A30211:307
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 the grace of fear, more immediately intended in the text.
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.
Mind it, There is none like him, none like him in all the earth. I suppose he means either in those parts, or else he was the man that abounded in the fear of the Lord; none like him to fear the Lord, he only excelled others with respect to his reverencing of God, bowing before him, and sincerely complying with his will, and therefore is counted the excellent man. 'Tis not the knowledge ⟨p. 90⟩of the Will of God, but our sincere complying therewith, that proveth we fear the Lord; and it is our so doing that putteth upon us the note of excelling; hereby appears our perfection, herein is manifest our uprightness. A perfect, and an upright man is one that feareth God, and that because he escheweth evil.
Therefore this grace of fear is that without which no part or piece of service which we do to God, can be accepted of him. It is, as I may call it, The salt of the Covenant, which seasoneth the heart, and therefore must not be lacking there; it is also that which salteth, or seasoneth all our doings, and therefore must not be lacking in any of them, Levit. 2.13. For,
5. I take this grace of fear, to be that which softeneth and mollifieth the heart, and that makes it stand in AWE both of the mercies and Judgments of God. This is that that retaineth in the heart that due dread, and reverence of the heavenly majesty that is meet, should be, both in, and kept in the heart of poor sinners. Wherefore when David described THIS fear, in the exercise of it, he calls it an AWE of God. Stand in AWE, saith he, and Sin not; and again, mine heart standeth in AWE of thy Word; and again, Let all the Earth FEAR the Lord; whats ⟨p. 91⟩