A Coal From The Altar, To Kindle The Holy Fire of Zeale | Page 7

vertue which so many hypocrites put on, to grace themselves
withall; is surely some rare and excellent jewell.
_The third part._
The true Zelot, whose fervency is in the spirit, not in shew; in

substance not in circumstance; for God, not himselfe; guided by the
word, not with humours; tempered with charity, not with bitternesse:
such a mans praise is of God though not of men: such a mans worth
cannot bee set foorth with the tongues of men and Angells.
[Sidenote: Arguments of commendation.]
Oh that I had so much zeale, as to steep it in it owne liquour; to set it
forth in it owne colours, that the Lord would touch my tongue with a
coale from his Altar, that I might regaine the decayed credit of it, with
the sons of men.
[Sidenote: 1. From God's excellency whom zeale only becomes
unworthily placed elsewhere.]
It is good to bee zealous in a good things: and is it not best, in the best?
or is there any better then God, or the kingdome of heaven? Is it comely
what ever we do, to do it with all our might? onely uncomely when wee
serve God? Is meane and mediocrity, in all excellent Arts excluded, and
onely to be admitted in religion? Were it not better to forbeare Poetry
or Painting, then to rime or dawbe? and were it not better to bee of no
religion, then to be colde or lukewarme in any? Is it good to be earnest
for a friend, & cold for the Lord of hosts? For whom doest thou reserve
the top of thy affections? for thy gold? for thy Herodias, &c. O yee
adulterers and adultresses, can yee offer God a baser indignity? What
ayleth the world? Is it afrayd thinke we, that God can have too much
love; who in regard of his owne infinite beauty, & the beames he
vouchsafeth to cast upon us, deserves the best, yea all, and a thousand
times more then all? Ought not all the springs and brookes of our
affection, to runne into this Maine? may not hee justly disdaine, that the
least Riveret should bee drained another way? that any thing in the
world should bee respected before him, equalled with him, or loved out
of him, of whom, for whom, and through whom are all things? Who, or
what can bee sufficient for him our Maker and Saviour? In other
objects feare excesse: here no extasie is high enough.
[Sidenote: 2. From his spirituall nature.]

Consider and reason thus with thy selfe (O man) canst thou brooke a
sluggard in thy worke, if thou bee of any spirit thy selfe? is not a
slothfull messenger as vinegar to thy teeth, and as smoake to thine eyes?
Hast thou any sharpnesse of wit, is not dulnesse tedious unto thee? And
shall hee that is all spirit (for whom the Angels are slow and colde
enough) take pleasure in thy drowzie and heavie service? Doe men
choose the forwardest Deere in the heard, and the liveliest Colt in the
drove? and is the backwardest man fittest for God? Is not all his delight
in the quickest and cheerefullest givers and servitors? Even to Judas he
saith, That thou doest, doe quickely; so odious is dulnesse unto him:
what else mooved him to ordaine, that the necke of the consecrated
Asse should bee broken, rather then offered up in sacrifice; doth God
hate the Asse? Or is it not for the sake of the quality of the creature;
which hath ever among the Heathens beene an Hieroglyphick of
heavinesse and tardity?
[Sidenote: 3. Effects of zeale. Revel. 12.]
[Sidenote: Opus operatum.]
Thirdly, this zeale is so gracious a favorite with God, that it graces with
him all the rest of his graces. Prayer if it bee fervent, prevaileth much:
the zealous witnesses had power to shut and open heaven: by this,
Israel wrastled with God, overcame, and was called a Prince with God:
this strengthned the heart of Moses (as Aaron and Hur supported his
hands) till the Lord sayd, Let me alone: this made Cornelius his prayer
to come into heaven; whither our colde sutes can no more ascend, then
vapours from the Still, unlesse there bee fire under it: Repentance, a
needefull and primary grace, which the Baptist so urged: but then wee
must bee zealous and repent (as my text joynes them) or else no
repentance pleaseth God; nor are there fruits worthy repentance. Almes
and good deeds are sacrifices pleasing to God; but without zeale, the
widowes mites are no better then the rest; It is the cheerefull loose, that
doubleth the gift. Generally, as some mans marke and name, furthereth
the sale of his commodity; so zeale inhanceth all the graces of God.