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Now the Words, you fee, are in all scarce twice three ; yet at once theypresent us with three chief Person's, and three great Relations. The Personsno less than God, the Lord of all; and God’s Deputy, the King; and allthat call God Father, all the People. /.The Relations are first Persona , whatReference all these Persons stand in one to another ; God to King and Peo-ple, the King to the-People" an^ God, the People to God and the King.Secondly, Opera, what must be done, as a Due to God and the King, andas a Dpty from the People to both flniere, they are to fear them. Lastly,Causa,x ,why it must,be done; yea, .and Modi too, how it must be done, qniaJilii, and, -qua flit,- because they are Sons, and as Sons, fear them therefore,and fear them 'so, for the Manner and io for the Order too, as Sons to both,both to God and King ; yet as Sons first to God and then to the King: allthese particularly indrcled within this narrow Compass, Fear God, my Son, and'the King, _ r f •

Ot which, that I may so speak as that God’s People may learn the Fearof Gpd and the King aright, I humbly beseech you that we may here ad-dress ourselves unto God, that holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, &c.

■ { • Fear God, my Son, and the King.

You fee what first meets us, at the very Door of the Text; and there mustour Beginning be, at Timere, at the Duty of Fear, and in that, at Dei beforeRegis, at the Fear of the Lord first ; and then that is the best Beginning thatmay be. sr:;

To begin at God, is in Nature, Eh’ Atoi fays one of their Poets,

aud a Jove principium, faysanother : bat the Fear of God is of Wisdomabove Nature; The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom, says the Psalm-ist, P/al. iii. 11, and as it begins so it goes, it ts the Increase oj Wisdom also,lays Solomon, Prov.xv. 33. Yea, ’tis the very End of all the Sum of whatcan be laid or done. Eccies xii. 13. Let us hear the End of all-, fear God,for this is the nhole Duty oj Man. Hoc eji totum hominis, this every Man mustdo or else he does nothing; and more than this need no Man to do : it willbe very abundant for him if he do truly fear God.

u Timor Dei.

Why else does the Spirit so often name us the fearing of God, rather thanany other Christian Duty ? My Son love God, or my Son obey God, or my Sontruft in God ; all these had been Charges holy and good, but none of them allhad been lo much ; though my Son fear God, is a Precept and Promise of themall : for Fear is a catholic Duty that runs through all Duties else, and keepsthem in tune ; ’tis God’s prapojitus in the School of Graces ; it fees that noneof them all be out of Order, or in any kind faulty.

It makes us look well to our Ear, for fear we should hear unprofitably ; toour Eye, for fear we should glance unreverently ; to our Love, for fear aughtHip from us which God may take for unkind and unlovely ; to our Obedience,for fear we grow careless or presumptuous; to our Faith, for fear we becomedoubting or desperate; to our Joy, for fear it should be immoderate; to 01stGrief, for fear it be unwarrantable ; to our Devotion, for fear it be hypocri-tical ; to our Religion, for fear it be superstitious ; to our whole Life, for festit be licentious, hor Fear is as the Inquisitor Major over all the reft; whenit is right, all Offices else are right; all is well, if God be but rightly feared.

Let it be no Wonder then, that the Prophet attributes Fear to Christ him-self. and that at the End of divers other Virtues, as a lure Guide and Dire st of

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