large be shewed if it were needfull But let the Example of Abraham suffise who thinking that the feare of God was not in Gerar vtterly despaired of any other vertue and therefore moued his wife to say that she was his sister Gen. 20.11 In this respect the feare of God is both by Dauid in Psal 111.10 and also by Salomon in Pro. 1.7 called the beginning of wisedome that is the roote and fountaine of all goodnesse and therefore of the whole worship and seruice of God spoken of here in this place So that there is good cause why the Prophet should require of vs to serue the Lord with feare Where-hence let vs collect this doctrine Doct. that as we must serue the Lord so we must feare the Lord and stand in great awe and reuerence of him Thou shalt feare saith Moses to Israel in Deut. 6.13 the Lord thy God and serue him and shalt sweare by his name Esay doth require the same duty of his people in chapter 8.13 when he saith vnto them Sanctifie the Lord of hoasts and let him be your feare and let him be your dread But to passe other places marke what Salomon doth say of this in Eccles 12.13 Let vs heare saith he the end of all feare God and keepe his Commandements for this is the whole duty of man There are diuerse reasons to moue vs hereunto Reasons As first the greatnesse of his power and might aboue vs. Secondly his authority and iurisdiction which he hath ouer vs. Thirdly his goodnesse and mercy which he doth shew vnto vs. Fourthly his Maiestie and glory which doth shine and glister round about vs. Fifthly his puritie and holinesse that is in his eyes beholding vs. And lastly the great blessings which the feare it selfe being had will bring vnto vs. For all these things may iustly worke a feare in men Meane men we find by experience do feare great men those that are too mighty for them and they dare not in any case displease them Children feare their parents and such as haue a ruling tuition ouer them Workemen feare their maisters by whom they liue and are maintained and looke who are most bountifull and prodigall vnto them to them againe do they become most obseruant and obsequious as being afraid to offend them in any thing Simple persons feare great states such as excel in glory maiestie aboue thēfelues though other wise they owe no homage or subiection vnto them Loose liuers and wantons feare graue religious persons and such as are zealous for Gods glory earnest for the saluation of mans soule as being ashamed to powre out their euil words or to cōmit their wicked facts before them in their presence Lastly euery one by nature is forward to apply himselfe to those things which he doth know will bring great profit and benefit vnto himselfe as being desirous to be out of misery and to liue in happinesse and prosperity all the dayes of his life Now to apply this to God to our selues first he is of power and might we are no body vnto him in that respect he is able to pay vs home if we do displease him This reason our Sauiour doth vrge in Math. 10.28 when he wils his Apostles not to feare men who can kil but the body but to feare the Lord who is able to destroy both body and soule in hell Secondly he hath authority iurisdiction ouer vs we are his he hath made vs and he may do with vs what he will as the potter doth with his vessell or as the master doth with his seruant This reason the Lord himselfe doth presse in Malach. 1.6 saying A son honoreth his father and aseruant his maister If then I be a father where is mine honor if I be a master where is my feare saith the Lord of hosts vnto you ô Priests that despise my name Thirdly he is good and kind to vs his benefites which we do enioy from him are infinite we haue all that we haue from him euen our liues and all the rest This reason Dauid doth touch in Psal 130.4 when he saith vnto the Lord But mercy is with thee that thou mayest be feared Fourthly he is a God of infinite Maiesty and we are but poore simple creatures made of the dust and clay of the ground the heauen of heauens cannot containe him neither can the Angels themselues stand before him for his brightnesse vnlesse they couer their faces with two of their wings This reason doth Moses glance at in Exodus 20.20 when he shewes the end wherefore the Lord did publish his law in that glorious and maiesticall maner as he did in thunders lightnings and the like saying For God is come to proue you and that his feare may be before you that ye sinne not Fifthly he is holy and righteous his eyes are pure eyes and cannot abide to behold sinne and iniquity This reason is laid downe before the eyes of the Israelites oftentimes in the old Testament by the Spirit of God when he would draw them to the true feare and seruice of the Almighty from all such manners as were found among the Gentiles For then still his holinesse and puritie was enforced vpon them Finally the