Fenner - Houston-Packer Collection BX5133.A1 F37 1657

`I'reatifè ofthe AIRE/ions. 85 fa{hion theymuff follow; and this pleafu:e theymuff take, and this liberty they mutt ufe. O if thouwouldeff be zealous,chou mayeft cafilybe revenged on thy lufts; hereby thou mayeftbe revenged on the Devill, and fpight his kingdom to advance Chrifts; hereby thoumayeft be revenged on thyflefh, that bath played the traitor iooften with thee,thou maift itsandmaft- er it and block ir,and fubdue it:hereby thou maift tread upon the world that bath' fo often ensnared thee,thou mayeft fcorn it and contemn ir,and all the glory of it,and count it as droffe and dung in comparifonof Ch rift: hereby thou mayeft trample Satanunder thy feet. It is a ftrange thing how little men ftudy to be revenged on thefe enemies ; let our own brother give us but a croffe- word,we arcat daggers drawing tobe revenged;but the Devil may baffle us, :.ud the. Devill may tempt us, and beguile us, weput it all up : Let a fervant but angerus a little, and offend us but in a peece of fervice, or an errand, Owe arc fo revengefull,and ready to make them (mart for it!but fin may croffeus inour fouls, and rob us of Calif}, and deprive us of grace, and mete y,aud peace,aud all ; yet we are good friends with it,we take nothing amif ; alas,thde menare inonffersand madmen one day thou (halt fee that fin and thy luft,andSatan, whole temptations thou haft been led by,8tc. theyare the worft enemies in the world ; and ifever thou defireft to byre- venged upon them, O endeavour tobe zealous: Z, Secondly, confider thouwilt never be able to doe good unto others, un- Zeal inablesus leffc thou be zealous. VI henmen goe dreamingly on in Religion, they can to doe goodunto never do gooduponothers:what do others thinke ? they think balely and others. meanly thereof, as if it were a matter ofnothing ; but when they fee a man zealous,this affè&s them indeed, ifany thing will do it. When aman iszea- lous at a game he laugheth exceedingly,he is as merry as he can Rand on his legs:another man that {hallfee it, will be apt to demand what fine merry piealant game is.that ? fo it is with ambitious men, when a man is zealous for a living, he rides through thickand thin, through froff and snow all the night long, this friend he feeks to, and that Noble man he Oyes to, to help him in his luit : what will folks fay?certainly he isgoingabout Come great lì- vingor other, lie is fo eager about it. So if thouwouift b zealous for God, and fervent in religion, men would be compelled to conceive better of godlineffc, and of Chrift, then thou mighteft provoke others to godli- nefte., Zeal is provokinggrace, roar zeal heath provoked very many.z Cor.9.2. Aszeal in charity provokes, fo does zeal in every good worke provoke. Theodorete WhereTheodsret obfervs the wifdome of Paul, for he provokes the Macedo- in loum. mansby the zeal of the Corinthians, and the Corinthians by the zeale of the Macedonians ; for zeal does mutually provoke one another. Owhat adeal of gord mightit thou do in the houle where thoudwelleft,in theParifh where thou iiveft, in the Countrcy where thou art, ifthou wouift labo.ir to be zea- lous 1 I knew an oldman,whether he be dead now or alive,I know not,thar tired conftautly to go to the labouring men in the field, and catechize them andpofe them in Religion, as they were reaping and working;he would go tomens {hops where he was acquainted, and flit them up co have care of their fouls, and by thismeans, brought above forty men and women to feek out for Heaven, that before hadnomore care that way, then it they had been like a companyof beafts. Wouldeft thou not beglad to dogood?thou wilt never be able to do it,: xcept thou be zealous.Paul had women,and fun- d ry private Chriftians that arefaid to labour with him in the Goipel. This this beloved, would caufe Religion to thrive hereamongus. Thirdly,confider I prayyou,thou wilt difcourage tu that are GodsMiniflers, except thoube zealous. Ifmenwould be zealous in hearing, and zealous peoples peal iii- proficients, it would make us go cheerfully on in our callings* VVhen eouragerh Titus told 'Pawl the fervent minde of the Corinthians, it encouraged the niters. M 3 Apoftle

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