experience exemplified the truth of it in these words he acquaints us when it is best to sâ—t up our rest viz. In the learning and practise of this One â—esson which is the whole of all that God requireth from us in reference to our advancing of his Glory and our Happiness And it is but just and reason that he that is our Master should have our fear he that made us and maintains us should have our service 2 Sam. 27. he that is our Loving Father should be honoured and obeyed by us whom if we love as Davids Souldiers did him what will we not adventure for his sake though it be as theirs was with the highest hazard and likelyhood of the greatest dangers as Fond Lovers do to gratifie a beloved darling Especially considering that all his commands are just equal delightfull or at least made so to us by his love shed abroad in our hearts so that we may joy and glory in enduring Tribulation in and for the observing of his Precepts 1 Cor. 15.58 2 Cor. 4.17 Isa 1.3 considering the abundant reward Our Labour shall not be in vain nor our suffering lost but shall work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory We expect Obedience from those creatures we breed and maintain and they usually do yield it The Oxe knows his Owner and the Ass his Masters Crib And if at any time they fail how are we displeased If Balaams Ass turn aside though his old acquaintance how angry was he if he lyes down how doth he strike him and wish for a Sword If hawks and hounds fail in the persuit of their games how do the Owners and Users rage and chafe Hath not God then more right to expect our fear of him and obedience to him especially considering he hath done infinitely more for us than we do or can for any creatures yea than he himself for all sublunary creatures making man the chief of his ways and the choice of his works his Master-piece The Model of Heaven and Earth of visible and invisible of mortal and immortal creatures having compacted in him all the excellencies that are divided amongst all other creatures Whose Creation was not as of other creatures with his word fiat Man but upon a consultation let us make man Other creatures Souls and Bodies made together as having a mutual dependance Man his Body first and then his Soul which was breathed from above and not educed out of any Elementary substance Tantae molis erat Humanam condere gentem Sanctius His animal mentisque Capacius altae VVhose face shews Gods wonderfull skill in its varieties and discoveries of inward passions His Soul One in Essence Three in Faculties Understanding VVit Memory represents the unfathomable depth of the Divine Trinity whose Created perfection had Blessedness Dominion and Prayer Gods Attributes VVhose restored condition mounts him above the Angels who admire the humane nature more than their own and in the person of Christ adore it So that man who by sin was fallen so low that he could not well fall lower is now by Grace restored to that height that he cannot rise higher So that if this be true that things are so much worth as they are bought by an accurate judgment and discretion Then must man both Body and Soul be of an excellent worth that was bought not with corruptible things such as Silver and Gold but by the precious blood of Christ 1 Pet. 1.19 And this excellency that God first gave and restored to man calls for from us our fear of him and obedience to him who doth continue and enlarge this excellency here in this life and prepares for the everlasting duration of it to all Eternity For as it is the whole of Gods word the Scriptures from the first to the last So is it which is the second argument The whole of man 2. This is the whole of man Totus homo Vulgar Totum hominis Tremellius Hoc est omnium hominum Piscator All men are obliged to this Every one bound to it Toda felicidad Spanish All a mans happiness and the way to obtain it The whole duty of man Thus our English in which he ought to exercise himself and without which every man even the highest is nothing but vanity Ps 39.5 Verily every man in his best natural and worldly estate is altogether vanity This is that which he ought to regard through his whole life in deeds and words All these interpretations may be Orthodoxly given to these words And the result of all is this That the fearing God and keeping his Commandements is the whole 1. Priviledge 2. Duty 3. Happiness of man So that what the Orator speaks concerning Pronuntiation that it was the first the second and third part of a right Orator So may we say it is the first second and third even the whole perfection of a good man of a good Christian Its his 1. Priviledge Who of all sublunary creatures is in a Capacity of a Filial fearing and rational and voluntary compliance with his will and command It 's true indeed the Devils do know and are capable of doing Gods Commandements but not of a filial fear or willing