Introduction
Introduction The chief of my advice concerning this sin, I have given you before,
Chap. iii. Direct. XII. Yet somewhat I shall here add. Fear is a necessary passion in man, which is planted in nature for the restraining of us from sin, and driving us on to duty, and preventing misery. It is either God, or devils, or men, or inferior creatures, or ourselves, that we fear. God must be feared as he is God; as he is great, and holy, and just, and true: as our Lord, and King, and Judge, and Father: and the fear of him is the beginning of wisdom. Devils must be feared only as subordinate to God, as the executioners of his wrath; and so must me and beasts, and fire, and water, and other creatures feared, and no otherwise. We must so discern and fear danger as to avoid it. Ourselves we are less apt to fear because we know that we love ourselves. But there is no creature that we have so much cause to fear, as our foll weakness, and wilfulness in sin.
Fear is sinful, 1. When it proceedeth from unbelief, a distrust of God.
2. When it ascribeth more to the creature than is its due: as when we fear devils or men, as great or bad, or as our enemies, without due respect to their dependence upon the will of God: when we fear a chain creature, as if he were unchained. 3. When we fear God upon mistake or error, or fear that in him which is not him, or is not to be feared. As when we fear lest will break his promise; lest he will condemn the keep of his covenant; lest he will not forgive the penitent that hate their sin; lest he will despise the contrite; lest he way not hear the prayers of the humble, faithful soul; lest he way fail them and forsake them; lest he will not cause all things to work together for their good; lest he will forsake church; lest Christ will not come again; lest our body shall not be raised; lest there be no life of glory for just, or no immortality of souls: all such fears as the are