Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

Another Grace actuated by Faith is holy Fear of God; the very light of Nature revealing some glimmerings of his Greatness and Justice raises up a Fear of him: The Barbarians seeing the Viper on St. Pauls hand cried out of a [Greek or Hebrew], a revenging justice; as if he had been a murderer, Act. 28.4. Pythagoras begins his Golden Verses with Veneration of the Gods. Among all Nations there hath been a [Greek or Hebrew], a fearing of God. The ancient Gauls out of reverence to their gods would not touch the consecrated Gold lying in their Temples. Upon the same account there were among many Ethnics, Nudipedalia sacra, barefooted devotions. Only this Fear was in it self but servile, and further corrupted by false opinions of the Deity, and hence sprung all that [Greek or Hebrew], worship or superstition which was among the Heathens: The progeny of their ancient Daemons, their Charms and Exorcisms, their Festivals and Purifications, their Lustrations and human inhuman Sacrifices, and all their strange Rites and Ceremonies of Adoration, whereby they endeavoured to flatter and compound ⟨p. 304⟩with their gods, and guilty Consciences. This servile Fear is further advanced when to the light of Nature is superadded that of the pure Law, which flashes in upon the Conscience and sets it on sire with reflections upon guilt, and expectations of wrath thereupon; but it is servile still, and chiefly looks at punishment. A man in such a state may forbear an act of Sin, but he is corrupt within, adbue vivit in eo peecandi voluntas, the love of Sin is in him still, as an Ancient hath it; His heart saith to his Sin as the Emperor Bassimus did to his beautiful Mother in Law, Quàm vellem, si liceret; Oh that there were no Law against it, or punishment to follow after it: He may do good, but not well; Intus reus est, & in animo non facit; he is guilty within, and in mind doth it not, as St. Austin saith; there wants that love of righteousness, out of which true Obedience issues; but where Faith is, there is castus timor, a pure filial fear of God, such as reverences his Majesty as supreme, and sears Sin as the greatest evil; and withal punishment in its due place, though not principally or in a servile way; and among punishments, chiefly that of loss and separation from God as a greater evil than the rest.

Another Grace actuated by Faith is holy Fear of God; the very light of Nature revealing some glimmerings of his Greatness and Justice raises up a Fear of him: The Barbarians seeing the Viper on St. Pauls hand cried out of a , a revenging justice; as if he had been a murderer,