Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

That is I have such a measure of zeal wrought in me by thy Spirit that I cannot see thee in the least measure dishonoured but I must burn with zeal: Therefore examine your selves what zeal ⟨p. 90⟩you have for God and godliness. Are you hot for the things of this world, and cold for grace and holiness? Then whatsoever you think of your selves yet, you have not the sanctifying Spirit. There is not a holy man or woman, that belongs unto Christ, but they have this holy fire in them: And yet I would not have you to mistake me, as if every Christian did attain unto the like heat and zeal as others do, for you must know, that some have more, and some have less, according to the measure of the sanctifying Spirit that they have: but this you must know, that you must be full of heat, full in some measure, answerable to the measure of the sanctifying Spirit: but if you find no heat at all in you: then you have not a grain of the Spirit in you; Not to be hot is to be luke warm: and luke warmness is that which God hates: it is a temper mixed of both heat and cold: loathsome to nature, and odious to God, and therefore in Revel. 3. Because the Laodiceans were neither hot nor cold, but luke warm, that is, they had neither ¹heat to God: nor were so cold as to forsake the Truth; That is, sin and holiness stood in arbitration together and they had as good a mind unto the one as unto the other; Now because it was thus with them, therefore saith God I will spew them out: and in the next verse he exhorts them To be zealous and amend: That is except they labour to be hot in the Spirit, they cannot be saved. Again in Titus 2. it is said by the Apostle, That Christ ²died that he might purchase to himself a people zealous of good works, that is, this zeal must not be a constrained zeal but a willing zeal; And if there were no other motive to move men to be zealous but this, because Christ came to redeem them for this end that they might be zealous of good works for his glory: if there be any spark of the fire of grace in us, it will burn at Christs dishonour: And if Christ came to this end to make men zealous: then surely Christ will not lose his end: but they that Christ will save shall be zealous. Therefore I beseech you labour to be strong in the inward man, and labour to get the Spirit that