vaunt of his sins then let the prisoner glory in his fetters the dogge in his vomit and the infefected person in his plague-sore This is presumption in language 3. There is presumption in action 1. When a man dishonoureth God in that place wherein GOD uses and ought to bee worshipped namely the Temple This is to abuse God to his face and in his own house Hos 7.2 2. When a man wilfully dishonours God in a time of generall humiliation when others are be way ling their sins afore God 3. When a man sets himselfe as in the presence of God and yet then dissembles with his lips As those that with Saint Augustine before his conversion pray against lustâ— and yet secretly wish that God would not heare their prayer And all that with spleenfull spirits come to the Communion professing before God that they are reconciled unto their brethren when they intend no such thing And those preachers that willingly deliver unsound doctrine to the people onely to corrupt them using the Name of God to poyson their hearers doing what in them lies to make God a lyer In a word knights of the Post with their hackny consciences that dare in a false oath cal down God to testifie to an untruth which is so horrid a crime that I am perswaded that many a man now damned in hel would have been ashamed to bee guilty of 4. When a man therfore breaks a commandment merely because it is a command As St. Augustine confessed that in his youth he robbed an orchard not because hee wanted apples Gens â—umanaruit in vâ—titum resat for hee had as good or better at home but only because he coveted what was forbidden 5. When therefore a man abuses GOD more because God is patient and long suffering Which sordidnesse of humane disposition Salomon takes notice of and brands Because saith hee sentence against an evill worke is not executed speedily Eccle. 8.11 therefore the heart of the sonnes of men is fully set in them to doe mischiefe This is to sight against God with his own weapon To turne his grace into wantonnesse 6. When man runs into a knowne grosse sin that Gods watchmen his ministers have newly warned him of or then when the Holy spirit of God suggests motions to him to the contrary This is to quench the Spirit and to despise prophesying 1 Thes 5.19.20 Acts 7.51 1 Thes 4.8 to resist the holy Ghost and his instruments Lastly when a man the more revolts from God the more hee is smitten Isay 1.5 as they in Isay Like Pharoh whose heart was the more hardned the more the sorer plagues God inflicted on him Like the Thracians that then shoot their arrowes against heaven when it thunders and lightens Like Augustus who having beene tempest tost at Sea defied Neptune the Sea-God and in the middest of his Circean sports hee caused his im ge to be pulled downe to bee revenged of him Like Xerxes whoscourged the sea and wrote a bill of defiance against the hill Athos because they intercepted him in his expedition Me thinkes the very naming of these things should move us to ab horre them But to win more upon our affectio is let us consider 1. That this audacious presumption is a despising of God He that feares not GOD Quod non metuitur contemnitur Lactant. Pial 10 13 contemnes him Wherefore doe the wicked despise God sayth David For a superiour to despise his inferiour is no wonder but for a peasant to despise his Prince for a peece of clay for a worme to slight his maker is intolerable Hee that despiseth me 1 Sam. 2.30 shall be lightly esteemed sayth God Saint Paul was grieved at heart that by sinnes of infirmity hee offended his God The evill sayth hee that I would not I do Rom. 7.19.24 O wretched man that I am who shall deliver mee from this body of sinne Shall hee groane under infirmities and shall wee make no conscience of presumptions God forbid 3. What doest thou meane fond man to wrest Thunder-bolts out of the hand of God that would delight to powre blessings upon thee Who hath hardened himselfe against God Iob. 9.4 and prospered sayth Iob 2 Kings 19 Sennacherib slighted GOD and the fruit of it was an Angell in one niâ—ht slew his army consisting of one hundred eighty and five thousand men and he himselfe returning home was slaine by his owne sonnes in the temple of his God Libanius a Philosopher at Antioch demanding of a good Christian in scorne How the Carpenters son meaning Christ busied himselfe He answered him that he was making a Coffin for him and indeed hee presently after dyed In the yeare of our Lord 510. one Olympius an Arrian Bishop in a Bâ—th at Carthage blasphemed openly the holy Trinity and the words were scarce out of his mouth but lightning descended thrice from heaven Paul Dâ—â—â— and at length consumed him Iulian the uncle of the Emperour Iulian comming into a Christian Church pissed in despight upon the Communion Table and struck Euzoius for reproving him for it But shortly after his entrails rotted and he voyded his excrements at his mouth and dyed And Foelix Iulian his Treasurer that jeered at Christ under the name of Maries sonne hee vomited blood night and day Theodoret till hee died You will say wee hope none of us shall ever runne into these extremities But yet let us know that every presumptuous sin against God