coldly but with sharpnesse and seueritie reproouing such as flatter themselues in their owne deuices not obscurely and in riddles but so plainly as all may vnderstand as Oecolompadius noteth vpon this place Pauls charge to Titus is in effect no lesse when hee biddeth him rebuke with all l Tit. 2.15 authoritie It behoues a Minister to do his dutie not sluggishly and remisly or with any feare but to teach and thunder out reproofes freely when need requireth saith m Theod. in hunc loc Oportet eum no ignauè ac remissè nec cum vlla timiditate hoc facere sed cum libertate docere increpare vbi opus est Theodoret. There are some sins quoth n Chrysost hom 5. in Tit. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostome which must be expressed euen with a kinde of commanding authoritie The Adulterer the Fornicator the couetous Mammonist must thus bee handled Nor doth the Apostle say simply rebuke with authoritie but with all authority to shew that he would haue Titus to exercise authority ouer these with libertie and freedome To Precepts of this kind we may adde a cloud of witnesses The time would faile me to tell of Phinehas Eliah Michaiah Nehemiah Ieremiah and all the seruants of God of old of whose seruice in this kinde done vpon rebellious sinners himselfe saith * Hos 6.5 I haue hewen them by the Prophets I haue slaine them by the words of my mouth What boldnesse our Lord himself vsed towards the Pharisies and others when need required the holy Euangelists plentifully shew How oft did hee rebuke the Pharisies to their heads charging them with dunsticall blindnesse deepe and cursed hypocrisie denouncing many woes against them calling them hypocrites a generation of Vipers children of hell and of the Diuell Zealous Paule was neuer more mad in persecuting the Church from Christ then after his conuersion hee was bold and fierce in a godly māner against all that would seeke to turne men frō Christ Obserue his carriage towards Elimas the Sorcerer labouring to turne Sergius Paulus Deputie of Paphos from the o Acts 13. faith The Text noteth of Paul that he was filled with the holy Ghost Verse 9. meaning with zeale euen as a vessell filled with strong liquor till it be readie to burst againe that he set his eyes vpon him with so much fiercenesse as if hee meant to run through him And then after this lightning he addeth that terrible thunder Verse 10. O full of all subtiltie and mischiefe thou child of the diuell thou enemie of all righteousnesse wilt thou not ceasse to peruert the right wayes of the Lord Nor was he thus full of the Spirit of the Lord and of iudgement to declare vnto cursed Elimas his transgressions onely but euen to reproue Peter himselfe withstanding him to the face and blaming him before a great multitude of Peters owne Disciples when hee saw and found that he walked not vprightly according to the truth of the p Gal. 2.10 Baronius withstands Paul as stifly as Paul doth Peter and dares maintaine that Peter was not to bee blamed Annal tom 1. Anno Chri. 51 num 39. And in his Index to that Tome it is said of Peter Ab omni culpa redditur immunu in contentione quam habuit cum Paulo Meaning in that discourse in the place before cited Gospell Indeed I confesse that S. Paul did cunningly watch his time to do it when none of the Colledge of Cardinals could be by to resist him But yet for all this it was well for Paul that he died before Baronius liued or else the Cardinall would haue schooled him and taught him better manners although it should haue bene with putting the lie vpon the holy Ghost himselfe for being so bold with their god Peter It was the resolution of an Heathen Diuine q Seneca Audebo peccanti mala sua ostendere vitia eius si non excidero inhibebe I will be so bold to tell an offender his faults if I lop not his vices I will yet inhihite them And shall this bee thought too much for a Christian and a Diuine too to attempt If thou loue the Lord Iesus with all thine heart saith deuout S. Bernard r Sup. Cant. Ser. 44 Etenim si amas Dominum Iesum toto corde nunquid si videris eius iniurias contemptumque ferre vllatenus aequo animo poteru◠c. canst thou possibly beare the iniuries and contempts put vpon him with any patience wilt thou not rather as one rapt with the spirit of reuenge heate and like a mightie man that shouteth by reason of wine bestirre thy selfe and say with Dauid Psal 119.139 My zeale hath consumed me because mine enemies haue forgotten thy word Good Dauid if he espied any that were enemies to God hee would neuer make daintie vpon any politique respects to proclaime himselfe an enemie to them Do not I saith he hate them ô Lord that hate thee Psal 139. and am not I grieued with those that rise vp against thee Yea I hate them with a perfect hatred I count them mine enemies As if hee should say saith ſ Hom. 9. in Ezek. Pensa