A30211:128
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.
Therefore, gentle reader although my ⟨p. 48⟩text doth bid that indeed thou shouldest fear God; yet it includeth not, nor accepteth of any fear: no, not of any fear of God. For there is, as you see, a fear of God that is ungodly, and that is to be shunned as there sins. Wherefore thy wisdom and thy care should be, to see and prove thy fear to be godly, which shall be the next thing that I shall take in hand.
Therefore, gentle reader although my ⟨p. 48⟩text doth bid that indeed thou shouldest fear God; yet it includeth not, nor accepteth of any fear: no, not of any fear of God. For there is, as you see, a fear of God that is ungodly, and that is to be shunned as ther sins. Wherefore thy wisdom and thy care should be, to see and prove thy fear to be godly, which shall be the next thing that I shall take inhand.
The third thing that I am to speak to is, that there is a fear of God in the heart of some men that is good and godly, but yet doth not for ever abide so.
Or you may take it thus. There is a fear of God, that is godly but for a time.