civil right to all men: but this answers not the divine rule even in these same things, and after the way that it requires them. The spiritual and religious observance of these duties towards men, springs from a respect to God, and terminates there too, it begins and ends in him; and generally all obedience to his commands, both such as regulate our behaviour towards himself immediately, and such as relate to man, doth arise from a holy fear of his name. Therefore this fear of God, upon which follows necessarily the keeping of his commandments, is given us by Solomon as the total sum of man's business and duty", and so the way to solid happiness. It is pronounced by him totum hominis, the whole of man: after he had made his discoveries of all things besides under the sun, gone the whole circuit, and made an exact valuation, he found all besides this to amount to nothing but vanity and vexation of spirit. The account he gives of all other things was only for this purpose, to illustrate and éstablish this truth the more, and to make it the more acceptable; to be a repose after so much weariness, and such a tedious journey, and so, as he speaks there, v. 10, a word of delight as well as a word of truth, that the mind might sit down and quiet itself in this from the turmoil and pursuit of vanity, that keeps it busy to no purpose in all other things. But whereas there was emptiness and vanity, that is just nothing in all other things, there was not only something to be found, but all in this one, this fear of God, and that keeping of his commandments, which is the proper fruit of that fear. All the repeated declaring of vanity in other things, both severally, and altogether in that book, are but so many strokes to drive and fasten this nail, as it is there, v. 11, this word of wisdom, which is the sum of all, and contains all the rest. So Job after a large inquest for wisdom, searching for its vein, as men do for mines of silver and gold, hath the return of a non inventum est, from all the creatures, w Eccles. xii. ult.

The sea says, it is not in me, &c. But in the close finds he it in this, The fear of the Lord that is wisdom, and to depart from evil that is understanding*.

Under this fear is comprehended all religion, both inward and outward, all the worship, and service of God, and all the observance of his commandments, which is there, and elsewhere, expressly joined with it; and therefore is included in it, when it is not expressed. To depart from evil is understanding2, repeating the former words by that. It hath in it all holiness, and obedience, they grow all out of it. It is the beginning, and it is the top or consummation of wisdom, for the word signifies both.

Think it not then a trivial common matter to speak or hear of this subject; but take it as our great lesson, and business here on earth. The best proficients in it have yet need to learn it better, and it requires our incessant diligence and study all our days.

This fear hath chiefly these things, 1. A reverent esteem of the majesty of God, which is a main fundamental thing in religion, that moulds the heart most powerfully to the obedience of his will. 2. A firm belief of the purity of God, and of his power and justice, that he loves holiness, and hates all sin, and can and will punish it. 3. A right apprehension of the bitterness of his wrath, and the sweetness of his love; that his incensed anger is the most terrible and intolerable thing in the world, absolutely the most fearful of all evils; and on the other side, his love of all good things the best, the most blessed and delightful, yea the only blessedness. Life is the name of the sweetest good we know, and yet this loving kindness is better than life, says David.. 4. It supposes likewise sovereign love to God, for his own infinite excellency and goodness. 5. From all these things springs a most earnest desire to please him in all things, and an unwillingness to offend him in the least; and because of our danger through the multi

*Job xxviii. ult.

a So Psm. cxi. 10.

Eccles. xii.

z So Job xxviii.

b Psm. lxiii. 3.

tude and strength of temptations, and our own weakness, a continual self-suspicion, a holy fear lest we should sin, and a care and watchfulness that we sin not, and deep sorrow and speedy returning and humbling before him, when we have sinned.

There is indeed a base kind of fear that in the usual distinction they call servile fear: but to account all fear of the judgments and wrath of God a servile fear, (or not to stand upon words) to account such a fear improper to the children of God, I conceive is a wide mistake. Indeed to fear the punishments of sin, without regard to God and his justice as the inflicter of them, or to forbear to sin only because of those punishments, so as if a man can be secured from those, he hath no other respect to God that would make him fear to offend; this is the character of a slavish and base mind.