quantum te diligo qui tuorum hostiū contra me excitare inimicitias non pertimesco c. Gregorie Consider ô Lord how much I loue thee that am not afraid for thy sake to stirre vp all the emnitie of thine enemies against my selfe by hating them for hating thee And is it now the part of a foole to do the like If we more seriously think on this dutie Who or what should hinder any seruant of God from such a boldnesse Good men they will not dislike but praise him for it Wicked men themselues loue to see the whip cling close to other mens backs and can applaud oft times that boldnesse which draweth bloud at euery stroake so themselues bee not touched This conuinceth the world that boldnesse of it selfe is good and would be relished of all if some were not too bad It is onely mens badnesse that maketh boldnesse bad Corrupt stomacks turne the best meate into ill humours The Cooke cannot helpe this but the Physitian As for such as without cause take offence hereat why should they be feared What for their power of hurting Nay God will protect his seruants till they haue done their worke from all the fat bulls of Basan be their necks neuer so strong their rage and furie neuer so great Witnesse his protection of Eliah from Iezabel of Christ and the Apostles from the bloudie Pharisies and so of all his seruants till his counsell was fulfilled and their taske performed Till then there is no way to let in enemies vpon a man but by his owne cowardise If he stand it out he is safe if he yeeld he perisheth That of the Lord to t Ier. 1. Ieremie is a pregnant proofe of this seeming Paradox When the Lord sent
hate the enemies of God with a perfect c Psal 139.22 hatred Thus where euer zeale commeth it setteth the whole heart on fire making men say with those two Disciples Did not our hearts d Luke 14.32 burne within vs Obiectum 2 Secondly the Obiect of zeale to wit the principall and the chiefest White it leuels at is the glorie of God There be I confesse diuerse particulars which zeale shoots at but Gods glorie is the highest comprehends all those vnder it as meanes to aduance it Some make the worship of God to be the principall Obiect of zeale which they nominate in their Definitions but this is too low and too narrow Too low because the glorie of God is aboue it as much as the End is aboue the Meanes Too narrow because there be other things wherein Gods glorie is as deepely interessed as in his worship Therefore besides that which is in this place spoken by way of explication of the Definition I haue purposely intended the next Chapter to declare more particularly and largely the seuerall lesse principall Obiects of zeale which could not be conueniently and artificially couched in the Definition it selfe 3. Finis Thirdly the End of zeale is the end of all our Actions e 1. Cor. 10.31 the preseruation and aduancement of the glorie of God To proue this at large were but to ouerlade the Treatise needlesly and to preuent my selfe of speaking of it more copiously in that place f Viz in Chap. 5. to which according to my method proiect it more properly pertaines Confutation of two errors But before I can go further I must tumble aside two errors laid iust in my way Error 1 The one by some Neotericks who for hast discerned not a simple from a compound supposing vpon their first view of zeale that it was a compounded or mixt affection or Anger and Loue And so without more fixed inspection commended for such vnto others Error 2 The other by more antique Schoolemen who prying more curiously into the nature of this burning heate found it indeed a simple but withall simply confined it to one affection of Loue g Aquin. 1. 2. q. 28. ar 4. Bonau in Prol. sent dub 3. Greg. de val super Aqui. Disp gener 3. q. 2. p. 3. alijque as if zeale had no hearth or tunnell but this Both which blockes I shall endeauour to remooue with one lift Zeale is neither any one Simple or Compounded passion or in any one onely but a fierie temper and disposition in all differing from them as fire from mettell in a fornace And as courage in a valiant man is no compounded thing of his passions and spirits but a braue temper intention of both so also is zeale This truth the Rule of contraries will yet better cleare if we set zeale by the opposite to it luke-warmnesse To be luke-warme is not want of sufficient heate in one affection onely but all Zeale therefore must needs put fire into so many of the affections and passions as luke-warmenesse depriueth thereof Hereupon it is that zealous men feele a burning in all their affections as well as in any as obiects present themselues It is a wonder to see those elder exact Professors pin Zeale to one Passion whereas it cannot bee denied that Zeale in one zealous action shewes it selfe equally in diuerse passions together Moses declared as much heate of indignation