2. Why all that love the Word they should have this Great and Pure Zeal I. What is true Zeal There is a carnal zeal and there 's a spiritual zeal First The carnal zeal to begin with that is Threefold 1. That which comes from an ill cause and produceth ill effects An ill cause as hatred of mens persons or envy at their Gifts and Excellencies or their success and happiness in the World Iam. 3. 14. If ye have bitter envying in your hearts it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if you have bitter zeal in your hearts There is a kind of bitter zeal and malignity at their excellency whether Gifts Graces Rank Dignity in the World And ver 16. he tells us this bitter zeal produceth confusion and every evil work To be consumed and eaten out with envy is little commendable This is not the zeal of the Text With this zeal were the chief Priests filled when they saw that the Gospel came into some reputation and that the people do what they could did haunt and frequent it we read Acts 5. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we render it they were filled with indignation it is in the Greek and in the Margin they were filled with zeal with this bitter zeal malignity envy indignation they would bestir themselves to suppress the growing Gospel by all the means that possibly they could 2. There 's an other sort of carnal zeal which hath an ill Object though it may be a good Cause from whence it proceeds such as an ignorant zeal which proceeds from some love to that which men call Religion but falsly and so the Apostle saith Rom. 10. 2. I bear them witness that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge and such a zeal had Paul when he was a Pharisee he gives us an account of it Gal. 1. 12 14. How that beyond measure I persecuted the Church of God being more exceedingly zealous of the Traditions of my Fathers Paul was a man that never acted against his Conscience no not when he was a Pharisee he still acted according to his Light but when he was blinded with Pharasaical prejudices he wasted the Church of God and was exceedingly zealous for a false Religion This is such a zeal as possibly might have a tolerable Cause but it had a bad Object a zeal about the Dictates of a deluded Conscience and this zeal perniciosior est quo flagrantior is the more pernicious the more earnest it is it hath often raised confusions in the Church when men are led with a blind zeal they think for God if they be under then they make divisions if they get a top then they are persecuting and oppressing this is the zeal of a deluded Conscience In short zeal must have a right object otherwise it may be great but cannot be Good Pure and Holy 3. An other false zeal is when it hath no ill Object but it exceeds in the measure and degree and is far beyond the weight of the thing that it is laid out upon this is a superstitious a tristing zeal which runs out to Externals and is altogether employed about lesser things of Religion as the Pharisees Math. 23. 23. That made a great business about a small matter Titheing Mint and Anise and Cummin but neglected weighty Duties Faith Judgment Righteousness and the great things of the Kingdom of God The Apostle tells us Rom. 14. 17. The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink in being of this party and that Many all their care and strength of their souls runs out in matters of less importance and keeping up a Party and Faction in Religion we should first make Conscience of principal matters Superstitious scupulosity is always damagefull like those that come into a shop to buy a penny-worth of a Commodity and steal a pounds-worth O! they have a great zeal for lesser things when it runs out mightily about outward things either for that or against that and in the mean time they cherish the World Pride Envy carnal evil Affections that are destructive to and the bane of Godliness Secondly There 's a spiritual holy zeal which we may describe 1. By it's Cause 2. By it's Object 3. By it's Effects 4. By it's Use as to publick Reformation 5. As to it's Use as to Christians private Exercises to carry on the spiritual Life with fervour warmth and vigour 1. I am to speak of the Cause of it The true Cause of holy zeal is Love to God and what belongs to God Zeal is ferventis amoris gradus a higher degree of Love it is the fervor of Divine Charity We should mark still what spirit enflames the zeal that we have Every man is eaten up with one kind of zeal or another The zeal of the World eats up many Ps. 127. 2. They bereave their souls of good and all for a little pelf they work in the Fires they load themselves with thick clay The zeal of the Flesh inflames many they are mad upon carnal delights can let go all considerations so as they may fulfil their lusts they are consumed with these kind of zeales Another spirit should be working in us a zeal for God and that comes from an entire Love to God When the soul doth heartily and earnestly love God above all then there 's a strong desire of promoting Gods glory and interest there should be that spirit which breathes in our zeal and with this zeal should we be eaten up and spent Now they that love God will love all them which belong to God Friends have all things Common so it is between us and God the injuries done to him will be as grievous to us as if they were done to our selves Psal. 69. 