4. This grace of fear is the softest and most tender of God's honor of any other grace. That tender, sensible, and trembling grace keeps the soul upon its continual watch. To keep a good watch is, you know, a wonderful safety measure in a place that is in continual danger because of the enemy. This grace sets the watch and keeps the watchmen awake (Can 3:7,8). A man cannot watch as he should if he be destitute of fear: let him be confident, and he sleeps; he unadvisedly lets into the garrison those that should not come there. Israel's fault when they came to Canaan was that they made a covenant with the land's inhabitants, to wit, the Gibeonites, without asking counsel of God. But would they have done so, think you, if at the same time the fear of God had had its full play in the soul, in the army? No, they, at that time, forgot to fear. The grace of fear had not at that time its full stroke and sway among them.
5. This grace of fear is that which, as I may say, first affects the hearts of saints with judgments after we have sinned, and so is as a beginning grace to bring again that to rights that by sin is put out of frame. O, it is a precious grace of God! I know what I say in this matter and also where I had been long ago, through the power of my lusts and the wiles of the devil, had it not been for the fear of God.
Second. But secondly, another encouragement for those that are blessed with this blessed grace of fear is this—this fear fails not to do this work for the soul, if there in truth, be it never so small in measure. A little of this leaven "leaven the whole lump." True, a little will not do or help the soul to do those worthy exploits in the heart of life as well as a more significant measure thereof; nor, indeed, can a little of any grace do that which a more significant measure will, but a little will preserve the soul from final apostasy, and deliver it into the arms of the Son of God at the final judgment. When he says, "I will put my fear in their hearts," he says not, I will put so much of it there, such a quantity, or such a degree, but, "I will put my fear there." I speak not this in the least to tempt the godly man to be content with the slightest degree of the fear of God in his heart. True, men should be glad that God hath put even the slightest degree of this grace into their souls, but they should not be content in addition to that; they should earnestly covet more, pray for more, and use all lawful, that is, all the means of God's appointing, that they may get more.
There are, as I have said already, several degrees of this grace of fear, and our wisdom is to grow in it, as in all the other graces of the Spirit. The reasons why, I have shown you, and also the way to grow therein; but the most diminutive measure thereof will do as I said: keep the soul from final apostasy. There are, as I have shown you, those that greatly fear the Lord, that fear exceedingly, and that fear him above many of their brethren; but the small in this grace are saved as well as those that are great therein: "He will bless" or save "them that fear him, both small and great." This fear of the Lord is the pulse of the soul; and as some pulses beat stronger, some weaker, so is this grace of fear in the soul. They that beat best are a sign of the best life, but they that beat worst show that life is [barely] present. As long as the pulse beats, we count not that the man is dead, though weak, and this fear, where it is, preserves to everlasting life. Pulses there are also intermitting, such as having their times for a little a little time to stop and beat again. These are indeed dangerous pulses, but they are also signs of life. This fear of God is also sometimes like this intermitting pulse; sometimes, it forbears to work, and then it works again. David had an intermitting pulse, Peter had an intermitting pulse, as well as many other of the saints of God. I call that an intermitting pulse concerning the fear we speak of, when there is some obstruction by the workings of corruptions in the soul; I say, some obstruction from, and hindrance of, the continual motion of this fear of God; yet none of these, though they are various, and some of them signs of weakness, are signs of death, but life. "I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart me."
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