Continuing in A Treatise of the Fear of God by John Bunyan, Part 8, Column 2, Number 2. The covetous man feareth not God. This is also plain from the word, because it setteth covetousness and the fear of God in direct opposition. Men that fear God are said to hate covetousness. Exodus 18, verse 21. Besides, the covetous man is called an idolater. and is said to have no part in the kingdom of Christ and of God. And again, the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth. Ezekiel 33 verse 31, Ephesians 5 verse 5, Psalm 10 verse 3. Hearken to this, you that hunt the world to take it, you that care not how you get so you get the world, Also, you that make even religion your stalking horse to get the world, you fear not God. And what will you do whose hearts go after your covetousness, you who are led by covetousness up and down, as it were, by the nose, sometimes to swear, to lie, to cozen, and cheat, and defraud, when you can get the advantage to do it? You are far, very far from the fear of God. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, for so the covetous are called. Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. James 4 verse 4. 3 The riotous eaters of flesh have not the fear of God. For this is done without fear. Jude 12. Gluttony is a sin little taken notice of, and is little repented of by those that use it. But yet it is odious in the sight of God, and the practice of it a demonstration of the want of his fear in the heart. Yea, so odious is it that God forbids that his people should so much as company with such. Be not, saith he, among winebibbers, among riotous eaters of flesh. And he further tells us that they are such are spots and blemishes to those that keep them company, for indeed they fear not God." 2 Peter 2.13, Romans 13.13, 1 Peter 4.4. Alas, some men are as if they were for naught else born, but to eat and to drink, and pamper their carcasses with the dainties of this world, quite forgetting why God sent them hither. But such as is said fear not God, and so consequently are of the number of them upon whom the day of judgment will come at unawares." Luke 21 verse 34. Number four. The liar is one that fears not God. This is also evident from the plain text. Thou hast lied, saith the Lord, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart. Have not I held my peace even of old, saith the Lord, and thou fearest me not? Isaiah 57 verse 11. What lie this was is not material. It was a lie, or a course of lying that is here rebuked. And the person or persons in this practice, as it is said, were such as feared not God. A course of lying in the fear of God cannot stand together. This sin of lying is a common sin, and it walketh in the world in several guises. There is the profane, scoffing liar. There is the cunning, artificial liar. There is the hypocritical, religious liar, with liars of other ranks and degrees. But none of them all have the fear of God, nor shall any of them, they not repenting, escape the damnation of hell. All liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. Revelation 21 verse 8. Heaven and the New Jerusalem are not a place for such. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie. Verse 27. Therefore another scripture says that all liars are without. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. Revelation 22 verse 15. But this should not be their sentence, judgment, and condemnation, if they that are liars were such as had in them this blessed fear of God. Number five. They fear not God who cry unto him for help in the time of their calamity. and when they are delivered, they return to their former rebellion. This Moses, in the spirit of prophecy, asserted at the time of the mighty judgment of the hail. Pharaoh then desired him to pray to God that he would take away that judgment from him. Well, so I will, said Moses, but as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the Lord God. Exodus 9 verse 30 As who should say, I know that so soon as this judgment is removed, you will to your old rebellion again. And what greater demonstration can be given that such a man feareth not God, than to cry to God to be delivered from affliction, to prosperity, and to spend that prosperity and rebellion against him. This is crying for mercies, that they may be spent, or that we may have something to spend upon our lusts, and in the service of Satan. John 4 verses 1-3 Of these God complains in the 16th of Ezekiel and in the 2nd of Hosea. Thou hast, saith God, taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images, etc. Ezekiel 16 verse 17. This was for want of the fear of God. Many of this kind there be now in the world, both of men and women and children. Art not thou that readest this book of this number? Hast thou not cried for help when sick, for wealth when poor, when lame for strength, when in prison for liberty, and then spent all that thou goddest by thy prayer in the service of Satan, and