binds us over to as great mischiefes as any I have named Will wee beleeve Saint Paul If sayth hee wee sin wilfully Heb. 10.26.27 after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remains no more sacrifice for sin but a fearfull ezpectation of judgement 2 Pet. 2.9.10 and fiery indignation The presumptuous are reserved unto the day of judgement sayth Saint Peter The arrowes thou shootest against heaven shall fall back upon thine owne head againe Woe to him saith the Prophet that striveth with his Maker Isay 45.9 let the pot-sheards strive with the pot-sheards of the earth What gaine the waves by striking against a rocke they stirre not that but dash themselves in peeces It is hard for thee to kick against the prickes sayth our Saviour to Saul Acts 9.5 If you walk contrary to me Lev. 26.23.24 sayth God I wil walk contrary to you Oh then let that of David bee our prayer Psal 19.13 Keepe back thy servant from presumptuous from presumptuous sinnes let them not have dominion over mee then shall I be upright and innocent from the great transgression This presumption is a second vice contrary to the feare of GOD. And therefore Salomon opposes hardning of the necke unto feare Pro. 28.14 And Aristotle sayth that those that are fearlesse they slight God and man they are audacious and presumptuous This is the Goliah that biddeth defiance to God CHAP. XIII Of Superstitious feare and the
degrees and extents of their operations The second distinction The second distinction is this that there is a forced feare and a voluntary feare of God 1. The forced is the guilty the slavish feare For he that is possessed with it labours to drive it away to drown it with drinking merriment joviall company vaine discourse or obscene songs as the ancient Italians would confound the noyce of thunder with the sound of Bells This was Belshazzars feare Dan. 5.5.6 when God sent a hand to write his doome upon the wall afore his face hee would faine have continued his mirth but it would not be for will he nill he his countenance was changed his thoghts troubled him so that the joynts of his loyns were loosed and his knees knockt one against the other Such was the feare of Felix the Romane Governour when he sent for Paul to speake before him hee was so farre from thinking that Paul should terrifie him that hee thought to terrifie Paul For when S. Pa l reasoned of Righteousnesse Act. 24.24.25 and Temperance and the Iudgement to come Felix trembled And he dismissed Saint Paul that he might rid himselfe of those fits and qualmes of feare 2. There is a voluntary free unconstrained feare of God and such is the filiall feare A feare that is desired and prized by him that feares It is thirsted after Nehem. 1.11 We desire to feare thy Name sayth Nehemiah It is prayed for Vnite my heart to feare thy Name Psa 86.11 sayth David It is a feare that a Saint dedicates and gives up himselfe unto Psa 119.38 Thy servant sayth David who is devoted to thy feare It is a feare that by the fearer is esteemed and valued at a high rate The feare of the Lord is his treasure Esay 33.6 This is the second distinction The thrid distinction is this The third distinction There is a fourefold feare of GOD. 1. A feare that flowes from the Spirit of God but is not resident in the heart with the Spirit of God and this is that initiall feare that paves a path for the Spirit of Adoption and for the true filiall feare The Spirit workes many a common grace in that heart wherein it selfe is not as it works this feare As the Sun afore it riseth darts light into that part of the heaven and ayre wherein he himselfe is not This feare is from the Spirit but not with the Spirit 2. There is a feare where the Spirit of God is and yet it flows not from the Spirit as many things may be done by children or servants in a house where the father or master is and yet they may not be the authors of them Thus a soule that is the mansion of the holy spirit of God may harbour in it carnall distrustfull feares and cares that the Spirit of GOD hath no hand in This was Davids feare that was joyned with a diffidence in Gods many promises made unto him to the contrary I shall perish one day 18 am 27.1 saith he by the hand of Saul This feare was with but not from the Spirit 3. There is a feare that neither proceedes from nor is joyned with the Spirit of God Such is that unsanctified slavish feare that turnes the affection from God and moves a man to flie from God It was the fear of those in the Psalmist that were in feare where no feare was Psal 53.3.5 and yet they turned back from God they were filthy they devoured Gods people they called not upon God This feare is neither with nor from the Spirit There is a feare that hath the holy Spirit of God both for its original and also its companion like that day light that is both with and from the Sunne this is filiall feare The Spirit of God is stiled the spirit of this feare Isai 11.2 because it is both from the Spirit and with the Spirit These distinctions beeing well weighed wil cast such beames of light upon the matter in quest that hee that runnes may read the full comprehension of the nature of the feare of God CHAP. III. How God being the chiefest good can bee feared IF it bee demanded how GOD beeing good in himselfe and good to all can be feared seeing wee usually feare onely evill T is answered 1. That we may feare God with a feare of honour and regard If I be a father sayth God where is my honour Matth. 