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USE.

The chief Use I fhall make of thefe Things is, to exhort you to examine, whether you fear God, by these Signs of true Fear.

1. Does it make you reverence the Name of God, and not take it in Vain, Deut. xxviii. 58. to ftand in Awe of His Good

2.

nefs, Hof. iii. 5. Pfal. cxxx. 4.

3. 1xvi. 2.

to tremble at His Word, Ifa.

4.

to walk as in God's Prefence,

Ecclef. viii. 2.

to perform inward as well as

5. outward Duties to Him, Ifa. xxix. 30. as,

6.

I. Love to Him, Deut. vi. 5.

2. Defires of Him, Pfal. xlii. 1, 2.
3. Meditations upon Him, Pfal. cxxxix. 18.
4. Trying on Him.

5. Submitting to Him, 1 Sam. iii. 18.

publick Ordinances.

7.

to perform private as well as

to avoid small as well as great

Sins.

8.

to fear the Displeasure of God

more than Punishments, Prov. xiii. 13.

to hate as well as avoid Sin,

9. Prov. viii. 13.

10.

to study to do Good, as well as

avoid Evil, Deut. v. 29.

II.

Jer. xxxii. 40.

to perfevere in your Obedience,

12. So that no Fear of any Creature or Thing, can deter you from, or make you neglect your Duty to Him, Isa. viii. 11, 12, 13. 1 S. Pet. iii. 14, 15.

MOTIVES

MOTIVES to fear GOD.

Confider,

1. The Greatness of GOD, fer. v. 22. Job xxxvii. 23, 24.

2. His Sovereignty over all Things, tja. xxv.

I, 2.

†ja.

3. It is the Beginning of Wisdom, Pfal. cxi. 10. 4. It makes Men bleffed, Pfal. cxii. 1, 2, 3. and cxxviii. fer tot.

5. God vouchfafes fuch Men peculiar Bles fings; as,

1. To dwell with them, Ifa. lxvi. 2.

2. To impart His Secrets to them, Pfal. XXV. 14.

3. To preserve and protect them,Pfal.xxxiii.
18. and xxv. 12, 13. and xxxiv. 7.

4. To turn all Things to their Good.
5. He efteems them as His Jewels, Mal. iii.
16, 17.

6. And therefore takes Pleasure in them,
Pfal. cxlvii. 11.

6. He has made them many Promifes.

1. To provide for them, and to let them want no good Thing, Pfal. xxxiv. 9, 18. 2. To hear their Prayers, Pfal. cxlv. 19. . They need fear nothing elfe, He having greater Things in Store for them, Pfal. xxxi. 19, 20. Prov. xxii. 4.

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S. MATT. X. 37.

He that loveth Father or Mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me.

TH

HESE Words explain thofe which are deliver'd in a more seeming harsh manner, in S. Luk. xiv. 26. where it is faid, If any man come to me, and hate not his Father and Mother, &c. he cannot be my Difciple. For, it cannot be fupposed that Chrift fhould make the real Hating of Father or Mother, &c. a neceffary Condition of becoming His true Difciples; it being a very wicked Thing to hate them, contrary to the Inftinct and Law of Nature, and the Commands of God, Exod. xx. 12. S. Matt. XV. 4. Ephef. vi. 1,2. To hate them, therefore, is, to love them lefs than Chrift; for to love less, is by way of Comparison (in the Scripture Language) call'd Hating, as S. Matt. vi. 24. Gen. xxix. 31, 32. Rom. ix. 13.

These two Texts of Scripture being thus compar'd and explain'd by one another, contain in them this Doctrine.

That we ought to love Chrift above all Things.

I. The Reason of this Duty, or why we are to love Chrift above all Things.

1. Because we have more Reafon to love Him, than all other Things.

There are three Caufes of Love.

1. Good; and He is the best of Goods, S. Luk, xviii. 19.

For

For He is

1. An Effential and Infinite,
2. An Universal,

3. A Conftant and Certain,
4. An Everlasting Good.

2. Likeness; and He is moft like our fancti fy'd Souls, Pet. i. 15, 16.

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3. Love; and He loves us moft.
1. He made us, S. Job. i. 3.
2. He preferves us, Act. xvii. 28.

For,

3. He gives us all we have, I Chroni

xxix. 14.

4. He died to purchase eternal Life for us, Joh. xv. 12, 13.

2. Because we only love Him, fo far as we love Him above all Things; for if we love any Thing more than Him, we hate Him according to the Scripture Phrafe, S. Luk. xiv. 26, 33.

II. How are we to exprefs our Love to Chrift?

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1. By denying ourselves what is offenfive to Him, Matt. xvi. 24.

2. By a chearful Performance of what is pleafing to Him, S. Joh. xiv. 15.

3. By preferring and defiring Him and His Favour before all earthly Things whatever, Pfal. xlii. 1, 2. and lxxiii, 25. As,

i. Before Riches and worldly Enjoyments, S. Luk. xviii. 23.

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Delights and Pleasures, 2 Tim. iii.4
Honours, S. Job. xii. 42, 43.

Eafe, 2 Cor. vi. 4, 5. and xi. 23,

24, 25, 26, 27.

5. Relations, S. Luk. xiv. 26.

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6.

7.

Sins, S. Matt. xvi. 24.

Life itself, S. Matt. xvi. 2§i

I 2

4. By

4. By Rejoicing and Delighting ourselves in His Service, Phil. iv. 4.

5. By frequent Meditation upon Him, and His Love to us, Pfal. cxix. 90.

6. By thinking nothing too much to undergo for Him, Act. v. xli. and xxi. 13.

III. What must we do to love Chrift?

1. Endeavour to be fenfible of your Mifery without Him; as being then fubject,

1. To the Wrath of the most High God, Ephef. ii. 3.

2. To the Curfe of a righteous Law, Gal. iii. 10.

3. To the Gnawings of a guilty Conscience. 4. And the Tortures of eternal Flames, 2 Theff. i. 8, 9.

2. Endeavour to have right Apprehensions of Him; as,

1. Of the Nature of His Perfon.

2. And of His threefold Office.

1. Prophet.

2. Prieft.

3. King.

3. Of the End and Defign of His coming into the World, 1 Tim. i. 15. 1 S. Joh. iii. 5, 8.

4.

Of what He did and fuffer'd, 1 Cor. ii. 2. 5. Of His Merits, Hebr. vii. 25.

6. Of His Death and Interceffion, Ifa. liii. 5, 6. 1 Joh. ii. 1, 2.

3. Endeavour to implant a firm Belief of these Things in your Minds.

4. Frequent His Ordinances.

5. Meditate upon Him, and your Obligations to love Him, which are very many and great.

For

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