942 A Difcourfe of the Fear of God, ~ lutely loll,~;;I(ifi may fo fpeak) is llarved, and lofetl~;r;;;;;-dg;;;gth ~Now in the Excefs there is a two-fold Fear, which oppofeth the Fear of God. · 1•. Slavi!l1 Fear. 2 . Superllitious Fear. And firll let us confider Slavi!l1 Fear, which is of three forts . 1. ~h~0~~avi!l1 Fear which is merely terminated upon the Wrath 2. That which refpeas the Power of Man. ~ · That which I may call Pufillanimity, that proceeds from the Apprehenfions of the infuperable difficulties which do attend a Reli. gious State. ref~tl~i •;:,cot ~~~~ ~~r~~ro~e~~::.illi Fear, which I lliall endeavour to deprefs; in I. Firfl, A Slavilli Fear in refpea of God is this, when the Soul is onely taken up with the Apprehenfionsof thofe Treafures of Wrath which God is able to pour forth upon 1t. A Fear that looks upon God as an ~~recorn01lable Enemy, or as an implacable Judge; th1s Fear I wo~ld endeavour to eradicate, by prefenung thefe Confiderations. fcn~;t~!s~l~~~~;in,er,[~~~b!n~~~~~~re'~:~e;a~~~~~~t ~~e~~~e~~Fr~? t~~o~!~r~r God is rcprefentcd to us as that which is his Glory, his Delight, his Treafure. As l1isMercy mull not violate his Jullice~ fohisJullice mull not devour his Mercy. His Mercy is an Attnbute as Effential as IllS Righreoufnefs. But now when the Soul difbclieves thi s, then it fears God as a Slave fears his Mafrer. 2. Secondly, This Slavilli Fear it is accompanied with di!honourable Thoughts of God. It lS a D1fparagement to Ius E!fence ; fuch a Perfon reprefcms God to himfelf under the Notion ofa-Tyrant, he draws him with a black Coal, and this is no lcfs than lllafphemy. For a defpondent Sinner to think rhus with himfelf, That God will exact Perfection from a Man anfwerable to the meafurc ofan Angel, or that God will triumph in the mere Torments of his Creatures, or that he delights in their Ruine, it .is a Sin equal to Arheifm ; yea, it is in fame refpeS:s worfe than Arheifm. Atheifm is a Denial of the Deity; but for me to entertain fuch Apprehenfions of God, it is the Reproach of the Deity. I 1ememberwhat I read of Pt.rarcb (faith be) I hadra. ther Pojlerit] fbould fay thtre never had been (ucb a Maff as Plutarch, than to fay, tbm had been one Plutarch t!Jat WtU fo cruel, th~tt he would devour his awn Children. I know t~f,;; ~~~x;~~~~~~r~a~~nfu~h ~~~;h~~ ~;~;maa~r1:r, ;t~~h~hf.~t~1de;.~:·o/0JI~~~d: nefs. Such a Perfon doth abfolutely difcharge the GoG el, as if there were no Chancery or Moderation for the Lapfes and unavoidable Infirmities of the bell Men. ~- Tl,irdly, Wherever this Slavilli Fear is, it cloth corrupt all the Services which proceed from him in whom it is. For the Bane of all the Religion in the World is either Mercinarincfs, or Slavi!hnefs; when a Man fervcs God merely that he may obtain worldly Blcffings, or when a Man ferves God as the Heathens ferved the Devil, ne no· · uat, Jell he lliould hurt them. Cbrillians lliould be led by fanS:ified Affellions ; but this Fear kills all delight. They come to the Duties of Religion as Bears to a Stake, and they go from them as Birds out of a Snare; what is the Reafon of it? Be~~u;o~~thy~a~~~~hit~lte;~,1~".;'~~~:~;,i~~'ni~~:~~~~~ ~:;,~X a~~~ll him, both in refpett of his Effcnce and Attributes. A Felon willierh that there was no Judge, no Law; fodoth this Perfon that llavi!hly fears God, he wifherh tharGod were not Omnipotent, that he -might not have Power to torment him ; that he were not Omni~ fcienr, that he might not know the Evil of his Heart and Ways. Hatred always {hikes at the being of that which is hated; when Fear degenerates into Defpair, and that Defpa ir cauferh Hatred, that Hatred at the !all will coufe a Perfon to curie the Fountain of Blef[ednefs: For thus it is in Hell. 5· Fifthly, ThisSiavilli Fearrendersa Sinnercompleatly miferablein this World. All Erroms about the Nature of God are pernicious and dangerous; but thofe Errors which are accompanied with Fear, they a,re like a Wound which harh an Infla_mmattOn
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