EXERCITAT. V. Commandement 1.

The first and second Commandement, are two distinct Comman­dements.THe first and the second Commandement are two distinct Commandements, and not one, as the Church of Rome would make them: for if they were not two distinct Commandements, then whatsoever reli­gious duties are required, and offences forbidden in Gods Word elsewhere, could not bee contained here under one of these Commandements: but all religious du­ties required besides in any other Scripture; can, and must bee contained in some distinct Commandement of the first Table, and there are many religious actions com­manded, which we must referre to some generall head, and some distinct Commandement in the first table, which cannot be referred to the first or third Comman­dement, or to the fourth, and therefore of necessitie they are to bee referred to the second Commande­ment.To bow before God belongeth both to the first and second Com­mandement in diverse respects.

Thou shalt not bow downe to them nor worship them. These words belong both to the first and second Commande­ment in diverse considerations; To bow the body, is an ex­ercise of religious worship due to God, and wee must not performe it to any other creature There are two sorts of bowing of the bodie, the first is an absolute bowing or terminatiua adoratio, as they call it, and stay­ed in the thing, to which it is given; and this is perfor­med when the thing it selfe is the principall cause why the worship is given unto it.Adoratio terminativarelativa. This sort of worship is due onely to God himselfe and it belongeth to the first [Page 29] Commandement, although it be an externall action of the bodie, 1 Tim. 2.8.Adoratio terminativa, quid. I will therefore that men pray eve­ry where, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. This externall action of the body, To lift up the hands, belongeth to the first Commandement. The se­cond sort of bowing or of bodily worship is that, which we call Relatiua, quando non terminator in creatura, Adoratio relativa, quid. when it endeth not in the creature, Sed transit in aliud, it passeth to another; and this sort of worship is forbidden in the second Commandement: such was the worship which Cornelius would have given to Peter Act. 10.25. and which Iohn would have given to the Angell Revela. 19.10.

Secondly, others distinguish the first and the second Commandement this way:Neither all, nor onely inward worship, is commanded in the first Table. that all inward worship is commanded in the first Commandement, and all out­ward worship, in the second but neither all, nor onely, inward worship is commanded in the first Comman­dement: as to bow the knee before God terminative et absolute, is judged a part of the worshipe of God in the first Commandement: so both the outward and in­ward relative worship are condemned in the second Commandement. When a man carrieth any religious and reverent respect to worship before the creature, this is condemned in the second Commandement, as when the Philistims would not tread upon the threshold where Dagon broake his necke 2 Sam. 5.5.

Thirdly when false worship is given to the false God, they make that a breach of the second Commandement; and when true worship is given to the true God, they say this is commanded in the first Commandment: but this distinction holdeth not, for when a man worship­eth a false God, by false meanes; as when a Covetous man maketh a God of his mony, it is a breach of the first Commandement, and not of the second: but when [Page 30] he goeth about to worship: any creature for Gods cause outwardly in act, this relative worship is condemned in the second Commandement.

Ye shall have no other Gods before me: these words are not rightly translated, ye shall not make Peregrinos deos, strange Gods: he forbideth not onely deos gentium, which are dij peregrinj, but thou shalt make to thy selfe no Gods, [...] alienus. although thou never learne of another people to make them. And this word Achar in other places of the Scripture, is expounded by these two words, Necar and Zar, so that he forbiddeth to have any God but himselfe.

It is great Idolatrie to worship the Gods of other people, being deceived by them; as the heart of Salo­mon was drawne to worshipe strange Gods by the ex­ample of his Wives. It is greater Idolatrie when they make choise to worship them, not being compelled for feare,To worship Gods whom their Fathers knew not, a great sinne. as they would have driven David to doe, 1 Sam. 26.19. thus did Amaziah willingly worship the Gods of the Edomites after that he had overcome them, 2 Chron. 25.14. but a higher sort of Ido­latrie, is to worship Gods whom their Fathers knew not. Deut. 32.17. this was a greater sin than to worship the Gods of their Fathers.

[...] Before me, in the Hebrew it is, Gnal Panai which may be expounded in my place; as Deut. 21.16. he may not make the sonne of the beloved first borne, gnal Panai, in place of the sonne of the hated woman. Or, gnal panai, id est e regione mei yee shall not bring in the Harlot in my sight.

Before me, God is a jealous God. Who will not suffer Idolum Zelotypiae, the Image of Ielousie to be set up before him.The great hatred of God against Idolatrie. Ezek. 8.3, hee who should not suffer a stranger to enter into the Temple, how can hee suffer an Image to be set up before him? he who would not suffer the [Page 31] Arke, and Dagon to stand together in the Temple of the Philistims; how can he suffer an Idoll to be set up be­side himselfe in his owne Temple? What boldnesse was it in the Iewes, to set up the Idoll in mount Olevit, [...] Mons unctionis a [...] unctus fuit. [...] Mons corruptionis a [...] corrumpere. even in the sight of the Lord, for hee never looked out of the Sanctuarie, but hee saw that vile hill of abhomi­nations: therefore hee calleth it not, Har hamishha, Mons unctionis, but Har hammashhith, Mons corruptionis, The Hill of corruption, 2 King 23.13. And they came neerer with their Idols to set them up before the Lord Ezek. 8.5. Northward at the gate of the Altar, this Image of Ie­lousie in the entrie was set up. This was the outmost gate in the court of the Gentiles. And yet neerer, in Gazophylacijs, in the Chambers that were next the Tem­ple. When the Prophet digged a hole through the wall he saw them worshipping creeping things and abhominable beasts vers. 10. And yet neerer, even to the North gate of the Lords house at the entrie of the Court of the Priests, there they set up the filthy God Tammuz. The Idols in Ezekiel's dayes, were brought neerer and neerer, untill at last they were brought within the Temple. And yet they come neerer which was a greater abhomination, At the doore of the Temple of the Lord, betwixt the Porch and the Altar, were five and twentie men with their backes towards the Lord, and their faces towards the East, and they were worshipping the Sunne. When they came to worship before the Lord they turned their faces to­wards the Arke:When the people of God worshipped, they turned their faces to­ward the Arke. which was in the West end of the Tem­ple, and when they came out of the Temple, they re­turned not that way, by which they entred in: as when they came in at the East gate, they went out at the North or North-eastgate,They went not out of the Temple by the doore at which they entered in. but they went not out at the East gate because then they should have turned their backes upon the Lord. If they might notturne their backes upon him; farre lesse might they turne their hearts from him. See Esay. 1.4.

Ye shall have no other Gods. Acherim, Strange Gods, [...] so it [Page 32] is called strange fire. Nom. 3.3. and strange incense Exod. 30.9. and Levit. 10.1. So alienare se retrorsum, is to goe Backward from the true God, Esay. 1.4. In worship, if wee respect either the object,To have another God is to have a strange God. or the manner of the worship; to have another God, is to have a false God. so Gal. 18.9. Another Gospell, is a contrarie Gospell, and Disparata sunt contraria in cultu divino, ubi est alius et alius non est vnus cultus; therefore a strange God, is put here for a false God.

We may take up this Commandement in these pro­positions. First, ye shall have a God. Secondly, yee shall have me for your God. Thirdly, ye shall have mee one­ly for your God.

Many have not God to be their God.First, ye shall have a God. The most people of the World have not God for their God; there were and are three religions in the world, first Iudaisme, secondly Christianitie, and thirdly Paganisme.

[...]Iudaisme is considered in a threefold estate, first when they were Gnammi, My people, secondly when they were Lo gnammi, [...] The estate of the Iewes when they were the people of God. Not my people, and thirdly when they shall be Rubhama, to be pitied Hose. 1.

In the first estate, when they were gnammi, My people, then they worshipped the true God, they waited for salvation in Christ to come, and they were distinguished from other people by the badge of circumcision; then the Proselyte of the Gentiles was numbered with them, and he was called Goi gnikkari, [...] Gentilis fundamentalis, when he had embraced the Articles of the faith. Those who were opposite to the people of God in this estate, were either those who mixed their religion with hea­thenish Idolatrie,The Samaritans religi­on contrary to the Iewes in their first estate. [...] such were the Samaritans: of these Chrysostome said, [...] to mixe these things that should not bee mixed, the true worship with the false; and the Iewes stigmatized (as it were) the Sa­maritans with these two letters, Gnaijn zain because they [Page 33] used strange worship. Or, those who fell away quite to gentilisme, such as was Rabshake whom the Iewes hold generally to have beene an apostate Iew; [...] and such a one is called Copher begnikkar, Negans fundamentum.

In their second estate they are Lo gnammi, Not my peo­ple. And they despised me Esay. 1,The great ingratitude of the Iewes in casting off the Lord, who had done such great things for them. They whom I begot and brought up, they upon whom I bestowed so great priviledges, they to whom I gave so many benefits with out their desert, they whom I caried upon Eagles wings, Deut. 7.6. (for the Eagle doth not carie her young ones in her tallones as other ravenous fowles doe, but upon her wings) I was betwixt them and all danger, I covered them in Aegypt with my winges, I carried them through the Desert; and yet they have cast me off, whom they ought to have worshiped: they have despised me in my Precepts, in my Counsels, and in my Ceremonies, in my Patriarches and in my Prophets, in my Iudges and in my Kings, and lastly they have despised mee in my wel­beloved Sonne, whom I sent to them, Saying, perhaps they will reverence my Sonne Mat. 21.37. They regarded not the rocke of their Salvation, but judged him Plagued and smit­ten of God, Esay. 53.4. They rejected mee, whom I ac­counted onely for my children, and I accounted all other people but dogges in respect of them, Matthew 15.26. But they turning into Dogs have rent mee, Psal. 22. Philip. 2.3. And now the Turke and the Iew are alike, [...] desiderabilis. a [...] desiderare. he in his Desideratus Messias, his wordly King; and the Turke in his Muhhamad, his desiderabilis Mahomet, both circumcise; the Iewes the eight day, the Turkes the eight yeare.

In their third estate, when they shall be Ruhhama, they and the Christians shal be one,The Iewes in their third estate shall be all one with the Christians. then there shall be one sheep­heard and one sheepfold, Ioh. 10.26. And the seale of the Covenant shall be baptisme, as it is to us now.

The second religion Professed in the World is [Page 34] Christianitie,How they were called Christians at the first, those have God for their God, first they were called Nozerim, nazaraei and afterward their name was changed at Antioch, [...] and they were called Mesichijm Act. 11.26. And the seale of the covenant to them is baptisme. Opposite to these are Apostats who fall away from Christianity; such a one is called Hemir dath, Mutans fidem.

Some fall totally from Christianity.These who fall from Christianity: doe fall away ei­ther totallie, or in part. If they fall totallie, either they fall to Iudaisme, Turcisme, or Gentilisme.

[...] a radi [...]e, [...] en [...]ere.First, if they fal to Iudaisme, then they are called Copha­rim, redempti pretio, bought with a pryce.

Secondly, if they fall to Turcisme, if the Turkes buy the Children of the Christians, then they are called Mamlukin, and they circumcise them when they are eight yeare old: and if they take them alive when they are men of age, then they must renounce their Christi­anitie, [...] a radice [...] pax. and they must say; Non est Deus, nisi Deus et Ma­humet, then they are circumcised, and called Musulma­nin, servati, a salem Pax.

The third sort are these who fall totallie to Gentilis­me, as Iulian the Apostate.

Heretickes and Schis­maticks fall from Chri­stianity in part.They who fall a way in part from Christianity, are either Heretickes or Schismatickes. Haeretici in veritatem; et Schismatici, in charitatem, peccant.

[...]The third religion is Paganisme, it is called Gajaroth, & in the Syrian language the Paganes are called Aramaei. Galat. 3.28. The reason why they are so called: is because the first Idolaters, mentioned of, in the Scriptures came from Aram, or Syria: as Abrahams Father was a Syrian, Laban was a Syrian, Naaman was a Syrian, & Balaam was a Syrian Deut. 23.4. And they put an Aramite for an Idolater, as an Arabian for a Theefe, Iere. 3.2. and a Chaldean for a Genethliacke Dan. 2.2.

Brerwood in his inqui­ries.If all the world were divided into thirtie one parts, [Page 35] there will be found ninetene parts to bee possessed by Idolaters, seven by Mahumetans and Iewes, and but five parts by the Christians.

Nineteene parts are possessed by Idolaters, first some of Europe and the sixt part of Africa, the most part of Asia, as India, Calecut, Cathay, and Tartarie, all Ame­rica, except a few drawne to Poperie, be the Spani­ards.

The Mahumetans possesse sixe parts of the World, as Arabia, Persia, and a part of Asia, as the Tartares, and the fourteenth part of Europe.

Christians possesse but five parts of the World, and there are thirteene sects amongst them. Papists, Grecians, Melchites or Syrians, Indians or Christians of Saint Tho­mas, East Indians, Georgians, Muscevits and Russians, Nestorians, Iacobits, Ophits in Aegypt, Armenians, Abissaeni and Maronits.

Now take the true professores, and separate them from these corrupt worshipers: then separate hypo­crites from these true professors; and so wee shall see how few there are, who have God for their God.Conclusion.

The conclusion of this is: seeing that there are so few, that have the true God, to bee their God: let us studie to be of the number of that little flocke, to make the Lord to be our God; and then we shall be his peo­ple.

EXERCITAT. VI. God is to be loved with all the heart. Commandement. 1,

THis Commandement craveth of us that wee should have God to bee our God. First, that wee should love him. Secondly onely love him. Thirdly, with our heart, and with all our heart. Fourthly to put our trust in him,Reasons why we should love God. and hope in him. Lastly, to feare him.

Reason 1 First we must love him, nothing can fill, the heart of man but God. Prov. 30.15. There are three things which are not satisfied, Nothing can fill the heart but God. yea foure that say they have not enough: the graue and barren wombe, the earth that is not filled with water, and the fire that saith not, it is enough. So nothing can fill the heart of man, there is such an Immensitie, and emptinesse in it, that nothing can satisfie it but God himselfe: Cast three Worlds into it, yet it will never say, it is enough, Et nullum datur vacuum, it must bee filled and nothing can fill it but God: Therefore hee speaketh to the heart, and when it is emptie hee must fill it with graces. Satan is said to fill the heart, Act. 5.3. But he cannot come in directly to the heart, to fill it, but onely to the sense and phantasie, this is proper to God onely, both to fill the heart and to give it contentment.

Reason 2 The second reason why wee should love God, is, be­cause there is nothing that can give rest to the soule,Nothing can give rest to the soule but God. but God: the heart of man is like the needle of the Compasse, that trembleth still, untill it come to the Pole. 1 Sam. 25.29. The soule of a wicked man is in a sling; that which [Page 37] is in a sling is violently tossed about: So is the soule when it is not upon the proper object, God. David said Psal. 30.10. Libbi sehharchar, My heart was troubled; Sohher is called a Merchant going too and fro selling his wares: [...] mercator a [...] circumare. so is the heart of man troubled about sundrie things; and the letters are doubled here, to signifie the great care and trouble, that David had, when he sought after these things, as the Merchant seeketh for his gaine. When the rich man said in the Gospell, Soule take thy, rest, for now thou hast much goods laid up for many yeares Luc. 12.19. He put the soule from the right object. But when David said, Returne my soule to thy rest, Psal. 116.7. then he set his Soule upon the right ob­ject.

Secondly, we must onely love him, Nihil praeter, supra aut contra.

Whether is God to bee loved for his benefites or not? Quest.

God is to bee loved for himselfe, Answ. Although hee should kill me, yet will I trust in him. Iob. 13.15.Medium quatale & perse nullam boni appe­tibilis rationem possidet, tota quippe ratio amandi medium, est convenien­tia cum fine. God is vltimus finis (as Thomas saith) and wee may not serue him for another end, for then we should make ultimum finem but medium. An [...]igonus Sochaeus saith, Ne estote servis similes, qui dominis serviunt mercedis ergò. In Pirke Abhoth. There is great re­ward in keeping Gods Commandements Psal. 19.11. The reward is the end of our service, but it is not the end of that which we love; we expect our reward, but we enjoy not our reward. These benefits in respect of our infirmitie may be motives to stirre us up to love him, and they may be ordine Prima, but never quoad dig­nitatem Pracipua. Ioh. 6.26. Ye seeke me because ye eate the bread and were filled. Iob. 21.15. What shall it profit us, if we pray unto him? They measure all their religion by profit, and will doe nothing but for gaine. So Mal. 3.14. It is a vaine thing to serve the Lord, Hypocrites serve God for gaine. and what profit [Page 38] is it that we have keepe his ordinances? Hypocrites serve God for gaine. To those men gaine is Godlinesse. 1 Tim. 6. And they are like little Children that will not say their Prayers, unlesse we pro­mise them their breakfast.

God is to be loved with the whole heart.The manner how we should love him; wee should love him with our heart, the heart is the first thing that God looketh unto. Prov. 23.26. Sonne give mee thine heart. God looketh first upon the heart. When the beast was cut up for a sacrifice the first thing that the Priest lookt upon, was the heart, and if the heart was naught,Simile. the sacrifice was rejected: God looketh first upon the heart of his Children, and then upon their Sacrifices; as he looked upon Abel and up­on his sacrifice.God looketh upon the intention without the act. Gen. 4.4. Secondly, hee looketh upon the intention of the heart without the act, as upon Da­vids purpose to build the Temple; and here hee accept­eth more of the qualitie then of the quantitie. Thirdly, he liketh sometime the action of an unregenerat man, but not as it proceedeth from him. 2 Chron. 25.2. A­maziah did that which was good in the eyes of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart. The Lord liketh the action of an unregerate man, but not as it pro­ceedeth from. The things which hee did were good in themselves, but not as they proceeded from him.

Seeing the heart is that, which the Lord looketh first upon; then every man should studie to purge his heart especially from Hypocrisie, which defileth all our acti­ons,Hypocrisie defileth all the actions of a man. and maketh the doung of our sacrifices to be cast in our faces. We have a notable example how this Hy­pocrisie divideth the heart Hos. 10.2. And hindereth it that it cannot love God. 1 Sam. 21.7. There was a cer­taine man of the servants of Saul there (Doeg) detained before the Lord. [...] Doeg was a great Hy­pocrite. But this doth not expresse the force of the words in the originall, Ninghzar liphni Iehova, it carieth this sense with it, Incluserat se ante Tabernaculum ut stu­dio legis occuparetur. Hee went of purpose to studie the Law of God there, and to understand his will, who [Page 39] would have thought, but that this hypocrite came with an upright heart to serve the Lord? and yet because the heart of him was not perfect, he became a most feare­full persecuter, and murtherer of the Priests of God.

So when the Seventie went up to meet the Lord, Exod. 24.1. Nadab and Abihu went with them, and yet be­cause those rebels had not a good heart to love the Lord: therefore they brought in strange fire to the Al­tar of the Lord. David said Psal. 18.44. That many of my servants mendaciter se subjiciunt mihi, Many counterfit­ly submited themselves to me: So many counterfitely sub­mit themselves to the Lord, whose hearts are not up­right with him. The prophet showeth this Hypocrisie. Iere. 17.8. The heart of man is deceitfull above all things, in the originall it is, Gnakobh, A Supplanter.

Thou shalt love the Lord with all thine heart, [...] and it is enlarged, Deut. 6.5. Thou shalt love the Lord with all thine heart, soule, and might. And Marc. 10.30. with all thy soule, mind, and strength. In the Hebrew it is ex toto val­de tuo. The Chaldee Pharaphrast paraphraseth it, Ex tota substantia tua, which is not the meaning of the Law. Wee are not curiously here to seeke the difference of these, minde, Soule, strength, and heart; [...] but onely to consider, what God craveth of us, that wee should love him unfainedly; and with an upright heart.

And that we may take up this the better,Repetition of words in the Scripture sometimes doth intend the affecti­on, sometimes the signi­fication, sometimes both the affection and signi­fication, and sometimes neither of them. we must un­derstand that repetitions in the Scripture, somtimes nei­ther intend the affection, nor signification; but diminish, them; example Iob. 19.21. Have pity, have pity upon me my friends. Here the doubling of the word neither in­tendeth the signification, nor affection, but dimisheth it rather.

Sometimes againe, when the same words are repea­ted, they intend both the affection and signification. [Page 40] Psal. 126. Venientes veniebant cum exultatione. Here it intendeth both the signification and the affection, they came home as cheerefully from the captavitie, as these who bring home their corne with joy & gladnes. Exam. 2. Ge. 25.30. & Esau said to Iacob, feed me I pray thee with that red with that red pottage. Here the doubling of the same words intendeth both the affection of Esau, and the signification of the words: that is, With that excellent red pottage. But when the repetition is in diverse words, it intendeth the affection, but not the signification of the words. Example, Exod. 32.6. The people sat downe to eate and drinke, and rose up to play▪ heare the words to Eate, Drinke, and Play, intend not the signification, but onely the affection of the people; they expresse how ear­nest the people were in this their Idolatrie. It is true, ye shall find when diverse words are set downe to ex­presse one thing, they sometimes intend the significati­on, as well as the affection; but that is in the joyning of the words, and not in the words themselves. Example Luc. 17.17. They did eate, they dranke; they married wives, they were given in marriage. Here although their securitie be set downe by diverse wordes, yet the repe­tition of them intendeth the signification, as well as the affection; they are set downe here without any conjun­ction,The Hebrewes to ex­presse the earnestnesse of things, set downe the words [...], with­out a conjunction. after the manner of the Hebrewes: for the He­brewes when they would expresse their earnest desire about a businesse, they set downe their words without a conjunction: but when diverse words are set downe with a conjunction, then they intend not the significati­on, but onely the affection; as here, Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy s [...]ule &c. Here the words intend the affection, but not the signification: and therefore wee are not here curiously to seeke how these words differ, but to understand, that we should love the Lord, not onely comparatively, or appretiatively; but both inten­sively [Page 41] and extensively, as farre as we can: and as the sunne beames gathered together and united in a Cristall glasse,Deus amendus est in­tensive & extensive. burne the hoter: So all the affections gathered toge­ther and united, mak the love the more fervent, Tunc om­nes fontes mei laudabunt te Psal. 103.

Contrarie to this love is lukewarmenesse in the ser­vice of God. Such was the Church of Laodicea, God cannot abide luke­warme people. because they were lukewarme, therefore the Lord saith; I will spue them out of my mouth. Rev. 3.16. For cold and hot things contract the stomacke and make it to keepe the nourishment: but lukewarmenesse dilateth the stomacke and maketh it spue out the nourishment:Non datur hic medium. So the Lord cannot a bid those lukewarme people, but spueth them out. Lukewarmenesse is not a midst betweene cold and heate, as in naturall things; but it is more opposite to heat than cold is.

And that we may conceive this the better, let us marke these foure sorts of people.

• Continens & temperans, bonus.
• Incontinens & temperans, malus.
• Incontinens & intemperans, pejor.
• Continens & intemperans, pessimus.

The best sort of these foure,Foure sorts of profes­sors compared together and who are worst. are they who are both continent and temperate, subduing their passions, and serving God in sincerity both in heart and deed; as Za­charie and Elizabeth were both righteous before God, wal­king in all the Commandements and ordinances of the Lord blamelesse. Luc. 1.6.

