Of fcrving God, roith Helvcnl · whofe Love is fo perfect that it can neither admit of an increafc or abatement, yet they ftand in awe and fear of the terrible Majcfty of the great God. the fam~ infini_te Exceilencies of the div ine ~ature th~t attraCt their Love, dotl~ alfo exctte thetr Fear.. See how the Prophet makes th1s ·a n Argument to fear God 1er. 10. 7·· Who tvould tJOt fear thee, 0 King of Saints! For, faid he in all th; E.mh there if none like umo thee. One would rather think God's unp;ra\lel Ex'.- cel\encics and PerfeC\:: ions fhould be a Motive to Love; who would not lo:Je thee, 0 King of Saints, fincc there is none in all the Earth like thee ? Yea but filial Fear and filial Love at'e of fo near a kin and cognation, that theY may well be enforced by one ar.d the fame Argument. Who would not fear thee? for in all the Earth there U none ltke thee. This is the Excellency of divine Love, it is an attraCtive of. ~ove., and it is an excitement unto Fear. Well then, though we have D? clulhng Fear of a ~ot and fcorcbing Hell, yet let us have an awful, reverential Ftar of the glonous God, whofe Excellencies are fuch as cannot be matched, nor fcarcely imi~able by any in Heaven or in Earth. AboJ;Fu.r (3•) Thirdly, 'The Fear of God U not contra) to that JYte Spirit of Adoption which we cf God u receive in our firft Converfion. lt may perhaps feem to fame that the Apofl/e oppofed :orr;or~~.a~ th~~ in Rom. ~· IS. You have not received the Spirir of Bondage again to bar, but the lpirit cf Spmr of ~doptton, 1vhercby you cry A?b~'. Father. .Adoprlo 11 • To thts I An five,·; That by the Sptnt of Bondage here, the Apoftle means the leg~l Work of the h~ly Ghoft in. Con~ia:ion that i-s preparatory to Converfion, whiCh Work ufually IS accompantcd wHh dreadful Terrors, apprehend ing God not as a reconcil~d Father b~t as ~n i~~enfed and fever~ Judge; why now, fays the Apoftle, You htwe not rcr:_erved ~Jm Sp~rtt of Bond(tge agam thus eo fear; this is not that Ft~tr that the conltdera tlon of God, as your God and reconciled F.tther excited you to, this is not that Fear that the Apoltle exhorts Chriftittns unto, but an awful, reverential Fear of' God, whereby we fhould ftand in awe of his dread Majefty, fo.as to I?~ prefe~ved. from whatever may be an oftCnce to his Purity; and if in any Ntght ot Defertton tt lhould happen that the Hearts of true Believer5 Jhould be overwhelmed with difmal Fear;, apprehending God as enraged and incenfed againft them, ftanding in doubt of the goodncfs of their fpiritual Conditi ... on; if this fei:z.e upon them afte'r they have had the Spirit of Adoption, let them know this Fe11r is not from a Work of the Holy Ghoft in them ) they have not received the Spirit of Bondage again fo to fear; it is not a Wotk of the Holy Ghoft to excite in them doubtsand fears of their fpiritual Condition, after they have once had affurancc of the goodnc:fs thereof, but it arifeth either from fame Ignorance, or from fomc Sin that they have committed, that intcrpofedt betwixt them and the clear fight of the difcoveries of God's Love. Now for the better underftandi11g of this place, becaufe I judge it pertinent eo my prefc:nt purpofe, I !hall open it to you fomewhJt largely in thefe following Parti· culars. The Work ( 1.) Firft, The preparAtory Work of Convcrjion is ufually carried ino;J tht Soul by ~~~al j! ~nver~ Fears and Terrors. I call that a legal Fear that is wrought in the Soul by the Dread _, :0; t~ufuj Thrcatnings and Denunciations of the Law. The Law, if we take it in its native 011 ~ z;:l ~igour, withou~ the merciful qualification of Go_fpel-grace, thundcr'd on~ nothFe~tu~tnd mg but Execrattons, Wrath and Vengeance agamfteveryTranfgrefforof It, re.. Terror~. prefenting God armed alfo with his almighty Power to deftroy them ; this is that lt~tvifb Feqen ... genders illllO Bon.. Uge. Glafs that fuew'd them their old Sins in moft ugly Shapes ; now they fee them ftare ghaftly upon their Confciences, that before allured them; the Scene is quite changed, and there arc nothing but dreadful Apparitio'ns of Death and Hell fleet~ ing now before them, Hell belch'd in their very Faces, God brandifhed his flaming Sword over them ready to reeve their Hearts afunder; they that lately were fecure and fearlefs, now ftand quaking under the fearful expectations of that fiery Wrath and Indignation, that they neither have hope to efcape1 nor yet have they Strength or Patience eo endure. This is that t~gal.Fear that the Curfcand Threat· nings of the Law, when fct home in their full acrimony, work in the Hearts of convinced Sinners. · (2.) Secondly, ThU leg11l Fear U jlavi./h, and mgMders unto Bondage! There is Bondage under the reigning Power of Sin, and there is a Bondage un~er the terrifying Power of Sin : The former makes a Man a Slave unto the Devil, and the latter makei a Man a Slave unto God: And fuch Slaves arc all convinced Sinners
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