Directions against sinful Fear of God
sinful. 4. When our fear is so immoderate in degree as to distract us, or hinder us from faith and prayer, a make us melancholy: or when it hindereth love, and praise and thanks, and necessary joy, and tendeth not to drive to God, and to the use of means to avoid the danger, to drive us from God, and kill our hope, and make us down in despair.
Directions against sinful Fear of God Direct. I. 'Know God in his goodness, mercifulness a truth, and it will banish sinful fears of him:' for the proceed from the ignorance or unbelief of some of these; not considering and applying them to the cause that before you, "They that know thy name, will put the trust in thee."
Direct. II. 'Know God in Jesus Christ the Mediat and come to him by him.' And then you may have "access with boldness and confidence."
We have "boldness to enter into the holiest by his blood, by the new and living way which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh. And having an high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faitho."
The sight of Christ by faith should banish immoderate fear. "Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid."
Direct. III. 'Understand the tenor of the Gospel, and the freeness of the covenant of grace,' and then you will there find abundant encouragement against the matter of inordinate fears.
Direct. IV. 'Employ yourselves as much as possible in love and praise: for love expelleth tormenting fear; there is no fear in love.'
Direct. V. 'Remember God's particular mercies to yourselves:' for those will persuade you that he will use you kindly, when you find that he hath done so already. As when Manoah said, "We shall surely die because we have seen God; his wife answered, "If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received an offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things."
Direct. VI. 'Labour to clear up your title to the promises and special interest in Christ.' Otherwise the doubts of that will be still feeding and justifying your fears.
Direct. VII. 'Consider what a horrible injury it is to God, to think of him as you do of the devil, as an enemy to humble, willing souls, and a destroyer of them, and an adversary to them that diligently seek him;' of whom he is a lover and rewarder. And so think of God as evil, and fear him upon such misapprehensions.
Direct. VIII. 'Observe the sinfulness of your fear in the effects; how it driveth you from God, and hindereth faith, and love, and thankfulness, and discourageth you from prayer, and sacraments, and all duty.' And therefore it must needs be pleasing to the devil, and displeasing to God, and no way to be pleaded for or justified.
Direct. IX. 'Mark how you contradict the endeavours of God, in his Word, and by his ministers.' Do you find God driving any from him, and frighting away souls that would fain be his? Or doth he not prepare the himself and reconcile the world to himself in Christ, then send his ambassadors in his name and stead to beseech them to be reconciled unto God, and to tell them that all things are ready, and compel them to come in?
Direct. X. 'Consider how thou wrongest others keepest them from coming home to God.' When they thee terrified in the way of piety,