A30211:26
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
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.
See you here if the presence of God is, not a dreadful and a fearful thing; yea his most gracious and merciful appearances; how much more then when he showeth, himself to us as one that disliketh our ways, as one that is offended with us for our sins?
See you here if the presence of God is, not a dreadful and a fearful thing; yea his most gracious and merciful appearances; how much more then when he sheweth, himself to us as one that disliketh our waies, as one that is offended with us for our sins?
And there are three things that in an eminent manner make his presence dreadful to us.
1. The first is God's own greatness and Majesty, the discovery of this, or of himself thus, even as no poor mortals are able to conceive of him, is altogether unsupportable. The man dies to whom he thus discovers himself. And when I saw him, says John, I fell at his feet as dead, Rev. 1. v. 17. 'Twas this therefore that Job would have avoided in the day that he would have approached unto him. Let not thy dread, says he, make me afraid. Then call thou and I will answer; or let me speak, and answer ⟨p. 8⟩thou me, Job 13.21, 22. But why doth Job after this manner, thus speak to God? why? it was from a sense that he had of the dreadful Majesty of God, even the great and dreadful God that keepeth covenant with his people.
1. The first is God's own greatness and Majesty, the discovery of this, or of himself thus, even as no poor mortals are able to conceive of him, is altogether unsupportable. The man dies to whom he thus discovers himself. And when I saw him, saies John, I fell at his feet as dead,