Note, 1. Holy fear is an excellent guard upon every holy thing, and
against every thing that is unholy. It is wisdom to depart from evil,
from the evil of sin, and thereby from all other evil; and therefore it
is wisdom to fear, that is, to be jealous over ourselves with a godly
jealousy, to keep up a dread of God's wrath, to be afraid of coming
near the borders of sin or dallying with the beginnings of it. A wise
man, for fear of harm, keeps out of harm's way, and starts back in a
fright when he finds himself entering into temptation. 2. Presumption
is folly. He who, when he is warned of his danger, rages and is
confident, furiously pushes on, cannot bear to be checked, bids
defiance to the wrath and curse of God, and, fearless of danger,
persists in his rebellion, makes bold with the occasions of sin, and
plays upon the precipice, he is a fool, for he acts against his reason
and his interest, and his ruin will quickly be the proof of his folly.