SERM. our own guidance; the very nature and the end of XI. his government being only to preserve us, and to Deut. x. 12. rescue us from the errors, the slaveries, the vexations and miseries we are apt to incur; by virtue of whose universal dominion we are secured, that no malice of devil, no unjustice of men, no sort of enemy whatever, (excepting our own wilful disobedience to his laws and directions,) shall be able to do us harm; for all them he governs and he curbs no less than ourselves. Of this our King it is truly said, that Ps. lxxxix. justice and judgment are the establishment of his throne; mercy and truth go before his face; that, Ps. cxlv. 17. He is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his Psal. xlv. 6. doings; that, The sceptre of his kingdom is a right Matt.xi.30. sceptre; that, His yoke is easy, and his burden 14. Rev. xv. 3. I, 2. light. In confidence of his protection we may say Psal. xxvii. with the Psalmist, The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Ps.xlvi. 1,2. God is our refuge and strength-therefore will I not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. Ps. Ivi. 4. In God have I put my trust, I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. Well therefore may we, may the whole world, in consideration of our being under so good a Governor, be excited to joy and jubilation Psal. xlvii. with the Psalmist; O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph: for the Lord most high is terrible; he is a great Ps. xcvi.10. King over all the earth. Say among the nations, that the Lord reigneth; the world also shall be established, that it shall not be moved; he shall judge the people righteously; let the heavens rePs. xcviii.8. joice, and let the earth be glad, &c. Let the floods I, 2. 19. XI. clap their hands, let the hills be joyful together be- SERM. fore the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity. Or with those in the Revelation; Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent Rev xix. 6. reigneth; let us be glad, and rejoice, and give honour unto him. All the world hath exceeding reason not only to be content, but to rejoice and triumph in being subject to such a Governor, so able, so willing to maintain peace, good order, and equity therein so that we also are obliged to bless and thank God, that he condescends so far, and vouchsafes to undertake the tuition and oversight of the world; obeying the Psalmist's exhortation; The Lord, saith Psal. ciii. he, hath prepared his throne in heaven, and his kingdom ruleth over all: therefore, Bless the Lord, ye his angels-Bless the Lord, all his hosts-Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion; imitating herein those elders in the Revelation; Rev. xi. 17. who say, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken unto thee thy great power, and hast reigned. They who imagine the world is not governed at all, but that with unloosed reins it runneth on at random, are very foolish: but more such are they, who wish it to be so, and in their desires depose God from his throne; for they do wish for anarchy and confusion in their country, instead of the most excellent establishment and order, maintained by the wisest and ablest government. That good emperor was better advised, and better affected, who said, What good were it for me to live in a world void of a Deity and Providence? and, Why should I desire to continue in such a casual jumble XI. SERM. and rout of things? The world, he well supposed, Divine governance being excluded, would be a strange, disorderly, and uncomfortable place to abide in. 1. It serveth to beget in us a due awe and dread of God: considering God's other attributes may breed in us a high esteem and hearty love of God; but the consideration of his power is that which naturally and reasonably produceth a great fear of him: he is most amiable for his goodness, and in regard to his wisdom greatly venerable; but his power, armJer. v. 21, ing the rest, renders him exceedingly terrible. Hear ye this, it is said in the prophet Jeremiah, O foolish people, and without understanding; Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my 22. 5 Τί μοι ζῆν ἐν κόσμῳ κενῷ θεῶν, ἢ προνοίας κενῷ; Ant. ii. §.11. Τί καὶ ἐπιθυμῷ εἰκαίῳ συγκρίματι, καὶ φυρμῷ τοιούτῳ ἐνδιατρίβειν ; Idem vi. §. 10. Μετὰ τὸ presence, which hath placed the sand for the SERM. bounds of the sea? &c. and, Forasmuch as there is XI. none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and Jer. x. 6, 7. thy name is great in might: who would not fear thee, O thou King of nations? and, I will shew you, saith Luke xii. 5. our Saviour, whom ye should fear; Fear him, who after he hath killed (or who beside killing) hath power to cast into hell; I say unto you, Fear him: great reason he had so earnestly to inculcate that admonition, the case being so apparent and so important. 2. This point doth consequently in high measure dissuade and deter us from sin, implying the extreme folly in committing it, and the inevitable mischief following it. The consideration of God's other attributes infer it to be great baseness and stupidity to oppose or displease God, but the consideration of this demonstrateth it to be infinite madness to do So. For to wrong, dishonour, and displease him, that is so good and beneficent to us, is great disingenuity and unworthiness; to swerve from his advice and direction, who is only and perfectly wise, is highly vain and unreasonable; but for so feeble and impotent things as we are to contest with and withstand, to provoke and offend Omnipotency, (that which with infinite ease can defeat and subdue us, can depress us into misery, can crush us into nothing,) is most palpably the top of insolent wildness. It is Moses's argument, whereby he presseth obedience to his law; Circumcise therefore, saith Deut. x. 16, he, the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked; for the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, and a mighty, and a terrible. It is no less an evidently convincing, than a vehemently affecting increpation, 17. SERM. that of St. Paul; Do we provoke the Lord to jeaXI. lousy? are we stronger than he? And God him Job xl. 9. 1 Cor. x. 22. self in Job useth the like scheme of speech; Hast thou an arm like God? and canst thou thunder with a voice like him? If thou art as strong, if thou hast such an arm, then mayest thou perhaps dare to contend with him, and adventure to provoke him: but if thou nowise art his match, if thou art infinitely short of him in strength, how vain and rash a thing is it for thee to defy him thus, to enter with him into the lists, to strive and grapple with him! Job xv. 25. to do as the sinner in Job is expressed doing; He stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty. All presumptuous sinning is described and represented in scripture as a comparing, and in effect preferring, our power and force in regard to the power of God; or as a tempting God, and challenging him to battle; or as an actual coping, contention, and fighting with him sinners, as such, are styled the adversaries of God, and rebels against him; such as rise up, and lift up themselves, and raise their hand against him; which doth either imply in them a more than gigantic pride and arrogance, in overvaluing their own power and undervaluing the power of God, (which doth also involve infidelity, and disbelief of God's omnipotence; for he who believeth that, cannot take himself for God's match, or dare to struggle with him;) or it argueth a most strange inconsiderateness and vanity, in presuming, at so infinite a disadvantage, without any ground of confidence, without any hope of success, to oppose God's will and power. Οὐ δηναιὸς, ὃς ἀθανάτοισι μάχοιτο : He is not long lived, who fighteth with the immortals, old Homer could |