1.6 If I be a master where is my seare In that text feare and honour are all one 2. Though God bee good and wee cannot feare him as euill yet we may feare a losse of and a sepâ—ration from our good GOD the more good any thing is the more wee feare the cutting off of our interest in it And in this sense are those wordes of S. Nihil timemus nisi neid juod amanous aut adeptum amittamus aut non adipiscamur speratum Aug. Austine to bee taken We feare good in fearing lest wee should lose that good wee enjoy or not obtaine that good wee desire or hope for 3. We may feare our God though hee bee good because hee is a great and a just God who is able to save and to destroy I am 4.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist Rhet. l. 2. c. 5. as St. Iames speakes Those things saith Aristotle are to be feared which have an apparent power to inflict great punishments upon us and to doe us much hurt And this agrees with that of our Saviour Feare him who is able to destroy both body and soule Math. 10.28 All punishment comes from God but in that respect punishment is good because it is a worke of Iustice Thus wee may feare GOD though he be good Lastly wee may bee fearfull of offending God in the ingenuity of our dispositions because he hath been and is every way so good a God unto us Psal 30.4 1 Sam. 12.24 There is mercie with thee that thou mayst bee feared saith David And these two duties are joyned together Feare the Lord and Consider what great things hee hath done for you Wee feare God not onely for that evill that hee may do against us but also for that good that hee hath done for us Nay feare of God is thing so proper that some deriv◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the name of God from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies feare And why is GOD sayd to bee fearfull in prayses Exod. 15.11 but because we both feare and prayse him for his greatnesse and his goodnesse The object both of feare and prayse may be the same And to this sounds that of the Prophet They shall feare the Lord Hosea 3.5 and his goodnesse in the latter dayes CHAP. IIII. Whether Adam in the state of innocencie feared God and whether the Angels and Saints in heaven feare God ADAM had the naturall affection of feare in his Soule while he stood though he had no occasion
Mal. 2.5 He was afraid afore my Name that is he was reverent in my worship And therefore these two are joyned together in St. Iohn Feare God Rev. 14.7 and glorifie and worship him To glorifie God in a reverent worshipping of him is to feare God It is the song of the Saints in heaven Who shall not feare thee Rev. 15.4 O Lord and glorifie thy Name For all Nations shall come and worship before thee Summe up all it amounts to this He that feares God reverences the name of God hohours the messengers of God hee behaves himselfe reverently in the place of Gods worship in the parts of Gods worship in prayer in preaching in hearing in administring and participating the holy Sacrament On the other side hee that can blasphemously tosse and teare the awfull name of God by hellish swearing and divellish cursing hee that can take the sacred name of God into his mouth when there is little or no thought of it in his heart Esa 29.13 hee that disesteemes undervalues despises scornes mocks the messengers of God hee that puts no difference betweene Gods house his owne 1 Cor. 11.22 between the sacramentall Bread and Wine cōsecrated to configure such mysteries 1 Cor. 11.29 common bread wine he that can willingly sleep or otherwise regardlesly oscitantly demeane himselfe in the service of his God he hath no feare of God afore his eyes 2. Hee that feares God will thirst to bee fully acquainted with the whole will of God that so through ignorance or mistake hee may neither neglect what God commands nor doe what hee forbids nor misdoe nor over-doe any thing This is called proving or searching what is the good and acceptable will of God Rom. 12.2 what hee accepts what hee mislikes It was King Davids prayer Psa 86.11 Teach mee thy way O Lord unite my heart to feare thy name He manifests his desire to feare God by desiring that GOD would teach him his way This he requests more than once in one Psalme Psal 119.12 26.33 teach mee thy statutes teach mee the way of thy statutes As that sonne that feares his father will punctually inquire into his fathers disposition and wil what he likes what displeases him But he that takes no care to build up himself in the knowledge of the will of God but contents himselfe with ignorance nay it may bee winks against the light the beames whereof would otherwise dart into and irradiate up on his soule on purpose that hee might sin more freely without check of conscience Gravis mile cons ientiae lux est◠en Epist 123. which being enlightened would doe its office in accusing That man doth not feare God Of this stampe were those whereof Iob speakes