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Art thou in thine own thoughts, or in the thoughts of others, of these last small ones, small in grace, small in gifts, small in esteem upon this account, yet if thou fearest God, if thou fearest God indeed, thou art indeed blessed with the best of saints. The last star stands as fixed, as the biggest of them all, in heaven. “He will bless them that fear him, small and great.” He will bless them, that is, with the same blessing of eternal life. The different degrees of grace in saints do not make the blessing, as to its nature, differ. It is the same heaven, life, glory, and eternity of felicity that they are promised to be blessed with in the text. That is observable, which I mentioned before, where Christ, on the day of judgment, particularly mentioneth and owneth the least—” Since ye did it not to one of the least.” The least then was there, in his kingdom, glory, and the biggest of all. “He will bless them that fear him, small and great.” The small are named first in the text and are so the first in rank; it may be to show that though they may be slighted and little set by in the world, they are much set by in the eyes of the Lord.

Are great saints only to have the kingdom and the glory everlasting? Are great works only to be rewarded? Works that are done under great grace and the abundance of the gifts of the Holy Ghost? No: “Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his (a disciple’s) reward.” Mark, here is but a little gift, a cup of cold water, and that given to a little saint, but both taken particular notice of by our Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 10:42). “He will give reward to his servants the prophets, and to his saints, and to them that fear his name, small and great” (Rev 11:18). The small, therefore, among them that fear God, are blessed with the great, as the great, with the same salvation, the same glory, and the same eternal life; and they shall have, even as the great ones also shall, as much as they can carry; as much as their hearts, souls, bodies, and capacities can hold.

Thirteenth Privilege. Dost thou fear God? Why, the Holy Ghost hath on purpose indited for thee a whole psalm to sing concerning thyself. So that thou mayest even as thou art in thy calling, bed, journey, or whenever, sing out thine own blessed and happy condition to thine own comfort and the comfort of thy fellows. The psalm is called the 128th Psalm; I will set it before thee, both as it is in the reading and in the singing Psalms—

” Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord, that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house; thy children, like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion, and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children and peace upon Israel.”

AS IT IS SUNG.

Blessed art thou that fearest God, And walkest in his way: For of thy labor thou shalt eat; Happy art thou, I say! Like fruitful vines on thy house side, So doth thy wife spring out; Thy children stand like olive plants Thy table roundabout.

Thus art thou blest that fearest God, And he shall let thee see

The promised Jerusalem And her felicity. Thou shalt thy children’s

children see, To thy great joy’s increase; And likewise grace on

Israel, Prosperity, and Peace.

I was done with the privileges when I removed one objection.

Object. But the Scripture says, “perfect love casteth out fear”; and therefore it seems that saints, after that a spirit of adoption comes, should not fear, but do their duty, as another Scripture saith, without it (1 John 4:18; Luke 1:74,75).

Answ. Fear, as I have shown you, may be taken several ways. 1. It may be taken for the fear of devils. 2. It may be taken for the fear of reprobates. 3. It may be taken for the fear wrought in the godly by the Spirit as a spirit of bondage; or 4. It may be taken for the fear that I have been but now discoursing of.

Now the fear that perfect love casts out cannot be that son-like, gracious fear of God, that I have in this last place been treating of; because that fear that love casts out hath torment, but so has not the son-like fear. Therefore, the fear that loves casts out is either that fear that is like the fear of devils and reprobates or that fear that is begotten in the heart by the Spirit of God as a spirit of bondage, or both; for, indeed, all these kinds of fear have torment, and therefore may be cast out; and are so by the spirit of adoption, which is called the spirit of faith and love, when he comes with power into the soul; so that without this fear we should serve him. But to argue from these texts that we ought not to fear God, or to mix fear with our worship of him, is as much as to say that by the spirit of adoption, we are made very rogues; for not to fear God is by the Scripture applied to such (Luke 23:40). But for what I have affirmed the Scripture doth plentifully confirm, saying, “Happy is the man that feareth always.” And again, “It shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him.” Fear, therefore, the spirit of the fear of the Lord, is a grace that intensely beautifies a Christian, his words, and all his ways: “Wherefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed and do it, for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts” (2 Chron 19:7).

