A30211:403
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.
It was a rare thing that Abraham did, and had he not had this rare grace, this fear of God, he would not, he could not have done, to Gods liking, SO wonderful a thing. 'Tis true, the Holy Ghost also makes this service of Abraham to be the fruit of his faith, By faith Abraham offered up Isaac, and he that ⟨p. 124⟩had the promises offered up his only Son, (Heb. 11. Jam. 2.) Ay, and without doubt, love unto God, in Abraham, was not wanting in this his service, nor was this grace of fear; nay, in the story where it is recorded. There it is chiefly accounted for the fruit of his godly fear, and that by an Angel from Heaven. And the Angel called out of Heaven, and said Abraham, Abraham. And he said, here am I. And he said, lay not thine hand upon the Lad, neither do thou any thing unto him, for now I know that thou fearest God seeing thou hast not withheld thy Son, thine only Son from me, Gen. 22.11, 12.
Now I know it, NOW, now thou hast offered up thine only Isaac, thine All, at the bidding of thy God. Now I know it. The fear of God is not presently discerned in the heart and life of a man. Abraham had long before this, done many a holy duty, and showed much willingness of heart to observe and do the Will of God; yet you find not, as I remember, that he had this testimony from Heaven that he feared God till now: but now he has it, now he has it from Heaven. Now I know that thou fearest God. Many duties may be done (though I do not say that Abraham did them) without the fear of God; but when a man shall not stick at, or withhold his darling from ⟨p. 125⟩God, when called upon by God to offer in up unto him, that declareth, yea, and gives conviction to Angels, that NOW he feareth God.