Faulty It makes us look well to our Eare for feare we should heare unprofitably to our Eye for feare we should glance unreverently to our Love for feare ought slip from us which God may take for unkinde and unlovely to our Obedience for feare we grow carelesse or presumptuous to our Faith for feare we become doubting or desperate to our Ioy for feare it be immoderate to our Griefe for feare it be unwarrantable to our Devotion for feare it be hypocriticall to our Religion for feare it be superstitious to our whole Life for feare it be licentious For Feare is as the Inquisitor Major over all the rest when it is râ—ght all offices els are right all is well if God be but rightly feared Let it be no wonder then that the Prophet attributes feare to Christ himselfe and that at the end of divers other vertues as a sure Guide and Directer of them all The spirit of the Lord upon him saith he Esa. 11.2 But what Spirit The spirit of Wisdome and of Vnderstanding the spirit of Counsell and of Strength the spirit of Knowledge and of the Feare of the Lord without that indeed the rest as great as they are would be little or nothing and concerning that therefore the next verse addes yet further Et odorabitur timorem Domini besides his having the spirit of Feare he shall also hunt and seek after it above all the rest Nay odorabitur it shall be the very Breath of his nostrils the Life and Soule of all gifts els in him the Feare of the Lord. And to this suits well that excellent meditation that Irenaeus ha's about it Such things saith he as upon our Fore-fathers were so strictly charged in the old Law as meerly slavish and servile all those indeed the libertie of the Gospel pared off at once But then Naturall things and such as comply with ingenuity and freedome as the Knowing of God the Loving of him the Following his Word and the Subduing our owne lusts these were to be dilated by the Gospel and not dissolved so far from abolition that they received a far greater augmentation And from hence it comes saith he that our Feare of God that 's it which principally he chooses to insist upon is much more growne now then ever the Law could expect it And why Because it is naturall sayes he that Sonnes should feare more then Servants the very Libertie of Sonnes being as a Loadstone to allure and as a Whetstone to increase and as a Touchstone to trie their Love and their inbred Affection setting such an edge on the Reverence and Feare which they beare him as no Slavery of the Law could ever skill of That we have not then since Christ received the Spirit of Bondage to Feare any more S. Paul sayes right for that Rom. 8.15 because such Feare as that the Feare that was of old cruciatum habet 1. Iohn 4.18 it onely vexed and afflicted them that had it But yet by the blessing of the Gospel the Feare of the Lord is highly improoved to us for 't is the Spirit of Adoption now and onely combines with Ioy and Pleasure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sayes Pantaleon It is such a reverent and free disposition in us toward God our Father that though we were sure he should ne're know of our offence or could possiblâ— say to us I know it and it offends me but yet I will not punish it even therefore we would strive the more against it as being loath to displease so good a Father and having more care not to miscarry then not to smart for it and performing Dutie not for feare of suffering vengeance but for feare of forgoing that Dutie and of wronging so much Love as he and we are mutually engaged in And now by this I know saies S. Hillarie what King David meant when he cal'd the faithfull to school to him Come my children and hearken unto me and I will teach you the Feare of the Lord. For what needs that saith he if there were nothing els in it Who teaches the Lamb to feare the Wolfe or who reades lessons against the Kite to the Chickens But the feare of the Lord comes by holy Rule and Instruction it is not what Nature trembles at but what Grace directs to and it is not perfectly had but from the lessons of Love such Love as obliges to beware of all offending Now the Psalmist indeed does not there set it downe but if any professe they are come to learne it I dare close up this point with an answer to that other question of his Quis est vir Psal. 25. What Man is he that feareth the Lord For a man may soon know him now at least he may easily know whether himselfe be the man If he finde in his soule so pure and devoted an Affection to God his Father that his Ioy is onely how to please him and his Studie to avoide offending of him his whole Content is that God loves him and securely he rests himselfe upon the favour that God ha's to him Hic vir hic est this man may be bold that he is a good Proficient and that he hath throughly learnt the feare of the Lord But yet this is not enough though for the Time Deum here in my Text. That there is such a thing as Feare and that it is now in a more liberall and Sonne-like condition then when Solomon spake of it and that the minde of man may be and ought to be entirely affected with it and that God alone must be the Object of