The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, Treatise 2 · Chapter 55
CHAP. LV. A Caſe, How boldneſſe and holy fear may bee joyned in prayer? This boldneſſe and fear, wherein each of them conſiſts, explained.
Queſt. BUt I may poſſibly be too bold, and I hear the Saints of God in Scripture deſcribed by a trembling, fearful frame of ſpirit▪ in the preſence of God. How may I bring both theſe together; this boldneſs and that fear.
Anſ. To anſwer this, I will ſhew you
Firſt. Wherein the boldneſſe that becomes a Saint in the preſence of God, conſiſts; and ſo how far I may be bold.
2 And then, What this fear and trembling is, that ſhould be joyned with it?
3 That and how theſe may be joyned.
1. Boldneſſe.(1) A Saints boldneſſe before God conſiſts in
1 The liberty of the exerciſe of prayer it ſelf; that a Saint may at any time, in any place, upon any occaſion addreſſe himſelf to God, and expect viſits from him. A man is bold with a friend to whom he is admitted at any hour, whom he viſits perpetually, and is viſited by him without any exception of times, or obſervance of ſeaſons; which yet were proper for a ſtranger. O the invitations and entertainments that an holy ſoul gives God, and God gives to it back again! Come my people (ſaith God) enter into thy chambers, Iſai.&c. and hide thee. I have gathered my mirrhe with my ſpice, &c. Eat O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O my Beloved. Cant. 5. 1. And (on the Churches part) O when wilt thou come to me! Pſal. 101. 2. Why ſtandeſt thou afar off, O Lord? Pſalm 10. 1. &c. When I awake, I am ſtill with thee, Pſal. 139. 8.
2. In the matter of prayer: wherein,
1) A ſoul communicates to God all its counſel; and ſo layes all its burthens upon the Lord, as we uſe to do upon a friend, that we may make moſt bold withal; yea, even thoſe things that he would be aſhamed, and afraid to utter to the moſt familiar friend in the world, 1 Pet 5. 7. Caſting all his care upon the Lord; and that confidently, tumbling Cum pondere curarum noſtrarum non debemus diu luctari, ſed ſtatim eo nos levare, & in Dominum illud conjicere in Gerh. 1 Pet. 5. 7.it upon him, [foreign,] and that by and by; as ſoon as it troubles a Saint, he heaves it off preſently from his own ſhoulders upon Gods. So Hezekiah ſpreads Rabſhakehs paper before the Lord, Iſai. 37. 14.
2) A ſoul begs of God any thing he wants. A man makes bold with a friend, when hee fetcheth every thing he wants from him, comes now for money, anon for rayment, another time for food and other neceſſaries, and all that his friend hath he makes bold to ask for, and hath it for asking: and Chriſt emboldens us to this, Joh. 15. 7. Ask what you will, and it ſhall be done to you; that is, whatever is in Gods power to give, whatever hee hath not bound himſelf from bestowing, whatever may be for his true glory, and our true good. God ſaith as one friend doth to another, If any thing I have wil do you a pleaſure, make bold to ask it, and it is at your ſervice. As we ſay to a welcome Ghoſt; Sir, Make as bold in my houſe as if you were at home. So ſaith God, Soul, make as bold in heaven, my houſe, as in thine own, nothing ſhall be denyed thee that heaven will yeild. I have read, that Luther made bold upon this encouragement, Domine (ſaid he) fiat voluntas mea. Lord, let my will be done. A bold ſpeech, but (in a clear caſe, falling under a plain Promiſe) implying a clear truth. A Saint may expect the performance of his own will when his will is Gods will. Both theſe are in one verſe of David, Pſal. 38. 9. Lord, all my deſire is before thee, and my groaning is not hid from thee. Thou knoweſt my ſecrets and my wants.
3 In the manner of prayer.
1 A Saint may ſpeak to God in downright plain language, as to a friend. A man need not study complements when he deales with ſuch an one: If he were to deal with an earthly great man, (eſpecially to whom he is a ſtranger) he muſt place every word in order, and ſcare dare utter any thing but in Court language. God looks not after fine expreſſions, but warm affections.
2 God accepts of imperfect and broken expreſſions, when we can ſpeak no better; liſpings and stutterings of children are welcome to a Father, when (through infirmity) the child is able to ſpeak no better. Davids groaning, Pſal. 38. 9. Hezekiahs chattering, Iſai. 38. 14.
