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I. "The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, and in them that hope in His mercy" (Ps. cxlvi. 11). Hope and fear might appear to be contradictory terms, yet Scripture in the Old and New Testament enjoins them both together. They are not inconsistent when rightly understood. There is, indeed, a kind of fear which is an offence against God, a cringing slavish fear as of an arbitrary master, which would willingly sin against Him if it were not for the personal consequences. But there is also a reverential and loving fear, as of a son who dreads to offend a tender father, and lose his esteem and affection. God Himself places the two alternatives before us as motives to serve Him, the prospect of possessing Him if we are faithful, and the dread punishment of eternal separation from Him if we persist in sin. The thought of reward is a legitimate motive for the practice of virtue; and the dread of hell makes for righteousness, and is therefore legitimate as restraining us from sin. In the old times it was specially necessary to develop the terrors of divine judgments to a half-civilized and stiff-necked oriental race; but even now our love is by no means so perfect that we can afford to dispense with the inferior motive as a supplement to the higher. Certain systems of religion make the mistake of looking at one aspect of the truth while neglecting the other. Some indulge an excessive confidence without attending to the duty of holy fear; others promote discouragement till it destroys all hope. Cultivate both virtues at once; let each balance the other and maintain a perfect harmony.
II. While we have the weightiest reasons for hope, we have not less for fear. We have grounds for hope when we think of God, for fear when we think of ourselves. God will never abandon us of Himself, but there is always danger lest we should abandon Him; and the perversity of our free-will can prevail over His infinite mercy and patience. Further, while we dwell on the tender fatherhood of God, we must never forget His awful majesty, His infinite distance above (Page 173) us, His unapproachable holiness, and our wretchedness before Him. He is not only Love, He is also Law with its terrible uniformity and sternness. God holds the dread secret of our destinies. As long as we live we can never know if we be deserving of love or hatred. God alone knows; and He, to whom the future is as the present, sees each of us now as if actually in the place we shall one day occupy in heaven or in hell. Jesus Christ, in spite of the revelation of divine love contained in His every action, yet tells us: "Fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell" (Matt. x. 28). Beware then that you do not misinterpret the mercy of God as being a weak leniency and indifference to sin; and do not think that filial confidence consists in easy familiarity with the Divine Majesty, and contemptuous negligence in His service. Say rather: "Pierce Thou my flesh with Thy fear: for I am afraid of Thy judgments" (Ps. cxviii. 120).
III. Hope and fear must equally guide your life. Each will both supplement and restrain the other. In the deficiency of either, you are in danger of going to the opposite extreme, and falling into one of the sins against the Holy Ghost, presumption or despair. If expectation is too secure and has no apprehension of losing its object, it may pass into carelessness and presumption; too great fear of perils may lead to discouragement and despair. Hope is like the sails of the ship, fear is its ballast; the one impels, the other restrains; and between the two there is equilibrium. These two virtues present to us the two necessary aspects of God, the sternness of His justice and the tenderness of His mercy, and they save us from the error of dwelling exclusively on one or the other; fear checks excessive confidence, hope saves us from depression; the one renders us energetic in action, the other makes us cautious. See on which side your predominant failing lies, and take care to counteract it, lest your ideas become unbalanced. "Ye that fear the Lord hope in Him, and mercy shall come to you for your delight" (Eccli. ii. 9).
