fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death” (Prov 14:27). It
is a fountain, or spring, which so continually supplieth the soul with
variety of considerations of sin, of God, of death, and life eternal,
as to keep the soul in continual exercise of virtue and in holy
contemplation. It is a fountain of life; every operation thereof, every
act and exercise thereof, hath a true and natural tendency to spiritual
and eternal felicity. Wherefore the wise man saith in another place,
“The fear of the Lord tendeth to life, and he that hath it shall abide
satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil” (Prov 19:23). It tendeth
to life; even as of nature, everything hath a tendency to that which is
most natural to itself; the fire to burn, the water to wet, the stone
to fall, the sun to shine, sin to defile, &c. Thus I say, the fear of
the Lord tendeth to life; the nature of it is to put the soul upon
fearing of God, of closing with Christ, and of walking humbly before
him. “It is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.”
What are the snares of death, but sin, the wiles of the devil, &c. From
which the fear of God hath a natural tendency to deliver thee, and to
keep thee in the way that tendeth to life.
5. This fear of the Lord, it is called “the instruction of wisdom”
(Prov 15:33). You heard before that it is the beginning of wisdom, but
here you find it called the instruction of wisdom; for indeed it is not
only that which makes a man begin to be wise, but to improve, and make
advantage of all those helps and means to life, which God hath afforded
to that end; that is, both to his own, and his neighbour’s salvation
also. It is the instruction of wisdom; it will make a man capable to
use all his natural parts, all his natural wisdom to God’s glory, and
his own good. There lieth, even in many natural things, that, into
which if we were instructed, would yield us a great deal of help to the
understanding of spiritual matters; “For in wisdom has God made all the
world”; nor is there anything that God has made, whether in heaven
above, or on earth beneath, but there is couched some spiritual mystery
in it. The which men matter no more than they do the ground they tread
on, or than the stones that are under their feet, and all because they
have not this fear of the Lord; for had they that, that would teach
them to think, even from that knowledge of God, that hath by the fear
of him put into their hearts, that he being so great and so good, there
must needs be abundance of wisdom in the things he hath made: that fear
would also endeavour to find out what that wisdom is; yea, and give to
the soul the instruction of it. In that it is called the instruction of
wisdom, it intimates to us that its tendency is to keep all even, and
in good order in the soul. When Job perceived that his friends did not
deal with him in an even spirit and orderly manner, he said that they
forsook “the fear of the Almighty” (Job 6:14). For this fear keeps a
man even in his words and judgment of things. It may be compared to the
ballast of the ship, and to the poise of the balance of the scales; it
keeps all even, and also makes us steer our course right with respect
to the things that pertain to God and man.
What this fear of God flows from.
SECOND. I come now to the second thing, to wit, to show you what this
fear of God flows from.
First. This fear, this grace of fear, this son-like fear of God, it
flows from the distinguishing love of God to his elect. “I will be
their God,” saith he, “and I will put my fear in their hearts.” None
other obtain it but those that are enclosed and bound up in that
bundle. Therefore they, in the same place, are said to be those that
are wrapt up in the eternal or everlasting covenant of God, and so
designed to be the people that should be blessed with this fear. “I
will make an everlasting covenant with them” saith God, “that I will
not turn away from them to do them good, but I will put my fear in
their hearts, that they shall not depart from me” (Jer 32:38-40). This
covenant declares unto men that God hath, in his heart, distinguishing
love for some of the children of men; for he saith he will be their
God, that he will not leave them, nor yet suffer them to depart, to
wit, finally, from him. Into these men’s hearts he doth put his fear,
this blessed grace, and this rare and effectual sign of his love, and
of their eternal salvation.