Secondly, the Incontinent and Temperate are not the worst, as those who are over ruled by their passions but burst not forth in act, as David when hee was about to kill Nabal; here hee was incontinent: but by the wise councell of Abigail he was restrained from murther, and was temperate in his action.

Thirdly some are both incontinent and intemperat [Page 42] and yet these are not the worst, who being overcome with their Passions burst forth in act, as David when he committed adulterie, and as hee who killed in sud­den passion: neither are those most opposite to them who are both continent and temperat.

Fourthly, some are continent and intemperat, and they are worst of all, and most opposite to the first sort. For such doe not things through passion, but under colour and pretence of religion, as the Hypocrites: these the Lord doth abhorre most of all, even as he who in cold blood killeth a man, is more detestable than he who kil­leth in sudden passion: for this sinne commeth neerest to the sinne of the Divell, who is not subject to passion. And as these who commit adulterie not so much through lust, but out of the bad habit of their mind, be­cause it is contrarie to the Law; are more hardly reclai­med than others who are misled by lust (for here the reasonable facultie is corrupted, and in the other the sen­sual facultie) so a man who through infirmity & weaknes, falleth in the neglect of the service of his God; is not so corrupted, as he who through a bad habit is corrupted, so that at no time he can love the Lord. And the child of God may be compared to a man who falleth into an Epilep­sie, but those lukewarme people are like those that have the Hydropsie who thirst continually: and therefore of al sinnes we must abhorre and detest this lukewarmenesse most, Quest. as most opposite to God and his worship.

Whether is the hatred of God, or the ignorance of God the greater sinne?

Answ. In diverse considerations the hatred of God may bee a greater sinne than ignorance, and ignorance may bee a greater sinne than hatred. First, for the hatred of God. That is the greatest sinne which is most opposite to the greatest good:In genere moris Odium Dei est deterius igno­rantiâ, Sed in penere entis Ignorantia est deterior Odi [...]. therefore the hatred of God opposite to the love of God, must bee the greater sinne. But if ye [Page 43] will consider ignorance as opposite to the vision of God, (wherein consisteh our blessednesse) then the ig­norance of God is a greater sinne than the hatred of God: for to see God is a more excellent thing, than to love him.

And to love God the better we should hate our selves Luc. 21.26:

Man is considered in a fourefold estate.Man considered in a threefold estatr. First in his in­nocent estate. Secondly in his corrupt estate. Thirdly in his regenerate estate, and Fourthly, in his glorified estate.

In his innocent estate, to love God and to love him­selfe were Idem: The love of a mans e-selfe in his innocent state was but a reflex of the love of God. for as the Echo est individuum cum suo sono, it is but the reflexe of the same sound backe againe: so when man loved God in his innocent estate, and then loved himselfe; it was but a reflexe of the love of God and but one love with it.

In the second estate, to love God and to love himselfe are contrarie, Rom. 1.30. Haters of God. 2 Tim. 3.2. Men shall be lovers of their owne selves.

In the third estate to love God and to hate our selves are not directly contrarie, but subcontrarie: for by this hatred is understood onely lesse love, and hatred is not properly taken here, this maketh the subcontrarietie: and the Schoolemen say well, Deus non extinguit, God taketh not away the love of a mans selfe but moderateth it. sed or­dinat affectiones, He taketh not away the love of a mans selfe, but onely moderateth it; that hee hate himselfe, that is, love himselfe lesse than God; and in this sense it is said, Gen. 29.31. That he hated Leah, that is, he lesse loued her than Rachel. In the fourth estate they shall be one againe.

We cannot reach to the full measure of this love in this life,Our knowledge of God in this life is not perfect. Simile. the knowledge which we have of God, is but secundum modum recipientis, et non recepti, that is, It is ac­cording to the measure of our knowledge, and not ac­cording to the dignitie of him that is knowne. Thou seest in a looking glasse the Image of a face represented before it, the glasse representeth the face here, not ac­cording to the perfection of the face, but onely accor­ding to the perfection of the glasse; which representeth the Image of things to us, and not the essence of things. So we see the Image of the fire in the eye, not accor­ding to the nature of the fire (for then it should burne and consume the eye) but onely the colour and the figure of the fire;Our love to God in the this life is, as our know­ledge of him is. and the eye although it bee but little, yet it taketh up the whole figure of the Hemisphere: so the knowledge which we have of God, it is but a finite knowledge, we know him not as hee is infinite in him­selfe, and our love is as our knowledge is. In the life to come our knowledge shall bee but a finite knowledge, but then we shall love both Intensive et extensive to the full, that is all, that the Law requireth of us.

The Children of God love the Lord, vel secundum actum, alwayes; as the glorified in heaven: vel se­cundum studium: Diligitur Deus vel secundū. actum.studium.habitum, for their care and indevour is to love the Lord: this is the greatest perfection of love, that the Children of God can attaine unto, in this life: vel secun­dum habitum; as many of the Children of God, when they fall into some great sinne, yet they lose not the ha­bite of the love of God.

Papists hold that God requireth not this love literally.Most of the Schoolemen, and Papists hold, that this Commandement craveth not this literally here; but onely they teach that this is Medium, a midst to lead us to the end, when we shall love him fully in the life to come: and they adde further, that Secundum sensum ana­gogicum, the Law requireth this exact and full love; but it [Page 45] craveth it not of us literally here in this life; and they say there is a double perfection: First, Quando perveni­tur ad finem. Secondly, Quando non receditur a sine, When we attaine to the end; Or when we goe not from the end.Simile. And they give this example: A Captaine saith to his Souldiers, fight and obtaine the victorie; some of them doe fight and obtaine the victorie; some of them againe doe their best, and yet obtaine not the victorie; yet they fight also, and doe fulfill the Captaines Commande­ment: So in this life they say, that God requireth no more of us, but that we goe not from the end, and in the life to come that we attaine unto the end. But these Souldiers who fight and obtaine not the victorie, if the Captaine should deall with them, In foro stricti juris, According to the rigour of the Law, they should get no reward of him; but it pleaseth the Captaine to accept of the good indevours of his Souldiers: and so deal­leth God with his Servants,God accepteth of the endevou [...]s of his chil­dren in the Court of new obedience he accepteth of his Saints in the Court of new obedience, although they come farre short of that obedience, which is required of them.

But under the New Testament hee promiseth that his Children should keepe his Lawes. Ob. Ezek. 36.27.

They shall begin this new obedience in this life, Ans. Our new obedience be­gun here, but perfect in the life to come. and that more cherefully than under the Law: but that shall be perfected in the life to come, which is required in the Law.

This one Commandement, to love the Lord with all our heart, is the Commandement which we must study first: for all the rest are implied and contained in it, as the conclusions are contained in the premisses and this Love is the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 13.10.Amor Dei [...]p et Le­gem Reductive.Effective.Formaliter.

This love of God, is the fulfilling of the Law three wayes. First, Reductivè, because we fulfill all the Com­ments [Page 46] for the love of God. Secondly Effective, hee who loveth the Lord is readie to obey him. And thirdly for­maliter, quia finis in moralibus habet rationem forma: for all our actions should bee referred to his glo­rie.

To put our trust in God, is commanded in the first Commande­ment.As this Commandement craveth of us to love God, so it Commandeth us to put our whole trust in him, to hope in him, and to feare him. First, to put our trust in him, He that trusteth in the Lord shall stand as Mount Zion, that cannot he removed. Psal. 125.1. But the wicked who put their trust in any other thing, their hope shall bee cut off and their trust shall be a spiders house, Iob. 8.14. marke the comparison, the spider spinneth a web out of her owne bowels, and shee weaveth it most curiously, then she incloseth herselfe within the midst of her web, as it were a house: but how easily is she swept away? So man when he spinneth out of his owne heart, his owne imaginations and trusteth in them;The trust of the wic­ked, like the Spiders web. they are but like the Spiders house unto him. These weave the Spiders web, but their webs shall not become garments to them, nei­ther shall they cover themselves with their workes, Esay. 59.5.6.

The goodnesse of God is the object of our hope.So we should hope in him. The reason wherefore we beleeve him, is the authoritie of the speaker; although we have no evidence of that which we beleeve: So the reason wherefore we hope in God, is his power and goodnesse, that he is able and willing to per­forme that which wee hope for. Fides respi­cit primario veritatem, spes vero primariò bonita­tem.

So we should feare him. The Lord is called The feare of Isaac. Gen. 31.42. (as he is called Expectatio et Patientia Israel, God is called The feare of Isaac. Iere. 14.8.) that is, he whom Isaac feareth, Esay 8.13. Sanctifie the Lord and let him be your feare. It is the manner of the Scriptures, to put the habit or the passion [Page 47] for the object. So Gal. 2.23.Actus potentia pro objecto ponuntur. Faith is put for Christ the object of faith, and Rom. 8. We are saved by hope, that is, by Christ hoped for. So the feare of Isaac, that is, the Lord whom Isaac should feare.

The Chaldees call God Dehil, [...] terror or feare Dan. 2.31. Iacob comming from Syrian and being to sweare to a Syrian, sweareth to him according to the Syrian or Chalde Phrase, by the feare of his Father Isaac, that is, as Onkelos paraphraseth it, by the God that Isaac feared.

This feare of God is a fence for the keeping of all the Commandements. Deut. 4.10. I will cause them to heare my words that they may learne to feare me. So Levit. 25.17. Ye shall not therefore oppresse one another, but yee shall feare the Lord. So vers. 36. Take no usurie of him or encrease, but feare thy God. So vers. 43. Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour, but shalt feare thy God. So Levit. 19.32. Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and feare thy God. The beginning of wisedome is the feare of the Lord, and the end of all is to feare him. Eccles. 12, 13.

The Conclusion of this is, Seing no flesh can bee justified by keeping this Law, to love the Lord with all our heart, strength and might, wee must pray with David, enter not into judgement with thy Servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified Psal. 143.2. And that he would accept of us in the Court of new obedi­ence, and not bring us into the Court of justice.

EXERCITAT. VII. Of the highest degree of mans love to God. Commandement I.

WE are bound to love God above all things, be­cause he is the fountaine of all goodnesse, and next unto him wee should love our owne Salvati­on.Our temporary life to be preferred to the life of our equall.

We are bound to love our temporarie life better then out neighbours, provided that he be our equall: but if he be our superior in the highest degree, as our King, or the Commonwealth,The temporary life of our superiour to be pre­ferred to our owne. then we are bound to give our temporarie life, for their saftie: Davids subjects said to him, Thou art worth ten thousand of us, 2 Sam. 18. But for our Spirituall life,Our owne salvation to be preferred to the sal­vation of all men. wee are more bound to wish our owne salvation, than the salvation of any other whatso­ever, yea than the salvation of the whole Church. Mat. 25.9. The wise Virgins sayd, not so, lest there bee not enough for us and for you.

We are bound to quit our temporarie estate for the peace of the Church:Gregorius Presbyter de vita Nazianzen. Gregorie Nazianzen giveth us a good proofe of this: for when there arose a great con­tention in the Councell of Constantinople about him, be­cause hee was placed there, their suffrages not being asked: Nazianzen left his place willingly, and said to the rest after this manner; I beseech you by the holy Tri­nitie, that ye would live peaceably together, and if I be any cause of the dissention, I am no more worthy then the Prophet Ionas was, cast mee into the Sea, that [Page 49] this storme may cease; and I will most willingly suffer whatsoever ye will doe unto me (although I bee inno­cent) for your peace sake; cast me out of my place and banish me, onely keepe unitie and peace amongst your selves. Farewell holy Pastors, and remember my la­bours continually.

Secondly the good Pastor is bound to give his life for his sheepe, Ioh. 10.17. and Paul said he was readie to die at Ierusalem for the name of the Lord Iesus, Act. 21.10.

Thirdly,We may desire the de­ferring of our glory for the good of the Church. wee may desire sometimes the deferring of our glorie to come, for the good of the Church. Philip. 1.23. For I am in a straite betweene two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is farre better; ne­verthelesse to abide in the flesh is more needfull for you, but we must never desire, for the good of the Church, to be deprived of eternall life.

But Paul wished to bee deprived of eternall glory, Object. for the good of the Iewes and their eternall Salvati­on.

This was but a conditionall wish, Answ. like unto that of our Saviours, let this cup passe &c. And charitas exuberans optat etiam Impossibilia, saith Luther. When Paul wished that he might be a curse for his brethren, it was voluntas conditionata, but when Christ wished that this cup might passe, it was voluntas sub conditione; Voluntas Conditionatasub conditione. the matter may be cleared by this Example, a man hath two ser­vants, both their wils are subordinat to their Masters will, but hee injoyneth to one of them a harder taske then to the other; this man refuseth not to doe his Masters will, but saith unto him, if it be thy wil, I will doe this, although it be a hard taske, here his will is sub conditione, as before it was voluntas conditionata, a will rea­die to doe his masters will: but this is a further degree, that he will undergoe this likewise, if his Master will bid [Page 50] him,The difference betwixt Pauls wish and Christs wish. and this is the lowest degree of subjection. Pauls wish was voluntas conditionata onely, but Christs wish was not onely conditionata, but likewise sub conditione.

We are joyned to God Similitudine naturae, vel communione faelicitatis.Againe we must observe that we are joyned to God, either similitudine, natarae, or communione faelicitatis. The first is broken off by the evill of sinne, and the second by the evill of punishment. Now if Paul should have wished to have beene removed from Christ, ratione simi­litudinis naturae, that had beene a sinne in him; but hee wished onely to be separated from him communione fae­licitatis. Bernard said, it was better to bee in hell and love God, than to be in Heaven and sinne. None that lo­veth God can be in hell, nor none that sinneth can bee in heaven:We may will the grea­test punishment rather than the diminution of Gods glory. for the midst and the end cannot be separat; yet this should bee our disposition, when wee give a proofe of our love to God, that wee could wish in since­rity the greatest punishment, rather then that Gods glo­rie should be diminished.Simile. The Philosopher saith, that naturall things have two motions, the one ad sui con­servationem, the other ad conservationem universi; as wa­ter tendeth downeward by the proper motion of it, yet ad vitandum vacuum, to eschew emptinesse, which is repugnant to the nature of the whole, it will ascend: So the Godly have the like inclination, one for their owne particular good, and the other for the good of the whole,The good of the Church to be preferred to our temporary estate. which is the glory of God; if we can redeeme the good of the whole Church with our greatest tempo­rarie misery, we are obliged to it.

Quest. But how could he wish this, seeing it importeth a diminution of the love of God, this is not Malum paenae but Malum Culpae: Malum CulpaePaenae: for if he had beene in that estate, he had beene excluded from Heaven, and he had been vi­ator still, but if he had beene in heaven hee had beene Comprehensor; Ma [...] in this li [...]e is V [...]a [...]or, in heaven he shall be Comprehensor. and they who are from home, travelling to their journies end, can never love God so per­fectly; [Page 51] as they who have attained to the marke alrea­die.

If ye will consider this petition by it selfe, Ans. it was nei­ther sinne nor dimunition of this love: but if ye will con­sider the consequents of this wish,Pauls wish considered simply in it selfe was no sinne. if indeed hee had beene excluded from the Kingdome of heaven, then it had beene a sinne for him to have wished it. One may wish a thing simplie without sinne,Simile. yet to wish it vestitum omnibus circumstantijs it may be sinne. Exam­ple, a woman hath her husband to be executed for some capitall offence, the woman wished her husband to live, as her husband, and a Father to her Children to pro­vide for them; but if she should desire her husband to live as an Enemie to the Commonwealth contrarie to the Law, then her wish were a sinfull wish: So for Paul to wish this to testifie his earnest love to the Church, it was no sinne;Pauls wish vestitum circumstantije was a sinne. but if he had wished it vestitum ominibus circumstantijs, with a diminution of the love of God, and want of eternall happines; then his wish had beene sinne.

Againe we wish a thing antecedente voluntate vel conse­quente voluntate, with an antecedent or consequent will. Example, a Iudge by his antecedent will,Voluntas antecedenssubsequens. wisheth that all the subjects may live; but by his consequent will, he wisheth the malefactor to die. So Paul wished this by his antecedent will, but not considering it with all the consequents that might follow upon it.

Fourthly, Paul wished not this absolutely,Pauls wish was not absolute but in com­parison. but in com­parison: as the naturall Mother who pleaded before Salomon chose rather, that the Child should be given to her who was not the Mother of it, than that the Child should be cut in two, 1 King 3.26. If ye consider Pauls wish here, it was onely in comparison; rather then they should die, he wisheth this to himselfe.

But how wisheth hee to be accursed of God, Quest. and to [Page 52] be rased out of the booke of life, seeing it was a thing impossible?

Answ. If ye consider this wish of Paul formally, he cannot be rased out of the booke of life;Pauls wish considered materially and for­mally. but if ye will consider it materially, looking to Pauls affection at this time, then hee might have beene rased out of the booke of life. Consider Christs Petition, let this cup passe. In Gods eternall decree it was impossible that it should passe, but consider againe Christs infirmitie as he was a man, these two might stand together, not to passe, and that it should passe: So consider Gods eternall decree, Paul cannot bee accursed, nor his name rased out of the Booke of Life: but consider againe his love and affecti­on towards his brethren, hee wished to bee rased out of the booke of Life. Love is like unto the Ivie, which if if it cleave to a stone or an old Wall, it will rather die than forsake it: So Paul being sicke of love for the Churches cause, hee would rather suffer the most ex­treme punishments, then that the Church of the Iewes should perish.

A man cannot simply wish to be accursed for others.A man may wish that which tendeth to his perfection, as to give his life for his Countrie; this is a way to happinesse, if hee doe it in faith, but if hee should seeke simply to be accursed for others, this were to seeke his owne destruction; and this he cannot doe.Pauls wish was not an ordinary meanes of the Iewes salvation.

Pauls wish was not an ordinary meane here for the sa­ving of the Iewes, but his earnest desire comming from his great love testified this, how earnestly hee de­sired their Salvation.

Consequent. 1 First, this wish of Paul teacheth us, how much wee should account of the salvation of the sonnes of men.

Consequent. 2 Secondly, this wish teacheth us that love seeketh not her owne, 1 Cor. 13.5.

Thirdly, it teacheth us, that love is stronger then death Consequent. 3 Cant. 8.6.

Fourthly, it teacheth us, how much wee are indebted Consequent. 4 to Christ, who did really undergoe this curse for us.

The conclusion of this is, Conclusion. hee that loveth not the Church unfainedly, he can never love God intirely: for he that loveth not his Mother who bare him, will never love his Father who begot him.

EXERCITAT. VIII. Commandement, 1.

WHen we love any thing more than God, and set our affections upon it, then wee make a god of it.Three sort [...] of men who have not God for their God.

There are three sorts of people especially who have another god for their god. The first are [...] lovers of honour. The second are [...] lovers of mony, and of third are [...], lovers of Pleasures.

The first are [...] lovers of honour; man natu­rally seeketh himselfe and his owne honour, and he for­getteth to give honour to God. Iohn 7.18. He that spea­keth of himselfe seeketh his owne glorie, but hee that seeketh his glorie that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteous­nesse is in him.

The highest degree of this Idolatrie is when they affect that honour which belongeth onely to God;A great ambition to affect the honour that is due to God. the ground of this affectation, is that poison which Sathan [Page 54] dropped into the eares of our first Parents in Paradise, when he said, Ye shall bee as Gods, Gen. 3.5. Therefore man affecteth the honour, that is due to God. Such was that ambition of Herod, Act. 12.22. When he was deligh­ted with that cry of the people,The great ambition of Tyr [...]s. The voyce of God and not of man. Such was the ambition of Nabuchadnezzer, Esay. [...]4.14. I will ascend above the height of the cloudes, I will be like the most high. Such was the ambition of the King of Tornes, Ezekiel. 28. First in wisedome, hee thought himselfe wiser than Daniel. vers. 3. Then hee thought himselfe to be the summe and perfection of all wise­dome. Thirdly, he thought that he exceeded the High Priest in all his ornaments, vers. 13. Fourthly he thought himselfe to be above Adam when he was in Eden the Gar­den of God vers. 13. Fiftly above the Cherubims or Angels vers. 14. A [...]d last he said, he was God himselfe, and sat in the seat of God. An [...] such is the ambition of the Pope that exalteth himselfe above all that is called God. 2 Thess. 1.4.

Quest. How can creatures desire to be like God: for they cannot desire that there should be two Infinits?

Answ. There are two sorts of desires, voluntas absoluta et efficax, Volun­tas absoluta & ef­ficax.conditionata & inefficax. et conditionata et inefficax: by the first they cannot desire to be like God; but by the second they may desire to bee like God. The will of man cannot absolutely wish to be like God in all things,A creature cannot wish to be like God in all things. but it wisheth to be like God in somethings, as Adam and Eve desired to bee like him in knowledge. Nabuchadnezzer desired to bee like him in greatnesse. Esay. 14.14. Simon Magus desired to be like him in power, in working of miracles, therefore they called him the great power of God, Act. 8.10. and Herod desir [...]d to bee worshiped like God Act. 12.22. But absolutely no creature can desire to bee like God.

The second sort, are [...], lovers of money, cove­tousnesse is Idolatry, Ephes. 5.5.

There is a great resemblance betwixt the Idolatrie of the first Commandement,Great affinity betwixt Idolatry of the first Commandement and Idolatry of the second Commandement. and the Idolatry of the se­cond Commandement; betwixt a covetous wretch setting his heart upon his mony, and an Idolater, bow­ing before his Image. The Lord shewed to Ezekiel in a vi­sion. Cap. 8. the vile abhominations that were com­mitted within the Temple, and what they were doing in the Chambers of their Imagerie. Some were worshipping creeping things; Some with their Censers in their hands making the smoake to goe up before their Images, and some weeping before the filthy Idoll Tammuz. So if the Lord would lead us in the Spirit, and let us see (as hee did Ezekiel) what our severall affections were doing within us; we should see a thousand times greater Ido­latrie, than ever Ezekiel saw in the Temple. Here wee should see some sacrificeing to their owne net, Greater Idolatry now than in the dayes of Ezekiel. Habak. 1.16. ascribing all things to their owne wit and policie. We shall see others sacrificing to Tammuz or Ball Peor, to their filthy lust, and as, Iere. 7.18. The Children ga­thered the Wood, the Fathers kindled the fire, and the Women kneaded their dough to make Cakes to the Queene of Heaven; so when wee looke into our hearts wee shall see our affections busie to give some sort of service to this Idoll or that, and to none more readily, then to Baal-mam­mon.

When Nabuchadnezzar set up a golden Image to bee worshiped, all the People fell downe and worshiped it, but the three children who refused to worship it were cast into the firie furnace, yet the Angell of the Lord was with them in the midst of the firie furnace, and they found the most comfortable presence of God with them, because they would not fall downe before that Idoll: So saith Chrysostome, Chrysost. Hom. 18. in Cap. 5. ad Ephes. covetous and avaritious wretches fall downe before their mony, but the children of God refuse with the three Children to fall downe before that [Page 56] god of thicke clay which is Gold, [...] Aurum est densum lutum. gnabh tit, densum lutum, Habak. 2.7. And therefore God is with them in all their necessities, and provideth for them. And as the Idolater hath a sacrifice which hee offereth to his Idoll: So,The sacrifice of the covetous man to his Idoll. saith Chrysostome, hath the avaritious man his sacri­fice which hee offereth to his Idoll, but what sacrifice hath he, Even those whom he defraudeth, and maketh a sacrifice of them to his Idoll: againe, he maketh a sacri­fice of the poore to whom hee denyeth maintenance. And last, the wretch offereth himselfe, because hee de­fraudeth his owne soule of the use of his riches. And as the Idolater devoutly beholdeth his Idoll, and dare scarcely touch it: so the covetous wretch dare scarce­ly be bold to touch his mony, and his heart is often­er with his mony,The covetous man is maried to his gold. then the Idolaters heart is with his Idoll. Iob purged himselfe of this Idolatrie. If I have made Gold mine hope, or fine Gold my Confi­dence, Iob. 31.34. The Seventy reade it, si posui aurum in conjugium meum, and it signifieth the great love which the covetous man hath to his riches.

