Ob jeer. Aufiv. Weougbs to fear God,tl"l we know bimrobe our God. Of fcrving God, roith were. a fa}f~ _Tcfti~ony, and therefore utterly a?horred by the Spirit of God who 1s a Sp1nt of 1 ruth: Doth the fame Fount:un fend forth fweet \Vater J bitter ? Oath there plOCCCd frOih qnc and the fame Mouth , Bleffings and c~ 1 fcs? Certainly the fame Spirit that hath once pronounced us to be in the Love 31~d Favour of God, never afur pronounceth us to be Cm·fed, and under the \Vn:uh of God. -But you wiB fay, H,we uot the befl of God's ~hildrtn fometimts concluded rlumfdves to be 7eprobated and caft away ? Have they not lam undtr j dd and fearful apprchnfiom ()f God's ~Vrath? Hav~ not fo.me of them, who formerly walked in the Light of God's Countenance ,,d ftounjlud m thm· .Aj{urance, yet aftcrward.s have hemJo dejtfled that they would not e11tcrrain any comfort or hopes of Mercy and S11lvation? ' To this I Anfroer ; It is tru~, it may indeed fa happen that thofe Saints, whofe Joys and"" Comforts are at one tune frefh and verdent, at another time wither and drop off, fo that they look upon themfelves as rotten Trees, deftinated to make· Fuel for He\1. Whence p_roceeds this? It is not frcm the Spirit of God· but as carnal Men are apt to m1il:ake the firfr Work of Convitl:ion for Melan~holy or for 'Temptation, fo this really prcceeds from one ot thefe two Caufes. VVhcn the Children of God, after full afibrance, come again not only to entertain Doubts of their Condit ion, but alfo to defpair of rhemfelves, looking on themfdves as Perfons that God hath finglcd out to DeftruCt:ion; this proceeds not from the Holy Ghoft, but from M~l~m.:holy or Tempta~io~ •. Sometimes natural Melancholy obftruCts·rhe fenfc of dtvJoe Comfort: As It Is lll clear Water, when i' is fti!l and tr~nfparent the ~un fl1ines to. the very ~tto~, bu~ if yo~ ~ir the Mud, prc. fently 1~ grows fo thtck tl~at no Light can pterce Into It: Sots It with the Chil· · dren of God, though their apprehenfions of God's Love be as clear and tr:tnfparent fometimes as the very Air that the Angels and glorified Saints breath in in Heaven, yet if once the muddy Humor of Melancholy ftirs, they become dark: fo that no Light or Ray of Comfort can break in to the deferred Soul. And then fometimes the Devil caufeth thefe Trajedies by hjs Temptations, that fo,' if it were poffihle, he might drive them to Defpair; he hates their Graces, he envies their Comforts, and ther efore he would pcrfwade them that all their former Joys were but Delu~ons, proud Dreams and prefumptuous Fanfies, and that they are frill in the Gall t>f Bitterncfi, and in the Bond of Iniquity ; and by fuch Suggeftions as thefe arc, when he cannot hinder the Work of Grace, he ftrives what he can to hinder the Senfe of Comfort. \.Vhen, therefore, thofe that have once rejoyced under the comfortable Perfuafions of God~s Love to them, the Holy Gholf witncmng himfelf to them to be a Spirit of Adoption, by being in them a Spirit of Sandifk:a· tion; if they now find themfelves under the Bondage of legal Ftars and Terrors and fiavifh Dejet\:ions, looking upon themfelves as under the revenging Wrath of God, and as Perfons devoted to DeftruB:ion; let them know fuch Fears proceed not from the ConviCtions of the Spirit of God, who bath been a Spirit of Adoption, but they proceed from the Delufions of Satan; for thofe that once receive the Spirit of .Adoption, never receive the Sptrir.of Bondage again to fear; that is, to fear with a fiavifh, tormenting fear. _ . (6.) Sixthly, A revermtial, filial Fear of God, may and ought to poJTrfs our Souls, while tht Spirit of God, who is a Spirit of Adoption, is, by the cleareft Evidences, aEfu411y 'witntffing our Son£hip to 1'.4. Let Men boaft: what they will of their high Gofpel· attainments, yet certainly they have not the genuineDifpo·ficion ofGod,s Children, whofc Love to him is not mingled with Fear, and whofe Fear of him is nbt encrcafed by their Love. Love! It is the Gage and Meafure of a\1 our Affedions, and according to the proponion of our Love to God, fuch will be our Fear; that is, the more we love God the more we fhall fear his Difpleafure and the Lofs of his Favour. It is in vain for us to pretend love God as our father, unlefs we fear him alfo as our Lord and Mafter. Chrift who was his only begotten Son, and certainly had much more clear affurance of the love and favour of God, than any adopted Sons can poffibly have, yet the Scripture afcribes an holy, awful, reverential Fear of God even unto him; Heb. 5: ?• When. he offired up Prayers with ftrong Cries . and 'Tears, and Wtt~ ht.:Jrd in that he feartd; it may be render'd, he W:lS heard be· caufe of his godly Fear. So in /fa. I I. 2. The Spirit of tht Lord jh.all reft upo,z him, the Spirit of Knoroledgt and of rht Feftr of the Lord, (peaking of Chrift. If therefore he feared God, who was himfelf to be feared as God equal to him and his eternal · . Son,
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