put to their Choice, whether they would live here always to enjoy the Profit and Pleasure of the World, or go to Heaven to enjoy God, would, like the Children of Gad and Reuben, fet up their Reft on this fide Jordan, Num. xxxii. and never defire that heavenly Canaan: So clofe do their Affections cleave to Things below; which fhews clearly they have not made God their Treasure; for then, according to our Saviour's Rule, Matt. vi. 21. their Heart would be with him. Nay, farther yet, it is too plain that many of us fet fo little Value on this enjoying of God, that we prefer the vileft and bafeft Sins before him, and choose to enjoy them, though by it we utterly lose our Part in him; which is the Cafe of every Man that continues wilfully in thofe Sins.

42. And now I fear, according to thefe Rules of Trial, many that profefs to love God, will be (found not do fo. I conclude all with the Words cof St. John, 1 Epift. iii. 18. which though spoken of the Love of our Brethren, is very fitly applicable to this Love of God: Let us not love in Word, neither in Tongue, but in Deed and in Truth.

43. A fourth Duty to God is FEAR:

This arifes from the Confideration both of

Fear. his Juftice and his Power; his Juftice is

fuch, that he will not clear the Wicked; and his Power fuch, that he is able to inflict the forest Punishments upon them; and that this is a reasonable Caufe of Fear, Chrift himself tells us, Matt. x. 28. Fear him which is able to deftroy both Soul and Body in Hell. Many other Places of Scripture there are which commend to us this Duty, as Pfalm ii. 11. Serve the Lord with Fear; Pfal. xxxiv. 9. Fear the Lord, ye that be his Saints; Prov. ix. 10. The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom; and diverse

the

the like: And indeed all the Threatnings of Wrath against Sinners, which we meet with in the Scripture, are only to this End, to work this Fear in our Hearts.

44. Now this Fear is nothing elfe but fuch an awful Regard of God as may keep us from offending him. This the wife Man tells us, Prov. xvi. 17. The Fear of the Lord is to depart from Evil. So that none can be faid only to fear God, that is, not thereby with-held from Sin; and this is but anfwerable to that common Fear we have towards Men; whoever we know may hurt us, we will beware of provoking: And therefore if we be not as wary of difpleafing God, it is plain we fear Men more than we do him.

The Folly of fearing Men more than God.

45. How great a Madness this is, thus to fear Men above God, will foon appear, if we compare what Man can do to us, with that which God can. And, Firft, it is fure, it is not in the Power of Man (I might say, Devils too) to do us any hurt, unlefs God permit and fuffer them to do it; fo that if we do but keep him our Friend, we may fay with the Pfalmift, The Lord is on my Side, I fear not what Man can do unto me. For let their Malice be never fo great, he can restrain and keep them from hurting us; nay, he can change their Minds towards us, according to that of the wife Man, Prov. vi. 7. When a Man's Ways please the Lord, he maketh even his Enemies to be at Peace with him. A notable Example of this we have in Jacob, Gen. xxxii. who, when his Brother Efau was coming against him as an Enemy, God wonderfully turned his Heart, fo that he met with all the Expreffions of brotherly Kindness; as you may read in the next Chapter.

46. But fecondly, Suppofe Men were left at liberty to do thee what Mischief they could; alas ! their Power goes but a little way; they may, perhaps rob thee of thy Goods, it may be they may take away thy Liberty, or thy Credit, or perchance thy Life too; but that thou knoweft is the utmost they can do: But now God can do all this when he pleases; and that which is infinitely more, his Vengeance reaches even beyond Death itself, to the eternal Mifery both of Body and Soul in Hell ; in comparison of which, Death is fo inconfiderable, that we are not to look upon it with any Dread. Fear not them that kill the Body, and after that have no more than they can do, faith Chrift, Luke xii. 4. and then immediately adds, But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear; fear him, which after he bath killed, bath Power to caft into Hell Yea, I fay unto you, fear him. In which Words the Com parison is fet between the greatest Ill we can fuffer from Man, the Lofs of Life; and those fadder Evils God can inflict on us; and the latter are found to be the only dreadful Things, and therefore God only is to be feared.

47. But there is yet one Thing farther confiderable in this Matter, which is this; it is poffible we may tranfgrefs against Men, and they not know it; I may, perhaps, fteal my Neighbour's Goods, or defile his Wife, and keep it fo clofe that he hall not fufpect me, and so never bring me to Punishment for it; but this we cannot do with God; He knows all Things, even the moft fecret Thoughts of our Hearts; and therefore, though we commit Sin never fo closely, he is fure to find us, and will as furely, if we do not timely repent, punish us eternally for it.

48. And now furely it cannot but be confeft, that it is much fafer difpleafing Men than God; yet alas! our Practice is, as if we believed the direct contrary; there being nothing more ordinary with us, than for the avoiding of fome prefent Danger we fear from Men, to rush ourselves upon the Indignation of God. And thus it is with us, when either to fave our Estates or Credits, or our very Lives, we commit any Sin, for that is plainly the chufing to provoke God rather than Man.

49. But God knows this Cafe, of Fear of Men, is not the only one wherein we venture to difplease him, for we commit many Sins, to which we have none of this Temptation, nor indeed any other; as for Inftance, that of common Swearing, to which there is nothing, either of Pleasure or Profit to invite us. Nay, many Times we, who fo fear the Mischiefs that other Men may do to us, that we are ready to buy them off with the greatest Sins, do ourfelves bring all thofe very Mischiefs upon us, by Sins of our own chufing. Thus the careless Prodigal robs himself of his Eftate; the deceitful and difhoneft Man, or any that lives in open notorious Sins, deprives himself of his Credit; and the Drunkard and Glutton brings Difeafes on himself, to the shortening his Life. And can we think we do at all fear God, when that Fear hath fo little Power over us, that though it be backed with the many prefent Mischiefs that attend upon Sin, it is not able to keep us from them? Surely fuch Men are fo far from. fearing God, that they rather feem to defy him, refolve to provoke him, whatsoever it cost them, either in this World or the next. Yet fo unreafonably partial are we to ourselves, that even

fuch

fuch as these will pretend to this Fear: You may examine Multitudes of the moft grofs, fcandalous Sinners, before you shall meet with one that will acknowledge he fears not God. It is ftrange it fhould be poffible for Men thus to cheat themselves; but however, it is certain we cannot deceive God, he will not be mocked, and therefore if we will not now fo fear, as to avoid Sin, we fhall one Day fear, when it will be too late to avoid Punishment.

tations, by

In all fpiritu al Dangers.

50. A fifth Duty to God is that of Truft. TRUSTING in him, that is, depending and refting on him: And that is, first, in all Dangers; fecondly, in all Wants. We are to reft on him in all our Dangers, both spiritual and temporal. Of the first Sort, are all those Tempwhich we are in Danger to be drawn to fin. And in this refpect he has promifed, that if we refift the Devil he fhall flee from us, James iv. 7. Therefore our Duty is, firft, To pray earnestly for God's Grace to enable us to overcome the Temptation; and, fecondly, To fet ourfelves manfully to combat with it; not yielding or giving Confent to it in the least Degree; and whilft we do thus we are confidently to reft upon God, that his Grace will be fufficient for us, that he will either remove the Temptation, or ftrengthen us to withstand it.

In all temporal.

51. Secondly, in all outward and temporal Dangers we are to reft uponhim, as knowing that he is able to deliver us; and that he will do fo, if he fees it beft for us, and if we be fuch to whom. he hath promised his Protection, that is, fuch as truly fear him. To this Purpose we have many

Pro