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A30906 Universal love considered and established upon its right foundation being a serious enquiry how far charity may and ought to be extended towards persons of different judgments in matters of religion and whose principles among the several sects of Christians do most naturally lead to that due moderation required ... / Robert Barclay. Barclay, Robert, 1648-1690. 1677 (1677) Wing B741; ESTC R22018 31,935 48

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in him 1 Jo. 2. 4. So may be also said He that saith he loves God and keeps not his Commandment is a Lyar and the Truth is not in him according as the same Apostle saith I Jo. 5. 3. For this is the Love of God that we keep his Commandements Hence it is apparent that Love without Purity is but a false pretence and that whatsoever hinders from the practice of this Love of God or with draws from the obedience of the least of his Commands is to be denyed and no ways to be entertained as being either the love of the Devil the love of the World or the love of Self and not the love of the Father and as from the true love of God having taken place both upon the Understanding and Will there ariseth a great fervency and desire of Mind that it may be wholly united with the Lord and made conformable unto his Will in all things So from hence ariseth also a certain Aversion from Indignation of and even Hatred to whatsoever is contrary thereunto or has a tendency to lead from it which is commonly called Zeal which Zeal having a right bottom and foundation and proceeding purely from the Love of God is a great Virtue greatly to be commended and pressed after and the defect thereof is justly reproveable in a Christian That Zeal then thus considered is a thing excellent pure and holy of it self appears in that it is ascribed to God himself 2 King 19. 13. Isa. 9. 7. Where the performance of the Blessed Evangelical promises is to be performed by the Zeal of the Lord Isa. 19. 17. He is said to be Cloathed with Zeal as with a Cloak and 63. 15. His Zeal is numbred with his Bowels and Mercies next David recommends himself to God for that the Zeal of his House had eaten him up Psal. 69. 9. and 119. 139. And Paul commends the Corinthians for their Zeal 2 Cor. 7. 11. 1 Cor. 14. 12. and for this end has the Grace of God appeared unto all that there might be a People gathered Zealous of good Works Tit 2. 14. And as this is commended and recommended on the one hand so is the contrary thereof to wit Indifferency and Lukewarmness reproved and rebuked as a thing displeasing to the Lord of many instances whereof that might be given that unto the Church of Laodicea may serve at present Rev. 13. 15. 16. Because for a Remedy against this Evil she is Exhorted v. 19. to be Zealous and Repent But as there is a true Zeal so is there a false one and it is not more needful to have the one then i● is to avoid the other Now as the true Zeal proceedeth only from the pure Love of God and single Regard to his Honour and Glory so the false Zeal proceedeth from the Love of something else and the regard to other things And of this false Zeal there are several kinds as well as degrees all of which though they ought to be shunned yet some are far more hurtful and pernitious than others the worst and highest of these is when as Men through the height of Pride Lust Ambition or Envy shew themselves furious and Zealous to satisfie and fulfill their desires and affections this is the highest Zeal for self From this Zeal did Cain flay Abel Ishmael mocked Isaac and Esau hated Jacob Pharoah Persecuted the Children of Israel Saul David and Jezabel the true Prophets of the Lord. A second kind is when as Men that are not true and faithful even to those principles of Religion they profess themselves to acknowledge as true as being Conscious to themselves and also publickly known to be such as are Vitious and Profligate yet do violently persecute and oppress others that differs from them though they be not only equal to them but even by their own acknowledgment exceed them in Temperance and Virtue having nothing to charge them with but that they agree not with them in judgment and practice in matters of Religion This apparently is a false Zeal and not of God for if it proceeded from the true Love of God it would first operate in themselves to the removing of all those things which they acknowledge to be contrary to this Love of God before it exerted it self towards others seeing as the Proverb is Charity begins at home And like unto this was the Zeal of the Scribes and Pharisees who Persecuted Christ for a breaker of the Law which themselves did not fulfil As is also the Zeal both of the Papists and Protestants in their Persecutions at this day A third sort is of such who do indeed walk strictly and closely to their own Principles making Conscience of their way but yet being blinded in their understanding do Persecute Truth supposing it to be Error Of this number was Paul before his Conversion Being as to the Law blameless and Persecuting the Saints out of Zeal Act. 22. 3. Gal. 1. 14. And therefore in this Class he numbers his Country-men saying They have a Zeal for God but not according to knowledge Rom. 10. 2. And perhaps among these such may be numbred of whom Christ speaketh saying to his Disciples and when they kill you they shall think to do God good Service A fourth or last sort is when as Men being truly enlightned in their Understanding but their Will Heart and Affections not being throughly leavened with the Love of God do condemn things justly reproveable but not out of the pure drawings of Divine Love but even from a mixture of self in the forwardness of their own will as not suffering any to be contrary unto them This is the most innocent kind of wrong Zeal yet not so that it ought to be watched against and of those few that are guilty of it it were fit they waited to be Redeemed from it but the pure undefiled Zeal that is acceptable to God is that which proceeds not only from a pure and clear understanding but also from a renewed and sanctified Will which moves not of nor from Self but from and for the Lord. SECT III. The Controversie stated with respect to the different sort of Christians how it is to be fetched from the nature of their Principles and not from the practice of particular persons THe sun of what is said is that true Christian Love and Charity is the most excellent of Virtues most needful to be sought after and attained that it is never joyned but with purity which it naturally leads to and there-from doth consequentially arise an Indignation and Zeal against Unrighteousness which true Zeal is justly commendable and really distinguishable from all false and ignorant Zeal For the more clear stating of the Controversie in proceeding in this matter these following assertions relating thereto may be proposed and affirmed I. That whatsoever Love is consistent with the pure Love of God may be safely exercised towards all sorts as well of Men as Christians II. That whatsoever Love or Charity