this Levi is intrusted with; namely, with God's everlasting covenant, and with the life and peace that are wrapped up in this covenant! But why is it given to him? The answer is, "For the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name." And the reason is good; for this fear of God teaches a man to put a due estimation upon every gift of God bestowed upon us; also, it teaches us to make use of the same with reverence of his name, and respect to his glory in most godly-wise, all which becomes him that is intrusted with any spiritual gift. The gift here was given to Levi to minister to his brethren doctrinally thereof, for he, saith God, shall teach Jacob my statutes and Israel my law, Deut. xxxiii. 10.

See also Exod. xviii. 21, and Nehem. vii. 2, with many other places that might be named, and you will find, that men fearing God, and hating covetousness, that men that fear God above others, are intrusted by God, yea, and by his church too, with the trust and ministration of spiritual things before any other in the world.

For earthly things. This fear of God qualifies a man to be put in trust with them rather than with another. Therefore God made Joseph lord of all Egypt; Obadiah, steward of Ahab's house; Daniel, Mordecai, and the three children, were set over the province of Babylon; and this by the wonderful working hand of God, because he had to dispose of earthly things now, not only in a common way, but for the good of his people in special. True, when there is no special matter, or thing to be done by God in a nation for his people, then who will, that is, whether they have grace or not, may have the disposal of those things; but if God has any thing in

special to bestow upon his people of this world's good, then he will intrust it in the hands of men fearing God. Joseph must now be made lord of Egypt, because Israel must be kept from starving; Obadiah must now be made steward of Ahab's house, because the Lord's prophets must be hid from, and fed, in despite of the rage and cruel mind of Jezebel. Daniel, with his companions, and Mordecai also, were exalted to earthly and temporal dignity, that they might in that state, they being men that abounded in the fear of God, be serviceable to their brethren in their straits and difficulties.

(9.) Another motive to grow in this grace of fear is where the fear of God in the heart of any is not growing, there no grace thrives, nor duty done as it should be.

There no grace thrives; neither faith, hope, love, nor any grace. This is evident from that general exhortation; "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God," 2 Cor. vii. 1. Perfecting holiness; what is that? But as James says of patience, let every grace have its "perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing," James i. 4.

But this cannot be done but in the fear of God; yea, in the exercise of that grace, and so, consequently, in the growth of it; for there is no grace but grows, being exercised. If then you would be perfect in holiness, if you would have every grace that God has put into your souls grow and flourish unto perfection; lay them, as I may say, to soak in this grace of fear, and do all in the exercise of it; for a little done in the fear of the Lord, is better than the revenues of the wicked, Prov. xvi. 8. And again; the Lord will not suffer the soul of the

righteous, the soul that liveth in the fear of the Lord, to famish; but he casteth away the abundance of the wicked. Bring abundance to God, and if it be not seasoned with godly fear, it shall not be acceptable to him, but loathsome and abominable in his sight; for it doth not flow from the spirit of the fear of the Lord.

Therefore, where there is not a growth in this fear, there is no duty done acceptably. This flows from that which goes before, for if grace rather decays than grows, where this grace of fear is not in the growth and increase thereof, then duties in their glory and acceptableness decay likewise.

(10.) Another motive to stir thee up to grow in the increase of this grace of fear, is: it is a grace, that if you abound therein, will give you great boldness both with God and men. Job was a man, a nonsuch in his day, for one that feared God; and who so bold with God as Job? Who so bold with God, and who so bold with men as he?

How bold was he with God, when he wished for nothing more than that he might come even to his seat; and concluded, that if he could come at him, he would approach even as a prince unto him, and as such would order his cause before him!

Also, before his friends, how bold was he! for ever as they laid to his charge that he was an hypocrite, he repels them with the testimony of a good conscience; which good conscience he got, and kept, and maintained, by increasing in the fear of God; yea, his conscience was kept so good by this grace of fear, (for it was by that he eschewed evil,) that it

was

common with him to appeal to God when accused, and also to put himself, for his clearing, under most bitter curses and imprecations.

This fear of God is it that keeps the conscience clean and tender, and so free from much of that defilement that even a good man may be afflicted with, for want of this growth in the fear of God.

Yea, let me add, if a man can, with a good conscience, say, that he desires to fear the name of God, it will add boldness to his soul in his approaches into the presence of God. "O Lord," said Nehemiah, "I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name," Neh. i. 11.

He pleaded his desire of fearing the name of God as an argument with God to grant him his request; and the reason was, because God had promised before to bless them that fear him, both small and great.

(11.) Another motive to stir you up to fear the Lord, and to grow in this fear, is: by it thou mayest have thy labours blessed to the saving of the souls of others. It is said of Levi, (of whom mention was made before that he feared God, and was afraid before his name,) that he saved others from their sins. "The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: and he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity," Mal. ii. 6. The fear of God that dwelt in his heart, showed its growth in the sanctifying of the Lord by his life and words; and the Lord also blessed this his growth herein, by blessing his labours to the saving of his neighbours.

Wouldst thou save thy husband, thy wife, thy children? then be greatly in the fear of God. This Peter teaches: "Wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won

by the conversation of the wives; while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear," 1 Pet. iii. 1, 2.

So, then, if wives and children, yea, if husbands, wives, children, servants, etc., did but better observe this general rule of Peter, namely, of letting their whole conversation be coupled with fear, they might be made instruments in God's hand of much more good than they are. But the misery is, the fear of God is wanting in actions, and that is the cause that so little good is done by those that profess. It is not a conversation that is coupled with a profession, for a great profession may be attended with a life that is not good, but scandalous; but it is a conversation coupled with fear of God, that is, with the impressions of the fear of God upon it, which is convincing, and which ministereth the awakenings of God to the conscience, in order to saving the unbeliever. Oh, they are a sweet couple, namely, a Christian conversation coupled with fear.

The want of this fear of God is that which oftentimes has been a stumbling block to the blind. Alas, the world will not be convinced by your talk, by your notions, and by the great profession that you make, if they see not therewith mixed the lively impressions of the fear of God; but will, as I said, rather stumble and fall, even at your conversation, and at your profession itself. Wherefore, to prevent this mischief, that is, of stumbling of souls while you make your profession of God, by a conversation not becoming your profession, God bids you fear him; implying, that a good conversation, coupled with fear, delivers the blind world from those falls that otherwise they cannot be delivered from. "Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling-block