Serra. XXIX. from Nliflaken Zealots. 2 1 I Of this we have a plain and full inftance in the Scribes and Pharifees, the chief Priefts and Rulers among the Jews, who becaufe they fought the Honour of Min, and not that which was from God, and loved the Praife of Men, more than the Praife ofGod ; becaufe they were prejudiced againft the Meannefs of our Saviour's Birth and Condition, and had upon falfe Grounds ( tho' as they thought upon the Infallibility of Tradition, and of Scripture interpreted by Tradition) entertain'd quite other Notions of the Mefas, fromwhat he really was to be ; becaufe they were proud and thought themfelves too wife to learn of him ; and becaufe his Do&rine of Humility, and fslf-Denial, did thwart their Intereft, and bring down their Authority and Credit among the People ; therefore they fet themfelves againft him with all their Might, oppofing his Doftrine, and blotting his Reputation, and perfecuting him to the Death ; and all this while did bear up themfelves with a conceit of the Antiquity and Priviledges oftheir Church, and their profoundKnow- ledge in the Law of God, and a great External thew of Piety and Devotion," and ati. arrogant Pretence and Ufurpation ofbeing the only Church and People of God in the World,: And byvirtue of thefe Advantages, they thought they might do any thing; and that whofoever oppofed the Authority of fa ancient andgoodaChurch, mutt needs be very bad -Men, and deferve to be proceeded againft in the feveteft manner. As if any pretence of Piety couldgive a Priviledge to do wickedly, and by how much the Wifer and Holier any Man took himfelf to be, he might do fp much the worfe things. There is another remarkable Inflanee of this inSt. Paul, who out ofa blind and furious Zeal, for the Traditions of his Fathers , perfecuted the true Church of God, by fmprifonment and Death, and all mannerof Cruelties ; and all this while he verily thought that he was in the right, and that he ought to do all thefe things againft the name of pfus of Nazareth. And if God had not in a miraculous manner checkt him in his courfe, and changed his Mind, he wouldhave fpent his whole life in that courfe of Perfecution and Cruelty, and would (with Pope Paul the IV. upon his Death-Bed) have recommended the 'Ínquifition (or if he could have thought of any thing more fevete) to the chief Priefts and Rulers of the Jewifh Church. I will not trouble you with nearer Inftances ; tho' the Jewifh Church is not the only Church in the World, that hath countenanced the Deftrultion and Extir- pation of thófe who differ from them, as a piece of veryacceptable Service to. God, and meritorious ofthe Pardon of their Sins. S. 1 obferve that fuch Actions as thefe are never the lefs horribly Wicked and Impious, notwithftanding the good Mind with which, and the good End forwhich they are done. The Jews were not excufed from the guilt of Perfecution and Murder, for all they thought they did well, in killing the Difciples of our Lcrd. For to make an A&ion good and acceptable to God, the goodnefs of all Caufes, and ofall.Circumftances, muff concur ; and any one defe& in any of thefe, does vitiate thewhole A&ion, and fpoil the goodnefs of it. We mutt do it with agood Mind, being verily' perfwaded that what we do is good and acceptable to God; in which.fenfe St. Paul faith, that whatever is not ofFaith is Sin; and we muff do . it for a good End, for the Honour of God, and the Service of Religion, and the Benefit and Edification ofMen. " But there is one thing wanting yet, which is of- ten forgotten, but is mainly confiderable, viz, what we do with a Good Mind, and to aGood End, mutt be Good andLawful in it Pelf, commandedor allowed, or at haft not forbidden by God If it be ; what good Circumftasices foever may belong to theA&ion, the whole Altion is ftark nought ; .becaufe the very Matter and Subftance ofit is Evil, and Unlawful, and Damnable, tho' done for never fa good an End. So St. Paul tells us, that they who faid they might do evil, that good might come, their damnation was.jug. He tells us indeed, that force would have charged this Doftrine upon the Chriftians, and particularly upon himfelf; but he reje&s it, with the greateft deteftation ; and (which is not unworthy of our obfervation) in his Epiftle to the Roman Church ; as if the Spirit ofGod, tot whom all Titnes are prefent, had particularly dire&ed him to give this Caution to - E e 2 that
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