Greenham - Houston-Packer Collection BX9315 .G82 1601

66 The thirdSermon. lider the zealeof Abrahaín, Mofs,lofta, Samuel, Daniel, lehafaphar, Ezekiah, we(hall ne- uer feeexpreffely in theword, chaseany time theyweremore zealous to others then to themfelues. We fee on thecontrary, how it bath been a fearefull noteofhypocrites, and fuchas hauefallen from the lining God, that they haue waded very deepely into other mens poflèflions, andgored verybloodilyinto the confciencesofothers, whoneuer once purged their owne vncleane linkesathome, nor drew one drop of blood out of their aeypocrdcaR owne hearts. How zealous (aswofull and late experienceRill cried'in our Bares) were Beale. fotne great reformersof the Church, who were readie to burft their bowels with crying, againft diforders abroad, and yet neuer reformed their owne confciencesat home, nor found themfelues any whit grieued fortheir owne finnes ? Thefè men being fo zealousto others, but onely throughfome ferret loue of the worldwhen they had that they fought for,made knowne their hollowand rottenzeale, in that without anygriefe ofccnfcicnce, theycould rufhinto a profoundworldlineffe, and without all godly forrow could after they had fatisfied their greedy and flefblyzeale, not onely more hardly Ièare vp their owne confciences, but alfo be fo chaunged that they fowe vp their lips, and fpare their wordsfrom fpeakingin thelikemanner againe to others, and fo are neither zealous to themfelues nor others. Truezealecafteth the firft (toneat our feines, and plucked' the beameoutof our owneeyes,thatweentaythe better draw the inure out ofanothers eye. And thisis thecondemnation of theworlde,that euery wan ;can prie and make a priuic fearch into thewantsof others, but they account the famewants nowants in themfelues. Thefather faith, thus thechild dot' ; fothe child faith, in this dutie doth his father faire : the husbandknoweth whatthe wifefhould do ; thewife feed' the duties of her husband; we thinke in this particularanother Ihouldbehaue himfelfe; but yet the father repenteth not of the finnes whichhe did beinga child, the child repenter' not of his finnesbeinga father,wecall not inour confciencesforthofc thingswhici wedare challenge and crieout for in others. Hereoffereth it felfe thefecondpropertie of wale,that it is fincere,and in the trued', it vrgeth our felues more thenothers, itmaketh vsthe snort festere cenfors of our owne foules, it isRri&eft toour felues,and Offered' libertie to others: and this fimólicitieappea-, retheither in inward corruption, or in the libertie ofoutward things: thefirst whereof doris fo humblevs inthe wants perfent, and inthofe corruptions, whichhang behindvs, thatweare zealousof thofefeciet milswhich arenot onely vnefpiedof others, butessen vnknowne alfo to ourfelues. Although the whole worlde cannotchargé vswithwant of dutie, yet confidering our'priuie corruptions, wee dayly declaimeagainftour felues, and 'Orthoughwe faywith the Apottle, though our confciences doe not -* oppreffevs, yetherein arewee n-ot kuororeothüeg iuftified, YeaInch oughtto beour familiaritieand acquaintance with ferret infirmities by°"rleises, in our felues, fogrieuous ought they to bein our eyes, in our cares, to our faces,that t.Cor.44. where we (hallfee, heare, andbehold the fumes ofothers, theymay be more tolerable, Homo ten_ and folearn by thefenfe ofour ownePores, todeale more mildly and meekely with the (reothertned. forts ofothers. Neither doe I mean that we fhould make other mens fhnnesno finnes, andthatwe fhould haueno kindeof cenfurevnto others, but that there fhould be that holymixture invs ache zeale of Godsglorie, and fightof humainecorruption, thatfor theone we maynot fpare to rebukeany finne ; andfor theother we maymoderateour rebukeswith mildnes and meeknes. Abrahamwas fo(Mato himfelfe, that hewould not takeof theKing ofSodom fomuch asa threed or alatchet,and yet hewould not denieA- ner, Efebo! andMaitre theirlibertie. lob would not permit to himfelfe, nordense to his children the libertieof feafting : fo that it is rather a Pharifaicall pride then a Chriftian zeale, to be too tetricall invrgingofothersfofarre, that whofóeuer ineuerypoint is not pureandprecifeas we,we caft them offasdogs and prophane perfons,andfuch asare vn- worthieofany account or countenance. This then muff beour pedagogic in this point, that as for thegloryof Godwhich is deerevntovs, weare not to leaue the lead finne vnefpied , orclickedmeanes vnattemp- ted to aduance thegloryofGod. So for thegrieuoufnesoffinne,fortheeaftnesto fall in- to finne,for thevilenes of corruptionwhichwehaueobferued in ourfelues,for theknow- ledge

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