THE use of the foregoing doctrine is - to check the security of the world, both in respect of particular and general judgments.
First, In particular judgments, the prophet saith, Hosea vii. 9, 'Ephraim hath gray hairs here and there upon him, and he knows it not.' Many times a nation is full of gray hairs. As gray hairs are the forerunners of death and the decay of nature, so many nations have gray hairs - sad intimations of ruin and destruction; and they do not tremble at it, especially if it be afar off, and if there be no visible preparation: if God be not upon his march, they do not tremble. When the world was given up to pleasure, when they were marrying and giving in marriage, who would believe that within a few years the rain and waters should cover the whole earth? Many would be ready to say, as that nobleman, 2 Kings vii. 2, 'If the Lord should make windows in heaven, could this be?' Oh, consider all things are liable to change; and when your mountain seems to stand strong, yet if there be such sins as are certain prognostics of ruin, there may be a change, notwithstanding the greatest flourish of outward prosperity; for the gray hairs of a nation are not only the beginnings of misery and declensions of their glory, but their guilt, these are the saddest gray hairs: then you are liable to great ruin. See what the apostle speaks to the despisers of the gospel: Acts xiii. 41, 'Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which you shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.' The horrible devastation of Judea by the Chaldeans, who would believe it, that the city and temple should be so destroyed? and yet it came to pass. If a man should but tell you what God is about to do, you would think he were mad to mention such things,
Quest. You will say, you press us to believe, and all that you can do is but to bring conjectures; you cannot give such infallible warning as Noah did.
I shall answer to this -
1. We may speak to you as the apostle did in Acts xiii, 40, 'Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken in the prophets.' Let me tell you, it is a ruled case - the despisers of the gospel shall surely meet with an unexpected judgment. The credit of every threatening stands upon two feet - the irresistibleness of God's power, and the immutableness of his counsel. Now we cannot say God will change his counsel, though he may his sentence; yet we may say, Take heed lest this be brought upon you: we know not future contingencies. God hath taken away that from a gospel ministry, because he hath given them a more excellent dispensation.
2. It is security and carnal confidence. If you neglect reformation, and depend merely upon present likelihoods, and say, It. is impossible these things should be: Jer. iv. 14, 'O Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness. How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee?' vain thoughts, that is, reflections upon their present prosperity and greatness. You know there is much spoken of depending upon an arm of flesh and creature confidence. Now when men neglect God's means, and trust to their own, this is a sure note of creature confidence in their present welfare and prosperity. 'When we have no other shelter against judgments but prosperous armies, numerous ships and fortifications, how soon may God blow upon these things? Who would believe that which God did twice to the state of the Jews, both by the Chaldeans and Romans? who would have believed thirty years ago what hath happened in Germany? who would believe what befell the churches of Asia and Greece, that they should be overrun so? If we should speak to you of England being unchurched, a man would think this were an idle dream that ever christianity should be banished from this island, that we should lose our church and our glory; and if yet we should look to the spiritual causes of such a judgment, there is nothing so probable as this. God may in justice remove the old light, because we have set up so many new ones; and take away the candlestick from us, because we are despisers of the gospel.
3. When prophets threaten, it is very likely it will come to pass, though we cannot absolutely determine future contingencies. Certainly if a sparrow lights not to the ground without God, the messages of his servants, and the words that are uttered by them with reverence and fear, you cannot but acknowledge God in it: Hosea vi. 5, 'I have hewn them by my prophets, and I have slain them by the words of my mouth.' Israel was a knotty piece of timber, and therefore God pursues them with blow after blow. When a prophet falls a-hewing with blow after blow it is a sad intimation. I do not justify every idle dictate and fond suggestion spoken out of passion and discontent; but when we make collection upon collection, when we show you the sin and the judgment out of scripture, it should not seem to you as an idle tale; and when we speak to you, we should not seem as Lot to his sons-in-law, 'as if he had mocked,' Gen. xix. 14. All that you can pretend for your safety and security in such a case as this, is either your present strength or the mercy and free grace of God; but to pretend grace and mercy and neglect duty, is but to choke conscience. Mercy will never be exercised to the prejudice of God's truth and justice.
