the Fear of god, Part 10
How to grow in this Fear of God.
Having given you these Motives to the duty of growing in THIS fear of God, Before I leave this use, I will in few words shew you HOW you may grow in THIS fear of God.
1. Then, If thou wouldest grow in this fear of God, Learn aright to distinguish of fear in general. I mean, learn to distinguish between THAT fear that is godly, and that which in it self is indeed ungodly fear of God; and know them well the one from the other, lest the one, the fear that in it self indeed is ungodly, get the place, even the upper hand of that which truly is godly fear. And remember the ungodly fear of God, is by God himself counted an enemy to him, and hurtful to his people, and is therefore most plentifully forbidden in the word, Gen. 1.15. Chap. 26.24. Chap. 46.3. Exo. 14.13. Chap. 20.20. Num. 14.9. Chap. 21.34. Isa. 41.10, 13, 14. Chap. 43.1. Chap. 44.2, 8. Chap. 54.4. Jer. 30.10. Dan. 10.12.19, Joel. 2.21. Hag. 2.5. Zech. 8.13.
Secondly If thou wouldest grow in this Godly fear, learn rightly to distinguish it from that fear, in particular, that is Godly but for a time: Even from that fear that is wrought from the spirit, as a spirit of bondage. I say learn to distinguish this from that, and also perfectly to know the bounds that God hath set to that fear that is wrought by the spirit, as a spirit of bondage; Lest instead of growing in the fear that is to abide with thy soul for ever, thou be overrun again with that first fear, which is to abide with thee, but till the spirit of adoption come. And that thou mayest not only distinguish them one from the other, but also keep each in its due place and bounds, consider in general of what hath already been said upon this head, and in particular that the first fear is no more wrought by the holy spirit, but by the Devil to distress thee and make thee to live, not like a Son, but a slave. And for thy better help in this matter, know that God himself hath set bounds to this fear, and has concluded that after the spirit of Adoption is come, that other fear is wrought in thy heart by him no more. (Rom. 8.15. 2 Tim. 1.7.)
Again, before I leave this, let me tell thee that if thou dost not well bestir thee in this matter, this bondage fear, to wit that which is like it, though not wrought in thee by the Holy Ghost, will by the management and subtilty of the Devil, the author of it, haunt, disturb and make thee live uncomfortably, and that while thou art an heir of God and his Kingdom. This is that fear that the Apostle speaks of, That makes men all their life time subject to bondage, Heb. 2.14.15.
For though Christ will deliver thee indeed at last, thou having imbraced him by faith, yet thy life will be full of trouble; and death, though Jesus hath abolished it, will be alwaies a living bug-bear to thee in all thy waies and thoughts to break thy peace, and to make thee to draw thy loins heavily after him.
Thirdly wouldest thou grow in this Godly fear? then as thou shouldest learn to distinguish of fears, so thou shouldest make conscience of which to entertain and cherish. If God would have his fear (and it is called his fear by way of eminency) that his fear may be before you that you sin not, Exo. 20.20. Jer. 32.4. I say, if God would have this his fear be with thee, then thou shouldest make conscience of this, and not so lightly give way to slavish fear, as is Common for Christians to do.
There is utterly a fault among Christians about this thing: That is, they make not that conscience of resisting of slavish fear, as they ought; they rather cherish and entertain it, and so weaken themselves, and that fear that they ought to strengthen.
And this is the reason that we so often lie grabling under the black, and amazing thoughts that are engendred in our hearts by unbelief: For this fear nourisheth unbelief; that is now it doth, (to wit, if we give way to it after the spirit of Adoption is come) & readily closeth with all the fiery darts of the wicked.
But Christians are ready to do with this fear as the Horse does when the tines of the fork are set against his side, even lean to it untill it entereth into his belly. We lean naturally to this fear, I mean, after God has done good to our souls; it is hard striving against it, because it has even our sence and feeling of its side.
But I say, If thou wouldest be a growing Christian, growing, I say, in the fear that is Godly, in the fear that is is alwaies so; then make conscience of striving against the other, and against all these things that would bring thee back to it. Wherefore should I fear, said David, in the day of evil, when the iniquities of my heels compasseth me about? Psal. 49.5.
