Augustine on Desiring and Fearing God

19 Thursday Mar 2020

Posted by memoirandremains in Augustine, Fear, fear of God, Fear of the Lord, Uncategorized

Tags

Augustine, C.S. Lewis, Eros and Self-Emptying, Fear, fear of God, fear of the Lord, joy, Paradox, Resurrection, Trembling

There is a sort of paradox which lies at the heart of the Christian’s apprehension of God. We are told to love God and trust God. But we are also told to fear God. Psalm 2 contains the strange command:

Psalm 2:11 (ESV)

Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.

How is that possible: fear and trembling are quite different than the command to rejoice. But this paradox of joy and fear, coming near and trembling is a basic theme of the Scripture:

Isaiah 66:1–2 (ESV)

The Humble and Contrite in Spirit
66 Thus says the LORD:
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house that you would build for me,
and what is the place of my rest?
2 All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things came to be,
declares the LORD.
But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word.

How then do we desire that we fear? Augustine helps provide some information here:

Because human desires must be transformed and reoriented in order to long for God rightly, desire for God, according to Augustine, does not provide an unambiguous sense of pleasure, at least not while we are still on our earthly pilgrimage. For Augustine, the cultivation of the desire for God and the commitment to a process of reorientation to God do not immediately produce unadulterated joy. God does not promptly ravish the soul with exquisite bliss and comfort. Imaging the beauty and truth of God as a light that attracts the soul, Augustine writes: “What is the light which shines right through me and strikes my heart without hurting? It fills me with terror and burning love: with terror in so far as I am utterly other than it, with burning love in that I am akin to it.”19 The terror is due to the perception of the dissimilarity of the soul and the holy God, coupled with the recognition that God is drawing the soul into a potentially painful process of transformation. The exhilaration of seeking the eternal is qualified by the bittersweet disclosure of God’s difference from the unworthy soul.20 A kind of fear arises as one becomes aware of one’s need for God and one’s own insufficiency. Although Augustine often describes God as the soul’s true source and destination, he also portrays divinity and humanity as being two sides of a chasm. God’s immeasurable magnitude can appear so vast that it intimidates the soul. At the same time that it intimidates, the phenomenon of desire for God contains within it the extravagant prospect that the soul, though unlike God, has the possibility to become (in some respects) like God. This transformation into godliness necessarily involves the daunting imperative to reorient one’s life away from lesser attachments and to become a new creature, defined by one central love. Consequently, the desire for God both promises absolute fulfillment but also requires the renunciation of cherished aspects of the old worldly self.

Barrett, Lee C.. Eros and Self-Emptying (Kierkegaard as a Christian Thinker) (pp. 74-75). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition. (Incidentally, this has been a fascinating book so far. If you have any interest in Augustine or Kierkegaard, it is well worth the time.) This fear reminds me of the line in Rilke, Beauty is beginning of terror.

Thomas Watson explains that there are two types of fear:

There is a twofold fear.
1. A filial fear; when a man fears to displease God; when he fears lest he should not hold out, this is a good fear; ‘Blessed is he that fears alway;’ if Peter had feared his own heart, and said, Lord Jesus, I fear I shall forsake thee, Lord strengthen me, doubtless Christ would have kept him from falling.
2. There is a cowardly fear; when a man fears danger more than sin; when he is afraid to be good, this fear is an enemy to suffering. God proclaimed that those who were fearful should not go to the wars, Deut. 20:8. The fearful are unfit to fight in Christ’s wars; a man possessed with fear, doth not consult what is best, but what is safest. If he may save his estate, he will snare his conscience, Prov. 29:25. ‘In the fear of man there is a snare.’ Fear made Peter deny Christ; Abraham equivocate, David feign himself mad; fear will put men upon indirect courses, making them study rather compliance than conscience. Fear makes sin appear little, and suffering great, the fearful man sees double, he looks upon the cross through his perspective twice as big as it is; fear argues sordidness of spirit, it will put one upon things most ignoble and unworthy; a fearful man will vote against his conscience; fear infeebles, it is like the cutting off Samson’s locks; fear melts away the courage, Josh. 5:1. ‘Their hearts melt because of you;’ and when a man’s strength is gone, he is very unfit to carry Christ’s cross; fear is the root of apostasy. Spira’s fear made him abjure and recant his religion; fear doth one more hurt than the adversary; it is not so much an enemy without the castle, as a traitor within indangers it; it is not so much sufferings without, as traitorous fear within which undoes a man; a fearful man is versed in no posture so much as in retreating; oh take heed of this, be afraid of this fear, Luke 12:4. ‘Fear not them that can kill the body.’ Persecutors can but kill that body which must shortly die; the fearful are set in the fore-front of them that shall go to hell, Rev. 21:8. Let us get the fear of God into our hearts; as one wedge drives out another, so the fear of God will drive out all other base fear.