4. This is certain, it is better to believe the threatening than to feel the stripes and blows. There can be no harm if we should take this occasion to humble ourselves before God. It is true, in uncertain cases this is a good rule - hope the best; but yet it is good to prepare for the worst. Carnal hope such as is lifted up against the threatening in the word is but a bad nurse to piety. They that do not tremble at the word, but are left to be taught by sense, are taught in a sharp school of discipline; they are taught by briers and thorns. It is better to learn by the word than by feeling blows and stripes: Prov. xiv. 16, 'A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil; but a fool rageth and is confident.' Usually, when we speak of the evil of the times, men go away; and they fret and foam, and think we rail, and the word of God is to them but as a reproach; God leaves them to he taught by briers and thorns, by their own sorrow and fears. So Prov. xxii. 3, 'A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself' - here is the very description of Noah - 'but the simple pass on, and are punished:' carnal men run desperately upon danger, and against warning.
Secondly, With respect to the general judgment, it reproves the security of the world. We are apt to think it is but a well-devised fable to keep the world in awe. Oh, consider, if Noah could believe the flood, we are much more bound to believe the general judgment - why? Because we have the word of God for it, which is of more force than an oracle, and we have a pledge already; and therefore the future destruction of the world by fire being more credible to us, God looks for a more active faith from us.
Quest. But you will say, Who doth not believe the day of judgment?
I answer, Flatter not yourselves, for in the latter times men will be just as they were in the days of Noah; there will be scoffers at the day of judgment; and usually the best of us content ourselves with a loose and naked belief of things to come; and therefore, that you may drive the privy atheism out of the heart, let me propound but two questions - (1) Are you affected with these things, as if you saw them? (2.) Do you make a careful provision and preparation, as if this were a matter that you did believe, - 'As Noah was moved with fear, and prepared an ark?'
1. Are you affected with these things as if they were present? So it should be, for faith is the evidence of things not seen, it substantiates our hopes, and makes them real to our souls; therefore we should live as if we did see Christ coming in the clouds with power and great glory; as if we heard the blast of the great trump; and the voice of the archangel, saying, Arise, and come to judgment. God hath made a promise, 1 Cor. xi. 31, 'That if we judge ourselves, we shall not be judged of the Lord.' Now, art thou affected with this promise, as if the judgment were set, and as if the books were opened? Consider, in the process of the great day, when all sinners stand trembling at the bar, and their faces gather blackness and paleness, if Christ should single thee out by name, and say to you, If thou judge thyself, thou shalt not be put to this severe trial; with what thankfulness would we receive this offer? Now, an active faith should make this supposition. So again Christ saith, Luke xii. 8, 9, 'Whosoever shall confess me before men, I will confess him before the angels of God; but he that denieth me before men, shall be denied before the angels of God.' When thy heart is tempted to carnal compliance, canst thou represent by a lively faith the day of judgment? and say, Would I deny Christ before his face? or by compliance betray the truth? Would I do this act if I heard Christ say, Father, these are mine, and these are not mine, when Christ is making a distinction between sheep and goats, and the two herds were standing before mine eyes? It is good to make suppositions and put cases concerning that great day.
Do you do as Noah did? make serious preparation for things to come and yet unseen. God doth not look to opinions, but to the disposition of your heart. Actions have a voice before God. We content ourselves with a naked and inactive belief, which, if it be searched to the bottom, will be found to be nothing but uncertain guess and conjecture. Do we do as Noah did, venture upon a work of such charge and such difficulty? Though the flood was yet a great while to come, he presently falls about it.
[1.] It was a work of great labour and trouble; and so is the work of mortification, strictness, and the spiritual life; it is a work of labour and trouble to weaken carnal desires, to subdue your affections to the just temper of religion; yet, though it he harsh to nature, can you say, Heaven will make amends for all? can you say, It is better to take pains than suffer pains? can you say, If I digest the severities of religion, 'if I mortify the deeds of the flesh, I shall live?' Rom. viii. 13. Can you reason as Noah did?
