206 i he Danger of Zeal, without Knowledge. V01..1. treacherous Mafacres, and all forts of hellifh Plots and Machinations ; witnefs the monftrous Defignof this day, never to be remembred or mentionedwithout horror, To have deflroÿedat one blow, and have fwallowed up in one common ruine, our King, and Prince, andNobles, and the ReprefentativeBody of the whole Nation;' witnefs the Bloody Maffacre of Ireland, and all their wicked Defigns and Pratlices continued to this very day. 3. And lafly, That zeal for God and Religion, does not alter the Nature of A&ions done upon that account. Ferfecution and Murder of the fincere Profeffors of Religion, are Damnable Sins ; and no zeal for God andReligion can excufe them, or take away the gtrilt of them ; zealfor God will juftifie no A&ion that we do, unlefsthere be difcretion to juftifie our zeal. There is nothing oftner mifleads Men, than a mifguided Zeal ; it is an ignisfa- tuus, afalfa fare, which often leads Men into Boggs and Precipices ; it appears in the Night, in dark and ignorant and weak minds, and offers it felfa guide to thofe who have loft their way ; it is one of the moll ungovernable Pallions of Human Nature, and therefore requires great knowledge and judgment to manage it, and keep it within bounds. It is like fire, a good Servant, but a bad Mafter; if it once get head, it confumes and devours all before it,- and the great danger and mifchief of it is, that it is molt commonly found where it fhould not be, and pof.. feßès thofe moil, who are leaft fit to govern it ; and molt frequentlyemployed about what it fhould not be; and ten to one but it is either miftaken in theObjeíl, or in the Meafure and Degree ofit ; and even when it is a Virtue, it is a nice and dangerous one ; for the wifeft Men are apt to mingle their own and Interefis with their Zeal for God and Religion. So that it is not enough that Men are ailed by a zealfor God, and do fincerely follow the dietates of theirConfciences ; but they muff be careful to inform their Confciences, andnot fuffer themfelves to be vio- lently tranfported and hurried on by their own Pallions and Prejudice, and by a blind and furious. zeal without knowledge. But what then ? Would we have Men not follow their own Confciences, or aft contrary to them ? No, by no means : For tho' Confcience be not our Rule; yet it is our immediate Guide ; and he does ill, who does all againft his Confcience. But Men muft be careful how they fettle their Practical Judgment of things, and conclude things to be Lawful or Unlawful, Duties or Sins, without Reafon and good Ground. God hath given us Underftandings, to try and examine things, and the light of his Word to dire& us in this tryal ; and if we will judge rafhly, and fuffer our felves to be hurried by Prejudice or Paillon, the Errours of our judgment become Faults of our Lives : For God expelts from us that we fhould weigh and confider what we do ; and when he hath afforded us light enough to difcernbetwixt Good and Evil, that we fhould carefully follow the dire&ion of it ; that we fhould be fufpicious of our felves, when our Zeal carries us to do things that are furious and cruel, falfeand treacherous, and have a horrid appearance even to the light ofNa- ture ; we fhould queftion that zeal which is fo contrary to Chriftian Goodnefs and Meeknefs, to. Peace and Charity, and which tends to Confufon andevery Evil Work. I will conclude all with that excellent Paffage of St. fames, which will chew us how little regard is to be had to many Mens Pretences of Zeal for Religion, james 3. i 3. Who is a wife man, and enduedwith knowledge among/i you ? Let himPhew out ofagood converfation his works with meeknefs of wifdam. But ifye have bitter zealand firife in your hearts ; glory not, and lye not againfl the truth. This wifdom defcended not from above ; but is earthly, fenfual, devilifh. For where zeal andpile is there is confulion, and every evil work. But the wifdom which is from above, isirft pure then peaceable, gentle, and eafie to be entreated; full ofmercy and good fruits; without partiality, and without. bypocrifie : And the fruit ofrighteoufnefs is fown inpeace ofthem that makepeace. SERMON
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