Chapter LXXIV
"There is no fear that fully pleases God in us but reverent fear"
FOR I understand that there be four manner of fears. One is the fear of an affright that cometh to a man suddenly by frailty. This fear does good, for it helps to purge man, as does bodily sickness or such other pain as is not sin. For all such pains help man if they be patiently taken. The second is fear of pain, whereby man is stirred and wakened from sleep of sin. He is not able for the time to perceive the soft comfort of the Holy Spirit, till he have understanding of this fear of
pain, of bodily death, of spiritual enemies; and this fear stirs us to seek comfort and mercy of God, and thus this fear helps us, and enables us to have contrition by the blissful touching of the Holy Spirit. The third is doubtful fear. Doubtful fear in as much as it draws to despair, God will have it turned in us into love by the knowing of love: that is to say, that the bitterness of doubt be turned into the sweetness of natural love by grace. For it may never please our Lord that His servants doubt in His Goodness. The fourth is reverent fear: for there is no fear that fully pleases God in us but reverent fear. And that is soft, for the more it is had, the less it is felt for sweetness of love.
Love and fear are brethren, and they are rooted in us by the Goodness of our Maker, and they shall never be taken from us without end. We have of nature to love and we have of grace to love: and we have of nature to fear and we have of grace to fear. It belongs to the Lordship and to the Fatherhood to be feared, as it belongs to the Goodness to be loved: and it belongs to us that are His servants and His children to fear Him for Lordship and Fatherhood, as it belongs to us to love Him for Goodness.
And though this reverent-fear and love be not parted asunder, yet they are not both one, but they are two in property and in working, and neither of them may be had without other. for that I am sure, he that loves, he fears, though that he feel it but a little.
All fears other than reverent fear that are proffered to us, though they come under the colour of holiness yet are not so true, and hereby may they be known asunder. - That fear that makes us hastily to flee from all that is not good and fall into our Lord's breast, as the Child into the Mother's bosom, with all our intent and with all our mind, knowing our feebleness and our great need, knowing His everlasting goodness and His blissful love, only seeking to Him for salvation, cleaving to Him with sure trust: that fear that brings us into this working, it is natural, gracious, good and true. And all that is contrary to this, either it is wrong, or it is mingled with wrong. Then is this the remedy, to know them both and refuse the wrong.
For the natural property of fear which we have in this life by the gracious working of the Holy Spirit, the same shall be in heaven before God, gentle, courteous, and delectable. And thus we shall in love be homely and near to God, and we shall in fear be gentle and courteous to God: and both alike equal.
Desire we of our Lord God to fear Him reverently, to love Him meekly, to trust in Him mightily; for when we fear Him reverently and love Him meekly our trust is never in vain. For the more that we trust, and the more mightily, the more we please and worship our Lord that we trust in. And if we fail in this reverent fear and meek love (as God forbid we should!), our trust shall soon be misruled for the time. And for that it needs us much to pray our Lord of grace that we may have this reverent fear and meek love, of His gift, in heart and in work. For without this, no man may please God.