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Tenth Privilege. Dost thou fear God?—"He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him; he also will hear their cry, and will save them" (Psa 145:19). Almost all those places that make mention of the men that fear God do insinuate as if they still were under affliction, or in danger because of an enemy. But I say, here is still their privilege; their God is their father and pities them—"He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him." Where now is the man that feareth the Lord? Let him hearken to this. What sayest thou, poor soul? Will this content thee, the Lord will fulfill thy desires? It is intimated of Adonijah that David, his father, did let him have his head and his will in all things. "His father," says the text, "had not displeased him at any time in (so much as) saying, Why hast thou done so?" (1 Kings 1:6). But here is more, here is a promise to grant thee the whole desire of thy heart, according to the prayer of holy David, "The Lord grant thee, according to thine own heart, and fulfill all thy counsel." And again, "The Lord fulfill all thy petitions" (Psa 20).

O thou that fearest the Lord, what is thy desire? All my desire, says David, is all my salvation (2 Sam 23:5), so sayest thou, "All my salvation" is "all my desire." Well, the desire of thy soul is granted thee, yea, God himself hath engaged himself even to fulfill this thy desire—"He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him, he also will hear their cry and will save them." O this desire when it cometh, what a tree of life will it be to thee! Thou desirest to be rid of thy present trouble; the Lord shall rid thee out of trouble. Thou desirest to be delivered from temptation; the Lord shall deliver thee out of temptation. Thou desirest to be delivered from thy body of death; and the Lord shall change this vile body, that it may be like to his glorious body. Thou desirest to be in the presence of God and among the angels in heaven. This thy desire also shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt be made equal to the angels (Exo 6:6; 2 Peter 2:9; Phil 3:20,21; Luke 16:22, 20:35,36). Oh, but it is long first! Well, learn first to live upon thy portion in the promise of it, and that will make thy expectation of it sweet. God will fulfill thy desires; God will do it, though it tarries long. Wait for it because it will surely come; it will not tarry.

Eleventh Privilege. Dost thou fear God?—"The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him" (Psa 147:11). They that fear God are among his chief delights. He delights in his Son, he delights in his works, and he takes pleasure in those who fear him. As a man takes pleasure in his wife, children, gold, and jewels, the man who fears the Lord is the object of his delight. He takes pleasure in their prosperity, and therefore sendeth their health from the sanctuary, and makes them drink of the river of his pleasures (Psa 35:27). "They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house, and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures" (Psa 36:8). That or those that we take pleasure in, that or those we love to beautify and adorn with many ornaments. We count no cost too much to be bestowed on those in whom we place our delight and whom we make the object of our pleasure. And even thus, it is with God. "For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people," and what follows? "he will beautify the meek with salvation" (Psa 149:4).

Those in whom we delight, we take pleasure in their actions; yea, we teach them and give them such rules and laws to walk by, as may yet make them that we love more pleasurable in our eyes. Therefore they that fear God, since they are the object of his pleasure, are taught to know how to please him in everything (1 Thess 4:1). And hence it is said, that he is ravished with their looks, that he delighteth in their cry, and that he is pleased with their walking (Can 4:9; Prov 15:8, 11:20).

Those in whom we delight and take pleasure, many things we will bear and put up that they do, though they are not according to our minds. A man will suffer that in, and put up at, the hand of the child or wife of his pleasure, that he will not pass by nor put up in another. They are my jewels, says God, even them that fear me; and I will spare them, in all their comings-short of my will, "even as a man spareth his own son that serveth him" (Mal 3:16,17). Oh, how happy is the man that feareth God! His good thoughts, reasonable attempts to serve him, and good life pleases him because he feareth God.