[2.] It was a work which he should have no use of a long time; so can you tarry God's leisure and wait for the season of the promises, and for the time of accomplishment? Always between the making of the promise and the making good of the promise, there is a great deal of time. The Israelites were long in the wilderness ere they came to Canaan, and endured a tedious march; they might have gone over in forty days, but God kept them in it forty years to exercise them. So David was anointed king a long time before he reigned, 1 Sam. xvi. 13, so long, that in the end he despaired of the kingdom; and therefore he saith, 'I said in my haste, All men are liars,' Ps. cxvi. 11. So, can you tarry God's leisure for the accomplishment of his promise, and during the time of your pilgrimage wait, 'And be followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promise'? Heb. vi. 12. Seldom any go to heaven, but they have a long time to exercise their faith and patience. Can you be content in your journey to Canaan to tarry God's leisure, and wait for your deliverance?
[3.] It was a work that met with many scoffs in the world; they looked upon Noah as an old doting man that envied their jollities and pleasures. And truly, when you fear God and walk strictly, the world will speak of you with great contempt - you will be set up to be as a sign to be spoken against. You must expect this as your portion: Gal. iv. 29, 'As then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, so it is now.' So it was in the apostle's time, and so it will be to the end of the world. There will be tongue persecution at least; you must endure mocks for a good conscience, to be counted hypocrites and foolish, and men that are prodigal of their interests, and humorists and the like. I know not what secure presumptuous men may foster in themselves, and conceive the children of God should have a dispensation. The carnal seed will always be mocking. Now, can you endure all this and go on with your work of strictness, and preciseness, and patience? They will howl for their mocking when you shall be safe.
[4.] It was a work which put him upon great charges, to provide the kinds of all living creatures, and to build an ark that might be of so great receipt, to take in the beasts, and fodder for the beasts and fowls of the air; so you should consider, At what expense have I been for Christ? If I believe eternity and the everlasting recompenses, what have I done for Christ? That which you lay out upon the flesh and outward conveniences is mere prodigality; for you owe the flesh nothing - 'We are not debtors to the flesh,' but all that you have you owe to Christ; and what have you done for him? God hath given you a promise, as a bill of exchange; now he takes it ill if you should protest against it. Jesus Christ will not own you at the last day: Luke xii. 33, 'Sell that you have (saith Christ) and give alms, and you shall have treasure in heaven.' This is Christ's bargain - whatever you lay out on earth, he will pay it in another country. Now, what have I ventured upon this promise? Christ saith, 'Sell that you have,' not to deny propriety of goods; but certainly it shows that rather than we should reserve our estate to purchase lands, and grow great in our families, we should rather lay them out to purchase an estate in heaven. Men are all for buying more rather than for selling that which they have; therefore Jesus Christ would bend the stick the other way; as he saith, John vi. 27, 'Labour not for the meat that perisheth;' not to deny honest labour, but to blunt the edge of our spirits, that we may labour more for better things. So, 'Sell that you have, and give alms;' rather than by hooking in an estate, you should be laying it out; you should look upon your estate as most safe in God's hands. Noah was at great charge and expense; no doubt wasted himself and his all, but what lost he by it? Noah and his sons had the possession of all the world when he came out of the ark. It is the best bargain that ever we made, when we lay out our estate upon religious uses. Thus may you try yourselves. It is the most foolish thing in the world altogether to look to the present. We that are not affected with things that are not seen, may learn of the creature. Solomon bids us go learn of the ant, Prov. vi. 6 - 8, so certainly if we did believe there was an after-reckoning, and that one day we must give an account, we would make more provision for our souls.
