An(i tt Jirit witlom:a~J/u~ IOJ k._ 11 owlidgc,Rom. 1 o.z. P~tub love and his dfe.dions wtre ftrong_· and reall, moved u he thought, becaufe ofGods honour and glory. ~ence Phi/.3. fpeaking of what .things i~ hi,s Ju· daifm mtght before men be mar~rof boafimg, he fatth, conc.!rning :Geal in ptr/ecutint, the Church. He was not a c~ld frozen piece of earth, or a luk!,warm Laodicum, but hts love did burn ts hot as fire : qui non :Gtlat, Hon ~mar; no man loveth any Religion, or w.q ihereof,thllt h~tth not ~ea!for it: and zeal is fuch a fire, that it affirnilateth the zealous perfon into ir, as our Saviour faid, The :ual ofGeaJ boufe hti!d eaten him up, Job. 2·17· u fire devoureth every thing it worketh on. Thus Paul, · ifyou do confider all the labour,painsand indulhy he ufed tQ perfecute the Church, you mufi needs confeffe his zeal, he faid,he \V.u even mad againft the Chriflians, A.Cl:s 26. I I. Now this zeal, though it was enormous, yet it was in the generaH upon religious grounds-: Thus it differed as much fr-omDemetrim his zeafabout Dianau Temple, as elementary apd cu· linary fire differ: for he was fo zealous, only becaufc, if the Temple were defiroyed, his trade a·nd earthly gainwould faJI . to the ground, becaufe he made forineJ for it: but Paul abhorreth fuch bafe uAwonhy refpcd:s, it was thfcaufc of God, as · he thoughr,that did ftir up fo much zeal: Thus in the oldTe· ftament we reade of many idolaters, tbatfacriftced their very childrtn to Moloch: Herewas a religious motive, thot-1gh deluded therein, and it could not be any ear.thly rcfpctl, for their very naturall _affeCtions would have prohibited them, . bad not a religious awe upon them overmartered aU. 2. That which was in Paul, and in all like P""'in ancrroz. ncous way, was, that their confcirncrs though mijlu1, did diffate Ther confd : ' to them fuch dntiCJ, {uch 'Wor/hip M they followtd. Henceal- ences may dt.. though they had not a~ea/ t~ccording to kpowledge, viz. true, fu~~ ~~~~:n and infiru8ed out ofGods word, yet they had azeal accor- and wayes a~ ding to their own knowledge: They did not live againfi any they follow, to -– light within tbun, their confcie(\c~s .did not accefe them, but ?e duties enQ ·· escufe in all t~at they did ; and in this ffnfe we may !aythat ~yded by 1 many like Paul, in falfe anderronious wayes, do walk ~ith a 0 • . good confcience, if by good be meant aquiet~ peaceable and fatisfied confcience in what they do; although that doth not : escufe ,
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