S. MATT. X. 28.

Fear not them which kill the Body, but

are not able to kill the Soul : but rather, fear Him which is able to destroy both Soul and Body in Hell.

BSERVATION
Man hath two diftin& Parts, a Soul and

Body
1. The Body made of Earth, Gen. ii. 7.
2. The Soul created by God, Eccles. xii. 7.

II. OBSERVATION.

1. The One of these is mortal, the Other not, Hebr. ix. 27.

That the Soul is immortal, appears,
1. From Scripture, 2 Tim. i. 10.
2. From the Nature of the Soul.

3. From the Existence of God; for if God Be, He is fuft, Hebr. xi. 6.

III. OBSERVATION.
Man hath Power to kill the Body, but not the

Şouho

IV. OBSERVATION.
God hath Power over Both, Psal. xxiv. 1.

V. OBSERVATION.

But He will not exercise this power to the Killing, but destroying, i. e. punishing Both in the Persons of the Wicked and Impenitent, Job

1. The

vi. 9.

1. The Body, by the most exquisite Torments, as to all its Senses, S. Luk. xvi. 24. 2. The Soul, 1. By Depriving it of His Presence, S. Matt.

xxi. 41. 2 Thel. i.9. 2. Arming it against itself, Job vii, 20. and

xiii. 26. 3. By Afflicting each Faculty with its pro

per Punishments. From whence, this

VI. OBSERVATION.

That we are not to fear Them which can only kill or hurt the Body; and that, 1. No Perfon.

1. Not Man, Ifa. ii. 22.

2. Not Satan, Job i, 12. S. Jam. iv. 7. 2. No Tbing 1.' Not Want. 1. For God can supply us extraordi

narily, as he did the Ifraelites and

Elijah. 2. No Creature can take or with-hold any

Thing from us without Him. 3. God can make our Want better than

Plenty, Rom, viji. 28. 4. It is His Will that we trust on Him,

S. Matt. vi. 25, 33.
2. Not Disgrace.

1. Because it is no real Evil.
2. The more Men revile us, the more ho-

nourable we may be, S. Matt, V. II. 3. Not Death.

1. No Creature can bring it without God. 2. Its Sting is taken out by Christ, 1 Cor.

XV. 55.

3. Hence it may be no real Evil, 1 Cor.

jii. 22.

4. But

4. But a freeing us from Evil.
5. And our Entrance into all Good, Phil

i. 21. 2 Cor. V. I. 4. In what Sense are we to fear no Creature ? 1. Negatively 1. Not but that we may ufe all lawful

Means to prevent any Evil or Mifchief that we may receive from them. Timor eft fuga imminentis mali ardui,

quod evitari poteft. 2. Not but that we may pray against any

Evil from them, Psal. lvi. 1. and

lvii. 3,4

2. Positively. But,
1. Not fear them, so as to perplex our-

selves about future Events from them,

Dan. iii. 16. 2. Not fear them, so as to despair of

eschewing any Evil from them,

2 Chron. XX. I 2. 3.

nor so as to make use of any unlawful Means for eschewing it.

nor so as to neglect our Duty to God, A&t. iv. 19, 20. 5. Why are we to fear no Creature, but GOD only? 1. Fear is a part of Divine Worship, Deus.

vi. 13. Ifa. viii. 13. 2. No Creature can do us either Good or

Harm, without God. 1. Not Good. 2. Not Harm, Daniel, Three Children,

Rom. viii. 38.

USE.

If so, then lay aside all Fear of the Creature, considering that it is,

1. Vain

1. Vain and groundless.
2. A Dishonour to God.
3. The Cause of our own Mifery.

In order to which,
1. Be often in Meditation upon God's Pro-

vidence and Concurrence in each A :

ction, S. Matt. X. 29, 30.
2. Trust only in God and in no Creature,

Pfal. xxvii. 1. and cxviii. 6, 7.
3. Live above the Temper of your Body.
4.

Turn the Fear of Creatures, into the

Fear of the great Creator, Isa. viii. 13.

for,
VII. OBSERVATION.
That God only is to be feard.

1. Why is God so describ'd, as here in the Text? 1. To shew His Sovereignty over both Soul

and Body. 2. That He alone hath Power over both,

S. Luk. xii. 4. 3. Because this is the greatest Argument

ad hominem, to fear Him. 2. What is it to fear God? There is a twofold Fear of Him, Exod. xx. 20. 1. Bad, Rev. xxi. 8.

as, 1. When our Fear drives us from God,

Exod. xx. 18. Gen. iii. 8, 10. Rev.

vi. 16. 2. When we fear only the Effets of God's

Wrath, S. Fam. ii. 19. Rom. viii. 15. 2. Good, Prov. xxviii. 14. which is, 1. To fear and reverence His Majesty and

Excellency, Gen. xxviii. 16, 17. Deut. xxvii. 58.

120.

2. To fear to displease Him, Prov. xii,

13. Psal. xc. II. 3. What are we to fear in God?

1. His Power, Fob xxxvii. 23, 24. fer. V. 22 2. His Providence in the Government of

the World, and disposing of all Things,

Psal. xcix. 1. fer. X• 7. 3. His Anger and Threatnings against Sing

ners, 2 King. xxii. 19. 4. His Justice in Executing them, fer. XXVI

14. Job xxxiv. 17. 5. His Judgments executed, Ifa. XXV. 1,2,3.

Habak. iii. 16. Psal. cxix. 118, 119, 6. His Mercies, Hof. iii. 5. Jer. V. 24• Pfal

CXXX. 4
7. His Omnipresence.

8. His Eternity. 4. Why is God alone to be fear'd, and above all Things?

1. Because He is the greatest - Being:
2. Without Him no Hurt can fall upon us.

1. From Satan.
2. From Men.
3. From ourselves.

4. From our Sins.
3. Because it is only by Him that we can

come to any Good. 5. How are we to express our Fear of Him? 1. By repenting of our former Sins, Foel ii.

13, 14. 2. By avoiding what he hath forbidden,

Prov. iii. 7. and xvi. 6. 3. By doing, 'what He hath 'commanded , Ecclef. xii. 13.

USE,