Thomas Watson, “Discourses upon Christ’s Sermon on the Mount,” in Discourses on Important and Interesting Subjects, Being the Select Works of the Rev. Thomas Watson, vol. 2 (Edinburgh; Glasgow: Blackie, Fullarton, & Co.; A. Fullarton & Co., 1829), 368–370. I agree with Watson, but I think he misses something which the quotation on Augustine grasps: There is an ontological basis of fear. There is a fear sprung from the utter otherness of God.

When the disciples are in the boat and Jesus calms the storm, they wonder what sort of man this is. The otherness of Jesus causes them to fear. They were not afraid that Jesus was going to hurt them; he had just saved their lives. They were afraid of his mere presence.

This helps understand Paul’s line that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.” We need an ontological transformation to be able to bear we are going.

The Great Divorce has a seen which captures some of this matter. When the insubstantial beings from hell come to heaven even the grass is too substantial, too real to bear:

As the solid people came nearer still I noticed that they were moving with order and determination as though each of them had marked his man in our shadowy company. ‘There are going to be affecting scenes,’ I said to myself. ‘Perhaps it would not be right to look on.’ With that, I sidled away on some vague pretext of doing a little exploring. A grove of huge cedars to my right seemed attractive and I entered it. Walking proved difficult. The grass, hard as diamonds to my unsubstantial feet, made me feel as if I were walking on wrinkled rock, and I suffered pains like those of the mermaid in Hans Andersen. A bird ran across in front of me and I envied

Lewis, C. S.. The Great Divorce (Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis) (p. 25). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. If the mere grass will overwhelm our feet, what would the sight of the King do to our sight? And how utterly dangerous and other is God to us now.

Thomas Boston on the Need to Fear Oneself

29 Wednesday Jan 2020

Posted by memoirandremains in Fear, Thomas Boston, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Fear, Thomas Boston

In a sermon entitled “The Happiness of Fearing Alway,” Thomas Boston spoke of the need to fear oneself:

Happy is he that feareth alway with respect to himself. Every man is his own nearest neighbour, and so his worst enemy is nearest to him. Happy is the man that keeps a jealous eye over himself. “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things that thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life.” And there are four things about yourselves which you have need to fear; to be jealous over them, and circumspect about them, lest you offend God in them and by them.

Thomas Boston, The Whole Works of Thomas Boston: Sermons, Part 1, ed. Samuel M‘Millan, vol. 3 (Aberdeen: George and Robert King, 1848), 7.

We should fear our heads, our hearts, our tongues, our senses.

We should fear our heads, lest we become prey to bad ideas, “God is a God of truth as well as holiness. There are soul ruining principles as well as practices.” There were bad ideas infecting minds in Boston’s day, but I’m willing to venture that we have increased the stock of soul-destroying concepts. We should be willing to question what we know or think.

We should fear our hearts: “The heart is the principle of action as the eye is the light of the body. Great need then is there for the heart to be pure. O! what need to entertain this holy fear with respect to the heart; for it is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. If you would have the streams pure you must look well to the fountain.”

Our heart too easily and too willingly fastens upon the wrong objects, upon those thing which debase and shame. Conversely, godly affections too easily dissipate, “Good affections are tender buds of heaven easily checked and made to wither; and bad ones like ill weeds grow apace.”

We should fear our tongues. “It is dangerous to ride on an unbridled horse, and equally dangerous to have an unbridled tongue.” More damage has been wrought by the tongue than by hand; often the worst acts of violence are stirred up by the tongue. And the tongue has destroyed countless lives before death has taken the body.

We should fear our senses. At this point Boston sounds very much like John Bunyan in The Holy War: the senses are gates to a city, and thus the means which Satan gains entrance to the heart: “These are the gates of the soul, and when the town is besieged, there must be strict watch kept at the gates. Satan lays his trains at these gates, and if we do not take good heed, the whole soul may be set on fire. By the eyes and the ears, did the devil blow up all mankind in Adam and Eve.”

Faith and fear go hand in hand

28 Tuesday Jan 2020

Posted by memoirandremains in Faith, Faith, Fear, fear of God, Fear of the Lord, Thomas Watson, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Faith, Fear, fear of God, fear of the Lord, Thomas Watson

The graces of the Spirit work for good. Grace is to the soul, as light to the eye, as health to the body. Grace does to the soul, as a virtuous wife to her husband, “She will do him good all the days of her life.” Prov. 31:12. How incomparably useful are the graces! Faith and fear go hand in hand; faith keeps the heart cheerful, fear keeps the heart serious; faith keeps the heart from sinking in despair, fear keeps it from floating in presumption; all the graces display themselves in their beauty: hope is the helmet, 1 Thess. 5:8. meekness “the ornament,” 1 Pet. 3:4. love “the bond of perfectness,” Col. 3:14. The saints’ graces are weapons to defend them, wings to elevate them, jewels to enrich them, spices to perfume them, stars to adorn them, cordials to refresh them: and does not all this work for good? The graces are our evidences for heaven; is it not good to have our evidences at the hour of death?