Thirdly, I go on to the fruits and consequences of Noah's faith - 'He was moved with fear ' - eulabètheis - being wary, or piously fearing. The same word is used of Jesus Christ, Heb. v. 7. His holy and innocent fears are expressed by the same word - 'He was heard in that he feared;' indeed, it is always used in a good sense in scripture. The word is sometimes used for caution and wariness, sometimes for reverence; in the latter sense often in scripture: as Acts ii. 5, ' Devout men in every nation.' In the original it is eulabeis, reverend men; so Acts viii. 2, 'Devout men carried Stephen to his burial' - eulabeis, - men touched with a reverence of God, and with a sense of religion; so was Noah moved with a godly reverence and godly caution. The note is this -
Doct. That godly fear is a fruit and effect of faith.
Faith, as it works upon the promises, begets love and hope; but as it works upon the threatening, so it begets fear. Love, fear, and hope, are not contrary, though they be different; they may stand together, and they all proceed from faith.
1. All graces are conjoined, though they seem contrary. See how they are conjoined in scripture. Ps. cxix. 119, 120, there is fear and love - 'I love thy testimonies;' and then presently, 'My flesh trembleth because of thy judgments;' so Ps. cxii. 1, 'Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.' Fear and delight are joined together: so Acts ix. 31, 'They walked in the fear of the Lord, and in the comforts of the Holy Ghost.' There was something likely to entice them into a snare, and something likely to oppress them. That which was likely to draw and entice them out of the way was the relics of sin, the baits at the world, and the suggestions of Satan; therefore they walked 'in the fear of the Lord.' That which was likely to oppress them was the burden of their own conscience, and outward crosses ready to overwhelm them; therefore it is said, they walked in the 'comforts of the Holy Ghost.' There is need of a double remedy. They walked with 'fear' to keep them from sin; and they walked in the 'comforts of the Holy Ghost' to keep them from sinking under affliction. On earth we still need this mixture; in heaven there is all joy, no fear of punishment. But on earth there is a mixture of flesh and spirit, something to comfort us, and something to humble us; there is no true piety without either. The object of these affections is often changed. The children of God can fear him for his goodness, and love him for his judgments: Hosea iii. 4, 'They shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days;' Ps. cxix. 62, 'At midnight I will arise to give thanks unto thee, because of thy righteous judgments.' Love would grow secure without fear, and fear would grow slavish without love; therefore these graces are conjoined, that there may be a fit temper both of reverence and sweetness.
2. All these graces flow from faith; for all affection is grounded upon persuasion. Who would fear the threatening that doth not believe it? or fear to offend God that doth not love him, and that doth not acknowledge there is a God? The fear of the people of Nineveh is excited by their faith: Jonah iii. 5, 'The people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth;' and the word, which is the object of faith, is the object of fear. They that feared the word of the Lord housed their cattle, Exod. ix. 20; that is, they that believed the word.
But now the great question is, what is this godly fear? There are three effects by which it may be discerned - caution, diligence, and reverence; caution respects sin, diligence respects duty, dread and reverence respects God himself.
[1.] There is caution, or a cautelous prudence - a fear lest we should dash the foot of our faith against the several stumbling blocks that are in the world. Look, as those that carry precious liquor in a brittle vessel, are very cautelous; especially if they walk in the dark or rough ways, they walk with care lest the vessel be broken - and the liquor spilt. The children of God know what a precious treasure they have about them, that they have a soul that cannot be valued; and they know that the world is a rough passage, and here many stones of stumbling; therefore they 'Work out their salvation with fear and trembling,' Phil. ii. 12. The main grace that keeps in and maintains the fire of religion in the soul is a cautelous fear; they consider their own hearts, look for direction from the word, and call in the help of the Spirit: Heb. iv. 1, 'Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left unto us of entering into his rest, any of us should seem to come short of it.' This doth not hinder the assurance of faith, but guard it.
[2.] There is diligence in fear, and that respecteth duty. Every good fear endeth in duty; it ariseth from faith, and ends in duty; it stirs up the soul to use all the means to prevent the danger. If Noah had not believed, he had never feared; if he had not feared, he had never prepared an ark. The fear of the wicked ends in irresolution, perplexity, and despair; their terrors differ only in degree and duration from the pains of hell - mere involuntary impressions, whose end is not duty, but despair and torment; but the fear of the godly sets them a-work. Noah, being moved with fear, sets to building the ark. It is said of Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. xx. 3, 'He feared, and set himself to seek the Lord;' so Paul, Acts ix. 6, 'He trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?' As if he had said, Lord, I see my danger, what is my work?
