I bear them record, that they have a zeal of GOD; but not according to knowledge. T LXXXII. HERE is nothing more commonly cried up, SERM. than zeal in religion; and yet there is nothing in which men do more frequently and fatally mistake and mifcarry, and in the expreffions and ef1 fects whereof Men ought to govern themselves with more care and caution. To speak the truth, zeal is as all other paffions are, in it's own nature indifferent, and of itself neither good nor bad; but according to the object and degree of it: for zeal is nothing else, but an earnest concernment for, or against something, and a violent pursuit and pro"fecution of it." For if it be applied to a right object, fo as we be earnestly concerned for things that are unquestionably good, and against things that are unquestionably evil; and in a due degree; that is, if the expreffion of it be proportionable to the lefs or greater good or evil of things; then it is a commendable quality of virtue; but if it be wrong placed, and we be earnestly concerned for that which is evil, and against that which is good, or about things which are of an indifferent, or doubtful nature, as to the good and evil of them; or if we notoriously CC 3 exceed SFR M.exceed in the degree of it, being more zealously conLXXXII.cerned about things, than they deserve, and zealouf ly concerned about leffer things, to the prejudice of greater; in any of these cafes, it is fo far from being a virtue, that it is a vice of a moft pernicious and mischievous confequence, and many times hath as bad effects, as can proceed from the worst principle or difpofition of mind. It is fometimes ufed in a good fenfe; but it is, when it is applied to the beft things, in which the honour of God, and the falvation of men is concerned, to the great and unquestionable duties of religion. As zeal for the honour of GoD, and the place of his publick worship, in oppofition to profanenefs, John ii. 17. "The zeal of thine house hath "eaten me up." For an earneft defire of those gifts, whereby we are to edify the church, 1 Cor. xii. 31. "But covet earnestly the best gifts," so we render the words; "be zealous of the beft gifts," fo it is in the Greek. For a forwardness and readinefs to relieve the neceffities of the faints, 2 Cor. "ix. 2. I know the forwardness of your minds, and 66 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 chriftianity, 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 LXXXII. thofe things which were spoken by Paul, contra-SER M. dicting and blafpheming." And chap. xvii. 5. "The Jews which believed not, moved with zeal, gathered a company, and fet all the city in an uproar." 'Tis 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 honestly as in the day, not "in chambering and wontonnefs, not in ftrife and "zeal." I Cor. iii. 3. "Whereas there is among 66 you zeal, and ftrife, and divifions; are ye not "carnal ?" 2 Cor. xii. 20. " Left there be debates, ર zeal, wrath, strife." Gal. v. 19, 20, 21. “The "works of the flesh are manifeft, among which the apostle reckons "hatred, variance, zeal, wrath, ftrife, feditions, herefies, envyings, murders." St. James calls it a "bitter zeal." Jam. iii. 14, 15, 16. "But if ye have bitter zeal and ftrife in your "hearts; glory not, and lye not against the truth. "This wisdom defcendeth not from above; but is earthly, fenfual, devilifh. 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 speak; 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 apostle being defirous to fay the best he could of his countrymen the Jews, he commends the good meaning of their zeal, and SER M. blames the ill conduct of it, "I bear them record,, LXXXII. 66 μαρτυρῷ αὐτοῖς, I give this teftimony on their be"half, that they have a zeal of God, "that is, that by all this fierceness against the chriftian 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 should be; "they have "a zeal of God; but not according to knowledge." From which words I fhall take into confideration thefe three things. 1 I. What are the qualifications and properties of a zeal according to knowledge." II. By what marks and characters we may know "that zeal," which here, and elsewhere in fcripture is condemned, as "not being according to know"ledge." III. 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 of God;" he speaks this in favour of them, and by way of mitigation of their Faults. When I have handled these three particulars, I fhall apply my discourse to the prefent occafion 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 it's object. 2 That the measure and degree of it be proportioned to the good or evil of things, about which it is converfant. That we purfue it by lawful ways and means. 1. That , any LXXXII. 1. That our zeal be right in refpect of it's object; S ERM. I mean, that thofe things which we are zealous for, be certainly and confiderably good; and that those things which we are zealous against, be certainly and confiderably evil. A miftake in of these quite mars our zeal, and spoils the virtue of it: and though it be never so 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 zealously concerned, against that which is good, or for that which is evil; the greater our zeal is, the greater is our fault, and instead of doing God and religion fervice and credit, we do the greatest mischief and difhonour we can to them both: or if the thing about which our zeal is converfant, be of a doubtful and uncertain nature; this is not properly an object of zeal. Men fhould 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 so concerned about; it muft alfo 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 so small an influence upon practice, that they do not deserve our zeal and earnest contention about them; and fo likewife are there many errors, and mistakes, of fo flight and inconfiderable a nature, that |