Christians Fear? dy souls would now call him a neu rotic. But I perceive that he did not get into as much trouble with sin and Satan as some of the hardi er souls. “ The highest flames,” says Jeremy Taylor, “ are the most trem ulous” and the pilgrim who quakes in his hoots, whatever else he may be guilty of, will not likely rush into the rash and precipitate sins that so often ensnare the bold and venturous traveler. We are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling and pass the time of our sojourning here in fear. Mr. Fear ing may be afraid of the wrong things but even at that he will learn more readily the right kind of fear than he who boasts of no fear at all. According to Bunyan God was very good to Mr. Fearing and when the poor soul got to the river where he thought he should be drowned forever and so never see that Face with comfort that he had come so many miles to behold, no such thing happened. Instead, the water of the river was lower than ever and he went over “ not much above wet- shod.”
hinted at it: they should cease wor rying about their acceptance and cultivate the godly fear of our texts. W e have only to commit the keep ing of our souls unto the faithful Creator; our Lord will keep all we commit unto Him against that day.
of ease. They envisioned a fight and a struggle and they would give all diligence to make their calling and election sure. They made it life’s supreme concern to walk circum spectly; they worked at it and prayed over it and were profoundly concerned lest they be castaways. They were burdened over the plague of their hearts and the pov erty of their souls. They were bur dened over the state of the church and the plight of the world. Ezek iel’s man with the inkhorn would have marked them because they did mourn for the abomination of their generation. Dear friend, if you are set in a somber key, God can use you. He starts with the bass in stringing His instruments and today He has all too few serious souls to offset the high-pitched piping of our time. Turn your tendencies to good ac count. You will be in the company of Jeremiah weeping over his peo ple and Paul willing to be accursed that Israel might be saved . . . and the Lord Himself with His heart broken for us all. And what shall we say of Augustine and Ruther ford and McCheyne and Fletcher and Fox and all that immortal host who truly passed the time of their sojourning here in fear? Surely this present hour is not conducive to levity among God’s colony still here on earth. The cri sis demands appropriate conduct and we had better be at our godliest as we thread our way through these days. Soberness becomes the chil dren of light and while Mr. Fearing should not be afraid as to his ac ceptance at last he may well fear God in his sojourning now. END.
EacK morning at eight the editorial staff of King's Busi ness m agazine g a t h e r s for prayer. Oveh the years God has answered the heartcry of thou- sands. Should - you have a request we would count it a privilege to take it to the throne of grace. Your request w ill be held in the strictest confidence. Address: The Edi tors, King's Business, 5 5 8 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, C a lif. w w i * m sm M ■ ■ 1 m a But we do well to exercise another kind of fear, not dread but a holy and reverent fear of God. The man who lives that way is far nearer the spirit of the New Testament than the glib, flippant sort who has never tasted deeply of human mis ery. The old hymnwriters thought the Christian life to be serious busi ness. They were bidding their souls be on guard and would have them stretch every nerve and press with vigor on. They would not be carried to the skies on flowery beds
And dear Alexander MacLaren with his matchless sermon on “ The Witness of the Spirit!” He is very patient with Mr. Fearing. “ There are none so far away from false confidence,” says he, “ as those who tremble lest they be cherishing it . . . There may be, and there often is, the combination of a real con fidence and a false diffidence, the presence of faith, and the doubt whether it be present.” Now the real trouble with such fearful ones is that they have a mis placed fear. They are fearful about the wrong things. I have already
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