[3.] There is in fear a reverence and a dread of God - his holiness, his majesty, his power, his justice, and the like. Now we may dread God either as creatures or as sinners; either as our maker, or as our judge, or as both; as our maker, so we dread God for himself; as our judge, so we dread him for our own sakes, because of sin. These two are distinct; the one may be where the other is not. As in heaven, the saints and glorious angels fear God - fear being an essential respect of the creature to God; in heaven, it is a grace that never ceaseth. Now they dread God as full of majesty and goodness, and as the great creator of the world; and in paradise there was this fear of reverence. Adam did not fear God as a judge till he had sinned: Gen. iii. 10, 'I was afraid, therefore I hid myself :'this fear entered into the world with sin. Adam in innocency only reverenced him for his majesty, goodness, and holiness, as the saints and angels do in heaven; and there may be fear where only God is feared as a judge. The wicked stand in fear of nothing but hell and wrath; they fear not God for God, but for themselves; not because of the dignity of his majesty, but because of their own danger.
Quest. If you ask me, then, what fear is lawful?
I answer, It must be a mixed fear, partly because of his majesty and holiness; and partly, because of his justice while we are in the present state, not wholly exempt from the strokes of God's justice; and this is the fear that is in the children of God, and is usually called by the name of filial fear; whereas the other in wicked men is called by the name of servile and slavish fear. The distinction is grounded on scripture, and so called with allusion to the fear of children and servants; children fear their loving parents, and servants fear their hard and cruel masters. The grounds of this distinction are famously known - the spirit of bondage and the spirit of adoption: Rom. viii. 15, 'Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father:' the spirit of bondage is the root and ground of servile fear, and the spirit of adoption is the ground of filial fear. Now, though there may be some servile fear in the children of God, yet it is more and more wrought out the more we increase in the apprehension of God's love: 1 John iv. 18, 'Perfect love casteth out fear.' I take it there for the apprehension of God's love, not for our love to God.
Now I shall state the differences between these two kinds of fears, servile and filial.
(1.) Filial fear is always coupled with love - for there is a harmony between the graces - but servile fear with hatred. Filial fear ariseth from a humble sense of God's goodness, and thereby God is made more amiable and lovely to the soul: Ps. cxxx. 4, 'There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared;' they are afraid to displease so good a God as they have found him to be in Christ: Hosea iii. 5, 'And they shall fear the Lord and his goodness.' Mark, it is not the Lord, and his wrath and his justice, but his goodness. Filial fear is rather because of his benefits past, than of his judgments to come; but now servile fear ariseth merely from a sense of this wrath, and so causeth hatred of God. Oderunt dum metuunt, - they hate God while they fear him. Wicked men, it is true, stand in dread of God; but they have hard thoughts of God, and they could wish there was no God, or that he were not such a God; aut Deum extinctum. cupiunt aut exarmatum - either they wish the destruction of his being or of his glory; either that there were no God, or that he were a weak or powerless God; not such a God, not so holy, just, and powerful. It is a pleasing thought to a carnal heart if there were no God to punish him. Such fear there is in the devils themselves: James ii. 19, 'They believe and tremble;' they abhor their own thoughts of God, and their bondage is increased with their knowledge. So do wicked men hate those characters of God engraven upon their consciences, they stand in dread of God, but it is a fear that is accompanied with hatred rather than love.
