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Page 5
[Sidenote: 7 Variable and inconstant.]
Lastly, these Meteors and Vapours have no constant light, or continued
heat (as the fixed starres ever like themselves) but have onely their
aguish fits, & lunatick moods; sometimes in adversity they are good
under the rod, as _Pharaoh_, againe in prosperity like the fat kine of
_Bashan_, ingratefull and forgetfull: sometimes in prosperity when the
sunne of peace shineth on them, & the favourable influence of great
ones, they shoot foorth their blade with the corne on the house top,
running with the streame, & sayling with the winde; sometimes their
zeale depends upon the life of _Jehoiada_; sometimes on the company of
the Prophets: commonly in the beginning they blaze like straw-fire, but
in the end goe out in smoake and smother; whereas in their entrance into
profession, they galloped into shewes, and made some girds at hand, they
tire, give in, and end in the flesh, whereas all naturall motions are
swiftest toward their end.
[Sidenote: Be not over just hath 7. expositions heere 2. or 3. more
hereafter.]
The vestall fires were perpetuall, and the fire of the Altar never went
out. Spices and wefts of these evills may bee found in the sincerest
Christians: but they suffer not these dead flies to lie and putrefie in
the precious boxes of true zeale; of all these the Preachers caveat may
be construed, _Be not over just_, though it may also admit other
interpretations, as after shall appeare.
These are the speciall notes and symptomes of strange fires: the kinds
also are many, and might be distributed into many heads; but I will
reduce them into three, which are known by their names. [Greek:
pseudoz�los], _counterfet Zeale, false fire_. [Greek: tuphlos z�los]
_blinde Zeale, smoakie fire, or fooles fire, ignis fatuus_. [Greek:
pikros z�los], _turbulent Zeale, wilde fire_.
The first, wanting truth and sincerity, propounds sinister ends.
The second, knowledge and discretion, takes wrong wayes.
The third, love and humility, exceeds measure.
The first abounds amongst subtile & crafty professours, and is to be
abhorred and detected.
The second among simple & devout, is to be pitied and directed.
The third amongst passionate and affectionate, and is to bee moderated
and corrected.
The first is the meere vizor of zeale, looking asquint one way and
tending another; pretending God and his glory, intending some private
and sinister end; first, either of honour and promotion, as _Jehu_, who
marched furiously, and his word was the Lord of hosts, but his project
was the kingdome.
Secondly, at filthy lucre: as _Demetrius_ and his followers, who cried
great is _Diana_ of Ephesus; but meant her little silver shrines. It
cannot bee denied, but many such there were, who helped to pull downe
the Abbyes; not out of any hatred to those uncleane cages, but to reare
their owne houses out of the ruines, and spoyled copes to make cushions.
_Judas_ complained of superfluity, but greeved it fell besides his bag:
many hold temporalities tithes and glebes, unlawfull, because they are
loth to forgo them: If _Jezebel_ proclaime a Fast, let _Naboth_ looke to
his vine-yard; If the Usurer & Trades-man frequent Sermons, let the
buyer & borrower look to themselves. It is too common a thing to make
zeale a lure & stale, to draw customers; a bait of fraud, a net to
entrap; with malicious _Doegs_, to make it a stalking horse for revenge
against the Priest, thereby to discharge their gall at Ministers and
other Christians, for the omission and commission of such things, as
themselves care not for; with the _Strumpet_ in the Proverbs, to wipe
their mouthes, and frequent the Sacrifices, that they may be free from
suspicion.
All these evils, have I seene under the sunne-shine of the Gospell: but
by how much, zeale is more glorious then common profession, by so much
is dissembled fervency more detestable then usuall hypocrisie; yea, no
better then divellish villany & double iniquity: such painted walles and
whited sepulchers, the Lord will breake downe. Let all _Timothies_ &
_Nathanaels_ learne to descry them, and discard them: The cure of this
was deepely forelayd by Christ; _I counsell thee to buy gold tried in
the fire_: all is not gold that glistereth, an image of faith breeds but
a shew of zeale; many seemed to trust in Christ, but Christ would not
trust them: but such faith as will abide the fire, brings foorth zeale
that will abide the touch-stone.
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