to gratify thy lusts? Look to it, sinner. These things are signs that with your heart you fear not God. They fear not God by waylay his people and seek to overthrow them, or to turn them besides the right path, as they are journeying from hence to their eternal rest. This is evident from the plain text. Remember, saith God, what Amalek did unto thee by the way when ye were come forth out of Egypt, how he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee. even all that were feeble behind you, and when you were faint and weary and feared not God." Deuteronomy 25 verses 17 and 18. Many such Amalekites there be now in the world that set themselves against the feeble of the flock, against the feeble of the flock especially, still smiting them, some by power, some with the tongue, some in their lives and estates, some in their names and reputations, by scandals, slanders, and reproach. But the reason of this, their ungodly practice, is this, they fear not God. For did they fear Him, they would be afraid so much as to think, much more of attempting to afflict and destroy and culminate the children of God. But there, or such there have been, such there are, and such there will be in the world. For all men fear not God. They fear not God who see his hand upon backsliders for their sins, and yet themselves will be backsliders also. I saw, saith God, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery, I had put her away, and had given her a bill of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. Jeremiah 3 verse 8, 2 verse 19. Judah saw that her sister was put away and delivered by God into the hands of Shalmanzer, who carried her away beyond Babylon. And yet, though she saw it, she went and played the harlot also, a sign of great hardness of heart and of the want of the fear of God indeed. For this fear, had it been in her heart, it would have taught her to have trembled at the judgment that was executed upon her sister, and not to have gone and played the harlot also, and not to have done it while her sister's judgment was in sight and memory. But what is it that a heart that is destitute of the fear of God will not do? No sin comes amiss to such, yea, they will sin, they will do that themselves, for the doing of which they believe some are in hell fire, and all because they fear not God. But pray, observe, If those that take not warning when they see the hand of God upon backsliders are said to have none of the fear of God, they have it, or have they it, thank you, that lay stumbling blocks in the way of God's people and use devices to cause them to backslide. Yea, rejoice when they can do this mischief to any. And yet many of this sort there are in the world that even rejoice when they see a professor fall into sin and go back from his profession as if they had found some excellent thing. 8. They fear not God who can look upon a land as wallowing in sin and yet are not humbled at the sight thereof. Have ye, said God by the prophets of the Jews, forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? They are not humbled to this day, neither have they feared nor walked in my law. Jeremiah 44 verses 9 and 10. Here is a land full of wickedness, and none to bewail it. For they want the fear of God, and love to walk in his law. But how say you, if they that are not humbled at their own and others' wickedness, are said not to fear, or have the fear of God? What shall we think or say of such that receive, that nourish and rejoice in such wickedness? Do they fear God? Yea, what shall we say of such that are the inventors and promoters of wickedness, as of oaths, beastly talk, and the like? Do they Do you think, fear God? Once again, what shall we say of such that cannot be content to be wicked themselves, and to invent and rejoice in other men's wickedness, but must hate, reproach, vilify, and abuse those that they cannot persuade to be wicked? Do they fear God? Number nine. They that take more heed to their own dreams than to the word of God, fear not God. This is also plain from the word. For in the multitude of dreams there are also diverse vanities, but fear thou God, that is, take heed unto his word, Ecclesiastes 5, verse 7, Isaiah 8, verse 20. Here the fearing of God is opposed to our overmuch-heeding dreams, and there is implied that it is for want of the fear of God that men so much heed those things. What will they say to this that give more heed to a suggestion that arises from their foolish heart, or that is cast in thither by the devil, than they do to the holy word of God? These are filthy dreamers. Also, what shall we say to those that are more confident of the mercy of God to their soul, because he hath blessed them with outward things, than they are afraid of his wrath and condemnation, though the whole of the Word of God doth vilify or fully verify the same. These are filthy dreamers indeed. A dream is either real or so by way of semblance. And so some men dream