(2.) Filial fear is accompanied with a shyness of sin, but not with a shyness of God's presence. Adam, as soon as he had sinned, he bewrayed this slavish fear; the more he feared, the more he ran away from God: Gen. iii. 10, 'I was afraid, because I was naked, and hid myself.' His guilt makes him run into the bushes. When men feel God's wrath they cannot endure the presence of his glory. Before man fell, there was nothing sweeter to him than familiarity with God; but as soon as he sinned, - 'I was afraid, and hid myself.' Now when fear makes us to fly from God, it must needs be culpable; for the aim of all graces is to preserve a communion and a respect between God and the soul; and therefore the proper use of fear is rather to fly from sin than to fly from God. In short, there is a fear that keepeth us from coming to God, and that is carnal; and there is a fear that keepeth us from going away from God, which preserves the soul in a way of holy acquaintance and communion with God, and that is a holy fear: Jer. xxxii. 40, 'I will put my fear into their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.' Fear is the preserving grace, therefore it is mere bondage and horror that sets the soul at a distance from God; yet this is in all wicked men; they think they can never banish God far enough out of their thoughts; they would, if they could, withdraw themselves from his government and get out of his sight; they would fain run away from God; they hate his presence in their consciences, because they carry their hell and their accuser always about them; and it were happy for them they think if they should never more see God. But now a gracious fear makes the heart to cleave the closer to God. A child of God is troubled, because sin is apt to breed a strangeness; and because they cannot more delight in his company, they are never near enough to God. A godly man is afraid of losing God, and a carnal man is afraid of finding him. The voice of slavish fear is - 'Hide us from the face of him that sits upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,' Rev. vi. 16; but true fear is afraid lest God should hide himself - afraid lest God should shut up himself in a veil of displeasure. Observe that place: Hosea iii. 5, 'They shall seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall fear the Lord and his goodness.' That filial fear which ariseth from the goodness of God makes us to seek God and run after him. It is a blessed fear that drives us to seek the face of God, and bring us into his presence.
(3.) Servile fear only respecteth the loss and punishment, but true fear is mixed: it respecteth the punishment, but not only; it respecteth both offence and punishment; only with this difference, they do not fear judgment so much as sin; and in the punishment and judgment itself, to a gracious heart the loss is more horrible than the pain; they are afraid lest there should be a divorce between them and God, lest they should grieve their good God, and cause him to depart from them. But now wicked men non peccare metuunt sed ardere - they are afraid to burn, but not afraid to sin. When it is merely for the punishment, then it is slavish fear. See how the apostle speaks of the habitual bondage that is in the heart of every wicked man: Heb. ii. 15, 'Through fear of death they are all their lifetime subject to bondage.' Now this kind of fear can never be gracious, partly because there is more of torment in it than there is of reverence; and so it wants the chief and formal reason of fear, which is not the creature's danger, but God's excellency; a carnal man fears hell more than God, which is an act of guilty and corrupt nature, not of religion. And partly, because it can never produce any genuine piety; for if a wicked man should leave off sin out of this fear, it is not out of hatred to sin, but out of the fear of the punishment, as the bird is kept from the bait by the scarecrow. And so the sin is not hated, but forborne; they love the sin and fear hell; there is nothing restrained but the act; servile fear restraineth the action, but the other mortifieth the affection. Godly men do not only forbear sin, but abhor sin, and hate it A wicked man dares not sin, and a good man would not sin. Or suppose that out of this fear he should practise some duties (as a wicked man may out of the compunction of slavish fear), yet this is but forced from him and forced fruit is never so kindly as that which is naturally ripened. All the duties of a wicked man are rather a sin-offering, than a thank-offering; not done out of any respect to God, or from reasons of religion, but to appease conscience. And therefore, upon the whole matter, we see that gracious fear must have another object besides the punishment; we may fear the punishment, but not only. A godly man doth not only fear hell, 'but fears an oath,' Eccles. ix. 2; that is, to be false to an oath. 'He fears the commandment,' Prov. xiii. 13. His greatest fear is lest he should cast off duty, and commit known sins.
