agonizing to us, even approaching to the dread of devils, perhaps void of all reverence, and big with hatred and dislike of God's power and majesty. Yet two things must be noted for the clearing this point.

First. That since we are now in a state of trial, our fear of God may not, and cannot, advance to such a degree of heavenly reverence, as excludes all apprehension of God's future judgments; for this were to cut off one of the two great motives to the practice of religion. Christ teaches us to have respect to the wrath to come, that we may flee from it, as well as to the recompense of reward, that we may obtain it for he saith,

Fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.'* And it is plain St. Paul had respect to it, when he saith, Lest that by any means I should be a castaway.' +

Secondly. That there can be actually no fear of God, where there is no sense of God's presence on the heart. There is no fear of God before the eyes of the ungodly; because such persons have not God in all their thoughts. The reason is, that now God waits on them with great mercy and forbearance, and they lose sight of him in their carnal enjoyments, while he withholds his fury from falling on them. But in the world to come il shall not be so; there the soul of the saint shall be ever full of reverence, because God shall eternally communicate a most delightful sense of his presence to it; and there the soul of the sinner shall ceaselessly tremble, because God also shall be present with it, pouring out the fury of his indignation upon it.

From the whole we may easily collect, that the fear of God in man is not such an angelic reverence, as if we had never sinned against him (for in this respect there is a difference between angels and saints even in heaven; the saints never forget they were sinners, though the remembrance be without pain or fear, yea, rather with a humility that enlivens all their praise and joy); or as if we were now perfect, or were delivered from all the pains and penalties which the justice of God hath annexed to sin; but it is such an apprehension and veneration of God's wise, mighty, and glorious majesty, as makes us jealous for his glory, and fearful of his displeasure and this both as we have offended him, and lest we should offend him.

* Matt. x. 28.

† 1 Cor. ix. 27.

I. As we have offended God, this apprehension and veneration of God's majesty should keep alive upon our hearts a due and deep concern for his glory, which we have thereby injured, and for his displeasure, which we have thereby incurred.

First.-A deep concern for the glory of God's majesty, which we have injured by our sins. We cannot be supposed to have any veneration for God's majesty without this. Let us see how a concern for God's glory in such a case doth express itself.

First.-In godly sorrow. Peter, as soon as he had denied his Master, went out, and wept bitterly ;* for what did he weep, but the dishonour he had done his Master? It was that which pained and grieved his heart. O what a monster did he think himself! and have we loathed ourselves and humbled ourselves in godly sorrowings, whenever we have dishonoured God's majesty by our sins? Whence is it then that so many of you have committed, and too many of you still do commit, the most deadly sins, the sins of swearing, and drunkenness, and filthiness, and sabbath-breaking, and feel no concern about it, find no shame upon the matter before God, if ye take to yourselves any shame before men? Whence, like the sons of Sodom, are you bold and hardy to do what you list? Alas! with insolent disregard of God's majesty, you say in your hearts, Who is Lord over us? While you sin without fear; yea, make a mock at sin, and despise the fear of the Lord. Thanks be to God! you are not all thus without understanding; yet all of you, how disproportionate have been your sorrowings to your sins! Have we not all reason to complain of the hardness of our hearts, that we have dishonoured God so much, and loathed ourselves so little ?

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Secondly. In justifying God's majesty in the sentence that he hath denounced against sin, according to that humble language; That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.'+ Now have we justified God in his sentence against us? And have we always done thus? Hath the veneration we have had for God's majesty made the curse he hath pronounced against us appear equitable to us? Have we never secretly questioned the justice of it, or complained of its severity? Many are doing this + Rom. iii. 4.

* Matt. xxvi. 75.

openly, and insisting that the righteous God will not, or shall not, thus deal with his creatures! Many do so openly; but if you have escaped this insolence, have you never done it secretly, either questioning whether you were not so righteous as to deserve God's favour, or disputing whether his curse justly belonged to you, or conceiving hard thoughts of him concerning it, or murmuringly demanding in your heart, Why hast thou made me thus? So charging your sins on God to justify yourself. Have you always lain down under the stroke of justice, giving glory to God's adorable majesty, and saying, from the full conviction of your heart, "It is of thy mercies, O Lord, that I am not utterly consumed; thou hast done right, but I have done wickedly. O enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no flesh living be justified!" Will you venture to say you have thus acquitted and justified God in your heart in all and every one of your sins, without murmurings and without disputings?