9. For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me and the glory that comes to them is as acceptable as if some great benefit had come to us Act 15. 3. Declaring the Conversion of the Gentiles and they caused great joy unto all the Brethren O! this is great joy to a gratious soul when Gods interest thrives in the world O! this is that they would willingly hear spoken of their hearts are upon it when Gods interest stands or falls such an earnest desire of the glory of God which is the highest degree and measure of Love to God! 2. Let us speak of the Object of zeal In three things Gods interest lies in the World viz. His Truth His Worship and His Servants Now it is not enough to have zeal that we do not oppose any of these but they must be tenderly regarded and looked after and we must be affected with these things as we would with our own concernments When wrongs are offered to any of these either to Gods Truth his Worship or his Servants they must go more nearly to our hearts then any personal injuries done to our selves What we cannot remedy we must mourn for All these
nest it is all but the deceit of the heart and usually we find it to be so in the world Most men are better acquainted with other mens duties rather then their own with the Magistrates duties more than their own and so other mens sins more then their own But it is not so where zeal is unfeigned there it begins at home they will allow nothing in their own hearts that may be contraryto Gods interest and to the soveraignty of his spirit 2. Also in perfecting Holiness The whole business of the spiritual Life must be carried on in warmth and vigor Rom. 12. 11. Fervent in Spirit serving the Lord. It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seething hot in spirit Nothing done for God should be done negligently but affectionately To be luke-warm and key-cold that makes no work in Religion But when a man hath a great zeal for God O! then he profits and gets ground then sin decays grace is strengthned love is more rooted in his Heart every day and he doth more for God Paul profited in the Jewish Religion Gal. 1. 14. Why Because he was more zealous then others This is the man that will be the honour of Gods Ordinances that man that will shew forth the vertue and power of Religion when his heart grows warm for God and zealous for God II. Why we ought to look after a great and pure zeal if we have any Love to God and the Law of God and his Ways 1. Why a great zeal 1. Because it is not zeal else if it be not in some good degree for zeal is a great fire and a vehement flame not only Love but vehement Love it must needs be great Cant. 8. 6 7. For Love is as strong as death jealousie is cruel as the Grave Zeal is cruel as the grave read it so many waters cannot quench Love c. Mark our love to the ways of God should be of such a nature such a warm and zealous working of heart towards God that many floods cannot quench it that nothing can bribe it Surely the best things deserve the best affections therefore what ever we do in Religion and for God we should do it with all our might Eccl. 9. 10. 2. Otherwise it will not do the work Such as encreaseth with opposition as fire when you put on more fuel it grows more vehement so unless it be a zeal that grows earnest with discouragement alas it will soon be quenched We shall meet with many discouragements from within and without but when we can resolve with David the more they scoffed and opposed him he would be yet more vile 2 Sam. 6. 22. So the more trouble they meet with in the ways of God the more they will cleave to him and will please God though with the displeasure of men True zeal is enflamed with difficulties As Lime the more water they pour on the more it burns as Nehemiah's Courage it sparkled the more the more it was opposed should such a man as I flee Should I betray the Cause of God This is the true zeal when it sparkles by opposition As Paul the more they perswaded him the more he seemed to be bound in spirit to go to Ierusalem Acts 21. 13. Though they did even break his heart they could not break his purpose Such a zeal as is quenched with every drop of water and goes out with every flout and scorn will never do it therefore we had need have a great zeal that we may harden our selves against all oppositions we meet with in the way 2. It needs to be pure too such a fervent affection had need be right for since it makes men so active and resolute certainly it should go upon clear grounds I shewed before nothing hath done more mischief in the world than wild zeal it is like fire out of its place that sets all the House in a flame it doth not comfort and refresh those that have it but it destroys and consumes all But why must we have pure zeal 1. Because there is a false zeal and a self-seeking zeal which men have while they pretend much Love to God and good of souls but are really hunting after their own interest Gal. 4. 17. They zealously affect you but not well yea they would exclude you that ye might affect them that is they sought to rend their affections from Paul and from their faithful Pastors that they might affect them so he tells us Phil. 1. 15. Some indeed preach Christ even of Envy and Strife There may be a zeal that comes meerly out of Envy and Strife Iehu could say come see my zeal for the Lord 2 Kings 10. 16. 