109SermonsbyJCRyle
marched men and women to the stake in solemn procession, and called it "An act of Faith," and believed they were doing God service. The Hindus, who lie down before the car of Juggernaut, and allow their bodies to be crushed under its wheels—had not they zeal? The Indian widows, who burn themselves on the funeral pile of their deceased husbands—the Roman Catholics, who persecuted to death the Christian, and cast down men and women from rocks and precipices, because they were heretics—had not they zeal? The Saracens—the Crusaders—the Jesuits—the anabaptists of Munster— the followers of Joanna Southcote, had they not all zeal? Yes! Yes! I do not deny it. All these had zeal beyond question. They were all zealous. They were all in earnest. But their zeal was not such zeal as God approves—it was not a "zeal according to knowledge."
2. Furthermore, if zeal be true, it will be a zeal from true motives. Such is the subtlety of the heart, that men will often do right things from wrong motives. Amaziah and Joash, kings of Judah, are striking proofs of this. Just so a man may have zeal about things that are good and right—but from ulterior motives, and not from a desire to please God. And such zeal is worth nothing. It is reprobate silver. It is utterly lacking when placed in the balance of God. Man looks only at the actions. God looks at the motives. Man only thinks of the quantity of work done. God considers the doer's heart.
There is such a thing as zeal from PARTY SPIRIT. It is quite possible for a man to be unwearied in promoting the interests of his own Church or denomination, and yet to have no grace in his own heart— to be ready to die for the peculiar opinions of his own religious section, and yet to have no real love to Christ. Such was the zeal of the Pharisees. They "compassed sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he was made, they made him two-fold more the child of hell than themselves." (Matt. 23:15.) This zeal is not true.
There is such a thing as zeal from more SELFISHNESS. There are times when it is men's interest to be zealous in religion. Power and patronage are sometimes given to godly men. The good things of the