[5.] To speak of the private and personal use of zeal, what need we have to keep up a warm frame of heart towards God and heavenly things (hitherto we have considered it as it respects God's public interest) ; it is also of private use both in resisting of sin, and perfect- ing holiness in the fear of God.
(1.) In resisting of sin. A man never doth anything to purpose in purging out sin until he hath a zeal for God : Rev. iii. 19, ' Be zealous therefore, and repent.' Repentance is set on and quickened by zeal. Doth zeal, think you, serve only to rectify the disorders of other men, and not our own ? No, certainly ; we should begin at home ; we should take care that God be exalted in our own hearts, as wwU as his interest be not infringed in the world. First our Saviour adviseth us to pluck out the beam out of our own eyes, Mat. vii. 5. Unless we be blameless ourselves we can have no confidence or hope to do much good to others. The first stone should be cast at ourselves ; we should repent of our own sin, our own lusts, the plague of our own heart ; if anything we are apt to allow that is contrary to God, this should be a great grief to us. Unless we cleanse our own unclean sinks at home, how can we hope for reformation abroad ? Men cry out against public vices, as the lapwing will croak abroad to draw off the person from her own nest ;
VeR. 139.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 475
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 men's duties than their own ; with the magistrate's duties more than their own, and so other men's sins more than 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 contrary to God's interest and to the sovereignty of his Spirit.
(2.) Also in perfecting holiness. The whole business of the spiritual life must be carried on in warmth and vigour : Rom. xii. 11, 'Fervent in spirit, serving tlie Lord.' It is ^t'ot-re? TrvevfiuTi, seething hot in spirit. Nothing done for God should be done negligently, but affec- tionately. To be lukewarm and key-cold, that makes no work in religion ; but when a man hath a great zeal for God, oh ! then he profits and gets ground, then sin decays, grace is strengthened, love is more rooted in his heart every day, and he doth more for God. Paul pro- fited in the Jewish religion, Gal. i. 14. Why ? Because he was ' more zealous than others.' This is the man that will be the honour of God's ordinances, that man that will show forth the virtue and power of religion, when his heart grows warm for God and zealous for God.
Secondly, 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. viii. 6, 7, ' For love is as strong as death, jealousy 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 work- ing of heart towards God, that many floods cannot quench it, that nothing can bribe it. Surely the best things deserve the best afi'ec- lions ; therefore whatever we do in religion and for God, we should do it with all our might, Eccles. ix. 10.
[2.] Otherwise it will not do the work. Such as increaseth with opposition ; as fire, when you put on more fuel, it grows more vehe- ment ; so unless it be a zeal that grows earnest with discouragement, alas ! it will soon be quenched. We shall meet with many discourage- ments 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. vi. 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 inflamed with difficulties. As lime, the more water they pour on, the more it burns ; as Nehe- miah'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 ojiposition. As Paul, the more they persuaded him, the more he seemed to be bound in spirit to go to Jerusalem, Acts xxi. 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 ourselves against all oppositions we meet with in the way.