Zeal for God's House Quickened

Mr. Bowles in this excellent and stirring treatise is addressing the Westminster Divines in their vigilant care for the common good of the church. As Bowles explains from John 2:17 And his disciples remembered that it was written The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up zeal is the manner that they must do all things for the glory of God. It is a hearty soul-work for without true biblical zeal there is no pleasing service rendered to the Christ. What will a cold lazy indifferent reformer accomplish? What would a group of cold lazy indifferent reformers ever accomplish?Annexed to this inspiring word on enacting zealous reformation and setting down the character and work of zealous reformers Bowles shows how church-reformation is a work of the largest extent as that which concerns all professing churches whose eternal happiness or misery will be the outcome of either exercising biblical zeal for the glory of God or not. For biblical zeal as it mimics the Lord Jesus Christ is a holy ardor kindled by the Holy Spirit of God in the affections improving a man to the utmost for God's glory and the church's good; and it is without a doubt that church reformation calls for utmost zeal.Though Bowles spoke to the Assembly in this work he took time afterwards to as he said make bold a supply of that which at the time of the delivery he could not do. So this work is the expanded piece turned from a sermon into a treatise which he enlarged. This work is not solely for the historical assembly but all that would take up the mantle of reformation for the glory of Christ's church. He covers what zeal is in church reform over and against false zeal; how zeal is manifested in true reformers what practical aspects zeal plays for the work of reformation and then gives some uses to the doctrine. His word to preachers as reformers the concluding section of the work is something every preacher should hear. That preachers who desire to see Christ's church flourish under the work of the Spirit ought to take up preaching that is zealous compassionate convincing (with conviction) sensible to the needs of the people as frequent as possible and with all gravity to the glory of God and the good of the saints.