you should seem to come short of it;" whether this be an evil of sin or of punishment shall be afterwards inquired into.

VER. 2.-There ensues in the second verse a confirmation of what is proposed in the first, and that, 1. On the account of a parity in condition between us, and those from whom the example is taken; "unto us was the gospel preached, even as unto them." 2. On the account of the evil success of them in that condition, with the reason thereof, "but the word preached did not profit them, because it was not mixed with faith in them that heard."

Our way being thus prepared, we may open the words in particular as they lie in the context.

Φοβηθώμεν ουν.

Ουν,

Dobrowμer our. Ou, therefore;' an illative, manifesting the deduction of the present exhortation, from the preceding discourse and example. We have now several times observed, that the apostle is constant unto this method; namely, of educing new exhortations immediately out of arguments doctrinally proposed and confirmed. This makes his discourse nervous, and his exhortation efficacious; shutting up the minds of them with whom he deals, leaving them no place unto evasion or tergiversation. And herein, unto the weight and authority of his words, he adds the reasonableness of his inferences, and from both concludes the necessity of the duty which he proposeth.

Poondwer, let us fear.' The noun pocos, and the verb soμai, are used in the New Testament to express all sorts of fears, and fearing, whether natural, civil, sinful, or religious. They are therefore of a larger extent, and more various use, than any one radical word in the Old Testament.

The fear here intended is religious, relating to God, his worship, and our obedience. And this is fourfold. 1. Of terror. 2. Of diffidence. 3. Of reverence. 4. Of care, solicitousness and watchfulness. And concerning these, I shall first shew what they are, or wherein they consist; and then inquire which of them it is that is here intended.

First, There is a fear of dread and terror; and this respecteth either God, or other things, wherein we may be concerned, in his worship. 1. Of God; and this is either expressive of the object, the person feared, or God himself. Or, 2. The subject, or person fearing; the frame of heart in him that feareth.

66

1. Fear respects the object of fear, that which we do fear. Knowing therefore, Tov Qobov Te Kugis, 2 Cor. v. 11. the fear of the Lord," or the terror, as we render it; that is, how great, dreadful, holy, and terrible he is. Hence Jacob calls God, з, Gen. xxxi. 42. 53. the fear of Isaac," or him whom Isaac served, worshipped, feared. And 5, when it respects the subject, denotes that kind of fear which hath greatness, dread, and terror for an object; whereas they express a reve

יראה

rential fear by . This fear the apostle hath respect unto, Heb. xii. 28, 29. "Let us serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear; for our God is a consuming fire." The fear of dread and terror in God, requires the fear of reverence in us, in all that we have to do with him. A respect hereunto is expressed by sinners, Isa. xxxiii. 14. and Micah vi. 6, 7.

2. Fear expresseth that frame of heart and spirit, which is in men towards an object, apprehended as dreadful and fearful. And this also is twofold.

1. A consternation and dread of spirit on the apprehension of God as an enemy, as one that will punish and avenge sin. This is 7, which is joined with D, Psal. lv. 5. a trembling horror.' This befel Adam upon his sin, and that inquisition that God made about it, Gen. iii. 10. and Cain, Gen. iv. 13. Such a consideration of God, as would beget this frame in him, Job often deprecates, ch. ix. 34. & xxiii. 6. And the same is intended in the places above cited, Isa. xxxiii. 14. Mic. vi. 6, 7. Something hereof befel them of old, who upon the apprehension that they had seen God, concluded that they should die. They had a dread fell on them, from an apprehension of his excellency and holiness, which terrified them with thoughts that they should be consumed. And this fear in its latitude is a consternation of spirit, on an apprehension of God's greatness and majesty, with respect unto present or future judgments, when the mind is not relieved by faith in the reconciliation made by Jesus Christ, weakening, disheartening, and alienating the heart from God.

