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THE
LIFE OF
Fear to the King of Heaven by our Fear to Kings on Earth ; Fili mi is outof Place, unless it stand even in the Middle between Deum & regcm ; to pre-sume we fear God, and yet to go no farther, to make no Conscience of fear-ing him that is in God’s Stead, or to fear him no further than the Lasli ofhis Laws will reach us, it comes not from Fihus that, and ’tis but a lame and 'base Fear, partly slavisli, partly hypocritical, a great deal short both of God's jDue, and of a Son’s Duty.
Much less shall we find any Place, for Time rcgcm alone, and leave Deumquite out, to begin the Text there, at the Fear of the King, but no Fear of f
God at all; or, if any, yet but heartless and worthless, only for fear of the ;
King. No, without Deum , you fee, the Text has never a Time here forRegem, no right Fear of the King, if God be not first feared. He that fearsGod but fear of the King and his Laws, in Truth, makes the King his God;and he that fears the King more than God, in Heart wishes there were nei- jther King nor God. J
So that in the Conclusion, these two, our Time Deum , which is our Reli-gion, and our Time regem, which is our Allegiance, they are sure and per-fect Proofs both, either to, either of other. Look whatever is pretendedfor the King, yet it is Fraud not Fear, Craft not Allegiance, plain Brokageand not Obedience, unless it first istue from the Throne of Heaven, springfrom true Devotion, and be founded upon Religion. Again, look whateveris professed for God, as where have we not Swarms now of great Professors ?yet it is not Fear but Faction, not Devotion but Hypocrisy, not Religion,but Abomination, unless it fall down before the Throne upon Earth also, bethe Life of spotless Allegiance, and the quickening Soul of all civil Obe-dience.
The Text imports no less, and God enjoins no less, and no less can Icharge the Consciences of all that this Day hear me with, but Time Deum,jili mi, et regem, Fear God my Son , and the King ; God and the King, bothtogether, strew a due Fear of them both, but yet both in that Order; thatso approving ourselves respectively to God and King, as Sons to both, in-genuous Sons, here in the Life of Grace, our Fear at last may be changedinto Joy, and our Devotion into Fruition, and we be made not Sons alone,but Kings also with God, in the Life of Glory, by the Merits of the Son ofGod, the King of eternal Glory, Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
Bil hop
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