most important duty: but to engage in that service uncalled, and unsent, is not by any means expedient or right: for even our blessed Lord "glorified not himself to be made an high priest, but waited for the call" of his heavenly Father". So again, we must attend to the time and manner of executing what we conceive to be a lawful act; and not abuse our liberty by exercising it in a way that may prove offensive to others. In a word, our zeal must be wisely regulated: it should be able to rise to any occasion that may call for it; but it should be under due control; nor should it ever be satisfied with a conviction that a thing is "lawful," without considering also whether, and how far, it is "expedient 9." We think, then, that a zeal flowing from such a source, and regulated by such a standard, and exercised in such a way, will bear inspection; and that, so far as we give the invitation for the purpose of self-inquiry, and not of self-applause, we may say, not to man only, but even to God himself, "Come, and see my zeal for the Lord."] But there are occasions when our zeal is blameworthy, and, II. When it evidently manifests itself to be delusive and vain It is altogether vain and unacceptable to God, 1. When it is ostentatious [Such was that of Jehu on this occasion. Raised to kingly power, and successful beyond his most sanguine expectations, he was elated with pride, and desirous of having his prowess admired and extolled. Hence his conduct, which, as conformable to a divine command, was made the ground of a reward, was, on account of the base mixture of pride and cruelty with which it was pursued, visited with signal punishment. Ostentation will mar and vitiate the best actions that we can possibly perform. The giving of alms, or the waiting upon God with fasting and prayer, are acceptable services, if performed aright; but when made occasions for advancing ourselves in the estimation of men, they are hateful and contemptible in the sight of God, and will bring with them no other recompence than that which we vainly seeks." The declaration of God in relation to such things is plain and express: "For a man to seek his own glory, is not gloryt:" therefore "let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips"." n Heb. v. 4-6. q 1 Cor. vi. 12. o 1 Cor. viii. 10—13. r t Prov. xxv. 27. P Acts xxi. 13. Hos. i. 4. u Prov. xxvii. 2. To this, then, we must carefully attend: for if, whilst professing to serve the Lord, we "sacrifice to our own net, and burn incense to our own drag," be the service what it may, God will say, "Who hath required this at your hands?" yea, it will be no better, in his sight, than "the cutting off a dog's neck, or the offering of swine's blood"."] 2. When it is partial [In this respect, also, Jehu's zeal notoriously failed. He was sent to punish Ahab's wickedness; and yet himself joined in the idolatry which he was ordered to abolish, and indulged in all the sins which he was commissioned to correct. Zeal, if pure, will extend to every part of our duty: it has respect to God's will; and therefore will operate in reference to all his commands; to those which require self-denial, no less than to those which may administer to our personal gratification. Zeal will be in the soul what the soul is in the body: its operation will be uniform and abiding- Whether our actions be public or private, and whether our duties be of an active or passive kind, it will stimulate us to approve ourselves to the heart-searching God: and, if it fail of this, at least in our endeavours, it is evidently not such as has God for its author, nor such as God will ultimately approve.] 3. When it is transient 66 [The stony-ground hearers manifest a great degree of zeal for a season: "they anon with joy receive the word; but, having no root in themselves, they believe only for a while, and in time of temptation fall away." But it is not sufficient for any man to "run well for a season onlyd." "We must endure unto the end, if ever we would be saved." We are "not to look back, after having once put our hand to the plough!." "We are never to be weary in well-doing :" never, under any circumstances, to faint." On this our future remuneration altogether depends". "The man who draws back, draws back unto perdition":" and he whose zeal will not carry him to the last extremity, even to the enduring of the most cruel death, will fail of obtaining the approbation of his God'. I must, therefore, guard you against ever relaxing in your zeal even for a moment. Whatever your attainments be, and whatever you may have done or suffered in the service of your God, you must "forget the things that are behind, and reach forward unto that which is before, and press on for the prize of your high calling," till you have actually finished your course, and obtained the crown which is to be awarded to you*.] In CONCLUSION, let me say to every individual amongst you 1. Have a zeal for God He [God is not to be served with lukewarmness1requires the heart, the whole heart": and surely he is worthy of it; and his service well deserves it. See what zeal men display in the pursuits of this world; the student, for knowledge; the merchant, for his gains; the soldier, for honour: and will you be behind any one of them? Does our blessed Lord and Saviour deserve less at your hands, than this vain and perishing world can do? The burnt-offerings, you know, were wholly consumed upon God's altar: they were wholly God's; and the priests had no part in them. Such offerings are ye to be: and to be devoted thus exclusively to God is "your reasonable service"." Give yourselves up, then, entirely to God; and "whatsoever your hand findeth to do, do it with all your might."] 