it in Speculation indeed it comes to no more Timor Domini is but this and these particulars make up the full Theorie of the feare of the Lord But yet there goes somewhat more to the perfect dutie of it for this Time Deum as a present and particular Precept aymes also at the Practising of it it implies the fact as well as the minde all actuall and outward Expressions of it besides the inward and habituall affection So that 's the next thing which here we must look at if a mans spirit be right in the Feare of God and the right Spirit of Gods Feare be upon him what demonstrance withall he must make of the same and how it must be acted that it may appeare God is thus Feared For Corpus autem aptâsti mihi if ever ye markt it you know 't is not omitted of our Saviour himselfe that God having ordained him a Body in that Body he was to performe his will Heb. 10.9 And much more is it so with us we being Bodies also and not onely Spirits the Spirit alone will not suffice us 't is not enough that our mindes and affections are inwardly endued with it but such expressions withall we must make as that the performance of the Dutie may be witnessed The Dutie we acknowledge is that we doe Feare God and but by that which is to be read in our outward
deportment neither God nor Man will beare us witnesse that we do Feare him God nor Man I say For expressions I shall shew you there are of both kinds both to God and to Man To Man that he may know it and so when need is acknowledge it and glorifie God for it or profit himselfe by it To God onely that he may be pleased to acknowledge it though he knew it long before for he knowes what is in man better then man himselfe And for this 't is brought in with a Nunc to Abraham that Father not of the Faithfull alone but of the Fearefull too for He is the first that 's ever said to Feare the Lord Gen. 22.12 Nunc cognovi quòd timeas Now I know that thou fearest God What Not till now Lord Was Abrahams minde unknowne to thee before Could not God tell long agoe whether Abraham feared him Yes as S. Peter answered Christs third question Whether he loved him with Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee and yet Christ the third time said to him Feed my sheep Ioh. 21.17 As who should say Ne're be sorie Simon that I aske thee so often and ne're doubt but I perfectly know thee but know it I will not till thou thus expresse it for how'ere God requires truth in the inward parts yet the inward parts alone are not all he requires he will not know that he is loved unlesse that love doe outwardly appeare and expression we must make of our Feare or els he will not acknowledge that we doe feare him NOw what expression of it can we make to God Abrahams case forenamed shewes us that upon speciall commands there may be Speciall wayes of it even to the sacrificing of an onely Sonne if God so require But the Ordinarie way that lyes open for all men the very word it selfe here will shew us that we must expresse our feare to God by Acts of Religion for so the word feare ordinarily imports in Scripture When Moses had at large described the whole Dutie of Gods Worship his conclusion is And now Israel what doth the Lord require of thee but to feare him Deut. 10.12 That speciall command which God sent against worshipping of strange Gods was Feare not the Gods of the land where you dwell Iudg. 6.10 And the complaint which the Prophet makes of Israel that the feare wherewith they feared God was in precepts of mens teaching Esa. 29.13 by Christ himselfe 't is expounded of corrupting Gods Worship In vaine doe they worship me teaching for Doctrines the precepts of men Matth. 15.9 And in this sense I can tell what to make of it that when the Articles were to be sworn to betwixt the two great Princes Laban and Iacob how Iacob should use Labans daughters whome he had to wife and how Laban should keep a faithfull league with Iacob Laban indeed sware by his Idols but Iacob sware a strange oath Per timorem Patris Isaac by the feare of his Father Isaac Gen. 31.53 What was that Why Laban sware according to his Religion and Iacob according to his by the worth and truth thereof and by that Deitie which his Father and he feared to wit the God of Heaven whom they worshipped And with a reference to this also we must take it what 's recorded in holy writ of religious Obadiah holy Iob devout Cornelius and sundry others still how they feared God For as it appeares by the Wiseman 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the feare of God and the worship of God they are all one in the language of the Spirit And the Grammarians themselves have noted it so that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the most peculiar word for worship comming of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the nature of it imports nothing els but an eminent feare so that these two will ever goe together and where there is any true fearing of God there will be withall a due worshipping of him And does not K. David himselfe leade to this in plaine termes construing his owne minde But as for me saith he I will come into thy house Psal. 5.7 His