Second. This fear flows from a new heart. This fear is not in men by
nature; the fear of devils they may have, as also an ungodly fear of
God; but this fear is not in any but where there dwelleth a new heart,
another fruit and effect of this everlasting covenant, and of this
distinguishing love of God. “A new heart also will I give them”; a new
heart, what a one is that? why, the same prophet saith in another
place, “A heart to fear me,” a circumcised one, a sanctified one (Jer
32:39; Eze 11:19, 36:26). So then, until a man receive a heart from
God, a heart from heaven, a new heart, he has not this fear of God in
him. New wine must not be put into old bottles, lest the one, to wit,
the bottles, mar the wine, or the wine the bottles; but new wine must
have new bottles, and then both shall be preserved (Matt 9:17). This
fear of God must not be, cannot be found in old hearts; old hearts are
not bottles out of which this fear of God proceeds, but it is from an
honest and good heart, from a new one, from such an one that is also an
effect of the everlasting covenant, and love of God to men.
“ I will give them one heart” to fear me; there must in all actions be
heart, and without heart no action is good, nor can there be faith,
love, or fear, from every kind of heart. These must flow from such an
one, whose nature is to produce, and bring forth such fruit. Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? so from a corrupt heart
there cannot proceed such fruit as the fear of God, as to believe in
God, and love God (Luke 6:43-45). The heart naturally is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked; how then should there flow
from such an one the fear of God? It cannot be. He, therefore, that
hath not received at the hands of God a new heart, cannot fear the
Lord.
Third. This fear of God flows from an impression, a sound impression,
that the Word of God maketh on our souls; for without an impress of the
Word, there is no fear of God. Hence it is said that God gave to Israel
good laws, statutes, and judgments, that they might learn them, and in
learning them, learn to fear the Lord their God. Therefore, saith God,
in another place, “Gather the people together, men, and women, and
children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may
hear, and that they may learn and fear the Lord your God” (Deut 6:1,2,
31:12). For as a man drinketh good doctrine into his soul, so he
feareth God. If he drinks it in much, he feareth him greatly; if he
drinketh it in but little, he feareth him but little; if he drinketh it
not in at all, he feareth him not at all. This, therefore, teacheth us
how to judge who feareth the Lord; they are those that learn, and that
stand in awe of the Word. Those that have by the holy Word of God the
very form of itself engraven upon the face of their souls, they fear
God (Rom 6:17).[15]
But, on the contrary, those that do not love good doctrine, that give
not place to the wholesome truths of the God of heaven, revealed in his
Testament, to take place in their souls, but rather despise it, and the
true possessors of it, they fear not God. For, as I said before, this
fear of God, it flows from a sound impression that the Word of God
maketh upon the soul; and therefore,
Fourth. This godly fear floweth from faith; for where the Word maketh a
sound impression on the soul, by that impression is faith begotten,
whence also this fear doth flow. Therefore right hearing of the Word is
called “the hearing of faith” (Gal 3:2). Hence it is said again, “By
faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with
fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house, by the which he
condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by
faith” (Heb 11:7). The Word, the warning that he had from God of things
not seen as yet, wrought, through faith therein, that fear of God in
his heart that made him prepare against unseen dangers, and that he
might be an inheritor of unseen happiness. Where, therefore, there is
not faith in the Word of God, there can be none of this fear; and where
the Word doth not make sound impression on the soul, there can be none
of this faith. So that as vices hang together, and have the links of a
chain, dependence one upon another, even so the graces of the Spirit
also are the fruits of one another, and have such dependence on each
other, that the one cannot be without the other. No faith, no fear of
God; devil’s faith, devil’s fear; saint’s faith, saint’s fear.
Fifth. This godly fear also floweth from sound repentance for and from
sin; godly sorrow worketh repentance, and godly repentance produceth
this fear—“For behold,” says Paul, “this self-same thing, that ye
sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you! yea,
what clearing of yourselves! yea, what indignation! yea, what fear!” (2
Cor 7:10,11). Repentance is the effect of sorrow, and sorrow is the
effect of smart, and smart the effect of faith. Now, therefore, fear
must needs be an effect of, and flow from repentance. Sinner, do not
deceive thyself; if thou art a stranger to sound repentance, which
standeth in sorrow and shame before God for sin, as also in turning
from it, thou hast no fear of God; I mean none of this godly fear; for
that is the fruit of, and floweth from, sound repentance.
