Ser. 82. It is fometimes ufed in a good fenfe: but it is when it is applied to the best things, in which the honour of God, and the falvation of men is concerned; to the great and unqueftionable duties of religion: As, zeal for the honour of God, and the place of his publick worfhip, in oppofition to profanenefs, John ii. 17. The zeal of thine houfe hath eaten me up: for an earneft defire of thofe gifts whereby we are to edify the church, 1 Cor. xii. 31. But covet earnestly the best gifts, fo we render the words; Be zealous of the best gifts, fo it is in the Greek for a forwardnefs and readinefs to relieve the neceffities of the faints, 2 Cor. ix. 2. I know the forwardnefs of your minds; and your zeal hath provoked very many; and to the fame purpose is that expreffion, Tit. ii. 14. zealous of good works and then for a zeal for the falvation of mens fouls, 2 Cor. xi. 2. I am zealous of you with a godly zeal. But the word is much more frequently in fcripture ufed in a bad fenfe, for a malicious and furious rage against the profeffors of Chriftanity: Acts v. 17. 18. Then the high priest, and they that were with him, were filled with indignation, (the word is zeal); and laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in prifon; and chap. xiii. 45. it is faid, The Jews were filled with zeal, and spake against thofe things which were Spoken by Paul, contradicting and blafpheming; and chap. xvii. 5. The Jews which believed not, moved with zeal, gathered a company, and fet all the city in an uprore. It is frequently reckoned amongst the works of the flesh, and mentioned in the company of the greatest vices and crimes; wrath, contention, divifion, fedition, murders, tumults, confufions: Rom. xiii. 13. Let us walk honeftly as in the day; not in chambering and wantonnefs, not in firife and zeal. 1 Cor. iii. 3. Whereas there is among you zeal, and ftrife, and divifions, are ye not carnal? 2 Cor. xii. 20. Left there be debates, zeal, wraths, ftrifes. Gal. v. 19. 20. 21. The works of the flesh are manifeft; among which the Apoftle reckons hatred, variance, zeal, wrath, ftrife, feditions, herefies, envyings, murders. St. James calls it a bitter zeal, James iii. 14. 15. 16. But if, ye have bitter zeal and frife in your hearts, glory not, and lice not against the truth. This wisdom defcendeth not from above; but is earthly, fenfual, devilish. For where zeal and ftrife is, there is confufion and every evil work. By which it appears, that zeal moft frequently goes under a bad name and character in fcripture; zeal, I mean, in matters of religion; for of that most of the texts I have mentioned fpeak: and this is that which St. Paul means here in the text by a zeal of God; that is, a zeal about religion, and divine things: I bear them record, that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. In which words, the Apoftle being defirous to fay the best he could of his countrymen the Jews, he commends the good meaning of their zeal, and blames the ill conduct of it: I bear them record, uaplupa dulois, I give this teftimony on their behalf, that they have a zeal of God; that is, that by all this fiercenefs against the Christian religion, they intend the honour of God, and think they do him fervice: but yet this zeal is greatly to be condemned; because it is a mistaken and mifguided zeal, not at all directed as it fhould be: They have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. From which words I fhall take into confideration these three things. 1. What are the qualifications and properties of a zeal according to knowledge. 2. By what marks and characters we may know that zeal which here, and elsewhere in fcripture, is condemned, as not being according to knowledge. 3. How far the doing of any thing out of a zeal for God, doth mitigate and extenuate the evil of it. For when the Apostle here teftifies concerning the Jews, that they had a zeal for God, he fpeaks this in favour of them, and by way of mitigation of their faults. When I have handled thefe three particulars, I fhall apply my difcourfe to the prefentoccafion of this day. I. What are the qualifications and properties of a zeal according to knowledge. I fhall mention these three. 1. That our zeal be right, in refpect of its object. 2. That the measure and degree of it be proportioned to the good or evil of things, about which it is converfant. 3. That we purfue it by lawful ways and means. Ii3 mean, mean, that those things which we are zealous for, be certainly and confiderably good; and that thofe things which we are zealous againft, be certainly and confiderably evil. A mistake in any of thefe, quite mars our zeal, and spoils the virtue of it: and though it be never fo much intended for God, it is not at all pleafing and acceptable to him; because it is a blind, and ignorant, and mistaken zeal and the hotter, the worfe; it is not an heavenly fire, that comes down from above; but it is like the fire of hell, heat without light. If we mistake good and evil, and be zealoufly concerned against that which is good, or for that which is evil, the greater our zeal is, the greater is our fault; and inftead of doing God and religion fervice and credit, we do the greatest mifchief and dishonour we can to them both. Or if the thing about which our zeal is converfant, be of a doubtful uncertain nature; this is not properly an object of zeal. Men should never be earnest for or against any thing, but upon clear and certain grounds, that what we contend fo earnestly for, is undoubtedly good; and that which we are fo violent againft, is undoubtedly evil: if it be not, we are zealous for we know