cōmodities which the feare of the Lord being once had wil bring vnto vs are exceeding large and great For first it will make vs holy and frameable vnto Gods will in auoiding those things which he hath condemned and in performing those things which he hath commanded The feare of the Lord saith Salomon in Prou. 8.13 is to hate euill as pride and arrogancie and the euill way Where he sheweth that in what measure any one feareth God in the same measure he doth loath and detest all euill yea not onely the open abhominable sinnes which the world doth condemne but the most secret and hidden For he saith not to hate euill as murther and adultery but pride arrogancy which lie in the heart and do not shew themselues to the world yet he that feareth God will hate them Secondly it wil make vs blessed and happy in all our wayes Blessed saith Dauid in Psal 128.1 is euery one that feareth the Lord and walketh in his wayes This reason the sweet Singer of Israel hath alleaged in Psal 34.9 when he saith Feare the Lord ye his Saints for nothing wanteth in them that feare him nothing he meanes which is good and wholesome for them as he speakes elsewhere saying The Lord will giue grace and glorie and no good thing will he with-hold from them that walke vprightly Psal 84.17 So that the feare of the Lord brings with it alwayes a plentie of all good things comes laden with the blessings of God whersoeuer it comes For all these causes now rehearsed should we feare the Lord and in reuerence endeuor to please him The vse that we must make of this Vse is first to condemne those that haue not the true feare of the Lord
to our selues in this case and performe that duty which the Lord doth require of vs. We must not alone bring our children and seruants to the knowledge of their sins and cause them to walke in the waies of the Lord but we our selues must go before them in these duties and by our examples leade them on to a carefull performance thereof First we our selues must turne to the Lord and become most dutifull and loyall vnto him and walke continually in his cōmandements Then when this is done we must be most earnest with thē see that they do the like that so all of vs may ioyne together in turning vnto him from whom we went astray and redeeme as it were the time that is past by an eager persuing after all those things as do belong to vs according to our roomes callings I pray thinke on these matters and I beseech God to giue a blessing vnto them that they may do you good But to to come to the chiefe point which is here to be stood vpon marke diligently vpon what consideration the Kings and Iudges and so all others in them are called vpon to repentance and amendment of life It is vpon the consideration of the great perill and danger wherein they stood For the exhortation which is here made is deduced out of the former words and the manner how it is drawne standeth thus All those that are in a most dangerous estate and are likely to be ouerthrowne with a shameful and perpetuall destruction they had neede to be wise and learned and turne to the Lord as it doth become them But such is your case o Kings and Iudges your are in a most dangerous estate and you are likely euery one of you to be ouerthrowne with a shamefull and perpetuall destruction Therefore it stands you vpon to be wise and learned and to turne to the Lord as it doth become you From hence we gather this doctrine Doct. that where there is any perill or danger hanging ouer mens heads for their sinnes and trespasses there they must repent and amend their liues and turne to the Lord whom they haue offended So did vncircumcised Nineueh For when the Prophet Ionah had cryed in their citty and said Yet fourty daies and Nineueh shall be ouerthrowne they fasted and prayed and did put on sackecloth from the greatest of them euen to the least of them and did turne from their euill waies and from the wickednesse that was in their hands as we may see at large in the third chapter of the Prophecy of Ionah So did wicked Ahab for when the Prophet Elijah had told him of his sinne and of Gods iudgements that did belong vnto him for the same and had shewed him how the Lord would bring euill vpon him and his posterity and make his house like the house of Iereboam the son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha the sonne of Ahijah for the prouocation wherewith he had prouoked and made Israel to sinne euen then when he heard those words He rent his cloathes and put sackecloth vpon him and fasted and lay in sackecloth and went softly as it is in 1. Kings 21.27 So did stifnecked Israel For when troubles did come vpon them and miseries were likely to weare them out and to consume them to nothing they cryed from time to time vnto the Lord and bewailed their sinnes and transgressions before him as may be seene at large in the