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°f them all, the Spirit of the Lord upon him, faith he, Isa. xi. 2. But whatSpirit ? The Spirit of Wisdom, and of Understanding ; the Spirit of Counsel and°f Strength ; the Spirit of Knowledge, and of the Tear of the Lord: withoutthat indeed the rest (as great as they are) would be little or nothing; andconcerning that, therefore, the next Verse adds yet further, Et odorabituf ti~morem Domini besides his having the Spirit of Fear, he shall also hunt and seekastir it above all the reft ; nay, odorabitur, it shall be the very Breath of hisNostrils, the Life and Soul of all Gifts else in him, the Fear os the Lord.

And to this suits well that excellent Meditation that Irœneus has about it.

“ Such Things (faith he) as upon our Fore-fathers were so strictly charged>n the old Law, as merely slavish and servile, all those indeed the Liberty ofthe Gospel pared off at once : but then natural Things, and such as complywith Ingenuity and Freedom (as the knowing of God, the loving of him, thefollowing his Word, and the subduing our own Lusts) these were to be di-lated by the Gospel, and not dissolved ; so far from Abolition, that they re-ceived a far greater Augmentation. And from hence it conies (faith he) thatour Fear of God (that’s it which principally he chuses to inlrst upon) is muchMore grown now, than ever the Law could expect it : and why ? Because itis natural (fays he) that Sons should fear more than Servants; the very Libertyof Sons being as a Load-stone to allure, and as a Whet-stone to increase, andas a Touch-stone to try their Love; and their inbred Affection setting such anEdge on the Reverence and Fear which they bear him, as no Slavery of theLaw could ever skill off.”

That, we have not then, since Christ, received the Spirit of Bondage to fearany more, St. Paul fays right for that, Rom. viii. 15. because such Fear as that(the Fear that was of old) cructatum habet, 1 John iv. it only vexed aud afftiSledthem that had it: but yet by the Blessing of the Gospel the Fear of the Lordis highly improved to us; for ’tis the Spirit of Adoption now, and only com-bines with Joy and Pleasure, tffoevoi puhhov fcpwo'nenh fays Pantaleon ; it issuch a reverend and tree Disposition in us towards God our Father, that thoughwe were sore he should never know of our Offence, or could possibly fay tous, I know it, and it offends me, but yet I will not punish it ; even thereforeWe would strive the more against it, as being Joth to displease so good a Fa-ther, and having more Care not to miscarry than not to smart for it, and per-forming Duty not for fear of suffering Vengeance, but for fear of foregoing thatLsoty, and of wronging so much Love as he and we are mutually engaged in.

And now by this I know (lays Sr. Hilary, in Psa I. cxxvii.) what King Davidmeant when he called the Faithful to School to him, Come my Children and hearkenunto me, and 1 will teach you the Fear of the Lord, Psa I. xxxiv. 11. For what needsthat (Lith he) if there were nothing else in it? Who teaches the Lamb to fearthe Wolf? Or who reads Lessons against the Kite to the Chickens? But the*’ e ar of the Lord comes by holy Rule and Instruction ; it is not what Naturetr emble§ at, but what Grace directs to; and it is not perfectly had but fromLessons of Love, such Love as obliges to beware of all offending.

Now the Psalmist indeed does not there set it down ; hut if any professm e y are comc to learn it, I dare close up this Point with an Answer to thatmher Question of his, quis eft vir t Plal. xxv. What Man is he that feareth theBordf F or a Man may soon know him now, at least he may easily know,Whether himself be the Man : if he find in his Soul so pure and devoted anAffection to God his Father, that his Joy is only to please him, and his Study to? VQl d offending of him, his whole Content is that God loves him, and securelyrc sts himself upon the Favour that God has to him. Hie vir hie eft, thismay be bold that he is a good Proficient, and that he hath throughlyear nt the Fear of the Lord.

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