MATTHEW WREN, D. D. iz

and whining at the sacred Commands of Authority over us (whatever wethink of it, or however we please ourselves in it) and like those grand Mi-stakers, think we do God good Service by it, yet ’tis as bad in God’s ownConstruction as Sorcery and Idolatry too ; and nothing more than this Sorceryand Idolatry, I fear me it is, that of late hath so much troubled our Israel,and made the Days of many so short in the Land, which the Lord our Godhath given us.

Sub conditione Jilii.

Sure I am, ’tis a perfect and unhalting Obedience to the Powers above us,that must cause our Days to be good and long in the Land, or else God him-self misplaced it, when he made that, as St. Paul also purposely oblerves,the fifth Commandment with such a Promise. A Promise, that which of usall does not desire to have ? and yet generally how many, as though they didnot believe God in it, or thought to have it, whether God will or no, donever regard God’s Direction, to take his Way for it ? the Promise of longLife and Welfare, bound strictly to it.

And as sure I am, ’tis such an Obedience, that particularly the Spirit hereaims at, or else he would never have spoken unto us, in the dearest Lan-guage of Love, as unto Sons, Fear God my Son, and the King ; for that’s asmuch as to fay, unless indeed you care not to be my Sons, unless you will beBastards, and not Sons, Slaves and Rebels, and any Thing but Sons, you willfear God and the King alike, not God alone, but therefore the King also,God for himself, and the King for himself, and the King for God, esteem-ing God and King both as your Fathers, and accounting yourselves as Sonsto both, not as Servants only of Necessity, nor of Friends alone of mereCourtesy, but as Sons of entire Duty.

Yea, as one Son altogether ; my Son, fays God here to all, one and all,f° r none is excused ; all as one, for none is excluded; to shew us, that itmust he a joint and mutual Consent of all in one ; one in the Bent of ourHeart and Affections, therefore, Fill mi, fays he, and not Filii mei , mySon, as of one, not, my Sons, as of many ; one, in the Tenour of the Dutyperformed, therefore not twice ‘Time, not two Fears, one for God, and ano-ther for the King ; sear God, and fear the King, but once only for both,Fear God and the King. And lastly, one, in the very Ground of the Reli-gion, and therefore, Fill mi, not Fill nosier, My Son, not our Son, that is,Son to the King, because Son to God, and no otherwise than as God’s Son,so the King’s Son ; but so, all as one Son ; and one Son all, to both of themas to one; even another sacred Mystery of Numbers in our Religion, (besidesH^at of the blessed Trinity and Unity) thus divinely couched here in this shortLext, Fear God my Son, and the King.

And this sacred Conjunction of all Parties I may best conclude ; in theName of God, exhorting every one of us that rejoyce in this Title of beingGod’s Son, to remember, Firjl, that Fine Deum, stands here before Fili mi,Duty is enforced before the Privilege will be allowed ; we are apt toforget ourselves, God knows, and because of Filius in Pride of our Privi-| e dge, we oft neglect Time, aud make small, or no Regard of our Duty.Lut Timejili, that’s God’s Method and Order here, it is that Relation to himVv hich makes him retain the Name of Father to us, and without a due Fearof him, flatter ourselves how we will upon our Election or Predestination, wehave no true Sonstsip with him.

Secondly, That for a Trial of that, whether our Time 'Deum be right or no,here’s another coupled with it, Et regem, to prove ourselves by, Fear God ,a nd the Kin^;, that is, fear God in the King, fear God by the King, fend our

Fear