Iob. 21.14 that sayd unto God We desire not the knowledge of thy wayes and that say to the Seers See not and to the Prophets Isa 30.10 Prophesie not unto us right things speake smooth things As if they shold say Doe you looke for thankes of us for preaching freely and frequently wee would you wold preach lesse you would give us better content There is sayth David no feare of God afore the wicked mans eyes Psal 36.1.2 How doth that appeare By this He flatters himself and hee desires to be flattered Hee would not willingly know the plain truth he loves to drinke in troubled waters that hee might not see his own deformitie nor understand his dutie 3. Hee that feares God hath a soft melting yeelding pliable heart to all good impressions I am afrayd of God sayth Iob◠for he maketh my heart soft Iob. 23 1◠6 Isa◠48.4 Ier. 3 3. But hee that hath a brow of brasse a whoores fore-head an iron sinew an adamantine heart a perverse thwart crosse will that neither threats nor promises neither mercies nor judgements can dissolve or mollifie that man owns not the feare of God Therefore it is that the feare of God and hardnesse of heart are opposed one to another by Salomon Blessed is he that feareth alwayes Prov. 28.14 but he that hardens his heart shall fall into mischiefe Our hearts are hardened from thy feare sayth the Prophet Esa 63.17 4. Hee that feares God will tremble at Gods comminations in his word This is poverty and contritenesse of spirit to tremble at Gods word Isa 66.2 as it is in the Prophet When I heard sayth Habakkuk my belly trembled my lips quivered Hab. 3.16 〈◊〉 rottennesse entred into my bones When Micha prophesied of the destruction of Ierusalem King Hezekiah feared the Lord Ier. 26.18.19 and besought him to avert the evill When Baruch read the booke of Gods threatnings in the eares of the Princes the text sayth Ier. 36.15.16 they were afrayd both one and other But hee that hearing the words of this Book of GOD Deut. 29.19 1 Thes 5.3 Amos 6.3 blesseth himselfe in his heart and promises himselfe peace and safety and puts from him the evill day Hee that thinkes pulpit threats to be but Bug-beares and Scar-crowes to affright children with and is no more mooved with them than the seat hee sits on That man hath no feare of God afore his eyes 5. He that truly feares God is in love with the feare of God hee rejoyces in it hee cherishes it he wisheth the increase of it The Saints desire to feare thy name Nehem. 1.11 sayth Nehemiah Thy servant is devoted to thy feare Psal 119.38 sayth the sweet singer of Israel But he that resolves to lead a merry life to take nothing to heart to sing care away and to stop the mouth of conscience when it chideth hee knowes not experimentally what the feare of GOD meanes 6. Hee that feares God when he conceiveth he hath provoked God to anger he never ceaseth praying intreating the prayers of others interposing the merits of Christ between every word of his prayer his heart is in unconstant rest till his peace be made with God till he finde God reconciled to him Thus did David lively expresse his feare of God According to the multitude of thy tender mercies Psal 51.1.28 6.11.12 blot out all my transgressions wash me throughly from my iniquitie and cleanse me from my sinne Cast me not from thy presence Make mee to heare the voyse of ioy that the bones that thou hast broken may reioyce Restore to me the ioy of thy salvation How long wilt thou hide thy face Psal 89.46.49 for ever And shall thy wrath burne like fire Lord where are thy former loving kindnesses But he that because sentence against sinne is not speedily executed Eccles 8.11 12. sets his heart to do evill and thinkes that God hath forgotten and so runnes on the score and never thinks of agreeing with his maker and making up the breach hee is a stranger to the feare of God 7. Hee that feares God doth at all times and in all places set himselfe as in
him 1 Pet. 2.17 Feare God honour the King sayth S. Peter Children must feare their parents Yee shall feare every man his mother and his father Leuit. 19.3 sayth Moses God in their parents and their parents in and for God First God and then their parents Wives must feare and reverence their husbands Let the wife see that shee feare her husband Eph. 5. last verse sayth Saint Paul Servants must feare their masters Servants be obedient to your masters according to the flesh Col. 3.22 with feare and trembling sayth Saint Paul who else-where conjoynes the obedience to masters with the feare of God Servants sayth he bee obedient to your masters in all things Ephes 6.5 not with eye-service but in singlenesse of heart fearing God That is fearing God in their masters and their masters for Gods sake 8. Wee must feare God above all the creatures in the world though all their force and vigour were united together This is the meaning of that of our Saviour Mat. 10.28 Feare not them that can kill the body but are not able to kill the soule but seare him who is able to kill both body and soule Feare not him that can kill the body that is feare not him so much as God Shal wee feare the creature and not God for whose sake only wee feare the creature for what strength hath any