And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God [is] not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.
Ver. 11. Surely the fear of God, &c.] The only best curb to restrain from evil, and spur to incite to good. All honesty flows from this holy fear. It is a problem in Aristotle, why men are credited more than other creatures. The answer is, Oτι θεους νομιζει μονον; "Man only reverenceth God," therefore you may trust in him, therefore you may commit yourself to him. He that truly feareth God is like unto Cato, of whom it is said, He never did well that he might appear to do so, but because he could do no otherwise. a You need not fear me, said Joseph to his brethren, for I fear God, and so dare do you no harm. Ought ye not to have feared God? said Nehemiah to those usurious Jews. Neh 5:9
a Sed quia aliter facere non potuit. - Villeius.