Thomas Watson, A Divine Cordial; The Saint’s Spiritual Delight; The Holy Eucharist; and Other Treatises, The Writings of the Doctrinal Puritans and Divines of the Seventeenth Century (The Religious Tract Society, 1846), 17–18.

Augustus Franck, Nicodemus, or a Treatise on the Fear of Man, Chapter IV

22 Friday Nov 2019

Posted by memoirandremains in Fear, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Augustus, Fear, Fear of man

The prior post in this series is found here.

CHAPTER IV

Of the manifold mischiefs caused by the fear of man

Fear of man is one cause which causes one to reject coming to faith, “Many thousands of souls are thereby kept back from a true and thorough repentance and conversion; because they do not suffer the knowledge of the truth, the brightness whereof hath in some degree enlightened them, to shine forth in its full strength, but hold it, as it were, imprisoned by manifold hypocritical shifts and pretences.”

Fear of man also limits one’s growth in godliness, because one is afraid of what others may say or do. “Many know not what the reason is why they make such slow advances in their spiritual growth, when all this while the enemy, that is, the fear of man, secretly lurks within, and eats out, as it were, the very vigour and activity of the life of grace; though they take him for their best friend, supposing this fearfulness to be nothing else but wisdom and prudence.”

Fear of man and continual opposition may cause a minister to lose heart and thus perform their office. Fearfulness in one encourages fearfulness in others. And so two fearful ministers in one place, may cause a great deal of mischief. Those who are brought upon under such ministry will resemble their minister, as a child does a parent. Such ministers also rob others by distracting them away from ministers who could more profit their soul.

And those who are wicked take courage when they see the righteous fearful.

Fear of man causes many to refuse to be an open gospel witness to those who have power and position.

“The fear of man is always for maintaining old customs; and whilst every one is afraid of innovation, all abuses are thereby more and more authorized, so that all things proceed continually from bad to worse, because nothing is reformed or amended.”

A fearful man cannot act in faith on God, because, “a fearful man trusts God no further than his reason reaches and carries him.” He certainly will not trust God to protect him. By rejecting faith in God, we reject God’s blessing which is bestowed upon the faithful who receive them in faith. A fearful heart can receive no true communion or spiritual blessing from God; rather, such a fearful man is also plagued by a bad conscience.

“St. James saith, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” ch. 4:7.: and the reverse of it is full as true; for the more we give way to the devil and his instruments out of fear, the more they pursue and press upon us. Men might rid themselves of many troubles, could they but resignedly rely upon the authority of their function, and boldly perform what God hath commanded them. If we neglect this, it is no wonder if the devil insult us.”

John Bunyan, A Treatise on the Fear of God.1

16 Saturday Nov 2019

Posted by memoirandremains in Fear, fear of God, Fear of the Lord, John Bunyan, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

A Treatise on the Fear of God, fear of God, fear of the Lord, John Bunyan

A Treatise On The Fear Of God (summary)

“Blessed Is Every One That Feareth The Lord.” — Psa. 128: 1

“Fear God.” — Rev. 14: 7

Introduction: The Direction to Fear God is Found Throughout the Scripture.

A The Scripture presents us with God the Creator and Sustainer

1 He is incomprehensible power.

2 He has knowledge of all as judge.

B Thus, he will either be Savior or Judge

1 Thus, “we are in reason and duty bound to give the more earnest heed to the things that shall be spoken, and be the more careful to receive them, and put them in practice”

2 All our concern of him must be with godly fear.

Part One: What Does Fear Mean?

Bunyan proposes two basic propositions.

FIRST. Then by this word fear we are to understand even God himself, who is the object of our fear.
SECOND. By this word fear we are to understand the Word of God, the rule and director of our fear. Now to speak to this word fear, as it is thus taken.

This Word Fear As Taken For God Himself.

I Of this word “fear,” AS IT RESPECTETH GOD HIMSELF, who is the object of our fear.

A By this word fear, as I said, we are to understand God himself, who is the object of our fear:

1 Jacob swore by God as “the fear of Isaac” Gen. 31:42 & 53.

2 There are two aspects of God as “fear”

a God may well be called the fear of his people, not only because they have by his grace made him the object of their fear,

b but because of the dread and terrible majesty that is in him. “

c He is a mighty God, a great and terrible, and with God is terrible majesty” (Dan. 7:28, 10:17; Neh. 1: 5, 4:14, 9:32; Job. 37:22). Who knows the power of his anger?

B There are these things that make God to be the fear of his people.