2. This false zeal doth a great deal of mischief It 's a dishonour to God to pretend to him and to put the varnish of our Cause upon God God himself is involved in the deceit Ier. 4. 10. It 's a strange expression to be used to God Ah Lord God surely thou hast greatly deceived this People the false Prophets did it in his name And it divides the Church as well as dishonours God Gal. 4. 17. They would exclude you that ye might affect them The meaning is they would rend you from the Body of the Christian Church and alienate the minds of Gods People so as to devote them to a Faction Phil. 1. 16. They preach Christ of Contention not sincerely supposing to add affliction to my bonds And it hardens the Persons themselves as Iehu boasted of his zeal and it was only self-seeking and the Lord counts it Murder Hosea 1. 4. Use. Have we this Pure zeal such a zeal as David speaks of There are many Notes by which it may be discerned as 1. When injuries done to God and Religion affect us more then injuries done personally to our selves when we carry our selves in an indifferency in our own Cause but not in Gods compare Numb 12. 13. with Exod. 32. 19. Moses could with a Meek Spirit bear all the injuries done to himself but could not contain himself when he saw injury done to God but breaks the Tables 2. When the same Enemies are Gods Enemies and ours David was sensible not of the inhumanity of his Enemies but that which most troubled him was because they were Gods Enemies and forsook his words David was not so much troubled at Absaloms Rebellion as dying in his sins 3. When there 's a Compassion mingled with our Zeal Fleshly Anger is all for destruction holy Anger is for Conversion when they grieve and seek to redress the matter 4. True zeal is Universal it is most against their own sins and the sins of those that are nearest and runs out upon weighty things But those that Tithe Mint and Cummin and neglect weighty things they have not true zeal There are many instances of this false disproportionate zeal of a Conscience taken up for a turn when there 's a partial Conscience in some things men are mighty scrupulous and strain at a Gnat
5. 6. Faith which worketh by Love Well this quickning that I may most sensibly demonstrate it depends upon these two things 1. The Vitality of Grace that depends upon the degree and measure of our Faith For to speak nothing as to the mystical use as it is a means of our Function of Life but to speak only now as to its moral use as it acts by the sight of invisible things keep Faith alive and all is alive in the Soul Heb. 11. 1. Faith is the evidence of things not seen it doth make things absent and things not seen to act as if they were present therefore it must needs be a very enlivening thing Without Faith our notions of God Christ Heaven and Hell are never practical and lively in operation for this is the evidence of things not seen and this convinceth us of all Spiritual and unseen things to make them have a force and operation upon the soul. We do but hear read and discourse litterally until Faith puts life into our apprehensions and thoughts of them For Faith will affect us as if we did see the invisible God and will put the same affections into us as if Christ were Crucified before our eyes Gal. 3. 1. What is the reason the Mistery of Redemption is a wild story to some lively to others Faith affects the heart as if he were crucified before our eyes and his Life dropt out from him by degrees So Faith makes us hug and embrace them as if we were in the midst of the Glory of the blessed ones Take it only in its moral use it is an enlivening thing And as Faith is kept up in any Vigour so the spiritual Lise is kept up 2. For Love When we have a fresh and warm Sense of the Love of God upon our Souls we are quickned to do for him answerable to such a Love and our Souls reasons What hath God done so great things for us in Christ and we do nothing for God again Then we see we cannot do any thing too much Love hath a law upon the Soul that stirs up lively and Zealous motions towards God 2 Cor. 5. 14. The love of Christ constraineth us 1 Ioh. 5. 3. His Commandements are not grievous Then every thing goes on Pleasantly and runs upon it's Wheels Secondly Why will they that long after Gods Precepts see a need of quickning 1. Because of the Diseases incident to the renewed Estate There 's a constant weakness by reason of in-dwelling Corruption The flesh lusteth against the Spirit Gall. 5. 17. They cannot serve God with that Purity and Liberty they desire Then there are frequent indispositions of Soul sometimes they feel a slowness and loathness and dulness in their Souls Good men may yet be slow of Heart to heavenly things Luk. 24. 25. Look as the Physitian saith weariness that comes of its own accord is a sign of some Disease upon us Laziness in Duty comes from a remiss Will Sometimes too they find great Deadness that they cannot follow their work so close and with that Life and Earnestness And sometimes they are in Bonds sometimes in Straits that they cannot enlarge and dilate themselves towards God Psal. 119. 