Religion Our True Interest, Chapter 2 – Chapter 3
CHAP. II. Shewing the Character in general of the Godly, and what the Fear of God is.
1. HAving done with the frontispiece of the Text, I begin (1) with the Character in General of the Godly, they are Fearers of God, they that feared the Lord.
What Fear is meant here?Quest.
1. Negatively;Answ. It is not meant (1) of a natural Fear, which is a tremor or palpitation of Heart, occasioned by the approach of some imminent danger, *foreign. Arist. Rhet. lib. 2. c. 6.Eccles. 12.5. Fears shall be in the way.
2. It is not meant of a sinful Fear, which is twofold.
1. A Superstitious Fear: An Hare crossing the way, is by some more dreaded than an Harlot lying in the Bed.
2. A Carnal fear *Pessimus in dubijs timor augur.; this is the Ague of the Soul which sets it a shaking. He who is timorous will be treacherous; he will decoy his friend, and deny his God. Three times in one Chapter Christ cautions us against the fear of Men, Mat. 10. Vers. 26, 28, 31. Aristotle saith the reason why the Camelion turns into so many colours, is through excessive fear: Fear makes men change their Religion as the Camelion doth her Colours.
1. Carnal Fear is discruciating, 1 Ioh. 4.18. Fear hath torment in it; the Greek word for Torment, *foreign.is sommetimes put for Hell, Mat. 25.46. Fear hath Hell in it.
2. It is Pernitious. 1. It Indisposeth for Duty. The Disciples under the power of Fear, were fitter to Fly than to Pray, Mat. 26.56.
2. It puts men upon indirect means to Save themselves, Prov. 26.25. The Fear of man bringeth a Snare; what made Peter deny Christ, and Origen sprinkle incense before the Idol, but fear?
2. Positively; the Fear meant in the Text is a Divine Fear, which is the reverencing and adoring Gods Holiness, and setting our selves always under his Sacred inspection. The infinite distance between God and us causeth this Fear. When Gods Glory began to shine out upon the Mount, Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake, Heb. 12.21. Such as approach Gods presence with light feathery Hearts, and Worship him foreign in a rude careless manner, have none of this fear. In the words are two parts.
1. The Act, Fear.
2. The Object, the Lord.
They that feared the Lord: The fear of God is the Summe of all Religion, Eccles. 12.13. Fear is the leading Grace, the first seed God sows in the Heart. When a Christian can say little of Faith, and perhaps nothing of Assurance, yet he dares not deny but he fears God. *Nehem. 1.11.God is so Great that he is afraid of displeasing him, and so Good that he is afraid of losing him.
It is an indispensible Duty incumbent on Christians to be Fearers of God.Doct. Eccles. 5.7. Fear thou God. Deut. 28.58. That thou maist fear this Glorious and fearful name the Lord thy God. This goes to the very constituting of a Saint. One can no more act as a Christian without Fear, than he can act as a man without reason. This Holy Fear is the fixed temper and Complexion of the Soul; This Fear is not Servile but Filial; there is difference between Fearing God, and being afraid of God; the Godly fear God as a Child doth his Father, the wicked are afraid of God as the Prisoner is of the Judge. This divine Fear will appear admirable, if you consider how it is mixed and interwoven with several of the Graces.
1. The Fear of God is mixed with Love, Psal. 145.19, 20. The Chast Spouse fears to displease her Husband because she loves him: There's a necessity that fear and love should be in conjunction. Love is as the Sails to swiften the Souls motion, and Fear as the Ballast to keep it steady in Religion: Love will be apt to grow wanton unless it be poised with fear.
2. The Fear of God is mixed with Faith, Hebr. 11.7. By Faith Noah moved with fear, &c. When the Soul looks either to Gods Holiness, or it's own sinfulness, it fears, but it is a fear mixed with faith in Christs merits; the Soul doth tremble yet trust. Like a Ship which lies at Anchor, though it shakes with the wind, yet it is fixed at Anchor. God in Great wisdom coupleth these two graces of Faith and Fear. Fear preserves seriousness, faith preserves chearfulness. Fear is as Lead to the Net to keep a Christian from floating in presumption, and Faith is as Cork to the Net to keep him from sinking in despair.