The third sort, are, [...] lovers of pleasures. Iohn reduceth all these sorts of pleasures to three, either the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes or the pride of life, 1 Ioh. 2.16. first the lust of the flesh, by this is meant all internall pleasures wherein the flesh delighteth, as drunkennesse gluttony, whoredome, such make a god of their belly: the very panch, which is the basest part in man, is made a god by them, they sacrifice not to the wit their more excellent part,The belly is a base god. but all their care is for the belly. Clemens Alexandrinus writeth of a fish which hee calleth [...] which hath not a heart distinguished from the belly, as other fishes have, but it hath the heart in the belly: So these glut­tons which make a god of their belly, have their heart in their belly.

The second sort of pleasures, is the lust of the eyes. The lust of the eyes what. Eccles. 2.10. Whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not myne heart from any Ioy. He studied to satisfie all his senses,Salomen satisfied all his senses with pleasures. his eare with mu­sicke. I got me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sonnes of men, as musicall instruments, and that of all sorts, vers. 8. His eye with great buildings, gar­dens and Orchards vers. 4.5. His tast, I sought in mine heart to give my selfe unto Wine, vers. 3. this is, to live in pleasure, and such are dead while they live. 1 Tim. 5.6. such were Tyrus and Sydon, and those of Phoenicia, they were called Phoenicians from the Syriacke word Phinnek delicatus, and [...] delicait, [...] delicate educavit. because they spent their time in pleasure. Christ pronounceth a woe against such, Woe bee to you that laugh, Luc. 6.25. That is, that spend your time in mirth and pleasure.

The third sort of pleasure, is the Pride of life, which puffeth up men that they know not them­selves. David saith of these, that Pride compasseth them about as a chaine: and violence covereth them as a garment. Psal. 73.6.

The Conclusion of this is; The Lord in the Creati­on made a threefold subordination, first that man should bee subordinat and subject to God, to honour and re­verence him. Secondly, that the sensuall appetite should be subordinat to the reasonable facultie. Thirdly, that things below here should bee subject both to the reasonable facultie and sensuall appetite, but when a man loveth any thing better than God, then all these three subordinations are broken: for when hee affecteth divine honour, making a god of himselfe; then the first subordination is broken▪ when hee set­teth his heart on his pleasures, and maketh a God of them, as the rich glutton who had his pleasures and [Page 58] good things in things in this life, L [...]. 16. Then the second subordination is broken. And thirdly, when hee setteth his heart on his mony, to make a God of it, and to serve it. As the rich man in the Gospell, Luc. 12.13. Then the third subordination is broken. Whereas it should serve him he, becom­meth a slave to it: the heathen could say, mihi res, non me rebus submit­tere conor.

EXERCITAT. I. Of Idolatry in generall.

THere are two things forbidden in this Commandement: first to make an Image for a religious worship, and secondly to worship it.

Some condemne the act of painting and carving, as the Iewes doe,The lawfull use of painting. who will not suffer a painter to dwell amongst them. But this gift of it selfe, is the gift of God, as may be seene in Aholiab and Bezaliel whom the Lord indued with this skill. Exod. 31.3. Secondly some will not allow the historicall use of them in houses, or upon the Princes Coine for distinctions sake, but this is lawfull, and Christ him­selfe alloweth it. Mat. 22.20. But some goe further and allow them,What use of painting unlawfull. not onely for ornaments in privat houses, but also in Churches, as the Lutherans doe. Fourthly, some allow them for excitation, to move them to worship: and lastly, some allow them for adoration. These are not Lawfull.

Thou shalt not make to thy selfe &c. There is a diffe­rence [Page 60] betwixt him that maketh the I [...], and him that prayeth to it when it is made; the one is the mate­riall Idolater, the other is the formall Idolater. The artificer maketh onely the Image, but hee who prayeth before it and adoreth it, maketh a god of it. The Children of Israel cryed unto Aaron, make us gods to goe before us, Exod. 32.1. It was Aaron that made the Calfe, but the people made the Calfe a god. If a man had come into the shop of Demetrius the silver smith, and had asked him, what hee was doing? and he should have answered, I am making gods; hee should not have answered rightly here: for it was hee that bowed before the Idoll, and prayed before it, that made a god of it, Psal. 115.8. They that make them are like unto them: so are all they that put their trust in them. This is the speciall sort of making of gods, when men trust in them and adore them: The Poet Martiall saith,

Thou shalt not bow downe to them &c. There are two things forbidden here, Nihil dandum idolo, nec accipi­endum ab Idolo: Nothing must bee given to the Idoll, nor nothing taken from the Idoll. Wee must give nothing to the Idoll, as reverence or mainte­nance.No worship to be given to an Idoll.

First wee must doe no homage or reverence to the Idoll. [...] genuaflexit. [...] dimissio capitis cum superiore corpore. [...] verticen [...] inclinare. [...] totum corpus prosternere. The Hebrews have foure words, to note the foure severall gestures of the bodie, the first is Barach, The bowing of the knee, 2 Chr. 6.13. The second is Carang, which signifieth the bowing of the head, with the bulke of the body, Psal. 95.6. The third is Kadad, the bowing of the head, the fourth is Hishtahhavah, The prostrating of the whole body upon the ground. So he [Page 61] forbiddeth to lift [...]e eyes to an Idol, Ier. 18.6. So to kisse the Idoll, 1 King 19.18. I have reserved ten thou­sand whose mouth have not kissed Baal. Cicero maketh mention of the Image of Hercules, [...] quando absolute ponitur significat oscu­lari. cujus mentum osculis adorantium attritum fuit. And when they could not reach to the Idoll to kisse it, they kissed their hand in token of homage which they did to their Idoll. Con­trarie to this sort of worship is the kissing of the Sonne Iesus Christ, Psal. 2.12. This osculum homagij, is due onely to Christ.

Secondly,Nothing to be given to the maintenance of an Idoll. wee must give nothing to an Idoll for the maintenance of the service of it, as the Israelites tooke their eare-rings and Iewels to make the golden calfe. So we must not plant groves to it, Deut. 16.22. Psal. 137.2. We hanged our harpes upon the willowes, when they desired us to play to their gods; wee hung up our harpes upon the Willowes, that is, upon the groves consecrat to Belus or Bel, and we said, it were better that our tongues should cleave to the roofe of our mouth, than that wee should forget the worship of the true God at Ierusalem; so to erect any title or inscription in honour of them, Levit. 26.1.

So to institute a Priesthood to serve these Idols,Nuplere manum quid Hebreyes. Iud. 17.12. As Micah consecrated a Levite, in the originall it is Implevit Micah manum Levitae, where this Idolater imitated the forme of consecration of the Lords Priests, Exod. 29.31. 2 Chro. 13.3. Omnis veniens ad implen­dam manum suam, that is, to bee ordained: When the Priest was consecrat to the Lord, the Ramme which was to be offered, was called Aries impletionis Exod. 29.31. Because the hand of the Priest was filled with it when he was ordained. These Idolatrous Priests, 2 King. 23. are called Kemarim, as ye would say, blacke, [...] denigrare. because they were smoked with the smoke of the sacrifices.

The Priests stood bare­foot before the Lord when they served.So to stand barefooted before the Idoll which the heathen called Nudipedalia, they borrowed this custome from the Preists of the Lord, who stood bare­footed before the Lord when they served,

All these sorts of externall worship given to Idols the Iewes called Gnabhuda Zara, and it consisted in foure things, [...] Cultus alienus [...] altare [...] fuffitus [...] incurvatio [...] libatio How adoration diffe­reth from prayer. first Altare, secondly Suffitus, thirdly, Incur­vatio, and fourthly Libatio.

Adoration consisteth in the inward adoration of the heart, and outward gesture of the body; and it diffe­reth from Prayer, which may bee performed by the in­ward act of the mind sometimes, without any outward gesture of the body.Adoration is an act of religious worship.

This Adoration is an act of religion, properly to bee performed to God onely, as the object of it; for it ariseth of an apprehension of the excellence of God above all things created, and it is Idolatrie when this worship is given to any creature either directly or indi­rectly.

Spirituall and civill worship are distin­guished by the end and intention of the wor­shipper.Spirituall Adoration and civill adoration are distin­guished by the end, and the intention of the worshipper onely distinguisheth them. There is no outward worship which is done to God but it may be done to men, except onely sacrifice which is due to God onely, Exod. 22. Otherwayes the intention of these who worship, and the end wherefore they worship, distinguisheth them. When the mother of the sonnes of Zebedeus came to Christ and bowed to him, Mat. 20.20. desiring that one of her sonnes might sit at his right hand, and the other at his left hand, this was but civill adoration which she gave to him; because it was but a civill thing which she required of him, taking him to bee a temporall King: but when a Catholicke cometh and boweth before the Pope, he giveth him more then civill honour, he giveth him divine honour; why? because he [Page 63] taketh him to bee one that cannot erre in his calling, and who is Christs vicar upon earth here: So hee gi­veth him in effect that which is due to Christ, and that he hath that same power to forgive sinnes which Christ hath.

There is Totum potestativum and Totum contractum; Totum Potestat [...]vum.Contractum. Totum potestativum is the power of ruling and gover­ning in a King; Totum contractum is the same power contracted in an inferiour magistrat; as in a Major or Provest, Christ hath Totum potestativum, absolute power to remit sinnes, but his ministers have not Totum con­tractum, as inferior magistrates have the power of the King,Ministers haue not to­tum contractum but they are as heraulds to pronounce remission of sinnes. they are onely but Heralds to make intimation of the remission of sinnes: the inferiour magistrat may urge obedience to himselfe, because he hath. Totum potestativum contractum in himselfe; but no man hath Totum potestativum contractum within himselfe to remit sinnes. When they bow before the Pope, they hold that he hath not onely potestatem contractam to remit sinnes, but potestatem excellentiae, and that it differeth onely in degree from Christs power, whereas the Mi­nister in remission of sinnes, hath not this power [...] sed tantum [...], and he doth nothing in absolution but disposeth onely the penitent,potestas [...]. [...]. and by the word and probable signes absolueth him: this ab­solution is not a proper act of forgivenesse of sinne, as if it had a direct, necessarie and physicall influence in forgivenesse of sinne: but he is onely Causa moralis, seu concilians, whereupon God is moved to pardon the penitent when he seeth him humbled. But they ascribe to the pope the same power which is in Christ to for­give sinnes, although not in the same degree: therefore when they bow before the pope it is idolatrous wor­ship, & as the people called Simon Magus the great power of God. Act. 8.10. so do they the pope.

The intention of the worshiper maketh not that civill worship which was first insti­tuted to be spirituall.The intention of the worshiper maketh not that civill worship which was first instituted to be spirituall wor­ship. Example, If a man should stand before an idoll, and faine himselfe to bow before it, for the loosing of the lachet of his shoe, this were idolatrie; why? because bowing before an idoll was instituted for the honour of the idoll: and here we must distinguish inter finem ope­ris, Finis Oteris.Operantis. & finem operantis, and the action is to be judged à fine operis & non operantis.

Conclusion. 1 The conclusion of this is, No bodily gesture di­stinguisheth spirituall worship from civill; therefore God counteth nothing of the outward bodily worship, where the inward worship of the heart is wanting. To bow downe the head like a bull-rush and to spread sack­cloath and ashes under them. Esay 58.5. this did not please the Lord: and when the Lord willeth us to keepe our foote when wee goe into the house of God, Eccles. 5.1. It is meant of the affections, and not of the foote of the bodie.

Conclusion. 2 Secondly, it is finis operis, and not operantis which distinguisheth the action, therefore these turne-coats, and time servers, who have a knee readie for every idolatrous service, their intentions will not excuse them from idolatrie, because the chiefe thing which is in­tended there is idolatrie.

EXERCITAT. II. No spirituall worship is due to any creature invisible. Commandement II.

GOd knowing the wandring heart of man how prone it is to idolatrie, and to goe a whoring after other Gods, first he forbiddeth them to worship any thing in heaven, secondly in the earth, thirdly in water under the earth. He forbiddeth them to worship these visible creatures; but there is more comprehended here: God said, in the creation, that he created heaven and earth. Gen. 1.1. But the Apostle expresseth it more largely. Coloss. 1.16. For by him were created all things that are in hea­ven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible. So should this be resolved here more largely, as to things invi­sible now in the heavens, and to the devills who are cast out of the heavens, & appeare to men in visible shapes.

Things in heaven which are not to be worshiped: as first, the humanity of Christ; Christ God and man is the object of our worship, but not Christ in his manhead.Iohn 5.23. Christ God and man is the object of our worship. He that honoureth not the sonne, honoureth not the father. Ro. 14.11. All knees shall bow to me. Iohn 20.28. Thomas said, My Lord, and my God; yet the man Christ was to be worshipped when he was lying in the grave: because the hypostaticall union was not separated by death; but the humanity by it self is not to be worshiped▪ for Christ [Page 66] as man he worshiped. Ioh. 4.22. We know what we wor­ship. The humani [...]y of Christ by it selfe is not to worshiped. Nicen. epist. 7. ad Con­stant. Secondly, Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man. Ier. 17.5. But the humane nature of Christ considered by it selfe, is a man, and therefore not to be worshiped. And the councell of Nice accursed Nestorius, and con­demned him as an idolater, because he did hold that Christ the sonne of God was but a mere man, and yet was to be worshiped; Cyrill calleth this [...]: it is true, we worship Christs manhood with his Godhead associativè, but we worship not his Godhead & his māhood copulativè; we worship the king with his crown associativè, but we worship not the king and the crowne copulativè; Adorati [...] Associativa.Copulat [...]va. and we worship not the humanitie of Christ for it selfe, but because it is hypostatically united to the Godhead, and so it is worshipped [...]. If we should worship the humanity of Christ with civil honour,To worship the god­head of Christ with civill honour is blas­phemie. as it is hypostatically united to the Godhead, then we should worship the Godhead but with civill honour, which were blasphemie; for spirituall honour is onely due to the Godhead, and the worship which is due to one of the persons in the hypostaticall union, is due also to the other: therefore it is not civill honour which is given to the humanitie of Christ, as it is united hypo­statically with the Godhead; and seeing adoration re­specteth totum suppositum, Adoration looketh t [...] the greatest excellencie in the person. the whole person; it looketh alwayes to the greatest excellencie in the person, for otherwise if we should worship a person, and not looke to his chiefest excellencie, it were no lesse then to pro­fesse that there were no greater excellencie in him. Example,Simile. If a King were both a Duke, a Marquesse, & an Earle, and if one should giue him the honour onely which is due to an Earle, this were in effect to de­grade him of his kingly honour: so to consider Christ as God and man, and yet to giue him onely but civill honour, this were to degrade him of his greatest ho­nour: [Page 67] To conclude this with Athanasius, Nec Verbum sine Carne, nec Caro sine Verbo adorari potest; Neither the Godhead of Christ without the manhood, nor the man­hood without the God­head are to be worship­ed. Ob. but so that the reason and cause of the adoration is still in the deitie; and the humanitie is adored because it is hypostatically joyned to the deitie.

A distinct excellencie stirreth up a distinct affection and motion in the minde, but the excellencie of the humanitie is a distinct excellencie: therefore it should stirre up a distinct adoration.

A distinct excellencie in distinct persons should have a distinct adoration; Answ. A distinct excellence in diverse persons stir­reth up a distinct reve­rence and affection: as a King should be otherwise worshiped then a Baron: but when they concurre in one person, then there should not be a distinct adoration: here we give one sort of adoration to the whole, to both the natures of Christ in one person.

Angels who are in heaven are not to be worshipped.Angels not to be wor­shiped. Coloss. 2.18. Let no man beguile you of your reward invo­luntary humility and worshiping of angels, intruding him­selfe in those things which he hath not seen, vainely puffed up in his fleshly minde, and not holding the head. Where the Apostle reasoneth this wayes, every one who is sub­ject and subordinate, as the members are to the head, should not have that honour which is due to the head. But the angels are subject to the head; therefore they should not have that which is due to Christ the head: Let us pray to our father, and he can send legions of an­gels to defend us. Matt. 26.23.

There are two sorts of worship, cultus religionis, Cultu [...] ReligionisSocietatis. & cultus societatis; cultus societatis belongeth to all those who are of one society, the angels are our fellow ser­vants. Revel. 22.9. Therefore this worship which is done to them, is done to them as our fellow servants.

This civill worship which is performed by men, is ei­ther as they are politici in civitate mundi, or ecclesiastici in ecclesia D [...]i; that is, as they are civill men dwelling up­on [Page 68] the earth, and gathered within the church and made members of her; as they are members of the church againe, either they are members of the Church trium­phant, or militant: the angels now are of the Church tri­umphant, conciues triumphantes: therefore they haue not of us cultum societatis now, and when they appeared of old to the Patriarchs they were worshipped onely with civill worship, Quest. and so if they should appeare now.

Whether is it a diverse sort of worship which is gi­ven to an angell and to a king? it might seem to be a di­verse kinde of worship, because the excellencie is di­verse, the king being civill, and the angell spirituall.

Answ. There is no midst betwixt religious worship and ci­vill adoration: the adoration given to an angell and to a king,Adoration given to an angell and to a king differ in degree onely. non differunt specie, but gradu: for to make it civill worship, it is sufficient that it be a creature to whom it is given; but if we will respect the degree, there may be greater or lesser worship given; greater to the angels, and lesser to the king.

The soules departed are not to be worship­ed.In heaven there are also the soules of the blessed de­parted, and them we may not worship: for they un­derstand not what we are doing upon the earth. When Elias was to be taken up to heaven,The Iewes say of the dead, gnalau hashalem, which they contract thus [...] on him is peace, and not on him be peace. hee said to Elisha, aske of me what I shall doe for thee before I goe hence. 2. Kings 2.9. whereby hee implyed that there was no place to aske him after he was gone. And if the Saints on earth refused this spirituall worship offered to them, as Paul and Barnabas Act. 14.15. much more will they refuse it in heaven,Psal. 115.1. Revel. 5.13. they will say, not unto us, not unto us, they cast downe their crownes before him that sitteth upon the throne, and give him all the honour.

Of old there were Idolaters called Collyridani, of whom Epiphanius maketh mention, who baked cakes,The Church of Rome make an idoll of the virgin Mary. and offered them to the virgin Mary, this was idolatrous worship offered to her. So when the Church [Page 69] of Rome take the fine flowre and the incense of prayer, and offer to the virgin Mary, they commit idolatrie and make an idoll of her.

The conclusion of this is, commandements, promi­ses and practises are our warrant to worship the Lord onely, and to call upon him in our necessity. Psal. 50.15. call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorifie mee.

EXERCITAT. III. No visible things in the heavens, or in the earth to be worshiped. Commandement II.

AS before the Lord discharged things invisible in the heavens to be worshiped; so now he discharg­eth all things visible, seene with the eye, whether de­vills appearing in a visible forme, or the sunne, moone and starres, or any creature in the earth, or in the water under the earth.

First, he forbiddeth to worship the infernall spirits, the devills, [...]; when the devill appeareth in any visible shape to call upon him, or to sacrifice to him; such was the worship which they gave him in the Tera­phim. The Teraphim what? Elias in tishbi sheweth how they made this Tera­phim, they tooke a child who was the first borne, wrung off his neck, and embalmed his head with spices;How the Teraphim gave the answers. and they wrote in a plate of gold, the name of the spi­rit whom they called upon, and they put it under this [Page 70] head, and then the spirit gaue the answers. Laban called this Teraphim, [...] his God; therefore he saith, nehhashti, au­guratus sum, I divined by my God that the Lord hath bles­sed mee for thy sake. Gen. 30.27.

[...]They had their Teraphim likewise in the likenesse of a whole man. 1. Sam. 19.13.

Secondly, they worshipped the devill in the forme of a goate, They shall no more offer their sacrifice to the hairie ones, [...] leshegnirim, that is, to the devils who appea­red in the forme of satyres and goats. Levit. 17.7.

Thirdly they worshiped him in the forme of a flie. Baalzebub was the God of the Ekronites, and Ahazia sent to get a response of him, whether he should live or not. 2. Kings 1.2.

In all idolatrie the de­divill is worshiped:There is no sort of idolatrie in which the devill is not worshiped. Psal. 106.37. Yea they sacrificed their sonnes and daughters to devils. so 1. Cor. 10. The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God; and I would not that you should have any fellow­ship with devils. Ye cannot drinke the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils. Those idolaters made not a direct co­venant with the devill as the former did, nor they con­sulted not with him directly as they did.

The Sun is not to be worshiped.Now let us come to visible things, which they were forbidden to worship, and first the sunne, the moone and the starres, and things in the heavens.

How they came to worship the planets.Men studied first the course of the starres, and that bred astronomie; then they observed the influence of the planets, and that bred physick; then they foretold things by the starres, and that bred judiciall astrologie: and last they worshiped the planets, and that bred idolatrie. Of all the planets, they chiefly worshiped the sunne.The Amonites worshi­ped the sun. The Ammonites called the sunne moloch, and their God Moloch, and they burnt their children to this God, a most unnaturall sinne; they spared the Ca­naanites [Page 71] whom God commanded them to destroy,Diverse nations had the sun for their god. and spared not their children, the fruit of their owne loynes: the Lord commanded to offer the first borne to him, and they offered their first borne to Moloch.

They had horses for the sunne, and chariots for it,Subdiales Statua. which carried about the image of the sunne 2. Kings 13.11. and some worshiped the fire, symbolum solis; as the Chaldeans: and the Sydonians called the sunne Helioga­balus, deus fingens, vel formans; [...] Deut omnia fingens. [...] Omnia videns. because the sunne fashi­oneth all things; and the Israelites worshiped this god.

The Tyrians called the sunne Hercules; haar col, omnia videns; and Hercules twelve labours in their Mytholo­gie, signify the sunne passing through the twelve, signes in the Zodiack.

So the Egyptians worshiped the sunne, and they called him Iupiter Hammon, omnia califaciens, so they called the sun Adon, dominus, they saluted the Sun [...],The Iewes learned from the heathen to worship the sun. and from Adon they made Adonis, and they tooke their fable of loosing and finding of Adonis, from the setting and ri­sing of the sun, & the Iewes learned from these nations, to worship the sunne, the moone and hoast of heauen.

Seing the sunne is the chiefe of all the planets; Quest. what is the reason why the idolaters call the sunne the queen of heaven? Ier. 7.8. and 44.19. When we burnt incense to the queene of heaven.