3 A Saint may uſe fervency, urgency, and importunity of petitions. So Jacob, Lord, I wil not let thee go, except thou bleſſe me Gen. 32. 26. As a man who may be bold with his friend, takes him by the coat when he is departing, & holds him faſt, and tells him in a way of familiar power and juriſdiction, (as it were) Sir, you ſhall not go hence to night, &c. So in the caſe of Moſes, God is fain, as a friend detained by ſuch an importunate inviter, (as is before mentioned) to intreat Moſes to let him go, Exod. 32. 10. This is expreſt by our Savior by an elegant ſimilitude, Luke 11. 5, 6, 7. 8. of one friends importunity with another at midnight, an unſeaſonable hour, and when the friend is in bed at reſt, &c. So the Saints uſe to knock, and if knocks will not make God hear, they call, Where is the God of Eliah? 2 Kings 2. 14. if God ſeem to ſleep, they awaken him, Pſal. 44. 23. Give the Lord no rest, Iſai. 62. 7.
4 A Saint may have confidence of audience and acceptance. Hebr. 10. 22. Let us draw nigh, foreign, in full Aſſurance of faith.
(1 This appears in the Saints beſetting of God with promiſes, that God cannot any way get off, if he would ſeem to deny them. See in David abundant proof of this. Pſalm 119. 25 Quicken me. ver. 28 Strengthen me. ver. 58. Be merciful to me. ver. 65. Let it be well with me: ver. 76 Let thy kindneſſe be for my comfort: ver. 116. Ʋphold me: ver. 169 Give me understanding; (and all) according to thy Word.
(2 In their challenges of Gods Juſtice, Truth and faithfulneſſe, and all his Attributes to make them good. So David, Pſal. 31. 1. Deliver me in thy righteouſneſſe. And Pſalm 35. 24. Judge me according to thy righteouſneſs. Pſalm 119. 40 Quicken me according to thy righteouſneſſe, Pſ. 143. 1. In thy faithfulneſſe anſwer me, and in thy righteouſneſſe.
So Abraham appeales to Gods justice: Shall not the Judge of all the World do right? Gen. 18. 25.
And they preſſe ſometimes upon the very glory of God, and challenge their petitions upon the forfeiture of his glory, Joſh. 5. 7. What wilt thou do for thy great name?
2. Fear.(2) A Saints fear of God in prayer, conſiſts,
1. In that conſcience of Duty that brings him into the preſence of God, if there were nothing elſe to move him thereunto; though he had no need, though there were no threatnings to the neglect of it, no promiſes to the performance of it, yet becauſe God requires it, he dares not neglect it. This is that fear that God requires as a maſter, of all his people as ſervants. Now we muſt know that all fear of God as a maſter, that is, all obedience out of conſcience of duty, is not ſervile fear; but then 'tis ſervile, when it is not ſo much out of conſcience of duty, as out of conſcience of wrath or puniſhment upon neglect. A child is a Fathers ſervant, and obeyes him as ſuch; yet obeys not ſervilely. Therefore God calls for this fear, upon this account. If I be a maſter, where is my fear? that is, dutifull obedience to my commands? Mal. 1. 6.
2. In the matter of our performances, it is a diligent care of what we offer to God, keeping the ſoul from offering ſtange fire, bounding a mans deſires with the will of God. A fear, leſt any thing ſhould ſlip from a mans mouth or heart, that is diſpleaſing to God. As a child, though he may make bold with his Father, yet is carefull not to aske any thing of his Father, that he knows will diſpleaſe him: ſo in this, a Saint takes care that all his petitions be warranted by a rule, and encouraged by a promiſe, and beyond theſe he dares not wiſh, much leſſe, come into the preſence of God to aske any thing. He dares not tempt God, by depending on him for, or deſiring at his hands what his word doth not warrant.
But it is not ſuch a fear as diſcourageth the ſoul in asking ſuch things as a man hath warrant to deſire. So farre as the promiſe goes, a ſoul dares ask, elſe 'tis not a childlike, but a childiſh fear; not the fear of a Courtier, but the fear of a clown.
3. In the manner of performing ſuch duties: it is a deportment of the ſoul with that reverence as becomes the greatneſſe and glory of God compared with our own baſeneſſe, and unworthineſſe and jealouſie of our own hearts, lest we ſhould do any thing unbeſeeming ſuch a God or ſuch a duty.
