In this very rare book, which even C. H. Spurgeon could not put his hands on, the illustrative Puritan, Thomas Watson teaches how we may overcome the snare of the devil by the fear of God.
If Satan cannot take a Christian away from duty, he will put him too far in duty. Humiliation is a duty, but Satan suggests that the soul is not humble enough: and indeed he never thinks it humbled enough till it despairs. Satan comes thus to a man: "Your sins have been great, and your sorrow should be proportionable." But is it so? Can you say you have been as great a mourner as you have been a sinner? What is a drop of sorrow to a sea of sin? This is laid only as a snare--the subtle enemy would have a Christian weep himself blind, and in a desperate humour throw away the anchor of hope. And if Satan has such fallacies, and as a decoy draws away so many millions into his snares, is there not cause of jealous fear lest we should be trapped? The fear of God will make us fear hell's stratagems. Satan's snares are worse than his darts.
If "fear" is defined here with reference to God then it bespeaks a healthy respect to God's person, his power, and his purity. The "fear of God" next, leads us in our trials, in our decisions to determine how we shall act based on God. We start with God and "work outward" to applications that apply to us. Too often, even "Christians" begin with themselves and try to "add" God to their solutions, instead of figuring out how their issues fit into the plans of God. The "fear of God" thankfully, sets this right!
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