sleeping and some walking. Isaiah 29 verse 7. And as those that a man's dreams sleeping are caused either by God, Satan, business, flesh, or the like, so are they that a man dreams waking. to pass by those that we have in our sleep. Men, when bodily awake, may have dreams, that is, visions from heaven. Such are all that they have a tendency to discover to the sinner his state, or the state of the church according to the word. But those are or those that are from Satan, business, and the flesh are such, especially the first and the last, to wit from Satan and the flesh, as tend to embolden men to hope for good in a way disagreeing with the word of God. These Jude calls filthy dreamers, such whose principles were their dreams, and they led them to defile the flesh, that is, by fornication and uncleanness, to despise dominion, that their reins might be laid upon the neck of their lusts, to speak evil of dignities of those that God has set over them, for their governing in all the law and testament of Christ. These dreamt that to live like brutes, to be greedy of gain, and to take away for it, as Cain and Balaam did by their wiles, the lives of the owners thereof, would go for good coin in the best of trials. These also Peter speaks of, 2 Peter 2. And he makes their dreams that Jude calls so, their principle and errors in life and doctrine. You may read of them in that whole chapter where they are called cursed children, and so by consequence such as fear not God. Number 10. They fear not God who are sorcerers, adulterers, false swearers, and that oppress the hireling of his wages. It is a custom with some men to keep back by fraud from the hireling that which by covenant they agreed to pay for their labor. Pinching, I say, and hearing from them their due, that of right belongs to them. To the making of them cry in the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. These fear not God. They are reckoned among the worst of men, and in their day of account God himself will bear witness against them. And I, saith God, will come near to you in judgment. And I will be a swift witness against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right. And fear not me, saith the Lord. Malachi 3 verse 5. Number 11. They fear not God, who instead of pitying of, rail at God's people in their affliction, temptations, and persecutions, and rather rejoice and skip for joy than sympathize with them in their sorrow. Thus did David's enemies, thus did Israel's enemies, and thus did the thief. He railed at Christ when he hanged upon the cross, and was for that, even by his fellow, accounted for one that feared not God." Luke 23 verse 40, Psalm 35 verse 1, and 22 through 26. Read Obadiah 10 through 15, Jeremiah 48 to verse 6. This is a common thing among the children of men, even to rejoice at the hurt of them that fear God. and it ariseth even of an inward hatred to godliness. They hate you, saith Christ, because they hated me. Therefore Christ takes what is done to his, and this, as done unto himself, and so to holiness of life. But this falls hard upon such as despise at, and rejoice to see, God's people in their griefs, and that to take the advantage as Dogget Shimei did to augment the griefs and afflictions of God's people. 2 Samuel 16 verses 5 through 8. These fear not God, they do of this enmity, and their sin is such as will hardly be blotted out. 1 Kings 2 verses 8 and 9. Number 12. They fear not God who are strangers to the effects of fear. If I be a master, where is my fear? That is, show that I am so by your fear of me and the effects of your fear of me. You offer polluted bread upon mine altar. This is not a sign that you fear me. You offer the blind her sacrifices. Where is my fear? You offer the lame and the sick. These are not the effects of the fear of God. Malachi 1 verses 6 through 8. It is one thing to say, I fear God, and another to fear him indeed. Therefore, as James says, show me your faith by your works. So here God calls for a testimony of your fear by the effects of fear. I have already showed you several effects of fear. If you are a stranger to them, you are a stranger to this grace of fear. Therefore, to conclude this, it is not a fainted profession that will do. Nothing is good here but what is salted with this fear of God, and they that fear him are men of truth, men of singleness of heart, perfect, upright, humble, holy men. Wherefore, reader, examine, and again I say examine, and lay the word and your heart together before that you conclude that you fear God. What Fear God and in a state of nature fear God without a change of heart and life? What? Fear God and be proud and covetous? A wine-bigger and a riotous eater of flesh? How? Fear God and a liar and one that cries for mercies to spend them upon your lusts? This would be strange. True, you may fear as devils do, but what will that profit? You may by your fear be driven away from God, from his worship, people, and