To thefe People doth St. Paul in this Chapter exprefs a great Compaffion, heartily wifhing and praying for their Converfion. Brethren (faith he in the Firft Verfe) my hearty Defire and Prayer to God for Ifrael is, that they may be faved: that is, that they may come to the Knowledge of the Truth in Chrift Jefus, and by that Means obtain everlasting Salvation. And one Reason why he was thus concerned for them, he gives in the Words following, which are the Words I have read unto you: For I bear them Record (faith he) that they have a Zeal of God, but not according to Knowledge. It was a great Motive to him, to be concerned for their Happiness, that they were Zealous for Religion; though he knew at the fame Time, that the Religion they were then fo Zealous of, was not the right Religion; nor did the Zeal they fhewed for it, proceed from right Principles,

According to the Account I have now given of this Paffage, Three Things we may take Notice of from it, viz.

"

I. The Apoftle's approving, and tacitly commending that Zeal which his Country Men expreffed for Religion.

II. His meek and charitable Behaviour towards them, even when their Zeal for Religion was very faulty and blameable. III. His Difcovery of the Faultiness of their Zeal, which lay in this, That it was not according to Knowledge.

Thefe Three Things I fhall take for the Heads of my following Difcourfe upon this

Text, and fhall afterwards make fuch Application of it, as the Bufinefs of this Day calls. for.

I. First, I defire it may be obferved, That Zeal of God in General, that is, a hearty and paffionate Concernment for Religion, the Apoftle bere finds no fault with: On the contrary, he approves it as a commendable Thing; for you fee he reprefents it, as a Pièce of Virtue in his Country Men, and fpeaks it to their Commendation, that they had a Zeal of God; I bear them Record (faith he) that they have a Zeal of God. As much as to fay, that he owned, they had that good Quality, and they were to be commended for it; and for that Reason, he both wifheth them well, and affectionately prayeth for them.

That which I would from hence take Occafion to put you in mind of, is this; That Indifference and Unconcernednefs for Religion is not to have a Place among any one's Virtues and good Qualities; it is rather a very great Fault, howfoever it may fometimes pafs for an Inftance of Wisdom and Prudence.

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If, indeed, Men had no Paffions, or had fo mortified their Paffions, that they were rarely earneft or zealous about any Thing; their Unconcernedness for Religion, and the Things of God might be the lefs reproveable. But when Zeal and Paffion is more or less wrought every Man's Temper, and the calmeft Men may be obferved, on fundry Occafions, not to be without it; it is an inexcufable Fault, to have no Paffion, no Zeal for God and his Cause.

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How

How can a Man answer it to his own Confcience, to be heartily angry when an Affront, in Word or Deed, is done to himfelf; and yet to be altogether infenfible, when God is affronted in his Prefence? to make a mighty buftle, when his own Right and Property is at Stake, though in never fo fmall a Matter; and yet to fhew no Concernment for the Rights and the Honour of that God who made him, and by whofe Favour alone it is that he can call any his own that he hath?

O! What a World of Good might we all do, if we had a true Zeal of God? How many Occafions and Opportunities are there put into our Hands every Day (in what Condition or Circumftances foever we are) which if we were acted by this Principle, would render us great Benefactors to Mankind, by difcouraging Vice and Impiety, and promoting. Virtue and Goodnefs in the World?

But, perhaps, I have fet this Bufinefs of Zeal for God too high: Becaufe none are capable of being thus Zealous, but thofe that have attained to a great Degree of Virtue and Piety, which we cannot fuppofe of all, nor the most. But however, it will be a Shame to all of us, if we do not come to fuch a pitch of Zeal, which the unbelieving Jews are here commended for. I bear them Record, faith St. Paul, that they have a Zeal of God. What was this Zeal of theirs? Why, as I told you, (and as it plainly appears from the whole Chapter) it was an carneft and paffionate Concernment for the Religion of their Country. Sure all

Men

Men among us, both good and bad, may come up to this Degree of Zeal for God, and it is a Reproach to us if we do not. Efpecially confidering that their Religion, at that Time, was not God's Religion, but Ours is.

Indeed, the Publick Profeffion of Religion in the right Way, is as much every Man's Intereft, and ought to be as much every Man's Care, as any the dearest Thing he hath in this World. Nay, to all Men that believe they have Souls to fave, it is more valuable than any other worldly Privileges. It concerns us all, therefore, to be zealous in that Matter. The Duty we owe to God, to our Country, and to our felves, doth require it. In vain it is to be bufy about other Things, and to neglect this. A Man will have but fmall Comfort, when he comes to die, to reflect that he has been Zealous of the Privileges and Property, and Rights of his Country-Men; but it was indifferent to him, how the Service of God, and the Affairs of Religion were managed.

II. The Second Thing we obferve from this Paffage, is, The Apostle's Carriage to the Unbelieving Ifraelites, who though they were zealous for God, yet were in a great Miftake as to their Notions of the true Religion; He doth not bitterly cenfure them; He is not fierce nor furious against them; He doth not excite any Perfon to ufe Force or Violence to them; but he rather pities them; He makes their Zeal that they had of God, an Inducement the more heartily to pray for them, that God would direct them in the right way that leads to Sal

vation.

vation. Tho' he is far from approving their blind Zeal, in fo obftinately oppofing the Righteoufnefs of God, that is, that Method which God hath prefcribed, for the attaining of Righteousness by the Faith of Jefus Chrift; and Setting up a Righteoufness of their own, which confifted chiefly in obferving the Ceremonials of Mofes his Law, and the Traditions of their Fathers, as it follows in the next Verse after my Text: Yet he thinks them the more pitiable, and the more excufable, in that this their Oppofition proceeded from their Zeal of God, tho' it was misinform'd irregular Zeal.

The Practice and Carriage of the Apoftle towards these ignorant Zealots, ought to be a Rule for us to walk by in the like Cafes. If Men be of a different way from us, as to Religion; if they hold other Opinions, or tho' they be of another Communion from us; and tho' too we are fure they are mistaken; nay, and dangerously mistaken too; yet if they have a Zeal of God, if they be ferious and fincere in their Way; if their Errors in Religion, be the pure Results of a misinformed Confcience; let us, as the Apoftle here did, take occafion from hence to pity them, and to put up hearty Prayers to God for them; and to endeavour all we can, by gentle Methods, to reduce them to the right Way: but by no Means to express Contempt or Hatred of them, or to treat them with Violence and Outrage. So far as their Zeal is for God, let us fo far fhew Tenderness and Compaffion to them; and if their Zeal be in fuch Inftances, as are really commendable,

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