1 First. His presence is dreadful,

a When God comes to bring a soul news of mercy and salvation, even that visit, that presence of God, is fearful. E.g., Jacob at Beersheba Gen. 28:10-17; Gen. 32:30.

b Man crumbles to dust at the presence of God; yea, though he shows himself to us in his robes of salvation. We have read how dreadful and how terrible even the presence of angels have been unto men, and that when they have brought them good tidings from heaven (Jud. 13:22; Mat. 28: 4; Mar. 16: 5, 6). [If Angels are fearful, how much more God.] Dan. 10:16-17

2 And there are three things that in an eminent manner make his presence dreadful to us.

a The first is God’s own greatness and majesty; the discovery of this, or of himself thus, even as no poor mortals are able to conceive of him, is altogether unsupportable. Rev. 1:17; Job 13:21-22….The presence of a king is dreadful to the subject, yea, though he carries it never so condescendingly; if then there be so much glory and dread in the presence of the king, what fear and dread must there be, think you, in the presence of the eternal God?

b By the presence of God, when we have it indeed, even our best things, our comeliness, our sanctity and righteousness, all do immediately turn to corruption and polluted rags. The brightness of his glory dims them as the clear light of the shining sun puts out the glory of the fire or candle, and covers them with the shadow of death. Is. 6:1-5

c They “shall fear the Lord and his goodness” (Hos. 3: 5). The goodness as well as the greatness of God doth beget in the heart of his elect an awful reverence of his majesty. Jer. 5:22, 33:8-9; Job 42:5-6

Excursus: Alas! there is a company of poor, light, frothy professors in the world, that carry it under that which they call the presence of God, more like to antics, than sober sensible Christians; yea, more like to a fool of a play, than those that have the presence of God. [They would never treat an important human being like that.]

[Such people would object] But would you not have us rejoice at the sight and sense of the forgiveness of our sins?

Answer: Yes; but yet I would have you, and indeed you shall, when God shall tell you that your sins are pardoned indeed, “rejoice with trembling” (Psa. 2:11; Dt. 28:58)

2 Second. As the presence, so the name of God, is dreadful and fearful:

a [A name refers to what a thing is]

b And therefore it is that the name of God is the object of our fear, because by his name his nature is expressed: “Holy and reverend is his name” (Psa. 111: 9); Ex. 34:6-7; Ps. 86:11.

i Indeed, the name of God is a fearful name, and should always be reverenced by his people: Ps. 102:15.

ii Yea, when Christ comes to judge the world, he will give reward to his servants the prophets, and to his saints, “and to them that fear his name, small and great” (Rev. 11:18). Now, I say, since the name of God is that by which his nature is expressed, and since he naturally is so glorious and incomprehensible, his name must needs be the object of our fear, and we ought always to have a reverent awe of God upon our hearts at what time soever we think of, or hear his name, but most of all, [in worship and prayer]

3 Third. As the presence and name of God are dreadful and fearful in the church, so is his worship and service.

a I say his worship, or the works of service to which we are by him enjoined while we are in this world, are dreadful and fearful things. Ps. 2:11, 5:7; Ex. 15:11; 2 Cor. 7:1; Heb. 12.

i That which makes the worship of God so fearful a thing, is, for that it is the worship of GOD: all manner of service carries more or less dread and fear along with it, according as the quality or condition of the person is to whom the worship and service is done.

ii Besides, this glorious Majesty is himself present to behold his worshippers in their worshipping him.

iii Above all things, God is jealous of his worship and service.

iv The judgments that sometimes God hath executed upon men for their want of godly fear, while they have been in his worship and service, put fear and dread upon his holy appointments.

I Nadab and Abihu were burned to death with fire from heaven, because they attempted to offer false fire upon God’s altar, and the reason rendered why they were so served, was, because God will be sanctified in them that come nigh him (Lev. 10: 1-3).

II Eli’s sons, for want of this fear, when they ministered in the holy worship of God, were both slain in one day by the sword of the uncircumcised Philistines (see 1 Samuel 2).

III Uzzah was smitten, and died before the Lord, for but an unadvised touching of the ark, when the men forsook it (1Ch. 13: 9, 10).

IV Ananias and Sapphira his wife, for telling a lie in the church, when they were before God, were both stricken dead upon the place before them all, because they wanted the fear and dread of God’s majesty, name, and service, when they came before him (Acts 5).

V This therefore should teach us to conclude, that, next to God’s nature and name, his service, his instituted worship, is the most dreadful thing under heaven. His name is upon his ordinances, his eye is upon the worshippers, and his wrath and judgment upon those that worship not in his fear. For this cause some of those at Corinth were by God himself cut off, and to others he has given the back, and will again be with them no more

Excursus: Three sorts of people rebuked.

Such as regard not to worship God at all; be sure they have no reverence of his service, nor fear of his majesty before their eyes.
This rebukes such as count it enough to present their body in the place where God is worshipped, not minding with what heart, or with what spirit they come thither.
This also rebukes those that care not, so they worship, how they worship; how, where, or after what manner they worship God. Those, I mean, whose fear towards God “is taught by the precept of men.” They are hypocrites; their worship also is vain, and a stink in the nostrils of God.

Conclusion:

Thus I conclude this first thing, namely, that God is called our dread and fear.

Augustus Franck, Nicodemus; Or, a Treatise on the Fear of Man, Chapter III

13 Wednesday Nov 2019

Posted by memoirandremains in Fear, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Augustus Franck, Fear of man

In chapter 3, Franck gives 75 observations on the effect of fear of man. Below, I have tried to organize and summarize his argument.