obedience In many things God makes use of them in doing his command but except it be to do mischief it 's against their wills The irrational Creatures indeed they do his Commandements The Fire destroyed Sodom the Water the Old VVorld The Ravens fed Elijah and the Lyon kild the young Prophet But they know not what they did and so are not capable of a filial fear so cannot be said to keep his command no more than a Knife or Sword or Ax that men make use of in their business It 's only the priviledge of man amongst all sublunary creatures that can fear him out of love and obey him out of choise 2. The whole Duty of Man Whatever God requires of man both in reference to his inward reverence of the Soul and the external Obedience of the whole Man is comprehended under these two Directions As all natural beings by Logicians are reduceable to one or other of the ten predicaments all modes of being to the five predicables As all we believe to the twelve articles of the Creed As all we pray for to one or other of the Petitions of the Lords Prayer So is it in this case The whole duty that God expects from man is reduceable to one of these The fear of God and keeping his Commandements All the lines of divine truth even from the whole circumference of it meet in this Center So that whatever is largely written in the Scriptures for our learning and practise is contracted in this compendium and whatsoever is contrary unto these to either of them hath nothing of God's truth or Man's duty in it And by this we may determine as of all matters of practise that are to be done by us So likewise of all Dogmata
God and departed from evil Job 1. And in that expression of St. Peter Act. 10. He that feareth God and worketh Righteousness Fear God and keep his Commandements In which we have 1. The Fountain Cause and Root Fear God 2. The Effect Branches and Streams and keep his Commandements 1. The Fountain Cause and Root Fear God Solomon tells us Prov. 1.17 Prov. 1.17 That the fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom Caput Sapientiae Now as from the head the seat of sence all sence is derived through all the Members of the body so from the inward fear and reverence of God there flowes as it were the Sense and Life of all good actions and therefore our first care should be to get this reverential fear of him that we may Worship him according to his own prescription not our own inventions know him from his word believe on him call on him and trust upon him which is the substance of the First Table Generally men place all Holiness in the works of the Second Table as in Charity Liberality Justice giving to every one his due though they live in ignorance and total neglect of Gods worship and instituted service which is as if we should count a man living when his head was off For what the head is to the body that is the fear of God to all Religion to all holy and righteous practises Now the fear of God is an awfull reverence of Gods great and Glorious and Gracious Majesty Least we offend him by sin Least we smart when we have sinned This is as in the Vulgar Timor a fear of sin or as Tremellius Pavor a fear for sin This in both its senses should fill our hearts and awe our Souls Fear him as Sons because of his Fatherly goodness Stand in awe of him as Servants because of his Masterly Authority Power Greatness and Goodness and both of these degrees of holy fear both of Sons through love and of Servants through awfulness May Solomon be thought to have reference unto in this direction And Jehosaphat in his charge given unto his Deligated Judges 2 Chron. 19.7 Let the fear of the Lord be upon you take heed and do it He layes before them the fear of God to draw them to a Holy and Religious and Conscientious respect to discharge the duties incumbent on them by reason of their Office Wherefore let the fear of God be upon you Timor Dei vobiscum Pavor Dei insit And this will be an excellent means to inable all but especially intrusted Magistrates to discharge their places For the fear of God is the beginning and end of Wisdom And Job tells us of himself that it kept him from doing unjustly Destruction from the Lord was a terror to me And when this fear is wanting what can be expected Job 31.23 but all manner of sin and wickedness the want of it being the evident source of all evil Psal 36.3 Gen. 20.11 Hence Abraham in Gerar did expect the ravishing of his Wife and murder of Himself because he thought there was no fear of God in that place Time will not permit the pressing on of this first branch of the direction by the consideration of Gods 1. Command 2. Attributes of Omnipotency Omnisciency Goodness 3. Relations to the Master Father c. 4. Promises of all good Spiritual Temporal Eternal 5. The excellency of the grace it self as being 1. Needfull without which we cannot serve him 2. Acceptable to God without which