Of Domestical Duties, Treatise 1 · Section 4
§. 4. Of the feare of God.
Hitherto of the exhortation. The direction followeth. In the feare of the Lord. This clauſe is added, to declare partly the meanes, how men may be brought to ſubmit themſelues readily one to another: and partly the manner, how they ought to ſubmit themſelues. The feare of the Lord is both the efficient cauſe that moueth a true Chriſtian willingly to performe all dutie to man, and alſo the end whereunto he referreth eueryevery thing that he doth. For the better conceiuing whereof, I will briefly declare
1. What this feare of the Lord is.
2. How the Lord is the proper obiect of it.
3. What is the extent thereof.
4. Why it is ſo much vrged.
First, feare of God is an awfull reſpect of the diuine Maieſtie. 1. What the feare of God is. The cauſes of it.Sometimes it ariſeth from faith in the mercy and goodneſſe of God: for when the heart of man hath once felt a ſweet taſte of Gods goodneſſe, and found that in his fauour only all happineſſe conſiſteth, it is ſtrucken with ſuch an inward awe and reuerence, as it would not for any thing diſpleaſe Two effects of a filiall feare of God.his Maieſtie, but rather doe whatſoeuer it may know to be pleaſing and acceptable vntounto him. For theſe are two effects which ariſe from this kinde of feare of God:
1. A carefull endeuour to pleaſe God, in which reſpect Deum timere eſt nulla mala facere, & nulla bona quae faci enda ſunt praete rire. Bernar. de modo benè viuen. ſer. 4.good king Iehoſaphat hauing exhorted his Iudges to execute the iudgement of the Lord aright, addeth this clauſe as a motiue thereunto, Let the feare of the Lord be vponupon you: implying thereby that Gods feare would make them endeuour to approue themſelues to God.
2. A carefull auoiding of ſuch things as offend the Maieſty of God, and grieue his ſpirit: in which reſpect the Wiſeman 2 Chro. 19. 6, 7.ſaith, The feare of the Lord is to hate euill: and of Iob it is Prou. 8. 13.ſaid that he fearing God departed from euill.Job. 1. 1.
Sometimes againe, awe and dread of the diuine Maieſtie ariſeth from diffidence: For when a mans heart doubteth of Gods mercy, and expecteth nothing but vengeance, the very thought of God ſtriketh an awe or rather dread into him, and ſo maketh him feare God.
From this double cauſe of feare, whereof one is contrary Difference betwixt filiall and ſeruile feare.to another, hath ariſen that vſuall diſtinction of a filiall or ſonne-like feare, and a ſeruile or ſlauiſh feare: which diſtinction is grounded on theſe words of the Apoſtle, ye hauehave not receiued the ſpirit of bondage againe to feare (this is Bernard. loc. citat.a ſeruile feare) but ye hauehave receiued the ſpirit of adoption Rom. 8. 15.whereby we cry, Abba, father: this cauſeth a filiall feare. The filiall feare is ſuch a feare as dutifull children beare to their fathers. But the ſeruile feare is ſuch an one as bondſlaues beare to their maſters. A ſonne feareth ſimply to offend or diſpleaſe his father: ſo as *Eſt timor ne amittatur gratia beneficij. Hic timor caſt us eſt, non eum charitas eijcit, ſed aſciſcit. Auguſt. epiſt. 120.it is accompanied with louelove. A bondſlaue feareth nothing but the puniſhment of his offence; ſo as it is ioyned with hatred: and ſuch an one feareth not to ſinne, but to burne in hell for ſinne. Faithfull Abraham like a gratious childe feared God (as Gods Angell beareth witneſſe, Gen. 22. 12.) when he was ready rather to ſacrifice his only ſonne, then offend God by refuſing to Qui gehennas metuit, non peccare metuit ſed ardere. Aug. epiſt. 144.obey his commandement. But faithleſſe Adam like a ſeruile bondſlaue feared God (as he himſelfe teſtifieth againſt himſelfe Gen. 3 10.) when after he had broken Gods commandement, he hid himſelfe from the preſence of God. This ſlauiſh feare is a plaine diabolicall feare (for the deuils Jam. 2. 19.ſo feare as they tremble:) It maketh men wiſh there were no hell, no day of Iudgement, no Iudge, yea no God. This is that feare without which we muſt ſerue the Lord. In this Luke 1. 74.feare to ſubmit ones ſelfe is nothing acceptable to God: It is therefore the filiall feare which is here meant.
Secondly, of this feare God is the proper obiect, as by 2. How God is the proper obiect of feare.this and many more teſtimonies of Scripture is euident, where the feare of God and of the Lord is mentioned. This feare hath ſo proper a relation vntounto God, as the Scripture ſtileth God by a kinde of proprietie, with this title Feare: for where Iaakob mentioneth the feare of Iſaak, he meaneth Gen. 31. 42, 53.the Lord whom Iſaak feared.
