iniquity; and, by such suggestions as these, when he cannot hinder the work of grace, he strives what he can to hinder the sense of comfort. If, therefore, those, that have once rejoiced under the comfortable persuasions of God's love to them, the Holy Ghost witnessing himself to them to be a Spirit of Adoption by being in them a Spirit of Sanctification, now find themselves under the bondage of legal fears and terrors and slavish dejections, looking upon themselves as under the revenging wrath of God and as persons devoted to destruction; let them know, that such fears proceed not from the convictions of the Spirit of God, who hath been a Spirit of Adoption, but from the delusions of Satan for those, that once receive the Spirit of Adoption, never receive the Spirit of Bondage again to fear; that is, to fear with a slavish, tormenting fear. 6. A Reverential, Filial Fear of God, may and ought to possess our souls, while the Spirit of God, who is a Spirit of Adoption, is, by the clearest evidences, actually witnessing our son-ship to Ղ.Տ. Let men boast what they will of their high gospel-attainments, yet certainly they have not the genuine disposition of God's children, whose love to him is not mingled with fear, and whose fear of him is not increased by their love. Love! it is the gage and measure of all our affections: and, according to the proportion of our love to God, such will be our fear; that is, the more we love God, the more we shall fear his displeasure and the loss of his favour. It is in vain for us to pretend love to God as our Father, unless we fear him also as our Lord and Master. Christ was his only-begotten Son, and certainly had much more clear assurance of the love and favour of God, than any adopted sons can possibly have; yet the Scripture ascribes a holy, awful, reverential fear of God even unto him: Heb.v.7. When he had offered up prayers......with strong cries and tears..... and was heard in that he feared: it may be rendered, he was heard because of his godly fear. So, in Isa. xi. 2. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him.....the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; speaking of Christ. If therefore he feared God, who was himself to be feared as God, equal to him and his Eternal Son, how much more ought we to fear the Great God, who are, as it were, but upstarts in the family of heaven! we, wretched and forlorn outcasts, that were but lately raked out of the dunghill; and, by mere pity, taken up into the bosom of God, and nurtured as his children! And, thus, you see that the fear of God is not in the least contrary to the free Spirit of Adoption. iv. An Awful Fear of God is NO IMPEDIMENT TO A HOLY RE JOICING. Indeed slavish fear damps all true joy. Those, that fear and expect the revengings of God, cannot have any true joy. They may have a kind of mad jollity, that spends itself in noise and tumults: they may roar out songs of mirth, only to drown the loud roarings of their own consciences. Such as these are like your new liquor, that works over into foam and froth, when the bottom is thick and troubled: so, in this false joy, the countenance runs over with laughter, when yet the heart is brimful of the wrath of God. Of such the Wise Man speaks, Prov. xiv. 13. Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful. But a Filial Fear of God puts no check at all upon our holy rejoicing in him. Spiritual joy is not of that flashy nature; but it is a sober and a severe grace: it is joy, mixed with fear. And, because of the mixture of these two together, the fear of God with joy in the Lord, therefore we find these two are promiscuously ascribed each to other. So, in Isa. lx. 5. Their hearts shall fear and be enlarged; you know it is the property of joy to extend and enlarge the heart: fear contracts and draws it together; but, here, fear is said to dilate the heart, to denote to us, that a Christian's fear is always conjoined and mingled together with his joy. And so, on the other hand, it is said, Ps. ii. 11. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling: fear, with trembling, is more proper and natural; but, because of the mixture of these two graces in the heart of a Christian, therefore the Holy Ghost thus expresseth it, Rejoice with trembling; for great joys, as well as great fears, cause a kind of trembling and fluttering in the heart: as it was with the two women, whom the angels assured of Christ's resurrection, Matt. xxviii. 8. They departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; so is it with those Christians, who, by the eye of faith looking upon the death and into the sepulchre of Jesus Christ, are assured that he is risen for their justification, cannot but have their hearts filled with a quaking and a fearful joy. Even a Christian's strong praises are breathed out with a shaking and a trembling voice. So that godly fear is no impediment to a holy and a severe rejoicing in God as our Saviour. v. Godly Fear LAYS NO CHECK UPON OUR HOLY FREEDOM AND BOLDNESS WITH GOD. God hath established a throne of grace, whereon he sits; and unto which he invites his people to approach, with a becoming confidence: Heb. iv. 16. Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace. As that emperor counted his clemency disparaged when any delivered a petition to him with a shaking hand, as though he doubted of his favour: so God loves, when we make our addresses to him, that we should do it with full assurance of faith; nothing doubting of acceptance with him, and of an answer from him. He, that asks timorously, only begs a denial from God. But, yet, that this boldness may not degenerate into rudeness and irreverence, he requires that our freedom with him be tempered with an awful fear of him: we must come in all humility and prostration of soul, with broken hearts and bended knees, to touch that golden sceptre that he holds forth to us. Thus you see, in these Five things, how consistent the grace of fear is with other graces of the Spirit. It is no impediment either to a full Assurance, to Love, to a Spirit of Adoption, to a Holy Rejoicing, or to a Holy Boldness. Now because I have made frequent mention of Filial and Slavish Fear, that you may the better understand what each of these means, I shall briefly give you the difference betwixt them. They differ, in their Concomitants, and in their Effects. FIRST. Slavish Fear hath always Two dreadful Concomitants : and they are Despair, and Hatred or Enmity against God. First. In Slavish Fear, there is always some degree of Despair. This slavish fear is joined with dreadful expectations of wrath. A slave, that hath committed a fault, expects no other than to be punished for it without mercy: so those, that lie under this slavish fear, apprehend and account of God no otherwise than the slothful servant; as a severe lord and a cruel tyrant, that will exact punishment from them to the utmost of their deserts: they expect no other, but that certainly God's wrath will kindle upon them and burn them eternally; and this makes them live, as the Apostle speaks in Heb. x. 27. In certain fearful expectations of wrath and indignation which shall devour them as adversaries. This kind of horrid fear, I doubt not, is common to most wicked men: and, though they brave it out, and most of them speak high matters of their hopes of heaven and salvation; yet, at the same time, their own hearts and consciences tell them sad and misgiving stories of hell and everlasting wrath. But a true and filial fear of God looks at the wrath of God, with dread and terror; but not with expectation. There is the difference. Slavish Fear looks upon the wrath of God; and expects it: Filial Fear looks upon it as due; but not with expectations that it should be inflicted upon it. Secondly. Slavish Fear is always accompanied with some degree of Enmity and Hatred against God. It is natural for us to hate those, that we fear with a slavish fear. He, that thinks God will certainly punish him, must out of self-love needs be provoked to hate God. Hence is it, that the soul, that lies under the terrors of the Law, wisheth that there was no such thing as hell and eternal damnation; nay, that there was no God to inflict this upon it. This proceeds from this slavish fear of God. But a reverent fear of God is joined with a holy love; as children who love their parents, but yet stand in awe of them. So much for the Concomitants of this fear. SECONDLY. For their Effects. And that, both as to Sin, and as to Duty. First. Slavish Fear dreads nothing but Hell and Punishment; but Godly Fear dreads Sin itself. The one fears only to burn: the other fears to sin. As Austin saith well," He fears hell only, who fears not to sin, but fears to burn; but he fears to sin, who hates sin as he would hate hell." Secondly. Slavish Fear usually restrains enly from external, and those also the more gross and notorious acts of sin: but Holy Fear overawes the heart from Inward and Secret Sins; yea, from the least sins whatsoever. Secondly. And then, as for Duty also, in Two things briefly. First. A Slavish Fear of God makes men to consult how they may fly from God: as Adam, when he had brought guilt upon his conscience by his fall, hid himself from God in the garden. Guilt loves not the presence of its judge. But Godly Fear is still exciting the soul to approach near to God in duty. And therefore David saith, Ps. v. 7. In thy fear will I worship towards thy holy temple. The fear of God encourageth the soul in the performance of duty. Secondly. Slavish Fear contents itself with external performances: just so much as will serve the turn, to satisfy the demands of conscience. But Holy Fear sanctifies the Lord in duty, as well as satisfies conscience. And therefore you have it, in Isa, viii. 13. Sanctify the Lord of Hosts in your hearts, and let him be your fear, and..... your dread. Thus much, briefly, for the difference betwixt Filial and Slavish Fear. II. I come now to the APPLICATION. USE i. And the First Use shall be by way of corollary. IF THE CONSIDERATION OF GOD AS A CONSUMING FIRE OUGHT TO AFFECT THE MOST ASSURED CHRISTIAN WITH A HOLY FEAR AND DREAD OF GOD, HOW MUCH MORE THEN MAY IT SHRINK AND SHRIVEL UP THE HEARTS OF UNGODLY SINNERS! If it make God's own children tremble, to look into hell, and to see those heaps of miserable wretches that are there burning for ever, shall it not much more make you tremble, who are liable every moment to be bound in bundles, and to be cast in to burn among them? When a city is on fire, it is terrible, to see it rage, afar off; to see it spew up smoke and flames, though at a distance; and he, that is not affected with it, is inhuman: but he is more than stupid, that doth not tremble to see it devour whole streets before it, ruining all till it approach near his own dwelling. Sirs, this consuming fire hath already seized upon millions of others, and burnt them down into the lowest hell. Do not you hear Dives, in the Gospel, cry "Fire, Fire?" The greatest part of the world is already burnt down: and, if their case makes not your hearts to shake and tremble, yet methinks your own should. This fire is catching and kindling upon your souls; and, the next moment, may make you brands in hell. But, alas! what hope is there to affright men that are fast asleep? Such a dead security hath seized upon the hearts of most, that it is almost impossible to rouze them; and there is but little hope, but that they will be burnt in this their sleep. Yet, if it may be possible to awaken you, consider, 1. That it is only God's wrath against sinners, that makes him terrible to his saints. They are afraid of that fiery indignation, that burned against |