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2. To fear to displease Him, Prov. xiii. 13. Pfal. xc. 11.

3. What are we to fear in God?

1. His Power, Job xxxvii. 23, 24. Fer. V. 22. 2. His Providence in the Government of the World, and difpofing of all Things,' Pfal. xcix. 1. Jer. x. 7.

3. His Anger and Threatnings against Sinners, 2 King. xxii. 19.

4. His Juftice in Executing them, Jer. xxv. 14. Job xxxiv. 17.

5. His Judgments executed, Ifa. XXV. 1,2,3. Habak. iii. 16. Pfal. cxix. 118, 119,

I20.

6. His Mercies, Hof. iii. 5. Fer. V. 24. Pfal

CXXX. 4.

7. His Omniprefence.

8. His Eternity.

4. Why is God alone to be fear'd, and above all Things?

1. Because He is the greatest Being.

2. Without Him no Hurt can fall upon us. 1. From Satan.

2. From Men.
3. From ourselves.

4. From our Sins.

3. Because it is only by Him that we can come to any Good.

5. How are we to express our Fear of Him? 1. By repenting of our former Sins, Joel ii.

13, 14.

2. By avoiding what he hath forbidden, Prov. iii. 7. and xvi. 6.

3. By doing what He hath commanded, Ecclef. xii. 13.

USE.

USE.

The chief Use I fhall make of these Things is, to exhort you to examine, whether you fear God, by thefe Signs of true Fear.

1. Does it make you reverence the Name of God, and not take it in Vain, Deut. xxviii. 58.

2.

nefs, Hof. iii. 5.

3.

lxvi. 2.

4.

Ecclef. viii. 12.

to ftand in Awe of His Good

Pfal. cxxx. 4.

to tremble at His Word, Ifa.

to walk as in God's Prefence,

to perform inward as well as

5. outward Duties to Him, Ifa. xxix. 30. as, 1. Love to Him, Deut. vi. 5.

6.

2. Defires of Him, Pfal. xlii. 1, 2.
3. Meditations upon Him, Pfal. cxxxix. 18.
4. Trufting on Him.

5. Submitting to Him, 1 Sam. iii. 18.

publick Ordinances.

7.

to perform private as well as

to avoid small as well as great

Sins.

8.

to fear the Displeasure of God

more than Punishments, Prov. xiii. 13.

to hate as well as avoid Sin,

to ftudy to do Good, as well as

9. Prov. viii. 13.

10.

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to perfevere in your Obedience,

12. So that no Fear of any Creature or Thing, can deter you from, or make you neglect your Duty to Him, Isa. viii. 11, 12, 13. 1 S. Pet. iii. 14, 15.

MOTIVES

MOTIVES to fear GOD.

Confider,

1. The Greatnefs of GOD, Jer. v. 22. Feb

Xxxvii. 23, 24.

2. His Sovereignty over all Things, Ísa. xxv.

1, 2:

3. It is the Beginning of Wisdom, Pfal. cxi. tô. It makes Men bleffed, Pfal. cxil: 1, 2, 3. and exxviii. fer tot.

4.

5. God vouchfafes fuch Men peculiar Blef fings; as,

1. To dwell with them, İsa. İxvi. 2.

2. To impart His Secrets to them, Pfal.

XXV. 14:

3. To preferve and protect them,Pfal.xxxiii:
18. and xxv. 12, 13. and xxxiv: 7.
To turn all Things to their Good:
5. He efteems them as His Jewels, Mal: iii,
16, 17.

4.

6. And therefore takes Pleasure in them;
Pfal. cxlvii. 11.

6. He has made them many Promifes:
i. To provide for them, and to let them
want no good Thing, Pfal. xxxiv. 9, tö:

2. To hear their Prayers, Pfal. cxlv. 19. 7. They need fear nothing elfe, He having greater Things in Store for them, Pfal. xxxi. 193 20. Prov. xxii. 4.

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S. MATT. X. 37.

He that loveth Father or Mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me.

T

HESE Words explain thofe which are deliver'd in a more feeming harsh manner, in S. Luk. xiv. 26. where it is faid, If any man come to me, and hate not his Father and Mother, &c. be cannot be my Difciple. For, it cannot be fupposed that Chrift fhould make the real Hating of Father or Mother, &c. a neceffary Condition of becoming His true Difciples; it being a very wicked Thing to hate them, contrary to the Inftinct and Law of Nature, and the Commands of God, Exod. xx. 12. S. Matt. XV. 4. Ephef. vi. 1,2. To hate them, therefore, is, to love them less than Chrift; for to love lefs, is by way of Comparison (in the Scripture Language) call'd Hating, as S. Matt. vi. 24. Gen. xxix. 31, 32. Rom. ix. 13.

These two Texts of Scripture being thus compar'd and explain'd by one another, contain in them this Doctrine.

That we ought to love Chrift above all Things.

I. The Reafon of this Duty, or why we are to love Christ above all Things.

1. Because we have more Reafon to love Him, than all other Things.

There are three Caufes of Love.

1. Good; and He is the best of Goods,
S. Luk. xviii. 19.

For

1

For He is,

1. An Effential and Infinite,
2. An Univerfal,

3. A Conftant and Certain,
4. An Everlasting Good.

2. Likeness; and He is most like our fancti
fy'd Souls, 1 Pet. i. 15, 16.

3. Love; and He loves us moft.
1. He made us, S. Joh. i. 3.
2. He preferves us, Act. xvii. 28.

For,

3. He gives us all we have, 1 Chron.

XXIX. 14.

4. He died to purchafe eternal Life for us, Joh. xv. 12, 13.

2. Because we only love Him, fo far as we love Him above all Things; for if we love any Thing more than Him, we hate Him according to the Scripture Phrafe, S. Luk. xiv. 26, 33.

II. How are we to express our Love to Christ?

1. By denying ourselves what is offenfive to Him, Matt. xvi. 24.

2. By a chearful Performance of what is pleasing to Him, S. Joh. xiv. 15.

3. By preferring and defiring Him and His Favour before all earthly Things whatever, Pfal. xlii. 1, 2. and lxxiii. 25. As,

1. Before Riches and worldly Enjoyments, S. Luk. xviii. 23.

2.

3.

4.

Delights and Pleasures, 2 Tim. iii.4.
Honours, S. Joh. xii. 42, 43.

Eafe, 2 Cor. vi. 4, 5. and xi. 23,

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