You know how pleasing in our eyes the actions of our children are when we see that they do what they do even of a reverent fear and awe of us; yea, though that which they do amounts but to trim, we take it well at their hands, and are pleased in addition to that. The woman cast in her two mites into the treasury, cast in not much, for they both did but make one farthing; yet how doth the Lord Jesus trumpet her up, he had pleasure in her, and in her action (Mark 12:41-44). This, therefore, that the Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, is another of their great privileges.

Twelfth Privilege. Dost thou fear God? The last dram of that fear giveth the privilege to be blessed with the most prominent saint—"He will bless them that fear the Lord, small and great" (Psa 115:13). This word small may be taken three ways—1. For those that are small in esteem, for those that are but little accounted of (Judg 6:15; 1 Sam 18:23). Art thou small or minor in this sense, yet if thou fearest God, thou art sure to be blessed. "He will bless them that fear him, small and great," be thou never so small in the world's eyes, in thine own eyes, in the saints' eyes, as sometimes one saint is little in another saint's eye; yet thou, because thou fearest God, art put among the blessed. 2. By small, sometimes is meant those that are but small of stature, or young in years, little children, that are quickly passed by and looked over: as those that sang Hosanna in the temple were, when the Pharisees deridingly said of them to Christ, "Hearest thou what these say?" (Matt 21:16). Well, but Christ would not despise them, of them that feared God, but preferred them by the Scripture testimony far before those that did contemn them. Little children, however small and soever, and although of never so small esteem with men, shall also, if they fear the Lord, be blessed with the most significant saints—"He will bless them that fear him, small and great." 3. By small may sometimes be meant those that are small in grace or gifts; these are said to be the least in the church, that is, under this consideration, and so are by it least esteemed (Matt 25:45). Thus also is that of Christ to be understood, "Since ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me" (1 Cor 6:4).

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Eighth Privilege. Do you fear the Lord? Hearken yet again—"The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children" (Psa 103:17). This still confirms what was last asserted, that is, that his salvation is nigh unto them. His salvation, that is, pardoning mercy, that is nigh them. But mind it, he says it is nigh them, but here it is upon them. His mercy is upon them; it covereth them all over, encompasseth them about as with a shield. Therefore, they are said to be clothed with salvation and covered with the robe of righteousness in another place. The mercy of the Lord is upon them, that is, as I said, to shelter and defend them. The mercy, the pardoning preserving mercy, the mercy of the Lord is upon them. Who is he then that can condemn them? (Rom 8).

But there is more behind, "The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them." It was designed for them before the world was and shall be upon them when the world is ended; from everlasting to everlasting, it is on them that fear him. This from everlasting to everlasting is that by which, in another place, the eternity of God himself is declared—"From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God" (Psa 90:2). The meaning, then, may this; that so long as God has his being, so long shall the man that feareth him find mercy at his hand. According to Moses—"The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee, and shall say, Destroy them" (Deut 33:27).

Child of God that fearest God, here is mercy nigh thee, mercy enough, everlasting mercy upon thee. This is long-lived mercy. It will live longer than thy sin, it will live longer than temptation, it will live longer than thy sorrows, it will live longer than thy persecutors. It is mercy from everlasting to contrive thy salvation and mercy to everlasting to weather it out with all thy adversaries. Now, what can hell and death do to him that hath this mercy of God upon him? And this hath the man that feareth the Lord. Take that other blessed word, and O thou man that fearest the Lord, hang it like a chain of gold about thy neck—"As the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him" (Psa 103:11). If mercy as big, as high, and as good as heaven itself will be a privilege, the man that feareth God shall have a privilege.

Ninth Privilege. Do you fear God?—"Like as a father pities his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him" (Psa 103:13).

" The Lord pitieth them that fear him"; that is, condoles and is affected, feeleth and sympathizes with them in all their afflictions. It is a great matter for a poor man to be in this manner in the affections of the great and mighty, but for a poor sinner to be thus in the heart and affections of God, and they that fear him are so, this is astonishing to consider. "In his love and in his pity, he redeemed them." In his love and in his pity! "In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them, and he bare them and carried them all the days of old" (Isa 63:9). I say, in that he is said to pity them, it is as much as to say, he condoles, feel, and sympathizes with them in all their afflictions and temptations. So this is his happiness, and he fears God. He has a God to pity him and be touched by all his miseries. It is said in Judges, "His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel" (Judg 10:16). And in the Hebrews, he is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities" and can "succor them that are tempted" (4:15, 2:17,18).

