Reverence and godly Fear. reconciled Father) let wicked Men in the mean while fadiy confider with rhemfelves,. what great caufe then they have to fear him who is their fworn Enemy; jf God's Smiles are tempered with t~at Majefty that .rn~kes them awful, furely his Frowns then muft needs carry tn them an aftondlung Terror, that mak:.:s tht>m infupportable . ·We may obferve h.o ~or un,expettedly fometimes, from the Goodners and Mercy of God, that is~ the fweeteft and moft natural attractive of Love, tbc Scripture draws an Inference to fear God, P{lfl. 130. 4- There if forgivcrufs witb thee that thou maycfi be (et~red. Not only a Sin-revenging, but a Sinpardoning God is here fer before us as the Objett of our Fear; thefe two Sifter Graces Fear and Love are nourilhed in the Soul by the f.<Ime Attribute, God's par... doning Mercy. The great Sinner in the Gofpel is faid to lo"..t much, becaufemuch_ w.u forgivm her ; and here much Fear as well as much Love, is the refnlt and iJTue of God's pardoning Grace. And fo you have it in Hof. 3· 5· They /IM/1 fear the Lord at~d hUgoodnejs . And in Exod# I)· 11. Mofes defcribing the moft glorious Attributes of God, tells ne;, That he Uglorious in Holinefs, fearful in Praifes; even then when we arc to praife God for his Mercy, yet are we to fear him, as being fearful in Praifcs. And therefore l'lehemiab, in Neh. I. 5· praying to God, fays he, 0 Lord, the gmtt ar.d the terrible God . Wherein? Is it in overwhelming King9oms, in bringing upon them decreed Deftru8:ion? Is it in the fierce execution of of his Wrath againft ~inners? No; fays he, 0 Lord, the ten·ible God, that kupeft Covenant and Mercy fer them that lo".Je him.. So :1gain in Chap. 9· 32. 0 God, the mighty ar1d terrible God, that lmprft Gnunant and Mercy. Let us now confider what there is in the Mercy and Favour of God, as he a is reconciled God unto us and in Covenant with us, that may juftly render him w be the ObjeCt of our Fear. ( t.) Firft, The confulcraticn of that dreadful way and mnhod th.1t Cod t cok to mani- 'Jbar {eft hi~ Mercy torMrds us, U [ufficicnt to affcil ou; HcariJ with Fear, thotJgh we ftand dreadful fUlly po/Jej[td of his favour. 1n Gen. 28. when G.od had n~aclc m~my gracious Pro- w'!Y tlur mifcsa\1 along that Cluptcr unto}acob, of btc!fin._'{ of lHm, ::tnd keeping him in all Godfi~to his ways, of multiplying his Seed M the duft of the Earth, you would thinkthis was ~:'~J,61 no terrible Thing; and yet becaufe God reveals this !'1ercy to hhn in an awful 1o ~a, md.J and amazing manner, a Gap is opened in H@aven, a bnght Ladder reaching from ;uft!Jfaufe Earth to Heave1~; God on the top of i.t, Angels C?n cyery Round of it; though 11!·/0f~d.r the Melfage was JOyfull yet the ftrange ktnd of dellvenng of the Mell3ge, makes bm. 'Jacob cry out, How dreadful is thU plac~, it is no other than the Gat~ of Heaven! The very Gate of Heaven becomes dreadful when it is reprefented in fuch a Majeftical manner.. But now the way that God took for his Mercy to arrive at liS, is much more dreadful than any fuch Dream or Vificn, and therefore we Ihould be the more deeply affeC\:ed with Feir and Trembling, even then when God fpeaks Peace and Pardon to us; for if we confider either the Terms upon w·hich he ic; become ours, or the way by which he difcovereth himfelf to be ours; both of them arc full of Dread and Terror. ( 1.) Fitft, It catmot but ftrike our Hearts with Fear to rejleEf upon tho{e dreadful Terms Th~ urms 11pon which God U conttnttd, to be inductd to become our God. His Mercy towards us is upon~bici procured upom Terms of infinite Juftice and Severity. Divine Vengeance arrefts God beon\- Surety, and exaCts from him the utmoft SatisfaCtion ; that Curfe that would tomwyurs, for ev:cr hav~.bl.afted and withered the Souls of all Mank.indl feizeth upon Chrift fe1;. of Jn all1ts malJgmty; that Wrath, fome few Drops of wh1ch fcalds the D:unned in Hell, was given him to drink off in a full and overflowing Cup, He did bear the chaflifement of our Peace, ~tnd by hU Stripes we are healed; nor would God upon low~ er Terms have confented to a Reconciliation betwixt wretched Man and himfelf. than the precious Blood of his only Son. As of Old~ Friendlhip betwixt tw~ Perfons was wont to be attefte.d and fealed by a Sacrifice, as we fiud it both a· mong Heathen Authors, and alfo in Scripture; an lnfbnt of which we have of La· haJJ, in Gen. 31. 54· where Labanand 'Jacob, returning to Amity, make a Ratifi·. cation of it by a Sacrifice. So the Atonement that God made betwixt tls and him.. felf is folemnized by a Sacrifice, even the Sacrifice of his own Son, As a Lnmb with· out {pot or blrmifh ; in thts Blood the Treaty betwixt God and Man ftand ratified and confirmed. Oh ! dreadful Mercy, that clafps and embraces us about with Arms died red in the Blood of Jefus Chrift . But now is not this Ground enough to caufe a holy Fear of God to feize upon ev.ery Soul that Ihall but ferioufiy con· fider
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