John Flavel (36)
To fear man is natural; to fear God is wholly supernatural.
Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 20
John Flavel
Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 20
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Our immoderate love of life and its comforts and conveniences is another cause of sinful fear in times of danger. If we loved our lives less, we would fear and tremble less.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 42
To the extent that our souls are empty of faith, they are filled with fear. We read of people who have died by no other cause than their fear. But we never read of anyone, once brought to life by faith, dying because of fear.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 35
Upon their king's death, it was the Persians' custom (I am not saying it was laudable) to grant everyone liberty for five days to do whatever they wanted. The unbridled lust was so great that it made the people long and pray for the installment of their next king. In this way it endeared government to them. Blessed be God for law and government, for using them to curb people's raging lusts, and thereby procuring rest and comfort for us in the world!Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 22-23
Fear consults with flesh and blood, while faith engages with God to supply strength to endure the siege.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 53
If we fear God, we dare not ignore what He commands. If His fear is exalted in our hearts, it will enable us to obey Him in duties accompanied with deep self-denial.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 20
If we were to understand how dear we are to God, our relation to Him, our value in His eyes, and how He protects us by His faithful promises and gracious presence, we would not tremble at every appearance of danger.
Look to it, my dear friends, that none of you be found Christless at your appearance before him. Those that continue Christless now, will be left speechless then. God forbid that you that have heard so much of Christ, and you that have professed so much of Christ, should at last fall into a worse condition than those that never heard the name of Christ.
A young ungrounded Christian, when he sees all the fundamental truths, and sees good evidence and reasons of them, perhaps may be yet ignorant of the right order and place of every truth. It is a rare thing to have young professors to understand the necessary truths methodically: and this is a very great defect: for a great part of the usefulness and excellency of particular truths consisteth in the respect they have to one another. This therefore will be a very considerable part of your confirmation, and growth in your understandings, to see the body of the Christian doctrine, as it were, at one view, as the several parts of it are united in one perfect frame; and to know what aspect one point has upon another, and which are their due places. There is a great difference betwixt the sight of the several parts of a clock or watch, as they are disjointed and scattered abroad, and the seeing of them conjointed, and in use and motion. To see here a pin and there a wheel, and not know how to set them all together, nor ever see them in their due places, will give but little satisfaction. It is the frame and design of holy doctrine that must be known, and every part should be discerned as it has its particular use to that design, and as it is connected with the other parts.
There are many in hell, who would be glad to change conditions with you, as bad as you think yours to be.
The way to calm our thoughts is to commit everything to God.
a trembling life destroys the spiritual comforts that flow from God's promises. It also destroys our experience of the promises - the sweetest pleasures we have in this world.
Fear naturally produces cowardice in people - a poor, low spirit that faints and yields upon every slight assault.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 54
fear makes people impatient while waiting for God's time and method of deliverance. It discourages the soul and drives it into the next temptation's snare.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 54
Sinful fear arises from unbelief - an unworthy distrust of God. This occurs when we fail to rely upon the security of God's promise; in order words, when we refuse to trust in God's protection.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 12
Providence is wiser than you, and you may be confident it has suited all things better to your eternal good than you could do had you been left to your own option.
Take heed that you rest not satisfied with that knowledge of Christ you have attained, but grow on towards perfection. It is the pride and ignorance of many professors, when they have got a few raw and undigested notions, to swell with self-conceit of their excellent attainments. And it is the sin, even of the best of saints, when they see (veritas in profundo) how deep the knowledge of Christ lies, and what pains they must take to dig for it, to throw by the shovel of duty, and cry, Dig we cannot. To your work, Christians, to your work; let not your candle go out: sequester yourselves to this study, look what intercourses, and correspondence are betwixt the two world; what communion soever God and souls maintain, it is in this way; count all, therefore, but dross in comparison of that excellency which is in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The eyes of thousands are so dazzled with the lustre of their own morality, that they see no need of Christ, nor feel any want of his righteousness, and this is the ruin of their souls.
We cannot commit our sins to God's protection--only our duties. God is so great a friend to truth and righteousness that He will not take part in sin--no matter how dear you are to Him. If truth lies with your enemies, the mistake is yours. Do not involve God in your errors and failings, much less any sinful designs. You might commit to Him a doubtful case to be decided, but not a sinful case to be protected.
If you had a trial pending for your estate, and your heart was distracted with cares and fears about the result, yet someone very skilful and faithful assumed responsibility for your case, what a relief it would be to you! If he were to say to you, "Do not trouble yourself about this business, do not lose an hour's sleep over this matter, commit it to me, and trust me with its management," what a burden would be lifted as soon as you committed the matter to him! You would be able to eat with pleasure and sleep in quietness. Committing the matter of your fear to God would give much more ease and quietness. His power, wisdom, and faithfulness are greater than anything found in people.
When the terrors of death are great, the comforts of the Almighty are small.
fear says, "Give a little more ground and retreat to the next security." We comply externally with what we know is forbidden, hoping God will be merciful to us as long as we keep our hearts for Him.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 56-57
The Lord is with us while we are with Him. Satan cannot attempt to ruin us while we are under the wings of God's protection. To do anything to us, he must first force us out from under those wings. Nothing does this more effectively than fear.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 52
If people were to dig to the root of their fears, they would find unbelief. "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?" (Matt. 8:26). The weaker the faith, the greater the fear; unbelief generates fear and fear strengthens unbelief.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 35
If we thoroughly understand and believe what power is in God's hand to defend us, what tenderness is in His heart to help us, what faithfulness is in His promises, our hearts will be calm - our courage will grow stronger and our fear will grow weaker.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 29
the awful, filial fear of God is the natural passion sanctified - changed and baptized into the name and nature of a spiritual grace.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 18
The sinfulness of fear consists in its power to dispose and incline people to use sinful means to escape danger. This casts them into the hands of temptation.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 18
The best people find it difficult to keep their thoughts from wandering and their minds from distraction in the greatest calm. It is a thousand times more difficult in the tumult of fear.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 18
Under extraordinary fear, both grace and reason, like the wheels of a watch wound above its due height, stand still and have no motion at all.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 17
The sinfulness of fear consists in the distracting influence it has upon the heart, whereby it unfits us for the discharge of our duties. At times, fear puts people into such a frenzy, and their thoughts into such disorder, that they receive little support or relief from their graces or from their reason.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 17
To trust in any creature as if it had God's power to help us, or to fear any creature as if it had God's power to hurt us, is exceedingly sinful. It provokes God. He condemns such inordinate trust in our text.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 15
When we exalt a creature's power by fearing it, we give it ascendancy over us. In effect, we act as if it had arbitrary and absolute dominion over us and our comforts - to do with them whatever it pleases. In so doing, we elevate the creature beyond its class and rank to the place of God. This is a very sinful and evil fear.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 15
It is a great sin to love or fear any creature above its worth, as if it were master of all our temporal and eternal comforts.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 14
The sinfulness of fear lies in its excess and immoderacy when we fear more than we ought. We might say of our fear, as the philosopher says of water, "It is hard to keep it within bounds."Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 14
They decide that a good horse will do them more service than a good promise. They think Egypt offers them better security than heaven. This is the fruit of gross infidelity. Wicked people forsake God and cleave to the creature in times of trouble.Triumphing over Sinful Fear, 13
They that know God will be humble. They that know themselves cannot be proud.
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