point, was not without reafon; nothing being more $ ER M. LXXXII. certain, than that if the people were once brought to understand the scriptures, they would foon quit their religion, which in fo many things is fo directly contrary to the word of God. The

III. And laft thing remains to be fpoken to, viz. how far the doing of things, out of " a zeal for God," doth mitigate and extenuate the evil of them. For when the apostle here teftifies, concerning the Jews, that they had "a zeal of GOD," he speaks this in favour of them, and by way of mitigation of their fault." I bear them record;" I who was once acted by this ignorant and furious zeal, which now poffeffeth them, and perfecuted the Chriftians in the fame outragious manner, as they ftill continue to do, and all this with a very good confcience, as I thought, and out of "a zeal for GOD," and the true religion.' So he tells us, Acts xxvi. 9. " I verily thought with "myself, that I ought to do many things contrary "to the name of JESUS of Nazareth." So that his "zeal was fincere, and with a real intention to do fervice to God and religion; and yet for all that was very faulty and finful, and, if he had perfifted in it, damnable; fo that his confidence, that he was in the right, and the fincerity of his zeal in acting according to the perfuafion of his confcience, did not alter the nature of the actions he did out of this zeal, and make them lefs wicked in themfelves: though it was fome mitigation of the fault of the perfon, and rendered him more capable of the mercy of GoD, by repentance, than if he had done contrary to his conscience, and the clear convictions of his own mind.

And therefore the best way to understand the great evil and wickednefs of this furious and blind zeal, will be, to confider the account which St. Paul, after

his

SERM. his converfion, gives of his own doings, and what

load he lays upon himself, notwithstanding the fincerity of his zeal, and that he acted according to his confcience. Acts viii. and ix. you have the hiftory at large of his outragious doings, how he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women to prifon; how he breathed out threatnings and flaughter against the difciples of the LORD. Acts xxii. 4. "I perfe

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cuted, fays he, this way unto the death, binding "and delivering into prifons both men and women.' And chap. xxvi, 10, 11. "Many of the faints did I "fhut up in prison, and when they were put to death, "I gave my voice against them; and I punished "them often in every fynagogue, and compelled "them to blafpheme; and being exceedingly mad

against them, I perfecuted them even to strange cities." Gal. i. 13, 14. Ye have heard, fays he, "of my conversation in times past, in the Jews reli"gion; how that beyond measure I perfecuted the "church of GOD, and wafted it, being exceedingly "zealous of the traditions of my fathers." 1 Tim. i. 13. "Who was before a-blafphemer, a perfecu“tor, and injurious." So that he chargeth himself with the guilt of blafphemy and murder, and a most furious and outragious perfecution of good men; for which elsewhere he pronounceth himself the chief of finners. From whence it evidently appears, that men may do the most wicked and damnable fins, out of a zeal for GOD.

And this was the cafe of many of the Jews, as our SAVIOUR foretold, that "the time fhould come, "when they should kill them, thinking they did GOD good fervice." But yet for all this, the apoftles of our LORD make no fcruple, to charge them with down

downright murder. Acts ii. 23. fpeaking of their SER M. putting our SAVIOUR to death, "whom ye by wick- LXXXII.

"ed hands have crucified and flain." And Acts vii.

52. "The just one, of whom ye have been now "the betrayers and murderers."

Yet notwithstanding their fin was of this high nature in itself; it was fome mitigation of the fault of the perfons, that they did these things out of an ignorant zeal, and render them more capable of the mercy of God, upon their repentance. And upon this account our SAVIOUR interceded with God for mercy for them; "Father forgive them, for they "know not what they do." St. Peter alfo pleads the fame in mitigation of their fault, Acts iii. 17. "And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance 66 ye did it, as did alfo your rulers." And St. Paul tells us, that he found mercy, upon his repentance, on this account, 1 Tim. i. 13. "But I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly, and in unbe"lief." But ftill for all this, wicked things done out of confcience and zeal for God, are damnable, and will prove fo, without repentance.

I fhall now draw fome inferences from this dif

course, by way of application.

1. If it be so neceffary, that our zeal be directed by knowledge; this fhews us how dangerous a thing zeal is in the weak and ignorant fort of people. Zeal is an edge-tool, which children in understanding should not meddle withal; and yet it most frequently poffeffeth the weakest minds; and commonly by how much the less knowing people are, by fo much the more zealous they are: and in the church of Rome, where knowledge is profeffedly difcouraged, and fuppreffed in the common people, zeal is mightily countenanced and cherished. And they make great VOL. V. Dd

ufe

SERM.ufe of it; for this blind and furious zeal, is that

LXXXII. which infpires them to do fuch cruel and barbarous

things as were hardly ever acted among the heathen. Zeal is only fit for wife men; but it is chiefly in fashion among fools.

Nay it is dangerous in the hands of wise men, and to be governed and kept in with a strict rein; otherwife it will transport them to the doing of undue and irregular things. Mofes, one of the wifest and best of men, and most likely to govern and manage his zeal as he ought, and to keep aloof from all excefs and extravagance, being the meekest man upon earth, yet he was fo furprised, upon a fudden occafion, that in a fit of zeal, he let fall the two tables of the law, which he had but just received from God, and dashed them in pieces. A true emblem of an ungoverned zeal, in the transport whereof even good men are apt to forget the laws of GOD, and let them fall out of their hands, and to break all the obligations of natural and moral duties.

2. From hence we plainly fee, that men may do the worst and wickedeft things out of a zeal for GOD and religion. Thus it was among the Jews, who engroffed falvation to themselves, and denied the poffibility of it to all the world befides; and the church of Rome have taken copy by them, as in an arrogant conceit of themselves, fo in the blindness, and fury, and uncharitableness of their zeal towards all, who refufe to fubmit to their authority and directions.

And as the teachers and rulers of the jewish church did of old, fo doth the church of Rome now; they take away the key of knowledge from the people, and will neither enter into the kingdom of heaven themfelves, nor fuffer thofe that would, to enter in. They brand for heretics those who make the holy fcrip

tures

LXXXII.

tures the rule of their faith, and worship; as St. SER M. Paul tells us the Jews did in his time, Acts xxiv. 14, "After the way which they call heresy, so worship I "the God of my fathers, believing all things which "are written in the law, and the prophets." They establish the merit of their own righteousness, not fubmitting to the righteoufnefs of God, by the faith of JESUS CHRIST. So St. Paul tells us the Jews did, in the verse immediately after the text; "for they

being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteoufnefs, have not "fubmitted themselves to the righteoufnefs of GOD." And as the Jews anathematized and excommunicated the first Chriftians, and perfecuted them to the death, as our SAVIOUR foretold, "that the time "would come, when they should put them out "of their fynagogues, yea and kill them, think

66

ing they did GOD good fervice; " fo the church of Rome hath, for many ages, used the fincere profeffors of the fame religion, perfecuting them, first with excommunication, and then with fire and faggot; and with all the violence and fury in the world endeavouring the utter extirpation and ruin of them, by bloody croisado's and a barbarous inquifition, by treacherous maffacres, and all forts of hellish plots and machinations; witness the monstrous defign of this day, never to be remembered or mentioned without horror, to have deftroyed at one blow, and have fwallowed up in one common ruin, our king, and prince, and nobles, and the representative body of the whole nation; witnefs the bloody maffacre of Ireland, and all their wicked designs and practices continued to this very day.

3. And lastly, that zeal for Gop and religion, does not alter the nature of actions done upon that Dd2

account.