1. Zeal being nothing but the fervour and vigour of every grace, hath in it all the beauty and excellency of that grace, and that in a high and excellent degree. If love to God be excellent, then zealous, fervent love is most excellent.
2. The nature of holy objects are such, so great and excellent, so transcendent and of unspeakable consequence, that we cannot be sincere in our estimation and seeking of them, without zeal. If it were about riches or honours, a cold desire and a dull pursuit might serve the turn, and well beseem us; but about God, and Christ, and grace, and heaven, such cold desires and endeavours are but a contempt. To love God without zeal, is not to love him, because it is not a loving him as God.[590] To seek heaven without zeal and diligence is not to seek it, but contemn it. To pray for salvation without any zeal, is but hypocritically to babble, instead of praying; for no desire of Christ, and holiness, and heaven is saving, but that which preferreth them before all the treasures and pleasures of the world; and that which doth so, hath sure some zeal in it; so that some zeal is essential to every grace, as life and heat are to a man.
3. The integrity and honesty of the heart to God consisteth much in zeal:[591] as he is true to his friend that is zealous for him, and not he that is indifferent and cold. To do his service with zeal is to do it willingly, and heartily, and entirely. To do it without zeal is to do it heartlessly, and by the halves, and to leave out the life and kernel of the duty: it is the heart that God doth first require.
4. Zeal is much of the strength of duty; and maketh it likeliest to attain its end. The prayer of the faithful that is effectual must be "fervent," Jam. v. 16. Zeal must make us importunate suitors, that will take no denial, if we will speed, Luke xviii. 1-8. "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." We must "strive to enter in at the strait gate, for many shall seek to enter and not be able." Not every one that striveth is crowned, nor every one that runneth wins the prize; but he that doth it effectually so as to attain. No wonder if we be commanded to love God with all our heart, and soul, and might, which is a zealous love; for this is it that overcometh all other love, and will constrain to dutiful obedience. As experience telleth us, it is the zealous and diligent preacher that doth good, when the cold and negligent do but little; so it is in all other duties; the diligent hand maketh rich, and God blesseth those that serve him heartily with all their might.[592]
5. Zeal and diligence take the opportunity, which sloth and negligence let slip. They are up with the sun, and "work while it is day;" they "seek the Lord while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near;" they know the day of their visitation and salvation; they delay not, but take the "accepted time." When the slothful are still delaying and trifling, and hear not God's voice while it is "called to-day," but "harden their hearts," and sleep with their "lamps unfurnished," and knock not till the "door be shut."[593] They stand and look upon their work while they should do it; they are never in readiness, when Christ and mercy are to be entertained; they are still putting off their duty till some other time; till time be done, and their work undone, and they are undone for ever.
6. Zeal and diligence are the best improvers of time and mercy; as they delay not, but take the present time, so they loiter not, but do their work to purpose. As a speedy traveller goeth farther in a day, than a slothful one in many; so a zealous, diligent christian will do more for God and his soul in a little time, than a negligent dullard in all his life. It is a wonder to think what Augustine and Chrysostom did among the ancients! what Calvin, and Perkins, and Whitaker, and Reignolds, and Chamier, and many other reformed divines have done in a very little time! and what Suarez, and Vasquez, and Jansenius, and Tostatus, and Cajetan, and Aquinas, and many other papists, have performed by diligence! When millions of men that have longer time, go out of the world as unknown as they came into it; having never attained to so much knowledge as might preserve them from the reproach of brutish ignorance, nor so much as might save their souls from hell: and when many that had diligence enough to get some laudable abilities, had never diligence enough to use them to any great benefit of others or themselves. Zeal and diligence are that fruitful, well-manured soil, where God soweth his seed with best success; and which returns him for his mercies a hundredfold, Matt. xiii. 8, 23; and at his coming giveth him his "own with usury," Matt. xxv. 27, 28. But sloth and negligence are the grave of mercies, where they are buried till they rise up in judgment against the despisers and consumers of them. Aristotle and Plato, Galen and Hippocrates, improvers of nature, shall condemn these slothful neglecters and abusers of nature and grace; yea, their oxen and horses shall be witnesses against many that served not God with any such diligence, as these beasts served them; yea, many gallants of great estates never did so much service for the common good in all their lives as their very beasts have done. Their parts, their life, and all are lost by them.
7. Zeal and diligence are the victorious enemies of sin and Satan. They bear not with sin: they are to it as a consuming fire is to the thorns and briers. Zeal burneth up lust, and covetousness, and pride, and sensuality.[594] It maketh such work among our sins, as diligent weeders do in your gardens; it pulleth up the tares, and burneth them. It stands not dallying with sin, nor tasting or looking on the bait, nor disputing with and hearkening to the tempter; but casteth away the motion with abhorrence, and abstaineth from the very appearance of evil, and hateth the garment spotted by the flesh, and presently quencheth the sparks of concupiscence; it chargeth home, and so resisteth the devil that he flieth:[595] when sloth and negligence cherish the sin, and encourage the tempter, and invite him by a cold resistance. The vineyard of the sluggard is overgrown with nettles; his heart swarmeth with noisome thoughts and lusts, and he resisteth them not, but easily beareth them. If he feel sinful thoughts possessing his mind, he riseth not up with zeal against them; he hath not the heart to cast them out, nor make any effectual resistance; he famisheth his soul with fruitless wishes, because his hands refuse to labour.[596] Negligence is the nurse of sin.
8. Zeal and diligence bear down all opposition against duty with power and success. Those impediments which stop a sluggard, are as nothing before them; as the cart-wheels which go slowly are easily stopped by a little stone or any thing in their way, when those that are in a swifter motion easily get over all. The lion that is in the sluggard's way, is not so much as a barking whelp in the way of a diligent, zealous christian. The cold doth not hinder him from ploughing.[597] A very scorn, or mock, or threatening of a mortal man, will dismay and stop a heartless hypocrite; which do but serve as oil to the fire, to inflame the courage of the zealous so much more. The difficulties which seem insuperable to the slothful, are small matters to the zealous; he goeth through that which the slothful calls impossible. And when the slothful sits still and saith, I cannot do this or that, the zealous, diligent christian doth it.
9. Zeal and diligence take off the toil and irksomeness of duty, and make it easy. As a quick-spirited, diligent servant maketh but a pleasure of his work, which a lazy servant doth with pain and weariness; and as a mettlesome horse makes a pleasure of a journey, which a heavy jade goeth through with pain; so reading, and hearing, and prayer are easy to a zealous soul, which to another are an unwelcome task and toil.
10. Zeal is faithful, and constant, and valiant, and therefore greatly pleaseth God: it sticks to him through persecution; the fire consumeth it not; many waters quench it not. But others are false-hearted: and those that have but a cold religion will easily be drawn or driven from their religion. They are so indifferent, that a little more of the world put into the balance, will weigh down Christ in their esteem. The hopes or fears of temporal things prevail with them, against the hopes and fears of things eternal. No wonder therefore if God disown such treacherous servants, and turn them away as unworthy of his family.[598]