A30211:122
A treatise of the fear of God showing what it is, and how distinguished…A treatise of the fear of God shewing what it is, and how distinguished…
A treatise of the fear of God showing what it is, and how distinguished from that what is not so : also whence it comes, who has it, what are the effects, and what the privileges of those that have it in their hearts / by John Bunyan.A treatise of the fear of God shewing what it is, and how distinguished from that what is not so : also whence it comes, who has it, what are the effects, and what the priviledges of those that have it in their hearts / by John Bunyan.
London: printed for N. Ponder, 1679
Of several sorts of fear of God in the heart of the Children of men.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Of this sort are they which dare not cast off the hearing, reading, and discourse of the word as others: no, nor the assembly of Gods children for the exercise of other religious duties, for their conscience is convinced this is the way and worship of God. But yet their heart (as I said) by this ungodly fear, is kept from a powerful gracious falling in with God. This fear takes away their heart from all holy and godly prayer in private, and from all holy and godly Zeal for his name in public, and there be many professors whose hearts are possessed with this ungodly fear of God; and they are intended by the slothful one. He was a servant, a servant among the servants of God, and had gifts and abilities given him, therewith to serve Christ, as well as his fellows, yea, and was commanded too, as well as the rest, to occupy till his Master came. But what does he? why he takes his talent, the gift that he was to lay out for his Masters profit, and puts it in a napkin, digs a hole in the earth, and hides his Lords money, and lies at a lazy manner at to-elbow all his ⟨p. 43⟩days, not out of, but in his Lords Vineyard: for he came among the servants also at last. By which it is manifest that he had not cast off his profession, but was slothful and negligent while he was in it. But what was it that made him thus slothful? what was it that took away his heart, while he was in the way, and that discouraged him from falling in with the power, and holy practice of religion according to the talent he received? why it was this, he gave way to an ungodly fear of God, and that took away his heart from the power of religious duties. Lord, said he, behold here is thy pound, which I have kept, laid up in a napkin, for I feared thee. Why man? doth the fear of God make a man idle, and slothful no, no? that is, if it be right and godly. This fear was therefore evil fear; it was that ungodly fear of God, of which I have here been speaking of. For I feared thee, or as Matthew hath it, for I was afraid. Afraid of what? of Christ, That he was an hard man, reaping where he sowed not, and gathering where he had not strewed. This his fear, being ungodly; made him apprehend of Christ contrary to the goodness of his nature, and so took away his heart from all endeavours to be doing of that which was pleasing in his sight, Luke 19.20. Matth 25.24, 25.