Men that differ from him: When he is not contented to oppofe Arguments to Arguments, and to endeavour to gain his Point by calm Reasoning; but he flies out into Rage and Fury; and when he is once tranfported herewith, he cares not what undecent bitter Reflexions he makes upon all those that have the Fortune to be of a different fide. But in thefe Cafes Men would do well to remember, that the Wrath of Man worketh not the Righteouf nes of God, as the Apoftle expreffes it. Al this kind of Behaviour favours of the Wisdom of this World, which is Earthly, and Senfual, and Devilish.

Fifthly, and Laftly, Another infeparable Property of Zeal according to Knowledge is, That it muft purfue lawful Ends by lawful Means; muft never do an ill Thing for the carrying the best Caufe. This St. Paul hath laid down as a Rule to be eternally observed among Chriftians, when in the Third of the Romans, he declares, that their Damnation is just, who fay, Let us do Evil, that Good may come. Be therefore our Point never fo good, or never fo weighty, yet if we ufe any dishonest, unlawful Arts, for the gaining of it; that is to fay, If we do any Thing, which is either in itself Evil, and appears to be fo by the natural Notices of Mankind, or which the Laws of our Holy Religion do forbid: I fay, in all fuch Inftances, we are Tranfgreffors. And though our Cause be very good, and our Ends very allowable; yet fince the means by which we would accomplish thofe Ends, are unwarrantable,

rantable, the whole Action, though proceeding from never fo much Zeal for God, is very Bad. For true Zeal, as it always fuppofeth a right Information of Judgment, as to the Matter of it, fo likewife it fuppofeth, that a Man fhould act in honeft Ways, and endeavour to attain his Ends by lawful Means.

And thus have I laid before you the Properties and Characters of that Zeal which is ace cording to Knowledge, which was the Third and laft Thing I propofed upon this Text; and I pray God we may always remember them whenever we have Occafion to exprefs a Zeal for any Thing, efpecially in Matters of Religion. All that remains now is, to make fome brief Application of my Text, with reference to the Bufinefs of the Day.

These Words, as I told you, were spoke of the Jews: But the Character here given of them, doth fo well fit a fort of Men, whofe fiery Zeal for God and their Religion, gave Occafion to the Solemnity of this Day; that it looks as if it were made for them. It is the Bigots of the Church of Rome that I mean; to whom we must do the fame Right that St. Paul here did his Country-men. We must bear them Record, that they have a Zeal of God, but not according to Knowledge.

Zealous they are fufficiently, as the Jews were, no Body doubts of it: But as for their Zeals being according to Knowledge, there is great Reason to doubt, they are as faulty in that Point, as St. Paul's Country-men were, Indeed, if you were to draw the Comparison

between the Jewish and Popifb Zealots, as to all the several Particulars that our Saviour and St. Paul take notice of, as Inftances of blind Zeal in the former; you would find in all those Particulars, both their Zeals to be much of a piece, not only as to the Fervour, but as to the Blindness of them.

Was it an Instance of Ignorant Zeal in the Jews, that they fet up their Traditions to the Difparagement of the Law of God? I pray, who are thofe that difparage the Holy Scriptures, by fetting their Traditions upon an equal Foot with them?

Were the Jews to be blamed for that they were fo zealous for their old Religion, as to oppofe that Reformation of it, which our Lord Jefus endeavoured to introduce among them, because they thought it was an Innovation? I pray, who are thofe, who, upon that very Ground, oppofe all Reformation at this Day, though yet the wifeft and beft Men among themselves are fufficiently fenfible, that there are great Corruptions both in their Doctrine and Worship?

Was it a Fault in the Jewish Zeal, that it placed Religion too much in Ceremonies and Formalities, in washing Cups and Platters, in tything Mint and Cummin, and the like, to the Neglect of the weightier Matters of the Law, Fuftice, and Mercy, and Faith? I pray, wherein is Image-worship, Invocation of Saints, Penan tes, Pilgrimages, the Ufe of Reliques, Holy Water, &c. I fay, wherein are thefe Things better than those? And yet we know who they

they are that lay fo great a Stress upon these and fuch other Things, that it may be truly faid, a great Part of their Religion is made up of them.

It would not be difficult to run the Parallel between the Zeals of the Two Religions, through feveral more Inftances; but it is an unpleasant Argument, and therefore, I will purfue it no farther.

Only one Inftance more of the Jewish Zeal I must not pass by, because it comes up fo fully to the Bufinefs of this Day.

So zealous were they for their Religion, that they did not care what fort of Means they made ufe of for the promoting of it, were they never fo wicked and unnatural. Our Saviour they hunted to Death with falfe Wit neffes; Stephen they ftoned out of pure Zeal in a popular Tumult; Forty of them folemnly bound themfelves under a Cure, that they would neither eat nor drink, 'till they had killed St. Paul: But all this, and a great deal more, our Saviour had foretold they would do, when he told his Apoftles; that the Time would come, when whofoever killed them, bould think that he did God good Service. A bleffed Way of doing God Service this is, to act fuch wicked inhuman Things as thefe! But fuch inhuman Things as thefe, doth a blind Zeal for Religion fometimes put Men upon. And that it doth fo, we cannot have a greater Proof (except what I have already mentioned) than the Practices of the zealous Men of the Church of Rome.

X 4

How

How many unlawful Arts have they used to fubject all the Chriftian World to their Lord and Master? How many Forgeries for this Purpose have they been the Authors of, and maintained them afterwards? How many Disturbances have they given to the Peace of Christendom, in the most unjust and unnatural Ways for the Advancement of the Papal Caufe? It was out of Zeal for God's Service, and the Intereft of Holy Church, that fo many Princes have been Excommunicated and Depofed; that fo many Tumults and Rebellions have been raifed; that fo many Crufado's, for the extirpating Hereticks, have been fent. out: By which, and fuch like Means, it may justly be computed, that as much Christian Blood has been fhed for the establishing Popery, as it now ftands, nay, and a great deal more, than ever was during all the Times of the Heathen Perfecutions for the fupporting of Paganifm.

But if there were no other Inftance extant in the World, to fhew what is to be expected from a blind Zeal, efpecially a blind Popif Zeal for Religion, that Inftance which the Deliverance of this Day doth give us Occafion to mention, would be alone fufficient to inform us When, for no other End, but for the Advancement of Popery, and the rooting out that Peftilent Herefie of the Reformation, which infefted these Northern Climates, a Company of Popish Zealots entred upon the most Barbarous and Inhuman Project that ever was undertaken by Men; even neither better nor worfe