creature where with God invests it not What can any creature doe for thee or against thee that God cannot doe What can any man doe against or for thee that God doth not permit and that he cannot interupt or revoke The strength of all creatures combined together is but infirmity weaknes to Gods power human policy is folly to Gods wisdome Wee feare a giant more then an infant a mountaine then a molchill a flame then a sparke a sea then a drop why then feare wee not God more then al things Lastly We must feare God alwayes constantly without intermission or interruption In youth in age in adversity in prosperity Iosh 4.24 That you might feare the Lord your God for ever sayth Ioshua 1 Kings 18.12 I have feared the Lord my God from my youth Psal 72.5 saith Obadiah They shall feare then as long as the Sunne Pro. 23.17 and moone endureth sayth David Bee thou in the feare of the Lord all the day long saith Salomon Many duties there are that are sometimes out of season but the feare of the Lord never Thus I have displayd afore the readers eye the manner how wee ought to manage our feare of God Wherein I have studied plainenes to leave the lowest capacities without excuse In matter of direction in a duty wherin depends life or death it is absurd to walke in clouds or to use the enticing words of mans wisedome CHAP. XVII The meanes whereby the feare of God may bee wrought and increased Next to the manner how wee ought to feare God The meanes whereby this feare is ordinarily ingenerated confirmed and increased come next to hand 1. Bee a companion of all them that feare God Psal 119.63 as David professeth that hee was The company of bold fool-hardy wretches that dare venture upon any sinne is the next way to make thee who ever thou art fearelesse and carelesse till sudden unrecouerable mischief fal upon thee Megnâ— tibi cusledia necessariaest qui ante oculos judicis vivis cuncta cernentis Bern. Medit. 2. The hourely consideration of Gods al-secing ey will keepe the feare of God lively and fresh in the heart That man cannot but bee fearefull and carefull that thinkes with himselfe that hee lives alwayes in the eyes of such a Iudge that is the great and unswayed spectator of all things 3. Reade and heare the word of God frequently and diligently there O Christian thou wilt finde what God is and what the fear of God is and what unanswerable reasons thou hast to feare him Deut 4.10 Gather the people sayth God I will make them heare my words that they may learne to feare me All the people shall heare and feare sayth Mâ—ses And againe Deut. 17.13 Deut 31.13 that their children may heare and learne to feare the Lord. The soule is in the care what knowest thou but that upon thy constant attendance on this sacred ordinance God may strike the speeding blow and worke his feare in thee Lastly we must daily and zealously pray to him whom we ought to feare to implant this his feare in us David will put words into our mouthes Psal 86. â—1 Lord unite my heart to feare thy name Arowse our drowsie leaden and secure spirits and cause the spirit of thy feare to rest upon us that at all times in all places above all things we may feare thee Much more might be added but he who conscionably uses these meanes cannot bee a stranger to the feare of GOD. You will say these means are but ordinary and plaine The better what wise Phisitian will goe a chymicall curious way to cure a patient when knowne remedies will doe the deed That were onely to try conclusions upon the patient Wee use to say plain iron may do that Ferrwn potest quod aurum non potest that gold cannot doe You cannot now say the way is dark for you have had sufficient direction nor that the well is deepe and you have no bucket to draw with for wholesome meanes have been prescribed If we now feare not God it is because we will not The next worke then must bee to bow our perverse wils and to provoke our cold dull affections to this transcendent grace CHAP. XVIII Arguments for and motives unto the feare of God AND now what incentives shall I use to worke our affections to this feare Let us looke but upon Gods little booke his word and upon his great booke of nature the world and there is no line in the one nor thing in the other but argueth hard and powerfully pleadeth for the feare of God But not to let my discourse loose into a hedgelesse field let us remember 1. The surpassing excellencie of this grace in it selfe It is an epitome an abstract of all religion That which Moses calleth feare Deu. 6.13 our Saviour quoting that place Mat. 4.10 calles worship And in the Greeke the same words doe signifie feare and religion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if all religion lay in this feare When the Scripture would â—â—â—escribe a good 〈◊〉 denominateth 〈◊〉 from the feare of God As a tradesman commonly takes his name from that wherein hee most dealeth It was the stile of Obadiah Hee feared God greatly 1 Kin. 18.3 And of Hananiah Hee feared God above many Nehe. 7.2 And of Iob Hee feared God Nay Iob 1.1 the feare of God is the Alpha and Omega Et principuna praeâ—ipuum the beginning and end the complement and perfection of all Salomon calles it Pro. 1.7 Eccl.