“Phinehas… hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy… And he shall have… the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God…”
Num. 25:11, 13
“For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.”
Ps. 69:9
“…they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.”
Rom. 10:2
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Order of Contents
Articles 5
Book 1
Quotes 4
Latin 2
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Articles
1500’s
Vermigli, Peter Martyr – The Common Places… (d. 1562; London: Henrie Denham et al., 1583), pt. 1
11. ‘Of a Good Intent, Zeal…’ 92
‘The means to know which is a good zeal, and which is a bad’ 94
Musculus, Wolfgang – Common Places of the Christian Religion (1560; London, 1563), 2nd Commandment
That God is jealous 48.b
The nature of zeal and emulation 49.b
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1600’s
Baxter, Richard – Direction 20, ‘Be very suspicious of your religious passions and carefully distinguish between a sound and a sinful zeal, lest you should father your sin on the Spirit of holiness and think that you are most pleasing God, when you offend Him’ in The Cure of Church Divisions… (London, 1670), pt. 1, pp. 121-27
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1700’s
Trapp, Joseph – ‘The Nature, Usefulness & Regulation of Religious Zeal: A Sermon…’ (London: 1739)
Trapp (1679–1747) was an English clergyman, academic, poet and pamphleteer.
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1800’s
Ryle, J.C. – ch. 8, ‘Zeal’ in Practical Religion (London: Hunt, 1883), pp. 183-210
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Book
1600’s
Love, Christopher – The Zealovs Christian taking Heaven by Holy Violence in several sermons, tending to direct men how to hear with zeal, [how] to pray with importunity (London: 1653) 110 pp. ToC
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Quotes
Order of
Baxter
Owen
Church of Scotland
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1600’s
Richard Baxter
Christian Concord, or the Agreement of the Associated Pastors & Churches of Worcestershire, with Richard Baxter’s Explication & Defence of it, & his Exhortation to Unity (London: A.M., 1653), ‘Objections Answered’
“And they are oft ready to pull out our eyes, that would have pulled out their own for us in a distempered zeal.”
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The Cure of Church Divisions… (London, 1670), pt. 1, Direction 57, p. 270
“There is no part of religion which Satan does not endeavor to destroy under pretense of promoting it: and his way is to overgo Christ and his apostles, and to seem more zealous than ever they were, and to mend their work by doing it better or doing more…
Satan has always two ways to destroy both truth and duty: The first is by direct opposing it; But when that will not do, the next is by overdoing and pretending to defend it. If he cannot destroy zeal by scorning it and quenching it, he will try to do it by overheating and distempering it.”
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The True Catholic, & Catholic Church Described… (London: A.M., 1660), pp. 158-62 & 184-87
“5. A peaceable spirit must have a high esteem of peace, and be zealous for it, and industrious to obtain it. Only against ungodliness and unpeaceableness must he be unpeaceable. Many have a good wish and a good word for peace, as hypocrites have for godliness, but this will not serve the turn. He that is not for us is against us, and he that gathers not with us, and he that gathers not with us, scatters abroad. The wicked and unpeaceable are zealous and industrious against peace; and those that are for peace are cold and indifferent for the greater part; and the zealous and industrious are so few that their voices cannot be heard in the contentious crowd. The unpeaceable are commonly the loudest and are actuated by a fervent zeal, which nature agrees with and Satan cherishes and excites: such will even as the Quakers, go up and down from one assembly to another, and in the market-places and other places of concourse, revile and rail, and reproach the ministry, and speak as earnestly as if they were the agents of Christ.
