conversant in them with a due reverence of the majesty and name of that
God whose ordinances they are: it is common for men to do the first,
but none can do the last without this fear. “In thy fear,” said David,
“will I worship” (Psa 5:7). It is this fear of God, therefore, from
whence doth flow that great reverence that his saints have in them, of
his majesty, in and under the use and enjoyment of God’s holy
ordinances; and, consequently, that makes our service in the
performance of them acceptable to God through Christ (Heb 12). For God
expects that we serve him with fear and trembling, and it is odious
among men, for a man in the presence, or about the service of his
prince, to behave himself lightly, and without due reverence of that
majesty in whose presence and about whose business he is. And if so,
how can their service to God have anything like acceptation from the
hand of God, that is done, not in, but without the fear of God? This
service must needs be an abomination to him, and these servers must
come off with rebuke.
Fifth. There flows from this godly fear of God, self-denial. That is, a
holy abstaining from those things that are either unlawful or
inexpedient; according to that of Nehemiah, “The former governors that
had been before me, were chargeable unto the people, that had taken of
them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver, yea, even their
servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the
fear of God” (Neh 5:15).[17]
Here not was self-denial; he would not do as they did that went before
him, neither himself, nor should his servants; but what was it that put
him upon these acts of self-denial? The answer is, the fear of God:
“but so did not I, because of the fear of God.”
Now, whether by the fear of God in this place be meant his Word, or the
grace of fear in his heart, may perhaps be a scruple to some, but in my
judgment the text must have respect to the latter, to wit, to the grace
of fear, for without that being indeed in the heart, the word will not
produce that good self-denial in us, that here you find this good man
to live in the daily exercise of. The fear of God, therefore, that was
the cause of his self-denial, was this grace of fear in his heart. This
made him to be, as was said before, tender of the honour of God, and of
the salvation of his brother: yea, so tender, that rather than he would
give an occasion to the weak to stumble, or be offended, he would even
deny himself of that which others never sticked to do. Paul also,
through the sanctifying operations of this fear of God in his heart,
did deny himself even of lawful things, for the profit and commodity of
his brother—“I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make
my brother to offend”; that is, if his eating of it would make his
brother to offend (1 Cor 8:13).
Men that have not this fear of God in them, will not, cannot deny
themselves—of love to God, and the good of the weak, who are subject to
stumble at indifferent things—but where this grace of fear is, there
follows self-denial; there men are tender of offending; and count that
it far better becomes their profession to be of a self-denying,
condescending conversation and temper, than to stand sturdily to their
own liberty in things inexpedient, whoever is offended thereat. This
grace of fear, therefore, is a very excellent thing, because it
yieldeth such excellent fruit as this. For this self-denial, of how
little esteem soever it be with some, yet the want of it, if the words
of Christ be true, as they are, takes quite away from even a professor
the very name of a disciple (Matt 10:37,38; Luke 14:26,27,33). They,
says Nehemiah, lorded it over the brethren, but so did not I. They took
bread and wine, and forty shekels of silver of them, but so did not I;
yea, even their servants bare rule over the people, “but so did not I,
because of the fear of God.”
Sixth. There flows from this godly fear of God “singleness of heart”
(Col 3:22). Singleness of heart both to God and man; singleness of
heart, that is it which in another place is called sincerity and godly
simplicity, and it is this, when a man doth a thing simply for the sake
of him or of the law that commands it, without respect to this
by-end,[18]
or that desire of praise or of vain-glory from others; I say, when our
obedience to God is done by us simply or alone for God’s sake, for his
Word’s sake, without any regard to this or that by-end or reserve, “not
with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing
God.” A man is more subject to nothing than to swerve from singleness
of heart in his service to God, and obedience to his will. How doth the
Lord charge the children of Israel, and all their obedience, and that
for seventy years together, with the want of singleness of heart
towards him—“When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month,
even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? And
when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves,
and drink for yourselves?” (Zech 7:5,6).