What! not fear in the day of evil? what! not when the iniquities of thy heels compasseth thee about? no, not then, saies hee; that is, not with that fear, that would bring him again into bondage to the law; for he had received the spirit of Adoption before. Indeed, if ever a Christian has ground to give way to slavish fear, it is at these two times, to wit in the day of evil and when the iniquitie of his heels compasseth him about: But you see, David would not then, no not then give way thereto, nor did hee see reason why he should. Wherefore should I, said he? I, wherefore indeed, since now thou art become a Son of God through Christ, and hast received the spirit of his son into thy heart crying father father.
Fourthly, wouldest thou grow in this grace of Godly fear? then grow in the knowledge of the new covenant, for that is indeed the girdle of our reins and the strength of our souls. Hear what Zacharias saith, God, saies he, hath raised up to us an horn of salvation in the house of his servant David, as he spake by the mouth of all the Holy Prophets which have been since the world began. But what was it? what was it that he spake? Why, That he would grant us that we being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, (without this slavish bondage fear) in holiness and righteousness before him all the daies of our life. But upon what is this princely fearless service of God grounded? Why upon the holy covenant of God, upon the oath that he swore unto Abraham, Luk. 1.69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75.
Now in this covenant is wrapped up all thy salvation: in it is contained all thy desire, and I am sure that then it containeth the compleat salvation of thy Soul: and, I say, since this covenant is confirmed by promise, by oath, and by the blood of the son of God, and that on purpose that thou mightest serve thy God without slavish fear, Then the knowledge and faith of this covenant, is of absolute necessity to bring us into this liberty, and out of our slavish terrors, and so, consequently, to cause us to grow in that son-like, Godly fear, which became even the Son of God himself, and becomes all his Disciples to live in the growth and exercise of.
Fifthly, wouldest thou grow in this Godly fear? then labour even alwaies to keep thine evidences for Heaven and of thy salvation alive upon thy heart; for he that loseth his evidences for heaven, will hardly keep slavish fear out of his heart; but he that hath the wisdom and grace to keep them alive, and apparent to himself, he will grow in this godly fear. See how David words it; from the ends of the earth, saith he, will I cry unto thee, when my heart is over-whelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher then I. For thou hast been a shelter to mee, and a strong tower from the enemy: I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever. For thou God hast heard my prayer thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name, Psal. 61.5.
Mark a little, David doth by these words in the first place suggest, that some times, to his thinking, he was as far off of his God, as the ends of the earth are asunder and that at such times he was subject to be over-whelmed, afraid.
Secondly, The way that he took, at such times, to help himself, was, 1. To cry to God to lead him again to Jesus Christ, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. for indeed without faith in him, and the renewing of that faith, there can be no evidence for Heaven made to appear unto the soul. This therefore he prays for first. 2. Then he puts that faith into exercise, and that with respect to the time that was past, and also of the time that was to come. For the time past, sayes hee, thou hast been a shelter to me, and a strong tower from the enemy; And for the time to come he said, I will abide in thy tabernacle, that is, in thy Christ by faith, and in thy way of worship by love, for ever. And observe it, he makes the believing remembrance of his first evidences for Heaven, the ground of this his cry, and faith, for thou sayes he, O God, hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name. Thou hast made me meet to be partaker of the mercy of thy chosen, and hast put me under the blessing of goodness wherewith thou hast blessed those that fear thee.
Thus you see how David in his distresses musters up his prayers, faith and evidences for eternal life, that he might deliver himself from being over-whelmed, that is, with slavish fear, and that he might also abound in that Son-like fear of his fellow brethren that is not only comely with respect to our profession but profitable to our souls.
Sixthly, Wouldest thou grow in this fear of God? then set before thine eyes the being, and majesty of God: For that both begetteth, maintaineth and increaseth this fear. And hence it is called the fear of God; that is, an holy and awful dread and reverence of his majestie. For the fear of God, is to stand in aw of him, but how can that be done if we do not set him before us? And again if we would fear him more, we must abide more in the sence and faith of his glorious majestie. Hence this fear, and Gods name, is so often put together: as fear God, fear the Lord, fear thy God, do this in the fear of the Lord, and thou shalt fear thy God, I am the Lord.