32. When thou shalt enlarge my Heart I will run the ways of thy Commandments Now they that mind their work they will be Sensible of this and call upon God to quicken them David complains of the dulness and deadness of his Spirit but many do not but go on in a Cold track of Duties and rever regard the frame of their Hearts But now a good man observes the Temper of his Soul Most observe their Bodies but few their Souls If their body be ill at ease and out of order they Complain presently but Love waxeth Cold Zeal for God and delight in God abateth men grow weary in Well-doing grow flat have this remiss Will this Deadness and Slowness of soul in the love of God they can satisfie themselves in this Frame and Temper 2. Because too without this supervening and quickning Grace they can never serve God cheerfully nor do any thing to purpose in the Heavenly life our general work of Obedience goes on slowly Psal. 119. 88. Quicken me so shall I keep the Testimony of thy Mouth then I shall do good to purpose But Religion is an irksome thing when we are Dead-hearted For particular Duties it is not enough to Pray but it must be with Life Psal. 80. 18. Quicken us and we will call upon thy Name It is not enough to Hear but to hear with Life Mat. 13. 15. It is a judgment to be dull of hearing 3. As it is uncomfortable to themselves to Act without quickning Grace so it is a thing very hateful with God a cold luke-warm Temper Rev. 3. 16. I will spew thee out of my Mouth This dull and stupid Profession is contrary to God and hateful to God and such as content themselves with this dead Profession God will spew them out of his mouth And it is contrary to all the provision God hath made for us Christ is set up as a fountain of Grace in our nature Iohn 10. 10. I am come that they might have Life and that they might have it more abundantly The Lord hath justified us by his Grace sprinkled our Hearts that we might serve the living God serve him in a living manner for Titles given to God imply the qualification in hand Heb. 9. 14. and he hath sanctified us planted Grace in our Hearts on purpose to maintain the life given us that there might be a lively Hope And all hearing is for Life Isa. 55. 3. we come to lively Oracles that we may be quickned The joys of Heaven Redemption by Christ Hells Torments these Doctrines are all quickning truths And the Lord hath given his flesh not only to God for a sacrifice but to us for Food that we may live Iohn 6. 51. Therefore to be cold it is Odious to God Use 1. For Caution 1. Let us take heed we lose not quickning through our own default that we lose not this enlivening Grace We may lose it by any hainous Sin of ours for by grieving the Spirit we bring on deadness upon the Heart Psal. 51. 10 11 12. When David sinned hainously he begs the Lord to quicken him and restore his free Spirit and the joy of his Salvation The spirit is a tender thing Every hainous sin is as a wound in the Body which lets out the life Blood and so we contract a Deadness upon our selves 2. Take heed of immoderate Liberty or Vanities of the world or Pleasures of the flesh if you would not lose this quickning The Apostle tells us 1 Tim. 5 6. The woman that liveth in Pleasure is dead while she Liveth Pleasures have a strange infatuation they bring a brawn and deadness upon the Heart and hinder the Sprightliness of spiritual and Heavenly affections Psal. 119. 37. Turn away mine Eyes from beholding Vanity And quicken thou me
right vein thus he cureth Paul's pride by a troublesome disease None that study Providence but may observe the wisdome of God in the kind of Affliction and how suitable it is to the work it is to doe for God doth all things in Number Weight and Measure Partly by the manner how it cometh upon us by what Instruments and in what sort how many make themselves miserable by an imagined cross and so when all things without are well their own humours and passions make them a burden to themselves and when they are not wounded in point of Honour nor lessened and cut short in Estate nor assaulted in their Health nor their Relations diminished and cut off but are hedged round about with all temporall happiness there seemeth to be no room or place for any affliction or trouble in their bosomes yet in the fulness of their sufficiency God maketh them a terrour and burden to themselves either by their own fears or misconceit or the false Imagination of some loss or disgrace God maketh them uncomfortable and full of disquiet and though they want nothing yet they are not at ease yea more troubled than those that are called out to conflict with real yea the greatest evils Haman is an instance he was one of the Princes of the Kingdome of Persia flowing in wealth and all manner of delights in degree of Dignity and Honour next the King himself and flourishing in the hope of a numerous and fair Issue yet because Mordecai a poor Jew did not doe him expected Reverence all this availeth me nothing Esth. 5. 19. So soon can God send a worm into the fairest Gourd and a dissatisfaction into the most flourishing Estate in the world that men shall have no rest night and day especially if a spark of his wrath light into the Conscience Psalm 39. 11. When thou with rebukes dost correct man for his iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth surely every man is vanity Selah There is a secret moth that eateth up all their Contentment they are under terrour discouragement and want of peace God teacheth them that nothing can be satisfactorily enjoyed apart from his blessed self A fire not blown shall consume them Iob 20. 