from never fo much Zeal for God, is very bad. For true Zeal, as it always fuppofeth a right Information of Judgment, as to the Matter of it, fo likewife it fuppofeth, that a Man fhould act in honeft Ways, and endeavour to attain his Ends by lawful Means.

And thus have I laid before you the Properties and Characters of that Zeal which is ac-. cording to Knowledge, which was the third and laft Thing I propofed upon this Text; and I pray God we may always remember them whenever we have Occafion to express a Zeal for any Thing, efpecially in Matters of Religion. All that remains now is, to make fome brief Application of my Text, with Reference to the Business of the Day.

Thefe Words, as I told you, were spoke of the Jews: But the Character here given of them, doth fo well fit a Sort of Men, whofe fiery Zeal for God and their Religion, gave Occafion to the Solemnity of this Day; that it looks as if it were made for them. It is the Bigots of the Church of Rome that I mean; to whom we must do the fame Right that St. Paul here did his Country-men: We must bear them Record, that they have a Zeal of God, but not according to Knowledge.

Zealous they are fufficiently, as the Jews were, no Body doubts of it; But as for their Zeal's being according to Knowledge, there is great Reafon to doubt, they are as faulty in that Point, as St. Paul's Country-men were. Indeed, if you were to draw the Comparison between the Jewish and Popish Zealots, as to

all

all the feveral Particulars that our Saviour and St. Paul take notice of, as Inftances of blind Zeal in the former; you would find in all thofe Particulars, both their Zeals to be much of a Piece, not only as to the Fervour, but as to the Blindness of them.

Was it an Inftance of ignorant Zeal in the Jews, that they fet up their Traditions to the Difparagement of the Law of God? I pray, who are thofe that difparage the Holy Scriptures, by fetting their Traditions upon an equal

foot with them?

Were the Jews to be blamed for that they were fo zealous, for their old Religion, as to oppofe that Reformation of it, which our Lord Jefus endeavoured to introduce among them, because they thought it was an Innovation? I pray, who are thofe, who, upon that very Ground, oppofe all Reformation at this Day, though yet the wifeft and beft Men among themselves are fufficiently fenfible, that there are great Corruptions both in their Doctrine and Worship?

Was it a Fault in the Jewish Zeal, that it placed Religion too much in Ceremonies and Formalities, in washing Cups and Platters, in tything Mint and Cummin, and the like, to the Neglect of the weightier Matters of the Law, Juftice, and Mercy, and Faith? I pray, wherein is Image-worship, Invocation of Saints, Penances, Pilgrimages, the Ufe of Reliques, Holy Water, &c. I fay, wherein are thefe Things better than thofe? And yet we know who they are that lay fo great a Strefs upon thefe

and

and fuch other Things, that it may be truly faid, a great Part of their Religion is made up of them.

It would not be difficult to run the Parallel between the Zeals of the Two Religions, through feveral more Inftances; but it is an unpleasant Argument, and therefore I will purfue it no farther.

Only one Inftance more of the Jewish Zeal I must not pafs by, because it comes up fo fully to the Bufinefs of this Day.

So zealous were they for their Religion, that they did not care what fort of Means they made ufe of for the promoting of it, were they never fo wicked and unnatural. Our Saviour they hunted to Death with falfe Witneffes; Stephen they ftoned, out of pure Zeal, in a popular Tumult; Forty of them folemnly bound themselves under a Curfe, that they would neither eat nor drink, till they had killed St. Paul: But all this, and a great deal more, our Saviour had foretold they would do, when he told his Apostles, that the Time would come, when whosoever killed them, fhould think that he did God gocd Service. A bleffed Way of doing God Service this is, to act fuch wicked inhuman Things as thefe! But such inhuman Things as these doth a blind Zeal for Religion fometimes put Men upon. And that it doth fo, we cannot have a greater Proof (except what I have already mentioned) than the Practices of the zealous Men of the Church of Rome.

How many unlawful Arts have they used to fubject all the Christian World to their Lord and Mafter? How many Forgeries for this Purpose have they been the Authors of, and maintained them afterwards? How many Disturbances have they given to the Peace of Christendom, in the most unjust and unnatural Ways for the Advancement of the Papal Caufe? It was out of Zeal for God's Service, and the Intereft of Holy Church, that fo many Princes have been Excommunicated and Depofed; that fo many Tumults and Rebellions have been raised; that fo many Crufado's, for the extirpating Hereticks, have been fent out: By which, and fuch like Means, it may juftly be computed, that as much Chriftian Blood has been fhed for the establishing Popery, as it now ftands, nay, and a great deal more, than ever was during all the Times of the Heathen Perfecutions for the fupporting of Paganifm.

But if there were no other Inftance extant in the World, to fhew what is to be expected from a blind Zeal, especially a blind Popish Zeal for Religion, that Inftance, which the Deliverance of this Day doth give us Occafion to mention, would be alone fufficient to inform us: When, for no other End, but for the Advancement of Popery, and the rooting out that Peftilent Herefy of the Reformation, which infefted thefe Northern Climates, a Company of Popish Zealots entred upon the most Barbarous and Inhuman Project that ever was undertaken by Men; even neither better nor worfe, than the deftroying the King and Par

liament,

liament at one Blow; and had put all Things in fuch a Readiness in order thereunto, that they certainly had effected it, as on this Day, had not their Confpiracy been detected in a wonderful Manner.

But Thanks be to God, their Defigns then, and ever fince, have been defeated, and fome of them even miraculoufly; and we truft in the Mercies of God that they will ever be fo.

God hath been wonderfully gracious to us in the Preservation of our Church and Religion, from Popish Attempts to destroy it, ever fince it was fettled among us.

How many Plots and Confpiracies were laid in the Time of the Glorious Q. Elizabeth, to put an End to her Life, and with it, to our Reformed Establishment?

What a dreadful one was this of the Gunpowder Treafon, in the Reign of her Succeffor? How many Dangers have threatned us fince that Time, from that Quarter?

What a horrible Storm, but of late, did we apprehend, and juftly enough too, was impending over us?

And yet, bleffed be God, (who hath never failed to raise up Deliverers to his People in the Day of their Diftrefs) that Storm is blown over: And we are here, not only in Peace and Quietnefs, in the full Poffeflion of our Native Rights and Liberties, and in the Enjoyment of the free Exercife of our Religion (which is one of the moft defirable Things in the World) But fuch is the Deliverance that God hath wrought for us, that we also seem

to