For these words, I am the Lord, thy God and the like, are on purpose put in, not only to shew us who we should fear, but also to beget, maintain, and increase in us that fear that is due from us to that glorious, and fearful name, the Lord our God, Deut. 28.58.
Seventhly, Wouldest thou grow in this grace of fear? then keep alwaies, close to thy conscience, the authority of the word; Fear the commmandment, as the commandment of a God both mighty and glorious, and as the commandment of a father, both loving and pittiful: let this commandment, I say, be alwaies with thine eye, with thine ear, and with thine heart: For then thou wilt be taught, not only to fear, but to abound in the fear of the Lord. Every grace is nourished by the word, and without it there is no thrist in the soul, Pro. 13.13. Chap. 4.20, 21, 22. Deut. 6.1.2.
Eightly, Wouldest thou grow in this grace of fear? Then be much in the faith of the promise, of the promise that maketh over to thy soul an interest in God, by Christ, and of all good things. The promise naturally tendeth to increase in us the fear of the Lord, because this fear, it grows by goodness and merciemercy; They shall fear the Lord and his goodness; now this goodness and merciemercy of God, it is wrapped up in, and made over to us by promise; for God gave it to Abraham by promise. Therefore the faith and hope of the promise, causeth this fear to grow in the soul. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God, 2. Cor. 7.1. perfect holiness in the fear of God; therefore that fear by the promise must needs grow mighty, for by, with, and in it, you see holiness is perfected.
Ninthly, Wouldest thou grow in this grace of fear? Then remember the Judgments of God that have or shall certainty over take those professours, that have either been down-right hypocrites, or else unwatchful Christians. For both these sorts partake of the Judgments of God; the one, (to wit, the true Christian) for his unwatchfulness, for his correction; the other (to wit, the hypocrite) for his hypocrisie, to his destruction. This is a way to make thee stand in aw, and to make thee tremble, and grow in the grace of fear before thy God.
Judgments? you may say, what Judgments?
Answ. Time will fail me here to tell thee of the Judgments that sometimes overtake Gods people, and that alwaies certainly overtake the hypocrite for his transgressions.
For those that attend Gods people I would have thee look back to the place in this Book where they are particularly touched upon.
And for those that attend the hypocrite, in general they are these.
1. Blindness of heart in this world.
2. The death of their hope, at the day of their death.
3. And the damnation of their souls at the day of Judgment. Matth. 23.15, 16, 17, 18, 19. Job. 8.13. Chap. 11.20. Chap. 18.14. Chap. 20.4, 5, 6, 7. Matth. 23.33. Chap. 24.51. Luk 20.47.
The godly consideration of these things tend to make men grow in the fear of God.
Tenthly, Wouldest thou grow in this grace of fear? Then study the EXCELLENCIES of the grace of fear, and what profit it yieldeth to to them that have it, and labor to get thy heart into the love, both of the exercise of the grace it self, and also of the fruit it yieldeth: For a man hardly grows in the encrease of any grace, until his heart is united to it, and until it is made lovely in his eyes, Psal. 119.119, 120.
Now the excellencies of this grace of fear, have also been discoursed of, in this Book before, where, by reading thou shalt find the fruit it bears, and the promises that are anexed to it, which, because they are many, I refer thee also thither for thy instruction.
Eleventhly Wouldest thou grow in this grace of fear? Then remember what a world of priviledges do belong to them that fear the Lord: As also I have hinted, namely that such shall not be hurt, shall want no good thing, shall be guarded by Angels and have a special licence, though in never so dreadful plight, to trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon their God.
12. Wouldest thou grow in this grace of fear? Then be much in prayer to God for abundance of the encrease thereof. To fear God, is that which is according to his will, and if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. Pray therefore that God will unite thy heart to fear his name; this is the way to grow in the grace of fear.
Lastly, Wouldest thou grow in this grace of fear; Then devote thy self to it, Psal. 119.38. Devote my self to it, you will say, how is that? I answer, why give thy selfe to it, addict thy self to it. Solace thy self in the contemplation of God, and of a reverence of his name and word and worship. Then wilt thou fear, and grow in this grace of fear.