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A96522 A sermon against lukwarmenesse in religion. Preached at Saint Maries in Oxford, the sixt of September, 1640. / By Henry Wilkinson, Batchelour in Divinity of Magdalen Hall. Printed by order from the House of Commons. Wilkinson, Henry, 1616-1690. 1641 (1641) Wing W2238B; Thomason E204_7; ESTC R15190 18,781 50

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Mammon others betwixt God and their belly a third betwixt God and some adored Hellen a fourth betwixt God and his Mecaenas a fifth betwixt God and the world When we see a divorce made where there should be an inseperable union that is betwixt God and the heart and an union made where there should be an eternall divorce that is betwixt the heart and the creature when we see a mixture in these things which should be most simple and pure when the Mint and the Cummin are more stood upon than the greater things of the Law and men are more scrupulous in observing the traditions of the Elders then the Doctrine of Christ being most superstitious in things not commanded and yet most negligent in things necessary ambitiously seeking after the charge of soules and yet most negligent in looking to their charg crying out Templum Domini Templum Domini nothing caring for the Lord of the Temple When we see pictures preferred before their Prototypes and Saints days honoured above his day that is the Lord of Saints When we see men bowing the knee to Christ and yet crucifying him in their lives professing to know God but in their workes denying him When a heat of professing is turned into a heat of disputing and matters of faith are made matters of controversie and discourse of Religion hath almost turned out the practice of it When we see old Haereticks revived and exploded errours new dressed When we see brainsick fancies are broached and embraced for Truth and novelty hath turned out Antiquity When I say such things as these doe occurre either in a Church or person when we see such Symptomes as these it will be no hard matter to guesse at the temper and constitution I should in the next place come to speak of the judgment * The occasion of these words was the report that the Scots had taken New Castle but I fear that this part of my Text is taken out of my hands and is already begun to be put in execution I feare I may too truely say as Jeremy did that the Lord hath opened his Armory and brought forth the weapons of his indignation Jer. 50. 25. God grant that part of Ezekiels Prophecy Chap. 23. 33. be not begun to bee fulfilled in us thou shalt be filled with drunkennesse and sorrow with the cup of astonishment and desolation But for my part I had rather be an Evangelist to bring glad tydings then a Faecialis to denounce Gods judgements VVherefore in the last place consider how grievous this sin is and how dreadfull is its punishment and tremble at the one and abhorre the other If therebe but a sparke of zeale let us blow it into a flame If zeale be languid or the heat remisse let us double and intend it For it is the heat of love and a heart replenished with flames and it is zeale as strong as death and most intense affections it is a soule ravisht with love and an heart transported with an holy extacy that Christ delights in VVhat ever we render unto him it must be totall and it must be superlative if we love him we must love nothing else he will have no rivals in our afflictions if we serve him we must serve him alone he will have no partners in his worship Hee that offers lesse then all to him who infinitly deserves more than all that we can offer he undervalues him Hee therefore that gives to Christ the halt the lame and the blind a halting heart lame affections and blind devotion Hee that thinkes his lukewarme love his languid zeale or his faint performance will serve the turne he offers the greatest contempt and the highest indignity to the Sonne of God VVherefore let us beseech Almighty God that he would bee pleased to put his holy Spirit into our hearts to animate and quicken our soules by the powerfull working of the Holy Ghost that so we may serve him with ardent zeale strong affections and love enflamed alwayes going on with courage and resolution continuing with patience and constancy that so we may end with glory Amen FINIS
our bodies how overmuch heate enflames the blood and distempers the cucrasy of the whole Answ Answ There is no question but there is much discretion to be used in the managing of our zeale but discretion doth not abate the heat of love but direct it prudence doth not remit our diligence and zeale but guide it It is not the duty of prudence to cast water to quench or coole this affection Hee which is in a right course and goes slowly is not moderate but idle for we must not goe but run the wayes of Gods commandements Besides if we looke but upon good dnties or upon good men we shall find something extraordinary which commends them to God you shall have ever something to execude Prayer is said to prevaile if it be fervent Jam. 5. 16. We must love God but it must be with all our heart it is not every faith but faith working by love that is accepted there is a worke of faith a labour of love a patience of hope 1 Thes 1. 3. Christ will have none to follow him but him that will lay downe his life for him The Apostle exhorting the Corinthians to Heavenly and spiritual graces useth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desire spirituall gifts 1 Cor. 14. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 covet earnestly the best gifts 1 Cor. 12. 31. it is not a lazy vote but an earnest coveting of them which obtaines those things at the hands of God so it is not the profession of Religion God looks at but the earnest zealous profession and Christ is said to have dyed to purifie to himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good workes Tit. 2. 14. It is not the opus operatum that he delights in for then hee would never have said to the men of Judah When you spread forth your Is 1. 15. hands I will hide mine eyes and when you make many prayers I will not heare likewise in that Chapter he refuseth all their services for when men performe good duties doing them with a kind of reluctancy God refuseth them A Boy learnes his book but hee doth it rather for feare of his Master than for love of learning So it is commonly with men they doe religious exercises but they doe them as a taske imposed which they are loath to omit but they are glad when they are done Then look upon Christ and his Saints you shall still finde something superlative in them we should be alwayes looking upon Christ as the author and finisher of our faith Heb. 12. 2. What ever was in him was most absolute you shall alwayes finde his servants indeavouring to expresse him as neare to the life as possibly they can Others may seeke to enter and faile but we must strive you shall find Jacob wrestling till day breake Gen. 32. 24. And Habakuk watching Hab. 2. 1. to see what the Lord would say unto him It was not an ordinary zeale that made David to pray and praise the Lord so often in a day or Daniel to fast so frequently or Paul to take so much paines to beate downe his body to keepe it in subjection It was more then ordinary love to Christ that made Peter and John speake what they had heard and seene concerning him Acts 4. or that made them rejoyce that they were counted worthy to suffer for his Name Chap. 5. It was a strong faith that made those Heb. 11. 35. rather to chuse to be tortured than to accept deliverance when it was offered suffering farre more willingly than the Adversary could inflict cruelly There is no thinking of a Mediocrity when we looke upon Christ the Archetypum and his Saints taking out the lessen he hath set them and imitating his Copy Object But some will say that there is much deceit and imposture and the Devill doth make men many times beleeve that they are truly zealous when indeed they are but like Comets which burne very hot for a time but at length end in a smoake and it is certaine that there is a misguided zeale which as it is very hot so it is very pernicious Answ My answer to this shall be by way of further Symptomes of true zeale discovery of the truth of zeale and first True zeale hath ever knowledge as its guide and fanctity of life as its attendant and fruit And he that hath a good mixture of zeale and knowledge so that his zeale doth quicken his knowledge and his knowledge doth guide his zeale is like a ship well ballasted that sayles with a prosperous gale Knowledge without zeale puffes a man up and zeale without knowledge is like the Devill in the possessed which casts him sometimes into the fire and sometimes into the water such was the zeale of Paul before his conversion such was the zeale of the Jewes of whom Saint Paul speakes Rom. 10. 2. that they had a zeale but not according to knowledge Then true zeale hath ever sanctity as its fruit for as zeale without knowledge is frantick so without knowledge it is hypocriticall Sympt 2 2. We may know true zeale by its originall it ariseth from a heart replenished with flames of love to Christ which as they were at the first kindled by the holy Spirit so are they afterwards blowne and continued by it But there is another kinde of zeale which ariseth from a heart distempered with passion the former is a constant and permanent heate like that on the Altar or like the Vestall fire which was alwayes kept burning The other is but like a flash which ariseth from some suddaine turbulent passion which being spent it dyes The best men are sometimes subject to such distempers thus James and John when they would needs have fire commanded from Heaven to consume those that denyed entertainement to our Saviour were rebuked for their zeale by our Saviour Luke 9. Thus many doe undertake a good cause rather out of faction and humour or out of hatred to a person than love to CHRIST or zeale to the truth Sympt 3 Thirdly as you may know true zeale from its beginning so from its aime and end too True zeale ever aimes at Gods glory and the advancement of true Religion whereas if you separate the zeale of most men from colaterall by-respects from vaine-glory profit revenge and the like you shall have it faint and flagge and at length wholly desist One would have thought the zeale of Jehu to have out stript Josiah in vindicating the honour of God and yet what Jehu did it is thought was rather out of some respects of his owne for establishing the Crowne on his owne head or for revenge or the like for it is said of Jehu 2 Kings 10. 31. that Jehu tooke no heed to walke in the Law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart for he departed not from the sinnes of Jeroboam that made Israel to sinne this is it that deceives many they thinke that they be truly zealous because they doe good duties