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…

Fourthly, This ungodly fear of God, it shows it self also in this. It will not suffer the soul that is governed thereby, to trust only to Christ for justification of life, but will bend the powers of the soul to trust partly to the works of the Law. Many of the Jews was in the time of Christ, and ⟨p. 45⟩his Apostles possessed with this ungodly fear of God, for they was not as the former to wit, as the slothful servant, to receive a talent and hide it in the earth in a napkin, but they were an industrious people, they followed after the Law of righteousness, they had a Zeal of God and of the religion of their fathers, but how then did they come to miscarry? why, their fear of God was ungodly, it would not suffer them wholly to trust to the righteousness of faith which is the imputed righteousness of Christ. They followed after the Law of righteousness, but attained not to the Law of righteousness. Wherefore, because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the Law. But what was it that made them join their works of the Law with Christ, but their unbelief whose foundation was ignorance and fear, they were afraid to venture all in one bottom, they thought two strings to one bow would be best, and thus betwixt two stools they came to the ground. And hence, to fear and to doubt, are put together as being the cause one of another, yea they are put oft times, the one for the other; thus ungodly fear for unbelief: (Be not afraid, only believe) and therefore he that is over-ruled and carried away with this fear, is coupled with ⟨p. 46⟩the unbeliever that is thrust out from the holy City among the dogs.

Fourthly, This ungodly fear of God, it shews it self also in this. It will not suffer the soul that is governed thereby, to trust only to Christ for justification of life, but will bend the powers of the soul to trust partly to the works of the Law. Many of the Jews was in the time of Christ, and ⟨p. 45⟩his Apostles possessed with this ungodly fear of God, for they was not as the former to wit, as the slothful servant, to receive a talent and hide it in the earth in a napkin, but they were an industrous people, they followed after the Law of righteousness, they had a Zeal of God and of the religion of their fathers, but how then did they come to miscarry? why, their fear of God was ungodly, it would not suffer them wholly to trust to the righteousness of faith which is the imputed righteousness of Christ. They followed after the Law of righteousness, but attained not to the Law of righteousness. Wherefore, because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the Law. But what was it that made them joyn their works of the Law with Christ, but their unbelief whose foundation was ignorance and fear, they were afraid to venture all in one bottom, they thought two strings to one bow would be best, and thus betwixt two stools they came to the ground. And hence, to fear and to doubt, are put together as being the cause one of another, yea they are put oft times, the one for the other; thus ungodly fear for unbelief: (Be not afraid, only believe) and therefore he that is over-ruled and carried away with this fear, is coupled with