(4.) Servile fear is involuntary. The wicked do not fear out of a voluntary act and exercise of faith, but a judicial impression. The fear that is in the godly ariseth naturally out of faith and tenderness of spirit; but in a wicked man, it is out of guilt of conscience; there is bondage impressed and forced upon his heart, which, though it be not always felt, yet it is soon awakened - 'All their lifetime they are subject to bondage,' Heb. ii. 15; and if God do but touch the conscience, then they are troubled. Belteshazzar seemed to have a brave spirit. and not to be daunted with the forces with which he was besieged; but God takes off the edge of his bravery with a few letters upon the wall - 'Then his countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him; so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another,' Dan. v. 6. God arms wicked men's thoughts against them, and it is more than if he should bring the greatest terrors from without. At that time he was besieged with the Persian forces; but that one hand upon the wall works upon him more than all the forces with which he was beleaguered. So Felix of a sudden trembled, Acts xxiv. 25. A man would have thought the story should rather have said that Paul trembled; but mark, the prisoner makes the judge to tremble, but sore against his will, because he had the advantage of his conscience. Paul was discoursing there of temperance, righteousness, and judgment to come; now Felix was notoriously guilty of bribery and incontinency; Drusilla, though she was used as his wife, was but his minion; he took her from Azizus, king of the Emisenians; and when Paul rubs him up with judgment to come, trembling comes upon him, and he could not withstand it. And such trembling there is in wicked men in the midst of their revelling and bravery; guilty conscience recoils and boggles, and then they are afraid. This fear is involuntary, as will appear, partly because it is not constant, and comes but by fits and starts, and is a trouble to them: Prov. xxviii. 14, 'Happy is he that feareth always.' A child of God is under fear, not by fits and pauses, but he bears a constant respect to God, and seeth him that is invisible. A godly man looks upon it as a great blessing when he can work up his thoughts to a sight of God, that he may not sin in his presence. But now in wicked men it is not a fear begotten by the exercise of faith; but now and then enforced upon the soul by the evidence of a guilty conscience when it is awakened - a mere effect of the spirit of bondage. And it is plain this is involuntary, partly because wicked men are apt to take all advantages to enlarge themselves. Their desire is not to please God, but to dissolve the bonds of conscience, and to allay their fear; therefore they fly to the next carnal course. How often may we find that the Spirit is quenched, without a metaphor, by the excess of wine and the rays of conviction, when God darts them into the bosom, extinguished by mirth and company. As in Belteshazzar, there was a fit came upon him which sets him a-trembling, what doth he do? he sends to the star-gazers and astrologers, Dan. v. 7. Daniel was famous in the kingdom, and his skill well known in such cases; but anything serves, so we may come out of the stocks of conscience. Felix, when his conscience boggles, seeks to put it off when he cannot put it away, and foolishly dreams of a more convenient time.
(5.) Servile fear is a fear without any temperament of hope and comfort, and so it weakens the certainty of faith, rather than the security of the flesh. But now the gospel-fear is mixed with hope and joy: Ps. ii. 10, 'Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.' Because our affections are apt to degenerate, therefore God would have this mixture. Hope is apt to degenerate to presumptuous boldness, and joy to grow into a fond boasting; and therefore God hath required that we should allay the excess of one affection by the mixture of another, that so the spirit may be kept aweful, but not servile; and therefore in the children of God there is always such a mixture; their fear it ends in reverence and caution, but not in torment; for it is over-mastered by the apprehensions of God's love: 1 John iv. 18, 'There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment; he that feareth is not made perfect in love.' The fear of the godly makes them more circumspect, but not a jot less comfortable; the more they fear, the more blessed, the more comfortable - 'Blessed is he that feareth always.' They are more wary and cautious in their walking with God, more serious in their special converses and conferences with God. But now the issue of slavish fear is not love but torment; it is full of discomfort and dejection, and makes us anxious rather than cautious; and therefore it is good to temperate your fear, that you may be comfortable in the use of holy duties, and your walking with God.
Out of all you see that there is a godly fear, which is the fruit of faith. There is a fear of reverence, proper to heaven; a fear in the church, that is a fear of caution; and a fear in hell, and that is despair, or a fearful looking for of the fiery indignation of the Lord.
Hebrews
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