A30211:261
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. Nay, but why dost thou tempt the Lord thy God? why dost thou sin and provoke the eyes of his glory? why doth the living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? (Lam. 3.39.) He doth not willingly afflict, nor grieve the Children of men, but if thou sinnest, though God should save thy soul, as he will if thou art an adopted Son of God, yet he will make thee know that sin is sin, and his rod that he will chastise thee with (if need be) shall be made of scorpions: read the whole book of the Lamentations, read Job's and Davids complaints: yea, read what happened to his Son, his well-beloved, and that when he did but stand in the room of sinners, being in himself altogether innocent, and then consider O thou sinning Child of God, if it is any injustice in God, yea if it be ⟨p. 78⟩not necessary that thou shouldst be chastised for thy sin.
Answ. Nay, but why dost thou tempt the Lord thy God? why dost thou sin and provoke the eyes of his glory? why doth the living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? (Lam. 3.39.) He doth not willingly afflict, nor grieve the Children of men, but if thou sinnest, though God should save thy soul, as he will if thou art an adopted Son of God, yet he will make thee know that sin is sin, and his rod that he will chastize thee with (if need be) shall be made of scorpions: read the whole book of the Lamentations, read Job's and Davids complaints: yea, read what happenned to his Son, his welbeloved, and that when he did but stand in the room of sinners, being in himself altogether innocent, and then consider O thou sinning Child of God, if it is any injustice in God, yea if it be ⟨p. 78⟩not necessary that thou shouldst be chastized for thy sin.
But then, I say, when the hand of God is upon thee, how grievous soever it be, take heed, and beware that thou give not way to thy first fears, lest as I said before, thou addest to thine affliction; and to help thee here; Let me give thee a few instances of the carriages of some of the Saints under some of the most heavy afflictions that they have met with for sin,