Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A59567
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A sermon preached before the Lords spiritual and temporal in Parliament assembled, in the Abbey-church at Westminster on the fifth of November, 1691 / by the Archbishop of York.
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Sharp, John, 1645-1714.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing S2995; ESTC R15085
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12,865
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30
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acts them and not a Zeal of God If such Men could be known instead of being kindly and charitably thought of for their Zeal in Religion the Virtuous part of mankind would look upon them as the worst of Hypocrites But since God only knows the Hearts of Men all such pretenders to Zeal for Religion must till we know them also be treated according to the merits of the cause they pretend to be zealous for But then Fourthly and Lastly All that I have now said is with respect to those that are out of the limits of my Text such as have no Zeal of God tho' some of them may pretend it But then as for those that really act out of Principles of Conscience and have a real Zeal of God tho' in a wrong way These are true Objects of our Tenderness and Compassion tho' yet in different degrees For according as their Principles and Practices do more or less injure our common Christianity or are more or less dangerous to our Government and Constitution in the same proportion the greater or less Tenderness and Indulgence is to be expressed towards them But most of what concerns this matter being already setled by Law I will not be so bold as to meddle in it and therefore I proceed to the Third Head of my Discourse III. The Third thing I told you we might observe from this Text was this The Apostle's tacit Reprehension of the Iewish Zeal upon this account that it was not according to Knowledge The Use I make of this is that from hence we may be able to gather to our selves a true rule for the governing our Zeal in matters of Religion and likewise for the judging in others what Zeal is commendable and what is not For be our Zeal of God never so great yet if it be not a Zeal according to knowledge it is not the right Christian Zeal And though we see others never so fervent and vehement in pursuing a Religious Cause and that too out of Conscience yet if this Zeal of theirs be not according to knowledge it is a Zeal that justly deserves to be reproved And though both we and they may for our sincerity in God's Cause expect some Allowances both from God and Man yet neither they nor we can justify it either to God or Man that we are thus foolishly and ignorantly Zealous I wish this mark of right Zeal that it ought to be according to knowledge were more considered For it seems not often to be thought on by those that are most zealous in their way of what perswasion soever they be This same business of Knowledge is a thing that is most commonly forgot to be taken in as an ingredient or Companion of Zeal in most sort of Professors For as the World goes those Men are generally found to be the greatest Zealots who are most notoriously Ignorant Whereas true Zeal should not only proceed from true Knowledge but should also be always accompanied with it and governed by it But what is it to have a Zeal according to Knowledge What doth this Character of justifiable right Zeal contain in it I answer it must at least contain in it these five following things First To have a Zeal according to Knowledge doth import that we be not mistaken as to the matter of our Zeal that it be a good Cause that we are zealous about And since it is Zeal for God that we are here speaking of it must be something wherein our duty is concerned that must be the object of our Zeal So that a right Zeal of God implies that we do so well inform our selves of the nature of our Religion as not to pretend a Religious Zeal for any thing that is not a part of our Religion If our Zeal for God be as it should be it must certainly express it self in matters that are good about such objects as God hath made to be our duty It is good saith St. Paul to be always zealously affected in a good matter But if we mistake in our Cause if we take that for good which is evil or that for evil which is good here our Zeal is not according to Knowledge Secondly As the object of our Zeal must be according to Knowledge so also the Principle from whence our Zeal proceeds must be according to knowledge also That is to say We must have solid and rational grounds to proceed upon in our concernment for any thing such as will not only satisfy our selves but all others that are unbyassed In a word such as we can justify to all the World If it be every Mans Duty as St. Peter tells us it is to be ready to give an answer to every one that asketh him a reason of the hope that is in him Then I am sure it is much more every Mans Duty to be able to give a reason of the Zeal that is in him Because this business of a Mans Zeal doth more affect the Publick and is of greater Concernment to it than what a Mans private Faith or Hope is But yet how little is this considered by many zealous Men among us Some are zealous for a point to serve an Interest or a Faction But this is not to be owned as the ground and reason of their Zeal for indeed if it should it would not be allowed of Others are zealous for no other reason but because they find their Teachers or those they most converse with are so They follow the common Cry and examine no more of the matter Others indeed have a Principle of Zeal beyond all this For they are moved from within to stand up for this or the other Cause they have Impulses upon their Minds which they cannot resist But that in truth is no more a justifiable ground of any Mans Zeal than either of the former For if these Motions and Impulses that they speak of be from God there will certainly be conveyed along with them such Reasons and Arguments for the thing that they are to be zealous about as will if they be declared satisfy and convince all other reasonable Men as well as themselves For it is a ridiculous thing to imagine that God at this day doth move or impel Men in any other way than what is agreeable to the Reason of Mankind and the Rule of his holy Word And if the Mans Zeal can be justified by either of these there is no need of vouching Inspirations for it Thirdly As the Zeal which is according to knowledge hath a good matter for its object and proceeds from a right Principle So it is also regular as to the Measures of it He that hath it is careful that it do not exceed its due Bounds as the Ignorant Zeal often doth but he distinguisheth between the several objects he is zealous for and allows every one of them just so great a Concernment as the thing is worth and no more If the thing be but a small matter he is but in a