CHAPTER III

Of the signs and effects which discover the fear of man

1 “A fearful man knows to do good, but doth it not, for fear of incurring the hatred and enmity of others.” His who desire is to not be separated from the common opinion or the crowd. He will always be a “coward.”

a He will be reluctant to be “convinced of the truth,” for fear of consequences.

b If convinced,

i He will keep quiet among those who don’t approve.

ii He will only speak among those who do approve. He makes sure not to be seen which such people, when others who may disapprove are bout.

iii He will always be primarily concerned with those around him.

c In conflict, the fearful man will always seek to use arguments which will be acceptable to those who already disavow the Word of God. He will not trust the Word of God to be sufficient to defend him (and itself).

2 This fearfulness will make him reluctant to learn, because he doesn’t want to even consider things which might cause him trouble.

3 This fear also makes him restrain his judgments and match the culture: even when the culture is wrong. This leads him to be in places and positions which are not fitting.

a If he does address a wrong, he will only do so among those who cannot respond to him.

b It will also lead him to gossip and speaking behind another’s back.

c He trusts more in political power than in the power of God.

d He won’t address problems with other ministers who hold to popular if untruthful positions.

4 He will also seek to limit others to that which is safe.

5 If you put this man in a pulpit, he will be “like a fox” and always be looking for some sort of “escape” so that he cannot be caught in an unpleasant place.

a “Being got into the pulpit, he reproves and exclaims boldly; but he denies that in so doing he meant any particular person.”

b “He saith always with the slothful, “There is a lion in the way;” for he fears, should he alter anything of long received customs, he might bring himself into trouble.”

c So he is always hedging his position with this and that opinion. He must also avoid to clear an application, for fear it might give offense to someone.

d Being fearful, he can never set anything aright, because he has already compromised in so many places.

6 His fearfulness of words leads to fear in actions. He will not do things which might cause a stir – unless he has enough social backing to make it safe. He will complain or excuse that this is “not the right time.”

7 He uses a false concern for “peace” or “prudence” as an excuse to avoid the truth and its effects. This also makes him a false or inconstant friend.

8 “He is afraid of burning his fingers, and therefore rather employeth another to do it for him: he makes the arrows, but others must shoot them.”

9 “He is very apt to believe any false reports against the faithful children of God; and because his heart is tossed with fear, he is very forward in warning them to take heed to themselves, and by his imprudence damps and stifles the cheerfulness of their holy faith.”

Augustus Franck, Nicodemus; Or a Treatise on the Fear of Man, Chapters 1 & 2

09 Saturday Nov 2019

Posted by memoirandremains in Fear, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Augustus Franck, Fear of man

(Summary of the first two chapters)

CHAPTER ONE: What the fear of man is, and the several kinds of it

Definition:
Negatively: What it is not (for purposes of this treatise)
“That natural bashfulness, whereby a man is apt to be dashed out of countenance in the doing or speaking any thing before those with whom he is not acquainted.”
“That natural wariness, whereby a man, seeing one stronger than himself, or whom he believes to be an overmatch for him, is not forward to strive with him.”
He is not referring to our common concerns with what another may do to or with us: “nor indeed any thing else, which in human affairs is called fear of man.”
Positively
This fear shows itself “in things relating to God.”
Respecting unbelievers: “a notorious vice and abominable fruit of unbelief in the unregenerate”.
It shows itself in: being kept from God in conversion and the subsequent work of God.
They thus “conform[] to this world” – with all that entails in denying Christ.
In the regenerate “who strive against it, and by faith, which is the victory that overcometh the world, at last entirely triumph over it.”
QUALITY OF THIS FEAR
In both regenerate and unregenerate, it “admits of certain degrees”.
“God often makes his own servants and dearest children (as in other cases, so especially in this) sensible that they are but men.”
Examples, Gen. 3:7-11; 1 Cor. 2:3
God will also provide comfort to those who are his. Acts 18:9-10.
Fear of man in the regenerate will be in conflict with the operation of faith. Accordingly, the regenerate must be sanctified even in this area.

“The outward distinction of men makes no difference in the thing itself; for even kings, princes, and great men of the world, are no less subject to the enslaving fear of man, than those of a far lower and meaner condition.”

The greater have more to lose.

It is worse for a teacher to be afflicted with fear of man, because the teacher may then fail in his duty.

III. CONCLUSION

In a word, this fear of man, wheresoever it is found, is in itself a most heinous vice, and a kind of idolatry, arising from the spawn of an unbelieving heart, whereby we lay aside the fear of God from before our eyes, and think, speak, or do any evil, or leave thinking, speaking, or doing that which is good, for any consideration or regard of men; it being our duty simply to follow the word of God, and to eye the same as our rule and directory in all that we do or leave undone.

CHAPTER II

Chapter II: Of the sources and causes of the fear of man

The causes thereof are either internal or external.

