Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.
—Job 19:20
In that Job thus threatens his friends, and warns them, Be ye afraid of the sword; take heed, lest some sudden judgment fall upon you; observe;
We may use arguments from fear of judgments; both to disuade from sin, and to persuade to duty.
Job was a preacher to his friends, and here he is upon a vehement dehortation to take them off from that persecuting spirit spoken of in the former verse; here we have his argument, or motive; the fear of the sword: you run upon the swords point, while you run this course. The Apostle Jude (v. 23. of his Epistle) gives direction, Of some have compassion, making a difference, other save with fear, that is, make them afraid, terrify, and threaten them, that they may be saved. Some spirits must be dealt with gently, others roughly: therefore (saith he) make a difference, but rather then let any perish, save them with fear, scare them to Heaven. Some must be led to heaven by the way of Hell; and be cast into the fire, that they may be delivered from it. Save them with fear, pulling them out of the fire. 'Tis a desirable fear which is a means to pull a soul out of the fire. We are saved by faith, as that receiveth and taketh hold of Christ; we are saved by fear as that takes hold of us and driveth us to Christ. By faith we see and apply our help in Christ, and by fear we are brought to see our need of his help. Christ (Luk. 12. 4,5.) useth the argument of the fear of hell to cure his friends of the fear of man, and to dissuade them from deserting him, and the truth of the Gospel. I say to you my friends, be not afraid of them that can kill the body, and after that there is no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear, fear him, which after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell, yea, I say to you, fear him. See how he doubles upon that point of fear; fear him, yea I say to you fear him. We may parallel it with that expression of Paul to the Philippians; Rejoice in the Lord, and again I say rejoice. I eat not my word, but I aver it, and stand to it; as I bid you rejoice, so I again bid you rejoice. So saith Christ to his friends, fear. Some might object, Is this suitable counsel to a friend, to bid him be afraid, should they be kept in Heaven way for fear of Hell? Enemies have cause to fear, but should friends? Yea, saith Christ, I say again to you my friends, fear him; 'Tis good to bid a friend fear, when that fear tendeth to his good. Paul (Rom. 8. 13.) writing to Saints, and applying the doctrine of free grace to the believing Romans, yet tells them, If ye live after the flesh ye shall die, even die eternally: he threatens them with Hell, who were candidates of Heaven, and points them to death, who were passed from death to life, that he might keep them out of the ways of death.
Some say, this is base to be kept from evil by fear; they take scandal at those who preach fear, calling it legal preaching.
I answer; It is indeed most noble to obey out of love, To fear the Lord and his goodness, (Hosea 3. 5.) But yet it is good to fear the Lord, and his wrath. It is most excellent to say, we fear the Lord, because there is mercy with him, but it is our duty to fear the Lord, because there is justice and judgment with him. A good heart will improve the judgments of God as well as his mercies, and the wrath of God as well as his love: A good heart is bettered by all the dispensations of God, both in his word, and in his works; if God speak death, it is an advantage to his spiritual life; and he mends upon threatenings as well as upon promises. Every word of God is good, and hath a savour of life unto life in it, by the working of the Spirit. It is best and most Gospel-like, when we can say as the Apostle directs (2 Cor. 7. 1.) Having these promises, we cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord: but it is well, when we can say, having these threatenings we cleanse ourselves, and perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord. It is a choice frame to say, as the Author to the Hebrews calleth us (Heb. 12. 28.) Seeing we have a Kingdom that cannot be moved, let us have grace to serve him acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Yet it is our duty to say, and a mercy when we can say it, Seeing we live in a Kingdom or in a State that is moved and shaken with judgments and troubles, therefore let us have grace to serve him acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Fear either of trouble threatened, or of trouble felt, may be improved to purer actings in grace, and a more acceptable serving of God.
I shall only add three things to shew what this fear rightly improved will do upon the heart.
First, It doth not straiten, but enlarge the heart towards God. Thus the Prophet speaks of that holy fear which should follow, or be an effect of that glory of the Church, in the abundant access of the Gentiles to the Gospel (Isa. 60. 5.) Then thou shalt see and and flow together, and thy heart shall fear, and be enlarged. Fear and enlargement go together. Fear under a natural consideration shuts and straitens the heart. A man surprised with fear is less then he was in all his abilities, and seldom hath the use of any but of those, which discover his weakness. But spiritual fear or fear spiritualiz'd, maketh a man more than he was, and better than he was, he is enlarged to God, and only straitened towards evil.