It should not be translated, Answ. What is meant by the queene of heaven. When we burnt incense to the queene of heaven; the seventie translate it better, [...], the hoast of heaven▪ the difference of the interpretation arose of this, because the hebrew word malcah written with He, signifieth a queen, and with aleph it signifieth a worke. Againe, amongst the Latines Luna is in the feminine gender, [...] Regina [...] opus. and Sol is in the masculine gender: but with the Hebrewes shemesh the sunne is in the feminine gender, and jareah the moone is in the masculine gender: therefore according to their genders, [Page 72] it maybe said Deus lunus, and Sol regina.

Many become foolish in their worship. Simile.It is strange to se, how people have been so foolish, to forget the creator, and to give all praise to the creature; they are not unfitly compared to countrie people, who have never been at the court: when they come first to court, the first men that they see cloathed in fine appa­rell, they take him to be the King, and they fall downe and worship him: so the heathen when they saw some beautie in the sunne, they gave it that honour which was due to God. [...] Sol a [...] Ministrare shemesh the sunne, commeth from the word shamash ministrare, because it is appointed to serve men; why then should man fall downe and serve it?

They worsh [...]ped the moone as a goddesse.Secondly, they worshiped the moone in the hea­ven, and Iob purgeth himselfe of this idolatrie, Iob. 31.27. or my mouth had kissed mine hand, when I beheld the sunne when it shined, or the moone walking in her bright­nes: the idolaters when they could not reach to the moone to kisse her, they kissed their hands in token of homage,Some wor [...]iped the starres and planets. and this was called adorare, quasi applicare ma­num ad os.

Thirdly they worshiped the starres or mazoloth the planets, 2. King. 23.5. And he put downe also them that burnt incense vnto Baal, to the sunne, to the moone and Lemazaloth, to the planets. Gen. 30.11. and Leah said, a troupe commeth, [...] Lea and Rachel kept somer [...]u [...]s of their fathers idolatrie. and she called his name Gad. Bagad read in two words signifieth bonam fortunam: Gad was the host of heaven to which they sacrificed, and gave divine ho­nour, Esay. 65.11. and they called it Masal tobh, bona fortuna; Leah ascribed this good fortune to the influ­ence of the starres: neither of Iacobs wives were purged from their fathers idolatrie, Rachel stole her fathers Teraphim, and Leah ascribed all to good fortune, and the influence of the starres.

In earth they worshiped beasts, the Israelites wor­ship [...]d the golden calfe in the wildernesse, this calfe [Page 73] they set up as a representation of God,Why the Israelites set up the golden calfe. who fed them in the wildernesse, and provided for them; the oxe was alwayes holden a signe of plentie,The oxe was a signe of plentie. therefore Salomon saith, where the oxe is wanting the crib is emptie▪ Prov. 14.4. and Ioseph because he provided for the people of God in their necessitie, he is called bos dei, Deut. 33.17. and the Romans set up a golden oxe to Minutius; be­cause he provided for them in the famine. So they de­dicated this calfe to the Lord, because he provided for them in the wildernesse.

The Lord forbiddeth them to make the likenesse of male or female to worship it, Deut. 4.16. for they worshiped both bul calves, and cow calves, they had both gneglim and gnegloth Hosea 10.15. [...] The apostle in disdaine putteth Baal in the fe­minine gender. and the Apostle Rom. 17.4. putteth the name Baal in the feminine gen­der, [...], and [...] should be understood. Tobit. 1.5. all the tribes made defection sacrificing [...] to the cow Baal, [...] should not be understood here, for what strength is there in an idoll to helpe?

God made man lord over all his creatures, as neate and sheepe, and all beasts of the field, Psal. 8.7. and yet man forgetteth this, and worshipeth the very ba­sest of them.

Lastly, in the water under the earth. The Egyptians worshiped Nilus as a god, and the fishes in it. So the Philistims worshiped Dagon, The heathen worshiped the water as a god. which was halfe a fish and halfe a man in shape, therefore the Lord forbideth the people to learne at these heathen nations to worship things in the water under the earth.

The conclusion of this is, let us say with David, Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon the earth that I desire besides thee. Psal. 73.25.

EXERCITAT. IV. No image can be made to represent God. Commandement II.

THe Church of Rome say, for representation the image of God cannot be painted to expresse lively and fully the nature of God: and in this sense they say, that God forbideth any image of him to be made, seing he hath no forme whereby he can be expressed. Esay 40.18. To whom will ye liken God, or what likenesse will ye com­pare unto him? But to expresse him by some bodily shape as he appeared here, that is no idolatrie, as he ap­peared to Daniel in the likenesse of an old man, and the holy ghost appeared in the likenesse of a done. Matt. 3.16. When he is painted to teache the histories of the scripture, that so by sensible figures our mindes may ascend to take up the invisible God; to paint him this way is not a sinne; angels themselves are immateriall spirits, yet they were painted under the law, and repre­sented by cherubins; why then may not God be repre­sented by an image? There is a great difference betwixt the angels and God.No proportion betwixt God and an image. First they are finite, and therefore there may be some proportion betwixt them and an image; but God is infinite, and an image finite; there­fore no proportion betwixt them.

Imago Personae.Representatio­nis officii.Secondly, there is imago personae, and imago represen­tationis officij, the cherubins were no representation of the persons of the angels; for they being immateriall, [Page 75] cannot be expressed by any materiall things, and if we should conceive an angell to have any quantitie by an image, then the image should teach us a lie:An image may repre­sent the office of angels but not their persons. the cheru­bins then are onely representations of the office of the angels, that they were ministring spirits attending the elect; and they were painted this way, that the Iewes might read (as it were) in a historie, what the angels did to them who wait upon the Church continually.

But members are attributed to God in the scripture: Ob. if they be attributed to God for this end, that wee may take him up, why may he not be painted to the laicks, that by the eye as wel as the eare, they may take him up?

Members are attribute to God metaphoricè, Answ. Members attributed to God metaphorically not typically. but not typicè, metaphora est in verbis, typus in rebus, the scripture setteth him downe with eares, hands, and feet by words borrowed from men, but it never setteth him downe by any bodily shape painted before us, but al­wayes forbiddeth us to represent him by any bodily shape; and there is no danger to the people by idolatrie, when he is represented to the eare by metaphoricall words, but great danger to them when he is represented to the eye by visible shapes.

How shall we conceive of God then, Quest. that we take him not up as an idoll?

We must conceive him to be a spirit, most just, Answ. How we must con­ceive God. most holy, and infinite; but because the infinite Godhead is but finitely comprehended by us; therefore we should set the eyes of our faith upon the manhood of Christ;Simile. for hee that seeth the sonne seeth the father. When a man looketh into a chrystall glasse, it casteth no reflexe to him; but put steele upon the backe of it, it will cast a reflexe: so when we looke upon the Godhead it selfe, it casteth no comfortable reflexe unto us, but put the hu­manitie, as it were a backe of steele to that glasse, then it casteth a reflexe to us.

Now let us speake of the worship it selfe. The Church of Rome being charged with idolatrie, and worshiping of idols, they wipe their mouth with the whore, and say they did it not, Prov. 30.20. And they goe about by sundrie shifts to cleare themselves of this idolatrie.

Adoratio Absoluta.Respectiva.There is a double sort of worship, the first is called adoratio respectiva, the second is called adoratio absoluta. Absolute adoration is this, when the worship is termed in the creature, as objectum quod adorationis, & the wor­ship is limitated to the creature. Respective adoration is this, when worship is given to dead & senselesse crea­tures for the examplars sake,Obiectum Quod.Quo. then the exemplar is obie­ctum quo, and the dead and senselesse thing is obiectum quod; that is, wee reverence and adore the dead and senselesse thing for the examplars sake.Simile. Example, when wee attend the coffin, the corps being buried alreadie, the coffin is obiectum quod which we attend, and the corps are obiectum quo which moveth us to attend the coffin: so when we doe homage to the Viceroy for the King; the Viceroy here is obiectum quod, and the King is obiectum quo. The more modest of the papists of old made but the image obiectum quod adorationis, and God himselfe obiectum quo.

Adoratio Respectiva.Coniuncta.Againe they say, that there is adoratio coniuncta, or coadoratio, and there is adoratio respectiva: coadoratio or coniuncta adoratio, they make to be this; when both the exemplar, and the thing represented by the exemplar are worshiped coniunctim, as obiectum quod adaequatum, this sort of worship they gaue not to the image at the first, but onely respectivam adorationem.

Imago conside­ratur. Secundum rem naturae.Formaliter.Thirdly, they say that an image is considered secun­dum rem naturae, and so it is not worshiped. Secondly formaliter & in actu exerci [...], as it holdeth forth the ex­emplar to us, and so it is [...]rminus formalis adorationis, and [Page 77] then the cause of the adoration is in the exemplar, which both moveth the adoration and determineth it; and the image is but a condition of the adoration, and the adoration is not given to it, but to him who is the cause of the adoration, as Caietan saith.Many papists now hold they are not only accidentally to be wor­shiped but properly. But now they goe farther and maintaine that images are not onely to be worshiped accidentally or improperly; but also by themselues, and properly, so that they end and termi­nate the worship, as they are considered in themselves; and not onely as they are portraitures of the exemplar represented: and some of them say yet more plainely, that it is the self same worship, that is due to God, and to the image; and that it is coadoratio or coniuncta adoratio, Gregorius de Valentia disput. 6. quest. 11. punct. 6. & eodem officio, & honoris genere, eodem animi motu, & eadē voluntate excitandi opinionē excellentiae, ille cultus ad proto­typon spectat secundum se, ad imaginem vero coram ipsa, & in ipsa tanquam vicaria; they clearely confesse, that it is the same worship that is due to God and to the image: and as the Echo est individuum cum suo sono; so it is one sort of worship which is given both to the image and to God: and Vasques implieth,Vasq. lib. 3. de ador. disput. 1. cap. 5. that in some case the devill may be worshiped appearing in some visible shape. When Darius mother Sysigambis came before Alexander the great, (mistaking Ephestion for Alexander) she fell downe before Ephestion, but knowing that she was mis­taken, she began to blush: But Alexander said vnto her, be not ashamed, non errasti mater, nam Ephestion est etiam Alexander. If a papist falling downe before his image and mistaking the image for Christ, and if Christ should say to him be not ashamed, thou art not mistaken, for this image is also Christ: then he needed not to blush nor be ashamed: but Christ is more jealous of his honour than so, and will not give it to any creature.

The conclusion of this is, 1. Ioh. 5.2. little children, Conclusione. beware of idols, Micha's idoll bewitched the whole tribe of Dan. Iudg. 18.36.

EXERCITAT. V. That idolatrie is most opposite to God. Commandement II.

IDolatrie is a sinne that is first most opposite to God himselfe, and secondly it is opposite to his mariage with his Church.

[...] Qui habet vitam in se & a se.First, it is most opposite to God himselfe, God is ens entium, and therefore he is vnus, verus, and bonus.

First, God is ens entium, who hath his being of him­selfe, and hereby ye shall know that Chai, the living Lord is amongst you. Iosh. 3.10. this title distinguisheth him from dead idols which haue neither life in themselves, nor can give life to others. Psal. 106.26. And they joyned to Baal-phegor, and eat the sacrifices of the dead, that is, the gods who are dead; they are called dumb idols, Haback. 2.18. [...] So Psal. 115. they haue mouthes but they speake not, [...] the idols are called elilim, nihilitates. Esay. 2.8. Ezek. 30.13. and Tohu, The idols are called dead gods. emptinesse. 1. Sam. 12.21. things are true as long as they agree with the patterne which is in the minde of God, but when they goe from that once, they are reckoned for shadowes of things onely. Prov. 20.6. Who shall finde a faithfull man? as if he shoud say, it is easie to finde shadowes of men, but it is a hard thing to finde a man indeed who is answerable to the minde of God. Idolaters, because they goe from this patterne,People following other gods become no people. they are called non gens. Hos. 10.9. and [Page 79] non populus, not a people. 1. Pet. 2.10. and the apostle saith, an idoll is nothing. 1. Cor. 8.4. it is not nihil nega­tivum, but nihil privativum, Nihil negativum.privativum.effectivum. there is no relation be­twixt God and it, or it is nihil affectivum.

The first attribute of God who is Ens entium, Omne ens est unum nu­mero & specie, sed Deus unum eminenter. is unit as and therefore the scripture by way of excellence cal­leth him vnus, Iob. 31.15. [...] Ʋnus. Did not one fashion us in the wombe, that is, God, so Zach. 14.9. In that day there shall be one Lord, and his name vnus, this name Ehhad, [...] after­ward the heathen called it Adad, corruptlie, Deut. 6.4. [...] Hearken Israel, the Lord thy God is one, and it is written with a great Daleth which letter signifieth foure, as the Hebrews marke, to signifie the foure corners of the earth, and that he should be worshiped in them, and none else but hee; although there be many that are called gods, yet to us there is but one God. 1. Cor. 8.6.

The gods of the heathen were many; they had thir­tie thousand gods, as Hes [...]d witnesseth. And Augustine observeth well in his booke de civitate dei, The heathen multiplied their gods according to the periods of their life. that they multiplied their gods because they durst not concre­dit all to one God: as they had one god for the moun­taines, another for the vallies, one for the sea, and ano­ther for the land; so they had a god for every period of mans life: when the child was borne, they cōmitted him deae Lucinae: when he weeped they committed him to vaticana or vagitana: when they lifted up the child from the ground, they committed him to Dea Levana: & when he was in the cradle to Dea Cunina, & so thorow the rest of the periods of his life. But David acknow­ledged God to be his God from his mothers wombe. Psal. 22.10. So they had a god or a goddesse for every severall part of the bodie, Iupiter the eldest brother got the head, Neptune the second brother got the breast, and foreparts,They had gods for eve­ry part of the body. and Pluto the third brother got the hinder parts, the middle part or cinctum they gaue to Mars, [Page 80] the eyes to Cupid, they gaue the kidnies to Venus, and the knees to the Goddesse Misericordia, and the feet to Thaleia: these parts they committed to severall Gods and Goddesses, because they distrusted them, and would not concredite all to one God, but David saith, Psal 34.20. That God keepeth all our bones. And Christ saith, that the very haires of our head are numbred. Matth. 10.30. so that they cannot fall to the ground without Gods providence. They had like wayes Deos tutelares which they carried about with them, as Rachel stole her fathers Gods. Gen. 31.19. and they had Penates, their houshold Gods, Esay. 46.7. They beare him upon the shoulder, they carie him and set him in his place, and hee standeth: yea from his place shall he not remove.

The second attribute of God who is Ens entium is ve­rum, but the idoll teacheth lies, Habakuk 2.18. how tea­cheth the idoll lies? Non per inexistentiam, sed per assi­stentiam. Non per inexistentiā, that is, the divill spake not out of the idoll,How the idoll speaketh lies. but per assistentiá, that is, the priest lying beside the idoll, the divill inspired the Priest to speake these lies. When the Priest slept vpon the skin of the beast that was sacrificed, then the divell inspired him; this sleeping the Greekes call it [...], [...] pellis. the idoll was but the pledge of the devils presence to the Priest: so now when the Priests stand in defence of their idols and idolatrie, and teach that they are to be worshiped, then the devill speaketh by the idoll, and the idoll is the pledge of the devils presence to the Priest, and that which is offered to the idoll is said to be offered to the devill. Psal. 106.37. 1. Cor. 10.20.

The third attribute of God as he is Ens entium, is Bo­num, goodnesse, there is none good but God onely, that is, having his goodnesse of himselfe: but idols by way of appropriation are called sinne. Lament. 1.8. My peo­ple haue committed a sinne, Idolatrie by way of ap­propriation is called sin. that is idolatrie. So Exod. 32. [Page 81] 22. This people is prone to sinne, that is, to idolatrie. So Num. 23.21. He saw no iniquitie in Iacob, that is, idola­trie, and in this sense is that place of Syracides to be vn­derstood, Syracid. 49.5. All the kings of Israel were sin­ners except David, Iosias and Ezekias, that is, they were idolaters.

Secondly,Idol [...]trie breaketh the wedlocke betwixt Christ and his Church. this sinne of idolatrie breaketh that holy wedlock which is betwixt Christ and his church, he be­ing a iealous God, hee cannot suffer his spouse to goe a whooring after other gods, but would haue her a chast virgin presented unto him; this was typed vnder the law by the turtle doves and young pigeons, which the Lord commanded to be offered to him: the young pigeon was commanded to be sacrificed vnto him, because it had never a mate; and the turtle dove, because it had but one mate: so God will haue of his church her first loue, and onely loue: this abstinence from idolatrie is called virginitie.God will have of his Church her first love, and onely love. Revelat. 14.4. and idolaters are called adulterers, Iam. 4.4. when the Iewes denied Ioh. 8.41. that they were the children of fornication, they meant, they were not idolaters, who say to the stocke thou art my father, and to the stone, thou hast brought me forth, Ier. 2.27. they say, they haue God for their father, and they called the Samaritans bastards, [...] ingluvies vel vesicula in avibus quae sordium recepta­culum est a [...] ster­cus. [...]. because they worshiped strange gods. When the church is corrupted and de­filed with idolatrie, then she is called Moreah, Zeph. 3.1. the Seventy translate it, [...], when one is expo­sed to some great shame for their filthinesse, and in this sense it is said, that Ioseph would not make Mary a pub­like example for her suspected incontinencie. Mat. 1.19.

The conclusion of this is,Conclusion. idola [...]rie being a sinne so opposite to God himselfe; it was a great blindnes in Mi­cha when he set up an idoll in his house, to say then. That the Lord would doe him good, Iudg. 17.13. their sorrowes shall be multiplied who hasten after other Gods, Psalm. [...]6.7.

EXERCITAT. VI. Commandement 2. How base idols are in the sight of God.

THis idolatrie is most detestable in the eyes of the Lord, therefore when the scripture speaketh of idols it calleth them abominationes, as the abomination of the Moabites, and Ammonites: When the Romans set vp the spread-eagle in the temple of Ierusalem, it was called the abomination of desolation, [...] ab illicitis idolorum cultibus. Quare addunt haebraei epithetum perpetuum. Mat. 24.15. so they are called [...], pollutiones, Act. 15.20.

The apostle willeth us to abstaine from abominable idolatrie, 1. Pet. 4.3. this epithete is not put for distin­ction sake here, as though there were some sort of ido­latrie lawfull; but it is Epithetum perpetuum, as the He­brewes call it, as Psal. 86.13. Thou hast delivered my soule from the lowest hell, we cannot inferre hence that there are two hells, the epithete here is not put for di­stinctions sake, but to signifie the deepenesse of hell: so the epithete is added here to signifie the vilenesse of idolatrie.

Now if wee would vnderstand how detestable these idols are in the sight of God, let us goe thorow all the causes of them.

How base and senselesse makers of idols are.First the efficient cause; they that make them, are like vnto them, Psal. 115.8. What a senselesse thing is this to make an idoll, and then to bee affraid of it? these are like little children, who blacke their neighbours faces, [Page 83] and then are affraid of them.

Secondly the matter, how basely hee thinketh of it; when the people began to worship the brasen serpent,Hebraei exprimunt di­minutiva per [...] cum נ in fine sic [...]. Exod. 32.15. The little righteous ones he called it Nechusbtan. 2. King. 18.4. as you would say, a little peece of brasse in contempt; for it is the manner of the Hebrewes to expresse their diminutives by ad­ding Nunto them. So he calleth them Gelilim, sterco­reos deos. 2. King. 23.10. he defiled topheth, that is, he ap­pointed it for base and vncleane vses, as to cast out their doung there, and their filth; because gods of doung were worshiped there.

The Lord commanded the Iewes when they were a­bout to ease nature to goe without the campe,Ainsworth c. 7.8 of the communion of saints. Deut. 23.12.13. and to haue a paddle that they might digge and cover the excremēts. All the ceremoniall laws are to be reduced to some of the morall lawes; our divines re­duce this place properly to the second commandement, that we should cover these loathsome excrements of idolatrie, as they were to cover their naturall excre­ments.The Lord detesteth the forme of the idols.

Thirdly the lord detested the forme of them; he de­tested not onely [...] which is abiecti animalis forma; but also to bee represented by man, who of all visible creatures is the most excellent. Psal. 115.5. They haue eyes and see not, cares and heare not, and a mouth that speaks not, these were made to the similitude of man; and like­wise the Teraphim were images made to the likenesse of man. 1. Sam. 13.19. yet he detested all these images.

Lastly, from the effects,The base names which the holy Ghost giveth to idols. [...] the holy ghost calleth the idols Miphlezeth, terriculamenta. 1. King. 15.13. They that worship them shall get no rest neither day nor night. Revel. 14.11. [...]

So they are called Gnatzabbim, dolores, so they are called Tzirim, tormina vel cruciatus, [...] because they put a man to as great paine as the woman is when she is in her child­birth,Psal. 135.15. [Page 84] Esay. 45.16. and 21.3. They are called Bush, pudor. Ier. 11.12. the same word is given to a mans privie parts: [...] Deut. 25.11. Ye haue set vp altars to the shamefull thing: The heathen gave sun­dry names to their idols. that is, to idols, and so Gideon is called Ierubesheth, 1. Sam. 11.21. because he put Bush or that shamefull idoll Baal to shame.

A man is ashamed when his nakednes is seene, this idolatrie maketh the people naked. Exod. 35.25. The heathen called their god [...] the God of thun­der, but God in derision called him Baal-Peor, or [...] the god of a crack, they called their god Baalzebub, the god who did driue away flies, but Christ in disdain called him [...] the god of doung: the Iewes in contempt call the god of Eckron the god of flies, be­cause their temple was free from flies; for there was ne­ver a flie seen in the temple of Ierusalem for all the flesh that was sacrificed in it: but the Ekronites called him Ba­alzebub, because hee kept them from hornets and flies; this name afterward was given to the devill himselfe, he is called Baalzebub, because he is the father of all this idolatrie.

Conclusion.The conclusion of this is, all offences are against the the kings lawes, but pettie treason is a greater offence then common transgressions: but when rebels begin to disclaime their king and set up another in his place, that is the highest offence of all: sinnes of the second table of­fend God, but swearing and taking the name of God in vaine is pettie treason against him, as when one falsifieth the kings coine; but to set up a rebell in his place, an idoll, that is the highest treason: let us detest that sinne most, which turneth us away farthest from God.

EXERCITAT. VII. What force idols have to allure those who worship them, and to draw men after them.

THe loadstone hath not so great vertue to draw the iron to it, as the idoll hath to draw the worshiper after it. And as the whirlewinde carrieth a man violent­ly: so do the idols draw men violently after them.

The scripture maketh mention of sundry swift beasts, [...] Dromas. Ier. 2.23. as the mule, Camelo-pardalis, the wild asse, and the dro­medary. As the wild asse snuffeth up the winde at her pleasure, and none can turne her away: and as the dromeda­ry is most swift transversing her wayes. Ier. 2.23.24. So are the idolaters swift in following their idols.

There are two things that a man is bound to care for specially, his naturall life, and his spirituall life.

His naturall life consisteth in his health, wealth, and ease, but see how the idolaters to serve their idols, de­spise and neglect the care of these three.

