A Practical Discourse of Gods Sovereignty, Part 6 · Section 1
The Doctrine of Abſolute Perſeverance deprives Men of the ſharpeſt bit which God hath given them to Curb the unregenerate part of the Soul: We mean the fear and dread of Eternal fire?
The Law is good, if a Man uſe it lawfully: So is Fear in its time and place; Out of which, it is as a Bone out of joint. The Law works by Fear, as a School-Maſter unto Chriſt; It is ordinarily the firſt occaſion of our motion towards believing: The heir whilſt a Child, may be under the tutorage of fear; But, when Faith is grown-up, then caſt-out the Bondwoman and her Son; Fear ſhall not be heir with Faith: For, tho' it be a good ſervant, 'tis an ill Maſter. For Fear to predominate Faith, is, for ſervants to ride, Eccleſ. 10. 5. & 7.whiles Princes walk on the Earth; which is an Errour the Earth cannot bear. Believers (who know themſelves ſo to be) receive not the ſpirit of bondage agen to fear: They are acted Now by another principle: (as a horſe that is throughly broke and well-wayed, is better Managed by a gentle hand, than a biting Curb:) Faith works by love. It is not (henceforth) the fear of wrath, but the ſenſe of Chriſt's love in delivering from wrath, that both Curbs the unregenerate part, and carries to higher acts of obedience than fear is capable of; Altho' at times, all ſorts of Motives may be needful to keep them going:2 Cor. 5. 14. And the Lord, for exerciſe of their Graces and other holy ends, may let the deareſt of His Children long conflict with their Fears; Under which He yet ſupports them, and brings them forth like Gold, at laſt. (See Ethan's complaint, and the Cloſe he makes, in the 89 Pſam. See alſo, that excellent Treatiſe, A Child of light, &c.)
But, as touching this Fear, in the ſenſe objected, (which ſuppoſeth it the beſt Curb to Sin, and promoter of Perſeverance,) it ought to be rejected. How far it may influence a Man that is wholly Unregenerate, as a Curb to His luſts, is not the Queſtion here; But, if Saul and Judas ran headlong to hell with this bit in their mouths; then is not this ſharpeſt bit the moſt Effectual Curb. That which weakens, and tends (indeed) to deſtroy the Root of Sin, muſt needs be more effectual, (as to the main end) than That which onelyonly Reſtrains ſome puttings-of-it-forth. Acts, 15. 9.But God purifies the heart by Faith: 1 Joh. 3. 3.And, Every one that hath this hope, purifieth himſelf as He is pure: There is no ſuch virtue given to Fear: but, on the Contrary, The ſpirit of Fear is put in oppoſition to the Spirit of Power, of Faith, and of a ſound mind. 2 Tim. 1. 7.But, what ever influence this fear may have upon perſons unregenerate; they are not deprived of it by the Doctrine of Perſeverance; for This concerns onelyonly Believers.
The Objection lyes further open to divers Exceptions; As,
1. Becauſe it puts an indignity on the Wiſdom and Grace of God, as if He had taken from Believers, ſome expedient help to Perſeverance, by his giving them Abſolute Promiſes: (whereas, we ſhould rather ſuſpect our own underſtandings and Renounce thoſe opinions which Neceſſitate ſuch unnatural Inferences, to ſupport them:) For, do but ſeparate the Promiſes from their Abſoluteneſs, and their ſtrength is gon;Rom. 8. 2. They would prove as the law; Weak, through the weakneſs of the fleſh. The Lord knowes, that Beleivers have both the difficulteſt work, and deepeſt ſenſe of their own inſufficiency; and that nothing more weakens their hands, than doubtings and fears: And for this cauſe, hath made His Promiſes abſolute. Thus, we find, He Armed Joſhua to the battel; There ſhall not any Man be able to ſtand before thee, Joſh. 1. 5.all the dayes of thy life: I will not leave thee, nor forſake thee: And hence he draws him an Argument, to be ſtrong and of a Good Courage.ver. 6.
In like manner, Samuel; when the People were greatly preplexed becauſe of God's diſpleaſure againſt them; To confirm them in their duty, he Comforts them againſt their Fears: Fear not (ſayes he) ye have done all this wickedneſs; yet Turn not aſide from following the Lord: (And what's the ſtrong Reaſon by which he fixes them?) For, the Lord [will not] forſake His People: (The Objectors and Samuel were not both of a Mind.)
