d is provoked to put
out that useless light of truth and deliver that man captive to delusions,
who would not deliver his soul a captive to truth. And is not this
righteousness, that he who detained the known truth in unrighteousness of
affection and conversation, be himself detained and incarcerated by strong
delusions of mind and imagination?

As a good conversation and good works should be joined to knowledge, and
meekness must be the ornament of both, this meekness of wisdom is the
great lesson that the wisdom of the Father came down to teach man. "Learn
of me, for I am meek." And truly the meekness of that substantial wisdom
of God Jesus Christ, is the exact pattern and copy, and the most powerful
motive and constraint to this kindness of Christian wisdom. Our Saviour
did not cry nor lift up his voice in the streets. He made little noise,
nor cried with pomp, he was not rigorous, nor rigid upon sinners. Though
he was oppressed and afflicted yet he opened not his mouth, being reviled
he reviled not again, being cursed, he blessed. Though he could have
legions of angels at his command, yet he would show rather an example of
patience and meekness to his followers, than overcome his enemies. If
many of us, who pretend to be his disciples, had the winds, rains,
heavens, and elements at our commandment, I fear we would have burned up
the world. We would presently have called for fire from heaven, to devour
all whom we conceived enemies to him, or ourselves, and that under the
notion of zeal. Zeal it is indeed, but such as is spoken of in the next
verse. "If ye have bitter envying (the word is bitter zeal) in your
hearts, glory not, nor lie against the truth." Christ's zeal was sweet
zeal. It might well consume or eat him up within, but it did not devour
others without. "The zeal of thy house (says he) hath eaten me up." But
our zeal is like the Babylonian furnace, that burnt and consumed these
that went to throw the pious children into it. At the first approaching
it gets without the chimney, and devours all around it. If the meekness
or gentleness of a person who received the greatest injuries that ever any
received, and to whom the greatest indignities were done, and who endured
the greatest contradiction of sinners, if his calm composed temper do not
soften our spirits, mitigate our sharpness, and allay our bitterness, I
know not what can do it. I do not think but if any man considered how much
long suffe