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Thirdly. In a quiet submission to God's corrections. Have you always acquiesced in the justice and even mildness of them, that they were less than you deserved; saying, "Righteous art thou, O Lord, and just are thy judgments! Thou art righteous in all thou hast brought upon us! Why should a man complain for the punishment of his sins ?" Brethren, have we never forgotten God in the matter? or complained with wicked Cain, "My punishment is greater than I can bear?" or been ready to curse the day that we were born, with Job? Have we always owned, Thy judgments are just, when the desire of our eyes hath been taken away at a stroke," when our prospects have failed us, our friends have been taken from us, when we have been left destitute and forsaken, when God's visitations have fallen thick upon us, one following in quick succession upon another? In all cases have we been quiet, nor asked God, What dost thou? adoring his majesty, and giving glory in the bottom of our hearts to his justice? The too-common way is, we provoke God by our sins to punish us, and then quarrel with him for doing so. O where is the reverent veneration for God's just majesty, while we are fretting against all his dispensations which do not suit our humours; sinning with a high hand, and with as high a hand refusing to be corrected; murmuring, im

patient, angry, as if God were doing us wrong, as if he had no right to do with us as he pleases, as if by our dutiful demeanour we had a claim upon all his favours! A right apprehension of, and veneration for, God's majesty, while we see what sin is committed against it in the world, should make us rather admire there is not more misery sent down among us, than repine there is so much and he who is acquainted with God's glorious sovereignty, and his own manifold transgressions, hath no cause to startle at the prospect of that wretchedness he has to go through in this vale of misery; at the pains, sicknesses, death, which he sees waiting for him. But,

Secondly. As we have sinned against God's majesty, our hearts should be impressed with a due concern about his displeasure, which we have thereby incurred. But now let us see what concern we have had, or yet have, about God's displeasure against our sins.

First. Have we not been, or are none of us now, secure in our sins? David could say, 'My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments ;'* but hath it not been, or is it not our language still, Soul, take thy ease, eat, drink, and be merry? Have we never acted as though we had made a covenant with Death, and put away the evil day far from us? If we have not refused the fear of the Lord more or less, even to turn with all our hearts at his reproofs, whence is it we are all such poor scholars in that wisdom which the fear of the Lord would have taught us? or whence have so many of you this lesson all of it still to learn, after all of us have passed through so many calls, warnings, providences, and judgments? May we not all say, we have been shamefully secure about God's displeasure at our sins? My brethren, let conscience be consulted. Are there none among you this day who have cause to say, "I am stupid, I am senseless; fool that I am, I live as if God were not able to punish; as if my forgetfulness should stop the course of God's vengeance; I live as casy as if I were sure God was reconciled to me, and death, come when it will, should certainly convey me to Abraham's bosom; and yet I am sure, as I am that I live, that death, should it come (and it is coming, it is striding up towards me), that should death come now, (I canPsalm cxix. 120.

not but tremble at the thought!) it would take me away, and hurry me, alas! not to Abraham's bosom, not to the paradise of God, not to the blessed place where there are pleasures for evermore, but (and can I any longer be easy at the reflection?) to misery, and flames, and torments! Yes, death, should it now come, would carry me at once without delay, without hope, without mercy, to that dark and dreadful place where dwell the devils and all the cursed of God for ever, and I to dwell among them also for ever!"

Secondly.-Hath our concern about God's displeasure, by reason of our sins, driven us to God's mercy in Jesus Christ? They are few who have so much concern about God's displeasure against them, for their sins past, as to come to Christ with an honest and true heart. There are none, indeed, who would not choose to be happy, and they would be glad if Christ would make them so, but it must be on their own terms; he must dispense with their forsaking sin, with their self-denial, and taking up the cross, and leading an holy and an heavenly life, else they will be excused. They have not so much fear of God's displeasure as this comes to. They will hold it out a little longer; they will rather run the risk of all submit to these hard Gospel terms. new or strange thing. It is as old at when, we are told, Many went back, not able to endure such hard sayings; and it is no strange thing to one and another of you here present, I doubt not: yea, we all know it, in some degree, by experience. The very best have found it no easy matter to part with all for Christ, whatever apprehensions they might have had of God's displeasure. But,

that God can inflict than What I am saying is no least as the days of Christ,

Thirdly. Supposing you have betaken yourself to mercy in the Redeemer, are you to have no concern about your past sins? Yes, surely. I said above there will be an humbling remembrance of sin in heaven; and I say now that the best saint upon earth is not at liberty to forget his past sins. I am sure neither David nor St. Paul did so; and that to keep them humble, to enliven faith, to excite love (according to that of our Lord, He that hath much forgiven will love much,'t) to stir * John vi. 60, 66. + Luke vii. 47.

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