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Zeal
is by some well defined the heat, and intention of all affections; and not
either any one simple affection, or composition of divers; I add, of the
understanding also. So men
meditate zealously, and love zealously, and hate zealously, and rejoice
zealously, and mourn zealously, and with great intention of heart.
The like is to be said of all the rest of the affections.
As nothing lives without natural heat; so neither lives he the life
of Christ indeed, who is destitute of Christian zeal to warm him in his
affections and actions, specially in matter of God’s worship and
service; in which whether wrong or right, lukewarmness is odious and
loathsome. “The Lord will spew out of his mouth the lukewarm”
Rev.iii.16, whether wine or water.
Worldly-wise men despise zeal, as prejudicial to wisdom and discretion.
So Festus judged Paul, mad; and Michael accounted David, as one of
the fools, for the singular zeal of God which they manifested.
But even this “foolishness of God is wise than men.” 1 Cor.
i.25. Yet is it certain, that
men of great knowledge and judgment do seldom make that manifestation of
zeal, which weaker persons do. The
former have their spirits most in their brains, and are exercised
specially in the disquisition and discerning of truth from falsehood, and
of good from evil: the latter have them most in their hearts, and
accordingly give themselves to the affectionate pursuit of that, which
they conceive to be true, and good; and alike to the avoiding, and
impugning of the contrary.
Some deceive others by the pretence of zeal, which they put on for their
advantage, as stage-players do visors, till their part be played.
And thus Ishmael deceived the forty men of Samaria, Jer. xli.6 with
his crocodile tears. Also
there are not a few, who deceive both others, and themselves, by seeming
to both, either to have the zeal of God, which they wholly want, or much
more, than they have. And of
this number was Jehu, how loud soever he cried to Jehonadab, “Behold the
zeal, which I have for the house of the Lord,” 2 Kings x.16: whereas in
truth, that, which most set him a-work, was zeal for his own house; though
it may be, he thought not so. Besides
craftiness in this Jehu’s zeal, there are two other properties: the one
suspicious, where it is found; and the other odious.
The former is a furious march against evil, without an answerable
pursuit of, and affection unto the contrary good.
Many are vehemently carried against anti-christian devices in
truth, or so appearing unto them; in whom yet appears little love and
affection to that which is of Christ in their own judgment.
Such are rather carried by their own flesh, than led by the Spirit
of God. The other is cruelty. To
be aright and truly zealous cannot but be good; seeing so many, and those
wise men, desire, at times, to seem so, though they be not.
True
zeal must be for God, and from God, and according to God: and having God
both for beginning and end, and rule of direction, it cannot but itself be
good and godly. It must be
for the Lord, and for the furtherance of his gory in the obedience of his
will, and in man’s salvation; and not for our own, or other men’s, by
purposes. And if it so fall out, that by one and the same thing God’s
cause, and our own profit, credit, or other worldly advantage be promoted;
we had need keep a jealous eye over ourselves, that we serve not our turn
on God, by making his ends, as it were, a bridge to our own, as Jehu did.
Secondly, as the fire of the altar came from heaven; so must our
coal of zeal be fetched thence, as being the work of God’s Spirit in our
hearts, in the use of prayer, meditation upon the Word of God read and
heard, the examples of others godly, as it were, riding in the fiery
chariot of Elijah, and the like holy means; by which this Divine fire is
kindled, and nourished in men’s breasts.
Thirdly, it must be according to God, both for the quality of the
matter, and quantity of the intention of affection. For the former, “it is good always,” even then, and then
only, “to be zealous in a good matter,” Gal. iv.18; and that neither
lightly presumed, nor partially conceited so to be, but certainly known;
else we burn not sweet incense with holy fire, but direct and dung instead
thereof. Our zeal also must
be apportioned to the object, and that not only considered in itself, but
also in the circumstances attending upon it: in regard whereof, things not
always the most good, or evil in themselves, may justly deserve at our
hands, a great bent either of love to them, or hatred against them.
And amongst other circumstances we must be careful so far to have
respect to that of persons, as to hate evil most in them whose persons we
most love; and so in our wives, children, and friends, more than in
strangers; and in ourselves most of all.
And he that hath not learned to bear things amiss in others, which
he will not bear in himself, hath either too much fleshly zeal, or too
little spiritual, or both: which two, often lodge in one breast: by which
it comes to pass, that many are earnest to “pluck the mote out of their
brother’s eye, that perceive not the beam in their own.”
Matt. vii.3. Notwithstanding, as it doth not detract either from the
dignity, or necessity of natural heat in our bodies, that there is found
in some, an aguish and unnatural heat far greater than the natural; so
neither, in truth, and just valuation of things, doth it derogate from the
excellency and necessity of the heat of true zeal, and life of grace in
the godly, consisting therein, that many are zealous amiss, whether
knowing, and so deceiving others; or not knowing, and so deceiving
themselves, “of what spirit they are,” Luke ix.55.
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