God, and the terrible punishments which he has annexed to fin, is a

pitch of wickedness which but the very worst of men arrive at. The fear of God's wrath against fin, and that duly influential too, is recommended to us by Christ himself, Luke xii. 5. « Fear him," fays he," which, after he hath killed, hath power to caft into hell, yea, I say unto you, Fear him.” It is also recommended by the example of the very best of faints, Job, xxxi. 23. « For destruction from God was a terror unto me;" and fays David, "My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgements," Pfal. cxix. 120. And the law of God is not fenced with terrors to be difregarded, but to awe men's fpirits. But,

(2.) There is fomething evil in it, yea, much evil in it, if we confider,--The fcrimpnefs and narrowness of its fpring. Why fhould the fear of God be confined to fpring up from his wrath against fin only or chiefly, fince there are fo many other perfections of God, which may give rife to the fear of him, which are difregarded by this means? It cafts a vail of disrespect on his holiness, goodness, and hatred of fin, on his relations of Creator, Preferver, Father, Supreme Lord, and Governor of the world. The horrible effects and tendency thereof, as it rifes only from this fpring, and overflows all the banks of godly fear. Fear of God, even of his wrath, is good, but the excess of it is very bad. Fire and water are both good and neceffary, but very bad when the one burns man, and the other drowns him. Hence, fince what is acceptable in the fight of God is perfect in parts, though not in degrees, is good in the manner as well as matter, this fear is not what he takes pleasure in, nay, it is difpleafing to him, and is the fin of those who hear the gofpel, whose fear ought to be extended according to the revelation made to them. And

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thus one may be displeasing to himself, to those about him, and to God alfo; and if they attain to no other fear of God, what they fear will probably come upon them. Nevertheless, this fear, kept within bounds, may, by the Spirit, be made the means to bring the finner to the Lord in his covenant. For the fear of God's wrath is a good thing in itself, Rom. viii. 15.; it ferves to roufe the finner out of his fecurity, to make him fenfible of his danger, and to feek for relief: Pfal. ix. 20. "Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men." And therefore the law, and its threatening, as a red flag, are difplayed in the fight of fecure finners, that they be roused to flee from the wrath to come. To this there may be offered this objection, The fear of the Lord's wrath can make but an unfound clofing with the Lord in his covenant. Anf. That is very true, if there be nothing more. But fear of God's wrath not only may, but ordinarily, if not always does, begin the work which love crowns. Fear brings men to the gates of the city of refuge, and when they are there, love is kindled, and makes them prefs forward. Fear brings the poor captive woman to confer with the conqueror about the match; but thereby love is kindled, and faith makes the match. It works, however, very differently at other times; for Satan and our corrupt hearts are ready to drive forward this fear of God's wrath to exceed all bounds; and no wonder, for when it has got over the boundaries, it makes fearful havock in the foul's cafe, like a confuming fire, deadening all good motions towards God, and quickening evil ones, to the difhonour of God, and one's own torment; and no cafe out of hell is liker hell than this, both in respect of fin and mifery. But when the Spirit of VOL. I.

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God has a faving work in view, he can eafily make the spirit of bondage fubfervient to the fpirit of adoption.

3. How fhould one manage in the case of a flavish fear of God's wrath? Here I anfwer, We had need to be well guided, for the lofing or winning of the foul depend upon it. For your asfiftance I offer the following DIRECTIONS.

(1.) Labour to clear the grounds of your fear of God's wrath, by a rational inquiry and discovery. There are, even of these fears, fome that do really proceed from a bodily distemper vitiating the imagination, namely, from melancholy, and the like; and in this cafe, your trouble rifes and falls according to the difpofition of your bodies, but not according to the comfort or terror you receive from God's word, as it is in truly spiritual troubles. Thus it often comes on, and goes off,. they know not how; fhewing the first wound to be in their head, not in their confcience. Of this fort was the evil fpirit Saul was troubled with, under which he got eafe by mufic, not by his Bible. In this cafe, as well as others, it would be of use to confider the real grounds of fear from the Lord's word, and the confideration of one's own state or cafe, and fo to turn it as much as may be into folid fears upon plain and evident reafons for it. This would be a fstep to the falvation of the foul. But, alas! it is fad to think of tormenting fear kept up on we know not what grounds, and which can produce no good; while in the mean time people will not be at pains to inquire into the real evidences of their foul's hazard, the finfulness of their ftate, heart, and life. Afk, then, yourselves, what real ground there is from the Lord's word for this fear of yours.

(2.) Beware of casting off the fear, dread, and

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awe of the wrath of God against fin: Job, xv. 4. "Yea, thou castest off fear, and reftraineft prayer before God." This is the iffue of fome people's fears, who, one way or other, get their necks from under the yoke, and grow more stupid, fearlefs, and profane, than even by the juft judgement of God. It is true, that fear is not enough; but there is fomething to be added, and yet not this fear caft away. If thou be brought into a ftate of fonship to God, the dread of God's wrath against fin will come along with you, though it will be no more flavish; as if a flave were made his master's fon by adoption, he would ftill fear his anger, though not flavishly as before. But be one's ftate what it will, better be God's flave, fearing him for his wrath only, than the devil's free-man, cafting off the fear of God altogether.. There is lefs ill in the former than in the latter. Yea,

(3.) Caft not off the fear of that wrath, even its overtaking you, till fuch time as thy foul be brought away freely to Jefus Chrift: Hof. v. 8. "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence; in their affliction they will seek me early." Thou haft no warrant to caft it off fooner, for certainly wrath is pursuing thee, till thou be within the gates of the city of refuge; and to be without fear of that wrath that is still advancing on a perfon, is ruining. Indeed, as foon as thou haft fincerely come to Christ in his covenant, though the fear of wrath againft fin is never to be laid by, yet then thou mayeft and oughteft to caft off the fear of vindictive wrath overtaking thee: "There is no condemnation to them that are in Chrift Jefus," Rom. viii. 1. (4.) Look not always on an abfolute God, for furely that can produce no fear of God but a fla

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