Ps 18:9

“He recognises a twofold [element in faith], both the activity of him who believes, and the excellence of that which is believed according to its worth; since also righteousness is twofold, that which is out of love, and that from fear. Accordingly it is said, "The fear of the Lord is pure, remaining for ever and ever." For those that from fear turn to faith and righteousness, remain for ever. Now fear works abstinence from what is evil; but love exhorts to the doing of good, by building up to the point of spontaneousness; that one may hear from the Lord, "I call you no longer servants, but friends," and may now with confidence apply himself to prayer.”

“"The fear of the Lord is chaste, enduring for ever" [Psalm 19:9]. "The fear of the Lord;" not that distressing fear under the law, dreading exceedingly the withdrawal of temporal goods, by the love of which the soul commits fornication; but that chaste fear wherewith the Church, the more ardently she loves her Spouse, the more carefully does she take heed of offending Him, and therefore, "perfect love casts" not "out" this "fear," [1 John 4:18] but it endures for ever.”

“As for that fear that is holy, enduring forever, if it can exist in the world to come—and how else can we interpret "enduring forever"?—it will not be a fear deterring us from an evil that might befall us but a fear preserving us in a good that can never be lost. For in a state where love of possessed good is utterly unchangeable, there, if I may put it thus, fear of all evil will be perfectly at peace. What "holy fear" really means is a will so fixed that we shall necessarily refuse to sin and guard against it, not out of worry or weakness lest we fall, because our love is perfectly at peace.”

“The fear of God is not an anxious confusion but an undaunted perseverance, a state that is not altered by any change in this life, but remains focused on the same thing with a sincere conscience. For human fear changes with time and is not holy, because it cannot be productive. But the fear of God does not have anything to do with the passions. For although one appropriately fears his Maker, he knows without a doubt that the one who judges him is merciful to those who seek him in prayer. Therefore whoever is known both to fear and to love his Judge lives in complete holiness. When love is combined with awe, it is the fear of the Lord, what is called reverence in secular terms.”

“The treasures of the Lord: – We should have interpreted פקודי as “commandments” in accordance with its Targum, only that he speaks afterwards of the commandment of the Lord; so we interpret פקודי here on the analogy of “And the food shall be for a store (פקדון)” (Gen. 41:36), where the meaning is that of treasuring and depositing. They are the things about which reason teaches. He says of them also that they are right: – There is in them no perversion nor crookedness, for if they were not so reason would not be teaching concerning them. And for this cause they rejoice the heart: – for the wise man rejoices over his understanding; and when it gains control over the body and leads it in the ways of understanding there is no joy in the world like that joy, which is the joy of the soul. For this reason he says rejoicing the heart, and does not say rejoicing “man,” for man rejoices in the lusts of the world; but the understanding – that is, the heart – rejoices only in the ways of understanding. And so it says (Ps. cxix. iii): “For they are the rejoicing of my heart.” And he says: The commandment of the Lord is pure: – Every single commandment wherever it is is pure and bright without any alloy: and it enlightens the eyes: – because people who are without the commandments walk in darkness, for the commandments give light to the heart and are the steps by which to ascend to the great Glory.”

“Scripture enlightens a posteriori through strict judgments. For God always imposes strict judgments upon transgressions of the precepts, as in the cases of Lucifer, Adam and his wife, the depraved upon whom came the flood, the prideful who built the tower of Babel, the Chananeans and Israel. Likewise, the New Testament is full of judgments. Now, the judgment follows the act, while the command precedes it. The judgment is related to the command: if you transgress it, you shall be punished. Unless you follow the guiding light, a sword shall pierce you. Hence the Psalm: Unless they be converted, God will sharpen His sword; He will bend and aim His bow, prepare His deadly weapons against them, and use fiery darts for arrows. The bow is the judgment of Scripture; the hardness of the wood, the Old Testament; the cord that bends the wood, the New Testament; the judgments, light or harsh, are the arrows. Hence again in the Psalm: The Law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul; the decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. The ordinances of the Lord are true, all of them just.”

“"The fear." Here he sets forth certain things that are adjacent to the law, of which one is on our part, namely fear, which leads us to observe the precepts: Eccl. 12: "Fear God and keep his commandments." And he says two things about this fear. First, he says it is holy. Second, he says it endures. Now all fear is caused by love, because a man fears to lose what he loves. And therefore, as there is a twofold love, so there is a twofold fear. There is a holy fear that is caused by holy love; and an unholy fear, caused by unholy love. Holy love is that by which God is loved: Rom. 5: "The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." This holy fear does three things. First, it fears to offend God. Second, it refuses to be separated from him. Third, it subjects itself to God through reverence. And this fear is called chaste and filial. Unholy fear is that which is caused by unholy love, which is of the world and of oneself. And from such unholy love a twofold unholy fear is caused: servile, which is from love of self; and worldly, which proceeds from love of the world: Mt. 10: "Do not fear those who kill the body," and so on. Concerning holy fear: Ps. 33: "Fear the Lord, all you his saints, for there is no want to those who fear him." Worldly fear does not endure except with the world; servile fear endures in the wicked forever; but holy fear endures in the good. Concerning this the Psalm says: "The fear of the Lord is holy, enduring forever and ever." But against this: "Perfect charity casts out fear," 1 Jn. 4. It must be said that charity expels servile fear; but filial fear endures in two ways, namely in the homeland. First, as to its reward: Ps. 9: "The patience of the poor shall not perish forever." Not that patience is there, because there is no tribulation, but its fruit endures; and so the fruit of fear endures: Sir. 1: "It shall be well with him who fears God in his last days, and on the day of his death he shall be blessed." Or it endures as to a certain act of its own: not that it fears to offend, because there it does not fear sin or separation, but as to reverence, because they will submit themselves to God and will not dare to make themselves equal to him: Job 26: "The pillars of heaven tremble and quake at his command." On God's part there is another thing, namely his judgment, which is called the execution of justice: Ps. 93: "Until justice be turned into judgment." And these are done insofar as he punishes or rewards. And therefore the judgments of the Lord are said to be "true, justified in themselves": true because of their rectitude, because in them there is always truth: Rom. 2: "The judgment of God is according to truth against those who do such things." For they do not follow human testimonies, but are "justified in themselves," because they either do not follow another higher law, but are justified in themselves; or because in themselves the very judgments of the Lord have evident justice: Ps. 36: "And he shall bring forth your justice as the light, and your judgment as the noonday."”