But further, let us take notice of the comparison. "As a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." Here is not only pity but the pity of a relation, a father. It is said in another place, "Can a woman," a mother, "forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may, yet will not I forget thee." The pity of neighbors and acquaintances helpeth in times of distress, but the pity of a father and a mother is a pity with an over and above. "The Lord," says James, "is very pitiful and of tender mercy," Pharaoh called Joseph his tender father because he provided for him against the famine, but how tender a father is God! How full of bowels! How full of pity! (James 5:11; Gen 41:43). It is said that when Ephraim was afflicted, God's bowels were troubled for him and turned within him towards him. O that the man that feareth the Lord did but believe the pity and bowels in the heart of God and his father towards him (Jer 31:18-20).

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Sixth Privilege. Dost thou fear God? he hath given charge to the armies of heaven to look after, take charge of, to camp about, and to deliver thee—"The angel of the Lord encamped round about them that fear him, and delivereth them" (Psa 34:7). This also is a privilege entailed to them that in all generations fear the Lord. The angels, the heavenly creatures, have it in commission to take charge of them that fear the Lord; one can slay men in one night 185,000. These are the ones that camped about Elisha like horses of fire and chariots of fire when the enemy came to destroy him. They also helped Hezekiah against the band of the enemy because he feared God (2 Kings 6:17; Isa 37:36; Jer 26:19). "The angel of the Lord encamped round about them"; that is, lest the enemy should set upon them on any side; but let him come where he will, behind or before, on this side or that, the angel of the Lord is there to defend them. "The angel." It may be spoken in the singular number to show that everyone that feareth God hath his angel to attend on him and serve him. When the church, in Acts, was told that Peter stood at the door and knocked, at first, they counted the messenger mad, but when she constantly affirmed it, they said, It is his angel (Acts 12:13-15). So Christ saith of the children that came unto him, "Their angels behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." Their angels, those of them who feared God, had each of them his angel, who had a charge from God to keep them in their way. We little think of this, yet this is the privilege of them that fear the Lord; yea, if need be, they shall all come down to help them and to deliver them, rather than, contrary to the mind of their God, they should by any be abused—"Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Heb 1:14).

[Quest.] But how do they deliver them? The text says, "The angel of the Lord encamped round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." Answ. The way they deliver them that fear the Lord is sometimes by smiting their enemies with blindness, that they may not find them; so they served the enemies of Lot (Gen 19:10,11). Sometimes by smiting of them with deadly fear; and so they served those that laid siege against Samaria (2 Kings 7:6). And sometimes by smiting of them even with death itself; and thus they served Herod, after he had attempted to kill the apostle James, and also sought to vex certain others of the church (Acts 12). These angels who are servants to them who fear the Lord are them who will if God doth bid them, revenge the quarrel of his servants upon the stoutest monarch on earth. This, therefore, is a glorious privilege of the men who fear the Lord. Alas! Some of them are, so it means that they are counted as not worth taking notice of by the high ones of the world, but their betters do respect them. The angels of God count not themselves too good to attend on them and camp about them to deliver them. This man had his angel to wait upon him, even that he feared God.

Seventh Privilege. Dost thou fear the Lord? Salvation is nigh unto thee—"Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him, that glory may dwell in our land" (Psa 85:9). This is another privilege for them that fear the Lord. I told you before that the angel of the Lord did encamp about them, but now he saith, "his salvation is also nigh them"; although it doth not altogether exclude the conduct of angels,[20] but include them; yet it looketh further. "Surely his salvation," his saving, pardoning grace, "is nigh them that fear him"; that is, to save them out of the hand of their spiritual enemies. The devil, and sin, and death, do always wait even to devour them that fear the Lord, but to deliver them from these his salvation doth attend them. So then, if Satan tempts, here is their salvation nigh; if sin, by breaking forth, beguiles them, here is God's salvation nigh them; yea, if death itself shall suddenly seize upon them, why, here is their God's salvation nigh them.

