Such as reade the Bible by fits upon rainy dayes, not eating the booke with John, but tasting onely with the tippe of the tongue: Such as meditate by snatches, never chewing the cud and digesting their meat, they may happily get a smackering, for discourse and table-talke; but not enough to keepe soule & life together, much lesse for strength and vigour. Such as forsake the best fellowship, and wax strange to holy assemblies, (as now the manner of many is) how can they but take colde? Can one coale alone keepe it selfe glowing?
Though it goe not out for want of matter, yet may it bee put out by sundry accidents; when it is newly kindled, it may be put out with scoffes and reproaches, if Peter take not heede, and fence himselfe well against them; but if once throughly growne, such breath will but spred and encrease it.
It is possible fire may bee oppressed with too much wood, and heat suffocated with too much nourishment: over-much prayer, reading, and study, may bee a wearinesse both to flesh and spirit: but it so rarely happeneth, that I neede not mention it; and yet the soule hath its satiety. There be some such perchance over-nice men in this sense also, who have not learned that God will have them mercifull to themselves: It is often smoothered for want of vent and exercise. Let such as use not and expresse not their zeale, bragge of their good hearts; surely they have none such, or not like to have them such. If Nicodemus had not buried Christ by day, we might have feared his zeale had gone out, for all his comming by night.
Yet this is not so ordinary, as to extinguish it by the quench-coale of sinne; grosse sinne every man knowes will waste the conscience, and make shipwracke of zeale: but I say, the least known evill unrepented of, is as a theefe in the candle, or an obstruction in the liver. I feare, David served God but reasonably, till hee published his repentance; hee that steales his meat, though poverty tempt him, yet giveth thankes but coldly: zeale and sinne, will soone expell the one or the other out of their subject; Can you imagine in the same roofe, God and Beliall, the Arke and Dagon? Lastly, and most commonly, forraine heat will extract the inward, and adventicious heat consume the naturall.
The Sunne will put out the fire; and so will the love of the world, the love of the Father, they cannot stand together in intense degrees, one cannot serve both these matters with such affection as both would have. Seldome seest thou a man make haste to bee rich, and thrive in religion. Christs message to John holds true; The poore are most forward in receiving and following the Gospell: as thou lovest thy zeale, beware of resolving to bee rich, lest gain proove thy godlinesse; take heede of ambitious aspiring, lest Courts and great places, proove ill aires for zeale, whither it is as easie to go zealous, as to returne wise: Peter whiles hee warmed his hands, cooled his heart; Not that greatnesse and zeale cannot agree; but for that our weaknes many times severs them. If thou beest willing to die poore in estate, thou mayest the more easily live rich in grace. Smyrna, the poorest of the seven Candle-stickes, hath the richest price upon it.
The diligent practise of these courses will make easie the practise of this counsell, Be zealous, &c.
The fift part.
1 Object.
But heere mee thinke I heare the lukewarme worldling of our times, fume & chafe, and aske what needs all this adoe for zeale, as if all Gods people were not zealous enough.
Answer.