A30211:587
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.
But this cannot be done but in the fear of God, yea in the exercise of that grace, and so consequently in the growth of it, for there is no grace, but grows being exercised. If then you would be perfect in holiness, if you would have every grace that God has put into your souls, grow and flourish unto perfection, lay them, as I may say a soak in this grace ⟨p. 191⟩of fear, and do all in the exercise of it: for a little done in the fear of the Lord is better then the revenues of the wicked. And again, the Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous, the soul that liveth in the fear of the Lord, to famish, but he casteth away the abundance of the wicked. Bring abundance to God, and if it be not seasoned with godly fear, it shall not be acceptable to him, but loathsome and abominable in his sight; for it doth not flow from the spirit of the fear of the Lord.
But this cannot be done but in the fear of God, yea in the exercise of that grace, and so consequently in the growth of it, for there is no grace, but grows being exercised. If then you would be perfect in holiness, if you would have every grace that God has put into your souls, grow and flourish unto perfection, lay them, as I may say a soak in this grace ⟨p. 191⟩of fear, and do all in the exercise of it: for a little done in the fear of the Lord is better then the revenues of the wicked. And again, the Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous, the soul that liveth in the fear of the Lord, to famish, but he casteth away the abundance of the wicked. Bring abundance to God, and if it be not seasoned with godly fear, it shall not be acceptable to him, but lothsome and abominable in his sight; for it doth not flow from the spirit of the fear of the Lord.
2. Therefore where there is not a growth in this fear, there is no duty done so acceptably. This flows from that which goes before, for if grace rather decays than grows, where this grace of fear is not in the growth and increase thereof, then duties in their glory and acceptableness decay likewise.