Paul, (likewiſe) Exhorting Believers to that great duty of keeping-down Sin,Rom. 6. 12. that it might not Reign; Becauſe the ſharpneſs and heat of the Conflict, might otherwiſe make them Recoyl; He gives them (as an high Cordial) Aſſurance of Victory: tells them, in plain and expreſs terms That Sin [ſhall not] have Dominion over them: ver. 14.(Here they are at variance with Paul:) Nor do they better Accord with Peter and John; The One directs us, To give all diligence to make our Calling and Election [ſure: 2 Pet. 1. 10.] And this, as a principal means to keep us from falling: And the Other makes it the Scope and End of his whole Epiſtle, That Believers may [know] they have Eternal life; 1 Joh. 5. 13.and that they might [goon] in Believing. Which kind of Arguments had been very unduly applyed, if Giving them aſſurance touching the Event, had not been a ſtrengthening of them in their Duty; and much more, if it would have proved an Iudulgence to the Unregenerate part.
2. Let Fear be conſidered in its Ordinary and natural effects; and 'twill eaſily appear, That Nothing is leſs pleaſing to God, or more unapt for the Service of Perſeverance. As a Man's principle is, ſuch will be his obedience; Slaviſh obſervance is the beſt that ſlaviſh fear can produce; which is no way acceptable to an Ingenuous Spirit; God loves a Cheerfull Giver, not Samaritan-Worſhip, for fear of Lyons. Such ſervice wil alſo be weak and wavering; for, Nothing ſo unſettles the Mind as Fear: It enervates the Soul and takes away its Strength:1 Sam. 25. 37 Nobal's heart dyed within him for fear of David: Matt. 28. 25.and the Soldiers who kept the Sepulchre, were as dead Men for fear: The obedience therefore which comes from thence, can be but a dead obedience. The Effect cannot riſe higher then the Cauſe. Pharaoh let Iſrael go becauſe of the plagues;Exod. 14. 5. which being a litle removed,Iſa. 33. 14. he Repents his obedience, and chides himſelf for it: And thoſe hypocrites, though Fearfulneſs ſurprized them, Remained hypocrites ſtill. This Fear (alſo) will conſiſt with the greateſt impieties; Thoſe very Samaritans who thus feared the Lord, 2 King. 17. 41.did alſo worſhip their graven Images.
3. Fear puts upon uſing unlawful Means:Gen. 26. 7. 1 Sam. 21. 13. Gal. 2. 12, 13. Hoſ. 7. 11. 1 Sam. 28. 7. Iſaac, to deny his wife; David, to feign himſelf mad: Peter and other holy Men, to diſſemble. It ſends men to Egypt for help, as it did the Jews; yea, to hell, as it did Saul. Therefore, both Satan and wicked Men, are ſtill endeavouring to put God's people in fear; Neh. 6. 14, 19. Zach. 2. 2.as they would Nehemiah, whereby his work had ceaſed. And Satan ſtood at Joſhua's right hand to reſiſt him; that is, to accuſe him, and ſo to put him in fear, becauſe of his filthy garments; Thereby to diſcourage him in the work of his office.
4. Let Fear be compar'd with its Contrary, viz. Faith: This removes the Mountain, whiles fear fixes it; yea, makes it to be, where (indeed) is no ſuch thing. Fear made the unbelieving ſpies to bring up an evil Report of the good land, and to fancy impoſſibilities of obtaining it: Faith made Caleb and Joſhua Magnanimous,Num. 13. 30. Let us go up at once (ſay they) and poſſeſs it; ch. 14. 9.For we are well able to overcome it; yea, they ſhall be bread for us. Theſe two, who feared no Miſcarriage under an abſolute Promiſe, were Carried-in; All that doubted, Mat. 14. 29, 3….were ſhut out. Peter, whiles confident, walked on the Waves; when he began to doubt, he began to ſink.Joſh. 23. 10. It was Faith made thoſe Worthies valiant in fight;Heb. 1…. Enabled One to chaſe a thouſand, when Fear cauſed a thouſand to flee at the rebuke of One;1 Sam. 14. 13. yea, at the ſhaking of a leaf.
An handful of obedience ſpringing from Faith and confidence in God, is more acceptable to Him than ſheafs and loads ariſing from Fear of wrath.1 Cor. 13. 3. If Paul (for fear of hell) had given his body to be burned, it had been Nothing: But, Faith and love render ſmall things of value with God; (the Widow's Mite, and a Cup of cold water.) And 'tis worthy of Remarque, That when the fruits of the Spirit are reckoned up,Gal. 5. 22, 33. this Fear is not ſo much as named among them: And certain it is, That the more lively and ſenſible our love is to God, the leſs will be our fear of hell; For, perfect love caſts out fear.1 Joh. 4. 18.
5. If Fear were ſuch an Effectual Curb to ſin, or help to Perſeverance, There would not be ſo many Promiſes of Delivering God's people from their fears: Nor could they ſo Affectionately bleſs God for their being delivered: Nor ſo Reſolutely ſet themſelves againſt it: Neither would there be ſo many Commands and Injunctions laid upon them, Not to be Afraid.
