to exercife fuch fear in working out their falvation. The apostle John fays, there is no fear in love; but perfect love cafteth out fear. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

3. By fear and trembling here is not meant a con ftant trembling fear of falling away and perifhing at last. This cannot be the meaning, because this is not the duty of all Chriftians, and cannot be confidered as a Chriftian virtue, but rather an imperfection, and at leaft a defect of grace. Chriftians are directed to make their calling and election fure. The Apoftle, fpeaks of thofe Chriftians to whom he gave the exhortation under confideration, as thofe of whom he was confident that God would carry on the work he had begun in them, until the day of Jefus Chrift. And how could he direct them to tremble with fear of perishing, when he at the fame time had told them he was confident that Chrift would fave them? Why might not they be as confident of their falvation as he was? He speaks in the language of affurance of his own falvation in this letter. He fpeaks of his own death as connected with his being with Chrift. And he fays of himself, with others, "We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were diffolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." And no doubt fome, if not many, of the Chriftians at Philippi, had a comfortable affurance of their interest in the covenant of grace, and confequently that they should be faved. It is certain that the Apoftle did not know that this was not true of them. It is therefore certain that he confidered this exhortation to be applicable to the moft affured Chriftian that was then on earth, or ever will live in this world, and pointed out their duty as much as of those who were in doubt whether they fhould be faved or not. The Apostle himself, and every affured Chriftian, had as much of this fear and trembling as any Chriftian whatever, and it was as much his and their duty and privilege, and effential to their character,

character, in which they would abound more and more as they advanced in the Chriftian life, and excellent attainments.

The word fear is often used in fcripture in a sense which denotes that which is a virtue and real piety, and in this fenfe are fear and trembling ufed. And the fear of the Lord, or to fear God, commonly means the exercise of true piety. Of this all who read the Bible with attention are fenfible.

From the foregoing obfervations it evidently appears, that by fear and trembling in the text muft be intended CHRISTIAN HUMILITY, with all the natural and neceffary attendants of it, confifting in a fenfe of their own depravity and guilt, or ill defert, and of their total moral impotence and infufficiency in themselves, to work out their own falvation, or to will and do any thing towards it; with an entire and conftant dependence on and truft in God the Saviour for pardon and acceptance, through his atonement, and the influences of his Spirit to give them moral difcerning, ftrength and ability to work out their own falvation, in a fenfe of his greatness, majefty, power and fovereignty, who has mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth; and of their own littlenefs, vileness, and infinite unworthinefs of the leaft favour; while they view deftruction, which they deferve, and fhall certainly fall into, unless they are rescued by the mighty power and fovereign grace of God, in all the horrors and dreadfulness of it; and the infinite greatnefs, worth and importance of that falvation which is given by Chrift to all who believe and obey him.

That all this is implied in that humility and faith which is effential to the character of a Chriftian, and by which he lives, and works out his own falvation, none can doubt who properly attends to the fubject. And that the whole of this is implied and expreffed in the words fear and trembling, is evident, from the ufe of those words in other places, and on different occafions, and from what follows in the paffage we are upon.

We

We find these words used three times, befide that in the text before us, by this Apoftle. He fays to the Corinthians, "I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling." He feems here to fet himself defignedly in contraft with those whom he calls falfe apoftles, who appeared proud and felf-fufficient, and affected a great parade and fhow of their own abilities and accomplishments, and boafted great things. On the contrary, when he was with them, and God did great things among them by his miniftry in their converfion, he gloried not in himself, but in the Lord, and laboured among them in fear and much trembling, in a preffing fenfe of his own weakness, and infufficiency for the great work in which he was engaged; that he was nothing, and that God alone could give the increase and fuccefs defired. He expreffes the fame thing in the following words: "Not that we are fufficient of ourfelves to think any thing as of ourselves, but our fufficiency is of God." When he speaks of the Corinthians receiving

received him in huing, the meaning is, that they

and lowlinefs of mind, in

fenfe of their own finfulness and unworthinefs, and readiness to receive inftruction from him, sensible of their ignorance and need of being taught; in oppofition to felf-fufficience and pride, undervaluing and defpifing him.

