thine all-wise and almighty providence! What man can but open his eyes, and see round about him these demonstrations of thy divine power and wisdom, and not inwardly praise thee in thine excellent greatness? For my own practice, I cannot find a better notion, whereby to work my heart to an inward adoration of God, than thisthou that hast made all this great world, and guidest and governest it, and fillest and comprehendest it, being thyself infinite and incomprehensible and I am sure there can be no higher representation of the divine greatness unto ourselves.

Although withal we may find enough at home; for what man, that looks no further than himself, and sees the goodly frame of his body, erected and employed for the harbour of a spiritual and immortal soul, can choose but say, "I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made?"

(2.) Surely could we forget all the rest of the world, it is enough to fetch us upon our knees, and to strike a holy awe into us, to think, that "in him we live, and move, and have our being" for in these our particular obligations, there is a mixed sense both of the greatness, and goodness of our God; which, as it manifestly shews itself in the wondrous work of our excellent creation; so most of all magnifies itself in the exceedingly gracious work of our Redemption. "There is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared," saith the sweet singer of Israel. Lo, power doth not more command this holy fear, than mercy doth, though both here meet together; for as there was infinite mercy mixed with power, in thus creating us, so also there is a no less mighty power mixed with infinite mercy in our redemption. What heart can but awfully adore thy sovereign mercy, O blessed God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in sending thine only and co-equal Son, the Son of thy love, the Son of thine eternal essence, out of thy bosom, down from the height of celestial glory, into this vale of tears and death, to abase himself in the susception of our nature, to clothe himself with the rags of our humanity, to endure temptation, shame, death, for us? O blessed Jesus, the Redeemer of mankind, what soul can be capable of a sufficient adoration of thine in

conceivable mercy in thy mean and despicable incarnation, in thy miserable and toilsome life, in thy bloody agony, in thine ignominious and tormenting passion, in thy woeful sense of thy Father's wrath in our stead, and, lastly, in thy bitter and painful death? Thou that knewest no siu, wert made sin for us; thou that art omnipotent, wouldest die, and, by thy death, hast victoriously triumphed over death and hell. It is enough, O Saviour, it is more than enough, to ravish our hearts with love, and to bruise them with a loving fear. O blessed Spirit, the God of comfort, who, but thou only, can make our souls sensible of thy unspeakable mercy, in applying to us the wonderful benefit of this our dear redemption, in the great work of our inchoate regeneration, in the mortifying of our evil and corrupt affections, in raising us to the life of grace, and preparing us for the life of glory? O God, if mercy be proper to attract fear, how must our hearts, in all these respects, needs be filled with an awful regard of thy divine bounty! "Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; before the sons of men!" Ps. xxxi. 19.

(3.) Now we must not think this inward adoration of the greatness and goodness of God to be one simple act, but that which is sweetly compounded of the improvement of many holy affections; for there cannot but be love mixed with this fear; "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of his love," Ecclus. xxv. 12. And this fear must be mixed with joy; "Rejoice with trembling," Ps. ii. 11. And this fear and joy are still mixed with hope; for "in the fear of the Lord is strong confidence," Prov. xiv. 26; and "the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, them that hope in his mercy," Ps. xxxiii. 18. As therefore, we are wont to say, that our bodies are not, neither can be, nourished with any simple ingredient; so may we truly say of our souls, that they neither receive any comfort or establishment, nor execute any powers of theirs, by any sole single affection; but require a gracious mixture for both. As that Father said of obedience, we may truly say of grace, that it is all copulative.

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(4.) Neither must we think, that one only impression of this holy fear and inward adoration will serve the turn,

to season all our following disposition and carriage; but there must be a virtual continuation thereof, in all the progress of our lives. Our schools do here seasonably distinguish of perpetuity; whether of the second act, when all our several motions and actions are so held on, as that there is no cessation or intermission of their performance, which we cannot here expect; or of the first act, when there is a habit of this inward adoration settled upon the heart so constantly, that it is never put off, by whatever occurrences, so that, whatsoever we do, whatsoever we endeavour, hath a secret relation thereunto. And this second way we must attain unto, if ever we will aspire to any comfort, in the fruition of God's presence here upon earth, and our meet disposition towards him. I have often thought of that deep and serious question of the late judicious and honourable Sir Fulke Greville, Lord Brook, a man worthy of a fairer death and everlasting memory, moved to a learned kinsman of mine, much interested in that nobleman; who, when he was discoursing of an incident matter, very considerable, was taken off with this quick interrogation of that wise and noble person; "What is that to the Infinite?" secretly implying, that all our thoughts and discourse must be reduced thither; and that they fail of their ends, if they be any other where terminated. It was a saying well becoming the profound judg ment and quintessential notions of that rare, memorable peer. And, certainly, so it is: if the cogitations and affections of our hearts be not directed to the glory of that infinite God, both they are lost, and we in them.

