86 rreatife ofthe edion,c. Uic,',r; tlmbrofc Chryfoiì. 4. Zeal makesa man excell. Proverb. Zeal males men like An eels, Gregor. Apoffle when he toldus your fervent minde, werejoyced the more, 2 Cor. y, rbr ;Aov ü¡.mv, {o it is in the Originali, when he toldus your zeal. Saint Paul wascheared to hear that. What greater difcouragemeut to a fchool- ik matter, then that his Scholars Ihould be dull and not profit ? What greater ditheartning wa Captaine, then that his fouldiers Ihould be faint- hearted, and without life ? and what greatergrief to a M;nifter, then that his people Ihould befenfle& and livelefle ? It made Jeremy wearyof his life : It 11 made the Prophet Micah lament bitterly. Woe is me, I am like the Grape- gleaners : It made theProphet Ifay cry out, I have laboured in vain.-Ou the contrary, when the people are zealous and forward, and drinke in the wordsof eternall life with all greedinefs, and bring forth fruit withabun - dance, this makes aMinifter gomerrily on inhis function. ZeloEcclefra Dei congregator, faith Saint Ambrofe ; It is zeale that does gather a Church, the zeal of the Minifter, and the zeal of thepeople ; the Lord quicken us in his mercy, that we may encourage oneanother daily : Let us be encouraged byyou when ye are reproved, be not offended. You think the Minifter fpights you, alas,we have no reafon to withanyof your fingers to ake, much leile to with that your fouls Ihould perifh. When S. Pa,el commanded that the incefluonsCorinthian Ihould be delivered to Satan,did he with him any, hurt ? No, deliver him unto Satan, (ayes he, for the deftru&ionofthe flesh, thatthe fpirit may be faved in the day of the Lord jefus,i Cor. s. ç J c 47«F ¡pair rr3-e;rÆúvarra'4 uc2;A }',&c.fayes Chryfoftome.Nomonal]man loved that offender inCorinth,more than Paul did, Layes he, when he would have himdelivered unto Satan. It was onely that hemight know he wa.; adam- ned wretch unlef e he amended, and that the devill Ihould have himuniefs hewere humbled. What was his reafon ? his reafon was this, that his f gle might be raved inthat day. O the Minifter preachesdamnation fooften, he isunmerciful) to our foules. O my brethren, we intend you the greateft mercies of heaven in fo faying,it is,that ye may not run into damnation, but mayrepent and believe the Gofpel. Do not thus difcourage us whom God hath feat toyou as his Miniffers to labour in the word and doctrine a- mong you, but ftir up your felves tobe zealous in hearing andobeying,that we may give up an account of your foules untoGodwith all cheér-fulnefs. Fourthly confider, you can neverbe excellent i f ye be not zealous, AGhriflian Ihould ftrive to excell : ant Cofaraor nullus ; nothing but the belt thould fuf- ficea Chriftian. Wouldeft thou then be excellent ? get this famezeal : zeal runs after the beff things; Covet earneftly the bell- things, i Cor. 12. 3 le The Word in the Originali is #AaJre, Be zealousafter the belt things : wouldelt thoube excellent inprayer, and excellent in theduties of religion ? be zea- lous therein. AChriflian is like fire : fire mounts up abfolutelyaloft,and af- cends above all. Sodoes a Chriftian : he is better than all the men of this world put them all together : like lob, there isnone like him in all the earth. Everyman cite faine would be excellent, a wordling ftrives to excell others in wealth, a pohrician to excell Others in wifdome, afcholar toexcell others in learning, a tradefman to excell others in his profeffion. He is ofa bate fpi- rit that does not dcfire to excellinforce thing: andThai not a Chriftian then defire to excell ingrace ? Fifthly, confider I pray, whoye maybe like ifonce yebe zealous ;ye way be like unto the e4ngelsofheaven, they are fpiríis andflaming fire,fays the Apo- f}le ,Heb. i . 7. If thou art zealous for God, thou art a bodily Seraphim ; though thoucanit neverbe without fin as long as thou liveff in this world, yet as gregory in the mouth ofzeale, thou mayeft fwallow up thy fins ; nothingwill devour and confume fink/ well as true zeal. Oget a coale of this fire then from Gods Altar, and heat thy heart with it, and while thou mayeft be like the bleffed Angels of God, benot like the brutith fobs of the
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