I have seen that great men's little children must go no whither without their nurses be at hand. If they go abroad, their nurses must go with them; if they go to meals, their nurses must go with them; if they go to bed, their nurses must go with them; yea, and if they fall asleep, their nurses must stand by them. O my brethren, those little ones that fear the Lord, they are the children of the highest; therefore, they shall not walk alone, be at their spiritual meats alone, go to their sick beds, or to their graves alone; the salvation of their God is nigh them, to deliver them from the evil. This is the glory that dwells in the land of them that fear the Lord.

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Third Privilege. Dost thou fear the Lord? he will open his secret unto thee, even that which he hath hid and keeps close from all the world, to wit, the secret of his covenant and of thy concern therein—"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will shew them his covenant" (Psa 25:14). This, then, further confirmeth what was said but just above; his secret shall be with them, and his covenant shall be showed unto them. His secret, to wit, that which hath been kept hid from ages and generations; that which he manifesteth only to the saints, or holy ones; that is, his Christ, for he is that is hidden in God, and that no man can know but he to whom the Father shall reveal him (Matt 11:27).

But O! What is there wrapped up in this Christ, this secret of God? why, all treasures of life, heaven, and happiness—"In him have hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." And "in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Col 2).

This also is that hidden One, that is so full of grace to save sinners and so full of truth and faithfulness to keep promise and covenant with them, that their eyes must needs convey, even by every glance they make upon his person, offices, and relation, such affecting ravishments to the heart, that it would please them that see him, even to be killed with that sight. This secret of the Lord shall be, nay is, with them that fear him, for he dwelleth in their heart by faith. "And he will shew them his covenant." That is, the covenant confirmed by God in Christ, that everlasting and eternal covenant, and show him that he is wrapped up therein, as in a bundle of life with the Lord his God. These are God's thoughts, purposes, and promises to those who fear him.

Fourth Privilege. Dost thou fear the Lord? His eye is always over thee for good, to keep thee from all evil—"Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine" (Psa 33:18,19). His eye is upon them; that is, to watch over them for good. He that keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. His eyes are upon them, and he will keep them as a shepherd doth his sheep; that is, from those wolves that seek to devour them and to swallow them up in death. His eyes are upon them, for they are the object of his delight, the rarities of the world, in whom, saith he, is all my delight. As I said before, his eye is upon them to teach and instruct them—"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with mine eye" (Psa 32:8; 2 Chron 7:15,16). The eye of the Lord, therefore, is upon them, not to take advantage of them, to destroy them for their sins, but to guide, to help, and deliver them from death; from that death that would feed upon their souls—"To deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine." Take death here, for death is spiritual and death eternal. The famine here, not for that is for want of bread and water, but for that which comes on many for want of the Word of the Lord (Rev 20:14; Amos 8:11,12); and then the sense is this, the man that feareth the Lord shall neither die spiritually nor eternally; for God will keep him with his eye from all those things that would in such a manner kill him. Again, should there be a famine of the Word; should there want both the Word and them that preach it in the place that thou dost dwell, yet bread shall be given thee, and thy water shall be sure; thou shalt not die of the famine, because thou fearest God. I say that man shall not behold he shall not, because he feareth God, and this the next head doth yet more fully manifest.

Fifth Privilege. Dost thou fear God? Fear him for this advantage more and more—"O fear the Lord, ye his saints, for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord," that fear him, "shall not want any good thing" (Psa 34:9,10). Not anything that God sees good for them shall those men want that fear the Lord. If health will do them good, if sickness will do them good if riches will do them good, if poverty will do them good, if life will do them good, if death will do them good, then they shall not want them, neither shall any of these come nigh them, if they will not do them good. The lions, the wicked people of the world that fear not God, are not made sharers in this great privilege; all things fall out to the contrary because they fear not God. Amid their sufficiency, they want that good that God puts into the worst things that the man that feareth God doth meet within the world.