bookes of Moses the Iudges the Kings and the hundreth and seuen Psalme So lastly did the prodigall sonne for when he saw all was spent and he was like to die for hunger as hauing nothing to eate no not so much as the huskes which the swinne did feed vpon he came to himselfe and resolued to returne home vnto his father and to confesse his fault vnto him and to craue fauour at his hands as it is in Luke 15.16 c. that so he might be made as one of his hired seruants if not to be accepted of him as a deare sonne and child againe Thus you see how perils and dangers should moue vs to repentance and amendment of life The reason is this Reason because by repentance and amendment of life all perils and dangers are preuented and wholly remoued away from vs as all the former recited examples do notably declare vnto vs. But to adde a testimony or two thereunto consider what the Lord himselfe doth say in Ieremy chapter 18. verse 8. touching this matter in these word But if this nation saith he against whom I haue pronounced turne from their wickednesse I will repent of the plague that I thought to bring vpon them And do you neuer forget what he also said to Iosiah the king in 2. Chron. 34.27.28 Because saith he thine heart did melt and thou didst humble thy selfe before God when thou heardest his word against this place and against the inhabitants thereof and humbledst thy selfe before me and tarest thy clothes and weptest before me I haue also heard it saith the Lord. Behold I will gather thee to thy fathers and thou shalt be put in thy graue in peace and thine eyes shall not se all the euill which I will bring vpon this place and vpon the inhabitants of the same Most acceptable therfore you see vnto the Lord is an humble casting downe of our selues before him and shall bring vnto our soules mercy and comfort when proud rebellion and stiffe standing out with Pharaoh and others shall procure plague vpon plague till we be destroyed out of the world Seeing then that repentance doth stay the iudgements of God from falling downe vpon vs and remoue them cleane away from vs that they may do vs no hurt there is cause sufficient why we should repent and amend when his iudgements do hang ouer our heads and are likely euery houre to fall downe vpon vs to our destruction and vtter vndoing By this then we are taught first Vse that they deale very foolishly and fondly who being in perill and danger do yet still perseuere on in their sinnes and transgressions Alas it is like as if a man should remaine in an house when the house is all one a fire ouer his head and likely euery minute of an houre to consume him either by burning or falling Or else it is like as if a man should be in the midst of a riuer where he is ready continually to be drowned and doth see no way to escape yet will not stretch out his hand to lay hold of that which may saue his life and minister vnto him a present succour and aide Secondly hereby we may learne what we our selues ought to do in all manner of distresses and calamities whatsoeuer Is the hand of the Lord already vpon vs or do we feare some iudgements to come Humble we our selues then before the Lord be we sory for our sinnes leaue we all our wicked wayes and turne we soundly vnto the Almightie and all shall be well
and causeth him often to attribute that vnto himselfe which doth belong onely vnto the Lord and his grace Herein the diuell hath a great stroake and skill First he laboureth to keepe vs from good workes by making vs secure and carelesse Then secondly if he cannot preuaile therein he endeuoureth to make vs proud of our good workes by lifting vp our soules with an high conceipt therein Against both these doth the Apostle here go about to arme the Philippians First setting feare against carnall securitie then trembling against the pride of minde And as there the Apostle dealeth so doth the Prophet here in our text He would not haue vs onely to feare the Lord but also to tremble before him The like in effect we haue in Hebrewes 12.38 Where the Apostle sheweth that seeing we doe receiue a kingdome which cannot be shaken it is our part to haue grace whereby we may so serue God that we may please him with reuerence and feare So that nothing must bee done in the seruice of God lightly or arrogantly but all with great reuerence and humblenesse of minde whereby we tremble before him and feare his iudgements The reasons hereof are two The one is Reasons because the Lord doth delight in such and regard them much as we may see by his words in Esay 66.2 when he saith And to him will I looke euen to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my words For we must alwaies do that which will be well pleasing vnto God cause him to take a delight and pleasure in vs considering that his loue is better then life it selfe Psal 63.3 The other is because