Lavora come earnestly as if the falvation of all the World, and the fe tu haveffi whole glory of God, and the confufion of all Devils, ni hora: A- and all that you hope or defire did depend upon every dora come fe one action. a comparog tu haveffi a morir all ho ra. 8. Let Zeal be feated in the will and choice, and regulated with prudence and a fober understanding, Rom. 10. 2. not in the fancies and affections; for these will make it full of noife and empty of profit, but that will make it deep and fimooth, material and devout. Tit. 2. 14. The fum is this: That Zeal is not a direct duty, no where commanded for it felf, and is nothing but a forwardness and circumftance of another duty, and therefore is then only acceptable when it advances the love of God and our Neighbours, whofe circumftance it is. That Zeal is only fafe, only acceptable, which increases Charity directly and becaufe love to our Neighbour, and obedience to God are the two great portions of Charity, we must never account our Zeal to be good, but as it advances both these, if it be in a matter that relates to both; or feverally, if it relates feverally. S. Paul's Zeal was expreffed in preaching without any offerings or ftipend, in travelling, in fpending and being (pent for his flock, in fuffering, in being willing to be accurfed for love of the People of God and his Country-men. Let our Zeal be as great as his was,fo it be in affections to others, but not at all in angers against them: In the first there is no danger; in the (econd there is no fafety. In brief, let your Zeal (if it must be expreffed in anger) be always 2 Cor. 7.11. more fevere againft thy felf than against others. The other part of Love to God is love to our Neighbour, for which I have referved the Paragraph of Alms. Of the external Actions of Religion. Religion teaches us to prefent to God our Bodies as well as our Souls; for God is the Lord of both: and if the Body ferves the Soul in actions natural and civil and intellectual, it must not be eafed in the only only offices of Religion, unless the body fhall expect no portion of the rewards of Religion, fuch as are Relurrection, Re-union, and Glorification. Our Rom.12. 1; Bodies are to God a living Sacrifice, and to prefent them to God is holy and acceptable. The actions of the Body as it ferves to Religion, and as it is diftinguifhed from Sobriety and Justice, either relate to the Word of God, or to Prayer, or to Repentance, and make thefe kinds of external actions of Religion: 1. Reading and hearing the Word of God; 2. Fafting and corporal Aufterities, called by S.Paul,Bodily Exercife: 3. Feafting or keeping days of publick joy and thankfgiving. SECT. IV. Of Reading or Hearing the Word of God. REading and Hearing the Word of God are but his the feveral circumftances of the fame duty; intrumental efpecially to Faith, but confequently to all other graces of the Spirit. It is all one to us whether by the Eye, or by the Ear the Spirit conveys precepts to us. If we hear S. Paul faying to us, that [Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge) or read it in one of his Epiftles; in either of them we are equally and fufficiently inftructed. The Scriptures read are the fame thing to us, which the fame Dotrine was when it was preached by the Difciples of our blefled Lord; and we are to learn of either with the fame difpofitions. There are many that cannot read the Word, and they must take it in by the Ear; and they that can read find the fame Word of God by the Eye. It is neceflary that all men learn it in fome way or other, and it is fufficient in order to their practice that they learn itany way. The Word of God is all thofe commandments and revelations, those promiles and threatnings, the ftories and fermons recorded in the Bible: nothing elfe is the Word of God, that we know of by any certain P 2 inftru I uke 16. 29: 31: inftrument. The good Books and spiritual Difcourfes, the Sermons or Homilies written or fpoken by men, are but the words of men, or rather explications of, and exhortations according to the Word of God: but of themselves they are not the Word of God. In a Sermon the Text only is in a proper fence to be called God's Word: and yet good Sermons are of great ufe and convenience for the advantages of Religion. He that preaches an hour together against drunkenness with the Tongue of Men or Angels hath spoke no other word of God but this, [Be not drunk with wine, wherein there is excefs] and he that writes that Sermon in a book, and publishes that book, hath preached to all that read it a louder Sermon than could be spoken in a Church. This I fay to this purpofe, that we may feparate truth from errour, popular opinions from fubftantial truths. For God preaches to us in the Scripture, and by his fecret affiftances and fpiritual thoughts