(5.) This should banish the fear of man, as to any danger can come from them to us, or to any attempts against God : Mat. x. 28, ' Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul ; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell fire.' They may threaten great things to us, but God threateneth greater. See Exod. xviii. 11, ' Now I know that God is greater than all goda, for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly God was above them.' There is a greater being we have to depend upon.
(6.) Because God is of such majesty and greatness, we should quarrel at none of his dealings, for he is too high to be questioned by the creature, and his counsels are carried on in such a way as we cannot judge of them, no more than a worm can judge of the affairs of a man ; he is great in counsel, and wonderful in working.
(7.) This should keep his children in an holy awe : Heb. xii. 28, 29", ' Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reve- rence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire,' When we come in the holy assemblies : Gen. xxviii. 17, ' How dreadful is this
40G cheist's transfigukation, [Ser. YIL
place!' In oiir general course we must not slight his frowns nor despise his favours, all comes from a great Grod ; nor behave ourselves irreverently in his presence, but still walk as those that have to do with a great and glorious Grod.
2. That in this present state we are not able to bear any extra- ordinary manifestation of his greatness and majesty.
[1.] Because of his glory, which would consume and swallow us up. This was a voice ' from the excellent glory/ 2 Pet. i. 17. Now if tliis excellent glory by the vail of the firmament were not obscured, man were not able to bear it : Job xxxvii. 20, ' If man speak, he shall be swallowed up :' 1 Tim, vi. 16, ' He dwelleth in light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen, nor can see,' till we are received to heaven. Thus it is, his glory would kill us, his voice con- found us. There is a mighty disproportion between mortal creatures and the infinite majesty of Grod ; the brightness of his glory soon burdeneth and over-burdeneth the infirmity of the best creatures.
[2.] Because of our weakness.
(1.) Natural. We faint when we meet with anything extraordi- nary, and therefore no wonder if we are astonished with the near approach of the excellent majesty of God, and made unfit for any action of body or mind. If we cannot look on the sun, how can we see God ? our felicity in heaven would be our misery on earth. This wine is too strong for old bottles.
(2.) Sinful infirmity, consciousness of guilt is in it also, and our disconformity to God through sin : Isa. vi. 5, 6, ' Woe is me, for I am undone ; I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, and mine eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts.' So Peter: Luke v. 8, ' Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.' This raiseth a fear in us uj)on every eminent approach or dis- covery of God's glory. Before the fall, God and Adam were friends ; he would have endured God to speak to him ; yet after the fall, the appearance of God became terrible. When he heareth his voice, he is afraid, and hideth himself ; and something of this fear sticketh to the best of his people, and when God is eminently near it is dis- covered ; for persons that have sin in them, to be near to so holy and glorious a majesty, that is a j)art of the reason of this fear and trouble. Well, then, both these causes go together, the representation of the majesty of God, and the sense of our own frailty and weakness.
tlse. Is to press us to two things : —
1. To press us to an holy awe and reverence when we come near to God.
2. To take heed that our fear of God do not degenerate into a slavish fear.
First, To press us to an holy awe and reverence of God, when we draw nigh unto him. Surely we should in all our worship have such thoughts of God as may leave a stamp of humility and some im- pressions of the majesty and excellency of God upon us ; and we should fall upon our faces, though not in a way of consternation, yet in a way of adoration. And because usually we bewray much slight- ness and irreverence in our converse with God and approaches to him, I shall press it a little.
Mat. XVII. 6-8.] Christ's transfiguration. 407
1. I will show how the scriptures in the general do call for this holy awe of the majesty of God in all our worship : Ps. cxi. 9, ' Holy and reverend is his name,' and therefore never to he used by us but in an awful and serious manner : Ps. xcvi. 4, ' The Lord is great, and greatly to be praised ; he is to be feared above all gods.' Whether we pray, or whether we praise God, still the heart must be deeply possessed with a sense of his excellency; and we must admire him above all created or imaginable greatness whatsoever, and so mingle reverence with our most delightful addresses to him. Again, Ps. Ixxxix. 17, ' God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of his saints, and to be had in reverence of all that ai-e round about him.' Holy angels and sanctified men, who of all creatures have nearest access to God, should most adore and reverence him, because they are best acquainted with him, and have the clearest sight of him that mortal creatures are capable of. The angels are an assembly of holy ones, that always behold his face, therefore always lauding and glorifying God. So God is said to be terrible in his holy place, Ps. Ixviii. 35, whether heaven or the church. Indeed, the awful carriage of his people in his worship should be one means to convince of the excel- lency and majesty of God, 1 Cor. xiv. 25. The apostle showeth there that an unbeliever, coming into the Christian assemblies when they are managed with gravity and awe, is ' convinced and judged, and will fall down on his face and worship God, and say, God is in you of a truth ;' that is, seeing their humility, brokenness of heart, hearing their praises and admirations of God, and seeing their orderliness and composedness of spirit ; whereas rudeness, slightness, and irreverence doth pollute and stain the glory of God in their minds.