LuÍte- wsrule vain glo- rious La- odicea. 13o A el,el4tionofthe Ap° al.ypfe. CAP. 3 ofthis church is, yet in the next words following, the quality there- of is in a moreplainand lively manner defcribed unto us.And firft for more plainneffe fake,by a deniall ofcontraries. Iknow(faith he)that then! art neithor cold nor het, but fome oddeOrange thing moulten and compacted together ofthem both. So that this evill confifteth of certain contraries ftrangely tempered and blended together. Now he calleth that man cold,who can well indure that the duties ofgod- lineffc fhould lye dead,and out ofrequeít;, little or nothing at all caring what manner of way he himfelf or others take to worfhip God. Heclleth himhot, who boyleth with heate and fervency of fpirit, inliis due and full regardofGods worfhip , being like to boylingwater, that feetheth and boyleth (as we fay) in the Pot, with a certain reffleffe motion. For fo doth the wordhot in the Greeke lignifie, to wit, fuch an one as can by no means indure fuperf}itious and impious religions, but will hazard all that he hath, fo faras may be, to efFet a Reformation. For we muff not think, that to behot is vitious in this place, as if it were an inconfidcrate zeal, as the cafe flandeth with the habits of morall vertues ; wherein both the ex- treams, hraying from the mediocrity, either in exceffe or defet; are faults and vices, as we fee in liberalitie, fortitude, temperance, and the refs; butit is a matter ofcommendation, as being the onlyver- tue,.fromwhich both coldnc(fe and lukewarmneffefwerve. This we fee, in thatApollos is fayd tohave beenfervent in thefpi- rit, Act. 18. 25. And Panl exhortethmen to be fervent in the fpirit, Rom. 12. i i. Again, ifto be hot, fhould be in this place to degene- rate from the right conf}itution of nlinde by an exceffe , then to be lhlkeWarm, chock' be in the nature ofvertue,that keepeth themiddle between two extreams. But heat or zeal here is an affection, that Both purfue after the love ofholineffe with a great vehemency of minde, which is as it werea certain holy violence, fuch a s is defcri- bed,Matt.i a. t z. The defect whereof; either that ofcoldneffe,which is more remote , or this of lukewarmneffe, which is neerer, is here found fault with, as being a fin again! God. Now this fame luie- wo.rmneffe, that is fet in the middeft between there extreams ofheat and coldneífe, is fuch a thing, as whereby. a man abftayning from groffer fins is well given inReligion, andwill ferve God (as we commonly fay) vet only fo far forth, as may he enough to keepethe eftimationofa prudent and civill honeft man. The company there- fore of the Laodiceans Pafto ers was like a Senate , confining ofpru- dent and moderatem n:inthcmatterofReligion, fuchas we call at this
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