The fear of God is a duty equally obliging persons of all ranks and conditions, at all times, and in all places; and in its full extent comprehends all other duties. It has for its foundation, all the glorious
attributes and perfections of God; but more especially his omniscience, his holiness, his justice, and his almighty power. For they who are firmly persuaded, that all their actions, and words, and thoughts, are open to the view of the Deity; that [A]he is of purer eyes than to behold evil with approbation, and cannot endure to look on iniquity; that he will one day judge all men in righteousness according to their works; and that the united force of all the creatures of the universe cannot hinder him from executing the terrible sentence which he shall then pass upon the transgressors of his laws; they who do, in good earnest, believe these things to be true, and frequently and seriously consider them, will of course be very careful not to incur the displeasure of the Almighty, by doing those things which he hath forbidden, or by neglecting to do what he hath commanded. Hence, in Scripture, the fear of God is often used to signify the whole of Religion: because in all who live under the influence of it, it is a very powerful
principle of constant and uniform obedience to the divine laws.
[A] Hab. i. 13.
The fear of the King too comprehends the whole duty of a subject to his soveraign. To fear the King is, to yeild to him that homage, and submission, and obedience, which the laws of God, and of the land, do require: chearfully to contribute towards the supporting his royal honour and dignity, and the supplying the necessities of the state; to labour every one of us in our own sphere to defeat the expectations and contrivances of his enemies, and to promote the peace of his government, and the success of his designs; and continually to pray to him who disposeth of all events, to protect his person, to direct his counsels, and prosper his undertakings; to demean our selves towards him with profound reverence, to speak honorably of him, to think of him with aw, to entertain the most favourable opinion of his character, and to put the best construction upon his actions; and finally, to render due honour and obedience to all inferior magistrates and officers, who
act by his commission, and in subordination to him.
The reasonableness and necessity of all this, will appear by shewing, that nothing less than this, will fully answer the ends of government; and that the contrary practices are very injurious to the authority of princes, and do tend to the disturbance and dissolution of society.
Government it is clear cannot subsist, where there are none who will submit to be governed, and own their dependance upon their governours: there can be no soveraign, where there are no subjects; no commanders, where none will obey.
To call any one King, and at the same time to rebel against his authority, what is this but to mock him with an empty title? And it is nearly the same case, when subjects, though they do not take up arms against their soveraign, do withdraw from him those supplies without which his government cannot be upheld.
In the natural body all the members, even those which are esteemed the most ignoble and inconsiderable, do their office for the preservation and well being of the whole: and in the political it is as fitting that all the members, even those which are in a private station, should, as their circumstances will allow them, exert themselves for the security and prosperity of the whole community. The protection which the authority of the magistrate affords to all, lays an obligation upon all to unite in the defence of it against the attempts of its enemies, which sometimes can no otherwise be repelled than by the united endeavours of all. It gives great encouragement to the adversaries of a state to observe, that those who do not side with them, are not very hearty and diligent against them. The government that is negligently defended, will quickly be vigorously assaulted; and with too great probability of success, when even its friends shew no other mark of friendship to it, than the forbearing to join with its enemies.