A30211:646
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.
What things they are that have a tendency in them to hinder the growth of the fear of God in our hearts.
And that I may yet be helpful to thee, (Reader) I shall now give thee caution of those things, that will, if way be given to them, hinder thy growth in this fear of God, the ⟨p. 210⟩which, because they are very hurtful to the people of God, I would have thee be warned by them.
And they are these which follow.
1. If thou wouldst grow in this grace of fear, Take heed of an hard heart, for that will hinder thy growth in this grace. Why hast thou hardened our hearts from thy fear? (Isa. 63.17.) was a bitter complaint of the Church heretofore; for it is not only the judgement, that in it self is dreadful, and sore to Gods people, but that which greatly hindereth the growth of this grace in the soul. An hard heart is but barren ground for any grace to grow in, specially for the grace of fear: there is but little of this fear, where the heart indeed is hard; neither will there ever be much therein.