They wanted this singleness of heart in their fasting, and in their
eating, in their mourning, and in their drinking; they had double
hearts in what they did. They did not as the apostle bids; “whether ye
eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” And the
reason of their want of this thing was, they wanted this fear of God;
for that, as the apostle here saith, effecteth singleness of heart to
God, and makes a man, as John said of Gaius, “do faithfully whatsoever
he doth” (3 John 5). And the reason is, as hath been already urged, for
that grace of fear of God retaineth and keepeth upon the heart a
reverent and awful sense of the dread majesty and all-seeing eye of
God, also a due consideration of the day of account before him; it
likewise maketh his service sweet and pleasing, and fortifies the soul
against all discouragements; by this means, I say, the soul, in its
service to God or man, is not so soon captivated as where there is not
this fear, but through and by it its service is accepted, being single,
sincere, simple, and faithful; when others, with what they do, are cast
into hell for their hypocrisy, for they mix not what they do with godly
fear. Singleness of heart in the service of God is of such absolute
necessity, that without it, as I have hinted, nothing can be accepted;
because where that is wanting, there wanteth love to God, and to that
which is true holiness indeed. It was this singleness of heart that
made Nathanael so honourable in the eyes of Jesus Christ. “Behold,”
said he, “an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile” (John 1:47).
And it was the want of it that made him so much abhor the Pharisees.
They wanted sincerity, simplicity, and godly sincerity in their souls,
and so became an abhorrence in his esteem. Now, I say, this golden
grace, singleness of heart, it flows from this godly fear of God.
Seventh. There flows from this godly fear of God, compassion and bowels
to those of the saints that are in necessity and distress. This is
manifest in good Obadiah; it is said of him, “That he took an hundred”
of the Lord’s “prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them
with bread and water,” in the days when Jezebel, that tyrant, sought
their lives to destroy them (1 Kings 18:3,4). But what was it that
moved so upon his heart, as to cause him to do this thing? Why, it was
this blessed grace of the fear of God. “Now Obadiah,” saith the text,
“feared the Lord greatly, for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the
prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid
them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.” This was
charity to the distressed, even to the distressed for the Lord’s sake.
Had not Obadiah served the Lord, yea, had he not greatly feared him, he
would not have been able to do this thing, especially as the case then
stood with him, and also with the church at that time, for then Jezebel
sought to slay all that indeed feared the Lord; yea, and the
persecution prevailed so much at that time, that even Elijah himself
thought that she had killed all but him. But now, even now, the fear of
God in this good man’s heart put forth itself into acts of mercy though
attended with so imminent danger. See here, therefore, that the fear of
God will put forth itself in the heart where God hath put it, even to
show kindness, and to have compassion upon the distressed servants of
God, even under Jezebel’s nose; for Obadiah dwelt in Ahab’s house, and
Jezebel was Ahab’s wife, and a horrible persecutor, as was said before:
yet Obadiah will show mercy to the poor because he feared God, yea, he
will venture her displeasure, his place, and neck, and all, but he will
be merciful to his brethren in distress. Cornelius, also, being a man
possessed with this fear of God, became a very free-hearted and
open-handed man to the poor—“He feared God, and gave much alms to the
people.” Indeed this fear, this godly fear of God, it is a universal
grace; it will stir up the soul unto all good duties. It is a fruitful
grace; from it, where it is, floweth abundance of excellent virtues;
nor without it can there be anything good, or done well, that is done.
But,
Eighth. There flows from this fear of God hearty, fervent, and constant
prayer. This also is seen in Cornelius, that devout man. He feared God;
and what then? why, he gave much alms to the people, “and prayed to God
alway” (Acts 10:1,2).
