A Coal From The Altar, To Kindle The Holy Fire of Zeale: In a Sermon Preached at a Generall Visitation at IpswichWard, Samuel
Religion
A Coal From The Altar, To Kindle The Holy Fire of Zeale: In a Sermon Preached at a Generall Visitation at Ipswich
Ward, Samuel
Bible. Revelation III, 19 -- Sermons; Piety -- Sermons; Sermons, English -- 17th century
As for lets and impediments, they over-looke and over-leape them, as
fire passeth from one house to another; neither is there any standing
for any Gods enemies before them: they make havock of their owne and
others corruptions. If you will rightly conceive of _Peters_ zeale in
converting & confounding, you must imagine (saith _Chrysostome_) a man
made all of fire walking in stubble. All difficulties are but whetstones
of their fortitude. The sluggard saith, _There is a Lyon in the way_;
tell _Samson_ & _David_ so, they will the rather goe out to meet them.
Tell _Nehemiah of Samballat_, hee answereth, _Shall such a man as I
feare?_ Tell _Caleb_ there are _Anakims_, and hee will say, _Let us goe
upp at once, &c_. Let _Agabus_ put off his girdle and binde _Paul_, let
him be told in every City, that bonds await him, hee is not onely ready
for bonds, but for death; tell _Jubentius_, hee must lay downe his life,
he is as willing as to lay off his clothes: tell _Luther_ of enemies in
_Wormes_, hee will goe if all the tiles of the houses were Divells. The
horse neighs at the trumpet; the Leviathan laughs at the speare. They
that meane to take the Kingdome of God by violence, provide themselves
to goe through fire and water, carry their lives in their hands,
embrace faggots; they say to father and mother, _I know you not_: to
carnall Counsellers and friendly enemies, _Get you behinde mee Sathan._
Zeale is as strong as death, hot as the coales of Juniper; flouds of
many waters cannot quench it. _Agar_, Pro. 30. speakes of foure things,
stately in their kinde; I will make bold to add a fift, comprehending
and excelling them all namely the zealous Christian, strong and bold as
the Lyon; not turning his head for any; as swift as the grey-hound in
the waies of Gods commandements; in the race to heaven, as nimble as the
Goat climbing the steepe and craggy mountaines of pietie and vertue; A
victorious King, overcoming the world and his lusts: _Salomon_ in all
his royalty, is not cloathed like one of these in his fiery Charriot.
To cut off the infinite praises of zeale, let us heare what honourable
testimonies and glorious rewards, it pleaseth God to conferre upon it;
_Davids_ ruddy complexion and his skill in musique, made him amiable in
the eyes of men: but the zeale of his heart, stiled him a man after Gods
owne heart; and the sweet Singer of Israel. _Abraham_, that could finde
in his heart to sacrifice his _Isaack_, was called the friend of God.
The same vertue denominated _Jacob_ a Prince with God. _Elisha_, The
Charriots and horse-men. _Paul_, A chosen vessell, &c.
[Sidenote: Revel. 12.]
[Sidenote: Revel. 7. 3. Ezek. 9. Exod. 12.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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