Your great, ranting, swaggering roysters, that are ignorant of the
nature of this fear of God, count it a poor, sneaking, pitiful,
cowardly spirit in men to fear and tremble before the Lord. But
whoso looks back to jails and gibbets, to the sword and the burning
stake, shall see in the martyrs THERE the most mighty and invincible
spirit that has been in the world.
This grace of fear can make the man that in many other things is not
capable of serving God, serve him better than those that have all
else without it. Poor Christian man, thou hast scarce been able to
do any thing for God all thy days, but only to fear the Lord. Thou
art no preacher, and so canst not do him service that way: thou art
no rich man, and so canst not do him service with outward substance:
thou art no wise man, and so canst not do any thing that way; but
here is thy mercy, thou fearest God. Though thou canst not preach,
thou canst fear God. Though thou hast no bread to feed the belly,
nor fleece to clothe the back of the poor, thou canst fear God. O
how blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, because this duty of
fearing of God is an act of the mind, and may be done by the man
that is destitute of all things but that holy and blessed mind.
Blessed, therefore, is that man; for God hath not laid the comfort
of his people in the doing of external duties, nor the salvation of
their souls, but in believing, loving, and fearing God.
Pages:
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397