2. Other addresses will not become faith and love.
[1.] Faith, for whosoever cometh to God must fix this principle in his mind, 'that God is,' Heb. xi. 6. We do not worship God aright if we do not worship him as believers ; and if we worship him as be- lievers, we will worship him with reverence and godly fear. Faith giveth us not only a thought of God, but some kind of sight of God, and sight will leave an impression upon the heart of reverence and seriousness. Surely a sight or believing thought of God should be able to do anything upon the soul. It is the great work of faith ' to see him that is invisible,' Heb. xi. 27. We should in our whole con- versation live as in his sight, and live as those that remember God standeth by and seeth all that we are about : but especially in our worship — we then set ourselves as before the Lord. Pray as to our Father that seeth what we do : Mat. vi. 6, ' Pray to thy Father, which is in secret ; and thy Father which seeth in secret will reward thee openly.' Hear as before the Lord: Acts x. 33, 'We are all here present before God, to hear all tilings that are commanded thee of God ; ' then the soul should turn the back upon all other things, that the mind may be taken up with nothing but God.
[2.] No other worship will become love. Worship is an act of love and delight. Now love is seen in admiring the excellencies of that glorious being whom we love, and ascribing all to him, as being deeply affected with his goodness : Eev. iv. 10, ' The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him
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that livetli for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, 0 Lord, to receive glory, honour, and power ; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.' They fell down, not out of astonishment, but reverence, and cast their crowns before the throne. Whatever honour they have, they had it from God, and are content to lay it at his feet, from whom they have life, and being, and all things. They have such an high esteem of God that before him they cannot be too vile. They are unworthy to wear any crown in God's presence, and are content that their honour be a footstool to advance and extol his glory. Certainly those that are heartily affected to God will go about his worship, as with cheerfulness, so with humility and reverence.
Secondly, To take heed that our humility and reverence do not degenerate into servile fear and discouragement. It is apt to do so even in the best of God's people. We can hardly keep the middle between the extremes ; our faith is apt to degenerate into presumption, and our humility into despondency of spirit, and our fear into dis- couragement and distrust. So hard a matter is it to ' serve the Lord with fear, and to rejoice with trembling,' Ps. ii. 11, or to walk in the fear of God, and in the comforts of the Holy Ghost.
Therefore, to avoid this consternation, do two things : —
1. Consider how amiable God hath represented himself in Jesus Christ, and how near he is come to us ; and within the reach of our commerce there is ' a new and living way through the veil of his flesh,' Heb. X. 20. So that, though our God be a consuming fire, yet there is a screen between us and this fire ; though if he should draw away the veil, a glimpse of his glory would kill us, yet this glory being veiled, we may have ' access with confidence,' Eph. iii. 12. There are naturally in our hearts fears, estrangedness, and backwardness from God. But now God is incarnate, and hath been manifested in our flesh, we may have more familiar thoughts of him, and they are made more sweet and acceptable to us.
2. Get your own peace with God made and confirmed to you more and more : Eom. v. 1, 2, ' Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.' So Eph. ii. 18, he ' preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that are nigh, for through him we both have an access by one Spirit to the Father/ See the breach made up between you and God, and be very tender of putting it to hazards any more. God, that is a consuming fire to guilty souls, is a Sun of righteousness to the upright. When we are accepted in the Beloved, those thoughts of God which guilt will make amazing and terrible, will be through peace comfortable and refreshing.
II. Their comfortable and gracious recovery by Christ, ver. 7, ' And Jesus came and touched them, and said. Arise, be not afraid.' He relieveth and helpeth them by three things: — (1.) His approach ; (2.) His touch ; (3.) His word.
1. His approach. He came to them, you must understand, having laid aside his glory which he had in the transfiguration, that he might more familiarly converse with them, and without prejudice. Because of their weakness and infirmity he layeth aside his majesty, and re-