the Lord doth resist the proud and such as be arrogant and cannot in any case endure them as may be seene by our Sauiours words when he made mention of the bragging Pharisie poore Publican in Luk. 18.9 c. For after he had shewed what both of them had done and how the latter of them was more iustified in the sight of God then the former he gaue this reason of it saying For euery man that exalteth himselfe shal be brought low he that hūbleth himselfe shall be exalted For we must euermore auoyde that which will cast vs out of the fauour of God and bring his iudgements vpon vs. This then may serue to pull them downe who are proud and hautie Vse Behold saith Habakuk in chap. 2.4 he that lifteth vp himselfe his minde is not vpright in him There is no goodnesse in such They can neuer serue the Lord aright but they will alwaies marre euery good thing which they take in hand Looke vpon thē euen in holy assemblies if they tremble not before the Lord nor quake at his iudgements you shall finde them enermore vnreuerent therein They will neither be attentiue neither yet will they bow and becke as they ought to do either they will talke or sleepe or gaze about or reade of some other matter in a booke then of that which is in hand or thinke on things at home or abrode or go out before all is ended or laugh and grin when they should rather mourne and weepe or do the like yea when they should kneele lowly vpon their knees they either fit or stand or bow their bodies but a little Such vnreuerence and stoutnesse is found amongst them from time to time But here for our selues we must learne to be humble and lowly as Christ our Sauiour was And as we looke to be respected by God and not to be plagued by him we must labour to draw our hearts vnto a trembling and a quaking before him that so we may carry our selues reuerently in his worship at all times and when we haue done all that we can doe not trust in any thing but think our selues to be vnprofitable seruants and to come too short of our duties by many degrees But what shall we do will you say to attaine to this We must performe these things First we must pray to God that hee would humble vs and bestow vpon vs meeke and lowly hearts For by nature all of vs are proud and arrogant like to Euah our first mother who would not be subiect to God but be as God herselfe and of our selues we cannot be humble and lowly when we would be but God must humble vs and make vs lowly who said in Zophonio 3.12 Then will I leaue in the mids of thee an humble and poore people and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. Secondly we must consider often with our selues how base and vile we our selues are and how glorious and full of Maiestie the Lord is For by this consideration it may come to passe that we shall cast our selues downe before him in most humble submissiue maner as Abraham did when he acknowledged that he was not worthy to speake vnto the Lord because he was but dust and ashes Gen. 18.27 And as Esay did when he cried out and said Woe is me for I am vndone because I am a man of polluted lips and I dwell in the mids of a people of polluted lips For mine eyes haue seene the King and Lord of hosts Esay 6.5 Thirdly we must alwayes remember that all the seruice which we can do vnto the Lord is due vnto him that our best righteousnes is as a polluted garment that if the Lord should enter into iudgement with vs to reward vs according to our wayes we could not answer him one for a thousand or be able to stand before him or appeare iust in his sight Lastly we must set before our eyes all the iudgements of the Lord which he hath executed vpon men for their transgressions and which he hath in great store for all such as shall stand stoutly out against him and breake his commandements For they may quaile vs and breake the stony rocke of our soules to peeces and make vs cry out with Habakuk saying When I heard my belly trembled my lips shooke at the voyce rottennesse entred into my bones and I trembled in myselfe that I might rest in the day of trouble For when he commeth vp vnto the people he shall destroy them Hab. 3.16 Remember these things and performe them Thus farre for the duty belonging vnto God the Father now followeth the duty which belongeth vnto God the Sonne Wherin consider first what must be done vnto him then the Reasons to moue vnto the same The duty to be performed is this they must Kisse the Sonne The vse of a leisse in the holy Scripture is twosold one of subiection as in 1. Sam. 10.1 where it is sayd that Samuel did kisse Saul when he annointed him to be king of Israel for this was in token of his subiection vnto him And in this sence also is it taken in 1. Kings 19.18 where the Lord told the Prophet Elijah that he had left 7000 in Israel whose knees had not bowed vnto Baal and whose mouth had not kissed him