1. No ſoul hath more reverend and high thoughts of God, then ſuch a ſoul as hath moſt right to holy confidence in his preſence. The more acquaintance with God, the more of this fear. None waits upon a Prince with more reverence and obſervance, then the greateſt favourites, the ordinary and ſtanding Courtiers: A man that comes out of the Country, and is not acquainted with Majeſty, and State, is not ſo obſervant of every punctilio of ceremony, as thoſe that are perpetually about the Prince. This it is, that David ſpeaks of (Pſ. 89. 7.) God is greatly to be feared in the Aſſembly of the Saints, and to be had in reverence of all that are round about him. Gods greateſt Courtiers, are moſt obſervant of him. The more we converſe with God, the more wee know what becomes his glory, and majeſty; and all irreverence proceeds from ignorance, and ignorance from want of converſe with God. A country man reverences a Prince, no otherwiſe then he doth his landlord, becauſe he is not converſant in the Court, and obſerves not the ſtate, and ceremony, kept and uſed there. The Seraphims that are the conſtant Courtiers of heaven, they cover their faces with a fear of awe and reverence, Iſai. 6. 2.
2. None is more watchfull over his own heart in the manner of a performance, then a Saint, that hath moſt grounds of boldneſſe and confidence in the preſence of God. He dares not run raſhly into Gods preſence, and if but a low, mean thought of God ariſe, how doth his heart riſe againſt it? If but a ſtragling thought carry him off from his buſineſſe, how doth he ſend out poſt after it, and call it in again? This is a fear of jealouſie, This is called watching to prayer (of which above,) Carnis enim ingenium eſt, ut exultando diſſolvatur, Muſc. in Pſ. 2.and watchfulneſſe proceeds from a fear of warineſſe, though not from fear of dastardlineſſe. Thus you ſee what fear a Saint is bound to bring to God in every performance.
A dutifull fear,
A carefull fear,
A reverend fear,
A jealous fear.
3. Mixed.That, and how, both theſe will stand together, we ſhall ſhew in the next place, in a word. For I have in a ſort prevented my ſelfe herein already. Only,
1. That it is ſo, ſee one or two places for it, Pſal. 2. 11. Even in thoſe ſervices that require higheſt expreſſions of joy; rejoyce before him (ſaith the Pſalmiſt) with trembling. A more remarkable place is that, Pſal. 147. 11. The Lord taketh pleaſure in them that fear him, in them that hope in his mercy. Hope (which in the old Teſtament is often taken for, and always implies faith) is here joyned with feare: one would think, doubting, and fear, might have been better matched: but ſee, God joyns hope or faith, (the mother of boldneſſe) and fear together So Pſalm 5. 7.
2. Concerning the manner how theſe are conjoyned; it is,
1. By a joynt premeditation, and collation, of
1. Gods greatneſſe and goodneſſe; majeſty and mercy.
2. Our own meanneſſe, with our great relations.
3. Our own unworthineſſe and Chriſts worthineſſe.
4. Our own inabilty, and the Spirits ſupplies.
Theſe, as they joyntly affect our hearts in meditation, ſo they leave ſutable joynt-impreſſions in prayer.
2. By a diligent obſervance of our ſpirits in the extravagancies of them both wayes in duty, and checking them with contrary meditations: as when we find a petulant wantonneſſe of ſpirit, apt to break out, whereby we are endangered to make too bold with God; a Saint may correct that with apprehenſions of Gods majesty, Iſai. 6. 6. If careleſſeneſſe and ſlightneſſe of ſpirit, a Saint quickens it, with thoughts of Gods holineſſe, and glory, ſuch as Mal. 1. 8. and that of David, 2 Sam. 24. 24.
So on the other ſide, if childiſh baſhfulneſſe, come in in ſtead of childlike reverence, or ſervile fear in ſtead of filial awfulneſſe, he conſiders Gods mercy, bounty, truth, Christs merits, and mediation, his own relations through him, &c. And ſo balanceth that ſcale when it weighs too low. Such counter conſiderations as theſe the ſoul hath at hand, to balaſt it ſelfe even in all the parts of Duty. And this ſhall ſuffice for the clearing of theſe caſes.