God with all thy heart, and with all foul. As it imports more ftrictly that Part of Religion, which hath refpect only to Divine Worship and Adoration, it is thus defcribed; Deuter. Ch. 6. 13. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and him only halt thou serve. But in general, we are to understand, fuch an awful Regard to our Creator, and fuch a filial Reverence towards him, as engageth us to a conftant Worship, and devout Adoration of him. There is indeed, another fort of Fear, which proceeds not from a love of God, and a true and real Affection to our Creator; but from an Apprehenfion of his Juftice and Severity, his Knowledge and his Power to punish. This Fear being founded only upon the Confideration of thofe divine Attributes, and the future Punishment referved for Sin, if they fhould prompt a Man to do his Duty, would quite deftroy the Glory of his Obedience, which arifeth only from fuch holy Performances, as are the noble Effects of Choice and Love, Not that every Fear of Punishment, and the Obedience that flows from it, is always forc'd and fervile: no; there there is a commendable Fear of God, fuch as he approves of, which proceeds both from the Confideration of his Severity and Goodnefs, in conjunction with a hearty Love of him; that makes a Man at once unwilling, and fearful to offend him. This Fear is the Parent of Piety and Religion, and not to be reputed fervile, upon this account: becaufe God Almighty does not only exhort Men to Obedience by propofing Rewards to them, but alfo by threatning Punishments, as we find all along in the facred Writings; and therefore it is not unbecoming a good Man, to be moved to his Duty by thofe Reasons, which God hath afforded him, as Arguments and Motives for that purpose: For we fee, that the holy Scripture propounds this Fear to us, as a Spur to our Duty: thus the Apoftle St. Peter 1 Ep. Ch. advifeth, Paß the time of your fo- 1. 17. journing here in fear. And St. Paul to the Hebrews, fays thus; Ch. 12. 28. Therefore we receiving a Kingdom, (that is,the Promife of an eternal futureKingdom) which cannot be moved; let us have Grace, whereby we may ferve God acceptably, with Reverence and godly Fear. G4 This This then is a fit Barrier and Security against deliberate Sins, and will make us careful of our Duty; to promote the Glory of God, and to fe cure his Favour. And therefore we find it again recommended to us, in the Epiftle last mentioned; Chap. 4. Verfe the firft, Let us fear, left a Promife being made us, of entring into his rest, any of you should seem to come fhort of it. And to name no more, the fame is injoyn'd us here by Solomon himself. This will ferve to fhew what we understand by the Fear of God: The other part of the InjunЄtion, is Obedience, in the next Words; and keep his Commandments: and this is the true and infeparable attendant of the former; for no Man who duly fears God, and preferves an awful Senfe of his Creator in his Mind, can be wilfully difobedient, or live in the neglect of those Duties, which Almighty God hath commanded him. Now these Commandments here spoken of, are the Rules that he hath given us to walk by, and the entire Practice of Religion; and concern all the Duties that we owe both to God and others; in a word, to keep God's Com Commandments, is to be Religious and Holy in all manner of Converfation; to be conformable to all those Laws that he hath prescribed to us; and to Obferve and Practise them all the Days of our Life. And now, That we have very great Reafon to do thus, I fhall endeavour to make appear from the fecond Particular, namely, The Reafon and Argument wherewith the Duty is enforced; For this is the Whole Duty of Man: or according to other Tranflations, this is the whole of Man, their Duty and their Happiness. That it is their Duty to be Religious, appears from what I have already faid: but that Religion, or the Fear of God, and the fincere Practice of Virtue, is the propereft Means to make Men happy, even in this prefent World, I fhall next endeavour to demonstrate, from the Confideration of these several Particulars. Firft, Because Religion, or the Fear of God, is the great End of our Creation. Secondly, Secondly, Because it is that, which teacheth us to moderate our Paffions and Defires. Thirdly, Because it enables us to fuftain Loffes and Misfortunes,with Chriftian Refignation and Patience. Fourthly, Because it gives us a true Relifb, of all our outward Enjoy ments. Fifthly, Because it establisheth a folid And lastly, Because it exalts our Of each of thefe in their Order: and First, Religion or the Fear of God, is the most proper Means, and only true Way to Happiness here, because it is the great End of our Creation. There is no Creature in this fublunary World, to whom the wife Author and Governor of it hath gi |