This fame Apoftle fays to fervants, "Be obedient to them who are your mafters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling. None can reasonably fuppofe that fervants are here commanded to act from a fervile, flavish fear of their mafters, doing all and obeying them out of fear of their rod:" for this is not a commendable fpirit in fervants. By fear and trembling is evidently meant a spirit of humility and fubmiffion to the will of their mafters; willing to take their own proper place; not fetting up for themfelves, but feeling their dependence upon their mafters for all temporal fupport, realizing the evil confequence of a contrary spirit and conduct, of pride and self-sufficiency. And in Rom.

xi. 20,

xi. 20, he uses the word fear to denote a Chriftian virtue, in oppofition to pride and felf-confidence: "Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou ftandeft by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear."

And that the meaning of fear and trembling in the text which has been given is the only true meaning, is évident from the words which immediately follow thefe: "For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to do, of his good pleasure." This is given as the reafon why they should work out their own falvation with fear and trembling. And this is a good reason why they should do this, in a humbling fenfe of their own depravity, unworthinefs, and moral inability to work out their own falvation, and continually maintain felf-diffidence, in a fenfe of the greatnefs of the work, and their own infufficiency, and their entire dependence on God for his powerful influence on their hearts, in order to their willing and doing, and taking one step in their Chriftian courfe. But if these words are not taken in this fenfe, the propriety and force of the argument cannot be difcerned, and is loft. But this is to be more fully confidered under another head.

Having given a fummary of the meaning of fear and trembling in the text, in order more fully to elucidate this point it will be proper, if not neceffary, particularly to fhew what is implied in this general account; which may be done under the following heads.

1. Fear and trembling implies a trembling conviction and sense of their own weakness, and total infufficiency, in themselves, to work out their own falvation, while they have fome true view of the greatnefs, difficulty, importance and neceffity of the work, and that it must be done by them, being moft reasonable, and their indifpenfable duty.

This felf-diffidence every Christian feels and conftantly exercises in difclaiming all moral power and ability to do any thing towards his falvation, if left to himself, and is neceffarily implied in that humility denoted by fear and trembling.

2. This

2. This is attended with a thorough conviction, and fenfible acknowledgment, that this their weakness and utter infufficiency is wholly their own fault; that it confifts in their moral depravity, and the inexcufable wickedness of their own hearts. This conviction and view of themselves ftrikes death to their pride, and is an effential ingredient in Chriftian humility, and in fear and trembling.

3. Confequently, fear and trembling includes in it an affecting conviction of their own unworthiness and ill defert; that they are utterly unworthy of falvation, and of that affiftance and grace by which alone they can obtain it, and deferve to be left of God to fall into deftruction; which would certainly be the cafe, in a moment, if God fhould deal with them according to their folly and crimes, and withhold from them that affiftance and fovereign goodness which they are conftantly forfeiting, and pour that evil on their heads which they are provoking him to inflict; that they are therefore in the hands of a fovereign God, who has mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. This view and fenfe of the truth will not be in the least removed or abated by the strongest well grounded hope and confidence that this fovereign God has had mercy on them; and therefore does not in any degree exclude the humility, the fear and trembling, implied in a real and conftant conviction of thefe truths.

4. Fear and trembling implies a fearful and trembling fenfe of the infinite and amazing dreadfulness of endless deftruction, which the Chriftian confiders and dreads as his certain portion, if he fhould have his desert, and not be rescued and faved from it, by the conftant exertion of the mighty power and fovereign grace of Jefus Chrift. The ftrongeft Chriftian hope and affurance that they have a divine promife that they fhall cfcape this evil, and be kept by the mighty power of Chrift, through faith, unto falvation, will not remove or abate this awful view of deftruction: but they who have the highest

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