A Coal From The Altar, To Kindle The Holy Fire of Zeale | Page 8

of water, is but a cold proofe of a mans Christendome; being common to all commers: but if any bee baptized with fire, the same is sealed up to the day of Redemption. If any shall say, friend, what doest thou professe a religion without it; how can hee choose but bee strucke dumb? Can wee suppose worme-wood without bitternesse, a man without reason? then may wee imagine a religion, and a Christian, without spirit and zeale.
The Jesuite saith, I am zealous; the Separatist, I am zealous; their plea is more probable, then the lukewarme worldlings, that serve God without life. If the colour bee pale and wan, and the motion insensible, the party is dead or in a swoune; if good and swift, wee make no question. The zealous Christian is never to seeke for a proofe of his salvation: what makes one Christian differ from another in grace, as starrs doe in glory; but zeale? All beleevers have a like precious faith: All true Christians have all graces in their seedes; but the degrees of them are no way better discerned then by zeale: Men of place distinguish themselves, by glistering pearles: A Christian of degrees shines above other in zeale. Comparisons I know are odious to the world, that faine would have all alike: but the righteous is better then his neighbour: All Christians are the excellent of the earth, the Zelot surmounteth them all, as Saul the people by the head and shoulders; hee is ever striving to excell and exceeds others and himselfe.
One of these is worth a thousand others, one doth the worke of many: which made him speake of Elisha in the plurall number, _The horsemen and Charriots of Israel_; besides his owne worke, hee winns and procures others, makes Proselytes. It is the nature of fire to multiply, one coale kindles another: his worke so shines, that others come in and glorifie God; marvelling and enquiring what such forwardnesse should meane, concluding with _Nebuchadnezzar, Surely the servants of the most high God._
These are good Factors and Agents, doing God as good service, as Boutesewes doe the Divell, and Jesuites the Pope, sparing no cost, nor labour; and what they cannot doe themselves, they doe by their friends, _Who is on my side, who? &c._
As for lets and impediments, they over-looke and over-leape them, as fire passeth from one house to another; neither is there any standing for any Gods enemies before them: they make havock of their owne and others corruptions. If you will rightly conceive of Peters zeale in converting & confounding, you must imagine (saith _Chrysostome_) a man made all of fire walking in stubble. All difficulties are but whetstones of their fortitude. The sluggard saith, _There is a Lyon in the way_; tell Samson & David so, they will the rather goe out to meet them. Tell Nehemiah of Samballat, hee answereth, _Shall such a man as I feare?_ Tell Caleb there are Anakims, and hee will say, _Let us goe upp at once, &c_. Let Agabus put off his girdle and binde Paul, let him be told in every City, that bonds await him, hee is not onely ready for bonds, but for death; tell Jubentius, hee must lay downe his life, he is as willing as to lay off his clothes: tell Luther of enemies in Wormes, hee will goe if all the tiles of the houses were Divells. The horse neighs at the trumpet; the Leviathan laughs at the speare. They that meane to take the Kingdome of God by violence, provide themselves to goe through fire and water, carry their lives in their hands, embrace faggots; they say to father and mother, _I know you not_: to carnall Counsellers and friendly enemies, _Get you behinde mee Sathan._ Zeale is as strong as death, hot as the coales of Juniper; flouds of many waters cannot quench it. Agar, Pro. 30. speakes of foure things, stately in their kinde; I will make bold to add a fift, comprehending and excelling them all namely the zealous Christian, strong and bold as the Lyon; not turning his head for any; as swift as the grey-hound in the waies of Gods commandements; in the race to heaven, as nimble as the Goat climbing the steepe and craggy mountaines of pietie and vertue; A victorious King, overcoming the world and his lusts: Salomon in all his royalty, is not cloathed like one of these in his fiery Charriot.
To cut off the infinite praises of zeale, let us heare what honourable testimonies and glorious rewards, it pleaseth God to conferre upon it; Davids ruddy complexion and his skill in musique, made him amiable in the eyes of men: but the zeale of his heart, stiled him a man after Gods owne heart;