26. partly in the Continuance of Afflictions God ordereth taketh off and layeth on Afflictions at his own pleasure and as he seeth it conducible to our Profit Variety of Afflictions may meet together on the best and dearest of God's Children there being in the best many corruptions both to be discovered and subdued and many Graces to be tryed 1 Pet. 1. 6. Wherein ye greatly rejoyce though now for a season if need be ye are in heaviness through manifold Temptations And Iames 1. 2. My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers Temptations One trouble worketh into the hands of another and the succession of them is as necessary as the first stroak We often force God to renew his Corrections ab assuetis nulla fit passio things to which we are accustomed do not affect us therefore under a generall Affliction there come in many special ones to rub up our sense and make it work the better Under publick calamities we have a private one and they come one in the neck of another like waves When God hath begun he will make an end and bring his discipline to some more comfortable and perfect issue In all these things the wisdom of God is to be observed 4. The Affliction so sent hath a notable use to reduce us to a sense and care of our duty This is often pressed in the scripture the fruit of all shall be to take away their sin Afflictions are compared in Scripture to Fire that purgeth away our dross 1 Pet. 1. 7. Now for a season if need be ye are in manifold Temptations that the Tryal of your faith being much more precious than of Gold that perisheth though it be tryed with fire might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Iesus Christ. To the fan that driveth away the chass Mar. 3. 12. Whose fan is in his hand and he will throughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the garner but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire To a pruning hook that cutteth off the luxuriant branches and maketh the other that remain the more fruitfull Iohn 15. 2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit To Physick that purgeth away the sick matter Isa. 27. 9. By this therefore shall the iniquity of Iacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sin To plowing and harrowing of the ground that destroyeth the ill weeds and fitteth it to receive the good seed Ier. 4. 3. Break up your fallow-ground and sow not among thorns To the file that worketh off our rust and the flail that maketh our husk fly off So Heb. 12. 11. No affliction for the present seemeth joyous but grievous nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them that are exercised therewith The Affliction hath a necessary tendency to so comfortable an effect But because Generals do but beat the air and do not so well fit themselves in the mind I shall shew you it is either the means of our first conversion or subservient to the Reformation of those that are converted 1. It is a means of our first Conversion How many begin with God upon the occasion of Afflictions The time of sorrows is a time of loves The hot furnace is Christ's work-house where he formeth the most excellent vessells of Honour and Praise for his own use Manasseh Paul and the Jailor in the Acts were all chose in the fire as the Lord saith Isa. 48. 10. I have chosen thee in the furnace of Affliction where God began to discover his choise by his working on their Affections All men are vessels capable of any forme therefore God puts them into the furnace Most of us are taken in our month as the Ram that Abraham offered was caught in the thickets When stout and stubborn sinners are broken with want and distress then they come to themselves and think of returning to their Father Luke 15. 17 18. And when he came to himself he said how many hired servants of my Fathers have bread enough and to spare and I perish with hunger I will arise and go to my Father c. Afflictions make us more serious conscience is then apt to work Before we were guided by the wisdome of the flesh and governed by our carnal Appetite never minded heavenly things till God get us under and then we bethink our selves Have you never known any instance in this kind that whilst they were young rich strong noble all their humour was for vain pleasure to day hunting to morrow hawking another day feasting and then brawling fighting drinking
day of the Lord is near or already begun when the smoke foresheweth the fire is a coming and the Decree ready to break forth these are mourning times 2. The reasons why this is the duty and property of Gods Children they do it out of obedience 't is their duty and they do it out of an innate disposition 't is their property First 'T is their duty because God hath commanded it Now all Gods Commands are equal and full of reason And there is a great deal of reason why God should lay this kind of duty upon the Creature First That it may be an allay to zeal That is an excellent and well-tempered zeal when grief is mixed with anger as it is said of Christ He looked about with anger and was grieved at the hardness of their hearts When we are angry at the sin and mourn for the person and mourn over him Zeal against the sin that shews our love to God and our commiseration of the person that shews our love to man Samuel spared not Saul in his sin yet mourned for him And all the Prophets of God you shall find when they were threatning the people for their sins were grieved lest their threatnings