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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 regarding this world and that which is to come? But because those fourteen above-named flow instead from this grace of fear where it is, then from a promise to the person that hath it. Therefore, I have chosen instead to discourse of them as the fruits and effects of fear rather than otherwise. Now, besides all these, there is entailed by a promise to the man that hath this fear many other blessed privileges, which I shall now in a brief way lay open unto you.

First Privilege, then. That man that feareth the Lord has a grant and a license "to trust in the Lord," with an affirmation that he is their help and their shield—"Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; he is their help and their shield" (Psa 115:11). Now what a privilege is this! An exhortation in general to sinners, as sinners, to trust in him is a privilege, tremendous and glorious. Still, for a man to be singled out from his neighbors, for a man to be spoken to from heaven, as it were by name, and to be told that God hath given him a license, a unique and peculiar grant to trust in him, this is abundantly more; and yet this is the grant that God hath given that man! He hath, I say, a license to do it—a license indicted by the Holy Ghost and left upon record for those to be born that shall fear the Lord, to trust in him. And not only so, but as the text affirms, "he is their help and their shield." They help under all their weaknesses and infirmities and a shield to defend them against all the assaults of the devil and this world. So then, the man that feareth the Lord is licensed to make the Lord his stay and God of his salvation, the succor and deliverer of his soul. He will defend him because his fear is in his heart. O ye servants of the Lord, ye that fear him, live in the comfort of this; boldly make use of it when you are in straits, and put your trust under the shadow of his wings, for indeed he would have you do so because you do fear the Lord.

Second Privilege. God hath also proclaimed concerning the man that feareth the Lord, that he will also be his teacher and guide in the way that he shall choose, and hath moreover promised concerning such, that their soul shall dwell at ease—"What man is he that feareth the Lord?" says David, "him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose" (Psa 25:12). Now, to be taught of God, what like it? Yea, what like to be taught in the way that thou shalt choose? Thou hast chosen the way to life, God's way, but perhaps thy ignorance about it is so great, and those that tempt thee to turn aside so many and so subtle, that they seem to outwit thee and confound thee with their guile. Well, but the Lord whom thou fearest will not leave thee to thy ignorance, nor yet to thine enemies' power or subtlety, but will take it upon himself to be thy teacher and thy guide, and that in the way that thou hast chosen. Hear, then, and behold thy privilege, O thou that fearest the Lord; and whoever wanders, turns aside, and swerveth from the way of salvation, whoever is benighted, and lost in the midst of darkness, thou shalt find the way to the heaven and the glory that thou hast chosen.

Further, He doth not only say that he will teach them the way, for that must of necessity be supplied, but he also says that he will teach such in it—"He shall he teach in the way that he shall choose." This argueth that, as thou shalt know, so the way shall be made, by the communion that thou shalt have with God therein, sweet and pleasant to thee. For this text promiseth unto the man that feareth the Lord, the presence, company, and discovery of the mind of God, while he is going in the way that he hath chosen. It is said of the excellent scribe, that he is instructed unto, as well as into, the way of the kingdom of God (Matt 13:52). Instructed unto; that is, he hath the heart and mind of God still discovered to him in the way that he hath chosen, even all the way from this world to that which is to come, even until he shall come to the very gate and door of heaven. What the disciples said was the effect of the presence of Christ, to wit, "that their hearts did burn within them while he talked to them by the way," shall also be fulfilled in thee, he will meet with thee in the way, talk with thee in the way; he will teach thee in the way that thou shalt choose (Luke 24:32).