3. The Fear of God is mixed with Prudence: he who fears God hath the Serpents eye in the Doves head. He foresees and avoids those Rocks which others run upon. Prov. 22.3. Though divine Fear doth not make a Person Cowardly, it makes him Cautions.
4. The Fear of God is mixed with Hope. Psalm 33.18. The eye of the Lord is on them that fear him, that hope in his mercy. One would think Fear should destroy Hope, but it cherisheth it. Fear is to Hope as the Oil to the Lamp, it keeps it burning: the more we fear Gods Justice, the more we may hope in his Mercy. Indeed such as have no Fear of God do sometimes hope, but it is not foreign, Good hope through Grace, 2 Thessa. 2.16. Sinners pretend to have the helmet of Hope, 1 Thes. 5.8. but want the breast-plate of Righteousness, Ephes. 6.14.
5. The Fear of God is mixed with Industry, Heb. 11.7. Noah moved with fear prepared an ark. There is 1. A fear of diffidence, which represents God as a severe Judge, this takes the Soul off from duty *Mat. 25.25.. 2. A fear of diligence; a Christian fears and prayes, fears and repents. Fear quickens Industry. The Spouse fearing lest the Bridegroom should come before she is dressed, hastens and puts on her Jewels, that she may be ready to meet him. Fear causeth a watchful eye, and a working hand. Fear banisheth sloth out of it's Diocese. The Greatest labour in Religion (saith Holy Fear) is far less than the least pain the damned feel in Hell: no Greater Spur in the Heavenly race than fear.
CHAP. III. Cogent Reasons enforcing the Fear of God.
THe Reasons enforcing this Holy Fear are, 1. Because Gods eye is alwayes upon us. He who is under the eye of his earthly Prince, will be carefull of doing any thing that should offend him. Iob 31.4. Doth not he see my wayes, and count all my Steps? God sees in the dark. Psalm 139.12. The darkness hideth not from thee. The night is no Curtain, the clouds are no Canopy to hinder or intercept Gods sight. He sees the Heart. A Judge can judge of the fact, but God judgeth of the Heart. Ier. 17.10. He is like Ezekiels wheels, full of eyes, Ezek. 10.12. and as Cyril saith, foreign, all Eye. Should not this make us walk with fear and circumspection? we cannot sin but our Judge looks on.
2. God interprets our not fearing him a slighting of him. As not to praise God, is to wrong him; so not to fear God, is to sleight him. Of all things a person can least endure to be sleighted. Psalm 10.13. Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God *foreign. Arist. rhet.? For a worm to sleight it's Maker causeth the fury to rise up in Gods face. Ezek. 38.18.
3. God hath power to destroy us. Mat. 10.28. Fear him who hath power to destroy both Soul and Body in Hell. God can look us into our Grave, and with a breath blow us into Hell, and shall we not fear him? Is it easie to wrestle with flames? Psalm 90.11. Who knoweth the Power of his anger? What engines or buckets can quench the infernal fire? We are apt to fear men who have power in their hand to hurt us; what is their power to Gods? They threaten a Prison, God threatens Hell. They threaten our Life, God threatens our Soul, and shall we not tremble before him *In gehenna nec qui torquet fatigatur … nec qui torquetur moritur. Bern. flor.? O dreadful, when the great Fountains of Gods wrath shall be broken up, and all his Bitter Vials poured out! Ezek. 22.14. Can thy heart endure, or can thy hands be strong in the day that I shall deal with thee?
But are not we bid to serve God without Fear?Object. Luke 1.74.
We must not Fear God with such a fear as the wicked do;Answ. they fear him as a Turkish Slave doth his Pateroon; they fear him so as they hate him and wish there were no God *Quem metuunt oderunt.. We must not serve God with this hellish fear, but we must serve him with an ingenuous fear sweetned with love.