Reverence and Godly Fear.· Son, hov/ much more ought we to fear the great God, who an:, as ir: were, but Up-frarts in the Family of Heaven; we wretched and forlorn Out~cafh, that were but I:uely raked out of the Dunghil, and by meer Pity taken up into the Bofom of God, and nurtured as his Children? And thus you fee the Fear of God is not in 651 the ktft contrary to the free Spirit of Adoption. . ( 4·) Fourthly, Ail atrful Fear of God is no Impediment to a holy Re)oycing. Indeed A Frar of ilavifh Fear damps all true Joy. Thofe that Fe.ar and expect the _Revcngings of GoJ. ~~ 11o • God cannot have any true Joy ; they may have a kind of mad Jolltty that fpcnds Imp:dtit felf 'in Noife and Tumults, that may roar out Songs of Mirth, only to 'drow n ~~·~:-a the loud Roarings oft~eir own Confciences. Such as thefc are ~ike ~our new Li- j~Jcing in quor that works over mto Foam and Froth, when the b~ttom IS thtck and trou- Cod. bled. So in this falfc Joy, the Countenance runs over wtth Laughter, when yet the Heart is brim full of the Writh of God; of fuch the wife Man fpeaks, Pro'U. 14- 13· £1Jm in Laughtn the Heart is [orrow_(ul. But now a filii! fear o( God, puts no check at all upon our holy Rcjoycing in him;. fpiritual Joy is not of that flalhy Nature, but it is a fober and a fevere Grace, it is Joy mix'd with Fear; a:ld becaufe of the mixture of thefe two together, the fear of God wirh joy in the Lord, thefctore we find thefe two are promifcuouny afcribed each to other ; fo in I a. 6o. '5· Their Het~.rts/htdl fear and be enlarged. You know it is the propel ry of Joy to extend and enlarge the Heart; Fear contraCts and dra,vs it together, but hear Fear is faid to dilate the Heart, to denote to us, that a Chriltian's Fear is always conjoined and mingled toe;ether with his Joy. A.nd fo on the other Hand it is f.1id, Pj.1l . 2. 11. Ser'Vt the Lord Pith Ft:t!1·, and rejoycc rvirh.'Trembling. Fear with Trembling is more proper and natural; but becaufe of the mixture of thefe two Graces in the Heart of a Chrillian, therefore the Holy Ghoff thus cxprelfeth it, Rejoyce 1vith Trembling; for great Joys as well as great Fears, caufe a kind of trembling and fluttering in the .Heart: As it was with the two Women, whom the Angels aflllred ofChrift's Refnrrethon, A1ar. 28. 8. They departed from rhe Sepulchre with Fear and great Joy. So is it with thofe Chriltians, who by the Eye of Faith looking upon the Death and into the Sepulchre of Je.fus Chrift, are a!Tured that he is rifen for their juftification, cannot but have their Hearts filled with a quaking and a fearful Joy : Even a Chriltian's ftrong Praifcs are breathed out with a fuaking and trembling Voice; fo that godly Pear is no Impediment to a holy and a fevere Rejoycing in God as our Saviour. Fifthly, Godly Fear lays no check upon our holy freedom and boidneflwith God. God Godly fear h:tth eltablifhed a Throne of Grace whcreor: he Iits, and unto whkh he in.vites his 1ifes k no Pe"oplc"to approach with a becoming C..onfidcnce, Heh. + 16. Let us come boldly to :ur~ ,-:;. rhe Throne oj Grace. As that Emperor counted his Clemency difparaged \V hen any d~m and delivered a Petition to him with a fuaking Hand, as thouDh he doubted. of his Fa- /.(lldnefs vour, fo God Loves when we make our Addreffes to him, that we fboulJ do it r.itb God. with full ar1Urance of Faith, nothing doubting of accept:tnt..e with him, and of an Anfwer from him. He that asks ti:moroufiy, only begs a Denial from God. But yet that this boldnefs may not degenerate into rudenefs and irreverence, he requires that our Freedom with him be tempered with an awiulFcar of him. We muft come in all Humility and Profrration of Soul, with broken Hearts and bcnded Knees, to touch that golden Scepter that he holds forth to us. Thus you fee in thcfc five "Things, how confiftent the Grace of Fear is .,,·ith other Graces of the Spirit; it is no Impediment to a full A!Turancc, it"s no Hindrance to Love, it's no Impediment to a Spirit of Ad.option, nor to a holy Rejoycing, no, nor to a holy Boldnefs. Now becaufe llmve made Frequent mention of filial and jla'lJij/' Fear, that you Whe~ein may the better underftand what each of thefe means, I fuall briefly give you ftfla_vifhand the. difference betwixt them. Now they differ in their Concomitants, and in d/Jt~.Fear t·he1r Effeas. · in their Concomitants and in their Ejfeils. (1 .) Firft, SltwijiJ Fear hath always two dreadful Concomitants; and they are ~ thei~ Defpair, and Hatred ar Eniniry againft God. ra;;~mt- . ~ t _.) In jl~'lJi/h Fear there is alw~ys fome dtgrce of Defpt~ir: Now this flavifu Fear In fl;viffi Is Jomed Wlth dreadful cxpettauons of Wrath. A Slave that bath committed a ~tar thert Fault, cxpeas no other than to be punifhed for it without Mercy. So thofe that X iflrl'a.fs lie under this fiavifu Fear, apprehend and account of God .no otherwife than the g~:ee ~- J;S n Ann ~ fiothful De[p:lir.
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