For HE in greatest Perils was
Among falfe Brethren Here,
And which was certainly the Cause
He warns Us of Their Sphere.
Bears Witnefs SATAN can affume
A fair ANGELIC Face,
In which Disguise He can prefume
To talk and preach of Grace.
And, thus transform'd, He doth deceive
The filly, thoughtless Throng,
Who are fo WEAK as to believe
The fine, the fpecious Tongue.
Who by APPEARANCES are caught,
A HASTY ZEAL admire;
And, without giving Things a Thought,
Are warm'd by fuch falfe Fire.
For in Enthufiaftic Breafts
A warmer Zeal's oft found,
Than what in wifer People refts,
Who in the Truth abound.
And wou'd You know the Difference
'Twixt falfe and genuine Zeal,
Attend Well to the following Sense,
It may the fame reveal.
FALSE ZEAL is inwardly fevere,
Sharp, harsh and fiery too
Doth likewife outwardly appear
Unmerciful to view.
Always opposes GENUINE Truth,
The Blind doth lead aftray;
And turns the Aged, and the Youth
From Heaven's bleffed Way.
The humble Souls Ir doth affault,
Nay, hates their humble Life;
Whom GOD will certainly EXALT,
And fave from all their Strife.
FALSE ZEAL is fierce, of Meeknefs void,
No Oppofition bears;
And if, by GOSPEL-LIGHT, 'tis tried,
It's ugly Face appears.
'Tis rafh, unloving, and unkind,
Despises Others Here;
UNCHRISTIANS Ev'ry Human Mind,
Which moves not in it's Sphere.
Falfe Zeal doth One Another bite
Like furious Beafts of Prey,
Which hunt Each Other in the Night,
But fhun the Light of Day.
It makes more Noife more Sighs can breathe
Then Those Whom GOD doth move,
Because it's KINDLED from BENEATH
By blind infernal Love.
It gets into the Judgment-Seat,
Where I, Alas! have been;
And in it's falfe, delufive Heat
Condemns the best of Men.
Condemns Thofe to the Pit of Hell,
Who by the LORD are fent ;
And scarce can think of Any well,
Who from it's SECT diffent.
In fhort, 'tis like that CRUEL BEAST
Defcrib'd by good St. John,
Which wears the Lamb's Horns for it's Creft,
Yet fpeaks like a DRAGON.
And if it's TEMPERS You compare
With PAUL's Account of Love,
You'll find IT hath no real share
In that GRACE from Above.
If too the Parallel You draw
With James's Wisdom pure,
You'll fee, that bright, that Heav'nly Law
Falfe Zeal cannot endure.
Because All Wisdom that's from Heav'n
Is pure and full of Peace:
And as the Same to Man is giv'n,
HYPOCRISY must cease.
And of All Monsters, (without Doubt,}
Which are the most accurft,
A WOLF within, a SHEEP without.
Is certainly the WORST.
Who thinks, and wills One Thing WITHIN,
WITHOUT Another acts;
And thus is guilty of that SIN
The HYPOCRITE Contracts.
Whereas the Man of upright Mind
Won't act the Wolffh Part,
But will fhow forth to All Mankind,
He hath no double Heart.
For What He doth, from Love, intend,
And think within his Breast
He speaks and acts, with fome good End,
And thus His Zeal is bleft.
He's like Nathaniel. by the Tree,
Without Deceit and Guile;
An ISRAELITE must furely be
On Whom the LORD doth smile.
He's bleffed Here, by Heav'n approv'd,
If Men approve or not;
And, Daniel-like by GOD belov'd
Shall fland in His bleft Lor.
Thus holy Zeal, We fee, is right,
Tho' hafty Zeal be wrong;
The Former being in the Light,
The Latter in the Tongue.
In fuch like Men of felfifh Love
There's greater Zeal and Fire,
Then in All Thofe Who humbly move,
Whom CHRIST doth Here infpire.
Because the First doth Self regard
Seeks Intereft and Fame;
The Latter hath it's bleft Reward
In turning from the Same.
They, Whom the DEVIL leads Abroad,
Do Works for Sake of Self;
But Thofe, Who guided are by GOD,
Abhor fuch curfed Pelf.
And, in their Works, regard the LORD,
His Will defire to do;
And, by the Guidance of HIS WORD,
Perform Works good and true.
In outward Form Both may appear,
As if They were the Same;
But when brought to the Light, 'tis clear,
They bear a diff'rent Name.
One is, like GOLD, replete with Drofs,
So bad, it's Nothing Worth:
The Other needs no outward Glofs,
Being Heav'nly in it's Birth.
The One's like artificial Fruit,
That's beautiful Without,
But has Within a rotten Root,
From Which no Good can sprout.
Whereas from th' Other All may know,
Without their being told,
Delightful Fruit doth Ever grow,
More precious far than Gold.
If this be fo-then let us bring
Our Works unto the Light;
That We may know from Whence They fpring,
And fee if They be right.
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