what he allows and much more to be zealous against what he approves and commandeth is contrary to his Will Interest and Honour This is not in a true account Zeal for God but rather against him That Zeal which is not according to knowledg which is not guided and warranted by the Word hath an errour in the foundation It hath nothing to difference it from the Zeal of the grossest Idolaters in the World A Papist may be heartily zealous in his way zealous to promote his Religion and gain Proselytes to it zealous against the soundest Christians crying out against such as dangerous Hereticks wishing that they might come to their old work again to burn such as Hereticks In this his Zeal he may follow his judgment thinking he should do God good service as Joh. 16.2 even in persecuting the faithful to the death if it was in his power when alas he is miserably mistaken This will not justifie any in their Zeal for Idolatry that they think God best served most honoured that way This will not warrant any in their rage against the Saints and Servants of the most High God that they take them to be Hereticks or Hypocrites But they shall find it was their duty to have informed themselves better and not to condemn the righteous and not to call good evil The Devil that cannot endure but is an utter enemy to right Zeal is ready to promote a false blind Zeal all he can He is never weary of blowing this coal This he knows would do him Knights service He cannot but account such his best servants who are zealous in his service Such do as much as can be to credit his Cause who put the honourable title of Zeal for God upon the service they do his grand enemy Such fight against God while they carry his Colours blind Zeal is a piece of the greatest disservice to the interest of God and Religion Sometimes blind Zeal fights with a shadow strikes at a Sign-post but letteth the enemy quietly pass by And which is worse it sometimes falleth foul on those whom it ought to defend A Man acted with Blind Zeal is like one that shoots at Rovers who is more likely to do mischief than hit the Mark or like one that fighteth blindfold striking Friends as soon as Foes What sad havock what woful work hath blind Zeal oft made in the Church Even like a violent Fire that getting head layeth all waste before it The Devil has no stiffer prop to uphold his Kingdom and no fiercer engine of Persecution or battering Ram to employ against the Kingdom of Christ Therefore let not any please themselves in this that they are Zealous in their way when perhaps they are out of the way And if so the more haste the worse speed Zeal in a false way casts Men more behind No Offering acceptable to God without Fire yet to offer strange-Fire here is very perillous And that is not Fire from Heaven where there is heat without Light Where these go alone either Heat without Light Zeal without Knowledg or Light without Heat Knowledg without Zeal it is sadly ominous but where they go together very comfortable Are you zealous but who and what are you zealous for And what is your Zeal against I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Hosts says Elijah because the Children of Israel have forsaken thy Covenant thrown down thine Altars and slain thy Prophets c. 1 King 19.14 Is thy Zeal against Sin indeed So that thou canst not indure to see God dishonoured his Worship neglected and contemned his Truth opposed his Saints and Servants evil intreated c. Is thy Zeal for that which is good Gal. 4.18 It is good to be zealously affected alwayes in a good thing The Apostle Paul was very zealous before his Conversion but of the traditions of his Fathers Gal. 1.14 Many have a Zeal but for their own fancies and private opinions Oh what pitty is it that such spirits should evaporate and be lost Let a Man's Zeal be never so hearty if the Mettal have not a right stamp it is not currant Zeal unless it be rightly guided sayes learned Hooker when it indeavoureth most busily to please God Eccl. polit l. 5. §. 3. p. 190. forceth upon him those unseasonable Offices which please him not For which cause if they who this way swerve be compared with such as are sincere sound and discreet as was Abraham the friend of God the service of the one is like unto flattery the other like the faithful sedulity of friendship 2. Right Zeal burns within before it flames out Hypocrites can be hot in their expressions but are not fervent in spirit Hot in the Mouth but cold at Stomach cold at Heart Like Glow-worms fiery in appearance yet really cold in themselves Blind Zeal is strange Fire an hypocritical fained Zeal is false Fire But true Zeal is not all in shew though it will shew it self It lieth chiefly in the fervency and intention of the Spirit and Affections The life of Zeal is in the Heart As when the Apostle Paul was at Athens seeing the City wholly given to Idolatry his spirit was