Fenner - Houston-Packer Collection BX5133.A1 F37 1657

freatife oftheAffeE/ionL 6 'a man have a truc zeal ofaflc&ion toa thing,he affécteth that thingwith ab-; folaue affe&ion; Let it toff what it can,he affeas it; let it toff himall charges, andall pains, and all difficulties, yea though it colt himhis life, he will have it,when he does abfolutely af%& ir.So that then isa man zealous for God and for grace, when his affections ftand abfolutely that way. May be heel be glad fo he may get it at an eafie rate ; but if he cannot, alas, hemutt have it he concludes upon that , though it toff him fighes , groanes , every dayes flrivings , every dayes labour, praying, meditating , repenting, parting with all his lulls , although never fo dear. O his foul does affe& it on that manner , he mull and he will have it , rather then life. This man is zealoufly affected towards grace, and towards God , becaufehe affects it abfolutely. Thus yob was zealous in afte&ingGods Word, he eftecined it abrve his neceffary food, Job 23, 12. He does not fay abovehis daily food , for fo he might do and not be zealoufly affected therewith; but he affected Gods Word above his neceffary food, above all food abfolutely , without which his life could not confìft ; without which a man dies : fuch food as this, comes neareft of all outward things to be abfolutely affected. A man affects it above lands, and above livings, above his/dyer, and hisgold, above all his pkafgresandgamings, a man will part with them all, rather thenpart with hisneceffary food. Yet Job affe- Lled Gods Word above it. And thereforehe affected it zealoufly. This is the lafl thing in zeal. It isupon that whichdoes abfolucely affect. Albeit, now it may partlyappear by thevery definition ofzeale , that it is due only to God; a manmuff not be zealous about any thing, nor zealoufly affe&ed with any thing , but only withGod and his worship, Neverthe- Iefle we mayyet further prove it. Firft,becaute zeal is the religiouspart ofthe affellions of the foule,. Now the Zeale is due religious part ofthem arc due only to God. only to God. I profited in the loves Religion, being zealots, of the traditions of my Fa- Becaufeitis t¢e' thers, fayes Paul, Cal, I. i 4.'he makes zeal the character ofhis Religion. religious part Seeft thou a man zealous then after profits, and moil earneft to get means j the afettions: and maintenanceand the things of this life? that manmakes gain his Religi- on. Seeft thou a man zealous after any thing ? that's his Religion. Zeal is the religious part of theaffections, and therefore it's due only untoGod. Secondly, as zeal is the religious part of our affe&ions : So alto it is the z; molt ofevery affeîtion, and therefore onlydue untoGod Zeal is the molt of Secaufe Keare is every at that a man does. That which the mind minds molt and ftudirs the molt ofeve-, moft, that it minds zealoufly; that which the mem3ry remembers moft,which ry affettion. the heart wills moft, it willszealously. That which a man fearesmolt, and loves molt, and defres moll, that it does zealoufly. Now if zeal be the moft of every aF,l of the foule, it mutt needs be Idohatry to place it anywhere elfe but in the ferviceof God. Doeft thou meditatemolt, and think! moft ofthe World ? thy thoughts are idolatrous, Doeft thou talke moll and con Terre molt of the things of the World ? thy words arc idolatrous. Doeft thou carke molt and care mot} ? doelt thou love molt , and rejoyce molt in any things of this life ? thine of e&ions are idolatrous. Doeft thou .xorrow molt for eraihes, and lofhes, and difgraces, and the like, more then thou grieveft for thy fumes ? shy grief is idolatry, That's the hearts Idoli , which it loth affe& molt. How often is Gó4 in Scripture called the moft High ? the molt High , 4ítr 7. 48, If he be the rtroft high, then themolt high ofevery a&,and ofevery affcction'muft be for'hini Thevery Heathen call God , Dens Optimais Maximus, God themoil:food, and the molt great : fo likewife he is the moft terrible , and tlir molt holy,: and the moil Oft; and therefore the molt of our afte&ions muff needsbe due untohim. Zeale is themolt ofevery one of the affe&ions, and that onely is finable;

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