Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

And as Faith sees the invisible one more or less, so this holy Fear is more or less moved into act. Of old the appearances of God in outward Symbols of glory struck an a we upon men; the high Thrones with its train made Isaiah cry out as an undone man, Isa. 6. the voice out of the whirl-wind caused Job to abhor ⟨p. 305⟩himself in dust and ashes, Job 42.6. The bright thinning man turned Daniel's comeliness into corruption, Dan. 10.8. And what those outward appearances did in a sensible way, that Faith which is an inward Vision of God, doth in a Spiritual; looking on him by Faith, a dread falls on us from every Attribute or Work of his. His glorious Majesty makes us go and hide our selves in the dust of our own vileness and nothingness. His pure Holiness comparatively turns us and all our comely Graces into rottenness. His dreadful Justice sounds so loud in the threatening, that we cannot but tremble at every word of it. Nay his very goodness and tender bowels lying all about us make us afraid to trample thereon by fining; even those in Nature do so, much more those richer ones in Grace. His very rain calls for out fear, Jer. 5.24. And what do those dews of the Spirit which are not common as the other? His bounding the Sea doth so, Jer. 5.22. and what doth his bounding corruption, which else would drown Soul and all in perdition? Oh how tremendous is our life! our Bodies living on the Blood of Creatures, and our Souls on the Blood of God; our natural being lying in the arms of that Power which bears up the World, and our Spiritual in the arms of that Grace which saves it; Earth flowing round about us with Blessings, and Heaven it self coming down in Promises, and carrying back our Hopes thither. Who in such Visions of Faith would not ⟨p. 306⟩fear the Lord and his goodness? Who would not tremble at Sins indignity and ingratitude? After such mercies as these should we again transgress against him? If we wax wanton under Goodness, how soon may Sovereignty come down and recover all from us as forfeited! Heaven may shut up it self, and the dews of the Spirit cease, our Graces may all droop and wither, and our Hearts grow hard and stony; one lust or other may carry us into captivity, and our little remnant of Grace and Life may cry out as the Church doth, O Lord why hast thou made us to err from thy ways? and hardened our hearts from thy fear? return for thy servants sake, Isa.