A Coal From The Altar, To Kindle The Holy Fire of Zeale - In a Sermon Preached at a Generall Visitation at Ipswich by Samuel Ward
page 42 of 51 (82%)
page 42 of 51 (82%)
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_The sixt part._ Which little round fire-ball comming to hand, as _Davids_ small stone, by ordinary lot, knowing the insufficiency of mine owne; I pray that God with his arme would scatter it farre and wide into those wilde parts of the world without the pale of Christendome, which lie so frozen and benummed in their Paganisme, that they feele not the coldnesse of their religions; as also in those regions that being within the Tropickes of the Church, have just so much, and so little heat, as to thinke they have enough, and neede no more: Cheefly mine affections burne within mee for the good of mine owne Nation, for which I would I had but so much zeale as truely to wish my selfe _Anathema_, upon condition it had heat sutable to the light. For I must beare it record, it hath knowledge, I would I could say, according to zeale. But the spirit, knowing that which is spoken to all to bee in effect as spoken to none, directs mee what I should speake to Churches, to speake to particular Angels. Now the principall in our Church, under that Archangell of the covenant, I most willingly acknowledge to bee my Lord the King, as an Angell of light. And why not that very Angell, who by his writing hath begunne to powre out the fift viall upon the throne of the beast, darkned his Kingdome, caused them to gnaw their tongues for greefe, and blaspheme for the smart of their wounds; though as yet they will not repent of their errours? The Lord annoynt him more and more with this oyle above all the Princes of the earth, that from his head, it may runne downe upon our skirts; make him shine in zeale above all other starres, to the warming & enlightning of this whole Horizon; set him up as a standard for his people; cloath him with zeale, as with a cloake, to recompence the fury of the adversaries, that he may strike the Aramites, not three |
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