Die Veneris 6. Novemb. 1691. IT is Ordered by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament Assembled That the Thanks of this HOUSE shall be and are hereby given to his Grace the Lord Archbishop of York for his Sermon preached yesterday before this HOUSE in the Abbey-Church at Westminster And he is hereby desired to Print and Publish the same Matth. Iohnson Cler. PARLIAMENTOR A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE THE Lords Spiritual and Temporal IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED IN THE ABBEY-Church at WESTMINSTER On the Fifth of November 1691. By the Archbishop of YORK LONDON Printed for Walter Kettilby at the Bishops Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1691. Rom. x. 2. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge THese are St. Paul's words and he spoke them of the Jews those unbelieving Jews that were so tenacious of the Traditions of their Fathers and so utterly averse to any Reformation of Religion That tho' it appear'd by undeniable evidence that Christ Jesus was by God sent into the World for that purpose yet did they to the last stand out in their opposition of him and his Gospel even to the final rejection of their Nation To these People doth St. Paul in this Chapter express a great compassion heartily wishing and praying for their Conversion Brethren saith he in the first verse my hearty desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved That is that they may come to the knowledge of the Truth in Christ Jesus and by that means obtain everlasting Salvation And one reason why he was thus concerned for them he gives in the words following which are the words I have read unto you For I bear them record saith he that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge It was a great motive to him to be concern'd for their happiness that they were zealous for Religion tho' he knew at the same time that the Religion they were then so zealous of was not the right Religion nor did the zeal they shewed for it proceed from right Principles According to the account I have now given of this Passage Three things we may take notice of from it viz. I. The Apostles approving and tacitly commending that Zeal which his Countreymen expressed for Religion II. His meek and charitable behaviour towards them even when their Zeal for Religion was very faulty and blameable III. His discovery of the faultiness of their Zeal which lay in this that it was not according to knowledge These Three things I shall take for the Heads of my following discourse upon this Text and shall afterwards make such Application of it as the Business of this Day calls for I. First I desire it may be observed That Zeal of God in general that is a hearty and passionate concernment for Religion The Apostle here finds no fault with On the contrary he approves it as a commendable thing For you see he represents it as a piece of virtue in his Country-men and speaks it to their commendation that they had a zeal of God I bear them record saith he that they have a zeal of God As much as to say that he owned they had that good quality and they were to be commended for it and for that reason he both wisheth them well and affectionately prayeth for them That which I would from hence take occasion to put you in mind of is this That Indifference and Vnconcernedness for Religion is not to have a place among any ones virtues and good qualities it is rather a very great fault howsoever it may some times pass for an instance of Wisdom and Prudence If indeed Men had no Passions or had so mortified their Passions that they were rarely earnest or zealous about any thing their unconcernedness for Religion and the things of God might be the less reproveable But when Zeal and Passion is more or less wrought into every Man's temper and the calmest Men may be observed on sundry occasions not to be without it it is an inexcusable fault to have no passion no zeal for God and his Cause How can a Man answer it to his own Conscience to be heartily angry when an affront in word or deed is done to himself and yet to be altogether insensible when God is affronted in his Presence To make a mighty bustle when his own Right and Property is at stake though in never so small a matter and yet to shew no concernment for the Rights and the Honour of that God who made him and by whose favour alone it is that he can call any thing his own that he hath O! What a world of Good might we all do if we had a true zeal of God How many Occasions and Opportunities are there put into our hands every day in what condition or circumstances soever we are which if we were acted by this principle would render us great Benefactors to Mankind by discouraging Vice and Impiety and promoting Virtue and Goodness in the World But perhaps I have set this business of Zeal for God too high because none are capable of being thus Zealous but those that have attained to a great degree of Virtue and Piety which we cannot suppose of all nor the most But however it will be a shame to all of us if we do not come up to that pitch of Zeal which the unbelieving Jews are here commended for I bear them record saith St. Paul that they have a zeal of God What was this Zeal of theirs why as I told you and as it plainly appears from the whole Chapter it was an earnest and passionate concernment for the Religion of their Country Sure all Men among us both good and bad may come up to this degree of Zeal for God and it is a reproach to us â—f we do not Especially considering that their Religion at that time was not God's Religion but Ours is Indeed the Publick profession of Religion in the right way is as much every Man's Interest and ought to be as much every Man's Care as any the dearest thing he hath in this World Nay to all Men that believe they have Souls to save it is more valuable than any other Worldly privilege It concerns us all therefore to be Zealous in that matter The Duty we owe to God to our Countrey and to our Selves doth require it In vain it is to be busie about other things and to neglect this A Man will have but small comfort when he comes to die to reflect that he has been Zealous of the Privileges and Property and Rights of his Countrey-men but it was indifferent to him how the Service of God and the affairs of Religion were managed II. The Second thing we observe from this Passage is The Apostle's carriage to the Vnbelieving Israelites who though they were zealous for God yet were in a great mistake as to their notions of the true Religion He doth not bitterly censure them He