meaning is I will come and worship thee For that was all the comming into Gods house in those daies when they came they came to worship and worship God they did when ' ere they came thither they were neither too holy nor too stately neither too fine nor too foolish to cast themselves downe when they came into Gods presence But to make it sure he goes on in the next words there And in thy feare will I worship in thy holy Temple saith he There we have them both expresly not worship put alone nor feare alone put for worship though either had been enough I will worship thee or I will shew my feare of thee in thy Temple but both together When I am there in thy feare will I worship that is I will adore thee with such Expressions of Humilitie and Reverence as of right doe appertaine to a Creator from his Creature And how fully then meets this with the Epidemiall prophanation of our times that will thrid you a difference now betwixt this feare and perfect worship betwixt a Religion and a due Devotion betwixt Holines and Holines Holines good store for sooth in heart and in minde Religion in the belly and the braine oh we are so full of that we are ready to burst with it it runs out many times at our mouth with Stand farther off I am holier then thou yea and we are good men you must know and exceeding godly such as feare God and heare his Word duely That 's true we have a great deale of Religion in our Eares too But yet higher or lower though we have none None upon our Heads for a due Reverence before him None in our Knees to bow at his blessed Name None for our Bodies to cast them downe and worship Especially not in his house in the most Sacred presence of our God No the lesse a doe there the better the lesse Superstition Doe but come in confidently and without any more stirre sit downe and be covered and heare and who dare say that we feare not God Whatsoever is more then this for Adoration or any Beautie of Holines talke K. David what he will of it yet it is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Superstitious overfearing of God with many of us for where requires he any of these Expressions and Externall operations in his worship But to these unsavorie Fancies may the Prophet Malachy have leave to reply many passages of whose first Chapter mutatis mutandis fit these times as well as they did those they were made for And they are ne're a whit from my Text neither for they are all about Expressions of Feare in the Service of God At the sixt verse If I be a Father where is my Honour and if I be a
an gratis 't is true Iob feares God I see by that but does he feare God for nought at the 9. verse The point is so cleare say some talkers amongst us what they will that I shall but wrong you to illustrate it I shall better conclude it with this advertisement That these two Expressions of our Feare to God by our Holinesse and to Man by our Righteousnesse they must never be confounded nor the Relations misplaced How e're by our Worship of God men may well hope of our fearing of him and by our Vprightnes with men God takes notice how well we doe feare him yet we mistake it fowly if we think we may spare one of them and that either Expression may well enough serve Both. It was but vainly done therefore of the proud-holy Pharisee to tell God by his not being like the Publican that he was no extortioner nor unjust nor adulterer and by his often fasting that he was no Glutton and by his faithfull tith-payings that he was no Church-robber but in the meane while to stand upon his tearmes with God In trust to his owne Righteousnes to stand up as though he challenged God and to pray with himselfe sayes the Text as though he scorn'd to doe any more for God and to let him know what He was as though God were beholding to him And if such as that would serve God So But otherwise in the pride of his heart to Expresse no reverence nor worship no feare of God at all in his presence And e'ry whit as vain is the other Pharisaicall trick that 's now become the signe of a Saint among many of us little to regard that which our Saviour calls the Weightier matters of the Law Iudgement and Mercy and Fidelitie he meanes conscientious Honestie such as is regulated by the glorious Law written in our hearts and not by the outward Law of Westminster-Hal or of a Bishops Consistory but to make no bones of it to burst in private with envie and malice with hatred and all uncharitablenesse to backbite and slaunder to crosse and hinder to censure and condemne to wallow also in oppression and usurie in falshood and wrong in lust and uncleanenes in pride and hypocrisie in contempt and disobedience in schisme and faction both Ecclesiasticall and Civill And yet notwithstanding all this to make full accompt that our running to Church and crying out for Sermons our defying the Devill and rayling against Antichrist our pretending of Conscience and finding fault with the State and Times our singing of Psalmes and talking of Scripture our casting up of the Eye and making of sowre Faces must be proofe enough to any man that we feare God extraordinarily Alas no 't is a Catholick