First, their health, they neglect their bodies,Idolaters neglect their health to serve their id [...]ls. and think their religion consisteth in abstinence Coloss. 2.23. they disfigure their faces and looketh with a sad counte­nance. Matt. 6.16. And which is more, the priests of Baal cut themselves with knives and lancers untill the blood gushed out upon them. 1. Kings 18.28. so doe Fratres flagellantes, who whip themselves untill the blood run downe: and sometimes they have given their bodies to be burnt for their idols.

Secondly, a man is bound to have a care of his [Page 86] wealth and riches, but how prodigally have the idola­ters bestowed their riches upon their idols?Idolaters spare no cost for their idols. Exod. 32.3. And all the people brake off the golden eare-rings which were in their eares, and brought them to Aaron. So Hos. 8.4. of their silver and their gold have they made them­selves idols. So Ezek. 16.33. Others give gifts to whores, but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them. So Psal. 16.4. deum alienum dotant, that is, they give a dowrie to their idols, and bestow their goods upon them, and stand not for cost.

Thirdly their ease, they care not for their ease, so they may satisfie their idols. Exod. 32.6. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings. So Baals priests cryed from morning untill evening. 1. Kings 18.29.The heathen gave di­verse attributes to their idols, and to every at­tribute they made a prayer. They were not weary to use many idle repetitions and long prayers to their idols. They gave sundry attri­butes to their idols, and to every attribute they used to say a prayer, and so with much vain babling they spent the time: So do many now spend their canonical houres, and this Christ forbideth: Matt. 6.7. But when ye pray, use not vaine repetitions, as the heathen doe, for they thinke they shall be heard for their much babling.

And their greatest love should be to their children who should succeed them; but the unnatutall idolater will not stand to offer his children to Moloch, & to sacri­fice them to him. There is but one rare example in all the scriptures of Abraham, who at the commandement of God tooke his onely sonne Isaack [...], the sonne of his age, and would have offered him to the Lord, but it was usuall to these idolaters to sacrifice their children to devils. Psal. 106.37.

Secondly, for the spirituall and eternall life; they preferred their idols to it. Hos. 2.2. They carried their adulteries betwixt their breasts: that is, the signes of their idolatrie, to testifie that the idoll had their heart, [Page 87] whereas they should have carried the Lord as a bundle of mirrhe betwixt their breasts: Cant. 1.13.

So they walked, behhukkoth, in their statutes, Levit. 20.23. Whereas they should have walked in his statutes; [...] they gave all honour and reverence unto them; they cryed, Great is Diana of the Ephesians, Act. 19.28. They kept their gods and changed them not. Ier. 2.11. hath a nation changed their gods which are yet no gods?

May we not conclude then, Ier. 10.8. They are alto­gether brutish and foolish, Conclusion. the stock is a doctrine of vanities They who worship stocks and stones and dumbe idols, are more brutish then beasts.

EXERCITAT. VIII. The many evils which the people have got out of idolatrous Aegypt.

AEgypt was the matrix of all idolatrie, therefore the Lord forbad them to goe backe to Aegypt: The evill which the people of God got in Aegypt. they got much mischiefe out of Aegypt, there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their vir­ginitie: Ezek. 23.3.They lost their spiritu­all virginitie there. There they learned the grounds of their idolatrie, hence it is, that the most of the ceremo­niall lawes are opposite to idolatrous worship in Aegypt.

Secondly, turba miscellanea, The mixed multitude came from thence. the mixed multitude came out of Aegypt: Exod. 12.38. Who learned them to mur­mure and to crie; Would to God we were back again at the flesh pots of Aegypt. Exod, 16.2.

Thirdly, they got their leprosie out of Aegypt, for that sort of leprosie called Elephantiasis, The leprosie from Aegypt. when the skin grow­eth hard like the Elephants skin was bred onely about Nilus in Aegypt. Deut. 28.17. The Lord will smite the with the boiles of Aegypt. They forgot their cir­cumcision there.

Forthly, they forgot their circumcision in Aegypt, therefore it is called opprobrium Aegypti, Iosh. 5.9. This day have I rolled away the reproach of Aegypt from you.

The blasphemer came out of it.Fifthly, the blasphemer who blasphemed the name of the Lord, Levit. 24.10. was the sonne of an Aegyptian.

The golden calves.Sixthly, Ieroboam brought the golden calves out of Aegypt: therefore they were commanded never to goe backe againe to Aegypt. Because Aegypt was such a vile land the Psalmist calleth it the land of Ham Psal. 105.23.27.Aegypt why called Ham. and 106.22. Ham was cursed by his father Noah, so the Egyptians his posteritie were an accursed people. Aegypt was a proud people,Aegypt called Rahab. therefore it is called Rahab, Psal. 87.4 and Esay 51.9. And now what hast thou to doe in Aegypt to drinke the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to doe in the way of Assyria, to drinke the waters of the ri­ver? Sichor is put for Aegypt. Ier. 2.18. Sihor is Nilus, which signifieth black­nesse, for the troubled waters of Nilus differed much frō the clea [...]e running waters of Siloh, why then should they goe to drinke of them?So the city, for Ieru­lem, and Behemoth beasts, for an elephant. and hee calleth Euphrates the River here Antonomasticè, for the greatnesse of it. Gen. 15.18. It is called the great river; these two were the borders of Canaan, from the river of Egypt to Euphrates. Exod. 23.31.

What great blessing was this then, when five cities in the land of Egypt should speake the languages of Ca­naan, [...] [...]str [...]ctio. [...] that is, should worship the Lord in truth, And one of them shall bee called the city of the Sunne, Esay. 19.18. that is, they shall bee converted to professe the truth, and one of them shall be the most excellent citie, that is Alexandria, the city where Marke taught the Gospell first.

If Egypt was so abhorred and detested by the Lord, what must spirituall Egypt be? Revelat. 11.8. and these Who take the marke of the beast upon them. Revelat. 16.2. And as they were never to returne backe to Egypt again; so neither must the people of God returne now to spi­rituall Egypt.

Observe how Iohn doth parallel the judgements of old Egypt, and spirituall Egypt together.Old Aegypt and spiritu­all Aegypt paralleled together in their plagues. Old Egypt was plagued with sores and botches:In sores. so are they of spiritu­all Egypt. Revelat. 16.2.

Secondly in old Egypt the waters were turned into bloud: So in spirituall Egypt. In blood. The waters of the sea became as the bloud of a dead man, and every living soule died in the sea. Vers. 3.

Thirdly in old Egypt there was great darkenesse:In darknesse. So in spirituall Egypt there is great darknes. Vers. 10.

Fourthly, frogs molested the Kings chamber in Egypt, In the frogges. So frogges came out of the mouth of the Dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, working miracles to deceive the world and the Kings of the earth. Vers. 13. Iannes and Iambres withstood Moses in Egypt. 2. Tim. 3.8. And when hee wrought his miracles they said, hee carried straw to Aphra, as the proverbe is in the Talmud, In their magitians. they meant that there was Magick enough in Egypt already, therefore hee needed not to come to Egypt, to play his trickes of Magick there; thus they withstood the man of God, and hardened the heart of Pharaoh: So in spirituall Egypt, doe these frogges and deceivers set themselves against Moses, saying, that hee hath not his calling of God.

Lastly, there was thundering and lightning in Egypt; In thundering and lightning. so in spirituall Egypt Vers. 18.

The conclusion of this is; Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Revelat. 18.4.

EXERCITAT. IX. A comparison betwixt the golden calves set vp in the wildernesse, the golden calves in Dan and Be­thel, and the popish Idols. Commandement II.

THe idolatrie of Ieroboam, compared with the ido­latrie of the Israelites in the wildernesse,The idolatrie of the Israelites under Ierobo­am compared with their idolatrie in the time of Aaron. setting up the golden calfe, will be found a farre lesse sinne, if we looke nearely unto it.

First, they had lately tasted of the great benefits of God, in delivering them out of Egypt by a mighty hand, and bringing them through the red sea: Yet they soone forgot his workes; they waited not for his counsell. Psal. 106.13.In benefit [...]. They forgot God their Saviour which had done great thin [...]s in Egypt, wonderfull workes in the land of Ham, and terrible things in the red sea. Vers. 21.22.

In outward pledges of his favour.Secondly they had many moe pledges of the favour of God, then the ten Tribes had, they had the cloud by day, [...] pa [...] [...]ustissimorum. and the pillar of fire by night, hee fed them with the bread of the strong ones, Psal. 78.25. They had the tabernacle, and the arke the testimonie of God presence amongst them, which Ieroboam and the ten tribes had not; therefore their sinne was greater then theirs.

In their prophets.Thirdy for prophets, they had Moses the man of God, who was faithfull in all his house. Heb. 3.2. the ten tribes had Ahijah the Shilonite, but what was hee to [Page 91] Moses? they had an old prophet in Bethel, but a greate deceiver, and they had a young prophet, but was easily deceived. 1. King. 13. and what were they to Moses?

Fourthly, the ten tribes had priests but of the mea­nest and the basest of the people. 1. King. 13.33.In their priests. Hee made of the lowest of the people priests for the high places, whosoever would, hee consecrated him, and be became one of the priests of the high places: but they had Aaron the Lords high priest, who was consecrated and ordained by God himselfe, and called to this honour. Heb. 5.4.Aarons sinne in making the golden calfe a grea­ter sinne than the sinne of Demetrius or Ierobo­am. he that had holinesse to the Lord ingraven in a plate of gold upon his forehead, for him to sit downe and fashion an image with a graving toole; like another Demetrius the silver-smith, he making silver shrines to Diana, and he making golden calves to Iehova, what a great change was this? Againe he to represent the Lord by an oxe that eateth grasse. Ps. 106.20. This was a great abomination it was great idolatrie when the men of Lycaonia would have worshi­ped God in the likenesse of men, Act. 14.11. but grea­ter idolatrie to worship the lord in the likenesse of an oxe: Ieroboam made a feast day according to his owne heart, in honour of his idoll. 1. King. 12.13. so said Aaron, to morrow is a feast to Iehova, this was a greater sinne than that of Ieroboam.

Now let us compare the idolaters in our times with those who worshiped the golden calfe in the wildernes, and yee shall see greater abomination in this idolatrie than in the idolatrie of former times. The Israelites gave the glorie of Christ who dwelt in a cloud and pil­lar unto a calfe; but these idolaters give the glory of Christ when hee is dwelling in our flesh,Sacrae ceremoniae Eccles. Rom. lib. 7. cap. de conse­cratione agni dei. and glorified to a creature whom they worship as God indeed, gi­ving it to their crucifixes and Agnus Dei.

When Christ was in the flesh here, there were many who gave themselves out for false Christs; but Christ [Page 92] forbiddeth to beleeve such. Mat. 24.23. so these coun­terfet christs should not be beleeved.

The Lord, Ezek. 23.4. maketh a comparison betwixt two sisters, [...] Aholah and Aholibah. Aholah is tentorium, Abolibah is tentorium meum in ea. Hee calleth the ten tribes tentorium a tent, because they were separated from the temple of God now, and he calleth the kingdome of Iuda, tentorium meum in ea, my tabernacle in her, be­cause as yet they professed the true worship of God. Aholah played the harlot. Vers. 5. But yet her sister Aho­libah was more corrupted then she, A comparison betwixt the idolatrie of Israel and Iuda. Vers. 11. So compare Aholah the Iewish church with Aholibah (who glorieth that shee is the true church) and shee shall be found the greater harlot of the two. And the lord comparing Sa­maria with Ierusalem, Ezek. 16.51. saith, that Samaria had not committed halfe of the sinnes which Iuda had com­mitted, Quomodo Hebraei expri­munt comparativum gradum. but that Iuda had justified her sister in all her abo­minations; amplificasti abominationes tuas prae ipsis. Sama­ria was not simply justified, but onely in comparison with Iuda. So Luke. 18.14. The publican went downe to his house, justus prae illo, justified rather than the Pharisee. So Mat. 12.41.Surgere & stare in iu­dice [...] quid apud hebraci. The queene of the South shall rise in judge­ment against this generation, that is; shall stand in judge­ment and not fall, compared with this generation: So if we will compare the Iewish idolatrie and the idola­trie of this generation,A comparison betwixt the idolatrie of the Iewes, a [...]d the idolatrie in our times. they shall stand in judgement when this generation shall fall; and there shall bee a more easie sentence pronounced against them, then a­gainst this generation.

The Iewes who were so much addicted to idolatrie before the Lord Iesus Christs comming in the flesh, quite renounced their idols, and they say now, that there is no punishment which befalleth them, but there is a drachme weight of the golden calfe in it; and when they see any church in which there are idols, they [Page 93] call it Beth Hatturpha, domus turpitudini [...]. [...] So wee may hope that, before the Lords second comming, they who stand most in defence of these idols: shall renounce them as a filthie thing, and acknowledge that there was a drachme weight of their idolatrie in all their former punishments.

EXERCITAT. X. Of the increase of idolatrie, and how it increased and spread through the world. Commandement II.

IDolatrie is a worke of the flesh, Gal. 5.20. And there is no worke of the flesh that man is so prone unto as to idolatrie:The first period, of Ido­latry. The first period of idolatrie began not long after the creation. Gen. 4.24. Then began men to pro­phane the name of the Lord. Psal. 49.12. Man being in honour abideth not, he is like the beasts that perish. Idolatrie maketh a man brutish. Idola­try maketh a man brutish. Ier. 10.14. Every man is bru­tish in his knowledge, every founder is confounded by his gra­ [...]en image.

There were three notable men, from the creation to the floud, who kept the truth in sinceritie and puritie in their families; Adam, Methusalem, and Noah, and then the Lord drowned the world for wickednesse.

After the floud,The second period of idolatry. as people increased they began to [Page 94] build a towre to get themselves a name, and the Lord scattered them, and they who went to the east worshi­ped idols, and this was called [...], the Persians cal­led the Scythians with whom they were conversant, Sa­kas, a Sach vel Sacksah, which signifieth a multitude, be­cause they were gathered together in multitudes; So the Arabians had their names from Gnarabh, [...] miscelanea turba a [...] miscuit▪ miscere, tur­ba miscellanea, a confused multitude. Gen. 14.1. Tidall King of nations, Symmachus translateth it King of the Scy­thians; and these worshiped their conquerours and cap­taines as gods. The church all this time remained with Heber and his posteritie, Melchizedeck and some few others who dwelt in Canaan. The Churh in the third period remained with the posteritie of of He­be [...] and with some few others. Those of Hebers posterity who went to Syria fell to idolatrie, and therefore an A­ramite is put for an idolater in the scriptures; Terah A­brahams father an idolater, Abraham himselfe was an idolater, Laban the Syrian an idolater, Naaman the Sy­rian an idolater, and Balaam the Syrian an idolater.

There were some others who were not of the posteri­tie of Heber who kept the truth amongst them. Gen. 20.4. Lord wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?

Third period of idola­trie.The third period after the floud when idolatrie in­creased, was, when they set up a molten calfe which Mo­ses caused bray to powder; and made them drinke it in detestation of that idoll which they had worshiped.

After Moses death, Satan laboured to make an idoll of the body of Moses, Satan laboured to make an idoll of Moses body. and that which he could not doe by him when he was living, he goeth about to effect it by his body when he was dead; but Michael withstood him. Iud. 9. and buried his body where no man knew; and here we may see that the reliques of the Saints are made idolls.

The fourth period of idolatrie.The fourth period of idolatrie was under the Iudges, and here we shall marke foure things. First that none of the Iudges themselves were idolaters, as most of the [Page 95] King of Iuda and all the Kings of Israel were, and that was the cause why idolatrie got not such footing in the time of the Iudges, as it did afterwards.None of the Iudges were idolaters.

Secondly, when they fell to idolatrie, the Lord scour­ged them by the Philistims, Ammonites, Madianites, and then they cried unto the Lord, and hee helped them,

Thirdly,Dan an idolatrous tribe. of all the tribes the tribe of Dan was most given to idolatrie; therefore they tooke away the Ephod Teraphim, and the graven image out of the house of Micah, and set it up in Dan, this was the idolatrie of the whole tribe, Is it better for thee to be a Priest for the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? Iud. 18.20.

Fourthly, Ionathan the sonne of Gershon, the sonne of Manasseth was the priest to this idoll. Ionathan was the sonne of Gershon, and Gershon was the sonne of Mo­ses, [...] cum נ suspenso pro [...] and the Iewes observe that they will not have him called the grandchilde of Moses, but of Manasseth, who by anticipation was called Manasseth, because he followed him in his idolatrie; yet to shew that hee was the grandchild of Moses, the word is so set downe that it may be read either Manasse or Mose. The judgements of God upon Dan for their idolatrie.

Because the tribe of Dan was most infected with ido­latrie, therefore the golden calves were afterward e­rected in Dan, as a punishment of their former idolatry, and for this cause it was that they were the first of the tribes, who were carried away in the west side of Ior­dan. Ier. 8.16. The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan, and Iohn, Rev. 12. When he reckoned up the tribes which were sealed, he passeth by the tribe of Dan.

The fift period of idolatrie was under the Kings,The fift period of ido­latrie. the Kings of Israel were idolaters, or tolerated idols, All the Kings of Israel were sinners except David, Eze­kiah and Iosias, Ecclus. 49.5. That is, they were ido­laters. In this period idolatrie waxed by degrees, first [Page 96] it waxed much in Salomons time, he who excelled all the sonnes of the East for his knowledg,Idolatrie in the fift pe­riod increased by de­grees. he whose heart the Lord had enlarged, he who was a prophet of God and a pen man of the Holy Ghost, hee who for his devotion offered to God so many thousand sacrifices, his prayers, his great care he had to build the Temple, who fell not away untill his old dayes, who would have thought that the dragon with his taile would have pulled downe this great starre? and although the Lord threatned that the kingdome should be rent from him. 1. King. 11.11. Yet he was nothing moved with it; and if we will com­pare his foolish sonne Rehoboam with his wise father, he may seeme to be more obedient then hee; for when hee had gathered an armie to fight against Ieroboam and the ten tribes, yet when the prophet Shemaiah came to him, 1. King. 12.24. He harkened unto the word of the Lord and went backe againe, but Salemon went on in his sinnes and idolatrie.

Idolatry came to a grea­ter high in the dayes of Ieroboam.Secondly, it waxed more when the ten tribes were rent from the house of David and Salomon; then Ierobo­am set up the calves in Dan and Bethel, then the ten tribes were Aholah, and yet Aholibah exceeded them in whoredomes. Ezek. 23.

Thirdly, it came to the height in the dayes of Manas­seth, and so it continued with the rest of the Kings, like a leprosie, untill the captivitie. Then idolatrie died in the captivitie, for there they were purged and fined, and they brought it not backe, neither went a whoring after other gods.

The last period was when idolatrie began in the chri­stian church, the beast which was dead was quickned againe: Revelat. 17.11. And then the idolatrie of the Gentiles was brought in in the christian church.

EXERCITAT. XI. Whether Gideon made the Ephod an idoll or not. Commandement II.

WHen Gideon made an Ephod of the gold & eare-rings which they had taken of the spoile, wee need not to take it so strictly that it was onely made of gold, but of those things which were taken in the spoile, whether gold, silke, linnen, &c.

But it may seeme, Vers. 27. That statuit in Ophra, Ob. hee set it up in Ophra, that it was of pure gold, which might stand up, an image made of gold.

In the Hebrew it is posuit onely, he put it, and not, Answ. he set it up, the priests Ephod was of linnen, and the high priests Ephod was partly of linnen, and partly of silke, and partly of gold.

This word Ephod in the scripture is applied onely to holy uses,Ephod twofold. but if wee will consider the persons who put on the Ephod, then it may bee said to be partly ecclesi­asticall, and partly politicke.

Ecclesiasticall is three fold, first the Ephod of the high priest: Exod. 28.6. Secondly of the priests:Ephod ecclesiasticall threefold. 1. Sam. 22.18. And thirdly of the Levites: 1. Sam. 2.18.

Politicke againe is that which David wore when hee danced before the Arke: 2. Sam. 6.18.David did not put on the Priests ephod. When David said to Abiather the high priest Ahimelechs son, I pray thee bring me hither the Ephod. 1. Sam. 30.7. And Abiather [Page 98] brought hither the Ephod, el David, to David, that is, Da­vidis causa, [...] id est, Davidis causa. the priest tooke on this Ephod to aske coun­sell for David what he should doe, David wore not the priestly Ephod himselfe; for by Ephod here is meant the whole ornaments of the priest: So Hos 3.4.

Object. Now the question is, whether Gideon intended here to set up an idoll in Ophra? those who hold the affirmative bring this reason for them: because he instituted that for which he had not warrant out of the word of God.

Answ. The word of God setteth downe all the priests orna­ments: therefore he did not this without a warrant al­together. He made not a new Ephod.

Obj. 2 Secondly, some hold that Gideon did not directly set up an idoll, nor did he intend to doe it; but because hee withstood not the people when they committed idola­trie, therefore he sinned.

Ans. It is evident that they did not commit idolatrie till after his death, therefore Vers. 27. it is not rightly trans­lated, Fornicatus est omnis Israel post cum, as though they followed Gideons example in their idolatrie;The Israelites went not a whoring after the E­phod till after the death of Gideon. Obj. Iunius translateth it better, post eum scilicet Ephodem, or in eo scilicet Ephode.

Thirdly, some hold that Gideon sinned, offering sacri­fice with this Ephod upon him.

Ans. The Lord who spared not Vzziah when hee went to offer incense at the altar, but stroke him with lepro­sie: 2. Cron. 26.17. and spared not Core, Dathan, and Abiram with their complices. Num. 16. Would hee have spared Gideon if hee had attempted such a thing? and is it probable that he who refused the government when it was offered to him by all their consent, that hee would affect the priesthood?

Obj. Fourthly, it may seeme that hee sinned, in making these holy vestures to have some use out of the taberna­cle, which alwayes should have served for the taberna­cle.

When Ieshuah set up an altar, Iosh. 22.29,30. Ans. Gideon set up the Ephod in memorie of thanks­giving. Hee set it not up that they might sacrifice there, but only he set it up as a memoriall of thanksgiving. So Gideon made this Ephod onely in a memoriall of thanksgiving, and for no other use.

But these who hold the negative that he committed not idolatrie in making the Ephod, bring these reasons.Reasons proving that Gideon committed not idolatry in making the Ephod.

First Iude 8.32. It is said, Gideon died in a good old age, which comprehends in it foure things. First, ful­nesse of dayes; secondly, tranquillitie of minde; thirdly, a good name, and fourthly, to die in the favour of God, and this phrase is never spoken but of those who died well, as Abraham died in bona cani [...]ie, in a good old age. Gen. 25.15. So David, 1. Chron. 29.28. and so Gideon here.

Secondly, the Israelites are challenged for this, Reas. 2 that they shewed not kindnesse towards Ierubbaal, or Gideon, ac­cording to the goodnes which he had shown to them, Vers. 35. Now if hee had set up this idoll to make the people to commit idolatrie, they should have had no cause to have shewne kindenesse to him, but rather should have hated him.

But it may be said that the Ephod became a snare to him and to his house: Vers. 27. Obj.

Although Gideon himselfe sinned not in setting up the Ephod, yet it tended to his ruine, that is, Ans. to the ruine of his sons, and the rest of his house, that is, his friends, it was the ruine of his house in the dayes of Abimelech, when this Ephod was set up in the house of Baal-bereth in Sichem. Iudg. 9.33.