and holy motions: Good men preach to us when they by popular arguments and humane arts and compliances expound and press any of thofe Doctrines which God hath preached unto us in his holy Word. But, 1. The Holy Ghoft is certainly the best Preacher in the World, and the words of Scripture the best Ser mons. 2. All the Doctrine of Salvation is plainly fet down there, that the moft unlearned perfon, by hearing it read, may underftand all his dury. What can be plainer (poken than this [Thou shalt not kill. Be not drunk with wine. Husbands, love your wives. Whatfuever ye would that men fhould do to you, do ye fo to them.] The wit of man cannot more plainly tell us our duty, or more fully, than the Holy Ghost hath done already. 3. Good Sermons and good Books are of excellent ule: but yet they can ferve no other end but that we practife the plain Doctrines of Scripture. 4. What Abraham in the Parable faid concerning the brethren of the rich man, is here very proper: They have Mofes and the Prophets, let them hear them: But if they Luke 24.4. they refufe to hear thefe,neither will they believe though ne should arife from the dead to preach unto them. 5. Reading the Holy Scriptures is a duty exprefly commanded us, and is called in Scripture [Preach-Deut 31.13. ing all other preaching is the effect of humane skill Matt. 22. 29. and industry, and although of great benefit, yet Acts 15.21. it is but an Ecclefiaftical ordinance; the Law of Rev. 1. 3. God concerning Preaching being expreffed in the matter of Reading the Scriptures, and Hearing that Word of God which is, and as it is there defcribed. But this duty is reduced to practice in the following Rules. Rules for Hearing or Reading the Word of God. 1. Set apart fome portion of thy time, according to the opportunities of thy calling and neceffary employment, for the reading of Holy Scripture; and if it be poffible, every day read or hear fome of it read: you are fure that Book teaches all truth, commands all Holiness, and promises all happiness. 2. When it is in your power to chufe, accustom your felf to fuch portions which are most plain and certain duty, and which contain the story of the Life and Death of our bleffed Saviour. Read the Gofpels, the Pfalms of David; and efpecially thofe portions of Scripture, which by the wildom of the Church are appointed to be publickly read upon Sundays and Holy-days, viz. the Epistles and Gofpels. In the choice of any other portions you may advise with a spiritual Guide, that you may spend your time with most profit. 3. Fail not diligently to attend to the reading of Holy Scriptures upon thofe days wherein it is most publickly and folemnly read in Churches; for at fuch times, befides the learning our duty, we obtain a blefling along with it, it becoming to us upon those days a part of the folemn Divine Worship. 4. When the Word of God is read or preached to you, be fure you be of a ready heart and mind, 2 Tim. 3.16. free from worldly cares and thoughts, diligent to hear, careful to mark, ftudious to remember, and defirous to practife all that is commanded, and to live according to it. Do not hear for any other end but to become better in your life, and to be inftructed in every good work, and to increase in the love and fervice of God. 5. Beg of God by Prayer that he would give you the fpirit of obedience and profit, and that he would by his Spirit write the Word in your heart, and that you defcribe it in your life. To which purpose ferve your felf of fome affectionate ejaculations to that purpose, before and after this duty. Concerning fpiritual Books and ordinary Sermons, take in thefe Advices alfo. 6. Let not a prejudice to any man's perfon hinder thee from receiving good by his Doctrine, if it be according to godlinefs; but (if occafion offer it, or efpecially if duty prefent it to thee, that is, if it be preached in that affembly where thou art bound to be prefent) accept the word preached as a meflage from God, and the Minifter as his Angel in that mi niftration. 7. Confider and remark the Doctrine that is reprefented to thee in any difcourfe; and if the Preacher adds accidental advantages, any thing to comply with thy weakness, or to put thy fpirit into acti on, or holy refolution, remember it and make use of it. But if the Preacher be a weak perfon, yet the Text is the Doctrine thou art to remember: that contains all thy duty, it is worth thy attendance to hear that fpoken often, and renewed upon thy thoughts and though thou beest a learned man, yet the fame thing which thou knoweft already, if fpo ken by another, may be made active by that application. I can better be comforted by my own confideration, if another hand applies then, than if I do it my felf; because the Word of God does not work as a natural agent, but as a Divine inftrument: It does |