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TDK CHRISTIAN WORK.
creatures of \Yliom we arc lords ; and tliis proceeds from a carnal distrust in God. But in this place is meant a spiritual fear, which may be branched into three divers kinds. First, a fear of reverence, which is a fear mixed with love ; when we fear one or stand in awe of him for his greatness, yet love him for his goodness to us ; and thus a Christian fears God. Secondly, hence proceeds the second kind of fear, which is a fear of watchfulness ; and thirdly, a fear of jealousy, lest we should oli'end against God ; and this arises from the consideration of our weakness and the falseness of our hearts. So that he here saying, ' Work out your salvation with fear,' bids them that they proceed on in their course with reverence, watchfulness, and jealousy. As for the word ' trembling,' it is none other but an effect or symptom of the passion of fear, arising from excess of fear in regard of fearful objects. For then the spirits retiring in to comfort the heart, leave the outward parts destitute, so as they tremble. And on the contrary, in objects of delight and comfort, they come outward, to the outmost parts as it were, to meet with such pleasing objects as are presented to the sense. It being thus in nature, it is also in us spiritually ; for we beholding the majesty and power of God, and considering our own base- ness and infirmities, are drawn to a kind of fear, which, if it be some- what more than ordinary, it produces a spiritual trembling. Having thus opened the words, we will come to some doctrine ; and first, in general observe,
Doct. God requires all duties that are done to him to be done with affection. The careless Christian thinks the deed done to be sufficient to please God. No ; verily he requires work, but it must be done with affection. The affection must first be obedient, and then the outward man. ' Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, and sti'ength, and thy neighbour as thyself,' Lev. xix. 18. ' My son, give me thy heart,' saith Solomon, Prov. xxiii. 26. I might infer this doctrine to shew how many are faulty this way, but I come to this particular afi'ection of fear. All things that are done must he done in the fear of God ; and this must we do before our calling and after our calling : before our calling to work ourselves into our salvation, and in our calling to work out our own salvation. Before our conversion fear is necessary for us. God uses it to bring us to Christ, Legal fear is always or most commonly before evangelical. It is as the needle that draws faith after it as the thread. Such is God's goodness to us, that lest we should fall into hell ere we are aware, he hath left us objects of terror and threatening judgments, to keep us from hell ; and all to pro- voke fear in us that we may be saved. There is a spirit of bondage before the spirit of adoption : Rom. viii. 15, 'Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption,' imply- ing that once they had received the spirit of bondage. For verily, first men see their miserable estate by nature, and this convincing their con- sciences, comes to stir up fear in them, which drives them to the rock of salvation, Christ Jesus. I speak this the rather, for that it is evident many never yet came to this spirit of fear. They live in a course of known gross sins, between whom and damnation is but a step. They know they are abominable sinners, yet fear not hell. How can men, think well of such ? They never yet came to the spirit of bondage to fear. Tell them of hell, they tush at it scornfully, being herein more brutish than an ass. Lay burdens on him, he will bear them patiently; but press him never so much to go into the fire, you cannot make him come near to it ; whenas wicked men, they cannot be kept from running into hell with all violence. They
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are worse than the clovil, James ii. 19. They neither tremble nor believe, but live contemptuously and presumptuously in their courses. Well, let such look to it. What they do now they shall do it hereafter, when there ■will be no comfort left for them, though they seek it with tears.
Thus have I shewn that before conversion fear is necessary. I add, moreover, that men after conversion, believers, they ought to have fear of reverence ; wherein we will speak somewhat of fear in general ; then of the manner of it; and lastly, of the motives thereto. For the fear that here is spoken of observe that,
First, It must he f/enernl at all times, in all actions. Job said, ' I feared all my works,' Job iii. 25, and indeed in this estate we must continually fear till we be in heaven. And as it belongs to all works and times, so to all Christians, nay, and to them most of all, for that the devil is set against you. And your actions, if they be ill, are the most scandalous ; and by them is God most of all dishonoured. And therefore the more gi'ace a man hath he will fear the more. Even as a rich man, the more riches he hath the more care he taketh, lest they should be stolen from him.