My

2. An awful fear of God's greatness and holiness, with respect unto deserved and impendent judgments in this world. This fear may befal believers, and be at some seasons their especial duty. This David expresseth, Psal. cxix. 120. flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judg ments." And elsewhere on the same account he declares, that "fearfulness and trembling laid hold on him," Psal. lv. 5. So Habakkuk expresseth his condition under the like apprehension, ch. iii. 16. "When I heard, my belly trembled, my lips quivered at the voice, rottenness entered into my bones, and I trem. bled in myself." And this fear of dread or terror thus qualified, is both good and useful in its kind. And this is that which Joshua labours to ingenerate in the minds of the people, Josh. xxiv. 19, 20. And of great use it is to the souls of men, both before and after their conversion unto God. Of a fear of awe and reverence in general, with respect unto the greatness and holiness of God, we shall treat afterwards.

Secondly, There may be a fear of dread and terror in our way of obedience, which may respect other things. Such are the oppositions and difficulties, which we do or may meet VOL. IV.

P

withal, either from within or without, in our course, which may incline us to despondency and despair. This in particular befel David, when, notwithstanding the promise of God to the contrary, he concluded that he should one day perish by the hand of Saul, 1 Sam. xxvii. 1. This the Scripture expresseth by nn, which we render, to be dismayed: Josh. i. 9. " Be not terrified, nor be thou dismayed." The word signifies 'to be broken; and when applied unto the mind, it denotes to be sore terrified, so as to sink in courage and resolution; which we well express by being dismayed, to be broken and weakened in mind, through a terror arising from the apprehension of oppositions, difficulties, and dangers. It is ascribed unto men, when God strikes a terror into them, or when they are terrified with their own fears, Isa xxx. 32. Jer. x. 2. A consternation and horror of mind; and 377, a word of the same signification, is often joined with it. This fear therefore, arising from a discouraging terrifying apprehension of dangers and oppositions, weakening and disenabling the soul to make use of due means vigorously in the discharge of its duty, can have no place here. Yea, it is directly contrary to, and inconsistent with the end aimed at by the apostle. And this is the first sort of fear that any way respects our religious obedience unto God; see Isa. viii. 12, 13. li. 12, 13. Matt. x. 28.

Secondly, There is a fear of distrust and diffidence, or a fear arising from, or accompanied with a distrust of the accomplishment of God's promises, at least as to our interest in them. This is a defect in faith, and opposite unto it. This was the fear which ruined the Israelites in the wilderness. Being discouraged through their difficulties, they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation, Psal. lxxviii. 22. And this cannot be here charged on us as our duty. A fluctuation and hesitation of mind about the promises of God, or the event of our condition in a course of sincere obedience, is not required of us, nor accepted from us. For no duty is acceptable with God, but what is not only consistent with faith, but also proceedeth from it. The same faith that works by love, works also by delight; and it casts out this fear of bondage and diffidence. And no fear can be our duty, but what is a fruit and effect of it. Believers do not receive again the spirit of bondage to fear, Rom. viii. 15. Nay, it is that which Christ died to deliver us from, Heb. ii. 14. But it may be considered two ways: 1. As it partakes of the nature of diffidence in opposition to faith and liberty; and so it is utterly to be rejected. 2. As it partakes of the nature of godly jealousy, and is opposed to security, and so it may be cherished, though it be not here in

tended.

Thirdly, There is a fear of reverence, a reverential fear of

God. This is that which most commonly is intended by the name of the fear of God, both in the Old Testament and the New. And it is not an especial duty suited unto some seasons and occasions, but that which concerns us in our whole course, in all our ways and actings. Sometimes it is taken subjectively for the internal reverential frame of our hearts, in all wherein we have to do with God; and sometimes objectively for the worship of God itself. So is the nature of it expressed, Deut. xxviii. 58. “Observe the words of this law, that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, The Lord thy God." The glorious and dreadful majesty of God, is the object of it, and motive unto it, which gives it the nature of reverence. And the way whereby it is exercised and expressed, is a due observance of the worship of God, according to the law. But neither is this that which is peculiarly intended, as not being more incumbent on us in one season than another, on one account than another.