Did I say that hearty, fervent, and constant prayer flowed from this
fear of God? I will add, that if the whole duty, and the continuation
of it, be not managed with this fear of God, it profiteth nothing at
all. It is said of our Lord Jesus Christ himself, “He was heard in that
he feared.” He prayed, then, because he feared, because he feared God,
and therefore was his prayer accepted of him, even because he
feared—“He was heard in that he feared” (Heb 5:7). This godly fear is
so essential to right prayer, and right prayer is such an inseparable
effect and fruit of this fear, that you must have both or none; he that
prayeth not feareth not God, yea, he that prayeth not fervently and
frequently feareth him not; and so he that feareth him not cannot pray;
for if prayer be the effect of this fear of God, then without this
fear, prayer, fervent prayer, ceaseth. How can they pray or make
conscience of the duty that fear not God? O prayerless man, thou
fearest not God! Thou wouldest not live so like a swine or a dog in the
world as thou dost, if thou fearest the Lord.
Ninth. There floweth from this fear of God a readiness or willingness,
at God’s call, to give up our best enjoyments to his disposal. This is
evident in Abraham, who at God’s call, without delay, rose early in the
morning to offer up his only and well-beloved Isaac a burnt-offering in
the place where God should appoint him. It was a rare thing that
Abraham did; and had he not had this rare grace, this fear of God, he
would not, he could not have done to God’s liking so wonderful a thing.
It is true the Holy Ghost also makes this service of Abraham to be the
fruit of his faith—“By faith Abraham offered up Isaac, and he that had
received the promises offered up his only-begotten son” (Heb 11; James
2). Aye, and without doubt love unto God, in Abraham, was not wanting
in this his service, nor was this grace of fear; nay, in the story
where it is recorded. There it is chiefly accounted for the fruit of
his godly fear, and that by an angel from heaven—“And the angel called
out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, Here am I. And
he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto
him, for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not
withheld thy son, thine only son, from me” (Gen 22:11,12). Now I know
it; now, now thou hast offered up thine only Isaac, thine all, at the
bidding of thy God. Now I know it. The fear of God is not presently
discerned in the heart and life of a man. Abraham had long before this
done many a holy duty, and showed much willingness of heart to observe
and do the will of God; yet you find not, as I remember, that he had
this testimony from heaven that he feared God till now; but now he has
it, now he has it from heaven. “Now I know that thou fearest God.” Many
duties may be done—though I do not say that Abraham did them—without
the fear of God; but when a man shall not stick at, or withhold, his
darling from God, when called upon by God to offer it up unto him, that
declareth, yea, and gives conviction to angels, that now he feareth
God.
Tenth. There floweth from this godly fear humility of mind. This is
evident, because, when the apostle cautions the Romans against the
venom of spiritual pride, he directs them to the exercise of this
blessed grace of fear as its antidote. “Be not high-minded,” saith he,
“but fear” (Rom 11:20). Pride, spiritual pride, which is here set forth
by the word “high-minded,” is a sin of a very high and damnable nature;
it was the sin of the fallen angels, and is that which causeth men to
fall into the same condemnation—“Lest being lifted up with pride, he
fall into the condemnation of the devil.” Pride, I say, it damns a
professor with the damnation of devils, with the damnation of hell, and
therefore it is a deadly, deadly sin. Now against this deadly sin is
set the grace of humility; that comely garment, for so the apostle
calls it, saying, “be clothed with humility.” But the question is now,
how we should attain to, and live in, the exercise of this blessed and
comely grace? to which the apostle answers, Fear; be afraid with godly
fear, and thence will flow humility—“Be not high-minded, but fear.”
That is, Fear, or be continually afraid and jealous of yourselves, and
of your own naughty hearts, also fear lest at some time or other the
devil, your adversary, should have advantage of you. Fear, lest by
forgetting what you are by nature, you also forget the need that you
have of continual pardon, support, and supplies from the Spirit of
grace, and so grow proud of your own abilities, or of what you have
received of God, and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Fear, and
that will make you little in your own eyes, keep you humble, put you
upon crying to God for protection, and upon lying at his foot for
mercy; that will also make you have low thoughts of your own parts,
your own doings, and cause you to prefer your brother before yourself,
and so you will walk in humiliation, and be continually under the
teachings of God, and under his conduct in your way. The humble, God
will teach—“The meek will he guide in judgment, the meek will he teach
his way.” From this grace of fear then flows this excellent and comely
thing, humility; yea, it also is maintained by this fear. Fear takes
off a man from trusting to himself, it puts a man upon trying of all
things, it puts a man upon desiring counsel and help from heaven, it
makes a man ready and willing to hear instruction, and makes a man walk
lowly, softly, and so securely in the way.
