Quest. But you may say, How shall I know that I fear God?
Answ. If I say that desires, faithful, sincere desires to fear him, is fear itself. I should not say amiss (Neh 1:11). For although a desire to be, or do so and so, makes not a man to be in temporal or natural things what he desires to be—for a sick, or poor, or imprisoned man may desire to be well, to be rich, or to be at liberty, and yet be as they are, sick, poor, or in prison—yet in spirituals, a man's desire to be good, to believe, to love, to hope, and fear God, doth flow from the nature of grace itself.
I said before that in temporal, a man could not properly be said to be what he was not; yet a man, even in natural or temporals, shows his love to that thing that he desires, whether it be health, riches, or liberty; and in spirituals, desires of, from love to this or that grace of God, sincere desires of it flow from the root of the grace itself—"Thy servants who desire to fear thy name." Nehemiah bore himself before God upon this, "that he desired to fear his name." And hence again it is said concerning desires, true desires, "The desire of man is his kindness" (Prov 19:22). For a man shows his heart, his love, his affections, and his delights, in his desires; and since the grace of the fear of God is a grace so pleasant in the sight of God, and of so sanctifying a nature in the soul where it is, a genuine sincere desire to be blessed with that grace must need flow from some being of this grace in the soul already.
True desires are lower than higher acts of grace, but God will not overlook desires—"But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city." Mark, they desire a country, and they shall have a city. At this low place, to wit, sincere desires, God will meet the soul and tell him that he has accepted his desires, that his desires are his kindness, and flow from grace itself: "He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him." Therefore, desires are not rejected by God, but they would if they did not flow from a principle of grace already in the soul; thus, desires, sincere desires to fear God, flow from grace already in the soul. Therefore, since thou fears God, and it is evident by thy desires that thou dost so do, thou art happy now in this thy fear, and shalt be happy forever hereafter in the enjoyment of that which God in another world hath laid up for them that fear him.
Third. Another encouragement for those who have this grace of fear is this; this grace can make that man, who in many other things is incapable of serving God, serve him better than those who have all without it. Poor Christian man, thou hast scarce been able to do anything for God all thy days, but only to fear the Lord. Thou art no preacher, and so canst not do him service that way; thou art no rich man, and so canst not do him service with outward substance; thou art no wise man, and so canst not do anything that way; but here is thy mercy, thou fearest God. Though thou canst not preach, thou canst fear God. Though thou hast no bread to feed the belly nor fleece to clothe the back of the poor, thou canst fear God. O how "blessed is the man that feared the Lord"; this duty of fearing God is an act of the mind and may be done by the man that is destitute of all things but that holy and blessed mind.
Blessed therefore is that man, for God hath not laid the comfort of his people in the doing of external duties, nor the salvation of their souls, but in believing, loving, and fearing God. He did not lay these things in their health actions nor in the due management of their most excellent parts but in the receiving of Christ and fear of God. The which, good Christian, thou mayest do, and do acceptably, even though thou shouldest lie bed-rid all thy days; thou mayest also be sick and believe; be sick and love, be ill and fear God, and so be a blessed man. And here, the poor Christian hath something to answer them that reproach him for his ignoble pedigree and shortness of the glory of the world's wisdom. True, may that man say, I was taken out of the dunghill and born in a base and low estate, but I fear God. I have no worldly greatness nor excellency of natural parts, but I fear God.
When Obadiah met with Elijah, he gave him no worldly and fantastical compliment, nor did he glory in his promotion by Ahab, the king of Israel, but gravely, and after a gracious manner, said, "I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth." Also, when the mariners inquired of Jonah, they said, "What is thine occupation, and whence comes thou? what is thy country, and of what people art thou?" He answered them: "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land" (Jonah 1:8,9). Indeed this answer is the highest and most noble in the world, nor are there any, save a few, that in truth can thus express themselves, though other answers they had enough; most can say, I have wisdom, or might, or riches, or friends, or health, or the like; these are common, and are greatly boasted in by the most; but he is the man that feared God, and he that can say, when they say to him, What art thou? "I thy servant fear the Lord," he is the man of many; he is to be honored of men, though this, to wit, that he feared the Lord, is all that he hath in the world. He hath the thing, the honor, the life, and glory that is lasting; his blessedness will abide when all men's but his is buried in the dust, in shame and contempt.
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