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Bible Dictionaries
Fear
Charles Buck Theological Dictionary
or Is that uneasiness of mind which arises from an apprehension of danger, attended with a desire of avoiding it. "Fear, " says Dr. Watts, "shows itself by paleness of the cheeks, sinking of the spirits, trembling of the limbs, thoughts, agonies of nature, and fainting. Many a person has died with fear. Sometimes it rouses all nature to exert itself in speedy flight, or other methods to avoid the approaching evil: sudden terror has performed some almost incredibles of this kind." Fear is of different kinds:
1. There is an idolatrous and superstitious fear, which is called a fear of daemons, which the city of Athens was greatly addicted to. "I perceive, " says the apostle Paul, "that in all things ye are too superstitious, " or given to the fear and worship of false deities.
2. There is an external fear of God, an outward show and profession of it, which is taught by the precepts of men: as in the men of Samaria, who pretended to fear the Lord, as the priest instructed them, and yet served their own gods; and such an external fear of God, Job's friends supposed was all that he had, and that even he had cast that off.
3. There is an hypocritical fear, when men make a profession of religion; but only serve him for some sinister end and selfish view, which Satan insinuated was Job's case. "Doth Job fear God for nought?" Job 1:9 .
4. There is a servile fear, which they possess who serve God from fear of punishment, and not from love to him.
5. There is a filial fear, such as that of a son to his father. Fear is sinful when
1. It proceeds from unbelief or distrust of God. 2. When it ascribes more to the creature than is due; or when we fear our enemies without considering they are under God. 3. When we fear that in God that is not in him, or that he will break his promise, &c. 4. When our fear is immoderate, so as to distract us in duty.
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Buck, Charles. Entry for 'Fear'. Charles Buck Theological Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/cbd/f/fear.html. 1802.
