Second. If thou would have the grace of fear to grow in thy soul, heed also of A PRAYERLESS HEART, for that is not a place for this grace of fear to grow in. Hence, he that restraineth prayer is said to cast off fear. "Thou castest off fear," said one of his friends to Job. But how must he do that? Why do the following words show, "Thou restrain prayer before God" (Job 15:4). Seest thou a professor that pray not? That man thrust the fear of God away from him. Seest thou a man that prays but little, that man feareth God but little; for it is the praying soul, the man that is mighty in praying, that has a heart for the fear of God to grow in. Therefore, take heed of a prayerless heart if you grow in this grace of the fear of God. Prayer is as the pitcher fetches water from the brook and water the herbs; break the pitcher, and it will fetch no water, and for want of water, the garden withers.
Third. Wouldest thou grow in this grace of fear? Then take heed of A LIGHT AND WANTON HEART, for neither is such a heart good ground for the fear of God to grow in. Wherefore it is said of Israel, "She feared not, but went and played the harlot also." She was given to wantonness, and to be light and vain, and so her fear of God decayed (Jer 3:8). Had Joseph been as wanton as his mistress, he had been as void of the fear of God as she; but he was of a sober, tender, godly, considerate spirit. Therefore, he grew up in fear of God.
Fourth. Wouldest thou grow in this grace of fear? Then take heed of A COVETOUS HEART, for neither is that which is such one good ground for this grace of fear to grow in. Therefore, this covetousness and the fear of God are enemies, set the one in opposition to the other: one that feared God and hated covetousness (Exo 18:21). And the reason why covetousness is such an obstruction to the growth of this grace of fear, is because covetousness casteth those things out of the heart which alone can nourish this fear. It casteth out the Word and love of God, without which no grace can grow in the soul; how then should the fear of God grow in a covetous heart? (Eze 33:30-32; 1 John 2:15).
Fifth. Wouldest thou grow in this grace of fear? Then take heed of AN UNBELIEVING HEART, for an unbelieving heart is not good ground for this grace of fear to grow in. An unbelieving heart is called "an evil heart" because from it flows all the wickedness that is committed in the world (Heb 3:12). Now it is faith, or a believing heart, that nourisheth this fear of God, and not the other; and the reason is, for that faith brings God, heaven, and hell, to the soul, and maketh it duly consider of them all (Heb 11:7). This is, therefore, the means of fear, and that which will make it grow in the soul; but unbelief is a bane to it.
Sixth. Wouldest thou grow in this grace of fear? Then, take heed of A FORGETFUL HEART. Such a heart is not a heart where the grace of fear will flourish, "when I remember, I am afraid," &c. Therefore take heed of forgetfulness; do not forget but remember God and his kindness, patience, and mercy, to those that yet neither have grace, nor special favor from him, and that will beget and nourish his fear in thy heart, but forgetfulness of this, or of any other of his judgments, is an excellent wound and weakening to this fear (Job 21:6). When a man well remembers that God's judgments are so great a deep and mystery, as indeed they are, that remembrance puts a man upon such considerations of God and of his decisions as to make him fear—"Therefore," said Job, "I am afraid of him." See the place, Job 23:15. "Therefore am I troubled at his presence; when I consider, I am afraid of him"—when I remember and consider the beautiful depths of his judgments towards man.
Seventh. Wouldest thou grow in this grace of fear? Then take heed of A MURMURING AND REPINING HEART, for that is not a heart for this grace of fear to grow in. For instance, when men murmur and repine at God's hand, at his dispensations, and at the judgments that overtake them in their persons, estates, families, or relations, that their murmuring tended to destroy fear; for a murmuring spirit is such a one as seems to correct God, and to find fault with his dispensations, and where there is that, the heart is far from fear. A murmuring spirit either comes from that wisdom that pretends to understand that there is a failure in the nature and execution of things or from envy and spite at their execution. If murmurings arise from this pretended wisdom of the flesh, then instead of fearing God, his actions are judged rigid or ridiculous, which are yet done in judgment, truth, and righteousness. So that a murmuring heart cannot be a good one for the fear of God to grow in. Alas! The heart where that grows must be soft, as you have it in Job 23:15, 16; and a heart that will stoop and be silent at the most abstruse of all his judgments—"I was dumb because THOU didst it." The heart in which this fear of God doth flourish is such that it bows and is mute if it can but espy the hand, wisdom, justice, or holiness of God in this or the other of his dispensations and so stirs up the soul to fear before him. But if this murmuring arises from envy and spite that looked so like the spirit of the devil, nothing needs to be said to give conviction to its horrible wickedness.
Eighth. Wouldest thou grow in this grace of fear? Then take heed of A HIGH AND CAPTIOUS SPIRIT, for that is not good ground for the fear of God to grow. A meek and quiet spirit is the best, and there the fear of God will flourish most; therefore, Peter puts meekness and fear together as being most suited in their nature and natural tendency one to another (1 Peter 3:15). Meekness of spirit is like that heart that hath depth of earth in it in which things may take root and grow. Still, a high and captious spirit is like to the stony ground, where there is no depth of earth, and consequently, where this grace of fear cannot grow; therefore, take heed of this kind of spirit, if thou would that the fear of God should grow in thy soul.
Ninth. Wouldest thou grow in this grace of fear? Then take heed of AN ENVIOUS HEART, for that is not a good heart for the fear of God to grow in. "Let not thine heart envy sinners, but be thou in fear of the Lord all the day long" (Prov 23:17). To envy is a sign of an evil spirit. That man takes upon him, as I have already hinted, to be a controller and a judge, yea, and a malicious executioner too, and that of that fury that arises from his own lusts and revengeful spirit, upon (perhaps) the man that is more righteous than himself. But suppose he is a sinner that is the object of thine envy. Why is the text set that envy in direct opposition to the fear of God? "Envy not sinners, but be thou in the fear of God." These two, therefore, to wit, envy of sinners and fear of God, are opposites. Thou canst not fear God and envy sinners, too. The reason is that he envied a sinner, had forgotten himself, and was as bad; how could he then fear God? He that envies sinners rejects his duty of blessing them that curse and praying for them that despitefully use us; how can he that hath rejected this, fear God? He that envied sinners, therefore, cannot be of a good spirit, nor can the fear of God grow in his heart.
Tenth. Lastly, Would thou grow in this grace of fear? Then, heed HARDENING THY HEART at any time against convictions to particular duties, such as prayer, alms, self-denial, or the like. Take heed also of hardening thy heart when thou art under any judgment of God, as sickness, losses, crosses, or the like. I bid you before to beware of a hard heart, but now I bid you beware of hardening your soft ones. To harden the heart is to make it worse than it is; harder, more desperate, and bold against God than at the present it is. Now, I say, if thou would grow in this grace of fear, take heed of hardening thy heart, and especially of hardening of it against convictions to good; for those convictions are sent of God like seasonable showers of rain, to keep the tillage of thy heart in good order, that the grace of fear may grow therein. Still, this stifling of convictions makes the heart as hard as a piece of the nether millstone. Therefore happy is he that received a sentence, for so he doth keep in fear of God, and that fear thereby nourished in his soul; but cursed is he that doth otherwise—"Happy is the man that fears always; but he that harden his heart shall fall into mischief" (Prov 28:14).
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