Sixth. This godly fear also flows from a sense of the love and kindness
of God to the soul. Where there is no sense of hope of the kindness and
mercy of God by Jesus Christ, there can be none of this fear, but
rather wrath and despair, which produceth that fear that is either
devilish, or else that which is only wrought in us by the Spirit, as a
spirit of bondage; but these we do not discourse of now; wherefore the
godly fear that now I treat of, it floweth from some sense or hope of
mercy from God by Jesus Christ—“If thou, Lord,” says David, “shouldest
mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with
thee that thou mayest be feared” (Psa 130:3,4). “There is mercy with
thee”; this the soul hath sense of, and hope in, and therefore feareth
God. Indeed nothing can lay a stronger obligation upon the heart to
fear God, than sense of, or hope in mercy (Jer 33:8,9). This begetteth
true tenderness of heart, true godly softness of spirit; this truly
endeareth the affections to God; and in this true tenderness, softness,
and endearedness of affection to God, lieth the very essence of this
fear of the Lord, as is manifest by the fruit of this fear when we
shall come to speak of it.
Seventh. This fear of God flows from a due consideration of the
judgments of God that are to be executed in the world; yea, upon
professors too. Yea further, God’s people themselves, I mean as to
themselves, have such a consideration of his judgments towards them, as
to produce this godly fear. When God’s judgments are in the earth, they
effect the fear of his name, in the hearts of his own people—“My flesh
trembleth for fear of thee, and I am,” said David, “afraid of thy
judgments” (Psa 119:120). When God smote Uzzah, David was afraid of God
that day (1 Chron 13:12). Indeed, many regard not the works of the
Lord, nor take notice of the operation of his hands, and such cannot
fear the Lord. But others observe and regard, and wisely consider of
his doings, and of the judgments that he executeth, and that makes them
fear the Lord. This God himself suggesteth as a means to make us fear
him. Hence he commands the false prophet to be stoned, “that all Israel
might hear and fear.” Hence also he commanded that the rebellious son
should be stoned, “that all Israel might hear and fear.” A false
witness was also to have the same judgment of God executed upon him,
“that all Israel might hear and fear.” The man also that did ought
presumptuously was to die, “that all Israel might hear and fear” (Deut
13:11, 21:21, 17:13, 19:20). There is a natural tendency in judgments,
as judgments, to beget a fear of God in the heart of man, as man; but
when the observation of the judgment of God is made by him that hath a
principle of true grace in his soul, that observation being made, I
say, by a gracious heart, produceth a fear of God in the soul of its
own nature, to wit, a gracious or godly fear of God.
Eighth. This godly fear also flows from a godly remembrance of our
former distresses, when we were distressed with our first fears; for
though our first fears were begotten in us by the Spirit’s working as a
spirit of bondage, and so are not always to be entertained as such, yet
even that fear leaveth in us, and upon our spirits, that sense and
relish of our first awakenings and dread, as also occasioneth and
produceth this godly fear. “Take heed,” says God, “and keep thy soul
diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and
lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life, but teach
them thy sons, and thy son’s sons.” But what were the things that their
eyes had seen, that would so damnify them should they be forgotten? The
answer is, the things which they saw at Horeb; to wit, the fire, the
smoke, the darkness, the earthquake, their first awakenings by the law,
by which they were brought into a bondage fear; yea, they were to
remember this especially—“Specially,” saith he, “the day that thou
stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me,
Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that
they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the
earth” (Deut 4:9-11). The remembrance of what we saw, felt, feared, and
trembled under the sense of, when our first fears were upon us, is that
which will produce in our hearts this godly filial fear.
Ninth. This godly fear flows from our receiving of an answer of prayer,
when we supplicated for mercy at the hand of God. See the proof for
this—“If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting,
mildew, locust, or if there be caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them
in the land of their cities, whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness
there be: what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by
all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own
heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: then hear thou in
heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man
according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest (for thou, even thou
only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men). That they may
fear thee all the days of their life, that they live in the land which
thou gavest unto our fathers” (1 Kings 8:37-40).
