ething of conscience also in them. Yet he
dissuades entirely the prosecution of them to the rigour, as men are apt
to do, but wills us rather to have faith in ourselves. And truly I think
the questions that did then engender strifes, and rent the church, were as
much if not more momentous nor the most part of these about which we bite
and devour one another,--the questions of the law, the circumcision, and
eating of things sacrificed to idols, of things indifferent, lawful, or
not lawful. Yet all these he would have subordinated unto the higher end
of the commandment, charity, 1 Tim. i. 4, 5. And when he exhorts the
Corinthians to be zealous for spiritual gifts, he would yet have them
excel in these things which edify the church, 1 Cor. xiv. 1-12. "Covet
earnestly the best gifts," says he, and yet he shows them a more excellent
way, and that is charity, (1 Cor. xiii. 1.) to do all these things for the
good and edification of the church, rather than of our own opinion, 1 Cor.
xii. 3; chap. xiv. 12. I find where the word zeal is taken in a bad sense
it hath these works of darkness attending it, wrath, strife, malice, &c.
Gal. v. 20; 1 Cor. iii. 3; Rom. xiii. 13. It is accompanied with such a
hellish crowd of noisome lusts. Let me add a differential character of it.
It is uncharitable, contentious, and malicious. It can do nothing,
condescend to nothing, and is conversant about nothing, but what pleases
our own humour, for the peace and unity of the church. It is a self-willed
impetuous thing, like a torrent that carries all down before it. But truly
right zeal runs calmly and constantly within the banks; it will rather
consume its own bowels within with grief, than devour others without.

Sermon VI.

Matth. xi. 28.--"Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are
wearied," &c.

It is the great misery of Christians in this life, that they have such
poor, narrow, and limited spirits, that are not fit to receive the truth
of the gospel in its full comprehension; from whence manifold
misapprehensions in judgment, and stumbling in practice proceed. The
beauty and life of things consist in their entire union with one another,
and in the conjunction of all their parts. Therefore it would not be a fit
way to judge of a picture by a lineament, or of an harmony by a
discrepant, nor of the world by some small parcel of it; but take all the
parts together, all the notes and draughts, as conjoined by art in such an
orde