The internal are chiefly these:

Unbelief, which is the spring and root of all vices.
The love of the world, and of the things of the world, namely, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
The want of true self-denial, which is always joined with the love of the world; or, when we fear lest men should prejudice us in our reputation, estates, ease, or in our bodies and life itself, if we should simply follow the guidance of the word of God.
Fleshly wisdom derived from corrupt reason, which uses to measure divine things by its own standard.
The false imagination we have of ourselves, and the prejudice settled in the mind, and making men believe they may be acceptable to God, though they should yield in several cases merely out of regard to man, without any leave from God’s word to do so.
False humility, which is swayed more by human authority than by the word of God; and prompts us to refer all things to the judgments of others, who, as we pretend, understand them better than ourselves.
The great deceitfulness of our own hearts, which can put so fair a colour upon all manner of sins, that we persuade ourselves we act very prudently, whilst we are influenced all this while by nothing but unbelief and fear of man.
The desire or hope to be advanced to some place of honour in the world.
The want of experience in the ways of God, which makes us hesitate in difficult cases, and indisposes the soul to rely wholly upon God, fearing lest he should let us fail or miscarry in them. This proceeds from our not having sufficiently learned how dear they are to God, who entirely trust in him; and what powerful assistance he affords them, to accomplish his own work in them.
Fear of presumption, lest we should seem to tempt God in casting ourselves wholly upon him.
Secret pride, which prompts us eagerly to desire a happy end, and visible success in all our undertakings; whereas indeed we should rest satisfied with an inward success and victory; that is, in having kept a good conscience towards God.
Natural shyness, for it cannot be denied that some are more inclined to fearfulness than others. And from this natural weakness springs bashfulness, whereby many are hindered from performing that with cheerfulness, which a well-grounded faith requires of them.
Neglect of prayer, which not only prevents us from obtaining a full conquest over the fear of man, but drives us down further into the stream of hypocrisy.

The external causes are these following:

The tyranny of many in power, who take upon them to bind and fetter the consciences both of teachers and hearers, being only concerned to preserve thereby public peace and tranquillity.
The forwardness of our universities in their dubbing of heretics: for they no sooner perceive any breakings forth of the spirit of true Christianity, but they are sure to cast a slur upon it, by giving it an ill name, and all this under a cloak of their great zeal for their highly valued orthodoxy.
The conduct of those that enter into holy orders whilst they are unholy themselves, and, after a loose education in the universities, engage now in the sacred function, for no other end than only mere temporal support
The high regard and esteem we have for men. This blinds many to such a degree, that they cannot imagine that such great men, so eminent for wisdom and learning, should be so grossly mistaken and drawn aside.
The specious and plausible reasonings of such as follow their corrupt reason more than the word of God.
The frequent examples of such as are bound down by the fear of man as well as themselves.
Worldly riches, that cast frequent and manifold hinderances in our way, and prevent us from pressing forwards incessantly in the simplicity of faith.
Wife and children, who by their importunate way of arguing, and their unbelieving tattle and clamour, do weary out and overcome many.
The honour and esteem we have already gained in the world. This makes us very loath to make others think, that hitherto we have deceived the world, and been in an error ourselves. To which may be added, that when a man is placed in some high post, he finds it a hard lesson to give it up, and suffer reproach with the people of God.
The threats of others, especially of those in power.
The fair promises of the world, which offers great things, if we will but declare that odd is even.
Great and honourable acquaintance and friends, who, under the pretence of hearty love and kindness, are always cautioning us not to venture too far.
Too great and too intimate a familiarity with the children of this world. Hereby many deliver up their spiritual weapons, and so disable themselves from reproving what is amiss in others with courage and presence of mind.
The neglect of frequent conversation with true believers, who walk in the power of faith, and rather choosing those for our companions who are themselves enslaved by the fear of man.

Augustus Franck, Nicodemus; or, A Treatise Against the Fear of Man (Dedication)

06 Wednesday Nov 2019

Posted by memoirandremains in Fear, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

A Treatise on the Fear of Man, Augustus Franck, Fear of man, Pietism

This treatise was written by Franck in 1701. I am working with an English translation dated 1831. I will seek to provide a condensed version of the whole, to permit one to follow the general course of the argument. Franck was a German pietist, 1663-1727.

An interesting aspect of Franck’s life, which is germane to the argument he makes in the dedication:

The following year he took the master’s degree, which carried the right to give philological and exegetical lectures on the Bible. He and Paul Anton were encouraged by Carpzov, another theology professor, to start a Collegium Philobiblicum for young masters and to fill one of the gaps in a university theological curriculum that was confined to dogmatic and polemical theology. This proved popular, but caused a personal crisis for Francke which came to a head in 1687. Teaching theology seemed to create a conflict between seeking professional distinction and seeking to serve others. To promote the former his uncle restored his Schabbel stipendium on the condition that Francke took instruction in biblical exegesis from Superintendent Sandhagen in Lüneburg. Here he underwent a vivid conversion experience. It began with anxiety as to whether the Christian claims for the authority of the Bible were any more reasonable than those of Jews for the Talmud and of Turks for the Koran. In a way that became normative for evangelicals, these doubts were resolved with the aid of Luther’s Preface to the Romans, with its doctrine that faith was a transforming work of God in humans; certainty was derived from an immediacy of experience which required no further evidence. Yet Francke’s problem of intellectual uncertainty was not Luther’s problem of forgiveness of sin, and while conversion resolved his dilemma of whether to serve others or scholarly reputation, it cut him off from the characteristic concerns of the Enlightenment. Francke’s experience also led him to an elaborately structured view of conversion in which the penitential struggle (Busskampf) was central.

