For God hath not given us the spirit of fear
A pusillanimous, cowardly spirit, so as to be afraid of men or
devils, of what they will say or do; and so as to be discouraged
in, sink under, or be deterred from the work of the Lord, the
preaching of the Gospel, opposing the errors of false teachers,
and reproving men for their sins, and doing other parts of the
ministerial function; such a spirit is not from God, and such a
fear brings a snare:
but of power,
and such is the Spirit of God, who is called "power from high"; (
Luke 24:49 ) by
which the minds of Christ's servants are fortified against
reproaches and persecutions for his sake, and are strengthened to
resist Satan's temptations, to endure hardness as good soldiers
of Christ, to quit themselves like men, in opposition to false
teachers, and to do the will and work of God:
and of love;
to God, and Christ, and his church, and which is a fruit of the
Holy Spirit; and such who have it seek not their own ease and
credit, but the glory of God, the interest of Christ, and the
good of souls; and having such a spirit, and fired with such
love, they are not easily intimidated by the adversary;
and of a sound mind:
in the principles and doctrines of the Gospel; and which shows
itself in a prudent conduct and behaviour; in sobriety,
moderation, temperance, purity, and honesty; all which may be
signified by the word here used: and these who have such
dispositions and qualities from God, will not easily give way to
the enemies of religion, or decline their duty for fear of them.