ways. But what will that avail? It may be you may so fear at present as to be a little stopped in your sinful course. Perhaps you got a knock from the Word of God and are at present a little dazzled and hindered from being in your former and whole career after sin. But what of that? If by the fear that you have your heart is not united to God and to the love of His Son, Word, and people, your fear is worth nothing. Many men are also forced to fear God as underlings are forced to fear those that are by force above them. If you only thus fear God, it is sheer but a false fear. It flows not from love to God, This fear brings not willing subjection, which indeed brings the effect of right fear, but being over mastered like an hypocrite, thou subjected thyself by fainted obedience, being forced, I say, by mere dread to do it." Psalm 66 verse 3. It is said of David, that the fame of him went out into all lands, and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations." 1 Chronicles 14 verse 17. But what? Did they now love David? Did they now choose him to be their king? No, truly. They, many of them, rather hated him. And when they could, make resistance against him. that did not even as thou dost, feared, but did not love, feared, but did not choose his government that ruled over them. It is also said of Jehoshaphat, when God had subdued before him Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, that the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of these countries when they had heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel. 2 Chronicles 20 verse 29. But I say, Was this fear that is called now the fear of God, anything else but a dread of the greatness of power of the King? No, barely, nor did that dread bring them into a willing subjection to and liking of his laws and government. It only made them like slaves and underlings, standing in the fear of his executing the vengeance of God upon them. Therefore still, notwithstanding this fear, they were rebels to him in their hearts, and when occasion and advantage offered themselves, they showed it by rising in rebellion against Israel. This fear, therefore, provoked a fainted and forced obedience, a right emblem of the obedience of such who, being still enemies in their minds to God, are forced by virtue of the present conviction to yield a little, even of fear to God, to His word and to His ordinances. Reader, whoever you are, think of this. It is your concern, therefore do it, and examine, and examine again, and look diligently to your heart and your examination, that it beguile thee not about to this your so great concern, as indeed the fear of God is. One thing more before I leave thee. Let me warn thee of. Take heed of deferring to the fear of the Lord Some men, when they have had conviction upon their heart that the fear of God is not in them, have through the overpowering of their corruptions yet deferred and put off the fear of God from them, as it is said of them in Jeremiah. This people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart. They are revolted and gone, neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord. Jeremiah 5 verse 23 and 24. They saw that the judgments of God attended them because they did not yet fear God, but that conviction would not prevail with them to say, Let us now fear the Lord. They were for deferring to fear Him still. They were for putting off His fear from them longer. Sinner, have you deferred to fear the Lord? Is your heart still so stubborn as not to say yet, Let us fear the Lord? Oh, the Lord hath taken notice of this, your rebellion, and is preparing some dreadful judgment for you. Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? Sinner, why should you pull vengeance down upon you? Why should you pull vengeance down from heaven upon you? Look up, perhaps you have already been pulling this great wild to pull it down upon you. Oh, pull no longer. Why should you be your own executioner? Fall down upon your knees, man, and up with your heart and your hands to the God that dwells in the heavens. Cry, yes, cry aloud, Lord, unite my heart to fear your name, and do not harden my heart from your fear. Thus holy men have cried before thee, and by crying have prevented judgment. Before I leave this use, let me give you a few things that, if God will, may provoke you to fear the Lord. The man that feareth not God, carrieth it worse towards him than the beast. The brute beast doth carry it towards that man. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, yea, and upon every fowl of the air, and upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea. Mark. All my creatures shall fear you and dread you, says God. None of them shall be so hardy as to cast off all reverence of you. But what a shame this is to man that God should subject all his creatures to him, and he should refuse to stoop his heart to God. The beast, the bird, the fish, and all have a fear and dread of man. Yea, God has put it in their hearts to fear man, and yet man is void of fear and dread. I mean godly fear of him that thus lovingly has put all things under him. Sinner, are you not ashamed that a silly cow, a sheep, yea, a swine should better observe the law of his creation than you do the law of your God? 2. Consider that he will not fear God. God will make him fear him whether he will or no. That is, he that does not will not now so fear him as willingly to bow before him and put his neck into his yoke. God will make him fear him when he comes to take vengeance on him. Then he will surround him with terror and with fear on every side, fear within and fear without. Fear shall be in the way, even in the way that you go when you are going out of this world, and that will be dreadful fear. Ecclesiastes 12 verse 5. I will put their fears upon them, saith the Lord. He that fears not God now, the Lord shall laugh at his fears then. God will be even with all them that choose not to have his fear in their hearts. For as he calls, and they hear not now, so they shall cry, Yea, howl then, and he will laugh at their fears. I will laugh, saith he, at their destruction. I will mock when their fear cometh, when your fear cometh as of desolation, and your destruction cometh as of whirlwind. When distress and anguish come upon you, then they shall call upon me. But I will not answer. They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me, for that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 1, 27-29 Sinner! Thou thinkest to escape the fear, but what wilt thou do with the pit? Thou thinkest to escape the pit, but what wilt thou do with the snare? The snare, say you, what is that? I answer, it is even the work of your own hands. The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. He is snared by the transgression of his lips. Psalm 9 verse 16, Proverbs 12 verse 13. Sinner, what will you do when you come into this snare, that is, into the guilt and terror that your sins will snaffle you with, when they, like a cord, are fastened about your soul? The snare will bring thee back again to the pit, which is hell. And then how will you do to be rid of your fear? The fear pit and the snare shall come upon you, because you fear not God. Sinner! Are you one of them that is cast off fear? Poor man! What will you do when these things beset you? Where will you fly for help? where will you leave your glory? If you fly from the fear, there is the pit. If you fly from the pit, there is the snare. Second use, an exhortation to fear God. My next word shall be an exhortation to fear God. I mean an exhortation to saints. All fear the Lord, you his saints, for there is no want to them that fear him. Not but that every saint does fear God, but as the Apostle says in another case, I beseech you, do it more and more. The fear of the Lord, as I have showed you, is a grace of the new covenant, as other saving graces are, and so is capable of being stronger or weaker, as other graces are. Wherefore, I beseech you, fear him more and more. It is said of Obadiah that he feared the Lord greatly. Every saint fears the Lord, but every saint does not greatly fear him. Oh, there are but few Obadiahs in the world, I mean among the saints on earth. See the whole relation of him, 1 Kings 18. As Paul said of Timothy, I have none like-minded, so it may be said of some concerning the fear of the Lord. They have scarce a fellow So it was with Job. There is none like him in the earth, one that feareth God, etc. Job 1 verse 8. There was even none in Job's day that feared God like him. No, there was not one like him in all the earth, but doubtless there were more in the world that feared God. But this fearing of him greatly, that is the thing that saints should do, and that was the thing that Job did do, and in that he did outstrip his fellows. It is also said of Hananiah that he was a faithful man and feared God above many. Nehemiah 7 verse 2. He also had God as to the exercise of and growth in this grace, the start of many of his brethren. He feared God above many. Now then, seeing this grace admits of degrees and is in some stronger and some weaker, Let us all be awakened as to other graces, so to this grace also, that, like as you abound in everything, in faith, in utterance, in knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that you abound in this grace also. I will labor to enforce this exhortation upon you by several motives. First, let God's distinguishing love to you be a motive to you to fear Him greatly. He hath put His fear in your heart. and has not given that blessing to your neighbor, perhaps not to your husband, your wife, your child, or your parent. Oh, what an obligation should this consideration lay upon her heart, greatly to fear the Lord. Remember also, as I have showed in the first part of this book, that this fear of the Lord is his treasure, a choice jewel given only to