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| That the foundation and strength of hope and faith is fear.
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20. That the foundation and strength of
hope and faith is fear.
In the cxth Psalm: “The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”4321
Of the same thing in the Wisdom
of Solomon: “The beginning of wisdom is to fear
God.”4322
Also in
the Proverbs of the same: “Blessed is the man who
reverences all things with fear.”4323
Of the same thing in
Isaiah: “And upon whom else will I look, except upon him
that is lowly and peaceful, and that trembleth at my
words?”4324
Of
this same thing in Genesis: “And the angel of the Lord
called him from heaven, and said unto him, Abraham, Abraham: and
he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad,
neither do anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest
thy God, and hast not spared thy beloved son for my
sake.”4325
Also
in the second Psalm: “Serve the Lord in fear, and
rejoice unto Him in
trembling.”4326
| 4326
Ps. ii. 11. The whole of the remainder of
this section, except the two concluding quotations from the Psalms, is
wanting in many editions. | Also
in Deuteronomy, the word of God to Moses: “Call the people
together to me, and let them hear my words, that they may learn to fear
me all the days that they themselves shall live upon the
earth.”4327
Also
in Jeremiah: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I
will perfect upon the house of Israel, and in the house of Judah, a new
covenant: not according to the covenant that I had ordered with
their fathers in the day when I laid hold of their hand to bring them
out of the land of Egypt; because they have not abode in my covenant,
and I have been unmindful of them, saith the Lord; because this is the
covenant which I will ordain for the house of Israel; After those days,
saith the Lord, I will give my law, and will write it in their mind and
I will be to them for a God, and they shall be to me for a
people. And they shall not teach every man his brother, saying,
Know the Lord: because all shall know me, from the least even to
the greatest of them: because I will be favourable to their
iniquities, and their sins I will not remember any more. If the
heaven should be lifted up on high, saith the Lord, and if the earth
should be made low from beneath, yet I will not cast away the people of
Israel, saith the Lord, for all the things which they have done.
Behold, I will gather them together from every land in which I have
scattered them in anger, and in my fury, and in great indignation; and
I will grind them down into that place, and I will leave them in fear;
and they shall be to me for a people, and I will be to them for a
God: and I will give them another way, and another heart, that
they may fear me all their days in prosperity with their
children: and I will perfect for them an everlasting covenant,
which I will not turn away after them; and I will put my fear into
their heart, that they may not depart from me: and I will visit
upon them to do them good, and to plant them in their land in faith,
and with all the heart, and with all the mind.”4328
Also in the Apocalypse:
“And the four and twenty elders which sit on their thrones in the
sight (of God), fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We
give Thee thanks, O Lord God omnipotent, which art and which wast;
because Thou hast taken Thy great power, and hast reigned. And
the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time in which it
should be judged concerning the dead, and the reward should be given to
Thy servants the prophets, and the saints that fear Thy name, small and
great; and to disperse those who have corrupted the
earth.”4329
Also
in the same place: “And I saw another angel flying through
the midst of the heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to
those who dwell upon the earth, and to all the nations, and tribes, and
tongues, and peoples, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give Him
honour, because the hour of His judgment is come; and adore Him who
made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and the fountains of
waters.”4330
Also in the same place: “And I saw as it were a sea of
glass mingled with fire; and the beasts were feeding with His
lambs;4331
| 4331
There is considerable departure here from the Apocalyptic text,
for which it is not easy to account. [But this is an interesting
fact as bearing upon the question of an original African version made
from a family of mss. now extinct.] | and the
number of His name a hundred and forty and four, standing upon the sea
of glass, having the harps of God; and they sing the song of Moses, the
servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous
are Thy works, O Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou
King of the nations. Who would not fear Thee, and give honour to
Thy name? for Thou only art holy: and because all nations shall
come and worship in Thy sight, because Thy righteousnesses have been
made manifest.”4332
Also in Daniel:
“There was a man dwelling in Babylon whose name was Joachim; and
he took a wife by name Susanna, the daughter of Helchias, a very
beautiful woman, and one that feared the Lord. And her parents
were righteous, and taught their daughter according to the law of
Moses.”4333
| 4333
Hist. of Susannah
1–3. |
Moreover, in Daniel: “And we are lowly this day in all the
earth because of our sins, and there is not at this time any prince, or
prophet, or leader, or burnt-offering, or oblation, or sacrifice, or
incense, or place to sacrifice before Thee, and to find mercy from
Thee. And yet in the soul and spirit of lowliness let us be
accepted as the burnt-offerings of rams and bulls, and as it were many
thousands of lambs which are fattest. If our offering may be made
in Thy presence this day, their power shall be consumed, for they shall
not be ashamed who put their trust in Thee. And now we follow
with our whole heart, and we fear and seek Thy face. Give us not
over unto reproach, but do with us according to Thy tranquillity, and
according to the multitude of Thy mercy deliver us.”4334
| 4334
Song of the Three Children 14-19" id="iv.v.xii.iv.xxii-p16.1">Song of the Three Children
14–19. | Also
in the same place: “And the king exceedingly rejoiced, and
commanded Daniel to be taken up out of the den of lions; and the lions
had done him no hurt, because he trusted and had believed in his
God. And the king commanded, and they brought those men who had
accused Daniel; and they cast them in the den of lions, and their wives
and their children. And before they had reached the pavement of the den they were
seized by the lions, and they brake all their bones in pieces.
Then Darius the king wrote, To all peoples, tribes, and languages which
are in my kingdom, peace be unto you from my face. I decree and
ordain that all those who are in my kingdom shall fear and tremble
before the most high God whom Daniel serves, because He is the God who
liveth and abideth for ever, and His kingdom shall not pass away, and
His dominion goeth on for ever; and He alone doeth signs, and
prodigies, and marvellous things in the heaven and the earth, who
snatched Daniel from the den of lions.”4335
Also in Micah:
“Wherewith shall I approach the Lord, and lay hold upon Him? in
sacrifices, in burnt-offerings, in calves of a year old? Does the
Lord favour and receive me with thousands of fat goats? or shall I give
my first-fruits of unrighteousness, the fruit of my belly, the sin of
my soul? It is told thee, O man, what is good; or what else the
Lord doth require, save that thou shouldst do judgment and justice, and
love mercy, and be ready to go with the Lord thy God. The voice
of the Lord shall be invoked in the city, and He will save those who
fear His name.”4336
Also in Micah:
“Feed Thy people with Thy rod, the sheep of Thine inheritance;
and pluck up those who dwell separately in the midst of Carmel.
They shall prepare Bashan and Gilead according to the days of the age;
and according to the days of their going forth from the land of Egypt I
will show them wonderful things. The nations shall see, and be
confounded at all their might; and they shall place their hand upon
their mouth. Their ears shall be deafened, and they shall lick
the dust as do serpents. Dragging the earth, they shall be
disturbed, and they shall lick the dust: in their end they shall
be afraid towards the Lord their God, and they shall fear because of
Thee. Who is a God as Thou art, raising up unrighteousness, and
passing over impiety?”4337
And in Nahum: “The
mountains were moved at Him, and the hills trembled; and the earth was
laid bare before His face, and all who dwell therein. From the
face of His anger who shall bear it, and who withstandeth in the fury
of His soul? His rage causes the beginnings to flow, and the
rocks were melted by Him. The Lord is good to those who sustain
Him in the day of affliction, and knoweth those who fear
Him.”4338
Also
in Haggai: “And Zerubbabel the son of Salathiel, of the
tribe of Judah, and Jesus the son of Josedech, the high priest, and all
who remained of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God,
because the Lord sent him to them, and the people feared from the face
of God.”4339
Also in Malachi: “The covenant was with life and peace; and
I gave to them the fear to fear me from the face of my
name.”4340
Also
in the thirty-third Psalm: “Fear the Lord, all ye His
saints: for there is no want to them that fear
Him.”4341
Also in
the eighteenth Psalm: “The fear of the Lord is chaste,
abiding for ever.”4342
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