yieldeth; for a man hardly grows in the increase of any grace until his heart is united to it, and until it is made lovely in his eyes.

Now, the excellences of this grace of fear have also been discoursed of in this book before, where, by reading, thou shalt find the fruit it bears, and the promises that are annexed to it, which, because they are many, I refer thee also thither for thy instruction.

11. Wouldst thou grow in this grace of fear? then remember what a world of privileges do belong to those that fear the Lord, as also I have hinted; namely, that such shall not be hurt, shall want no good thing, shall be guarded by angels, and have a special licence, though in ever so dreadful plight, to trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon their God.

12. Wouldst thou grow in this grace of fear? then be much in prayer to God for abundance of the increase thereof. To fear God is that which is according to his will; and "if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us,” 1 John v. 14. Pray, therefore, that God would unite thy heart to fear his name; this is the way to grow in the grace of fear.

13. Wouldst thou grow in this grace of fear? then devote thyself to it. Devote myself to it, you will say; how is that? I answer, Why give thyself to it; addict thyself to it; solace thyself in the contemplation of God, and of a reverence of his name, and word, and worship; then wilt thou fear, and grow in this grace of fear.

And that I may yet be helpful to thee, I shall now give thee caution of those things that will, if way be given to them, hinder thy growth in this fear of God, the which, because they are very hurtful to

the people of God, I would have thee be warned by them.

And they are these which follow

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(1.) If thou wouldst grow in this grace of fear, take heed of an hard heart; for that will hinder thy growth in this grace. Why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear?" Isa. lxiii. 17, was a bitter complaint of the church heretofore; for it is not only the judgment that in itself is dreadful and sore to God's people, but that which greatly hindereth the growth of this grace in the soul. A hard heart is but barren ground for any grace to grow in, especially for the grace of fear; there is but little of this fear where the heart indeed is hard, neither will there ever be much therein.

Now, if thou wouldst be kept from a hard heart, take heed of the beginnings of sin. Take heed, I say, of that, though it should be ever so small. "A little leaven leavens the whole lump," 1 Cor. v. 6. There is more in a little sin to harden than in a great deal of grace to soften. David's look upon Bathsheba was, one would think, but a small matter; yet that beginning of sin contracted such hardness of heart in him, that it carried him almost beyond all fear of God. It carried him to commit lewdness with her, murder upon the body of Uriah, and to abundance of wicked dissimulation; which are things, I say, that have direct tendency to quench and destroy all fear of God in the soul.

If thou hast sinned, lie not down without repentance; for the want of repentance, after one has sinned, makes the heart yet harder and harder.

Indeed, a hard heart is impenitent, and impenitence also makes the heart harder and harder.

So that if impenitence be added to hardness of heart, or to the beginnings of sin, which makes it so, it will quickly be with that soul as is said of the house of Israel, "Thou refusedst to be ashamed," Jer. iii. 3.

If thou wouldst be rid of a hard heart, that great enemy to the growth of the grace of fear, be much with Christ upon the cross in thy meditations, for that is an excellent remedy against hardness of heart; a right sight of him, as he hanged there for thy sins, will dissolve thy heart into tears, and make it soft and tender. "They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn," Zech. xii. 10. Now, a soft, a tender, and broken heart is a fit place for the grace of fear to thrive in.

(2.) If thou wouldst have the grace of fear to grow in thy soul, take heed also of a prayerless heart, for that is not a place for this grace of fear to grow in. Hence, he that refraineth prayer is said to cast off fear. "Thou castest off fear," said one of his friends to Job. But how did he do that? Why, the next words show: "Thou restrainest prayer before God," Job xv. 4. Seest thou a professor that prayeth not? That man thrusteth the fear of God away from him. Seest thou a man that prays but little? That man feareth God but little; for it is the praying soul, the man that is mighty in praying, that has an heart for the fear of God to grow in. Take heed, therefore, of a prayerless heart, if thou wouldst grow in this grace of the fear of God.

Prayer is as the pitcher that fetcheth water from the brook, therewith to water the herbs; break the pitcher, and it will fetch no water, and for want of water the garden withers.

(3.) Wouldst thou grow in this grace of fear? then

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take heed of a light and wanton heart; for neither is such a heart good ground for the fear of God to grow in. Wherefore it is said of Judah, that she "feared not, but went and played the harlot also,” Jer. iii. 8. She was given to wantonness, and to be light, and vain, and so her fear of God decayed. Had Joseph been as wanton as his mistress, he had been as void of the fear of God as she; but he was of a sober, tender, godly, considerate spirit, therefore he grew in the fear of God.

(4.) Wouldst thou grow in this grace of fear? then take heed of a covetous heart; for neither is that good ground for this grace of fear to grow in. Therefore, this covetousness and the fear of God are as enemies, set the one in opposition to the other: "Such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness," Exod. xviii. 21.

And the reason why covetousness is such an obstruction to the growth of this grace of fear, is because covetousness casteth those things out of the heart which alone can nourish this fear. It casteth out the word and love of God, without which no grace can grow in the soul. How then should the fear of God grow in a covetous heart?

(5.) Wouldst thou grow in this grace of fear? then take heed of an unbelieving heart; for an unbelieving heart is not good ground for this grace of fear to grow in. An unbelieving heart is called "an evil heart," Heb. iii. 12, because from it flows all the wickedness that is committed in the world. Now, it is faith, or a believing heart, that nourisheth this fear of God, and not the other; and the reason is, for that faith brings God, heaven, and hell to the soul, and maketh it duly consider them all. This is, therefore, the means of fear, and that which will

make it grow in the soul; but unbelief is a bane thereto.

(6.) Wouldst thou grow in this grace of fear? Then take heed of a forgetful heart. Such a heart is not a heart where the grace of fear will flourish. "When I remember I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh," Job xxi. 6. Therefore take heed of forgetfulness; do not forget, but remember God, and his kindness, patience, and mercy to those that yet neither have grace nor special favour from him, and that will beget and nourish his fear in 'thy heart; but forgetfulness of this, or of any other of his judgments, is a great wound and weakening to this fear. When a man well remembers that God's judgments are so great a deep and mystery, as indeed they are, that remembrance puts a man upon such considerations of God and of his judgments as to make him fear. Therefore, says Job, I am afraid of him: "Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him," Job xxiii. 15 when I remember and consider of the wonderful depths of his judgments toward man.

(7.) Wouldst thou grow in this grace of fear? then take heed of a murmuring and repining heart; for that is not a heart for this grace of fear to grow in.

As, for instance, when men murmur and repine at God's hand, at his dispensations, and at the judgments that overtake them, in their persons, estates, families, or relations, that their murmuring tendeth to destroy fear; for a murmuring spirit is such an one as seems to correct God, and to find fault with his dispensations; and where there is that, the heart is far from fear.

A murmuring spirit either comes from that wisdom