1. Commands and Injunctions againſt Fear: Jer. 46. 27, Fear not thou, O my ſervant Jacob,—for I will ſave thee: and agen, ver. 28, Fear thou not,—I will correct thee in meaſure: i. e. Meetly, and proportionably, according to the ſcope of my Covenant, which is to ſave thee. The Lord would not have His People to think themſelves in danger of being Caſhier'd, when they are Chaſtened; which ſeems the Import of that in Iſa. 41. 9. I have choſen thee, and not Caſt thee away; Fear thou not, ver. 10. So, Heb. 10. 35, Caſt not away your Confidence: Joh. 14. 27, Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid: and Luke 12. 32. Fear not litle Flock; It is your Father's good pleaſure to give you the kingdom. Innumerable are the Injunctions laid upon God's people againſt Fear: Iſa. 35. 4. chap. 43. 5. ch. 41. 13. & 14. chap. 44. 2. Jer. 30. 10. Dan. 10. 19. Joel 2. 21. Zeph. 3. 16. Hag. 2. 5. Zach. 8. 13 & 15. Math. 10. 28. Act. 27. 24. Rev. 1. 17, &c. Therefore freedom from this Fear, is no impediment to Perſeverance.
2 Promiſes of delivering from Fears.Jer. 30. 10. Jacob ſhall be in quiet, and none ſhall make him afraid.Pſal. 112. 10. He ſhall not be afraid of evil tidings;Prov. 1. 33. He ſhall be quiet from fear of evil. The promiſe is not made to Fear and fainting, but to Faith and Confidence; Pſ. 27. 14, Be of good courage, and He ſhall ſtrengthen thy heart. If it had bin the mind of Chriſt, that Believers ſhould ſtill be under this Fear; He would not have told them, Joh. 5. 24.They are paſſed from death to life, and ſhall not come into condemnation:Math. 19. 28. That they ſhall ſit upon Thrones: That their Inheritance is reſerved in heaven for them;1 Pet. 1. 4, 5. and they kept for it; and that by the Mighty power of God. The Reſult of all which, is, That having theſe Promiſes, we ſhould cleanſe our ſelves from all filthineſs of fleſh and ſpirit;2 Cor. 7. 1. perfecting holineſs in the Fear of God:Luke, 1. 74. To ſerve Whom without fear, was a main End of Chriſt's Redemption.
3 Examples of Chriſtian Reſolution, Not to fear. Pſal. 23. 4, yea, though I walk through the valley of the ſhadow of death, I will fear none evil. Pſ. 27. 3, Tho' an hoſt encamp againſt me, my heart ſhall not fear. Iſa. 50. 7, Therefore (that is, Becauſe the Lord God had promiſed to help him; Therefore) have I ſet my face as a flint, and I know that I ſhall not be confounded. Pſ. 46. 2, We will not fear, tho' the Earth be Removed. Pſ. 56. 4, I will not fear what fleſh can do unto me. and Pſ. 49. 5. Wherefore ſhould I fear in the dayes of evill, when the iniquity of my heels ſhall compaſs me about? Theſe, if any thing, ſhould have put him in fear; but his Faith reſolves againſt it; according to Iſa. 12. 2, I will truſt, and not be afraid. i. e. He would not willingly admit the leaſt mixture of fear with his Faith; Neh. 8. 14.and good Reaſon for it, ſince the joy of the Lord was his ſtrength.
4. Inſtances of Thankfulneſs for deliverance from fears.
Pſal. 34. 3. O Magnifie the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together. (But, what's the occaſion of this joyfull triumph?) I ſought the Lord and He heard me, and [Delivered me from all my fears] v. 4. Pſal. 27. 6. Therefore will I offer in His Tabernacle Sacrifices of Joy; And the Reaſon of it was, That God would hide him in His own Pavillion, v. 5. That is, He would ſecure him from danger, and ſet him up above His Fears: Which ſurely, he could not, with any good Reaſon, have Rejoyced in; Nor have prayed, that God would Reſtore to him the joyes of His Salvation; if the Dread of Eternal fire, had been ſo good a friend to Perſeverance.
Scriptures to this purpoſe might be multiplied: But theſe (I hope) may have left the Objection without footing. But, beſides our Scripture-proof, It is evident in Experience; That nothing ſo Elevates the Spirit and Courage of a Man in great undertakings, as aſſurance of Succeſs: But, whiles he is wavering, and doubtfull How he ſhall ſpeed, eſpecially whiles he meditates Terrours, and of them the Dreadfulleſt; his hands are enfeebled, Nor he has not his Wits about him: That which tends (in truth) to make a Man Steadfaſt, Ʋnmoveable, and alwaies to abound in the work of the Lord; is not the fear of Miſcarrying, and loſing all at laſt; but, Faith and a certain knowledge, that his labour ſhall not be in vain in the Lord, 1. Cor. 15. 58.