favorites, and to those that are greatly beloved. Great gifts naturally tend to oblige, and will so do. I trust with thee, when thou shalt ingeniously consider it. It is a sign of a very bad nature when the contrary shows itself. Could God have done more for thee than to have put his fear in your heart? This is better than to have given thee a place even in heaven without it. Yea, he, or had he given thee all faith, all knowledge, and the tongue of men and angels, and a place in heaven to put? They had all been short of this gift, of the fear of God in thy heart. Therefore, love it, nourish it, exercise it. Use all means to cause it to increase and grow in your heart, that it may appear it is set by at thy hand, poor sinner. Second, another motive to stir thee up to grow in this grace of the fear of God may be the privileges that it lays thee under. What or where will you find in the Bible so many privileges so affectionately entailed you in any grace as to this of the fear of God? God speaks of this grace and of the privileges that belong unto it as if to speak with reverence. He knew not how to have done blessing of the man that hath it. It seems to me as if this grace of fear is the darling grace, the grace that God sets his heart upon at the highest rate. As it were, he embraces the hugs and lays the man in his bosom that hath and grows strong in this grace of the fear of God. See again the many privileges in which the man is interested that hath this grace in his heart, and see also that there are but few of them, wherever mentioned, that have entailed to them the pronunciation of a blessing, or else that man is spoken of by way of admiration. Third. Another motive may be this. The man that groweth in this grace of the fear of the Lord will escape those evils that others will fall into. Where this grace is, it keepeth the soul from final apostasy. I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. But yet, if there be not an increase in this grace, much evil may attend, and be committed notwithstanding. There is a child that is healthy, and hath its limbs, and can go, but is careless. Now the evil of carelessness doth disadvantage it very much. Carelessness is the cause of stumblings, of falls, of knocks, and that it falls into the dirt, yea, that it sometimes is burned, or almost drowned. And thus it is even with God's people that fear him, because they add not to their fear a care of growing more in the fear of God. Therefore they reap damage. Whereas were they more in his fear, who would keep them better, deliver them more, and preserve them from these snares of death. Fourth, another motive may be this, to grow in this grace of the fear of God, is the way to be kept always in a conscientious performance of Christian duties. An increase in this grace, I say, keeps every grace in exercise, and the keeping of our graces in their due exercise produceth a conscientious performance of duties. Thou hast the watch, perhaps, in thy pocket, but the hand will not as yet be kept in any good order, but does always give the lie as to the hour of the day. Well, but what is the way to remedy this but to look well to the spring and the wheels within? For if they indeed go right, so will the hand do also. This is thy case in spiritual things. You are a gracious man, and the fear of God is in you. But yet for all that, one cannot well tell, by your life, what time of day it is. You give no true and constant sign that you are indeed a Christian. Why? The reason is, you do not look well to this grace of the fear of God. You do not grow and increase in that, but suffer your heart to grow careless and hard, and so your life remiss and worldly. Job's growing great in the fear of God made him eschew evil. Job 1 and 2 verse 3. Fifth, another motive is, this is the way to be wise indeed. A wise man fears and departs from evil. It does not say a wise man has the grace of fear, but a wise man fears, that is, puts this grace into exercise. There is no greater sign of wisdom than to grow in this blessed grace. Is it not a sign of wisdom to depart from sins, which are the snares of death and hell? Is it not a sign of wisdom for a man yet more and more to endeavor to interest himself in the love and protection of God? Is it not a high point of wisdom for a man to be always doing of that which lays him under the conduct of angels? Surely this is wisdom. And if it be a blessing to have this fear, is it not wisdom to increase in it? Doubtless, it is the highest point of wisdom, as I have showed before. Therefore, grow therein. Sixth, another motive may be this. It is seemly for saints to fear and increase in the Spirit of God. He is your Creator. Is it not seemly for creatures to fear and reverence their Creator? He is your King. Is it not seemly for subjects to fear and reverence their King? He is your Father. Is it not seemly for children to reverence and fear their Father, yea, and to do it more and more?