174 OF SPIItITIIAL IVÏINDÉDNË53`. and profane persons will break forth on all occasions into cursed swearing by his name. So men in such ways have thoughts of God, without either reverence or godly fear, without giving -any glory to him, and for the most part for their own. disadvantage. Such are all thoughts of God that are not accompanied with holy fear and reverence. There is scarce any duty that ought at present to be morepressed on the consciences of men, than this of keeping up a constant holy reverence of God in all wherein they have to do with him, both in private and public, in their inward thoughts and outward commu- nication. Formality hath so prevailed in religion, and that under the most effectual means of its suppression, . that very many manifest, that they have little or no reverence of God, in the most solemn duties of his worship; and less it may be in their secret thoughts. Some ways that have been found out to keep up a pretence and appearance of it, have been, and are, destructive to it. But herein consists the very life of religion. The fear of God is, in the Old Testament, the usual ex- pression of all the due respect of our souls to him ; and that because where that is not in exercise, rìothing is accepted with him. And thence the whole of our wisdom is said to consist therein, and if it be not in a prevalent exercise in all wherein we have to do with him immediately, all our duties are utterly lost as to the ends of his glory, and the spiritual advantage of our own souls.
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