2. That this fear is begotten in us by a false opinion of God, that rendereth him dreadful, rigorous, and terrible to the soul. The ser- vant in the text dotli not only say, ' I was afraid,' but giveth a reason of it, ' I knew that thou wert an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sowed, and gathering where thou hast not strawed.' A paraboli- cal speech to set forth a cruel tyrant, that doth exact upon those that are under him without mercy and reason. Our affections follow our apprehensions, and we either love or fear according to the inward notions that we have of God in our minds : ' They that know thy name will trust in thee,' Ps. ix. 10. If we had righter notions of God, we would love him more and trust him more ; but when we conceive amiss of him, accordingly we are affected to him. And therefore we
4G4 SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV. [SeR. XIV.
should take heed what picture we draw of God in our minds ; for if we have only such apprehensions as render him grievous and burden- some to us, these thoughts will leaven our hearts, and make us either neglect his service, or do it by constraint, in a very awkward and un- comfortable manner. If the devil can bring you to have a base opinion of God, as cruel and tyrannical, and once possess you with sour thoughts and fretful jealousies, or harsh surmises of his govern- ment, it will turn all your love and obedience into hatred and slavish fear. Therefore those that consider that love is the great principle of obedience should also consider that there is nothing so necessary to breed love as good thoughts of God, and a due sense of his goodness in Christ. Come to this once, and then all that he requireth and doth will be acceptable to us. His laws will not be grievous, nor his pro- vidences seem burdensome to you, nor his judgments intolerable. How can you love him till you represent him as an object of love, one upon whom you may cheerfully depend for life and defence, and from whom you may comfortably expect the rewards of obedience ? There- fore take heed of painting out God in your thoughts as a hard master. The apostle telleth us, Heb. xi. 6, ' He that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.' As soon as we apprehend his being, we should also pitch upon his bounty and goodness. First that he is, and then that he is a rewarder. There is in all men some impression of a godhead, which is clearly understood and seen ' by the things that are made,' Eom. i. 20. This apprehension of God calleth for worship ; for next that God is, we must believe he must be worshipped, John iv. 24. These two notions live and die together ; they are clear and blotted out together. As the apprehension of God is clear, and more deeply engraven upon the soul, so is this notion of man's duty of worshipping God clear, and imprinted upon the soul also. The one impression cannot be worn out without the other. But now, want of a true knowledge of God breedeth slavish fear, fearing God in excess, rather than loving him in any tolerable measure, because a man naturally looketh upon God with the same eye that a malefactor doth upon his judge. Fear is more natural to carnal men, because a bad conscience is very sus- picious, and our sense of God's benefits is not so great as the sense of our bad deservings is quick and lively. Therefore naturally we have no other notions of God than as a rigid lawgiver and severe avenger. The heathens, who in all their worship discovered the natural senti- ments of religion that are in the hearts of men, observed this in their straits, Ut prizes placarent iratos deos, &c. Wrath and anger were the first thoughts they had of a divine power ; and it is as true among Christians. Guilty nature is more presageous of evil than of good, when it is serious. It is true, wicked men cry out, God is merciful, and that is generally the cause of their laziness and slightness in reli- gion ; but it is when they do not mind what they say : these are but sugared words in their tongues ; when they are serious they have other thoughts. Bondage is more natural than liberty, fear than hope, be- cause of the covenant wre are under, which is a covenant of works, a ministry of death and condemnation, and so begetteth fear, and repre- sented God as terrible : yea, it is found in those that are more serious,
Vers. 24, 25.] sermons upon matthew xxv. 465
and have some beginnings of a good work upon their hearts ; they are too apt to entertain ill thoughts of God, and looking upon him in the glass of their guilty fears, represent him as harsh and inexorable. All their terrors and troubles are raised by false apprehensions of God ; and therefore the course of their obedience groweth the more uncom- fortable. This is a truth, that the law and grace contendeth for the mastery in every heart that entertains thoughts of religion ; not only corruption and grace, but the law and grace : and as their law notions prevail, so their slavish fear increaseth ; but as the gospel apprehen- sions prevail, so their love of God increaseth, and their comfortable- ness in religion. Therefore still the caution is bound upon us, to take heed what notions we have of God, and that we have not any diminish- ing extenuating thoughts of his goodness and mercifulness ; that we do not look upon him as one that lieth upon the catch, to spy out advantages against us ; for that thought will mightily weaken our hands in the Lord's work. Do not think of him as one tliat delights in the creatures' misery. No ; rather in showing mercy and goodness, and as ready to give out grace to the humble that lie at his feet, how- ever he dealeth with the stubborn and obstinate refusers of his grace. And therefore, if I may digress into application, while I am yet in .some doctrinal considerations, I would advise —