A30211:242
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.
Now, let not any, from what hath been said, take courage to live loose lives, under a supposition, that once in Christ, and ever in Christ, and the covenant cannot be broken, nor the relation of Father and Child dissolved, for they that do so, 'tis evident have not known what 'tis to receive the spirit of adoption; It is the Spirit of the Devil in his own hue that suggesteth this unto them, and that prevaileth with them to do so; shall we do evil that good may come? shall we sin that grace may abound? or shall we be base in life because God by grace, hath secured us from wrath to come? God forbid, these conclusions betoken one void of the fear of God indeed, and of the spirit of adoption too. For what Son is he, that because the Father cannot break the relation, (nor suffer sin to do it,) that is betwixt the Father and him, that will therefore say, I will live altogether after my own ⟨p. 74⟩lusts, I will labour to be a continual grief to my Father.
Yet lest the Devil (for some are not ignorant of his devices) should get an advantage against some of the Sons, to draw them away from the filial fear of their Father, let me here, to prevent such temptations, present such with these following considerations.
1. Though God cannot, will not dissolve the relation which the spirit of adoption hath made 'twixt the Father and the sons, for any sin that such do commit: yet he can, and often doth take away from them the comfort of their adoption, not suffering Children, while sinning, to have the sweet and comfortable sense thereof on their hearts. He can tell how to let sinners be round about them, and sudden fear trouble them. He can tell how to send darkness that they may not see, and to let abundance of waters cover them,