The conclusion of this is,Conclusion. that we are to construe the acts of the Saints in the best part where wee see no evi­dent proofe to the contrarie: farre lesse are wee to con­demne them, where the holy spirit commends them.

EXERCITAT. XII. Whether Naaman might bow in the house Rim­mon or not? Commandement II.

THere is a question moved, whether or not may a man dissemble his religion, and bee present at the worship of idols? and some alledge this place for it.

For clearing of this, Cajetan observeth, first what is meant by this word Lehishtahhavath; [...] secondly, what it is that Naaman craveth; and thirdly, what the prophets answere inferreth.

First, hee observeth that this word Lehishtahhavoth bowing, (the greekes translate it [...]) was used by the easterne people both in civill and religious wor­ship,Cajetan goeth about to cleare Naaman of ido­latry in bowing in the house of Rimmon. and it is translated adorare (saith hee) but impro­perly onely, si adoravero in templo Rimmon: but se in what Naaman desireth to be dispensed with; he craveth onely a pardon and dispensation here, for the bowing of his body, as hee was wont to doe to the king; hee acknow­ledgeth here the true God, that hee would serve none but him, and that he would have an Altar built for him that he might sacrifice only to him. And whēhe returned to his country, no doubt but he worshiped the true God?

Genuflexio imitatiua.obsequij.And Caietan observeth farther, that there is a double bowing of the knee; the first is called Genuflexio imitati­va, the second is called Genuflexio obsequij: and hee saith, [Page 101] that genuflexio imitativa; counterfeiting the kings bow­ing, Est eiusdem speciei cum regio, it is of the same kinde with the kings bowing of the knee, and this is flat idola­trie; Naaman meant not of such kinde of bowing of the knee.

The question then is onely de genuflexione obsequii, this he saith, was lawfull in it selfe, and he bowed with the king, not having respect to idolatrie, but onely to his bowing simplie. For the king to bow, it is not an unlawfull action; but when he boweth before an idoll with an idolatrous minde to worship the idoll, then it is idolatrie, but his servant bowing with him, and doing that civill honour to him which he used to performe to him at other times, is not partaker of his idolatrie; the one is adoratio absoluta, and the other is relativa: and hee goeth about to cleare the matter by this comparison,Adoratio absoluta.relativa. If a great man should goe unto a whoore, and his servants should accompany him, they goe not with him as he is going unto a whoore, but simply as hee is going, and they accompany him now as at other times; but if they should commend him for such a fact and flatter him in it,Simile. then they should bee guilty of his whoore­dome: So when Naaman went into the house of Rim­mon with the king and bowed there, this bowing was onely a civill bowing, such as he performed to the king at other times before.

But when it is objected, Ob. that this had a shew of evill to bow in such a place, and at such a time with the king.

He answereth, Answ. if Naaman had not made a protestation to the contrary that he would worship none but the true God, it had beene a scandall, but Naaman protested the contrarie both in word and deed, and so was free from scandall.

But the matter is not cleare yet,Naamans fact contrary to his protestation. hee maketh a prote­stations here, but it may seeme that his fact is contrarie [Page 102] to his protestation, when he goeth in and boweth there. And Caietans comparison which he useth, seemes not to be so pertinent; for if the servants should go in with their master in the bawdy house and see him commit that vil­lany, could they justifie themselves by their civill ho­mage which they owe to their lord;Naaman was not sim­ply free of sin in bow­ing in the house of Rim­mon. we cannot say then that Naaman was simply free of sinne in this; and there­fore he craveth pardon.

Some answere, that the prophet fitteth his answere here to the weake and infirme conscience. Rom. 15.1. Ye that are strong ought to beare with the infirmities of the weake: The Prophet fitted his answer to the weake conscience of Naaman, as some say. and they say his weake conscience appeared in this, because he was not resolved as yet fully what to doe in this case: This is the note of a weake conscience, Rom. 14.15. to be troubled and grieued at a thing, and doubt whether it may doe it, or not doe it; and yet inclineth to doe it, this is an infirme conscience: the pro­phet having to doe here with his weake brother, bid­deth him goe in peace,Naaman asketh two things. & not to trouble him about this matter: but this cannot be the meaning of the prophets answere, that goe in peace should be an affirmative justi­fying him in this fact, Naaman hath two demands, first that hee might have so much earth, as to build an altar that he might sacrifice to the Lord upon it: now if wee shall fit the prophets answere to this demaund, would the prophet justifie a thing that was contrarie to the Law, and bid him goe sacrifice there? for they were to sacrifice onely in the place which the Lord their God should appoint. So goe in peace, the meaning is not that the prophet alloweth this fact of his. Non est factum ap­probantis, sed dimittentis & promittentis se oraturum pro salute eius; that is, hee approved not this that Naaman asked, but when he said goe in peace, it was onely a dis­missing of him, and sending him away, promising that he would pray for him, that the Lord would strength­en [Page 103] and confirme him, who as yet was weake in faith, if this fact had beene allowed or approved by the Pro­phet, what is the cause that so many martyrs of God have suffered such great torments and troubles,The Prophet did not approve this demand of Naaman. rather then that they would communicate with idolaters in the least shew of idolatrie?

There was a stately fountaine of water, and the image of Bacchus set up there with a vinetree spreading it selfe round about the court, and overshadowing it; when Licinius came for recreation to the court, Auxen­tius and many others following him, seeing a branch of the vine tree loaded with clusters, hee bad Auxentius cut it off, and he suspecting nothing, did it; Then Licini­us said unto him, set that branch at the feet of Bacchus. Suidas in Auxentio. But Auxentius answered, God forbid, o Emperour, that I doe it, for I am a Christian; But Licinius said unto him, either get thee from my service, or doe this;The martyrs would communicate with ido­laters in nothing. at nihil cunctatus zonam soluit & recessit: The martyrs of God would not cast one graine of frankincense into the fire to the idols; they would communicate with them in no­thing: therefore the Prophet would never justifie this, that he should goe into the house of Rimmon upon any pretence to worship:The Prophet would not justifie Naamans going into the house of Rimmon. When the Emperor went unto the Masse, the Count Palatine who was his swordbearer, car­ried his sword before him to the church doore, but would never goe into the Masse with him; and he lear­ned not, that this distinction of genuflexio imitativa and genuflexio obsequij, would have saved him from ido­latrie.

The conclusion of this is, that those who are zealous for the glorie of God will neither directly nor indirect­ly communicate with idolaters, neither will they eate swines flesh, nor drinke of the broth. Esay. 65.4.

EXERCITAT. XIII. Of mixtures of Religion. Commandement II.

TO worship two gods is a sinne against the first commandement; but to mixe the meanes of Gods worship, is a sinne against the second commande­ment.

When things are mixed they are not kept in puritie as when Vintners mixe water with wine, or when silver and lead are mixed together, and they make up a third, different from the two; God will not have his religion mixed this wayes.

The Lord commanded, Exod. 30.29. to make the holy oyntment of pure myrrhe, in the originall it is mar derer, mirrha libertatis, that is, which is free from all mixture, [...] so thou shalt make oleum de olivis purissimum. Levit. 24.2. the incense that was offered was the most transparent and pure incense, Lebhonah Zaccah: Exod. 30.34. [...] So the flowre which was offered to God was simila pura, The wine, o [...]ntment, the oyle, the flowre which was offered to the Lord wer [...] pure without mixture. and the Apostle forbiddeth [...], to mixe the word: 2. Cor. 2.17. As Vintners mixe water and wine together. Prov. 9.3. Wisdome sent forth her maids, why are they called her maides? but to teach preachers to keepe the word in sincerity, as virgins la­bour to keepe their virginity uncorrupted; and there­fore the prophet Esay putteth the prophets and evan­gelists [Page 105] in the feminine gender, Mebhashereth. Prophets and Euange­lists put in the feminine gender. [...] The people of God are not called from Abra­ham.

The Iewes observe, that the people of God are ne­ver called in the scriptures Abrahamites from Abraham, neither Isaac from Isaac, but once Amos 7.9. But they are called Israelites from Iacob, and Iewes from Iuda, and they gave this to be the reason; because there came those of Abraham who professed diverse religions, and so of Isaac; but these who came of Israel and of Iuda professed but one religion.

The Lord would have his people a people dwelling by themselves,The Iewes a people dwelling by themselves. that they should have no medling with the heathen. Num. 23.9. Loe the people shall dwell alone, Why he would not have them to dwell neare the sea. and shall not be reckoned among the nations. He would not have them lye neare the sea coast (for the Philistims lay betwixt them and the sea,) lest they having too great commerce by sea with the heathen, they should have waxed prouder and learned their fashions, as Tyrus waxed prouder by trading with many nations by sea. Ezek. 27.28. and this wayes they should have endange­red their religion; Salomon of all the Kings sent his ships farre abroad to other nations, but Iehosaphat and Ahazi­ah attempted this in vaine.The kings of the Ilands who. 2. Chron. 20.35. and where it is said, Psal. 72 10. The Kings of the Ilands shall bring presents to thee, what Ilands are meant here? not the farre Ilands, but the Ilands which lay within the Medi­terranean sea.

First, it was not lawfull to mixe Gods religion and the devills,Gods religion and the devils mixed together. such was that religion in the house of Mi­cah. Iud. 17.5. Who had an Ephod and Teraphim, an Ephod for the true worship of God, and the Teraphim for the worship of the devill.

Again it was not lawfull to mixe Iudaisme and Gen­tilisme together. Levit. 19.27. Yee shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou marre the corners of thy beard,Iudaisme and genti­lisme.yee shall not make any cutting in your flesh for [Page 106] the dead, nor print any marke upon you. These were the ceremonies of the heathen; therefore the Lord dischar­ges his people to use them. Such was the mixture of the Samaritan religion, who worshiped both the Lord and the idols of the land; and such was the religion of the Gergasites who learned many things of the heathen,Ioseph. lib. 2. de bello Iudaico. cap. 20. as to eate swines flesh, and not to circumcise; and of the Ebionites who observe both the Iewish and christian sabbath.

Christianitie and Iuda­isme cannot be mixed.Thirdly, it is not lawfull to mixe christianitie and ju­daisme; such were the Galatians, who would keepe the ceremonies of the law and the gospell.

Quest. After the death of Christ, when the apostles obser­ved the ceremonies of the law with the gospell, whe­ther mixed they judaisme with christianitie, or not?

Answ. Why the Apostles kept the ceremonies after the death of Christ.They kept these ceremonies but for a while, for the winning of the weake Iewes. When Christ came in the flesh, the ceremonies and grace were mixed together like the new wine and the dregges; then the lees began to settle downe, and the wine to bee somewhat more cleare: so at the first, the wine of grace and the ceremo­nies which were the lees, were mingled together, and afterwards they began to be separated;Simile. and as the Vin­tner, if hee draw the wine too soone from the lees, it will become sowre; for the dregges keepe the wine from corruption, therefore hee who mindeth to keepe his wine, letteth it stand upon the dregges awhile to preserve it: So the Apostles would not draw the wine of grace too soone from the lees of the ceremonies, but lest this wine standing too long upon the lees should corrupt, as Moab did. Ier. 48.11. therefore they drew the gospell altogether from the ceremonies.

When judaisme and gentilisme were mixed toge­ther, here the oxe and the asse were yoked together, the cleane and the uncleane beast; when the apostles [Page 107] used the ceremonies after the death of Christ, they used them ad aliud, & non per se, The ceremonies after the death of Christ, were not kept for them­selves but for another end. for the winning of their bre­thren, and not for any thing that was in the ceremonies themselves, but when the Galatians used them under the gospell, this was to ioyne a dead man and a living man together, for they were dead after Christ said, con­summatum est, and had no use in the church afterwards but by accident; for as hee who buildeth a vault letteth the centrels stand untill he put in the key stone, and then hee pulleth them away: so when the corner stone Iesus Christ was come, it was time that these centrels, the ce­remonies should be removed.

Fourthly, it is not lawfull to mixe christianitie and gentilisme, such was the doctrine of the Nicolaitans: Revelat. 2.15. and some in Corinth who professed that there was not a resurrection: Such is the religion of those in Russia and Muscovia, they have some christian profession of the Greeke church, and mixed with many heathenish ceremonies.

Whether is it a greater sinne to mixe judaisme and christianity together, Quest. or to mixe christianity and genti­lisme together.

It is a greater sinne to mixe judaisme and christiani­ty together, Answ. for the Iewes ceremonies belonged once to the church; and therefore for them to rise up againe to molest the Church, is a greater sinne, then when the ceremonies of the gentiles trouble the Church.

Fiftly, when a religion is made up of judaisme, gen­tilisme, and christianity,Brerewood in his inqui­ries. such is the religion of the Mar­duites a people in Syria, who keepe the christian sabbath with the Christians, and the Iewish sabbath with the Iewes, and they worship the sunne and the moone with the Pagans.

Some idolatrous worship is made up of judaisme, gentilisme, and Arrianisme, as Turcisme. Some is made [Page 108] of iudaisme, gentilisme, and christianity.

Conclusion.The conclusion of this is, the pure worship of God is like the glassie sea. Revel. 4.6. which is transparent and shineth, and not darke and covered with ceremo­nies: we must not borrow the painting of that wrinkled whore to paint the Church with it, but wee must keepe her in her owne beauty.

EXERCITAT. XIV. Of the motives which mooved the heathen to worship idols. Commandement 2.

IDolatrie amongst the heathen arose especially from three grounds, the first ground was the desire which they had to continue the name of their predecessours, benefactors, and their nobles; the second ground, was the desire of some bodily pledge of Gods presence to bee amongst them; and the third ground which drew them to idolatrie, was their boldnes to represent God mystically and hieroglyphically by sundry images.

The heathen set up an image to continue the name of their predeces­sours, and their posteri­tie worshipped it as a God.The first ground was their desire to continue their name to the posterity, and therefore they set up images onely at the first for representation in remembrances; but the posterity following, turned this representation into adoration, and they made gods of those whom they knew to have beene but men; therefore they set up in their temples, Harpocrates holding his finger upon his [Page 109] mouth, to teach them silence, that no man should bee bold to say, that these were men once,Augustin. de civitate Dei lib. 8. whom they wor­ship now as gods.

The second ground which moved them to commit idolatrie,The people desired much a visible signe of the presence of their God. was the desire they had of some visible pledge of the presence of a godhead amongst them; and even as the souldiers desire to see their captaine visibly in the field before them: So desired they to have some visible signe of a godhead amongst them; and having these pledges, they thought that their gods would not leave them, and wanting these, they thought the gods would leave them.

When Alexander the great besieged Tyrus, one of their Diviners told them, that it was revealed to him in a dreame, that their god Apollo was to depart from them shortly; what doe they to detaine Apollo still amongst them? they take the image of Apollo their god,They tyed the image of Apollo to a post. and bind it with a chaine of gold to a post, thinking thereby to detaine Apollo; they held that this image was a pledge of his presence amongst them,Diodorus Sic. lib. 1. cap. 1. and they thought so long as they kept the image of Apollo that he would not leave them.

The third ground which led them to this idolatrie, was their boldnesse to represent god mystically by their hieroglyphicks, representing him as they pleased.Plutarch. de Iside & Osiri. In Thebe a towne of Egypt (as Plutarch maketh mention) they worshiped a god whom they acknowledged to be immortall, but how painted they him? in the likenesse of a man blowing an egge out of his mouth,How they painted God in Thebe▪ Varro de re rustica lib. 2. cap. 1.11. whereby they signified, that it was the Lord that made the round world by his word, and they dedicated a sheepe to him; because of old, milke was their food for the most part.

So in the towne of Sai where Minerva was worshi­ped, before the gates of the Temple they had this hiro­glyphick [Page 110] painted an infant, an old man, a sparhawke, a fish,Plutarch. de Iside & Osiri. and Hippopotamos whereby they signified, O qui nascimini & denascimini, Deus odit impudentiam. By the young child they signified our birth, and by the old man our death, and by the sparhawke they meant God, who was most sharpe in sight to see all things, and swift to revenge; and by the fish which liveth in the sea, a thing hated by the Egyptians, they meant hatred, and by Hippopotamos the sea horse, who killeth his father and covereth his damme, they meant impu­dencie.

The Egyptians repre­sented God by a serpent.So the Egyptians represented God by the serpent Aspis who casteth the skin every yeare and renueth the age of it, whereby they signified Gods immortalitie, and thus boldly They changed the glory of the incorrup­tible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birdes, and foure footed beasts and creeping things. Rom. 1.23.

EXERCITAT. XV. Whether things idolatrous may be converted to any use, either in the service of God, or may we con­vert them to our owne use? Commandement II.

AS we must give nothing to the idoll, so wee must take nothing from it.

There were three sorts of Cherem, [...] Res devota A­nathema. Three sorts of execrable things under the law. or things execra­ble under the law, first when both men and beasts were to be destroyed, and then nothing came either to Gods use or to the peoples; such were the goods of the apostate Iewes who fell away from the true God. Deut. 13.15. and in this sense the Amalekites and their goods were execrable.

Secondly, they were execrable, when the men and their beasts and their stuffe were burnt, but the gold, silver, brasse, and iron were reserved for the use of the sanctuarie, and these of Iericho were execrable in this sort: Iosh. 6.24.

The third sort were these, when the men alone were killed, but the beasts and all other things which belon­ged to them were converted to the use of the souldiers; such was the towne of Hai. Iosh. 8.27.

Things consecrate to idols were execrable when they were idolatrous in state.

Things belonging to idolaters are of three sotts.Things belonging to Idolaters were of three sorts, first such as pertained to Idolaters but were not idola­trous, as David tooke the sword of Goliah, and hung it up in the house of God;What idolatrous things we may use. secondly things that were ido­latrous, but were not idolatrous in state, as the foun­taines out of which the heathen drew water for the ser­vice of their idols, yet the Christians might have con­verted these fountaines to a spirituall or a civill use; so Gideon tooke the bullock which was appointed for Baal, and the grove, and offered the bullock with the wood in a sacrifice to the Lord. Iudg. 6.26. So the Bethshe­mites tooke the Philistims cart, and the kine, and offered them to the Lord in a sacrifice. 1. Sam. 6.15. because they were not idolatrous in state; for even as the cloa­thes of the leper being washed, were made cleane, Lev. 21.8. So those things which belonged to the Idolater, and were not idolatrous in state, might be cleansed and converted to other uses.

But when a thing was idolatrous in state, and carried the marke and badge of the idoll still upon it; as their images of gold and silver, and their ornaments. Deut. 7.25. they were to be cast away, and not to be conver­ted to any other use. Esay. 30.22. Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth, and shall say unto it, get thee hence.

Achan stole a Babylonish garment, and two hundreth she­kels of silver, and a wedge of gold. Iosh. 7.21. in the He­brew it is, [...] Lingua auri. Lashon zahabh, a tongue of gold, this tongue some hold to have beene the sword which hung by the idols side;Vi [...]lspand de ponderi­bus & mensuris. The Scythians wor­shiped asword. and some worshiped Acinacis, the sword it selfe, as the Scythians. Of old, a sword was called lingua, as Fannius an ancient writer testifieth, and the Babylo­nish garment they hold to bee the cloak which covered the idoll, and the two hundred shekels to be the money [Page 113] which was dedicated to the idoll; now because Achan tooke this which was idolatrous in state, and which might not bee converted to his use, therefore the Lord will have him and all his to be rooted out.

That which had an immediate dependance still upon the idoll, and had relation to it,Cassiodorus & tripartita Rufins. keeping still both the matter and the forme; that cannot bee offered to the Lord. Example,What Idolatrous things might not be used. Constantine the great tooke out of the temple of Serapis their sacred elne Fathom, whereby they measured yearely how much the river Nilus would overflow; which the heathen thought to have a certaine divinitie in it; this elne Constantine should not have cau­sed to be put in the temple of Alexandria, because this elne both in matter and forme was kept here, as it was in the idolatrous use before.

That which is idolatrous in state and hath an imme­diate dependance upon the idoll,Nothing that hath an immediate dependence on the Idoll can be converted to any use. should neither be con­verted to a spirituall or a civill use; therefore that which the Iewes say, is false, that David tooke the crowne from Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and set it upon his owne head. 2. Sam. 12.30. If this crowne was the crowne of the god of the Ammonites, then it was idola­trous in state, [...] nomen Idoli. [...] Rex eorum. David tooke not the Crowne from Mil om the Idol, but from the King of Ammon. Obj. and David could not have set it upon his owne head. Wherefore hee tooke this crowne from Malcam the king of the Ammonites, and set it upon his owne head.

But how could the king weare such a crowne upon his owne head? a talent in weight is fortie sixe pounds and fourteene ounces, which being reduced to the value of our money will extend to 2250. pounds; the king of Ammon could not weare such a crowne of so great weight upon his head; therefore it may seeme that it was taken from the head of the idoll, and not from the head of the king.

Most thinke that Talent here is taken according to Ans. [Page 114] the Syrian weight,Some thinke that the crowne was 2250. pound according to the Syrian weight. which was not aboue the quarter of an Hebrew talent, and which weigheth of our weight eleven pound and foure ounces, and they thinke this the rather; because Rabba in the countrey of the chil­dren of Ammon, lay in the countrey of Syria; therefore it seemeth that they followed their weight.

Secondly, some answere that this crowne was valu­ed Answ. 2 according to the worth and not the weight of it,Some thinke that the crowne was valued ac­cording to the worth and not the weight. in regard it was set with pretious stones and jewels, it weighed so much, that is, it was worth so much. Zach. 11.13. they weighed for my wages as much as I was valued at, that is, thirtie peeces of silver.

Answ. 3 Thirdly, he both changed the forme of it, and dimi­nished the weight of it.

Things which have beene the immediate in­struments of Idolatrie, may be used.Againe these things which have beene the mediate instruments in the worshiping of idols, these may bee used; a church may bee used although before idolatrie hath beene committed there: There was no mountaine more defiled with idolatrie then the mount of Olives was,The Idoll it selfe may not be used. and therefore it was called mons corruptionis, 2. King. 23.13. and yet no place where Christ prayed so often as there.

The idoll it selfe may not bee used, because it hath beene the immediate instrument of idolatrie; when soul­diers doe besiege a towne and take it, they pull downe the trophees and colours of the enemies, but not the towne it selfe, the idols are the trophees, ensignes and colours of idolatrie, and therefore to be pulled downe.

Obj. Deut. 12.2, 3. Yee shall verily destroy all the places wherein the nations, which ye shall possesse, serve their Gods. Then it may seeme that the places where idols have bin worshiped should be destroyed.

Answ. Moses judiciall lawes do not binde us as they did the Israelites.This was a temporarie ordinance, and a part of Moses policie which is now abrogat, for howsoever the equi­ty of this law remaineth, teaching us to detest idolatrie, [Page 115] yet it bindeth us not in such a manner to detest idola­trie as they did. Example, God commanded here to destroy idolatrous places, hee commanded to burne the cattell, spoyle, and goods of the apostates; the equitie of this commandement teacheth us to detest and abhorre idolatrie, but we are not bound to follow it in the same manner.