rule that which S. Iames gives for our Faith and it equally extends to all our Affections Iames 2.18 Shew me thy faith by thy workes and thy Hope by thy Workes thy Love by thy Workes and thy feare by thy Workes In secret 't is true God sees them before and without thy workes but if thou wouldst have me see them and glorifie God in them or edifie my selfe by them thou must shew them to me that way or none by thy workes And what workes Not of Godlinesse and Devotions not by the faire but bare shew of Holinesse No we esteeme highly of that of all holy carriage but viderit Deus we leave God to Iudge of it because the heart of man is so deceitfull that the Ministers of Satan can in that transforme themselves into Angels of light but by Mercy and Charitie by Pietie and Equitie and such other humane Duties of such workes expresly the Apostle was there treating and by them thou must shew to men and let them judge whether thou fearest God or no. OR if that be too much for the Demonstration of our Fearing of God to exact all the duties between Man and Man then in stead of them all at least-wise by way of Collection for them all take we but Gods way here Expresse we the one by another that 's next to it the feare of God by the feare of the King The Text you see joynes them so close that it makes but one and the same Act for two Objects God and the King two Persons but conjoyned in one Act of our Feare both made one in that Feare God my sonne and the King To make us know that what holy pretenses so e're are made for it yet God is not feared if the King be not the want of Performance in the one implies Imperfection in the other and the want of Truth in the one avouches Hypocrisie in the other No Kings feare no Gods feare God himselfe of purpose hath here joyned them together and 't is to make God a lyar a mans selfe Sacrilegious if any dare take either from other or put them asunder And the reason of it is impregnably good or els the blessed Spirit in S. Iohn was but a poore Logician For did you ever marke it how he enforces the absolute necessitie of brotherly love among us He hath two Arguments together for it 1. Ioh. 4. If any man say I love God and hateth his brother he is a lyar For how can he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen love God whom he hath not seen verse 20. That 's the first and it is a Topick rule that particularly applied by him upon this ground because of the generall Image of God which is upon a mans brother He sees not him but he sees Gods Image in him and God he sees not but in some Image of him and the livelyest Image of God is in his brother Et ergò In very good reason then How can he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen love God whom he hath not seen No he cannot the Question How can he is but to make the Negation more vehement it is a thing impossible in very Reason The other Argument of S. Iohn is ab Authoritate a sufficient Reason that in it selfe that we are commanded it but yet it is steel'd with the temper of another Topick rule also because Where one thing is ordained to be with another there the one is not as it should be without the other Now this commandement have we of him saith he What That we should love our brother No that 's not enough But that he which loveth God should love his brother also verse 21. That 's the Second Carry then now but these two Arguments in minde and conclude who will for my Text and the King and the Spirit here will warrant him But reply or deny who can for the Spirit will confound him As good as those Arguments are in S. Iohn for his purpose for the love of our brother I dare boldly say it and let me forfet my Arts and Iudgement too if I make it not appeare to any honest mans conscience that they are far more pregnant here both for our
the Lord himselfe said it as plainly to Samuel Non Te sed Me when they would needs have another King in his stead 1. Sam. 8.7 They have not cast Thee away but they have cast Me away And so Non Regem sed Deum must I say to these that now by not fearing the King as they should doe doe as much as they can to Vnking him againe It is not the King but God whom they principally faile For there is not the least contempt of Majestie but is more then a spice of Prophanation and e'ry step of Disloyaltie is a high degree to Atheisme And in how high a degree then this danger of Atheisme now a dayes rangeth this Text of mine in my eye does clearely demonstrate It shewed us before that the Feare of the Lord requires the Worship of him and that the due worship of him requires so much Beauty and Reverence that all our saucy and carelesse demeanour before him all negligent and perfunctorie performance of our Religion all slight and unawful Expressions in it as in Gods presence are the foulest Scorn and Abasement that may be Vngodding him no lesse in true construction then does rash and unadvised blasphemie It shews us now that next after himselfe our God provides for Kings as for himselfe Sets his eminent Image upon them sets them in his owne stead sets but one rule of Conscience for the feare of them both both himselfe and them In