Thus far, this fear is godly, and the reason it is godly is because its groundwork is good. I told you before what this fear is; namely, it is the fear of damnation. Now, the ground for this fear is good, as is manifest by these particulars. 1. The soul feared damnation, and that rightly, because it is in its sins. 2. The soul feared damnation rightly because it has no faith in Christ but is now under the law. 3. The soul feared damnation rightly now because, by sin, the law, and for want of faith, the wrath of God abides on it. But now, although thus far this fear of God is good and godly, yet after Christ by the Spirit in the word of the gospel is revealed to us, and we are made to accept of him as so revealed and offered to us by a true and living faith; this fear, to wit, of damnation, is no longer good, but ungodly. Nor doth the Spirit of God ever work it in us again. Now, we do not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, that is to say, to fear damnation, but we have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Father, Father. But I would not be mistaken when I say this fear is no longer godly. I do not mean concerning the essence and habit of it, for I believe it is the same in the seed which shall afterward grow up to a higher degree and into a more sweet and gospel current and manner of working, but I mean reference to this act of fearing damnation, I say it shall never by the Spirit be managed to that work; it shall never bring forth that fruit more. And my reasons are,
[Reasons why the Spirit of God cannot work this ungodly fear.]
1. Because the soul, by closing through the promise by the Spirit, with Jesus Christ, is removed from that foundation upon which it stood when it justly feared damnation. It hath received no forgiveness of sin, it is now no more under the law, but in Jesus Christ by faith; there is "therefore now no condemnation to it" (Acts 26:18; Rom 6:14, 8:1). The groundwork, therefore, being now taken away, the Spirit worketh that fear no more.
2. He cannot, after he hath come to the soul as a spirit of adoption, come again as a spirit of bondage to put the soul into his first fear, to wit, a fear of eternal damnation, because he cannot say and unsay, do and undo. As a spirit of adoption, he told me that my sins were forgiven me, that I was included in the covenant of grace, that God was my Father through Christ, that I was under the promise of salvation, and that this calling and gift of God to me is permanent, and without repentance. And do you think, that after he hath told me this, and sealed up the truth of it to my precious soul, that he will come to me, and tell me that I am yet in my sins, under the curse of the law and the eternal wrath of God? No, no, the word of the gospel is not yea, yea; nay, nay. It is only yea and amen; it is so, "as God is true" (2 Cor 1:17-20).
3. The state, therefore, of the sinner being changed, and that, too, by the Spirit's changing his dispensation, leaving off to be now as a spirit of bondage to put us in fear and coming to our heart as the spirit of adoption to make us cry Father, Father, he cannot go back to his first work again; for if so, then he must gratify, yea, and also ratify, that profane and popish doctrine, forgiven to-day, unforgiven to-morrow—a child of God to-day, a child of hell to-morrow; but what saith the Scriptures? "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone; in whom all the building fitly framed together growth unto an holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are built together for a habitation of God through the Spirit" (Eph 2:19-22).
Object. But this is contrary to my experience. Why, Christian, what is thy experience? Why, I was at first, as you have said, possessed with a fear of damnation and so under the power of the spirit of bondage. Well said, and how was it then? Why, after some time of continuance in these fears, I had the spirit of adoption sent to me to seal up to my soul the forgiveness of sins, and so he did and was also helped by the same Spirit, as you have said, to call God Father, Father. Well said, and what after that? After that, I fell into as great fear as ever before.
Answ. All this may be granted, and yet nevertheless what I have said will abide a truth; for I have not said that after the spirit of adoption comes, a Christian shall not again be in as great fears, for he may have worse than he had at first; but I say, that after the spirit of adoption has come, the spirit of bondage, as such, is sent of God no more, to put us into those fears. Mark, we "have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear." Let the word be true, whatever thy experience is. Dost thou not understand me?
After the Spirit of God has told me, and also helped me to believe it, that the Lord for Christ's sake hath forgiven mine iniquities: he tells me no more that they are not forgiven. After the Spirit of God has helped me, by Christ, to call God my Father, he tells me no more than the devil is my Father. After he hath told me that I am not under the law, but under grace, he tells me no more that I am not under grace, but under the law, and bound over by it, for my sins, to the wrath and judgment of God; but this is the fear that the Spirit, as a spirit of bondage, worketh in the soul at first.
