A Devotional for November 26
From the Pen of John Bunyan
Author of Pilgrim's Progress
An Austere God
“. . . I was afraid of you because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow”
Luke 19: 21.
There is a fear of God, which, although it hath not in it that power as to make men flee from God’s presence, yet it is ungodly. Because, even while they are in the outward way of God’s ordinances, their hearts are by it quite discouraged from attempting to exercise themselves in the power of religion. Of this sort are they which dare not cast off the hearing, reading, and discourse of the word as others. No, nor the assembly of God’s children for the exercise of other religious duties, for their conscience is convinced this is the way and worship of God. But their heart . . . by this ungodly fear, is kept from a powerful gracious falling in with God. This fear takes away their heart from all holy and godly prayer in private and from all holy and godly zeal for his name in public. And there be many professors whose hearts are possessed with this ungodly fear of God and they are intended by the slothful one. He was a servant, a servant among the servants of God and had gifts and abilities given him, therewith to serve Christ, as well as his fellows. Yea and was commanded too, as well as the rest, to occupy till his master came. But what does he? Why, he takes his talent, the gift that he was to lay out for his master’s profit and puts it in a napkin, digs a hole in the earth, and hides his lord’s money and lies in a lazy manner at to-elbow all his days, not out of, but in his lord’s vineyard. For he came among the servants also at last. By which it is manifest that he had not cast off his profession but was slothful and negligent while he was in it.
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