Again, for a man so to apprehend wrath in relation to himself, as to be still under the horror of it in that notion, and not to apprehend redemption and deliverance by Jesus Christ, is to be under that spirit of bondage which the Apostle speaks of. And though a child of God may for a time be under such fear, yet the lively actings of faith, and persuasion of God's love, and the feeling of reflex love to him in the soul, doth cast it out, according to that of the Apostle, true or perfect love casteth out fear. But to apprehend the punishments the Lord threatens against sin as certain and true, and to consider the greatness and fearfulness of them, especially the terror of the Lord's anger and hot displeasure, above all punishments, and (though not only, no nor chiefly for these) yet in contemplation of these, as very great and weighty, to be afraid to offend that God who hath threatened such things as the just reward of sin; this, I say, is not incongruous with the estate of the sons of God, yea, it is their duty and their property even thus to fear.

1st, This is the very end for which God hath pub

Rom. viii. 15.

1 John iv. 18.

lished these intimations of his justice, and hath threatened to punish men if they transgress, to the end they may fear and not transgress: so that not to look upon them thus, and not to be affected with them answerably to their intendment, were a very grievous sin; a slight and disregard put upon the words of the great God.

2dly. Of all others, the children of God have the rightest and clearest knowledge of God, and the deepest belief of his word, and therefore they cannot chuse but be afraid, and more afraid than all others, to fall under the stroke of his hand. They know more of the greatness, and truth, and justice of God than others, and therefore they fear when he threatens. My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, (says David) and I am afraid of thy judgments: yea, they tremble when they hear the sentence against others, or see it executed upon them; it moves them when they see public executions; Knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men, says St. Paul; and they cry out with "Moses, Who knows the power of thine anger, even according to thy fear so is thy wrath. It is not an imagination nor invention that makes men fear more than they need; his wrath is as terrible as any that fears it most can apprehend, and beyond that: So that this doth not only consist with the estate of the saints, but is their very character to tremble at the word of their Lord. The rest neglect what he says, till death and judgment seize on them; but the godly know and believe, that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands the living God1.

And though they have firm promises, and a kingdom that cannot be shaken, yet they have still this grace by which they serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear; even in this consideration, that our God, even he that is ours by peculiar covenant, is a consuming fire1.

But indeed together with this, yea, more than

e Psm.cxix. 120.

s Psm. xc. 11.

f 2 Cor. v. 11.

h Heb. x. 31.

i Heb. xii. 28, 29.

with this, they are persuaded to fear the Lord, by the sense of his great love to them, and by the power of that love that works in them towards him, and is wrought in them by his. They shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days. In those days his goodness shall manifest itself more than before, the beams of his love shall break forth more abundantly in the days of the gospel, and shall beat more directly and hotter on the hearts of men, and then they shall fear him more, because they shall love him

more.

This fear agrees well both with faith and love, yea, they work it. Compare Psm. xxxi. 23, with Psm. xxxiv. 9, and that same Psm. xxxiv. v. 8, with v. 9, and Psm. cxii. v. 1. with v. 7. The heart touched with the load-stone of divine love, trembles still with this godly fear, and yet looks fixedly by faith to that star of Jacob, Jesus Christ, who guides it to the haven of happiness.

The looking upon God in the face of Jesus Christ, takes off that terror of his countenance that drives men from him; and in the smiles of his love that appear through Christ, there is such a power as unites their hearts to him, but unites them so, as to fear his name, as the Psalmist's prayer is', He puts such a fear in their hearts as will not cause them depart from, yea, causes that they shall not depart from himm

And this is the purest and highest kind of godly fear, that springs from love; and though it excludes not the consideratian of wrath, as terrible in itself, and some fear of it, yet it may surmount it; and doubtless where much of that love possesses the heart, it will sometimes drown the other consideration, so that it shall scarcely be perceptible at all, and will constantly set it aside, and persuade a man purely for the goodness and loveliness of God, to

* Hos. iii. 5.