The Portraiture of the Image of God in Man, Part 2 · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. Of Feare.
FEare, is a diſtreſſe and griefe of the ſovle, troubled by the imagination of ſome approaching evill: wherewith a man is threatned without any appearance to bee able to avoyd it eaſily. It is called an approaching evill, for when it is preſent, it is no more feare but heavineſſe.Timor vel eſt naturalis, humanus, mundanus, ſervilis, initialis vel filialis.
There be ſixe ſorts of feare: firſt, naturall, whereby every thing ſhunnes the deſtruction of it ſelfe; this is in a beaſt.
Secondly, humane, which ariſeth of too much a deſire to this life; Iob 1. Skin for skin and all that a man hath, will he give for his life.
Third, is worldly, when a man is affraid for the loſſe of his goods, credit, or ſuch, Ioh. 12. Many of the rulers beleeved in him, but for feare of the Phariſees they did not confeſſe him, for they loved more the glory of men, than the glory of God; and Iohn ſaith, Revel. 21. the fearefull ſhall be caſt out of the holy City, that is, ſuch fearefull as feare more the loſſe of temporary things, than the loſſe of Gods favour.
Fourth, ſervile, to avoid the puniſhment of ſinne, yet they retaine ſtill the love and liking of ſinne; it is called ſervile feare becauſe as the ſervant or hireling workes not for love of his maſter, but onelyonly for feare of puniſhment; ſo the wicked feare God for feare of puniſhment, but not to love him. This ſervile feare is called Eſaus feare. So it is called an adulterous feare, becauſe, as the adulterous woman is afraid of her husband onelyonly for feare of puniſhment; ſo a man in whom there is ſervile feare, hee feareth God onelyonly for puniſhment.
Fift, initiall, that maketh a man caſt from him the deſire of ſinning by reaſon of the love of God which he hath partly attained unto, and out of the conſideration of the woefull conſequents of ſinne; with the right eye it beholds God, and with the left eye it beholds the puniſhment, & as the needle draweth in the threed after it, ſo this feare draweth in charity, and maketh a way for filiall feare, and it is a mids betwixt ſervile and filial feare: but it is not ſuch a mids as theſe meanes that mediate betwixt thoſe that are of the ſame kinde, as the middle coulours are betwixt white and blacke, but as that which is imperfect, is a mids betwixt that which is perfect and that which is not.
Sixt, filiall feare, called timor caſtus, as the good wife feareth her husband onelyonly out of love and not for feare ſo doth the childe of God. This feare is called Iſaacks feare: Theſe make the feare of the Lord their treaſure, Eſay. 36.6. Theſe ſorts of feares, may be taken up after this ſort, Some ſort of feare is, from the ſpirit and with the ſpirit; as initiall and filiall feare are both from the ſpirit of ſanctification, and with the ſpirit of ſanctification: ſome feare is, from the ſpirit, but not with the ſpirit; as ſervile feare, Ioſ. 24. I will ſend my feare before you. Gods ſpirit workes this in men: but the ſpirit of ſanctification is not joyned with it: as the morning is from the Sunne, and yet not with the Sunne. Againe, ſome feare is, with the ſpirit, and not from the ſpirit; as naturall feare in man, for the preſervation of himſelfe: this feare is not from the ſpirit of God, and yet it is found. with the Spirit of ſanctification, as in the children of God. Some feare is, neither from the Spirit, nor with the ſpirit, as, humane and worldly feare.
Filial feare excludes ſervile feare, 1 Ioh. 4.18. perfect louelove thruſts out feare. Filial feare reſpects firſt ſin and offence of God, and in the ſecond roome the puniſhment: but ſervile feare reſpects onelyonly the puniſhment: Duplex malum paena & culpa.the one of them are the children of the free-woman, the other are but Hagars brats, Gal. 4.24. Conſeq.
Filiall feare and ſervile differ altogether: therefore the Schoolemen are miſtaken, diſtinguiſhing more ſubtilly than truly betwixt attrition and contrition they call attrition an imperfect humiliation, as Iudas repentance; they call contrition a perfect humiliation, as Peters repentance: and they hold that in mans converſion it is the ſame feare which remaines ſtill, that he had before hee was converted, and it remaines in ſubſtance (ſay they) the ſame feare, and is changed onelyonly in act, becauſe it feares not as it did before, the puniſhment onelyonly: and theſe two differ (ſay they) ſecundum ſtatum, onelyonly, as that which is imperfect from that which is perfect as a boy differeth from a man. But no feare which is ſervile feare can ever become a good feare Rom. 8. We have not received the ſpirit of feare to bondage, but of freedome: it muſt be a new ſort of feare then different from this ſervile feare, which makes the Children of God ſtand in awe to offend him.
Man in his firſt eſtate, A collation betwixt the innocent, ſecond, old and renued Adam.had not mundane feare, nor ſervile feare, he did nothing for feare of puniſhment but of love: he had not initiall feare in him, becauſe that implies an imperfection; hee had not naturall feare in him actually becauſe there was nothing to hurt him: he had onelyonly that filiall feare, that reverence of God, not to offend him. The ſecond Adam the Lord Ieſus Chriſt, he had neither worldly, ſervile nor initiall feare, but he had naturall and filial feare, he had natural feare actually (which the firſt Adam had not) declining the hurtfull object which he ſaw before him.