Eleventh. There flows from this grace of fear, hope in the mercy of
God—“The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in them that hope
in his mercy” (Psa 147:11). The latter part of the text is an
explanation of the former: as if the psalmist had said, They be the men
that fear the Lord, even they that hope in his mercy; for true fear
produceth hope in God’s mercy. And it is further manifest thus. Fear,
true fear of God inclineth the heart to a serious inquiry after that
way of salvation which God himself hath prescribed; now the way that
God hath appointed, by the which the sinner is to obtain the salvation
of his soul, is his mercy as so and so set forth in the Word, and godly
fear hath special regard to the Word. To this way, therefore, the
sinner with this godly fear submits his soul, rolls himself upon it,
and so is delivered from that death into which others, for want of this
fear of God, do headlong fall.
It is, as I also hinted before, the nature of godly fear to be very
much putting the soul upon the inquiry which is, and which is not, the
thing approved of God, and accordingly to embrace it or shun it. Now I
say, this fear having put the soul upon a strict and serious inquiry
after the way of salvation, at last it finds it to be by the mercy of
God in Christ; therefore this fear putteth the soul upon hoping also in
him for eternal life and blessedness; by which hope he doth not only
secure his soul, but becomes a portion of God’s delight—“The Lord takes
pleasure in them that fear him, in them that hope in his mercy.”
Besides, this godly fear carrieth in it self-evidence that the state of
the sinner is happy, because possessed with this happy grace.
Therefore, as John saith, “We know we have passed from death unto life,
because we love the brethren” (1 John 3:14). So here, “The Lord taketh
pleasure in them that fear him, in them that hope in his mercy.” If I
fear God, and if my fearing of him is a thing in which he taketh such
pleasure, then may I boldly venture to roll myself for eternal life
into the bosom of his mercy, which is Christ. This fear also produceth
hope; if therefore, poor sinner, thou knowest thyself to be one that is
possessed with this fear of God, suffer thyself to be persuaded
therefore to hope in the mercy of God for salvation, for the Lord takes
pleasure in thee. And it delights him to see thee hope in his mercy.
Twelfth. There floweth from this godly fear of God an honest and
conscientious use of all those means which God hath ordained, that we
should be conversant in for our attaining salvation. Faith and hope in
God’s mercy is that which secureth our justification and hope, and as
you have heard, they do flow from this fear. But now, besides faith and
hope, there is a course of life in those things in which God hath
ordained us to have our conversation, without which there is no eternal
life. “Ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life”;
and again, “without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” Not that faith
and hope are deficient, if they be right, but they are both of them
counterfeit when not attended with a reverent use of all the means:
upon the reverent use of which the soul is put by this grace of fear.
“Wherefore, beloved,” said Paul, “as ye have always obeyed, not as in
my presence only, but now much more in mine absence, work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling” (Rom 6:22; Heb 12:14; Phil 2:11).
There is a faith and hope of mercy that may deceive a man (though the
faith of God’s elect, and the hope that purifies the heart never will),
because they are alone, and not attended with those companions that
accompany salvation (Heb 6:3-8). But now this godly fear carries in its
bowels, not only a moving of the soul to faith and hope in God’s mercy,
but an earnest provocation to the holy and reverent use of all the
means that God has ordained for a man to have his conversation in, in
order to his eternal salvation. “Work out your salvation with fear.”