Fourthly, There is a fear of circumspection, care and diligence, with respect unto the due use of the means, that we may attain the end proposed unto us. This some would confound with a fear of diffidence, dread and terror, with respect unto the uncertainty of the end, but it is quite of another nature. And as that is every where condemned in us, so this is no less frequently commended unto us, Rom. xi. 20. “Be not highminded, but fear." Phil. ii. 12. « Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." 1 Pet. i, 17. "See that you pass the time of your sojourning here in fear." Prov. xxviii. 14. " Happy is the man that feareth always;" that is, with this fear of watchfulness, diligence, and spiritual care. But onto the other it is affirmed, that God hath not given us the spirit of fear, 2 Tim. i. 7. or, of bondage through diffidence and uncertainty of the event of our obedience. Now, the acting of the soul in and about the use of means, is ascribed unto fear, when the mind is influenced by a due apprehension of the threatenings and severity of God against sin, they being the way whereby we are delivered from being obnoxious unto them. Thus Noah, when God had denounced his judgments against the old world, although they were not yet seen, or did not appear in any preparation made for them, yet believing that they would be inflicted accordingly, was, "being moved with fear, he prepared an ark," Heb. xi. 7. Apprehending the severity of God, believing his threatenings, his mind was influenced into that fear, which put him with diligence on the use of those means, whereby he and his family might be saved and preserved.

It will, from these considerations, be plainly evidenced what that fear is, which is here enjoined and prescribed unto us. An

instance and example of God's severity against unbelievers, is laid down and proposed unto our consideration by the apostle in his preceding discourse. In this example of God's dealing with them of old, he declares also that there is included a commination of dealing with all others in the same manner, who shall fall into the same sin of unbelief with them. None may flatter themselves with vain hopes of any privilege or exemption in this matter. Unbelievers shall never enter into the rest of God. This he further confirms in these two verses, though his present exhortation be an immediate inference from what went before, "Wherefore let us fear." How must we do this? with what kind of fear? Not with a fear of diffidence, of doubting, of wavering, of uncertainty, as to the event of our obedience. This indeed may, this doth befal many; but it is enjoined unto none it is a fruit of unbelief, and so cannot be our duty. Neither can it be that which was intimated in the second place under the first head; namely, a dread and dismayedness of mind upon a prospect of difficulties, oppositions and dangers in the way. This is the sluggard's fear, who cries, There is a lion in the streets, I shall be slain. To expel and cast out this fear, as that which weakens and disheartens men in their profession, is one of the especial designs of the apostle in this Epistle. Nor is it that general fear of reverence which ought to accompany us, in all wherein we have to do with God. For this is not particularly influenced by threatenings and the severity of God, seeing we are bound always so to fear the Lord and his goodness. Nor is this fear required of us, as was said, more at one season than another. It remains therefore that the fear here intended, is mixed of the first and the last of those before mentioned. And so two things are included in it. First, An awful apprehension of the holiness and greatness of God, with his severity against sin, balancing the soul against temptation. Secondly, A careful diligence in the use of means, to avoid the evil threatened unto unbelief and disobedience. And the right stating of these things, being of great moment in our practice, it must be further cleared in the ensuing observations. As,

Obs. I. The gospel in the dispensation thereof, is not only attended with promises and rewards, but also with threatenings and punishments.-This, for the substance of it, hath been already spoken unto, on Chap. II. Ver. 2.

Obs. II. Gospel comminations ought to be managed towards all sorts of professors promiscuously, be they true believers, temporary, or hypocrites.-So they are here proposed by the apostle unto the Hebrews, without exception or limitation; and amongst them there were persons of all the sorts mentioned. But this also will be comprised under the third proposition; namely, that,