154 SERMONS UPON TITUS II. 11-14. [SeR. X.
God know ? can he judf^e tliroiigli the dark cloud ? Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not, and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.' They cannot see him, and think he cannot see them ; as the panther hideth his head in a bush, and then thinks the hunter doth not see him ; and that is the ground of all disobedience and carnal conversation. But now faith opens the eye, and carrieth us within the curtain and veil, and discovers the invisible God upon his throne of glory, without which sight we cannot fear him. So for love (the other powerful affection), that flows from faith, for our love is but a reflex of God's love, but a reverberation and beating back of God's beam upon himself : 1 John iv. 19, ' We love him because he loved us first/ There must be first a sense and persuasion of his love to us in Christ, and then we love him again. The more we feel the comfortable effects of God's love in the conscience, the more is the heart inflamed with desire of performing love and service and subjection to God again ; and therefore faith is said to ' work by love,' Gal. v. 6, and make use of the sweetness of God's love to carry on duty and obedience. Look, as the more directly the beams of the sun do fall upon any solid and smooth body, the more strong is the reflection of heat again. The less of jealousy and doubts of God's love, and the more God's love is darted and reflected upon the soul, there is the more service and care to glorify God, and to do him respect and honour. Thus faith, the radical grace, is necessary for this temper and frame of heart, which is called godli- ness, and inclineth us to worship and glorify God.
2. Fear and love are likewise necessary. I join them together, be- cause they do best mixed ; love with fear, that it may not be servile ; and fear with love, that it may not be careless and secure ; both are gospel graces. In the Old Testament, when God's dispensations were more legal, and God is represented as a judge, fear is more spoken of ; but in the New Testament, where more of grace is discovered, love is more spoken of ; but both are necessary. Fear and love are indeed essential respects of the creature to God ; therefore both continue in heaven ; and they are of great use in the spiritual life to maintain piety. Fear is necessary, that we may keep God always in our eye ; and love, that we may kee[) him always in our hearts. Fear restrains from offence, and love urgeth to work and service. Fear thinks of God's eye, and represents him as a looker-on; and love remembers God's kindness. Fear makes us cautious and watchful, and stirs up aweful thoughts that we may not offend God and grieve his Spirit ; and love works a desire to enjoy him, and a care to glorify him, wherein indeed true godliness consists ; for godliness in its proper notion importeth a tendency of the heart towards God, either to enjoy him, which is our happiness, or to glorify him, which is our work and duty. And therefore love is of great use, it stirs up desires to enjoy God ; and fear, which stirs up care to glorify God. Fear makes us upright, because of God's eye ; and love makes us diligent and earnest, because we are about God's work, who hath been gracious to us in Christ. The one makes us seri- ous, the other active ; so that they are both of great use to constitute that frame and temper of heart wherein piety consists. Well, then, he is godly that feareth God, for he would not offend him ; and he is godly that loves God, because all his care and desire is to serve him, and enjoy him.
VeR. 12.] SERMOXS UPON TITUS II. 11-14. 155
Secondly, The ordinances about which godliness is conversant. Because particulars are most affective, let me speak a word of each. The ordinances which manifest, which nourish which increase godli- ness, are these — reading, hearing, meditating, prayer, the useof the seals, and keeping of the sabbath.
1. Beading the word. The words of scripture have a proper efficacy. The Holy Ghost is the best preacher, therefore it is good now and then to go to the fountain ourselves, and not only to have the word Ijrought to us by others, but to read it ourselves. As the eunuch, Acts viii. 28, when he returned from public worship, he was reading the scrip- ture, and God owned it by sending him an interpreter. Every ordi- nance hath its proper blessing, and when we use it out of conscience, God will not be wanting. He that sent Philip to the eunuch will send his own Spirit to help thee, therefore read the word. Daniel the prophet, that had the highest visions from Gcd, yet he studies other prophecies,* those of Jeremiah : Dan. ix. 2, ' I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet.' Mark, the study of the scripture is a duty that lies upon those that are most gifted and most eminent for parts. Nay, the prophets and holy men of God read over again, and studied their own prophecies : 1 Peter i. 10, ' Of which salvation the prophets have inquired, and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you.' And if they that were guided by an infallible Spirit, immediately inspired by the Holy Ghost, if they thought fit to read, and read again and again their own prophecies, and inquire dili- gently into the salvation they spoke of, much more is it our duty to read the word. None is above the ordinance of reading ; that is one ordinance which nourisheth godliness.