reach another, but, through his adverfary's fuperior skill, is not able, or, terrified by threatenings, is not bold enough to attempt is, what character does he bear, or deferve, but that of a disappointed knave? What parent or mafter will be fatisfied with the obedience of a child or fervant, who plainly discovers that he hates his commands, and grieves at his authority? It is true, as man can only judge with certainty of the outward appearance, this circumstance must be left out of every fyftem of human government. We can make no laws on earth to punish the intention: but fo much we know of it, as may make us fenfible what all fuch deserve, and shall receive, at the hand of God, whose prerogative it is that he knoweth and judgeth the fecrets of all hearts,

I fhall only further obferve, that the fame thing appears in the clearest manner, from the nature of that happiness which is prepared for the children of God in the life to come. It is purely fpiritual, as it is perfectly holy: it confifts in the knowledge of God, in the exercise of love to him, in conformity to his nature, and the execution of his will. Thofe who are under the dominion of fear, who have no love to God, but only defire to avoid his wrath, will certainly find, that, though it were poffible for them to escape hell, they neither deserve, nor are able to relish, the employment and happiness of heaven. As the commands of God are a burden to them on earth, his immediate prefence would be a ftill more infupportable burden in heaven. From all this I hope it appears evidently, that a character may be formed upon religious principles, and yet, if it is never carried further than a restraint by fear, it is not that change which is neceffary to falvation.

It will not be improper, or rather it will be abfolutely neceffary, to make a reflection or two upon this branch of the fubject for its improvement, and to prevent its being miftaken or mifapplied. For this purpose let it be obferved, that we must carefully diftinguish the flavifh dread above explained, from that dutiful reverential fear, which every child of God is ftill bound to preserve upon his mind, of his Father who is in heaven. Of the firft kind it is faid, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love caft

"eth out fear, because fear hath torment: he that feareth "is not made perfect in love."* In proportion as the love of God prevails, the firft fort of fear is banished, but the other is fo far from being banished, that it rather increases. This is no other than a profound veneration of the unspeakable greatness and glory of God, and particularly of his holinefs and purity, which fhould bring every creature proftrate before him. We find in the vifion of Ifaiah, the heavenly hofts reprefented as deeply penetrated with fuch a discovery: "In the year that king Uzziah "died, I faw the Lord fitting upon a throne high and lifted "up, and his train filled the temple: above it stood the "feraphims; each one had fix wings; with twain he "covered his face, with twain he covered his feet, and "with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another and "faid, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, is the Lord of hofts, the whole "earth is full of his glory."+

This not only may, but ought, in us to be accompanied with a fear of the punishment incurred by fin; at the faine time it must be infeparably connected with, or rather founded upon a fenfe of the holinefs of his nature, the purity of his law, and the juftice of his vengeance. On the contrary, that fear of God which prevails in the unregenerate, is founded only on the terror of his power, as a natural attribute. It is like the ftruggling of a chained flave, who "gnaws his tongue for pain," who is not fatisfied with the equity of the law, which he has tranfgreffed, and cannot admit the juftice of that fentence, the execution of which he apprehends.

There is no inconfiftency at all between the fear and love which terminate on the correfpondent attributes of God, majefty and mercy. A chriftian may, and ought, to grow in a fenfe of the divine prefence, and reverential dread of the divine majefty, and fo be ftill more afraid of finning; at the fame time, he may alfo grow in a sweet calm and composure of mind, a fiducial truft and reliance on the divine faithfulness and mercy; juft as, on the other hand, fome finners evidently increafe both in pretIfaiah vi. 1, 2, 3.

* 1 John iv. 18.

fumption and timidity. During a great part of their lives they act without reflection and without reftraint, and yet, at particular seasons, they are in a manner diftracted with terror: nay, though it often happens that grofs wickednefs fears the confcience, and produces an infenfibility and hardness of heart, there are inftances of the greatest profligates being liable to the moft alarming fears.* Let us never, therefore, confound things fo very oppofite as a fear of the living God, joined to an inward and hearty approbation of his commands, and that unwilling obedience or abftinence which views him as a ftern tyrant, and trembles at the thoughts of his wrath.