Secondly, This fear of threatenings and judgments will not cause us to run from God, whose the word of threatening or the works of judgments are, but it brings and keeps us nearer to God. As holy fear is a bridle to restrain us from sin, so it is a bond to hold us to duty. (Jer. 32. 40.) I will put my fear in your hearts, and (what will this fear do? will it cause you to withdraw from me? No;) you shall never depart from me; the more you fear me, you shall keep the closer to me; None live so near God as they that fear him; As the fearing of God and the eschewing of evil are joined together in Scripture, so are our fearing God and strictest obedience to him.
Thirdly, It is such a fear as proceeds from high thoughts of God, not from hard thoughts of God. Some when they hear of judgment, or the sword of God, they have hard thoughts of God, he is severe (say they) wrathful, terrible, and therefore they tremble and are afraid of him. But the fear intended hath a better spring, it flows from pure reverential thoughts of God in his greatness and unparalel'd excellency. (Jerem. 10. 6, 7.) For as much as there is none like thee, O Lord, thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would not fear thee O King of Nations? for to thee doth it appertain (or it liketh thee) for as much as among all the wise men of the Nations, and in all their Kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. Here are high thoughts of God indeed, There is none like unto thee, thou art great, and thy Name is great, and among all the Nations there is none like thee: The wisest are not like thee in wisdom, the greatest are not like thee in greatness, the holiest are not like thee in holiness, therefore, Who would not fear thee? To be afraid of the judgments of God from high thoughts of his justice, righteousness, holiness, and purity, moving him to do such things, is not a slavish argument as some have said, but that which may work upon the most ingenious and gracious spirit; And not only so, but (which may be a third note from these words, Be afraid of the sword.
It is our duty to fear the judgments of God.
We should fear the judgments of God while threatened and only heard of; What though we see them not? What though we feel them not? What though we are not the persons intended in them, or to be smitten by them? yet the report of them as directed against others should make us tremble. When God threatened the old world with the flood, Noah was excepted, yet such was the temper of his spirit, that though he were the only favorite of God in all that age, yet his very hearing of that judgment (which he was assured not to feel) had this effect upon him (Heb. 11. 7.) By faith Noah being warned of God, of things not as yet, moved with fear, prepared an Ark to the saving of his house. He heard and was afraid of the Judgment, therefore he applied himself to those means which God had directed him to for the saving of himself and family. We read (Revel. 14. 7.( of a vision which John had: I saw an Angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every Nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying, fear God, and give glory to him. Why for the hour of his judgment is come. When God sends the everlasting Gospel to be preached, he calls it the hour of his judgment. The preaching of the Gospel is the hour of mercy to some, but it is the hour of wrath to others, even to all refusers and contemners. Upon this denunciation or threatening of judgment, which should overtake the sleighters, and neglecters of the Gospel, all are warned to fear God, and give glory to him.
Now, if we are to fear God for his judgments threatened, then we are to fear him more for his judgments inflicted (Revel. 15. 3, 4.) Who would not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy Name, &c. for thy judgments are manifest: In the old Law when judgments were executed, 'tis said, They shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously, (Deut. 17. 13.) They shall hear what hath been already executed upon offenders, and fear to offend, Moses there sheweth what all ought to do, not what all did, upon the appearances of judgment, and the executions of divine wrath upon high Transgressors.
Fourthly, Observe how Job was dealt with by his friends when he thus bespake them, and warned them of the sword. Their words were as a sword to his bowels, they were very sour and bitter against him; yet foreseeing their danger, and what evils their ill usage of him might bring upon themselves, he forgets both their former unkindness, and his own present pains, and minds them of those evils which were like to overtake them, if they persisted in the same mind.
Hence note;
A good man will warn others of danger, and labour to prevent their sorrow, though they have caused his.
While they are doing him hurt, he will be keeping them from hurt; while they trouble him, he discovers much tenderness towards them. He doth not rejoice, and say their day is coming, let it come, let it overtake them; No (saith he, as Job.) I see a black day coming, even the face of the sword, therefore be ye afraid of it, and labour to get out of the reach of it. The Prophet speaks much this sense to that hardened generation, who causlesly contrived and called for his death, (Jer. 26. 15.) I am in your hands, do as it seems good and meet, (I do not so much stand on it, what you do with me, it shall be well with me, but I warn you to look to yourselves, and to take heed of your own souls,) but know for certain, if you put me to death, you will surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this City, and the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth, the Lord hath sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears. He doth not plead to be freed from their hands, but only lets them know their danger if they laid violent hands on him. He was not afraid of their sword, but he would have them afraid of the sword of God; Be ye afraid of the sword.
—Joseph Caryl
