Of ferving God, with flothful Servant, as a fevere Lord and a cruel Tyrant, that will exact Punifhmcnt from them to the ntmoft of their Deferts; they expect: no other but that cer· tainly God's ~rath will kindle upo1~ them and burn them. eternally, and this makes them ltve as the Apoftle fpeaks lfi Heb. 10. 27. In certam fearful Expeffatiom of Wr11th and lndignatio11, that /hall dc'tJour them as Adverfaries. This kind of horrid Fear I doubt not but is common to mofi: wicked Men ; and though they brave it out and malt of them fpeak high Matters of their hope! of Heaven and Salvation yet 'at the fame ti!Ue their o~n Hearts and Confcicnces tell them f~d and mifgiving Stories of Hell and everlafhng Wrath. But now a true and fihal Fear of God looks at the Wrath of God with Dread and Terror, but not with ExpcClation · there's the Dift'hencc. Sl?vi/h Fear looks upo~ the Wrath. of God, and expeCt~ it:; Filial Fear looks upon It as due, but not wuh ExpeCtations that it fhould be inflicted upon it. • Sl,wijb (2.) Secondly, SLwijiJ Ft~~r is ~~tln;ays accompani~d with fome degree of Enmity and Fetfr iJ ,,. Hatred ~~tg~inft God: It is natl!ral for .us to ha~e th?fe that we fear with a flavifh tompanitd Fear. He that thtnks God will certatnly pumlh hrrn, rnufr out of Self-love needs •irh hJ- be provoked to hate God : Hence is ir, that the Soul that lies under the Terrors ~~~.of of the Law, wifheth that there .wa~ no (uch thi1~g J.S ~ell and eternal Damnation, nay, that there was no God to .InfliCt thts upon tt: This proceeds from this flavijJJ Fear of God. But now a reverent Fear of God is joined with a holy Love, as Children who love their Parents, but yet frand in awe Qf them. So much for the Concomitants of this Fear. Tluy dtffer (2.) Secrmdty , For their Effcel:s; and th:tt both as to Sin, and as to Duty. '; 1;;:~ (I.) -~S ~0 Sin; Slauijh FMr dre.1ds notb;ng btu Hell and Punifhmenr, but godly Fe~r AI , 9 Sin. d~eads Sm rt {elf: The one fears only ro burn, the other fears for to fin. As Auftm fatth well, He fears Hell only who fears not to fin, but fears to burn; but he fears to Jin, wf,o httteJ firJ as he would hate Hell. ( !. ) Slavi/h Fear ufually rrftrains only from extemal, and thofo alfo the mofegrofs and notorious Affs of fin; but holy Fear over·awes the Heart from inward and fecret Sins, Yea, from rhe leaft Sins w hatfoever. .As to Du- (2) And the-n as for Duty alfo, in two Things briefly. · tl• (t.) Fir It, A JlavijiJ Fear o/God m~~tlw Men to confult how they may fly from God: As Adam did, when he had brought Guilt upon his Confciencc by his Fall, he hides himfelf from God in the Garden. Guile loves not the prefence of its Judge: But godly Fear is ftill exciting the Soul to approach near to God in Duty. And therefore David faith, Pfal. 5· 7· lu rby Fear wilJ I roor/hip tr:nwlrds thy holy Temple. The Fear of God encourageth the Soul in the performance of Duty 1 (2.) Secondly, Slavij11 Fear contents it ftlfwirh external Perform,mces. Juft fo much as will ferve the turn, to fatisfie the Demands of Confcicnce; but holy Fear fan~ Ctifies the Lord in Duty as well as fatisfies Confcience: And therefore you have it in /fa. 8. 13, Sanffi!J the Lord of Hoft in your Hearts, llfld let him be )'our Fear and your Dread. Thus much briefly for the difference betwixt filial and fiavHh Fear. Vfe 1. I come now to the Application: And the firfr Ufe lhall be by way ofCorol· lary. If the conlideration of God as a confuming Fire ought to afre(t the moft affured Chrifl:ian with a holy Fear and Dread of Got..!, how much more then may it fhrink and fhrivel up the Hearts of Ungodly Sinn·crs? If it make GO<es own Children to tremble to look into Hell, and lO fee thofe heaps of miferable Wretches that are thefe burning for ever, fuall it not much more make you to tremble, who are liable every moment to be bound in Bundles, and to be caft in to burn among them? When a City is on Fire it is terrible to fee it rage afar off, to fee it fpue up Smoak and Flames, tho' at a difl:ance, and he that is not altect:ed with it is lnhu· man; but he is more thanll:upid, that cloth not tremble to fee it devour whole Streets before it, ruining all till it approach near his own Dwelling: Why, Sirs,- this confuming Fire hath already feized upon Millions of ochers, and burnt them down into tlo!e loweft Hell: Do not you hear Dives, i~ the Gofpel, cry Fire, Fire! The greateft part of the World is already burnt down; and if their Cafe makes not your Hearts to fuake and tremble, yet ruethinks your own Jhould : This Fire is catching and kindling upon your Souls, and the next moment may make you Brands in Hell. But, alas! what hope is there to affright Men that are faftaOeep? Such a dead Security hath feizcd upon the Hearts ofmolt, that it is almofl: im/ili1~
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