against those Calueish Idolaters Exod. 32. as he did Loue for God The like did Phineas in the slaughter of Zimri and Cosbi As one h Driedo l. â— de Reg. script tract 2. cap. 1. Jn zelo Phinees bis zelus ponitur Semel pro vehementia amoru erga deum zelum autem irae habuit contra peccantes Eodem modo Hugo de S. vict in Ioel 2. zelus est feruor animi ad compassionem naturae ad vltionem paenae ad deuotionem gratiae proni c. Ita August Tract 10 in Ioan. Quis comeditur zelo domus qui omnia que ibi videt peruersa satagit emendare cupit corrigere non quiescis si emendare non potest tollerat gemit c. of the faction of Schoolemen hath to his praise long since confessed And in godly Iealousie all one with Zeale doe not Loue and Feare and Anger equally present and bestirre themselues with like feruor Breefly I will no more denie Loue to bee the Master Passion in setting Zeale first on worke then I will grant Zeale to be an effect of Loue it being rather a Consequent then an effect thereof A true Zealot Sacrificing all his Affections to the honour of his God hath this fire of Zeale to kindle them all like that celestiall fire consuming the Sacrifices of Eliah Which Fier was no effect flowing fâ—om the Sacrifice it selfe but onely a meanes by fiering it to make it accepted To conclude Zeale cannot be without Loue Loue cannot liue without Zeale yet is not Zeale any more participant of the nature of Loue though ioyned with it and all the the rest of the Passions to inflame them then that thin water which runnes along with the bloud in the body of man to temper it is of the nature of bloud CHAP. III. The Obiects of Zeale HAuing vncouered this Fire by a Definition my next worke is to discouer more largely the seuerall subordinate Obiects for whose sakes it burneth Zeale hath a double taske the one of a Defendant the other of an Opponent Accordingly it hath a two-fold Obiect Good and Euill maintaining that opposing this It euer defendeth what is truly Good This Chapter hath two Sections It neuer opposeth any thing but what is certainly Euill Sect. 1. Sect. 1. Of the good things which zeale defendeth viz. The first taske of Zeale is on the behalfe of Good to abet it What heauenly wisedome counts worthy our choyce is an honourable cause for Zeale to maintaine Now what will either Grace or Nature desire but good It is not then for the honour of Zeale to take part with any thing else It is good yea comely a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be zealously affected in a good thing alwaies b Gal. 1.18 that is for that thing which is good for euery thing c Ego volo vos in omnibus bonis resplendere Theodor. that is good not onely that good which reflecteth on our selues but all that any way concerneth the honour of him who is the Author of goodnes If the loue of goodnesse prouoke vs to Zeale where euer Zeale findeth goodnesse in distresse it becomes her Champion But though zeale vndertaketh the protection of euery thing that is good yet chiefly it patronizeth that which commeth nearest the chiefest good and wherein the glory of our Highest Soueraigne is more deepely interessed Of this nature is his Word his Worship his Seruants 1. 1. The word of God One particular Obiect of zeale then is the Sacred word of Truth
33.9 them Memorable also is that of good King Asa who for Idolatrie deposed his owne mother Mâ—acha his mother Euen her saith the text he remoued from being Queene because she had made an Idoll o That obscene Idoll Priapus in a groue p 1 Kings 15 13. afterwards he cut downe her Idol and stampt it and burnt it at the brooke q 2 Chron. 15.16 Kidron that the very place of execution might further expresse his heate and hatred against that sinne and disgrace that fact of his mother the more And left any should thinke this a worke of superirrogation let him obserue that iniunction in the case of false r Zach 13.3 Prophecie When any shall prophecie falsly or without commission then his father and mother that begat him shall say vnto him thou shalt not liue for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord and his father and mother that begate him marke how hee purposely repeates the relation shall thrust him through when he prophecieth No combination so neare must smoother the zeale we ought to expresse against such as offend against God in so high a degree When a man therefore is like a Lion awaked out of sleepe Triall if his enemie do but looke or set a foote awry and seeme in his passion deepely affected with the wrong offered to God and with those hypocriticall Malice-Pits cry away with such a fellow from the earth But on the other side no such taking on when a friend doth as bad or worse by tearing Gods name in his mouth prophaning the Lords day keeping of whores delighting in drunkennesse taking a pride in boasting of his filthinesse