946 A Difconrfe of the Fear of God. ------------------------ ,...._,._....., 2. Second!,, As they are abllemious fro~ _whatGod allows, fo they are exail .in Chap. 16. that which God doth not requ~re,_ and this IS emmemly among the Papills at this .........,.....Day. I might largely fpeak of this Sm, I wt!I onely fay thus much of it. , ; All the Services ofa SuperHitious Perfon are u~acceptable to God. 2. All theServicesofaSuperihtwus Perfon are odiQus to him. 1. Firfl, A Superfiitious Perfon's Services are unacceptable to God. When a Man is Carver of his own Obedience, he doth enter upon God's Right, and fo his Services are unacceptable. There is an Exprellion in Col. 2. 18. Let no man beguile you of 1 our Re?'.ard m tt voLuntarJ Hu'!'uftty .and IVOr/htfping of 1-ngels, intrudtng tnto ~hofo 1hings whrch he hath not feen, vaml; puft np bJ /m jlejbl, mmd. There are two thmgs which we may obft:_rvc there, one is from that Expreffion, a voluntary Humility; the word in the Greek IS a voluntary in H?mility, one. that is a Volunteer that offers up WiiiWorfhip to God, the Apollle faith he doth mtrude mto thofe thmgs which he bath not ken.. The Word which we tranOate, intr•de may (with a greac Correfpondency to the Ongmal Notation of the Word). be rendered rhus, mvodmg; TlJat is, fuch a Perfon doth mvade God's Right, and mfolemly fet Foot upon God's Poifellion, as Allorsma Tragedy, where they wentln a lofty and llruttmg manner; from rhence the Greek Word lignifies to enter upon the Right of another; fuch a Perfon invades God's Right, and thereby renders all his Services unacceptable. •· Second!;, The Services of a Superfritious Perfon are odious to God. There is one Scripture which is moll convincing, wh.ere the Lord fpeaks concerning the Sacri· !ices of the 'Jervs, and fhews how he doth diOike them, he tlw offers a S•crifice u .u z::r:::,:-t,~~:~l~;~~~h4~~1=·1~!k!d~~~~ :;e?r·t~ffi~~:<:~=~~~~!;i:;:;n b~~~; Slaughter, and their Priells to be but Bmchers ; for although the Subllance of their Sacrifices were ordained by God, yet becaufe they innovated in the Form, all thefe Sacrifices as they were thankle!S, fo they were hateful to God. Certainly this is one of the Profundities of Satan, to lead a Soul by Superllitious Fear into thefe PraClices. And ufually you flJall obferve, that prophane Youth is curn'd into a SupedHtious Old :!er; J~~h,~~;~~th~ 1t~rk~f ~!a~~ta~~ ~';u~v~:~ t~~:~rf.~~; t~~~:~r,e~0~~7~ arl,~ Way to Heaven. As you fhall fee fometimes a_poor Dove, when its Eyes ~re fealed and dark, it will mount up to Heaven, but alas Jt IS wuh a~ undt.fcermng Wmg, with Fear and trembling; The Dove doth not confider that this Flight of her's is made as a Trail for the Hawk to prevail over her. So here, many blind ignorant Souls mount up to Heaven in their Superllitious Devotions (as they think) but they are made but a Trail for Satan. Superllition is the Ivy of Religion, that feems to imbrace it, but it difpirits it, and eats out its Sap and Moillure: Therefore learn to quench and call this out of the Soul. The Sum of all IS, let us labour to keepalrve 10 our Souls an ingenuous and Filial Fear of God, let us fear his Goodne!S that we may notdifpleafehim, Ictus fearhisJullice,_ fo as we may not provoke him; _let us fear him in all his Perfechons, let us fear h1m as the Angels fear l11m, as he IS the holy and the pure God ; and he that fears God thus, that Fear from the Imperfellion ofa ~~~·w~~~ca{i~~ t~::~~fo~~;f~t~~;~~~~ncl~:,~:h~g~M i~~~~i;e~a;·o~~~fe~ ~~;.the A FU-
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