And others are busy in secret, that will not incur the disgrace of such visible impiety. And when the enemies of unity and peace are many, and hot and loud, and the friends of unity and peace are either few or cold and dull and silent, what’s like to be the issue, but even the mischiefs which we feel? Forsooth, some dare not be fervent for peace, lest they be censured for their fervor to be unpeaceable: These show how much they love the praise of men and stick yet in the power of self. There’s need of zeal for peace, as well as for other parts of holiness. All the resistance that the enemies of Hell and earth can make, will be made against it: And will it be carried on against all by sleepy wishes and sitting still? I am sure this agrees not with the precepts of the Spirit. ‘Follow peace with all men,’ Heb. 12:14. If it be possible, as much as in you lies, live peaceably with all men, Rom. 12:18. It’s a sorry surgeon, or physician that will think it enough to wish well to their patient: the House of God will be neither built, nor repaired without zeal and industry and patience in the work. If men’s hearts were set upon the Church’s peace, and they did but feel the disjoiting of her members, the breaking of her bones, and the smart of her wounds, as sensibly as they feel the like in their own bodies; and if ministers and other Christians were as sensible of the evil of divisions as they are of drunkenness, and whoredom, and such other sins, and if we were all awakened to quench the flames of the Church, as earnestly as we would do the fire in our houses, and would preach for peace and pray for peace, and plead and labor and suffer for peace, then some good might be done on it, against the rage and multitude of dividers.
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8. Another hindrance of unity and peace is a carnal zeal in matters of religion, which is frequently mistaken for the true zeal of the saints. When men are confident that their opinions are the truth, and overvalue them as to the necessity (because they are their own, though they observe not the reason), they presently think they must be hot against all the gainsayers of their opinions; and herein they place the most, or at least too much, of their religion.
There’s not one of many that has this zeal but thinks it is of God and is part of their holiness, when as it is often from the Devil and the flesh, even when the doctrine is true which they contend for. You may know it from true zeal by these following marks:
1. It is more for controversies and speculations than for practical holiness.
2. It is selfish and kindled by an overvaluing their own conceits or ways.
3. It is private and would promote a lower truth to the loss of a greater, or a doubtful point, to the loss of undoubted truth; or a single truth, to the loss or hindrance of the body of common truth; and it is hotter for a party than for the catholic Church, and will promote the interest of an opinion or purity to the wrong of the common interest of the Church.
4. It is blind and carries men to sinful means, as resisting authority, order or ordinances, or the like.
5. It is unmerciful and unpeaceable, and little sensible of the case of others or smart of the divided Church.
Many are calling for fire from Heaven for the cause of Christ, that little know what spirit they are of, Lk. 9:55. O how true is this of many that think they excel in knowledge or zeal and are but defending the truth against erroneous adversaries. But
‘who is the wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation, his works with meekness of wisdom: But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth: This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish: For where envying and strife is, there is confusion, and every evil work: But the wisdom that is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, without hypocrisy; And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.’ Jam. 3:13 to the end.
But of this I have formerly spoken at large in many sermons on these words of James. Dividing zeal is a grievous distracter of the Church’s peace.”
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Catholic Theology, Plain, Pure, Peaceable... (London: White, 1675), Preface, n.p.
“5. He that mistakingly thinks any thing is good or bad, duty or sin, which is not so, will be zealous in pursuit of his mistake, if he be serious for God: A good principle will hasten him on in a wrong way, whatever it cost him.
6. Ignorance and timerousness cause superstition, which is a conceit that God is [thought to be] pleased by overdoing in external things, and observances and laws of their own making, and so they that make part of their own religion superstitiously (as most good people do in some things through ignorance) will censure all others as good or bad, by the measure of their own mistakes.
7. He that thus mistakingly thinks that men sin when they do not, will have a proportionable dislike of them and aversation from them: And will be ready to speak as he thinks of them and so will be guilty of calumny and calling evil good, and good evil.
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18. And the Church will always have many hypocrites, who quiet their consciences by adhering to the strictest ministers and churches, instead of a mortified, holy and heavenly heart and conversation [conduct].
19. And lastly, persecution and hatred from others, and the due love of godly persons, tempts too many ministers to over-run their own judgments and follow the more censorious sort of persons further than they ought (at least by connivence) and to be ruled by those whom they should rule. And thus divisions are occasioned even by piety itself.”