It is then vnlawfull to feare any but God?Quest.
No: Men alſo may be feared, as Princes, Parents, Maſters, Ans. How men are to be feared.and other ſuperiours; For the Apoſtle exhorting to giuegive eueryevery one their due, giueth this inſtance, feare, Rom. 13. 7.to whom feare is due. But yet may God notwithſtanding be ſaid to be the proper obiect of feare, becauſe all the feare that any way is due to any creature, is due to him in and for the Lord whoſe image he carrieth: ſo as in truth it is not ſo much the perſon of a man, as the image of God placed in him, by vertue of ſome authoritie or dignitie appertaining to him, which is to be feared. If there ſhould fall out any ſuch oppoſition betwixt God and man, as in fearing man our feare would be withdrawne from God, then the rule of Chriſt is to take place, which is this, feare not them which Matth. 10. 28.kill the body, but are not able to kill the ſoule: but rather feare him which is able to deſtroy both ſoule and body in hell.
Thirdly, the extent of this true filiall feare of God is 3. EueryEvery dutie to be ſeaſoned with a feare of God.very large. No one point throughout the whole Scripture is more vrged than this feare of the Lord. It is oft added to other duties, as that whereby they are ſeaſoned, and without which they cannot well be performed: wherefore we are commanded to ſerue the Lord in feare, to perfect holineſſe Pſal. 2. 11.in the feare of God, to worke out our ſaluation with feare: and 2 Cor. 7. 1.the Churches are commended for walking in the feare of the Phil. 2. 12.Acts 9. 31.Lord: ſo likewiſe particular men as aa Gen. 22. 12.Abram, bb & 42. 18.Ioſeph, cc Iob 1. 1.Iob, and many other: yea the whole worſhip of God is oft compriſed vnderunder this branch of feare: whereupon our Sauiour Chriſt alleaging this text, thou ſhalt feare the Lord thy God, Deut. 6. 13.thus expreſſeth it, thou ſhalt worſhip the Lord thy God. And Matth. 4. 10.againe where the Lord by his Prophet Iſay ſaith, Their feare Iſa. 29. 13.toward me is taught by the precept of men, Chriſt thus quoteth that text, In vaine doe they worſhip me, teaching for doctrines Matth. 15. 9.the commandements of men: out of which places compared together, it is euident, that vnderunder the feare of God, is compriſed the worſhip of God. Yea, all that dutie which we owe to God and man is compriſed vnderunder this title, the feare of God: for Dauid when he would in one word declare the ſumme and ſubſtance of all that which a Miniſter ought to teach his people, ſaith, I will teach you the feare of Pſal. 34. 11.the Lord.4. Why a feare of God is ſo much vrged.
Fourthly, The reaſon why the Holy Ghoſt ſo much vrgeth the feare of God, and that in ſo large an extent as hath beene ſhewed, I take to be this; to ſhew a difference betwixt that integritie and perfection of Gods image which was at mans creation firſt planted in him, and the renouation thereof while here he liueth in this world. So compleat and perfect was then Gods image in man, as he needed no other motiue to prouoke him to any dutie but louelove. Wherefore when the Holy Ghoſt would ſet forth that perfection of Gods image firſt planted in man, he addeth this title LoueLove vntounto other duties, whether they concerne God or man. Concerning God, Moſes exhorteth Iſrael to louelove the Deut. 11. 13.Lord and ſerue him: and againe, to louelove the Lord, to walke in Deut. 30. 16.his waies, to keepe his commandements, &c. Concerning man, the Apoſtle exhorteth to ſerue one another by louelove: and to doe Gal. 5. 13.all things in louelove. Yea, ſometimes the Holy Ghoſt is pleaſed 1 Cor. 16. 14.to compriſe all duties vnderunder louelove: In which reſpect Chriſt calleth this commandement (Thou ſhalt louelove the Lord) the Matth. 22. 38.great commandement, which compriſeth all the commandements of the firſt table vnderunder it: and for the ſecond table, S. Paul ſaith, that louelove is the fulfilling of the law. But by Adams Rom. 13. 10.fall, and the corruption which thereby infected mans nature, the louelove of God hath waxed cold in man, and though the Saints be created againe according to that image of God, yet while in this world they liue, that image is not ſo perfect as it was, the fleſh remaineth in the beſt: in which reſpect God hath faſt fixed this affection of feare in mans heart, and thereby both reſtraineth him from ſinne, and alſo prouoketh him vntounto eueryevery good dutie.