A30211:700
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.
'True, desires, are lower, than higher acts of grace, but God will not look over desires: But now they DESIRE a better Country, that is an heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a City. Mark, they desire a Country, and they shall have a City. At this LOW place, to wit, sincere desires, God will meet the soul and will tell him, that he hath accepted of his desires, that his desires are his kindness, and flow from grace it self, He will fulfil the desires of them that fear him. Therefore desires are not rejected of God, but they would, if they did not flow from a principle of grace already in the soul; therefore desires, sincere desires to fear God, flow from grace already in the soul.
Therefore since thou fearest God, and it is evident, by thy desires, 'that thou dost so do: thou ART happy, NOW, in this ⟨p. 229⟩thy fear, and SHALT be happy for ever hereafter in the enjoyment of that which God in another world hath laid up for them that fear him.
Therefore since thou fearest God, and it is evident, by thy desires, 'that thou dost so do: thou ART happy, NOW, in this ⟨p. 229⟩thy fear, and SHALT be happy for ever hereafter in the injoyment of that which God in another world hath laid up for them that fear him.
3. Another encouragement for those that have this grace of fear is this. This grace can make that man, that in many other things is not capable of serving of God, serve him better then those that have all, without it. Poor Christian man, thou hast scarce been able to do any thing for God all thy days, but only to fear the Lord. Thou art no Preacher, and so canst not do him service that way: Thou art no rich man and so canst not do him service with outward substance: Thou art no wise man, and so canst not do any thing that way: But here is thy mercy, thou fearest God. Though thou canst not preach, thou canst fear God. Though thou hast no bread to feed the belly nor fleece to cloth the back, of the poor, thou canst fear God. O how blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, because this duty of fearing of God is an act of the mind, and may be done by the man that is destitute of all things, but that holy and blessed mind.