we cannot please him 3. Comfortable to our selves freeing us from all base disturbing and distracting fears of Men and Devils Passing by these reasons and arguments by which I might enforce this First Branch of the Direction I come to the Second 2. The Effect of that cause And keep his Commandements From our awfull respect to and reverential fear of the Divine Majesty then doth and will arise a resolution and endeavour to keep Gods Commandements to obey him in every part and poynt of Duty which if we do we shall live for ever We cannot indeed now do it in a legal way as Adam was bound to and enabled for But we may in an Evangelical way such as God allows of and accepts Wish well to exact obedience as David did Psal 119.45.6 Thou hast commanded me to keep thy Precepts diligently Psal 119.46 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect to all thy Commandements And then be doing as we can for affection without endeavour is as Rachel beautifull but barren Let us be doing at every thing as well as at any thing We may not be Funambuli virtutum such as go in a narrow tract of obedience No Our Obedience must be Universal extending to the compass of the whole Jam. 2. which is but one copulative and then as St. Augustin well notes Beati sunt qâ—i Praecepta faciunt etiamsi non perficiunt They are blessed who do as they can though they can but under do And as St. Bernard In libro tuo scribuntur Omnes qui quod possunt faciunt etsi quod debent non possunt All are written O Lord in thy book who do what they can though they cannot do what they ought This Book of Ecclesiastes begins with All is vanity and ends with Fear God and keep his Commandements Now if that sentence were knit to this which Solomon reserved for the end as the Haven of rest after the Turmoyls of vanity it would be like and in effect that which Christ said to Martha Thou art troubled about many things but one thing is necessary That which troubleth us Solomon calls vanity that which is necessary he calls the fear of God and keeping his Commandements From that to this should be every mans Pilgrimage in this World We begin at vanity and never know that we are vain till we come to learn this Lesson to fear God and keep his Commandements In which I shall touch as the streights of time will permit 1. The Act Keep 2. The Object His Commandement 1. The Act Keep A Comprehensive word that contains in it all the Christians Duty in reference to Gods will The effect of a right fear of God viz. As the Psalmist expresseth it The keeping his Covenant Psal 103.17.18 the remembring his Commandements to do them So that it implyes and contains under it 1. A Receiving by the Ear or Eye Rev. 2.7 He that hath an Ear to hear let him hear what the Spirit sayeth to the Churches He that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law Prov. 28.9 his Prayer shall be an abomination That willfully slights the opportunities of hearing and frames excuses trusting to their good Prayers they say they make at home and conceiving that they can bestow their time better elsewhere their Prayers shall be abominable It were well and much to be desired that such would read and seriously consider what
sentenceth and as he punisheth all evil so will he reward all faithfull Servants Others cannot reward all their followers as having not wherewith and others will not as being illiberal and sordid but God is able because Lord of all and vvilling because Rich unto all These considerations shall vve not be vvanting to our selves vvould have a very great influence on all of us but especially on such who are In Publique Place Trust and Employment Magistrates and Ministers That they do not with their ill practises and examples overthrow that good which by their Authority and Preaching they do or should promote It were a happy thing and much to be desired that there were none that did so But that cannot be expected and we find by sad experience that it ever was and will be so In Aarons Line there was a Nadab and Abihu In Eli's Family are an Hophni and a Phineas But it is no wonder for amongst the Angels some fell and there was a Judas amongst the Apostles And it is most certain that the generality of the people as Labans Ewes conceived according to the colour of the Rods that were set before them So are they swayed by the practise of others especially their Rulers and Teachers Jupiter ipse fuit Ego non Homuncio But Elihu tells us Great men are not always wise neither do the aged understand judgment I and my Ruler I and my Teacher if the practice be evil there will be no good Plea at the last day for so might the Jews excuse themselves who had the high Priests to go before them and perswade them to Crucifie our Saviour Eminent Persons intrusted with publique inployments are as looking glasses to the places wherein they live whereby the people dress themselves who falling