should be accomplished False zeal hath malice and mischief it mourns not for the person because it coveteth his shame and destruction Now it is the great wisdom of God he would have this temper mixed There must be anger for the offence done to God and a grief that our Brother hath offended The world is apt to cry out upon the Children of God as persons peevish and rancorous but this is a rare vindication when they see you as apt to mourn as to chide that all your expostulations with them come rather from Conscience than interest 't is an excellent allay and praise to publick zeal Secondly God would have us mourn for the sins of others to engage us to seek redress and reformation We should soon neglect the duty that we owe to the Age and place where and when we live were it not for this that the want of it would be burthensome to us and the abounding of iniquity will cost us bitter tears upon Gods Command and upon zealous endeavours to get a publick reformation Ezra first mourns bitterly then reforms zealously Ezr. 9. 6 7. I plucked off the hair of my head and rent my garment and said O my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee O God for our iniquities are encreased over our head and our trespass is grown up unto the Heavens c. Zealous actions which few practise in their own case yet sins of others you see work an afflictive grief and shame in those that fear God These were the actions of Ezra when he was bewailing the sins of others and this made him so resolute and active in the reformation that is described in the next Chapter Their love begets sorrow and their sorrow care Who would not seek to redress the evil which is burthensom to him Many times the world is angry because we are so clamorous for reformation and repentance You have liberty enough say they and may serve God in your own way and go to Heaven quietly why should you trouble your self about others But can a man that grieveth for the abominations of the times be silent till they be redressed A Christian is troubled about the salvation of others to see so many thousands of souls carried to Hell by Droves and hurried to their own destruction Can pity and remorse behold this without care and endeavours with God and man to get it remedied Certainly the Children of God are not impertinently active and pragmatical Publick reformation is not only a relief to their souls but to their bowels They are troubled therefore thirst and long to see it redressed 2 Cor. 7. 11. Godly sorrow saith he what carefulness it wrought in you He speaketh of their publick Church sorrow Till they mourned they neglected the discipline of the Church and let incest go without censure Oh my Brethren until we mourn for publick Disorders we shall not mourn over one another We think 't is enough to keep our selves free and to make a little Conscience of our own ways Always private sorrow will beget publick care If thou hast wept sore in secret places thou wilt be earnest with God and man to remove the occasion of thy grief Thirdly The Lord requireth this to keep our hearts the more tender and upright 't is an act God useth to make us more careful of our own souls to be troubled at the sins of others at sin in a third person It keepeth us at a great distance from a temptation This is like quenching of fire in a Neighbours house before it comes near us Thou runnest with thy Bucket There is no way to keep us free from the infection so much as mourning The soul will never agree to do that which grieved it self to see another do And as it keepeth us upright so also humble fearful of Divine Judgment tender lest we our selves offend and draw down the wrath of God He that shruggeth when he seeth a Snake creeping upon another will much more be afraid when he cometh near to himself In our own sins we have advantage of Conscience scourging the Soul with remorse and shame In bewailing the sins of others we have only the reasons of duty and obedience They that fight abroad out of love to valour and exploits will certainly fight out of love to their own safety at home So God would have us more abroad more against the sins of others that our hearts may be more set against those sins with which we our selves are apt to be foyled Secondly This is their disposition as well as their duty it must be so and it cannot be otherwise with the Children of God for several reasons First From the tenderness of Gods Glory which is more dear to them than all their own interests A Christian hath a great affection to the Glory of God is very tender of that he cannot endure it should be violated for his heart will even break within him Can a man see an injury done to a person whom he loves and not be troubled Jesus wept for Lazarus because he loved him and they say Behold how he loved him Iohn 11. 36. They that love God can they hear his great name rent with so many blasphemies So many affronts put upon his Grace the Laws of God trampled under foot and not lay it to heart Gods Glory is more dear to them than their own lives They had neither had any standing in Nature nor Grace had it not been for the Glory of God God made all things for himself therefore when the Name of God is violated his Authority despised his Laws broken and set at nought and no more regarded or esteemed than a Ballad or a Song they cannot but express their tenderness and great affection to God