c. This is but franticke passion in the one and partiall affection in the other both differing as farre from zeale as kitchin fire from the Celestiall Loue is blind they say It appeares in nothing so much as in this It cannot see any faults in our speciall friends till God finde them out and leade vs vnto them by the markes of his vengeance How many parents and husbands now adayes thinke euery thing done or spoken by wiues or children to be prettie and wittie which they condemne in others as bold and scurrilous and others in them Dauid had cause to rue this in Adoniah and let all doting parents that can be so indulgent to children whiles they are curst enough too much to their seruants remember what bitter fruites both Dauid and Ely reapt of their cockering folly How many are there that can terme that thrift in a friend which they would call couetousnesse in an enemie call that handsomnesse in one they affect which they would condemne for pride in another esteeme that salt and smartnesse of wit in him whom they loue which they would call rayling in him they hate call that but a tricke of youth in their companions which they would make another stand in a white sheete for Let all such be admonished that true zeale ayming at Gods glorie as it loueth goodnesse in an enemie as well as a friend so it hateth vice as much in a friend as in an enemie It affecteth euery one as they affect God It cannot but loue pietie in a professed enemie It cannot but set fire on sin in the bosome of the dearest friend It offers violence to the heart as powder to the bullet that the heart cannot but offer violence to sinne where euer it be found 4. 4. Rule zeale equally set vpon rich poore True zeale opposeth sinne in the rich as well as the poore in great persons as well as in meane Celestiall fire catcheth in the highest turrets rather then in the lowest houels melteth the hardest mettle rather then more yeelding matter zeale telleth them their owne that if they be so diuellishly minded may bee able to do vs a mischiefe as well as it is plaine with such as we are sure can do vs no harme Fire will burne the houses of rich men as well as of beggers Zeale so long as it keepes within those bounds which God hath set downe feares not the proudest Hee that can swell in his passions as big as Behâ—moth who thinketh to drinke vp Å¿ Iob 40.23 Iordan at a draught or that can cast fire out of his mouth towers of smoake at his nostrels enough to darken the heauens as fast as t Iob 41.19 Leuiathan himselfe If greatnesse attempt to ring Cour-feu to zeale at mid-day and to couer it with the ashes of thunder when God would haue it to flame Zeale will not so be kept in but rather flie in their faces that seeke to suppresse it Ieroboams presence shall not hinder the man of God from prophecying against his Idolatrous Alter and of the ruines of those that offered * 1 King 13.2 thereon Let Ahab resolue to chop Eliah into gobbets the Prophet will not be afraid to look him in the face and roundly to tell him that Hee is the troubler of u 1 Kin. 18. Israel Micaiah will not baulke him a whit though he know too well the hatred of the Tyrant and be sure to kisse the iayle for his x 1. Kin. 22. labour The Nobles of Iudah shall not escape Nehemiahs check no more then the rest that trod in the steps of their godlesse example in the breach of the y Neh. 13.17 Sabbath What cared the three children for great Nebuchadnezzers wrath burning 7. times hotter then his seauen-fold hot fierie z Dan. 3. fornace Proud Agag shall speede no better in a Samuels hands then the basest 1. Sam. 15 33. Amalakite The great Iewish Sanedrim shall not go without reproofe of Peter and Iohn The Sanedrim was their great Iudiciarie Councel consisting of 72. persons if they shall forbid them the seruice of b Acts 4.19.20 God And why not Is the great God of heauen and earth whose seruice zeale vndertaketh a respecter of Persons If great men offend must they not know that there is a greater then they who will trample on the necks of Kings that dare trample on his word Are not they worthy of so many deaths ouer and c Greg. Mag. lib. 3. Pastâ— 1 admon 5. Scire etenim praelau debent quia si pâ—ruâ—â—sâ—â—nquam perpetrant tot moâ—tibus digni sunt quot aâ— suâ— ditos â—uoâ— p rditioâ—is eâ—eâ—pla transmitiunt ouer as they giue leud examples to subiects that are more apt to imitate the euils of bad Princes then the vertues of good It is not a more thanklesse then perillous taske to performe but the danger of this is nothing to that of letting it alone To do it may offend men that shall die but to omit it when God calleth vs to it is to run vpon the rocks of his displeasure who is Lord both of vs and them and can cast both into hell Better suffer on earth for doing our dutie then frie in hell for fearing the faces of men Triall If then