Not that work is meritorious, or such that can purchase eternal life,
for eternal life is obtained by hope in God’s mercy; but this hope, if
it be right, is attended with this godly fear, which fear putteth the
soul upon a diligent use of all those means that may tend to the
strengthening of hope, and so to the making of us holy in all manner of
conversation, that we may be meet to be partakers of the inheritance of
the saints in light. For hope purifieth the heart, if fear of God shall
be its companion, and so maketh a man a vessel of mercy prepared unto
glory. Paul bids Timothy to fly pride, covetousness, doting about
questions, and the like, and to “follow after righteousness, godliness,
faith, love, patience; to fight the good fight of faith, and to lay
hold on eternal life” (1 Tim 6).
So Peter bids that we “add to our faith virtue; and to virtue
knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and
to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to
brotherly kindness charity”; adding, “for if these things be in you and
abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in
the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore the rather, brethren,
give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do
these things, ye shall never fall. For so an entrance shall be
ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-11). The sum of all which is
that which was mentioned before; to wit, “to work out our own salvation
with fear and trembling.” For none of these things can be
conscientiously done, but by and with the help of this blessed grace of
fear.
Thirteenth. There flows from this fear, this godly fear, a great
delight in the holy commands of God, that is, a delight to be
conformable unto them. “Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that
delighteth greatly in his commandments” (Psa 112:1). This confirmeth
that which was said before, to wit, that this fear provoketh to a holy
and reverent use of the means; for that cannot be, when there is not an
holy, yea, a great delight in the commandments. Wherefore this fear
maketh the sinner to abhor that which is sin, because that is contrary
to the object of his delight. A man cannot delight himself at the same
time in things directly opposite one to another, as sin and the holy
commandment is; therefore Christ saith of the servant, he cannot love
God and mammon—“Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” If he cleaves to the
one, he must hate and despise the other; there cannot at the same time
be service to both, because that themselves are at enmity one with the
other. So is sin and the commandment. Therefore if a man delighteth
himself in the commandment, he hateth that which is opposite, which is
sin: how much more when he greatly delighteth in the commandment? Now,
this holy fear of God it taketh the heart and affections from sin, and
setteth them upon the holy commandment. Therefore such a man is rightly
esteemed blessed. For no profession makes a man blessed but that which
is accompanied with an alienation of the heart from sin, nor doth
anything do that when this holy fear is wanting. It is from this fear
then, that love to, and delight in, the holy commandment floweth, and
so by that the sinner is kept from those falls and dangers of
miscarrying that other professors are so subject to: he greatly
delights in the commandment.
Fourteenth. Lastly, There floweth from this fear of God, enlargement of
heart. “Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall
fear, and be enlarged” (Isa 60:5). “Thine heart shall fear, and be
enlarged,” enlarged to God-ward, enlarged to his ways, enlarged to his
holy people, enlarged in love after the salvation of others. Indeed
when this fear of God is wanting, though the profession be never so
famous, the heart is shut up and straitened, and nothing is done in
that princely free spirit which is called “the spirit of the fear of
the Lord” (Psa 51:12; Isa 11:2). But with grudging, legally, or with
desire of vain-glory, this enlargedness of heart is wanting, for that
flows from this fear of the Lord.
Thus have I showed you both what this fear of God is, what it flows
from, and also what doth flow from it. I come now to show you some
OF THE PRIVILEGES OF THEM THAT THUS DO FEAR THE LORD.
Having thus briefly handled in particular thus far this fear of God, I
shall now show you certain of the excellent privileges of them that
fear the Lord, not that they are not privileges that have been already
mentioned; for what greater privileges than to have this fear producing
in the soul such excellent things so necessary for us for good, both
with reference to this world, and that which is to come? But because
those fourteen above named do rather flow from this grace of fear where
it is, than from a promise to the person that hath it, therefore I have
chosen rather to discourse of them as the fruits and effects of fear,
than otherwise. Now, besides all these, there is entailed by promise to
the man that hath this fear many other blessed privileges, the which I
shall now in a brief way lay open unto you.