should I fear," said David, "in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?" Psa. xlix. 5.

What! not fear in the day of evil? What! not when the iniquity of thy heels compasseth thee about? No, not then, says he; that is, not with that fear that would bring him again into bondage to the law; for he had received the Spirit of adoption before. Indeed, if ever a Christian has ground to give way to slavish fear, it is at these two times, namely, in the day of evil, and when the iniquity of his heels compasseth him about. But you see

David would not then, no, not then, give way thereto; nor did he see reason why he should. "Wherefore should I?" said he. Wherefore, indeed! since now thou art become a son of God through Christ, and hast received the Spirit of his Son into thy heart, crying, Father, Father.

4. Wouldst thou grow in this grace of godly fear? then grow in the knowledge of the new covenant; for that is indeed the girdle of our reins, and the strength of our souls. Hear what Zacharias saith, "God hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began," Luke i. 69, 70. But what was it that he spake? Why, "That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life," ver. 74, 75. But upon what is this princely, fearless, service of God grounded? Why, upon the holy covenant of God, upon the oath that he swore unto Abraham.

Now, in this covenant is wrapped up all thy sal

vation; in it is contained all thy desire; and I am sure that then it containeth the complete salvation of thy soul; and, I say, since this covenant is confirmed by promise, by oath, and by the blood of the Son of God, and that on purpose that thou mightest serve thy God without slavish fear, then the knowledge and faith of this covenant are of absolute necessity to bring us into this liberty, and out of our slavish terrors, and so, consequently, to cause us to grow in that sonlike, godly fear, which became even the Son of God himself, and becomes all his disciples to live in the growth and exercise of.

5. Wouldst thou grow in this godly fear? then labour even always to keep thine evidences for heaven and of thy salvation alive upon thy heart; for he that loseth his evidences for heaven will hardly keep slavish fear out of his heart; but he that hath the wisdom and grace to keep them alive, and apparent to himself, will grow in this godly fear. See how David words it: "From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name," Psa. lxi. 2—5.

Mark a little. David doth, by these words, in the first place, suggest, that sometimes, to his thinking, he was as far off from his God as the ends of the earth are asunder, and that at such times he was subject to be overwhelmed, or afraid. Secondly, the way that he took at such times to help himself was, to cry to God to lead him again to Jesus

Christ; "Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I." For, indeed, without faith in him, and the renewing of that faith, there can be no evidence for heaven made to appear unto the soul. This, therefore, he prays for first. Then he puts that faith into exercise, and that with respect to the time that was past, and also of the time that was to come. For the time past, says he, "Thou hast been a shelter to me, and a strong tower from the enemy;" and for the time to come he said, "I will abide in thy tabernacle ;" that is, in thy Christ by faith, and in thy way of worship by love, for ever. And observe, he makes the believing remembrance of his first evidences for heaven the ground of this his cry and faith; "For thou," says he, "O God, hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name." Thou hast made me meet to be partaker of the mercy of thy chosen, and hast put me under the blessing of goodness wherewith thou hast blessed those that fear thee.

Thus you see how David, in his distresses, musters up his prayers, faith, and evidences for eternal life, that he might deliver himself from being overwhelmed, that is, with slavish fear, and that he might also abound in that sonlike fear of his fellowbrethren, which is not only comely with respect to our profession, but profitable to our souls.

6. Wouldst thou grow in this fear of God? then set before thine eyes the being and majesty of God; for that both begetteth, maintaineth, and increaseth this fear; and hence it is called the fear of God, that is, an holy and awful dread and reverence of his majesty: for the fear of God is to stand in awe of him, but how can that be done if we do not set him before us? And again; if we would fear

him more, we must abide more in the sense and faith of his glorious majesty. Hence this fear and God's name are so often put together: as, Fear God; Fear the Lord; Fear thy God; Do this in the fear of the Lord; and, Thou shalt fear thy God, I am the Lord. For these words, "I am the Lord thy God," and the like, are on purpose put in, not only to show us whom we should fear, but also to beget, maintain, and increase in us that fear that is due from us to that glorious and fearful name, the Lord our God.

7. Wouldst thou grow in this grace of fear? then keep always close to thy conscience the authority of the word; fear the commandment, as the commandment of a God both mighty and glorious, and as the commandment of a Father, both loving and pitiful. Let this commandment, I say, be always with thine eye, with thine ear, and with thine heart; for then thou wilt be taught, not only to fear, but to abound in the fear of the Lord. Every grace is nourished by the word, and without it there is no thrift in the soul.

8. Wouldst thou grow in this grace of fear? then be much in the faith of the promise, of the promise that maketh over to thy soul an interest in God, by Christ, and of all good things. The promise naturally tendeth to increase in us the fear of the Lord, because this fear grows by goodness and mercy.

They shall fear the Lord and his goodness," Hos. iii. 5. Now, this goodness and mercy of God is wrapped up in, and made over to us by promise; for God gave it to Abraham by promise. Therefore, the faith and hope of the promise causeth this fear to grow in the soul. "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness

in the fear of God,” 2 Cor. vii. 1. Perfect holiness in the fear of God; therefore that fear by the promise must needs grow mighty, for by, with, and in it, you see, holiness is perfected.

9. Wouldst thou grow in this grace of fear? then remember the judgments of God that have or shall certainly overtake those professors that have either been downright hypocrites, or else unwatchful Christians; for both these sorts partake of the judgments of God: the one, namely, the true Christian, for his unwatchfulness, for his correction; the other, namely, the hypocrite, for his hypocrisy, to his destruction. This is the way to make thee stand in awe, and to make thee tremble, and grow in the grace of fear before thy God.

Judgments! you may say; what judgments?

Ans. Time would fail me here to tell thee of the judgments that sometimes overtake God's people, and that always certainly overtake the hypocrite for his transgressions.

For those that attend God's people, I would have thee look back to the place in this book where they are particularly touched upon.

And for those that attend the hypocrite, in general they are these:-Blindness of heart in this world; the death of their hope at the day of their death; and the damnation of their souls at the day of judgment.

The godly consideration of these things tend to make men grow in the fear of God.

10. Wouldst thou grow in this grace of fear? then study the excellences of the grace of fear, and what profit it yieldeth to those that have it; and labour to get thy heart into the love, both of the exercise of the grace itself, and also of the fruit it