The Lord commanded to consume the rest of the holy things, when the religious use of them ceased, as to burne that which was left of the Pascha. Exod. 12.10. So that which was left of the ram of consecration. Exod. 29.34. and so of the flesh of the peace offering. Levit. 7.15.The equitie of the judi­ciall law bindeth us now. the equitie of this ordinance continueth for ever, teaching us how to regard holy things with an higher estimation than common things, but we are not bound according to the letter of the law to follow this; for the bread and the wine remaining after the Sacrament should not be burnt; in these lawes wee must looke to the equitie and substance, but not to the letter; and ma­ny things were urged in Moses policie, which wee are freed of now. Example, the Iewes were forbidden ex­pressely to marie with the heathen, and if they had mar­ried such heathen wives, and had begotten children upon them; yet they were commanded to put them away againe. Ezra. 10.11.Greater libertie to Christians under the Gospell, then to the Iewes under the Law. But now a Christian hath greater liberty. 2. Corinth. 12.13, 14. An idolatrous wife was not sanctified by her husband under Moses law, as she may be under the gospell; God hath changed the rigour of this law. Deut. 17.25. Not to take so much as any thing belonging to idolatrie, and turne it to a civill use. Iosh. 7.1. It is now changed, and the a­bomination is taken away, we may eate now of the ido­lothites, when they are not in the temple of the idols, which they might not doe under Moses law.

If the brasen serpent was abolished, why should not [Page 116] the place likewise where idols have beene worshiped, be abolished as well as images.

Ans. A place is a necessary circumstance in the worship of God, but this Serpent was not, neither are crucifixes now.

Things are idolatrous in state when they are in the act of idolatrie,When a thing is idola­trous in state. but out of that act and place, and carrying no representation of the idoll, they cease to bee idola­trous, and may be used. Example, no man might eate of the flesh of the sacrifice when it was in idoleio in the place where the idoll was worshiped; yet the rest of the flesh, when it was sold in the shambles they might eate of it:The superstitious Iewes would drinke no wine of the Gentiles. for relata extra usum non sunt relata, the relation here ceaseth betwixt the flesh and the idoll. Iulian the apostate caused consecrate the whole flesh in the sham­bles to the idols, thinking that none of the Christians would eate of it; but the flesh in the shambles was extra usum, it but was idolatrous in the temple of the idols, but not in the shambles.

Conclusion.The Lord forbad the Iewes libamina gentium, Deut. 32.37. but the Iewes added that they should drinke none of the wine of the gentiles, that is, any meate or drinke dressed by them; and therefore at this day they will neither eate of the christians meate, nor drinke of their drinke, but they will give of their meate to the christians; it was onely libamen, the idolatrous drinke of the gentiles which the Lord forbad them, but he forbad them not simply their meat and drinke.

The conclusion of this is, as he who is chast despiseth not onely the harlot, but also the favour of the harlot: so if we would eschew idolatrie, we must not onely es­chew idols, but also things dedicated to idols.

EXERCITAT. XVI. The reason why the Lord will not suffer idolatrie. Commandement II.

AS these words, I am the Lord, The Lord to shew his authoritie to command, setteth his name to eve­ry one of the comman­dements. are prefixed to the first commandement; so they are annexed to the rest: they are prefixed to the first by way of preface; I am thy Lord thy God. Exod. 20.2. So they are annexed to the second; as here, and Levit. 19.4. Turne yee not unto idols, nor make to your selves molten gods: I am the Lord your God. To the third, Levit. 19.12. Ye shall not sweare by my name falsly, neither shalt thou prophane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. To the fourth, Vers. 30. Ye shall keepe my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuarie: I am the Lord. To the fift; Vers. 3. Ye shall feare every man his mother, and his father, and keepe my sabbaths. I am the Lord your God, and Vers. 32. Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and feare thy God; I am the Lord. To the sixt, Vers. 16. Neither shalt thou stand against the bloud of thy neighbour: I am the Lord. To the seaventh, Levit. 18.6. None of you shall ap­proach to any that is neare of kin to you, to uncover their na­kednesse: I am the Lord. To the eight, Vers. 19. Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, &c. I am the Lord. So to the ninth, Vers. 16. Thou shalt not goe up and downe as a talebearer among the people, I am the Lord. And generally to all the Commandements. Levit. 18.5. Ye shall there­fore keepe my statutes and my judgements, which if yee doe ye shall live in them. I am the Lord. He hath set his name [Page 118] to every one of them, to shew that hee hath power to command.

Deus Deus tuus, he is God of all creatures, but hee is Deus tuus of his Church.

God both lendeth and borroweth from man. I am a jealous God, the Lord whose delights were with the sonnes of men, Prov. 8.31. will interchange with man, he will both lend some things to him, and borrow some things from him.

Some things are spoken properly, which arise either from his understanding or from his will.Things arising from the understanding and will of God, are first spoken properly of himselfe. From the un­derstanding, as his knowledge, and providence, these are first spoken properly of God; and then attributed to man. So these which arise from his will, as his good­nesse, mercie, and grace, hee communicateth himselfe by creation to all his creatures; and therefore hee is cal­led the father of them.Father properly is gi­ven to God. Iob. 38.28. Pater pluviae, the father of raine. This word father is properly attributed to him. [...]. Ephes. 3.15. Of whom all fatherhoods in heaven and earth are named, and it is borrowed from him and given to creatures; either when men beget a sonne, or when they make a thing, they are called the father of it. Gen. 4.20. borrowed from him who is the father by eternall generation of his sonne; or father by creation of all the creatures.

Somethings first pro­per to the creatures, and then attributed to God.There are other things which are first proper to the creatures, and then attributed to God by way of meta­phor, such as are spoken of God [...] as when we attribute hands, feet, and eyes to him. Second­ly such things as are spoken of him, [...], when the scripture bringeth in God angry after the manner of man,Things proper to the creatures attributed to God three wayes. Psal. 18.8. There went up a smoake out of his nostrils. Thirdly these things that are spoken of him [...], when passions are attributed to God after the manner of men; and they are either simple or com­pounded passions: Simple, as anger, hatred; compoun­ded [Page 119] as jealousie, which is made up of love and hatred.

This word Kinne signifieth either to be jealous or zea­lous, [...] Zelotypus fuit, zela, affectus, cum p [...]p. ל constru­ctu [...] in [...] sumitur, Cum ב vel [...] fere in m [...] n, ut not [...]t A [...]. Es [...]. and it is taken either in a good sense or an evill sense: In a good sense when it is construed with Lamed, as Num. 25.13. Kinne le lohan, he was zealous for his God. But when it is construed with Beth or Eth, then it is ta­ken in an evill sense. Num. 5.14. Vekinne eth ishto, [...] and he be jealous of his wife.

Iealousie is a mixed affection of love and hatred, [...] therefore it is called the fire of his jealousie. Zeph. 1.18. God, because he hath married the Church to himselfe,Iealousie what. he is jealous of her,God is jealous of his Church here. left she should goe a whooring from him after other gods. In heaven hee onely loveth the triumphant Church, he is not jealous of her; in earth he is jealous often times of his militant Church, but hee hateth her not; but he hateth the children of this world altogether.

A loving husband first beginneth to suspect his wife,How jealousie is bred, and how it proceedeth. then he becommeth jealous of her, and last he cometh to hate her and cast her off: but before hee come to cast her off, hatred saith, I will cast her off, because she hath played the harlot; but love saith, I am loath to cast her off, because she hath beene the wife of my youth. Shee is the mother of my children, and so love prevaileth for a while, but at last when shee continueth in her adulte­ries, then hee turneth her away, and giveth her the bill of divorcement, and hateth her more than ever hee lo­ved her: so doth God deale with his Church before he cast her off.

This iealousie is a strong passion. Cant. 8.6.Iealousie is a strong and rooted passion. Iealousie is cruell as the grave: The grave spareth no man, and there is no redemption from the grave: So the iealous hus­band, nothing will satisfie him: and as it is a dangerous thing to meet a beare robbed of her whelpes. Prov. 17.12. and the revenger of bloud in his heat. Deut. 19.6. So [Page 120] it is to meet a iealous man in his rage.Why the offering of the adulterous woman is called the offering of memoriall. Prov. 6.34. Iea­lousie is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengance. He will not regard any ransom, neither will he rest content though thou givest many gifts.

So this passion is a rooted passion: under the Law the sacrifice which was offered for the woman suspe­cted of adultery, is called oblatio recordationis, the offering of memoriall. Num. 5.18. in all other sacrifices iniquitie was purged and forgotten, but in this sacrifice the wrong is remembred, and they say, there are three things which can hardly be cured, iealousie, frensie, and heresie.

The Lord setteth this attribute of jealousie before the Church here, to warne her to abstaine from idolatrie, and spirituall adulterie.Why the Lord setteth this word jealousie to this commandement. If the wife would remember the rage of her husband, it would terrifie her; and if she would remember his love, this would keepe her in obe­dience: the adulterous woman when shee enticed the young man to adulterie. Prov. 7.19. She saith, The man is not at home, hee is gone a farre iourney, hee hath taken a bagge of money with him, and will come home at the day ap­pointed. She saith, the good man will come home, but not my jealous husband will come; neither thinketh she thus with her selfe, what if he come home and take me in the act of adulterie?A difference betwixt God the husband of his Church, and other jea­lous husbands.

God is a jealous husband, marke a difference betwixt him and other jealous husbands. Ier. 3.1. They say if a man put away his wife, and shee goe from him, and become another mans wife, shall hee returne unto her againe? shall not the land bee greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers, yet returne againe to me, saith the Lord; and if shee will returne to him as to a father and guide of her youth, hee promiseth to accept of her. Vers. 4. Whereas no other husband may accept of his wife backe againe, after hee hath put her away being married to another.

When the Church committeth adulterie whether ceaseth she to be the spouse of Christ or not? Quest.

She ceaseth to bee his spouse upon her part, Answ. The Church may cease to be a spouse upon her part, but not upon Gods part. because she hath committed adultery; but so long as hee giveth her not the bill of divorcement, he accounteth of her as his spouse: therefore the Lord saith of Iuda, Where is the bill of your mothers divorcement? Esay. 50.1. [...] aversatrix. [...] prevari [...]trix. as if he would say, I never gave her a bill of divorcement, but she went willingly from me of her owne accord, when I would have kept her still. Iuda and Israel are compared by the Prophet. Ier. 3.11. he called Israel Meshubha, the back­sliding Israel, and he calleth Iuda Bagodah, treacherous Iu­da, when Israel fell away hee gave the bill of divorce­ment to the ten tribes, but he did not repudiate treache­rous Iuda for all her adulteries.

First he was the guide of her youth,When the Lord gave Israell the bill of di­vorce. and he loved her because he remembred still the kindenes of her youth, and the love of her espousals. Ier. 2.2. that is, when he remembred the love of the Patriarchs, & their since­ritie in worshiping of him. Then they committed adul­terie and fell away from him; yet they repented, there­fore he cast them not off; But after that they had cruci­fied the Lord of glory, then Paul said, hee would goe to the Gentiles. There was a little remnant of the Iewes who beleeved in Christ, they were to bee gathered in, and to these Peter went to Babylon. 1. Pet. 5.13.When he gave Iuda the bill of devorce. And a few in the West scattered abroad in Pentus, Asia, and Bithynia, and to these Peter wrote. 1. Pet. 1.1. and about the time of the destruction of Ierusalem the Lord gave them absolutely the bill of divorcement, and then hee counted them not a people.

The conclusion of this is,Conclusion. jealousie is onely joyned to the second commandement, he is angry for the breach of any commandement, but he is iealous when his wor­ship is corrupted, & his glory given to creatures, where­fore this must be a high transgression.

EXERCITAT. XVI. The punishment for the breach of the second Com­mandement.

IN this threatning wee have to consider what it is to visite here; secondly what sinnes of the fathers the Lord visiteth upon the children; thirdly who are meant by our fathers here; fourthly how the children are puni­shed for their fathers sinnes.

What the word Visit signifieth.To visite here is a speech borrowed from a Iudge who useth to punish the evill doers, and to reward those who doe well; so the Lord the great Iudge of the world hee punisheth idolaters and their posterity, and he rewardeth the true worshipers who keepe his com­mandements, he visiteth in judgement, as he visited the Egyptians, God visiteth sometimes in mercie and some­times in judgement. and hee visiteth in mercie, as hee visited the Israelites. Exod. 3.16. visitando visitavi, I have surely visited you, that is, in mercie. So Gen. 21.1. The Lord visited Sara, as hee had said, that is, hee visited her in mercy.

Children have sin from their parents by propa­gation, or imitation. He visiteh the sinnes. Sinne is either the sinne which the children have from their parents by propagation, or by imitation; by propagation, as originall sinne; by imi­tation, as their other personall sinnes. Here wee must put a difference betwixt that accident which is com­mon to the nature of all men, which is called accidens naturae; Accidens naturae.personae. And a personall accident which is incident to some: The accident which is common to the whole na­ture of man is alwayes transmitted from the father to [Page 123] the child, and shall continue to all the posterity of A­dam, to the end. The most filthie leprosie that is, and which runneth long in a bloud, yet in time will weare away in the posterity;Originall sinne is alike in all the sonnes of men both just and unjust, but this originall and hereditarie sinne never weareth out, but it continues with all the children of men, and is alike in them all; the sonnes of the just, and the sonnes of the unjust are both alike in this originall sinne.

But these which are personall accidents are not pro­pagated from the father to the son,Personall accidents are not propagated from the fathers to the children. especially the gifts of the minde; it may bee, that a strong father begets a a strong child, and the leprous father begets a leprous sonne, but neither the defects nor the vertues of the mind are transmitted from the fathers to the children, as the father who is a musitian begetteth not his sonne a musitian; and the father who is wise, begetteth not alwayes a wise child; as Salomon the wisest man that ever was, had but a foole to his sonne, Rehoboam; there­fore he saith, Eccles. 2.19. Who knoweth whether his son shall be a wise man or a foole.

Seeing Adam transmitted originall sinne to his poste­rity, Quest. what is the reason why hee transmitteth not his righteousnesse to them after his sinne was pardoned?

Hee got grace in his second estate, as a personall gift, Ans. Adam did not trans­mit his righteousnesse to his posteritie, because it was not naturall, but personall to him. and therefore hee could not transmit it to his posterity; but if hee had stood in integrity, hee should have trans­mitted righteousnesse to his posterity, because then it was naturall to him, as when he fell he transmitted sin to his posterity. And hee begot a sonne in his owne likenesse after his image. Gen. 5.3.

This originall sinne the Lord may punish the chil­dren for it, if hee would deale in judgement with them, because it is found in all children transmitted from their parents.

By sinne here especially is meant idolatrie, which by [Page 124] way of appropriation is called sinne,By sinne here is chiefly meant Idolatrie. See Command. 2. Exer. 5. pag. 80. By fathers are meant fa­thers naturall, and by ex­ample. as is shewn before, God visiteth other sinnes also besides idolatrie, As all the bloud shed from Abel to Zachary. Mat. 23.35.

By fathers here are meant not onely naturall fathers, but those who are fathers by example, as Cain was a father, Core was a father, and Balaam was a father. Iude 11. Woe unto them, for they have gone into the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the errour of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core: and in this sense the devill is called a father. Ioh. 8.44. Yee are of your father the devill.

Children by nature and imitation.There are two sorts of children; children by nature, and children by imitation: children by imitation are these of whom it is chiefly meant here, and they are rather called their children whom they imitate,Children by imitation are chiefly meant of here. than their children who begot them. Example, Iudg. 18.30. Ionathan the sonne of Gershon, the sonne of Manas­seh; this Ionathan was Moses naturall grandchild by ge­neration, yet hee is called the grandchild of Manasseh, because in wickednesse hee followed Manasseh, and the Iewes say, [...] See Exercitat. 10. Pag. 95. they would not write his name, the sonne of Gershon, the sone of Moses, for that had beene a disgrace to Moses, but they wrote him to bee the sonne of Ma­nasseth, by lifting up a letter. And the Hebrewes give another example like unto this.Achaz King of Iuda called king of Israel, and why. 2. Chron. 28.19. And the Lord brought Iuda low, because of Achaz king of Israel. Why is Achaz called king of Israel, here, seeing hee was king of Iuda? they say, because he imitated the wicked kings of Israel in their wickednesse.

He visiteth the sinnes of the fathers upon the children.

Quest. How doth it stand with the justice of God to punish the children for their fathers sinnes, seeing the Lord for­biddeth to punish the children for the fathers offences. Deut. 24.16. The fathers shall not bee put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for their fathers.

The Lord restraineth here the power of the magi­strate that he may not put the children to death for their fathers offences, as wee see. 2. King. 14.16. Answ. The Magistrate may not put the child to death for his fathers sin. And they slew his servants who had slaine the king his father, but the children of the murtherer hee slew not, according to that which was written in the Law, the children shall not be put to death for their fathers offences.

The magistrate may not put the children to death for their fathers offences,See Iunis Analyses in Levit. 20.20. although he may punish them other wayes; then it seemeth to be a strange collecti­on. Levit. 20.20. If a woman be begotten incestuous­ly with child, then she shall be burnt, non expectato par­tu, that is, before she be delivered of the child.

But they shall die childlesse, Obj. this cannot be understood of barrennesse, for that were no punishment to them, therefore it may seeme to be taken in this sense, she and the child shall bee taken away together by the magi­strate.

This cannot bee the meaning of the place, Ans. The mother cannot be killed, the child being quick in her belly. that the mother and quicke child shall bee killed together; for the children may not be put to death for the offence of their father or mother; but this seemeth rather to be the meaning of the place, when the magistrate understan­deth once that a man had lyen with his uncles wife, then hee shall presently cut them off, before the woman con­ceive, and so they shall die without seede.

The Lord who is author of life and death,God may punish the children with tempo­rall punishments for their fathers sinne. he may pu­nish the children for their fathers offences with tempo­rall punishments, but hee never punisheth the children for their fathers offences with eternall punishments, un­lesse they imitate their fathers sinnes.

It may bee said that children are punished not onely with temporall judgements, Object. but also with spirituall judgements, and that before they can imitate their fa­thers sinnes. Gen. 17.14. And the uncircumcised man-child [Page 126] whose fl [...]sh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soule shall be cut off from his people. Here the child may seeme to be cut off for his fathers fault, because his father neg­lected to circumcise him; and, to bee cut off here, is a spirituall judgement, to be cut off in the wrath of God.

Answ. In the originall it is thus, praeputiatus masculus que non circumciderit caruem praeputij sui, [...] qui non circumciderit, est sut. Kal, a [...] but the Vulgar Latine translation maketh it to be fut. Niphal a [...] qui non circumcisus fu­erit. but the vulgar Latine reads it; if he be not circumcised, he shall be cut off; but the right reading is, he who circumciseth not the foreskin of his flesh, he shall be cut off, for the text addeth, he hath broken my covenant, which cannot be said of young infants, but of children when they are come to age and understan­ding, and when they become (as the Iewes say) filii prae­cepti, then if they despise the covenant, they are to bee cut off.

When children imitate their fathers sinnes, then the Lord punisheth them:Children imitate their fathers sins two wayes. Children imitate their fathers sins two wayes, either affirmatively, or negatively; affir­matively, when they begin to imitate their fathers sinnes in their infancie and young yeares. Ier. 7.8. The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women kneade the dough to make cakes to the queene of heaven; here they were initiated in their fathers idola­try. So when the Israelites married with the wives of Ashdod, the children spake the language of Ashdod, imi­tating their fathers. Nehem. 13.24 Secondly, when they come to a greater maturitie of age, and then they fill up the measures of their fathers: Mat. 23.32.

Children are guiltie of their fathers sins when they are not humbled for them.Secondly they imitate their fathers sins negatively, that is, when they dissent not from their fathers sinnes, and when they are not humbled for them; for if such children had the occasions and temptations which their fathers had, they would doe as they did; and therefore justly their fathers sinnes may bee laid to their charge. Dan. 5.22. And thou his sonne, O Balshazzer, hast not [Page 127] humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this, meaning the sinnes of Nebuchadnezzar, and the punishment of them; this should teach us to take notice of the cor­ruption of our nature, and how ready wee are to follow others in wickednesse, and especially the sinnes of our parents; the blinde Iewes said, if wee had beene in the dayes of our fathers, we would not have beene partakers with them in the bloud of the prophets. Mat. 23.30.

Ye will say then, Obj. that children are punished for their owne sinnes, why then are they called their fathers sinnes?

They are their fathers sinnes occasionaliter, but they are their owne sinnes causaliter: Ans. they are their fathers sinnes occasionaliter, The sinnes of the fa­thers are the childrens causaliter, but the fa­thers occasionaliter. for God may take occasion by the fathers sinnes, to withdraw the grace from his children, and then they are prone and ready to follow all the sinnes of their fathers; when God punisheth the chil­dren for their fathers sinnes, hee would never punish them if they were not sinners themselves; but he respe­cteth more the sinnes of the fathers in punishing of them. Ioh. 9.3. Christ saith of the blinde man,God would not punish children for their fa­thers sinne if they were not sinners themselves. that it was neither for his owne sinnes nor his fathers sinnes that hee was borne blinde, but that the workes of God might appeare; if this man had not beene a sinner, hee had not beene borne blinde; for blindenesse is a punish­ment of sinne: but yet when hee made him blinde, hee respected not here his sinne, nor the sinnes of his fathers; but that the glory of God might appeare: So when God visiteth the sinnes of the fathers upon the children, hee would not punish them unlesse they were sinners; but he respecteth more the sins of their parents, than their owne sinnes, when he punisheth them; and the Lord pu­nisheth the fathers sinnes in their children:God in punishing the children looketh more to their fathers sinnes than to their owne. the Lawyers say, if the father and the sonne bee suspected of one crime, it is fit that the sonne bee put first to the torture, [Page 128] and they held that it will make the father to confesse sooner then if he were put to the torture himselfe. See how David tooke on for Absalon, would to God O my sonne Absalon that I had died for thee. 2. Sam 18.33. When the Lord punisheth the children for their fa­thers sinnes, their greatest punishment is their fathers.

When the fathers sinnes and the childrens sinnes meet together, then there is a double punishment. Esay. 40.2. Shee hath received from the Lords hand, Ciphlaijm, double for all her sinnes. [...] Duplicia pro omnibas peccati [...], id est, pro suis peccat [...]. & pa [...]entum.

The Iewes had a proverbe in their mouthes, The fa­thers have eaten sowre grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge. Ezek. 18.2. Iere. 31.29. the Lord saith, they shall no more use this proverbe, What is meant by the Iewes proverbe, that the father eat sowre grapes &c. but the soule that sinneth shall die. They meant that they were carried away in captivity for the sinnes of Manasseh. Ier. 15.4. which he did in Ierusalem: the Lord promised that they should have no more cause to say so, For the soule that sinneth shall die. To die, here, is taken for a temporall punish­ment, as exile, famine and such, and not for spirituall death, for the Iewes complained only for their bodily chastisements and not for spirituall; and the Lord an­swered that hee would punish them no more so. God may iustly set the childrens teeth on edge for their fa­thers offences, as he did before; and the punishment of the Iewes sinnes lieth upon their posteritie unto this day; but the Lord promises, that their teeth should ne­ver be set on edge againe, that is, punished in the cap­tivity of Babel.