into open sins like men in a crowd many fall with them Mens Souls being as apt to be infected by ill examples as their bodies by ill air Peter at Antioch dissembling Act. 11. dravvs Barnabas into the same error Publique persons then have great cause often to put an avve upon themselves by such reflections Doth my Carriage correspond vvith God's fear and command my duty and account That so they may have their Carriage inoffensive For in all their visible miscarriages there is a double sin The Fact and the Example The vulgar being their shadovvs to follovv their steps and so vvill bring a double punishment on their selves and charges Hence David prays for Zion as vvell as for himself Ps 51.5 Let such say than vvhen tempted to evil as Nehemiah and shall such a man as I fly Upon all which considerations give me leave I beseech you Right Worshipfull Worshipfull who are intrusted with the Government of this Honourable Ancient and Famous City to perswade you to a diligent care rightly to discharge that trust that Gods providence his Majesties Charter and your Brethrens choice have impowered you for and called you to And I can no better do it than by laying before you that famous instance which in all its circumstances is applicable to you That excellent charge which that good King Jehosaphat gave his Judges and Magistrates 2 Chr. 19.6.7 which he by his Royal Charter Established in the Cities of Judah Take heed what you do for you judge not for man but God 2. Chron. 19.6 7. And this he enforceth with arguments and leaves directions for Let the fear of the Lord be upon you take heed and do it He impowered them by his Charters and enjoyns them to discharge their duty to judge justly to do nothing rashly unadvisedly but in all their proceedings to use a heedfull circumspection They were not to be idle or as Gallio careless and negligent but they were to do They were not to be wilfull and to do what they please but they were to observe and do both according to God and the Kings Laws and the true state of the particular matters that were brought before them They were not to be rash and inconsiderate in hast and careless but to see what they did least as David they may pass a wrong Sentence and injure a faithfull Mephiboseth upon the flatteries and insinuating calumnations of a treacherous and false hearted Ziba Lo this was the charge that good Prince laid upon his Deligated Magistrates whom he had Established from City to City He gave them Power under him to act he gives them directions how to act They might not usurp a power without his Charter they might not neglect to execute that power committed to them by his Charter But he enjoyns them to do and not be idle to take heed and see to it that they did according to the Law and Justice and not be willfull rash and negligent and to prevail with them so to do he presseth upon them the fear the pattern and presence of God I shall not undertake to direct you in particulars only in general to recommend unto you the consideration of God's fear God's command your own duty dignity and account And then certainly you will discharge the duty of your places according to your names and powers God and mans expectation from you Hos 4.18 Judg. 18.7 You will then be what God calls you Sheilds And so defend the innocent and well-doer Heirs of Restraint to curb the extravagant exorbitances of the Sons of Belial Healers To make up and not make wider any incident breaches that may and will unavoidably arise when many are concerned in the management of the same power Psal 78.71 Shepherds And ought therefore with earnest care as Jacob did Laban's Sheep to feed the Lords Flock aiming at the good of their charge and not their own advantage who must lose themselves in the common right as Rivers their names and natural qualities in the main Ocean Est 10.3 Thus Mordicai sought his Peoples welfare and seeking Gods glory and not their own as Joab did David at the seige of Rabbah since God is jealous of his glory aad keeps that for himself As Potiphar did his Wife when he gives us all things else 1 Sam. 12.3.4 And shall you be able to say as good Samuel did Witness against me wâ—ose Ox or Ass have I taken whom have I defrauded or oppressed of whose hand have I received any bribes to blind mine eyes therewith Or receive as he did a Testimony of his Innocency Then you may say with comfort as Nehemiah did Remember me O my God concerning this Nehe. 13.22 Isa 38.3 and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy And as good Hezekiah did Remember now O Lord How I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done what is good in thy sight And with our Saviour Joh. 17.4.5 Father I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do I have glorified thee on earth and now glorifie thou with thine own self Fathers And so must when need is prest with a weeping eye and tender