A30211:28
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.
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, 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, saies 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.
The presence of a King is dreadful to the Subject, yea though he carries it never so condescendingly; if then their be so much glory and dread in the presence of the King, what fear and dread must there be, think you, in the presence of the Eternal God?