Tenth. This grace of fear also flows from a blessed conviction of the
all-seeing eye of God; that is, from a belief that he certainly knoweth
the heart, and seeth every one of the turnings and returnings thereof;
this is intimated in the text last mentioned—“Whose heart thou knowest,
that they may fear thee,” to wit, so many of them as be, or shall be
convinced of this. Indeed, without this conviction, this godly fear
cannot be in us; the want of this conviction made the Pharisees such
hypocrites—“Ye are they,” said Christ, “which justify yourselves before
men, but God knoweth your hearts” (Luke 16:15). The Pharisees, I say,
were not aware of this; therefore they so much preferred themselves
before those that by far were better than themselves, and it is for
want of this conviction that men go on in such secret sins as they do,
so much without fear either of God or his judgments.[16]
Eleventh. This grace of fear also flows from a sense of the impartial
judgment of God upon men according to their works. This also is
manifest from the text mentioned above. And give unto every man
according to his works or ways, “that they may fear thee,” &c. This is
also manifest by that of Peter—“And if ye call on the Father, who
without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass
the time of your sojourning here in fear” (1 Peter 1:17). He that hath
godly conviction of this fear of God, will fear before him; by which
fear their hearts are poised, and works directed with trembling,
according to the will of God. Thus you see what a weighty and great
grace this grace of the holy fear of God is, and how all the graces of
the Holy Ghost yield mutually their help and strength to the
nourishment and life of it; and also how it flows from them all, and
hath a dependence upon every one of them for its due working in the
heart of him that hath it. And thus much to show you from whence it
flows. And now I shall come to the third thing, to wit, to show you
What flows from this godly fear.
THIRD. Having showed you what godly fear flows from, I come now, I say,
to show you what proceedeth or flows from this godly fear of God, where
it is seated in the heart of man. And,
First. There flows from this godly fear a godly reverence of God. “He
is great,” said David, “and greatly to be feared in the assembly of his
saints.” God, as I have already showed you, is the proper object of
godly fear; it is his person and majesty that this fear always causeth
the eye of the soul to be upon. “Behold,” saith David, “as the eyes of
servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a
maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord
our God, until that he have mercy upon us” (Psa 123:2). Nothing aweth
the soul that feareth God so much as doth the glorious majesty of God.
His person is above all things feared by them; “I fear God,” said
Joseph (Gen 42:18). That is, more than any other; I stand in awe of
him, he is my dread, he is my fear, I do all mine actions as in his
presence, as in his sight; I reverence his holy and glorious majesty,
doing all things as with fear and trembling before him. This fear makes
them have also a very great reverence of his Word; for that also, I
told you, was the rule of their fear. “Princes,” said David,
“persecuted me without a cause, but my heart standeth in awe,” in fear,
“of thy word.” This grace of fear, therefore, from it flows reverence
of the words of God; of all laws, that man feareth the word; and no law
that is not agreeing therewith (Psa 119:116). There flows from this
godly fear tenderness of God’s glory. This fear, I say, will cause a
man to afflict his soul, when he seeth that by professors dishonour is
brought to the name of God and to his Word. Who would not fear thee,
said Jeremiah, O king of nations, for to thee doth it appertain? He
speaks it as being affected with that dishonour, that by the body of
the Jews was continually brought to his name, his Word, and ways; he
also speaks it of a hearty wish that they once would be otherwise
minded. The same saying in effect hath also John in the Revelation—“Who
shall not fear thee, O Lord,” said he, “and glorify thy name?” (Rev
15:4); clearly concluding that godly fear produceth a godly tenderness
of God’s glory in the world, for that appertaineth unto him; that is,
it is due unto him, it is a debt which we owe unto him. “Give unto the
Lord,” said David, “the glory due unto his name.” Now if there be
begotten in the heart of the godly, by this grace of fear, a godly
tenderness of the glory of God, then it follows of consequence, that
where they that have this fear of God do see his glory diminished by
the wickedness of the children of men, there they are grieved and
deeply distressed. “Rivers of waters,” said David, “run down mine eyes,
because they keep not thy law” (Psa 119:136). Let me give you for this
these following instances—
How was David provoked when Goliath defied the God of Israel (1 Sam
17:23-29,45,46). Also, when others reproached God, he tells us that
that reproach was even as “a sword in his bones” (Psa 42:10). How was
Hezekiah afflicted when Rabshakeh railed upon his God (Isa 37). David
also, for the love that he had to the glory of God’s word, ran the
hazard and reproach “of all the mighty people” (Psa 119:151, 89:50).
