A Coal From The Altar, To Kindle The Holy Fire of Zeale | Page 5

continued heat (as the fixed starres ever like themselves) but have onely their aguish fits, & lunatick moods; sometimes in adversity they are good under the rod, as Pharaoh, againe in prosperity like the fat kine of Bashan, ingratefull and forgetfull: sometimes in prosperity when the sunne of peace shineth on them, & the favourable influence of great ones, they shoot foorth their blade with the corne on the house top, running with the streame, & sayling with the winde; sometimes their zeale depends upon the life of _Jehoiada_; sometimes on the company of the Prophets: commonly in the beginning they blaze like straw-fire, but in the end goe out in smoake and smother; whereas in their entrance into profession, they galloped into shewes, and made some girds at hand, they tire, give in, and end in the flesh, whereas all naturall motions are swiftest toward their end.
[Sidenote: Be not over just hath 7. expositions heere 2. or 3. more hereafter.]
The vestall fires were perpetuall, and the fire of the Altar never went out. Spices and wefts of these evills may bee found in the sincerest Christians: but they suffer not these dead flies to lie and putrefie in the precious boxes of true zeale; of all these the Preachers caveat may be construed, Be not over just, though it may also admit other interpretations, as after shall appeare.
These are the speciall notes and symptomes of strange fires: the kinds also are many, and might be distributed into many heads; but I will reduce them into three, which are known by their names. [Greek: pseudoz��los], _counterfet Zeale, false fire_. [Greek: tuphlos z��los] _blinde Zeale, smoakie fire, or fooles fire, ignis fatuus_. [Greek: pikros z��los], _turbulent Zeale, wilde fire_.
The first, wanting truth and sincerity, propounds sinister ends.
The second, knowledge and discretion, takes wrong wayes.
The third, love and humility, exceeds measure.
The first abounds amongst subtile & crafty professours, and is to be abhorred and detected.
The second among simple & devout, is to be pitied and directed.
The third amongst passionate and affectionate, and is to bee moderated and corrected.
The first is the meere vizor of zeale, looking asquint one way and tending another; pretending God and his glory, intending some private and sinister end; first, either of honour and promotion, as Jehu, who marched furiously, and his word was the Lord of hosts, but his project was the kingdome.
Secondly, at filthy lucre: as Demetrius and his followers, who cried great is Diana of Ephesus; but meant her little silver shrines. It cannot bee denied, but many such there were, who helped to pull downe the Abbyes; not out of any hatred to those uncleane cages, but to reare their owne houses out of the ruines, and spoyled copes to make cushions. Judas complained of superfluity, but greeved it fell besides his bag: many hold temporalities tithes and glebes, unlawfull, because they are loth to forgo them: If Jezebel proclaime a Fast, let Naboth looke to his vine-yard; If the Usurer & Trades-man frequent Sermons, let the buyer & borrower look to themselves. It is too common a thing to make zeale a lure & stale, to draw customers; a bait of fraud, a net to entrap; with malicious Doegs, to make it a stalking horse for revenge against the Priest, thereby to discharge their gall at Ministers and other Christians, for the omission and commission of such things, as themselves care not for; with the Strumpet in the Proverbs, to wipe their mouthes, and frequent the Sacrifices, that they may be free from suspicion.
All these evils, have I seene under the sunne-shine of the Gospell: but by how much, zeale is more glorious then common profession, by so much is dissembled fervency more detestable then usuall hypocrisie; yea, no better then divellish villany & double iniquity: such painted walles and whited sepulchers, the Lord will breake downe. Let all Timothies & Nathanaels learne to descry them, and discard them: The cure of this was deepely forelayd by Christ; _I counsell thee to buy gold tried in the fire_: all is not gold that glistereth, an image of faith breeds but a shew of zeale; many seemed to trust in Christ, but Christ would not trust them: but such faith as will abide the fire, brings foorth zeale that will abide the touch-stone.
[Sidenote: [Greek: kakoz��lia].]
The second is erroneous or blinde zeale, not according to knowledge, Rom. 10. I beare many devout Papists witnesse (though I feare the learnedst of them be selfe-condemned) that they have this zeale, perswading themselves they doe God best service, when they please the Divell most in their will-worship. The same witnesse I beare many _Seperatists_; though I feare most of them be sicke of selfe-conceitednesse, newfanglenesse, and desire of mastership: for who would not suspect such zeale, which condemnes