stirred in him and this stirred him up to dispute and Preach against their Idolatry Act. 17.16 c. As Ezekiel's hearers with their mouth shewed much love Ezek. 33.13 it is possible that many in their outward expressions may shew much Zeal declaming freely and often against the Sins of the Age as the horrible increase of Prophaneness growth of Popery c. and may seem to bewail the woful declining state of true Piety amongst us but are our hearts deeply touched and affected with the sense of these things Surely that Zeal which is only from the teeth outward is not true but feigned 3. True Zeal hath respect to God it pointeth towards God As Fire ascends Sparks fly upwards That is not right Zeal which is flashy vain-glorious in pretence for God but really for self To pretend Zeal for the Lord as Jehu did but really to design and aim at self-applause and self-advantage this is to mock God or this is but to flatter him And certainly that God which searcheth the heart will put a difference betwixt such flatterers and his true friends They that have a true Zeal for God will ordinarily prefer God's Honour and Interest before their own concerns True Zeal is accompanied with self-denial Such can be zealous for God when they are like to suffer for their Zeal They could better endure to suffer themselves than that the Truth should suffer They could take it more patiently to be reviled themselves to have their names cast out as evil than that the good wayes of God be evil spoken of 4. True Zeal will burn alone As Elijah was zealous for the Lord God of Hosts even when he seemed to himself to be left alone when he knew not of one that would take his part 1 Kings 19.10 As the Apostle Paul
for their outward Man but are still shifting for themselves without eying God's Will and Word or Providence or if they know not how to help themselves are presently sinking in despondency and quite swallowed up with distrustful fears cares and grief Thus far of the several Acts of Faith It s proper Elicit Acts. I shall further add a few Scripture-notes whereby Saving-Faith may be known 1. Where Faith is Christ is precious 1 Pet. 2.7 Vnto you which believe he is precious That which is called precious Faith will teach us to account Jesus Christ precious and all of Christ precious Thus to Believers the Person of Christ is precious 1 Pet. 1.8 Whom having not seen ye love Believers that never saw him with their Eyes yet believing him to be such an one indeed as he is set forth in the Word they are exceedingly taken with him they cannot but admire him As the Spouse in Canticles was at a loss for expressions high enough to shew the loveliness and excellency of her Beloved After all that she had said in her description of him Cant. 5. she thinks her self very short and therefore concludes ver 16. Yea he is altogether lovely There is no true Believer but has high admiring thoughts of Christ sees him to be the chiefest of ten thousands To such his benefits are precious The Blood of Christ how precious 1 Pet. 1.18 19. And how precious are the benefits purchased by his Blood How do Believers prize a pardon How do such prize an Interest in Christ counting all things but loss and dung to that The Graces the Fruits of the Spirit how do they prize these above Riches above the most precious Fruits of the Earth The Love and Favour of Christ how do such prize it far above the Favour and Friendship of the World Lord do thou smile will such a Soul say and I can then be content though the World do frown Thy love is better than Wine Cant. 1.2 Nothing in the World would so chear the Hearts of the Faithful The presence of Christ Communion and Fellowship with Christ is highly prized of every believing Soul The Name of Christ is precious unto such and those things that bear his Name His Day the Lords Day accounted of above all other Days His Ordinances are prized The Doctrine of Christ as precious Ointment poured forth Cant. 1.3 His Word more precious than Gold His Promises exceeding precious 2 Pet. 1.4 And Prayer is accounted a precious Priviledg even that we may ask the Father in his Name Believers would not for a World be without this Priviledg Thus Chist is precious to Believers and all of Christ his Person his Offices his Benefits his Ordinances all are precious But further that you may not be mistaken here thinking that you prize Christ when it may be the Lord sees you are yet such as dispise him take these two or three notes to try your selves by 1. If now Christ be precious to us as he is to them that believe then certainly we are come to see our former vileness when we had base low unworthy thoughts of him and when our carriage was nothing less than a contempt of him How oft was Christ with all his precious benefits graciously offered to us in the Gospel while we did most unreasonably and ungratefully reject him we would none of him