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John Owen
The Works of John Owen (NY: Robert Carter, 1852), vol. 7, Nature & Causes of Apostasy from the Gospel, ch. 12, pp. 252-53
“Too high an estimation of any peculiar way of worship is apt to entice the minds of some into a hurtful confidence in these things. Having an apprehension that they alone have attained unto the right way of gospel worship and the administration of its ordinances, and that, perhaps, on such accounts as wherein they are eminently deceived, they begin first greatly to value themselves, and then to despise all others, and, if they can, to persecute them. This insensibly works them into a trust in that which they esteem so excellent, and that unto an open neglect of things of a greater weight and moment.
Thus is it not unusual to see persons who are under the power of some singular opinion and practice in religion to make one thing almost their whole business, the measure of other things and persons, the rule of communion and of all sincere love;—to value and esteem themselves and others according unto their embracing or not embracing of that opinion…
Wherefore, although we ought greatly to prize and to endeavor after the true order of the church of Christ, the purity of worship, and regular administration of ordinances, yet let us take heed that we prize not ourselves too much on what we have attained; for if we do so, we shall be very apt to countenance ourselves in other neglects thereby, which will certainly bring us into a spiritual sickness and declension.”
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Church of Scotland
A Seasonable Admonition & Exhortation to Some who Separate themselves from the Communion of the Church of Scotland… Unanimously agreed unto by the Commission of the General Assembly, December 9, 1698 (Edinburgh: Mosmam, 1699)
“But we wish you [separatists] would study due discretion and knowledge with your zeal, and that your zeal may be universal against all evil, and that you would understand and consider that when evils have been epidemic, either in defection or in division or disorder, the apostolic rules commend, and the practice of this Church always allowed, prudence and tenderness to be used, 2 Cor. 10:6; 12:20-21; 13:10; Jude 22-23.”
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“For in reference to affirmative precepts, Christian prudence should ponder and choose the season and circumstances which conduce most for the glory of God and good of the Church. Imprudent rashness and indiscretion, though under the name of zeal in unseasonably doing what is duty on the matter, may do and has done much hurt to the Church.”
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“[Division] takes off from the sweetness of religion and turns to wrangling and occasions a great decay of the life and power of religion and godliness. Though you should seem to grow in knowledge and zeal for truth, while division makes you languish in the vitals of religion, peace and love, your zeal, though it were to the losing of your lives, will avail you nothing, 1 Cor. 13:2-3; Jm. 3:14. Division is the deformity; yea, it tends to the destruction of the Church (Mt. 12:25); and to carry on reformation by dividing the godly is to tear the Body in pieces under a pretense of a cure.”
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“Labor to abound in these uniting graces mentioned (Col. 3:11-13) and labor for a proportionable growth in grace, and beware of zeal without knowledge and spend not most of your zeal about lesser things. Study universal holiness and in particular the duties of your particular callings and relations; be not idle nor busy in others’ matters, and keep within your own line and calling, 1 Cor. 7:20, 24. The feet must not usurp the office of the eye, 1 Cor. 12:8-9, 11, 15-17, 19, 28-29.
Take heed how you let your zeal loose against the ministers of the Church, lest you bring their persons and offices into contempt; lest by disgracing them you weaken their interest in the people and hinder their doing good. This is to do the Devil’s work.”
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“[To ministers:] Be zealous and faithful reprovers of sin, both publicly and privately as may be most edifying, be not through cowardice afraid of man, nor by imprudence and indiscretion, under the name of zeal, mar edification.”
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Latin Articles
1600’s
Voet, Gisbert
2. Of Moderates, the Tepid & Syncretists
Select Theological Disputations, vol. 4 (Utrecht, 1667), 50. ‘A Syllabus of Questions on the Decalogue’
‘On desire, on zeal and its opposite: coldness & tepidness’, p. 776
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“Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
Isa. 9:7
“Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.”
1 Cor. 14:12
“But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing…”
Gal. 4:18
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