not what; and that I am fure is a zeal not according to knowledge. And if the thing be certainly good or evil, which we are fo concerned about, it must also be confiderably fo; otherwise it will not warrant our being zealous about it. All truth is good, and all error bad; but there are many truths fo inconfiderable, and which have fofmall an influence upon practice, that they do not deferve our zeal and earneft contention about them: and fo likewife are there many errors and mistakes, of fo flight and inconfiderable a nature, that it were better men fhould be let alone in them, than provoked to quarrel and contend about them. Thus that great heat that was in the Chriftia church about the time of obferving Eafter, was, in my o inion, a zeal not according to knowledge. They were on both fides agreed in the main, which was, to celebrate th memory of our Saviour's refurrection: but there were a fferent cuftoms about the time; which was a matter of no fuch confideration, as to deserve so much heat and zeal about it, efpecially confidering the uncharitable and mi.. chievous confequences of that difference. 2. That 12. That our zeal may be according to knowledge, the measure and degree of it must be proportioned to the good or evil of things, about which it is converfant. That is an ignorant zeal, which is converfant about leffer things, and unconcerned for greater. Such was the zeal of the fcribes and Pharifees, who were mightily concerned about external and lesser matters; but took little or no care of inward purity, and real and fubftantial goodness. They were very careful not to eat with unwashed hands, and to make clean the outfide of the cup and platter; but then they were full of extortion, and all unrighteoufnefs they paid tythe of mint, and anife, and cummins but omitted the weightier things, judgment, mercy, and fi- . delity; or, as St. Luke expreffeth it, they paft over judg ment, and the love of God. A zealous ftrictness about external rites, and matters of difference, where there is a visible neglect of the fubftantial duties of religion, and the great virtues of a good life, is either a grofs ignorance of the true nature of religion, or a fulfome hypocrify. And fo likewife is a loud and zealous outcry against rites and ceremonies, and the impofition of indifferent things in religion, when men can release themselves from the obligation of natural and moral duties, and pass over mercy, and juftice, and charity. 3. A zeal that is according to knowledge, must be pursued and profecuted by lawful and warrantable means. No zeal for God and his glory, for his true church and religion, will justify the doing of that which is morally and in itself evil: Will ye Speak wickedly for God, and talk deceitfully for him? We do not know what belongs to the honour of God and religion, if we think to promote his glory, by means fo difhonourable and offenfive to him. The Apostle pronounceth it a damnable fin, for any to charge this doctrine upon Chriftianity, that evil may be done for a good end, and to promote the glory of God, Rom. iii. 8. As we be flanderously reported, and as fome af firm that we fay, Let us do evil, that good may come whofe damnation is just, And yet nothing is more frequent, than for men, out of a zeal for God and religion, to overlook the evil and unlawfulness of the means they ufe for the advancing fo good an end. This is that which hath fanctified thofe refined Ser. 82. refined arts of lying and perjury, by equivocation and mental reservation; thofe feditious ways of disturbing the peace of kingdoms, by treafon and rebellion, by the excommunicating and depofing of princes, upon pretence of herefy; of extirpating those whom they pleafe to call hereticks, by inquifitions, and croifadoes, and maffacres : and this, not only in the opinion of private perfons, but in the judgment of Popes, and of general councils. I proceed, in the II. Second place, to fhew by what marks and characters we may know the contrary zeal, that which is not according to knowledge; which is condemned here in the text, and very frequently in other places of fcripture. And though this may be fufficiently known by the contrary marks and properties, which I fhall but briefly mention; yet, to discover it more fully, I fhall add one or two more very grofs and fenfible figns and inftances of it. 1. It is a zeal without knowledge, that is mistaken in the proper object of it, that calls good evil, and evil good; a zeal for grofs errors and fuperftitions, plainly contrary either to the revelation of God's word, or the light of reafon, or to common fenfe: any or all of thefe cannot be a zeal according to knowldege. A zeal for the worship of images, for praying to faints and angels, contrary to the plain law and word of God; a zeal for the facrilegious depriving of the people of half the facrament, contrary to our Saviour's plain institution, and the acknowledged practice of the catholick church for a thoufand years; a zeal for that moft abfurd of all doctrines that ever was taught in any religion, I mean the doctrine of tranfubftantiation, not only without any fufficient authority from fcripture, as is acknowledged by several of the most learned of the Roman church, but contrary to reafon, and in defiance of the fenfe of all mankind : a zeal for thefe, and many more like grofs errors and practices, cannot poffibly be a zeal according to knowledge. 2. That is a zeal without knowledge, the degree whereof is manifeftly difproportioned to the good or evil of things about which it is converfant. When there is in men a greater and fiercer zeal for the externals of reli |