of obfervance, that we fee Solomon, when he would imprefs his counfels, affumes the perfon of a Father; Hear O my children the inftructions of a Father, Prov. 4. 1. And generally thro that whole Book he uses the compellation of my Son, as the greatest endearment to engage attention and reverence. Nay fo indifpenfible was the obligation of children in this refpect, that we fee the contumacious child that would not hearken to the advice of his Parents, was by God himself adjudged to death, Deut. 21. 20.

5. NOR have only Gods, but mens Laws exacted that filial reverence to the dictates of Parents. But certainly no Parent can pretend fuch a title to it as God, who is not only the immediate Father of our perfons, but the original Father of our very nature; not only of our flesh, but of our spirits also, Heb. 12. 9. So that the Apostles Antithefis in that place is as properly applied to counfels as corrections; and we may as rightly infer, that if we give reverence to the advices of our earthly Parents, much more ought we fubject our felves to this Father of our fpirits. And we have the very fame reason wherewith to enforce it for the Fathers of our flesh do as often dictate, as correct according to their own pleasures, prefcribe to their children not according to the exact measures of right and wrong, but after that humor which moft preB 2 dom

dominates in themselves. But God alwaies directs his admonitions to our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness, Heb. 12. 10. So that we are as unkind to our felves, as irreverent towards him, whenever we let any of his words fall to the ground; whose claim to this part of our reverence is much more irrefragable than that of our natural Parents.

6. BUT befides this native Autority there is also an acquired; and that we may diftinguish into two forts: the one of dominion, the other of reputation. To the firft kind belongs that of Princes, Magiftrates, Masters, or any that have coercive power over us.. And our own intereft teaches us not to flight the words of any of thefe, who can so much to our coft fecond them with deeds. Now God has all these titles of jurifdiction; He is the great King, Pfal. 48. 2. Nor was it only a complement of the Pfalmifts; for himself owns the ftile, I am a great King, Mal. 1. He is the Fudge of all the World, Gen. 18. yea, that Ancient of daies, before whom the Books were open'd, Dan. 7. 13. He is our Lord and Master by right, both of Creation and Redemtion; and this Christ owns even in his ftate of inanition; yea, when he was about the most fervile emploiment, the washing his Difciples feet, when he was moft literally in the form of a fervant; yet he fcruples not to affert his right to that oppofite title; You call me Mafter,

and

and Lord; and ye fay well, for so I am; Jo.13.13. Nor are these emty names, but effectively attended with all the power they denote. Yet fo ftupid are we, that whilft we awfully receive the dictates of our earthly Superiors, we flight and neglect the Oracles of that God who is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. When a Prince fpeaks, we are apt to cry out with Herods Flatterers, the voice of a God, and not of a man, Acts 12. Yet when it is indeed the voice of God, we choose to listen to any thing else rather than it. But let us fadly remember, that notwithstanding our contemts, this word fhall (as our Savior tells us) judg us at the last day, Jo. 12. 48.

7. A fecond fort of acquir'd Autority is that of reputation. When a man is famed for fome extraordinary excellencies, whether moral or intellectual, men come with appetite to his discourses, greedily fuck them in, nor need fuch a one befpeak attention; his very name has done it for him, and prepofeft him of his Auditors regard. Thus the Rabbies among the Jews, the Philofophers among the Greeks, were liftened to as Oracles, and to cite them was (by their admiring Difciples) thought a concluding Argument. Nay, under Christianity, this admiration of mens perfons has bin fo inordinate, that it has crumbled Religion away in little infignificant parties; whilft non only Paul, Apollo or Cephas,

Cephas, but names infinitly inferior, have become the diftinctive characters of Sects and feparate Communions. So eafily alas are we charm'd by our prepoffeffions, and with itching ears run in queft of those doctrines which the fame of their Authors, rather than the evidence of truth, commends to us.

8. AND hath God done nothing to get him a repute among us? has he no excellencies to deserve our esteem? is he not worthy to prescribe to his own creatures? If we think yes, why is he the only perfon to be difregarded? or why do we fo unfeasonably depart from our own humor, as not to give his Word a reverence proportionable to that we pretend for him; nay, which we actually pay to men of like paffions with our felves? A contemt so abfurd as well as impious, that we have not the example of any the most barbarous people to countenance us. For tho fome of them have made very wild mistakes in the choice of their Deities, yet they have all agreed in this common principle, that whatever those Deities faid, was to be receiv'd with all poffible veneration; yea, fuch a deference gave they to all fignifications of the divine will, that as they would undertake no great enterprize without confulting their Auguries; fo upon any inaufpicious figns they relinquifht their attemts. And certainly if we had the fame reverence for the true God

which they had for the falfe, we should as frequently confult him. We may do it with much more ease and certainty: we need not trust to the entrails of Beafts, or motion of Birds: we need not go to Delphos, or the Lybian Hammon for the refolving our doubts: but what Mofes faid to Ifrael is very applicable to us, the Word is nigh thee, Deut. 30. 14. That Word which David made his Counsellor, Pfal. 119. 24. his Comforter, ver. 50. his Treafure, ver. 72. his Study, ver. 99. And had we thofe awful apprehenfions of God which he had, we fhould pay the like reverence to his Word. Did we well ponder how many titles of Autority he has over us, we fhould furely by afham'd to deny that refpect to him in whom they all confpire, which we dare not deny to them separately in human Supe

riors.

9.

A fecond motive to esteem mens words, is the kindness of the fpeaker. This has fuch a fafcinating power, as nothing but extreme ill nature can refift. When a man is affur'd of the kindness of him that speaks, whatever is spoken is taken in good part. This is it that diftinguishes the admonitions of a friend from the reproaches of an enemy; and we daily in common conversation receive thofe things with contentment and applaufe from an intimate and familiar, which if spoken by a stranger or enemy would be defpis'd