A30211:662
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.
7. Wouldst thou grow in this grace of fear? then, Take heed of a murmuring, and repining heart, for that is not an heart for this grace of fear to grow in.
As for instance, when men murmur and repine at Gods hand, at his dispensations, and at the Judgments that overtake them, in their persons, estates, families, or relations THAT their murmuring, tendeth to destroy fear; for a murmuring spirit is such an one as seems to correct God, and to find fault with his dispensations: and where there is that, the heart is far from fear.
A murmuring spirit either comes from that wisdom that pretends to understand that there is a failure in the nature and execution of things, or from an envy and spite at the execution of them. Now if murmurings arise from this pretended wisdom of the flesh, then instead of fearing of God, his actions are judged to be either rigged or ridiculous, which yet are done in judgment, truth and righteousness. So that a murmuring heart cannot be a good one for the fear of God to grow in: alas the heart where that grows, must be a soft one, as you have it in, Job 23.15, 16. And an heart that will stoop and be silent at the most abstruse of all his Judgments. I was silent because thou diddest it.
A murmuring spirit either comes from that wisdom that pretends to understand that there is a failure in the nature and execution of things, or from an envy and spite at the execution of them. Now if murmurings arise from this pretended wisdom of the flesh, then instead of fearing of God, his actions are judged to be either riged or ridiculous, which yet are done in judgment, truth and righteousness. So that a murmuring heart cannot be a good one for the fear of God to grow in: alas the heart where that grows, must be a soft one, as you have it in,