W. R. Ward, “Francke, August Hermann,” ed. Timothy Larsen et al., Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 238.

A note on pietism:

A movement in the Lutheran church in the 17th century, reacting against dead orthodoxy and aiming at a revival of piety and vital godliness. P. J. Spener, its chief mover, emphasized informal prayer meetings and Bible study. Pietism did not itself become an organized movement, but it had a profound influence on the early Moravians, and through them, on the awakening of missionary vision. It also greatly affected John Wesley, and through him, the English-speaking countries of the world. Indeed, it still influences much of modern-day evangelicalism. Its emphasis is a healthy one, so long as it is within the framework of the great objective truths of the gospel. If that proviso is neglected, it leads to a very basic denial of the faith—witness the fact that Halle University, founded on the principles of pietism, became a centre of such emphasis on individual experience that it produced the pure subjectiveness of Schleiermacher’s consciousness theology.*

Alan Cairns, Dictionary of Theological Terms (Belfast; Greenville, SC: Ambassador Emerald International, 2002), 331.

THE AUTHOR’S DEDICATION

To all Ministers and Teachers in Churches and Schools throughout Germany—Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, in the fellowship and communion of the Holy Ghost.

Dearly beloved Brethren,

More especially hath my heart been touched to the quick, when from innumerable instances I have been convinced, that the fear of man is become the epidemical disease of our teachers. For when I reflected on one hand, with what spirit, with what joy, with what undaunted courage and boldness, the servants of God, in the Old and New Testament, set aside all regard and fear of man, delivering, as the Lord’s ambassadors, their message plainly, and without mincing the matter, though it exposed them to the apparent hazard of their lives; and, on the other, how gently and how softly we go about it now-a-days; and how little we manifest the truth to the conscience of every one: when I moreover considered how much they suffered with Christ their Lord, for the sake of their testimony; and how the most of us take care to preach so smoothly, as not to incur the least shadow of their sufferings; all this made the difference between us and them appear so exceedingly great to me, that I could not but be amazed and astonished at it.

He puts the cause for the fear of man among teachers of the Gospel to an over-concern for temporal comfort and status. He does not argue that the Gospel requires us to be ascetics and deny all temporal comfort. However, temporal comfort should not be our primary concern. If such does become our primary concern, we error:

But if, on the contrary, we seek ourselves, being influenced, in what we do, by temporal concerns; then, as far as I understand, we depart from that glorious pattern Christ our Lord and Master hath set before us: neither is there any thing, to my apprehension, that doth more effectually deprive us of God’s blessing in our calling, than this doth. For sure it is, that the greater concern we have for our own profit, ease, and honour, the less we shall have for promoting the real good of our neighbour. And as long as our minds are not wholly conformable to the mind of our great Shepherd, whose servants we are, it is impossible he should be well pleased with us.

It is this concern with the temporal which leads to the fear of man:

This I take to be the true cause why we are so strongly possessed with the fear of man; for did we desire nothing in the world, we should not fear it.

As a matter of persuasion, Franck then draws out this decision in light of eternity. How will it appear to you on Judgment Day to have shaved the Gospel to fit the expectations of others so that you could live a slightly more comfortable existence?

How can we then entertain the least thought of appearing before Him in that day with joy, when our hearts will upbraid us, that whilst we were here, we took more pains to improve our land, than the souls committed to our care? to increase our flock, and sum up our yearly revenues, than to lay up in store a good foundation against the time to come? that we were either careless in our preaching, without the least tincture of godly zeal and earnestness, as if it were no more than some other common trade; or else intending by it, rather to set forth our own arts and learning, than to recommend the simple truth of Jesus Christ, without any gloss or trimming, to the consciences of men? Alas! it is but too apparent, that the generality of men, both in cities and villages, are sunk into the blackest vices, and all manner of the most abominable corruptions.

August. Herm. Franck.

At Glaucha, near Halle.

October 26, 1701.

More dangerous than anything you will ever meet

12 Saturday Oct 2019

Posted by memoirandremains in C.S. Lewis, Fear, Literature

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

danger, Fear, fear of God, Lord of the Rings, Tolkien

The Two Towers, Chapter 5

Tolkien here draws together two ideas which Gimili naively thinks to be exclusive of one-another. This is similar to Lewis’ comment that the lion is good and dangerous. The lion is certainly not safe.

