A30211:220
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.
Answ. Yes verily, and I have many times almost come to this conclusion, that I will read, pray, hear, company with Gods people, or the like, no longer.
Well poor Christian, I am glad that thou hast so plainly answered me, but prithee look back upon thy answer, how much of God, dost thou think, is in these things, how much of his Spirit, and the grace of his Word: just none at all, for it cannot be that these things can be the true and natural effects of the workings of the Spirit of God; ⟨p. 67⟩NO not as a spirit of bondage. These are not his doings; dost thou not see the very paw of the Devil in them, yea in every one of thy ten confessions; is there not palpably high wickedness in every one of the effects of this fear?
Well poor Christian, I am glad that thou hast so plainly answered me, but prethee look back upon thy answer, how much of God, dost thou think, is in these things, how much of his Spirit, and the grace of his Word: just none at all, for it cannot be that these things can be the true and natural effects of the workings of the Spirit of God; ⟨p. 67⟩NO not as a spirit of bondage. These are not his doings; dost thou not see the very paw of the Devil in them, yea in every one of thy ten confessions; is there not palpably high wickedness in every one of the effects of this fear?
I conclude then, as I began, that the fear that the Spirit of God, as a spirit of bondage worketh, is good, and godly, not only because of the Author, but also because of the ground and effects; but yet it can last no longer as such (as producing the aforesaid conclusion,) then till the spirit, as the spirit of adoption comes, because that then the soul is manifestly taken out of the state and condition, into which it had brought it self by nature and sin, and is put into Christ, and so by him into a state of life, and blessedness by grace. Therefore if first fears come again into thy soul after that the spirit of adoption hath been with thee, know they come not from the Spirit of God, but apparently from the spirit of the Devil, for they are a lie in themselves, and their effects are sinful and devilish.