How long did we prefer the World and our base Lusts before him when we were called on to follow Christ how shy how backward have we been as ashamed of him or having better thoughts of our old Masters the Lusts and Pleasures we have served which we were loth to forsake for him Oh our Sin and Folly that ever we despised such a precious Saviour What a shame is this that ever any of the Sons of Men should be ashamed of Christ And what horrible vileness is this for any of us to have base thoughts of Christ And have not they base thoughts of Christ indeed who prefer some base Lust before him Hath he deserved to be so slighted and set at nought As he said to the Jews when they were ready to stone him Many good works have I shewed you from my Father for which of those works do ye stone me What After such unparallel'd Love and Compassion as he hath shewn towards us poor lost Sinners even when we were Enemies shewed in such a costly way as that of his most wonderful humiliation even to his dying a most painful shameful and accursed Death for us to purchase Pardon and Salvation for all that will accept him should we requite him so even reject him preferring his and our most deadly Enemies before him Was so great folly baseness and ingratitude ever heard of Surely if now we are come to see the worth of a Saviour and to prize him indeed we cannot but be greatly ashamed to think how we for trash and dung have sometimes trampled on that Pearl of greatest price Our former Sin of making light of Christ will now lye heavy and we shall be deeply humbled for it 2. If now Christ be precious to us as he is to them that believe then we have learnt to prize him above all things in the World Pray observe this we prize not Christ at all till we prize him above all You may perswade your selves Sirs that you have very good thoughts high thoughts of Christ as you can speak honourably of him but if you do not really prize him above your Profits your Pleasures your Credit or Honour or any thing you can have or expect in the World I must tell you you do shamefully undervalue him What low thoughts had Judas of the Lord Jesus who sold him for thirty peices of Silver the price of a Slave as some have noted from Exod. 21.32 the lowest price that the vilest of Men were rated at So do not they prize Christ at a goodly price that prefer worldly things before him Yea suppose one to have an equal love and estimation of Christ to that he hath of worldly things though indeed the Scales here are never even never at an aequipoise but the one or the other will weigh down yet if that were so it would not do Christ is set too low while any thing in the World is equalized to him and suffered to stand in competition with him Luk. 14.26 If any Man come to me and hate not his Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own Life also he cannot be my Disciple Hate not comparatively Loving in a less degree is sometimes termed hating in Scripture As Jacob is said to have hated Leah loving Rachel much more Gen. 29.30 31 33. But it would not have agreed with Jacob's Piety to have hated Leah taking the word strictly And to hate natural Parents is unnatural and impious and to hate ones self is against Nature and impossible That we must there understand a less degree of loving And as Christ will
2.14 15. God useth to bring his People into the Wilderness before he speaketh comfortably to them He makes the Valley of Achor a door of Hope As in reference to their outward Condition he suffers them many times to be brought into great Straits and Troubles before he gives Enlargements and works Deliverance for them So in reference to their Spiritual Estates they are brought into a Wilderness see themselves lost and are full of trouble as the Israelites were by Achan's means Josh 7.24 25 26. before Hope comes in Tarnov in M. Pol. Synop. Vt illa perturbatio in gaudium conversa est ita tristitia secundum Deum spem parit The Spirit of Bondage useth to go before the Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8.15 As it is Lam. 3.29 He putteth his Mouth in the Dust if so there may be Hope It is the common Order and Method of God's Grace and Spirit to cast down before a lifting up usually Souls are laid low even in the dust before they are raised to a lively Hope Such as will tell us they hope well and never doubted of their Salvation in all their lives such as were never humbled never made sensible how miserable they are by nature how obnoxious to God's Wrath how liable to everlasting Condemnation we have Reason enough to conclude they have not a sound Hope Their confident spirit must be broken before it be set right 2. Sound Hope is a fruit of the Spirit Presumption is natural to Sinners they have it of themselves Or if they have their Consciences awakened their Eyes opened to see their Sin and Misery then they are more prone to entertain