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Twelfth. There floweth from this godly fear of God an honest and conscientious use of all those means which God ordained that we should be conversant in for our attaining salvation. Faith and hope in God's mercy secure our justification and hope; as you have heard, they flow from this fear. But now, besides faith and hope, there is a course of life in those things in which God 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." Faith and hope are not deficient if they are correct, but they are both counterfeit when not attended with a reverent use of all the means: upon the respectful 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, 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. Still, this hope, if it is correct, is attended with this godly fear, which fears 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. Hope purifies 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; if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. For so an entrance shall have 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." 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 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 a sacred, yea, a great delight in the commandments. Therefore, this fear makes the sinner abhor that which is sin because that is contrary to the object of his delight. A man cannot delight himself simultaneously in things directly opposite to another, as sin and the holy commandment are; 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; simultaneously, there cannot be service to both because they are at enmity 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? This holy fear of God takes the heart and affections from sin and setteth them upon the sacred commandment. Therefore, such a man is rightly esteemed and blessed. No profession makes a man blessed, but that which is accompanied by an alienation of the heart from sin, nor doth anything do that when this holy fear is wanting. It is from this fear that loves to, and delight in, the sacred 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 is 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 the desire of vain-glory, this enlargedness of heart is wanting, for that flows from this fear of the Lord.

Thus, I have shown you what this fear of God is, what it flows from, and what doth flow from it. I will come now to show you some.

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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 exercise 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 how we should attain 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 scared and jealous of yourselves and your own naughty hearts, also fear lest, at some time or other, the devil, your adversary, should have the advantage of you. Fear, lest by forgetting what you are by nature, you also forget the need that you have for continual pardon, support, and supplies from the Spirit of grace, and so grow proud of your own abilities or of what you have received from God, and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Fear 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 flows this excellent and comely thing, humility; yea, it is also maintained by this fear. Fear takes a man from trusting himself, prevents a man from trying all things, prevents a man desiring counsel and help from heaven, makes a man ready and willing to hear instruction, and makes a man walk slowly, 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 outlined in the Word. Godly fear hath particular 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.

As I also hinted before, it is the nature of godly fear to put the soul upon the inquiry, which is, and is not, the thing approved of God, and accordingly embrace it or shun it. Now I say, this fear had put the soul upon a strict and severe 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 also hoping 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 its self-evidence that the sinner's state 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 me for eternal life into the bosom of his mercy, which is Christ. This fear also produceth hope; if therefore, poor sinner, thou know thyself to be possessed with this fear of God, suffer thyself to be persuaded thus to hope in the mercy of God for salvation, for the Lord takes pleasure in thee. And it delights him to see the hope in his mercy.

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Seventh. There flows from this godly fear of God, compassion, and bowels to those of the saints in need and distress. This is manifest in good Obadiah; it is said of him, "That he took a 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 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 a 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 such an 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. As a man possessed this fear of God, Cornelius 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, is a universal grace; it will stir up the soul unto all suitable 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 is also seen in Cornelius, the devout man. He feared God, and what then? Why, he gave much alms to the people "and prayed to God always" (Acts 10:1,2).

Did I say that hearty, fervent, and constant prayer flowed from this fear of God? If the whole duty and its continuation are not managed with this fear of God, it profits nothing. 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 cannot pray; for if prayer is 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 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, 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.

Works of John Bunyan: A TREATISE OF THE FEAR OF GOD. 456

 

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684

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 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, there was no self-denial; he would not do as they did that went before him, neither himself nor his servants, but what 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."

Whether the fear of God in this place means his Word or the grace of fear in his heart, it may be a scruple to some. Still, 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, was the cause of his self-denial, and this grace of fear was in his heart. This made him to be, as was said before, tender of the honor 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 other never stuck 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 stands, lest I make my brother offend"; that is if his eating of it would make his brother 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; their 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. Therefore, this grace of fear is excellent because it yields such wonderful fruit. For this self-denial, of how little esteem soever it be with some, yet the want of it, if the words of Christ be accurate, 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 servant's 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 you eat 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 do as the apostle bids; "whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." And the reason for their want of this thing was, they wanted this fear of God; for that, as the apostle here saith, effected 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 retained and keep upon the heart a reverent and awful sense of the dread majesty and all-seeing eye of God, also 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 wanted love to God, and to that which is true holiness indeed. This singleness of heart made Nathanael so honorable 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, which became an abhorrence in his esteem. Now, I say, this golden grace, singleness of heart, flows from this godly fear of God.