The regenerate have not ſervile feare, or mundane feare: but naturall, initiall, and filiall feare. Man in his corrupt eſtate, hath neither initiall nor filiall feare, but naturall, humane, worldly and ſervile feare.
In the life to come, A collation betwixt the glorified, renued and old Adam. Duplex timor filialis, evitare malum, & facere bonum.naturall feare, humane feare worldly, ſervile and initiall feare ſhall ceaſe; and only filiall feare ſhall remaine. Filiall feare in this life doth two things, firſt it eſcheweth evill for feare of offending God, and feare of being ſeparate from him, which ſhall not remaine in the life to come, for then the Saints ſhal be ſo confirmed that they cannot ſin. The ſecond part of filiall feare is to reverence God as our chiefe happineſſe, and that ſhall remaine in the life to come, there ſhall be neither evill of puniſhment, nor evill of ſinne; there ſhall be no evill of ſinne there; therefore that part of filiall feare ſhall ceaſe: neither ſhall there bee any feare of puniſhment there, but to reverence God as our chiefe happineſſe: Perficietur in patria, non abolebitur; non minuitur ſed augetur reverentia timoris illis: this feare ſhall be perfected in the life to come, but not aboliſhed; this feare of reverence ſhall not bee diminiſhed but augmented to the bleſſed. But filiall feare in the children of God here makes them to eſchew evill both for offending of God, and for feare of being ſeparate from him. But the unregenerate onelyonly for feare of puniſhment, feare him.
The remedies to cure this paſsion.
That we may cure the ſinfull paſſion of feare; Firſt, many times we feare that which is not evill, but onelyonly which hath a ſhew of evill, Pſal. 14.5. They feared where there was no cauſe of feare: ſaepius opinione laboramus, quam re; We are more troubled oftentimes with the conceit of a thing, than with the thing it ſelfe: If the thing bee evill which we feare, yet it is not ſo great an evill as we take it to be, or perhaps that which we feare will not fall out; or if it fall out, we ſhall not be diſturbed with it, before it fall out. The evill which thou feareſt is either imaginary, momentany, Timor vel mali eſt, imaginarius, momentaneus, contingens, vel indeterminatus.contingent or uncertaine, whether it will fall out or not: Seneca ſaith, Ne ſis miſer ante tempus, quaedam nos magis torquent, quam debeant; quaedam ante torquent, quam debeant; quaedem terquent, cum omnino non debeant: that is, Bee not too miſerable before hand: ſome things trouble us more than they ought to doe, ſome things trouble us before they ought; and ſome things trouble us, which ought not at all: rebus eſt demenda perſona; pull the maske off things, and then we ſhall not be ſo affraid of them.
2 Let the feare of the Lord poſſeſſe thy heart, and then all other feares will be caſt out: when the dictator ruled in Rome, then all other officers ceaſed; ſo when this true feare of God poſſeſſeth the heart, then it will baniſh all other feare.
3 There are ſome, that feare neither God nor man, as the unjuſt Iudge, Luk. 18.2. theſe are worſe than the devill; for, he feares and trembles, Iam. 2.19. There are ſome that feare both God and man; there are ſome who feare God and not man: and there are ſome, who feare man, and not God. The remedy to feare God, and to bee free of ſervile feare, is firſt, to looke upon Gods louelove, and then to his juſtice, this will breed filiall feare, in thee: but if thou looke firſt upon his juſtice, and then upon his love, that breeds but ſervile feare: if thou looke firſt upon man, and then upon God, that wil breed onelyonly but a humane and worldly feare; if thou look firſt upon God and then upon man, this will breed filiall feare.
4 The greateſt ſervile feare is, ſuperſtitious feare, therefore idols are called terriculamenta, Eſay. 45.16. all other priſoners ſleepe in their fetters in the night, but theſe ſuperſtitious wretches, are affrighted in their ſleepe, and ſleepe not ſoundly: they may be compared to little children, who firſt blacke the faces of their fellowes, and then are afraid of them: ſo they firſt ſet up theſe images, and then ſuperſtitiouſly worſhipping them, are afraid of them: but the true remedie to cure this ſuperſtitious feare is, to learne in ſpirit and truth to worſhip the Lord, Ioh. 4.
5 The life is taken three manner of wayes in the Scriptures: Triplex vira in homine phyſica politica, & theologica.1 naturally, 2 politically, and 3 theologically. Naturally, when the ſoule and the body are joyned, and the ſoule quickens it. Politically Eccleſ. 6.8. what hath the poore that knoweth to walke before the living; the poor are as it were dead in reſpect of the rich who have the comfortable meanes to make them live well. Theologically, the juſt live by faith, Habac. 2.4. ſo Rom. 7.8. and the commandement which was ordained to life; feare him leaſt who can but take thy politicke life from thee, (thy goods:) feare him but in the ſecond degree who can take thy naturall life from thee: but feare him moſt of all who can take thy ſpirituall life from thee, this is to kill the ſoule.
Of the paſsion of Boldneſſe contrary to feare.
Boldneſſe, is a paſsion of the ſoule, which fortifieth it againſt greateſt miſeries, hardeſt to be avoided, and incourageth it to purſue good things which are moſt painefull to obtaine. This paſſion is for the moſt part joyned with temeritie or raſhneſſe. When the ſaints of God ſtand forth for the defence of his Church or Gods glory: it is not boldneſſe, but courage or fortitude.