(5.) Religious adoration begins in the heart, but rests not there, it diffuses itself through the whole man, commanding all the powers of the soul, and all the parts of the body, to comply in a reverent devotion; so that, as we fear the Lord whom we serve, so we serve the Lord with fear. Where the heart stoops, it cannot be but the knees must bend, the eyes and hands must be lifted up; and the whole body will strive to testify the inward veneration: as upon all occasions, so especially when we have to deal with the sacred affairs of God, and offer to present ourselves to any of his immediate services. Our fear cannot be smothered in our bosoms. Every thing that per

tains to that infinite Majesty, must carry from us due testifications of our awe; his name, his word, his services, his house, his messengers. I cannot allow the superstitious niceties of the Jews in the matters of God; yet I find in their practice many things worthily imitable; such as savour of the fear of their father Isaac, and such as justly shame our profane carelessness.

[1] There is no wise man, but must needs dislike their curious scruples, concerning that ineffable name, the letters and syllables whereof they held in such dreadful respect, that they deemed it worthy of death, for any but sacred lips, and that but in set times and places, to express it; as if the mention of it pierced the side of God, together with their own heart. And, if the name of God were written upon their flesh, that part might not be touched, either with water or ointment. But well may we learn this point of wit and grace from this first, and then the only, people of God; not rashly, slightly, regardlessly, to take the aweful name of God into our mouths, but to hear and speak it, when occasion is given, with all holiness and due veneration.

There are those who stumble at their adoration at the blessed name of Jesus, prescribed and practised by our church; unjustly conceiving, that we put a superstitious holiness in the very sound and syllabical enunciation of the word; whereas it is the person of that blessed Saviour, to whom, upon this occasion, our knees are bended; a gesture, so far out of the just reach of blame, that if it seemed good to the wisdom of the church to allot this reverent respect to all, whatsoever the names, whereby the majesty of God, in the whole sacred Trinity, is signified and expressed to men, it were most meet to be accordingly exhibited unto them. And now since it hath, without inhibition of the like regard to the rest, pitched upon that name, which, intimating and comprising in it the whole gracious work and immediate author of our dear redemption, hath been exposed to the reproach and opposition of the gainsaying world; we cannot, if we be not wanting to our filial obedience, detract our observance of so ancient and pious an institution. Never any contempt was dared to be cast upon the glorious name of the Almighty and

absolute Deity; only the state of exinanition subjected the Son of God to the scorn and under-valuation of the world: justly, therefore, hath our holy and gracious Mother thought fit and ordained, upon that person and name which seemed less honourable and lay more open to affront, to bestow the more abundant honour. In the mean time, as she is a professed encourager and an indulgent lover of all true devotion, she cannot but be well pleased, with whatsoever expressions of reverence we give to the divine Majesty, under whatsoever terms, uttered by our well advised and well instructed tongues.

I have known and honoured, as most worthy a constant imitation, some devout persons, who never durst mention the name of God in their ordinary communication, without uncovering of their heads, or elevation of their hands, or some such other testimony of reverence. And certainly, if the heart be so thoroughly possessed with a solemn awe of that infinite Majesty, as it ought; the tongue dares not presume, in a sudden unmannerliness, to blurt out the dreadful name of God, but shall both make way for it by a premised deliberation, and attend it with a reverent elocution.

I am ashamed to think how far we are surpassed by heathen piety. The ancient Grecians, and, amongst the rest, Plato, as Suidas well observes, when they would swear by their Jupiter, out of the mere dread and reverence of his name, forbore to mention him; breaking off their oath with a μa Tov; as those who only dare to owe the rest to their thoughts; and Climas, the Pythagorean, out of this regard, would rather undergo a mulct of three talents, than swear; while the profane mouths of many Christians, make no difference in their appellation between their God and their servant.

[2.] As the name, so the word of our maker challengeth an awful regard from us, as a reflection of that fear, we owe to the omnipotent Author of it. What worlds of nice caution have the masters of the synagogue prescribed to their disciples, for their demeanour towards the book of the law of their God! No letter of it might be writ without a copy; no line of it without a rule, and the rule must be upon the back of the parchment; no parchment might