2. Let "your zeal be according to knowledge" [Ignorant zeal will only deceive and ruin you, as it did the Pharisees of old. There is a great deal of zeal in the world: else whence come the penances and pilgrimages of the Papists? and whence the accursed cruelties of the Inquisition? Who knows not the persecutions that Christianity has sustained from heathens; or the miseries that Popery, under the name of Christianity, has inflicted on those who would not yield to its abominations? In all these things, the agents "have imagined that they did to God an acceptable service." Nor can I deny that even good men have sometimes been betrayed into a very erroneous line of conduct, from a mistaken notion, that they were serving God, whilst anathematizing those who differed from them in some matters of subordinate importance. But be not satisfied, brethren, even though Jehonadab himself be embarked in the same cause with you. It is not by man's judgment or example that you are to stand or fall, but by the judgment of your God, according to his written word. Endeavour, then, to have your mind and spirit regulated by the only standard of right and wrong. And especially be on your guard against a fiery zeal. "The zeal of our k Phil. iii. 13, 14. m Prov. xxiii. 26. Hos. x. 2. P Rom. x. 2, 3. 1 Rev. iii. 15, 16. n Rom. xii. 1. o Eccl. ix. 10. q John xvi. 2. blessed Lord was such as even consumed him':" but remember, it was himself that it consumed, not others: yea, when he himself suffered from the blind zeal of others, he prayed for them, even for his very murderers". "Be ye then followers of him." "Let it be your meat and your drink to do the will of God yourselves t:" but, with respect to others, let all your efforts be "to save, and not to destroy them";" to "win them" by love, and not constrain them by force.] 2 Kings x. 30, 31. And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin. WE can scarcely conceive any stronger proof of God's willingness to reward his people, than that which he has given us in rewarding persons, whose services were merely external, without any real love to him in their hearts. If we were to judge from the honour put upon Jehu, we should be ready to suppose he was, if not a blameless, yet, on the whole, a pious character: but on a review of his history, our admiration must be fixed, not on him, but on that infinitely gracious and condescending Being, who was pleased to remunerate such services as his. Let us consider, I. The character of Jehu Here was a mixture, not uncommon in the world. Let us notice, 1. What he did for God [Being appointed of God to the office of avenging upon Ahab the blood of Naboth and of the prophets, he addressed himself to the work without delay. In the space of a few hours he destroyed Jehoram, with his mother Jezebel, and then instantly set himself to complete the work he had so prosperously begun. And it is worthy of observation, that in extirpating the family of Ahab, he succeeded by the very same means which Jezebel had used for the destruction of Naboth. He sent letters to the great men of Samaria, to whose care the seventy sons of Ahab were entrusted, and required of them to cut off their heads in one single night, and send them to him at Jezreel and these elders, many of whom had doubtless concurred in the shedding of Naboth's blood at the command of Jezebel, now, at the command of Jehu, became traitors to their king, and murderers of all his family. But, besides cutting off the posterity of Ahab, he proceeded also to execute judgment on all the worshippers of Baal. By a stratagem deeply laid, but ill according with truth or godliness, he succeeded against these also in one day; and entirely banished, as it were, the worship of Baal from the land, burning all his images with fire, and making his very temple a draught-house, or sink of all uncleanness. In this conduct he gained the approbation of Jehonadab, whose pious character and zealous co-operation strengthened and encouraged him in this arduous undertaking. From God himself too did he obtain a decided testimony of approbation, together with a rich reward: for he alone of all the kings of Israel had the kingdom continued to his posterity of the fourth generation, or for so long a period of years. Thus, it must be confessed, he appears to have been a distinguished servant of the Lord; though, alas! he was but partial in that obedience which he rendered.] 2. What he omitted to do [Against Ahab, whom it was his interest to destroy, and Baal, whom he had no wish to preserve, he executed vengeance with zeal; but against the calves of Dan and Bethel, which policy required him to preserve he raised not up his hand. Nor indeed did he make the law of God the rule of his conduct: "he took no heed to walk according to that;" much less did he aim at it "with all his heart:" no; he both indulged in himself, and tolerated in others, much that was contrary to the divine will; and thus he manifested, that, notwithstanding all his outward obedience, his heart was not right in the sight of God.] Such was his character, externally good, but internally depraved. Let us proceed to notice, II. The lessons to be deduced from it— |