The source of this idea is God himself. God is good, perfectly good. God is love. Who has ever been more kind than Christ? And yet God is very dangerous; more dangerous than anything we could imagine: more dangerous than anything you will ever meet:

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matt10.28

It is a simplistic concept to think that danger and good are separate.

This helps a bit understand the tension in Christianity that we are to love God, trust God, put our hope in God – fear God.

Thucydides and the Fear of God and gods

26 Thursday Sep 2019

Posted by memoirandremains in Ecclesiastes, Fear, fear of God, Fear of the Lord, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Ecclesiastes, Fear, fear of God, Thucydides

In considering the matter of the fear of God/gods and human response, Thucydides has an interesting observation in Book II The Peloponnesian War. He is describing a circumstance of people flooding into the city of Athens. He first describes the breakdown in public order:

[52]An aggravation of the existing calamity was the influx from the country into the city, and this was especially felt by the new arrivals. [2] As there were no houses to receive them, they had to be lodged at the hot season of the year in stifling cabins, where the mortality raged without restraint. The bodies of dying men lay one upon another, and half-dead creatures reeled about the streets and gathered round all the fountains in their longing for water. [3] The sacred places also in which they had quartered themselves were full of corpses of persons that had died there, just as they were; for as the disaster passed all bounds, men, not knowing what was to become of them, became utterly careless of everything, whether sacred or profane. [4] All the burial rites before in use were entirely upset, and they buried the bodies as best they could. Many from want of the proper appliances, through so many of their friends having died already, had recourse to the most shameless sepultures: sometimes getting the start of those who had raised a pile, they threw their own dead body upon the stranger’s pyre and ignited it; sometimes they tossed the corpse which they were carrying on the top of another that was burning, and so went off.

The breakdown in public order led to a breakdown in moral order:

[53] [1] Nor was this the only form of lawless extravagance which owed its origin to the plague. Men now coolly ventured on what they had formerly done in a corner, and not just as they pleased, seeing the rapid transitions produced by persons in prosperity suddenly dying and those who before had nothing succeeding to their property. [2] So they resolved to spend quickly and enjoy themselves, regarding their lives and riches as alike things of a day. [3] Perseverance in what men called honor was popular with none, it was so uncertain whether they would be spared to attain the object; but it was settled that present enjoyment, and all that contributed to it, was both honorable and useful.

He then addresses the issue of fear as a restraint upon human behavior:

[4] Fear of gods or law of man there was none to restrain them. As for the first, they judged it to be just the same whether they worshipped them or not, as they saw all alike perishing; and for the last, no one expected to live to be brought to trial for his offences, but each felt that a far severer sentence had been already passed upon them all and hung ever over their heads, and before this fell it was only reasonable to enjoy life a little.

Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War (Medford, MA: London, J. M. Dent; New York, E. P. Dutton, 1910).

This is interesting not just for the observation about the relationship between fear and restraint (why not do whatever I desire when it makes no difference in terms of punishment), but also the matter of “faith” in gods/God. I wrote a couple of days ago about the question of a crisis of faith following a great loss.

This people are experiencing a crisis of faith and have become atheists in practice if not in theory. They are living as if there is no divine judgment. Since it is the duty of a god to protect me from the vicissitudes of life, what is the point of faithful relationship to the god, if the god will not protect me from this world. That idea is so deeply engrained in us, that we effectively believe – even among professing Christians – that if some difficulty befalls us, that we God has failed.

But Christianity sees trouble as ultimately stemming from a decision of God. In a polytheistic society, there are multiple divine agents. Thus, one should worship the god/goddess who best be able to protect and advance my interests among the other gods. To get across the sea, it does little to have the help of a god who has no power over the water.

They gave up on worship, because the gods could no longer sustain their duty of protection. Gods operate like politicians who can get votes only so long as they have the capacity to provide some benefit. And that benefit must be immediate and tangible.

Why then would God fail to deliver to protect one against trouble. If there is trouble, why not a judgment upon Egypt which does not touch Goshen?

The promise is not a delivery in this age, but a delivery from this age:

Galatians 1:1–5 (ESV)

1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

The obvious rationale to permit trial in this age is that trial in this age sets our hope elsewhere. The book of Ecclesiastes begins with the observation that this world is utterly vain – it will not persist nor will it satisfy. The book ends with the admonition:

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 (ESV)

¹³The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. ¹⁴For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

This is interesting, because it is so countercultural. The disposition described by Thucydides is the human default: The job of a god is to protect me from the vanity of this world. If the god fails in that task, there is no basis to fear that god. But Ecclesiastes says: The world is in fact vain. But the vanity of the world should lead to the conclusion to in fact fear God.

But there is also a coherence between Thucydides and Ecclesiastes, the gods of the Athenians could not fulfill their promise. They were “hired” to do a job, which they could not do. Like the Egyptian gods systematically destroyed the plagues, the Athenian gods were shown to be no gods.