It will be farther neceffary to obferve, that, as a flavish fear is to be entirely diftinguifhed from that which is filial and dutiful, so no doubt there is often, even in real chriftians, a mixture of the fpirit of bondage itself, though they are fupremely governed by a better principle. This is not to be wondered at, fince they are fanctified but in part. There is a ftrong remainder of fin and corruption in them of different kinds, and, among the reft, a very blameable degree of unbelief and diftruft. How many are there whose comfort is leffened, and whose hands hang down, through an exceffive fear of death, the last enemy? What a refreshment fhould it be to all fuch, to think of this end of our Saviour's coming, to" deliver them who, "through fear of death, were all their life-time subject "unto bondage?" For their fakes, I am perfuaded, it will not be difagreeable that in the clofe of this fection, I lay down a few marks, by which they may be enabled to judge whether this flavish fear predominates or not.

Ift then, Christians, whether or not is your fear of wrath immediately connected with a sense of the evil of fin? Do you fee these two things in their infeparable relation to, and mutual influence upon one another? Do you fear

• We are told that Nero, one of those monsters called Roman emperors, though he adventured to perpetrate fome of the moft horrid crimes, was yet fo eafily terrified, that a thunderform ufed to make him hide himfelf under a bed.

↑ Heb. ii. 15.

wrath as the effect of fin, and fin as the juft caufe of wrath? Have you no fault to find with this connection? Do you plead guilty before God, and confefs that you are without excufe? Is fin truly hateful in itself, and your own unhap. py proneness to it an habitual burden? The language of a believer is the fame with that of the apoftle Paul: "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, "and juft, and good. Was then that which is good made "death unto me? God forbid. But fin, that it might appear fin, working death in me by that which is good, "that fin by the commandment might become exceeding "finful. For we know that the law is fpiritual, but I am "carnal, fold under fin."* In those who are under the dominion of fear, there is no just sense of the evil of fin, there is a proneness to extenuate it, and inclination to justify it, and a continual attempt to forget or conceal it. The crime is ftill fweet, though the punishment is terrible. They are not fatisfied to find that God is fo holy, so just, and fo powerful. With them his government is arbitrary, his law is fevere, his nature implacable; and, instead of changing their own difpofition, they would much rather with a change in his will.

2. Whether does your fear of God drive you from his prefence, or excite a ftrong defire of reconciliation and peace? The flavifh fear which is not attended with any juft views of the divine mercy, clothes God with terror, and makes him the object of averfion. This is plainly the first effect of fin. It was fo in the cafe of Adam, who, as foon as he had loft his integrity, when he heard God's voice in the garden, fled and hid himfelf. We find the fame fentiment expreffed by the men of Bethshemesh, upon an extraordinary token of divine power and jea loufy: "And the men of Bethfhemesh faid, Who is able "to ftand before this holy Lord God, and to whom shall he "go up from us?" Nay, the fame feems to have been the view of the apoftle Peter, when furprifed with an af tonishing evidence of his master's power and Godhead. "When Simon Peter faw it, he fell down at Jefus' feet. † Sam. vi. 20.

*Rom. vii. 12, 13, 14,

faying, Depart from me, for I am a finful man, O “Lord.”*

This difpofition is daily manifeft in many who are under the dominion of fear. The worship of God is painful to them, his fervice is a burden, his prefence is terrible: they keep at a distance, therefore, as much as they can or dare. Their peace and compofure is chiefly owing to their losing themselves, and occupying their minds entirely with different objects. No fign will more furely discover the nature and influence of flavifh fear than this. There is a gloom and melancholy fpread over every thing in religion to them; when they are engaged in facred duties, it is a heavy tiresome task, and they rejoice in getting them over, as a bullock when he is loofed from the yoke. On the other hand, real chriftians, though burdened with finful fear, cannot take refuge in any thing elfe than God; they dare not take their reft in the creature, but fay with Job, "Though he flay me, yet will I "truft in him;" or with the Pfalmift David, "Yet the "Lord will command his loving-kindness in the day-time, "and in the night his fong fhall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life." Nothing gives relief to fuch, till they attain to a view of the divine mercy, and a humble hope of peace and reconciliation.

3. Whether have you comfort and fatisfaction in a fenfe of God's favor, as well as a diftreffing fear of his wrath? This alfo will ferve to diftinguifh between those who have no other religion than what fear produces, and those in whom it only maintains a conflict with a better principle. There are fome who are reftrained from fin, and compel-1 led to many duties, by fear, who may easily see what governs them, because they are altogether strangers to joy and fatisfaction in God. This is not, indeed, what they aim at. They have never yet feen his favor as the object of fupreme defire. They only believe fo far as to tremble, and would fain by compofition, fo to fpeak, and fome degree of compliance, though reluctant and backward, avoid the divine wrath. A coldnefs and conftraint runs through

* Luke v. 8. ↑ Job xiii. 15. VOL. I. R

Pfal. xlii. 7.