hard and black thoughts of God than to hope aright in his Mercy Like those that said There is no Hope Our Hope is lost we are cut off for our parts It is the mighty work of the Spirit to raise up Souls to a lively Hope who had received the sentence of Death in themselves Rom. 15.13 That ye may abound in Hope through the power of the holy Ghost Gal. 5.5 We through the Spirit wait for the Hope of Righteousness by Faith Now have such any ground to think the Hope they have is the fruit and work of the Spirit who may know they have not the Spirit who are not led by neither walk after the Spirit who will not follow the motions of the Spirit who are so desperately wicked as even to scoff at the operation of the Spirit 3. Sound Hope is an Hope in God through Christ according to his Word On what is our Hope bottomed The ground and foundation of true Hope is in God not in creatures nor in our selves It is Hope towards God Act. 24.15 As our Faith and Trust must be terminated on God only so our Hope 1 Pet. 1.21 we must look to God as the Author of all Good We must not expect any good from others as the Authors or original but only as means or instruments Psal 39.7 Now Lord what wait I for My Hope is in thee It is a peice of Idolatry to make Gold our Hope Job 31.24 we may not look for so much as any temporal benefit from means wealth friends c. without God All our expectation must be from him Psal 62.5 But further True Hope is bottom'd upon God in and through Christ Therefore it is called Hope in Christ 1 Cor. 15.19 1 Thes 1.3 There is no Hope for Sinners that a most Just and Holy God should be favourable and propitious toward them but in and through Christ 1 Pet. 1.3 We are begotten again to a lively Hope by the Resurrection of Christ proving God's Justice satisfied and the enemies of our Salvation vanquished by him But without Christ we were without Hope So if we be strangers to Christ we are strangers to true Hope And yet further True Hope is bottom'd on God in Christ according to his Word As the Psalmist oft professeth his Hope in God's Word That is not a sound Hope which is not a Scripture Hope That Hope which is not built on God's Promises which is not warranted by his Word will fail Men in the end It is groundless Presumption Now how many whose Hope is built on God's Providence and their present outward Prosperity without any word of promise to support it They hope God loves them because they prosper in the World But the Word tells us All things come alike to all here that no Man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them Eccles 9.1 2. The Hope of many is grounded on God's Patience and their present impunity Because Sentence is not speedily executed But forbearance is no acquittance Do we not read that though the Lord is slow to anger yet he will not acquit the wicked Nah. 1.3 And God endureth with much long-suffering the Vessels of wrath fitted to destruction on whom yet at last he will shew his Wrath and make his Power known Rom. 9.22 Many build their Hopes on God's general Goodness to his Creatures That because he made them he will save them Though the Lord by his Prophet hath told them the contrary Isa 27.11 It is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will have no mercy on them Some Hope in this that they are not so bad as others They are neither Extortioners nor Drunkards nor Adulterers c. But it is evident in the Word that the highest degree of Morality and Civility will not serve any Mans turn That except a Man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God Joh. 3.3 That without Holiness no Man shall see the Lord Heb. 12.14 Some build their Hopes on a form of Godliness and an outward shew of Holiness But without the truth of Grace in the heart and without the Life and Power of Godliness all Men do in Religion is done in Hypocrisie So what may be highly esteemed among Men may be of no account yea may be abomination in the sight of God Luk. 16.15 And what will be the Hypocrites portion at last the Word plainly tells you Some build their Hopes on their own Righteousness and Merits conceiting they deserve highly of God for what they have done Peter Lombart says Sent. l. 3. dist 26. Sine meritis aliquid sperare non spes sed presumptio dici potest That to hope for any thing without precedent merits cannot be called Hope but presumption Yet to do him right immediately before he joyns the Grace of God with those merits of which he speaks And otherwise if by merits are understood proper Legal merits it were Presumption for the best Men in the World to expect any thing this way from God The best of God's Saints must acknowledg with Jacob that they are less than the least of God's Mercies That which Believers hope for comes by way of free gift it is not of debt Eternal Life is the gift of God Rom. 6.23 The gift of God through Jesus Christ So Believers are to