a word sets so much by them whom he sets over us that for us now not to be abundantly Right towards them is to be extreamely Wrong towards God to faile the one is to be false to the other to defraude the one is to defie the other Take me now but a man of understanding among the very Heathen for still I drive at that to convince it from the evidence of Reason it selfe and let him see First That howe're these Duties of fearing God and King are charged upon us not so much by any written Law as by a Law within us also by the Rule of Reason and the Divine Law of Conscience yet many of the Great Professors of this Religion they that take upon themselves above others to be this Gods chiefest Sonnes and Servants and to have the best Consciences by far yet for all this they stumble and make a doubt of performing such a reasonable and seemly worship to their God and as for their King they not onely stand in great suspense but dispute it also fiercely whether for all his Vicinity to God he can of Right be invested with so Divine a Priviledge Secondly That in this fond uncertainty of theirs they doe not look In quam partem tutiùs peccetur and in wisdome venture most upon that which is safest but for Conscience sake for sooth ever incline to the more dangerous part out of a singular Devotion still cleave fast to the worst choosing rather then afford their God or King an inch perhaps too much to tedder them both stiffely at sure an ell too little Lastly That in this preposterous course they have purposely so inured their thoughts and hammerd their Consciences to it as that now they count it a shrewd wrong to be but told what 's right if any man dare be so true to God and King as to shew them the Dutie of better Devotion they besmeare him presently with a coale of dangerous Superstition if of better Allegiance they brand him soundly with the slaunder of ambitious Flattery by all meanes they reckon them that stand least upon points with God in worshipping of Him the godliest men and the best Christians but them that stand most upon points with the King against obeying of Him the best Subjects or as now it goes currant in their owne coyn good Patriots And now let this Pagan but say what he thinks of a God that must thus be used either in Himselfe or in his Vicegerents and what difference he can finde in Reason between such a Religion as they by this meanes make of it and his owne I will not say for the very Heathen in their abominations carry themselves more Conscientiously But between such a Religion and a down right Fable And if this be not a good Consequence go blame S. Paul that taught me this kinde of Argument and that in a point of Religion too but of much lesse importance For the whole Church saith he when they come together but to speake in unknowne tongues he may not abide it And why Because 't is so dissonant from Reason a Confusion so unnaturall that if but a Heathen man come in may he not well account it a mad Religion Shall he not justly say that they are all out of their wits 1. Cor. 14.23 And how much more then say I if a Heathen man come among our Religious ones and finde such a hideous and uncouth Dissonancy Our Profession indeed to be towards God a Dutie of feare and holy Worship towards Kings a Dutie of feare and sacred Obedience towards both a joynt Dutie not from Policy or Reason or Nature alone though e'ry one of these lawes enforce it mightily but from Conscience also and divine Law and the very Principles of Religion But yet our whole Practise notwithstanding to be to God heedlesse and unreverent an arbitrary and fancifull a rude and saucy slubbering of his worship To Kings a contemptuous and faithlesse a quarrelsome and gracelesse a repining and heartlesse curtalling of the Honours due to them And may he not well take it for a mad fabulous Religion shall he not justly say Non est Deus A God upon these crosse and beggerly termes cannot be a God Wherefore my hearts desire and humble prayer to God is that he would open our eyes as we are or should be Christians of ripe understanding to see this and that we who are ready enough out of the former part of the Text touching the feare of God to charge our neighbours about us with the daunger of Idolatrie in their manner of Divine worshipings would make some Conscience to quit our selves as readily in this part of the Text touching the feare of the King from no lesse a crime then Idolatry is in our manner of wilfull Refusings For the Spirit of God we see is expresse about it 1. Sam. 15.23 That as to Obey is better then Sacrifice a better signe of our Religion and to God far more acceptable so to be Disobedient and Vnquiet Nolle acquiescere says the Text there to be whyning and excepting kicking and wincing at the sacred Commands of Authoritie over us what e're we deem of it or how e're we please our selves in it and like those grand Mistakers thinke we doe God good service by it yet 't is as bad in Gods owne construction as Sorcerie and Idolatry too And nothing more then this Sorcerie and Idolatrie I feare me it is that of late hath so much troubled our Israel and made the days of