Numerous Fears

Sed libera nos a malo... Liberari enim a malo, est a saeculo nequam nunquam illici, sed expediri a desiderio hujus mundi, qui praesentia bona ostendens, invisibilia deridens, homines ad se attrahit. Haec omnia non possumus facere, nisi per spiritum timoris. Audiamus enim Deum gehennam minantem, et per hoc exterriti, mundo renuntiabimus, et Deo servire cum dilectione incipiemus. Nota quod timores quatuor sunt, duo terreni, et duo divini. Unus est, quando homines timemus, ne nobis nostra auferant, et ideo peccamus; vel quotiescunque propter aliquem timorem peccamus, ne viles simus, ne derideamur; sicut quando sectatores efficimur, quod prohibet Dominus, dicens: Nolite timere eos, qui corpus occidunt, et iste vocatur humanus timor. Est et alius timor, qui vocatur servilis, quando poenam timemus, et ideo non peccamus, et tamem voluntatem peccandi non amittimus. Sic Judaei pro sola formidine a malo abstinebant, nec aliquam dilectionem in bono faciendo habebant, nec Deum diligebant. Hi duo timores nihil faciunt ad salutem, sed nocent. Sunt alii duo. Unus est, quando Deum timemus, propter gehennam, et ideo a malo abstinemus, sed tamen cum dilectione boni est, et sine voluntate peccandi, et ita Deum diligere incipimus. Hunc timorem jubet Dominus, cum dicit: Potius timete illum qui habet potestatem corpus et animam mittere in gehennam ignis. De hoc timore dicitur, Initium sapientiae timor Domini. Tunc enim Deum timemus, quum eum per timorem diligimus. Tunc tantum poenam timemus, cum Deum non diligimus, et tamen a malo propter poenam abstinemus. Iste tertius timor est imperfectorum, et tamen salvandorum, quamvis non habeant perfectam charitatem. Perfecta enim charitas foras mittit hunc timorem tertium. Qui enim habet perfectam charitatem, etiamsi nullam poenam esse sciret, tamen Deo solum ex dilectione serviret, et eum offendere timeret. Anselmus Laudunensis, Enarrationes In Matthaeum, Caput V Source: Migne PL 162.1284d-1285b

But free us from evil... 1 To be freed from evil is never to be able to be charmed by the evil world, but to be delivered from the desire of this world, that which to attract men to itself sets forth present goods and derides invisible ones. And we cannot do any of this unless through a spirit of fear. For let us hear God threatening hell, and terrified by this we renounce the world and we begin to serve God with love. Observe that there are four types of fear, two of the world, and two Divine. One is when we fear men, lest they take something that is ours from us, and therefore we sin, or as many times as we sin on account of a fear of seeming to be vile or ridiculous, as when we become sectarians, which fear the Lord prohibits, saying, 'Do not fear those who can kill the body,' 2 and this is to name a human fear. And there is another fear which is called servile, when we fear punishment, and because of this we do not sin, and yet we do not rid ourselves of the wish to sin. So the Jews abstained from evil because of fear alone, and they had no love in the doing of good, nor loved God. These two fears profit not at all for salvation, but they are harmful. There are two others. One is when we fear God on account of hell and therefore we abstain from evil, but when this is done with a good love and without the desire to sin, even in this we begin to love God. The Lord commands this fear when He says, 'Rather fear Him who has the power to cast the body and the soul into the fire of hell.' 2 Concerning this fear it is said: 'The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord,' 3 For then we fear the Lord whom through fear we love. Then we fear only punishment when we do not love God and we only abstain from wickedness because of punishment. This is the third fear and it belongs to the imperfect, and yet it is of those who will be saved, although they do not have perfect love. Perfect love casts out this third fear. 4 He who has perfect love, even if he knows there is no punishment, yet he serves God from love alone, and fears to offend Him. Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 5 1 Mt 6.13 2 Mt 10.28 3 Sirach 1.14 4 1 Jn 4.18