The fourth (and last) volume of discourses, or sermons, on several scriptures

¹Fifthly, The Fear of God is an excellent Corrective of the base and degenerous Fear of Men. Our Saviour says, Luke 12.4. Be not afraid of them that can kill the Body, and after that have no more that they can do; but fear him, who after he hath killed, hath power to cast into Hell; yea, I say unto you, fear him. It is well observed by a learned Author, that Men may be considered either as they bear upon them some resemblance and impress of the divine Majesty, as they are invested with Authority and Power, and constituted Magistrates and Rulers over us: This resemblance is so great that the Scripture stiles them Gods, I have said ye are Gods; and so we are to fear them with a Fear of Reverence and Obedience, and to obey them in that which is lawful. And they may be considered also as standing in opposition to God, abusing their Power by commanding things that are unlawful, and by Persecution endeavouring to terrify Men from the Ways and Service of God: And so they may be feared with a Fear of flight and eschewal. When ye are persecuted in one City, flee you to another, Matth. 10.23. We may so ⟨p. 315⟩fear them as to labour to avoid their Rage, and to consult our own Safety. But the Fear that is here forbidden is, Fear not them that can kill the Body; that is, with a distrustful, perverting Fear, such a Fear as causeth Men for the securing of their temporal Life to desert the Profession and Practice of Godliness; with such a Fear, Fear not Men. He will not, that truly fears God, thus fear Men; no, the Fear of God lays a check upon this sinful Fear of Men, he that truly fears God will not immoderately fear Men; for it is the property of holy Fear to represent the displeasure of God, as an infinitely greater Evil than the loss of Estate, Liberty, nay, of Life it self, or whatever the Rage and Power of Man can either inflict or threaten, and this makes them choose Affliction rather than Sin. See this fearless Spirit in those three Heroic Champions,² Dan. 3.16. who though they saw a burning, fiery Furnace before them, into which they were threatened to be cast, yet all the Terrors of it did not fright them to an Idolatrous Worship; with what a holy Contempt and Slighting did they answer King Nebuchadnezzar? We are not careful, say they,