How tender of the glory of God was Eli, Daniel, and the three children
in their day. Eli died with fear and trembling of heart when he heard
that “the ark of God was taken” (1 Sam 4:14-18). Daniel ran the danger
of the lions’ mouths, for the tender love that he had to the word and
worship of God (Dan 6:10-16). The three children ran the hazard of a
burning fiery furnace, rather than they would dare to dishonour the way
of their God (Dan 3:13,16,20). This therefore is one of the fruits of
this godly fear, to wit, a reverence of his name and tenderness of his
glory.
Second. There flows from this godly fear, watchfulness. As it is said
of Solomon’s servants, they “watched about his bed, because of fear in
the night,” so it may be said of them that have this godly fear—it
makes them a watchful people. It makes them watch their hearts, and
take heed to keep them with all diligence, lest they should, by one or
another of its flights, lead them to do that which in itself is wicked
(Prov 4:23; Heb 12:15). It makes them watch, lest some temptation from
hell should enter into their heart to the destroying of them (1 Peter
5:8). It makes them watch their mouths, and keep them also, at
sometimes, as with a bit and bridle, that they offend not with their
tongue, knowing that the tongue is apt, being an evil member, soon to
catch the fire of hell, to the defiling of the whole body (James
3:2-7). It makes them watch over their ways, look well to their goings,
and to make straight steps for their feet (Psa 39:1; Heb 12:13). Thus
this godly fear puts the soul upon its watch, lest from the heart
within, or from the devil without, or from the world, or some other
temptation, something should surprise and overtake the child of God to
defile him, or to cause him to defile the ways of God, and so offend
the saints, open the mouths of men, and cause the enemy to speak
reproachfully of religion.
Third. There flows from this fear a holy provocation to a reverential
converse with saints in their religious and godly assemblies, for their
further progress in the faith and way of holiness. “Then they that
feared the Lord spake often one to another.” Spake, that is, of God,
and his holy and glorious name, kingdom, and works, for their mutual
edification; “a book of remembrance was written before him for them
that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name” (Mal 3:16). The
fear of the Lord in the heart provoketh to this in all its acts, not
only of necessity, but of nature: it is the natural effect of this
godly fear, to exercise the church in the contemplation of God,
together and apart. All fear, good and bad, hath a natural propenseness
in it to incline the heart to contemplate upon the object of fear, and
though a man should labour to take off his thoughts from the object of
his fear, whether that object was men, hell, devils, &c., yet do what
he could the next time his fear had any act in it, it would return
again to its object. And so it is with godly fear; that will make a man
speak of, and think upon, the name of God reverentially (Psa 89:7);
yea, and exercise himself in the holy thoughts of him in such sort that
his soul shall be sanctified, and seasoned with such meditations.
Indeed, holy thoughts of God, such as you see this fear doth exercise
the heart withal, prepare the heart to, and for God. This fear
therefore it is that David prayed for, for the people, when he said, “O
Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel our fathers, keep this for
ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and
prepare their heart unto thee” (1 Chron 29:18).
Fourth. There flows from this fear of God great reverence of his
majesty, in and under the use and enjoyment of God’s holy ordinances.
His ordinances are his courts and palaces, his walks and places, where
he giveth his presence to those that wait upon him in them, in the fear
of his name. And this is the meaning of that of the apostle: “Then had
the churches rest throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria, and
were edified; and, walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort
of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied” (Acts 9:31). “And walking”—that
word intendeth their use of the ordinances of God. They walked in all
the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. This, in Old
Testament language, is called, treading God’s courts, and walking in
his paths. This, saith the text, they did here, in the fear of God.
That is, in a great reverence of that God whose ordinances they were.
“Ye shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary; I am the Lord”
(Lev 19:30, 26:2).