B [...]as useth a profane compo [...]on.God visiteth the sinnes of the fathers upon the children: It was a prophane comparison of Bias the philosopher, who said, If the Gods should punish the children for their fathers offences, this were all one, as if a Doctor should give the child physicke when the father is trou­bled with the colicke or stone: but this is a foolish com­parison; [Page 129] let us then make the comparison this wayes; the father is a leper and hee begetteth his sonne a le­per, now if the Doctor should prescribe physicke to the sonne for his fathers leprosie, hee should doe well; be­cause it is both his fathers leprosie and his own leprosie.

When the children follow not the fathers in their sinnes, then the father is said to die in his owne sinne. What it is to die in his owne sinne. Num. 27.3. Our father died in the wildernesse, and hee was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but died in his owne sinne. that is, in the common sin of murmu­ring with the rest of the people; and it is called his owne sinne, because his children followed him not in his re­bellion. Num, 26.11. The children of Core died not. But when the children follow the footsteps of their father, then they die in a common sinne.

The fathers sinnes are imputed to their children,Fathers should be ware to bring punishments upon their children. this should be a meanes to restraine fathers from sinne, and it were but for their childrens cause, to keepe them from punishment: many parents are carefull to leave inheritance to their children, but oftentimes they leave their sinnes to them.The legacie of Ioab. It was a fearefull legacie that Ioab left to his children, that some of them should leane upon a staffe, some of them should die of a bloody flixe, and some of them of a leprosie, and some of them should begge their bread. 2. Sam. 3.29. When a man dieth and hath nothing to leave unto his children but his sinnes, as to one his blood, to another his swearing, and to another his adulterie, is not this a pitifull latter will and testament? Some leave lands to their children, but withall they leave their fearefull sinnes to them; and it were better for them to want their lands, then to bee heires to their sinnes: Gehazi left a talent of silver be­hinde him to his posterity; but he left the leprosie with it. 2. King. 5.27.

Children should con­fesse their fathers sinnes.The fathers sinnes are imputed to the children, there­fore the children should confesse the sinnes of their fa­thers. Levit. 26.41. If they confesse their iniquitie, and the iniquitie of their fathers. So Nehem. 1.6. Both I and my fathers house have sinned; and this they are bound to doe, as farre as they can come to the knowledge of their fathers sinnes: such sinnes of their fathers they should confesse, which they in their owne proper persons have committed by the example of their forefathers, for these sinnes they ought to crave pardon. Psal. 79.8. Remember not against us former iniquities, [...] iniquitates Praeceden­tium that is, the sinnes which wee have committed before by imitating our fathers sinnes: but we must take heed here, that we crave not pardon for our fathers who are dead; for there is no remission, but that which is gotten in this life.

Lastly the Lord not onely visiteth the sinnes of the fathers upon the children, but also the sinnes of the mo­ther.God visiteth not onely the sinnes of the fathers, but also the sinnes of the mothers upon the children. Psal. 109.14. Let not the sinnes of his mother be blot­ted out, but when the father is an Amorite, and the mo­ther a Hittite. Ezek. 16.3. that is worst of all for the children: for if any of the parents be holy, then the child is holy. 1. Cor. 7.14.

Conclusion. 1 The conclusion of this is, God visiteth the iniquities of the fathers upon the children; therefore fathers should be loth to commit sinne, lest they transmit the curse to their posterity.

Conclusion. 2 God visiteth their sinnes upon the children; there­fore children should beware to follow their fathers footsteps in their sinnes, lest they bee partakers of their punishments.

EXERCITAT. XVIII. Of the extent of Gods iustice and his mercie to those who breake and keepe his Commandements. Commandement II.

THe Lord visiteth the iniquitie of the fathers unto the third and fourth generation, in the originall it is, in tertianos & quartanos. So, 2. King. 10.30. Filij quarta­ni sedebunt super solio: Thy children of the fourth genera­tion shall fit on thy throne, that is, Iehoachaz, Iehoash, Iero­boam, and Zachariah; the father is the first, the son is the second, the grandchild is the third, and the great grand­child is the fourth; and he setteth downe the third and fourth generation,Why the Lord punish­eth unto the third and fourth generation. because men may live to see so many generations come of them. Gen. 50.23. And Io­seph saw Ephraims children to the third generation, that is, he saw Ephraim, and his sonnes, and his sonnes sonnes.

It pleaseth God in mercy to breake off the course of sinne, and to interrupt it for the Churches cause;God breaketh off the course of sinne some­times, his Churches cause. Korah was a bad man, yet his sonnes were men fearing God, who wrote some of the Psalmes.

Where the course of sinne is broken off,Where sinne is broken off the punishment will be broken off. there the punishment is not inflicted; the grandfather is a wicked man, his sonne followeth not his footsteps, the grand­child againe followeth the footsteps of his grandfather, here the sinne which was broken off beginneth againe [Page 132] and continueth still with the grandchild. Manasseh had his sinne pardoned, but his sonne Ammon walking in the former wayes of his father, became heire of his fathers wickednes; therefore God deferred not the punish­ment, for within two yeares after he was king, he was miserably killed: Then Iosias succeeded who brake off the course of his fathers sinne; and therefore the punish­ment was deferred for the space of thirty one yeares. Then his younger brother Ioahaz succeeded to him, and the punishment was continued in him, and likewise in his eldest sonne Eliacim.

In lib. de sera vindicta Numin [...]s. Plutarch sheweth why the Gods deferre punishment for a time; because the sinne is not found in the childe, which was found in the father; and when the same sinne buddeth fo [...]h againe in the grandchild, then the gods doe punish: and he useth this comparison, for even, saith he, as the grandfather had a mole upon his face, which is not seene in his sonne,Simile. but yet it is seene in the grand­child; passing by his sonne, it commeth to the grand­child: So may sinne passe by the sonne and come to the grandchild: and hee telleth of a woman who brought forth a blackmore, when as neither of the parents were blackmores, and being condemned to die as an adulte­resse, an old man testified there, that the great grand­father of that childe was a blackemore, and that his blacknes had passed by two generations,Sinne may passe by two generations and come to the third. and come to the third: so sinne may passe from one or two genera­tions, and light upon the third; and where sinne is con­tinued there the punishment lighteth.

Sometimes sinne conti­nueth in a blood.Sometimes ye shall see sinne continued, going on in a bloud without any interruption. Rebekah thought that Esau would have forgotten that which Iacob did to him. Gen. 27.45. but he never forgot it, and that hatred continued in his posterity the Edomites without inter­ruption, and they cried; Psal. 137.7. Downe with [Page 133] them, downe with them.

Hee visiteth to the third and fourth generation for idolatrie,God sometime conti­nueth punishment lon­ger than to the third and fourth generation. but he continueth the punishment some times longer than to the third and fourth generation. Ezek. 4.5. I have laid upon thee the yeares of their iniquitie, ac­cording to the number of the dayes, three hundreth and nine­ty dayes, so shalt thou beare the iniquitie of the house of Is­rael: three hundreth and ninety propheticall dayes are taken here for yeares; and he speaketh here of the ido­latrie which began in Salo [...]ns old age, and continued untill the ninth yeare of [...] captivity, just three hundreth and ninety yeares in all; and as all the bloud from Abel to Zachary might bee required at the hands of the Iewes in Christs time: So may the Lord lay upon the idolaters now, all the idolatrie from the first idolaters to this time, if hee would deale in justice with them; and hence it followeth, that the idolaters who li­ved three hundred yeares since, were not in so misera­ble a case as the idolaters are in now;Idolaters in our times are in a worse case then they of old. because they had not so many sinnes to be laid to their charge.

Of them that hate me:

How can God be hated, Quest. seeing no good thing can be hated?

The idolaters doe not hate God simply as he is good, Answ. but because he punisheth them for their idolatrie;How a man is said to hate God. so A­hab hated Micaiah because he told him the truth, and Paul said, am I become your enemy, because I told you the truth. Gal. 4.16.

To hate God and to love idols, are directly contra­ry; but for a man to hate himselfe,To hate God and love our selves are directly contrary. to the end hee may love God, are subcontrary; when a man loveth himselfe lesse, that he may love the Lord, this is but improperly called hatred, and so Iacob hated Leah, that is,To hate our selves, and love God are subcon­traries. hee lesse loved her than Rachel; but when a man loveth God lesse then his idoll, that is properly called hatred.

Now to keepe our selves that wee fall not into this hatred of God by loving idols,Idolaters looke not streight upon God. wee must lift up our eyes and looke streight from the creatures to God, and from God to the creatures; and then we shall not fall to idolatrie. Quando linea currit aequaliter inter duo extre­ma, and wee looke straight by the line to the two ex­treames, then wee see them perfectly; but when wee looke not equally upon them, but a squint; then wee have not a perfect view. Idolaters never looke aright upon God and his creatures, and therefore they give the honour to the creature which is due to the creator, but if they would compare God with the poore crea­tures, they would never give his glory unto them.

And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keepe my commandements.

God enclineth more to mercie then justice.Gods justice reacheth unto the third and fourth gene­ration, but his mercy to the thousand generation; and hence we may gather, that God inclineth more to mer­cy than to justice, and therefore when hee punisheth he is said,Facere opus non suum, quid. facere opus non suum. Esay. 28.21. That hee may doe his strange worke, that is, to punish.

Quest. Mercy and justice being Gods two armes, how is it that one of them is longer than the other?

Ans. The one of them is not longer than the other, but hee maketh his Church to feele more his mercy than his justice.

The blessing of the fa­thers are conveyed to good children. Shewing mercy unto thousands, this blessing of God is conveyed by good parents to the children, for the moe good predecessors that a man hath, hee may looke for a greater blessing. We have an example of this. Gen. 49.26. The blessings of thy fathers are strong with the blessings of my progenitours, all the blessings of the good prede­cessours concurring together, are effectuall meanes to continue the blessing to the posterity.

To thousands, the Lord will not forget thee, although [Page 135] thou be many generations after thy good predecessors,God forgetteth not the children of good pa­rents to many genera­tions. David made inquirie for Ionathans posterity that hee might doe good unto them. 2. Sam. 9.1. Is there any left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindenesse, for Ionathans sake. The Lord blessed the posterity of Iona­dab, the Rehabits, for their godfathers cause.

Of them that love mee and keepe my commandements. Our best workes have need of mercie. Hence wee may learne, if mens best workes have need of mercy, then no man can bee justified by his workes, for mercy secludeth merit. Hos. 10.12. Sowe to your selves in righteousnesse, and reape in mercy; the Church must looke for mercy when she is reaping her reward. So, 2. Tim. 1.16. The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onisephorus, for he hath oft refreshed me, and was not asha­med of my chaines.

Shewing mercy. Exod. 23.19.God sheweth mercie without merit. [...] Supplicationes eloqui­tur pauper. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, that is, I will have mercy without any merit. Prov. 18.23. The poore useth intreaties. Tahhannu­nim, that is, they begge only of favour, but nothing of merit. So when we have done all things that we can do, let us count our selves unprofitable servants. Luc. 17.10.

And keepe my commandements, God sheweth mercy and then we keepe his Commandements. the Lord must first shew mercy before wee can keepe his commande­ments; wee keepe not his commandements first, and then he sheweth mercy, all the good of the Church de­pends upon Christ, and if he shew not mercy, then shee is not a Church. The Church hath beene fitly compa­red to Heliotropion, or the marigold, so long as the sunne shineth upon it, so long it spreadeth the leaves of it; but when the sunne withdrawes it selfe, then it contra­cteth the leaves and spreadeth no more. So doth the Church flourish when the Lords mercy shineth upon her; but when he withdrawes his presence from her, she loseth her beauty.

And keepe my commandements. The children of God [Page 136] keepe the commandements because the Lord freeth them of the straight obedience of the law, non [...], it lieth not upon them, nor urgeth them, as it doth upon the wicked, Iustis non est lex posita, the law is not made for the righteous man. God enableth his chil­dren to keepe his Com­mandements. 1. Tim. 1.9. It lieth not like a bur­then upon them, God accepteth of their endeavours, al­though they come short in many things.

Secondly, in keeping the law the spirit of God both jubet & juvat, he commandeth his children, and giveth them the spirit of obedience to doe those things, which he commandeth, willingly.

God taketh away the irritation of the Law from his children.Thirdly, he taketh away the irritation of the law; for the law to a naturall man is a provocation to sin. Rom. 7. and so the law becommeth easie to them, and thus they are said to keepe the commandements.Conclusion.

The conclusion of this is, Miserable is the case of idolaters, who must both answer for their owne sinnes, and likewise for the idolatrie of their prede­cessors.

EXERCITAT. I. How the Iewes superstitiously abused the name of God Iehova. Commandement III.

THe Iewes had this name Iehova at the first in [...], secondly in [...] first they reverenced this name, and then superstitiously abused it.

First they had a more religious & reverent respect to this name, because it was Zecer, memoriale ejus, his memo­riall. [...] Memoriale. [...] Nomen separatum. [...] Nomen gloriosum. [...] Nomen benedictum. Exod. 3.14. This is my name for ever, & this is my me­moriall unto all generations: Secondly, because this name Iehova was the name of Gods essence, they did the more sparingly expresse it, and they called it Shem ham­phorash, nomen separatum, a separate name, because it was incommunicable to any other creature, so they called it Shem hammichbad, nomen gloriosum, and Shem ijthbarek, nomen benedictum.

Secondly they expresse this name but seldome, be­cause [Page 139] they could not tell how to pronounce it, for it is not pointed with the owne vowels of it in the scripture, but onely with the vowels of Adonai, or Elohim, the Greeks have no letter to pronounce it aright, and there­fore it is called [...]; for these respects at the first it was but seldome pro­nounced, & the first who pronounced Iehova, Who pronounced the name Iehova amongst the Christians first. amōgst the Christians was Petrus Galatinus following the pronunci­ation of the Syriacks and the Greekes, but if ye would pronounce it according to the owne letters, it should be Iahvo, as [...]

Afterwards the Iewes fell in [...], superstiti­ously abusing this name; and first they say; that the Is­raelitish womans sonne was stoned to death, because he blasphemed the name of God, that is, because he pro­nounced the name Iehova: Onkelos paraphraseth it, quod expresserit nomen Iehova, and the Seventy, Quod [...] hee named the name, to with, Iehova. [...]

Then they sell into greater superstition, they say,The superstitious abuse of the name of Iehova. the high Priest pronounced this name Iehova ten times in the day of expiation; thrice in his first confession. Levit. 16.6. which was private; thrice in his second confession, which was publique. Levit. 16:24. and thrice upon the skape-gate. Levit. 16.21. and once in casting of lots. Levit. 16.9. So they say, the Priest who blessed the people, if he was out of the temple and blessed the people, then his blessing was pronounced as three blessings, and the people answered, amen, at every blessing, but when he pronounced it in the temple, hee pronounced it as one blessing: When he blessed out of the temple, they say, that hee expressed the blessing by the name Adonai; but in the temple, by the name Iehova: when they blessed out of the temple, they lifted but their hands to their shoulders, but when they blessed [Page 141] in the temple, they lifted their hands above their heads, except onely the high priest; when hee blessed, they say of him, that he lifted not his hands to his head, because the name Iehova was written in a plate of gold upon his forehead; therefore in reverence to this name hee would not lift his hands to his head.

Againe they say, when the witnesses testified against the blasphemer, that hee had pronounced the name Ie­hova, the Iudges enquired not of them, whether heard ye this man sweare by the name Iehova, but by the name Iose; and the witnesse said, percussit Iose Iosem, the blasphemer pierced God, naming him by his owne name: [...] Perfodiens a [...] perforare. and this they called properly Nakabh, per­forare, the piercing of the side of God, but when the people were dismissed, they keept still the witnesses; they enquired not then of the witnesses, whether the blasphemer had blasphemed the name of Iose or not; but the judges said unto them, tell us what ye heard; and the witnesses said, we heard him distinctly pronounce the name Iehova; then the judges rent their clothes, and so afterwards the man was stoned to death; and thus super­stitiously they abused this name.

Conclusion.The conclusion of this is, two extremities would be shunned in taking Gods name in our mouthes, first that wee prophanely abuse not this name by cursing, and next that we superstitiously abuse it not.

EXERCITAT. II. Of the Iewes superstitious and deceitfull oathes. Commandement III.

THere is no people that abuseth the name of God more than the Iewes doe, applying these titles and speeches which belong onely to God, unto men;The Iewes abuse the names and attributes of God. for when they write their familiar epistles to their friends, commending their friends epistle or letter which they have received, they say, Eloquia Domini, eloquia pura, giving that commendation to their epistles, which is due onely to the law of the Lord. Againe, when they flatter their friendes, desiring that they may bee intire with them, then they abuse the scripture; pateat accessus ad adytum sanctitatis tuae, they crave accesse to his holi­nesse, which is proper onely to God. Thirdly, when they would testifie themselves thankefull,The Iewes abuse the Scriptures. they say, Nomini tuo psallam, I will sing O Lord unto thy name. Fourthly, when they complaine that their friends have forsaken them, and are not kinde unto them, then they say, Cum exercitibus nostris non egrederis Domine, Lord thou goest not out with our armies. Fiftly, when they bid their friends unto a wedding or a banquet, they say, In te speravi Domine, non confundar, I have trus­ted in thee, O Lord, let me not bee confounded. Thus wee see how these blinde wretches abuse the scriptures, and take the name of God in vaine, and we see how Christ [Page 142] blameth them. Mat. 5. for swearing by the creatures.

The Iewes thought it lawfull to sweare by the heavens.To prove that it was lawfull to sweare by the hea­vens, they abused these scriptures. Amos 4.2. The Lord did sweare by his holinesse, that is, by the heavens (say they) whereas the Prophet meant that he swore by him­selfe. So, Amos 8.7. The Lord hath sworne by the excel­lency of Iacob: the Iewes tooke it for his temple and not for himselfe, whereas he swore by himselfe, because he had no greater to sweare by. Heb. 6.13. So they used to sweare deceitfully,How they did sophisti­cate their oathes. and to sophisticate their oathes. Mat. 23.16. When they swore by the temple, they said, it was nothing; but to sweare by the gold of the temple, then he was a debter. So if he swore by the altar, it was no­thing; but to sweare by the gift upon the altar, then he was a debter, but Christ sheweth them, that to sweare by the temple,The Iewes swore by the Temple. was greater than to sweare by the gold of the temple; for the temple sanctified the gold, there­fore it is greater than the gold: so the altar sanctified the gift upon the altar, and therefore it was a greater sinne to sweare by the altar, than by the gift upon the altar.

The Prophet Haggai propounded a question to the Priests. Hagg. 2.12. If one beare holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt doth touch bread or pottage, or wine, or oyle, or any meat, shall it be holy? and the Priests answered and said, no? Then said Haggai, if one that is un­cleane by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be uncleane? and the Priests answered and said, it shall be uncleane. If a holy thing touch that which is common, will it make it holy? No: if an uncleane thing touch a cleane thing, will it make it uncleane? Yes: but here when the altar touched the gift, it sanctified it more, and made it holy. And here is the difference betwixt legall sanctification & Christs blood purging us; for Christs blood when it toucheth us, it maketh us holy, but it becometh not un­cleane, whereas these things which were holy under the [Page 143] law, might be polluted by uncleane things.

The forme of the oath amongst the Iewes at this day, is this,How the Iewes sweare, and the manner of their oath. when he sweareth he holdeth the booke of the law in his hand, and he sweareth in the holy tongue after this manner. I Abraham sweare by the God of Israel, and by him who is long suffering and mercifull, that I owe nothing to this man N. and the Iudges say unto him a­gaine, Wee attest thee by the great Lord, whether there bee any thing in thy hand which belongeth to that man. And when the curse of the law is pronounced, he answereth, Amen, Amen.

They have learned this tricke at this day,They will keepe no oath unlesse they sweare upon their own Torah. they hold that no oath bindeth them, but when they lay their hand upon their owne Torah, that is, the booke which is read in their owne Synagogues; but if they lay their hand upon any other bible before a Christian Magi­strate; they will readily forsweare themselves, therefore sundry townes in Germany understanding this,How Christians make the Iewes to sweare. the Ma­gistrates will not take an oath of them, untill the Torah, their bible bee brought out of their Synagogues, and then they make them lay their hand upon it and sweare. Moreover in the day of their expiation, their Rabbi do absolve them from their perjuries, and all their deceits which they have used against the Christians; and they say, Optimus qui inter gentes est, dignus est cui caput con­teratur tanquam serpenti, the best of the Christians is worthy to be trode upon, as the head of the serpent.

They will give their oath willingly in no other lan­guage but in the Hebrew tongue;The Iewes will not sweare willingly but in the Hebrew tongue. and they alledge that place of Esay for them. Esay. 19.18. In that day shall five cities speake the language of Canaan, and sweare to the Lord of hostes. And they say if the Egyptians must sweare in the language of Canaan, then all people should sweare in that language, and they account all other languages but the language of Ashdod. Neh. 13.24. and especially the [Page 144] Latine tongue, which they hate above all other; but our Lord sanctified the Latine tongue as well as the rest, upon the crosse.

Conclusion.The conclusion of this is, Those who know not Iesus Christ the angell of the covenant, in whom the Lord hath put his name, Exod. 23.21. will never sanctifie him in his attributes.

EXERCITAT III. What great sinne it is to curse God. Commandement III.

WE may learne from the example of God him­selfe not to use imprecations and curses; for when the holy Ghost useth an oath, he concealeth the imprecation and expresseth it by Im Lo, [...] Si non Si non, as Psal. 89.35. Once have I sworne by my holinesse, if I lie unto David, that is, I have sworne that I will not lie unto David. God when he sweareth expresseth not the curse. So Psal. 95.11. Vnto whom I sware in my wrath, if they enter into my rest, that is, I have sworne that they shall never enter into my rest. When the Lord pro­nounced this oath negatively, then it is to bee under­stood as an affirmation, as Esay. 14.24. The Lord of hostes hath sworne, if not, so it shall come to passe, that is, it shall certainely come to passe: but when hee setteth it downe affirmatively, then it is to bee understood nega­tively, as Psal. 95.11. If they shall enter into my rest, [Page 145] that is, they shall never enter into my rest.

When God sweareth by himselfe this wayes cum re­ticentia, he holdeth backe the curse;Why God keepeth up the execration when he sweareth. because no execra­tion or curse can fall upon him, and therefore it cannot be expressed which never falleth out, neither should this sort of speech bee supplied, as some doe prophanely, non ero Deus, or such.

Whether are these words, Psal. 110.1. Quest. The Lord said unto my Lord, an oath or a simple asseveration?

Although the word seeme to bee set downe simply; Answ. [...] includit jura­mentum. yet in effect, it is the Lords oath here, and verba nefasta, or the execration are concealed.

So when men use these imprecations, they conceale the curse, as Gen. 14.23. If I take from a thread, to a shoe latchet; in the blessings we should expresse them. Iam. 4.15. Ye ought to say, if the Lord will, we shall live, and doe this or that. And not onely religious Abraham suppres­seth the curse, but even wicked and prophane Iezabel, when she swore by her idoll she concealed the curse, So let the gods doe to me, and more also, if I make not thy life, The devill a cursed creature, yet dares not be bold to expresse the curse. as the life of one of these by to morrow. 1. King. 19.2. And not only idolaters, but the devill himselfe suppresseth it. Iob. 1.11. If he curse thee not to thy face.

They expresse not the curse to come upon them­selves but upon others,Pharaoh expressed the curse which hee wished to light upon the Israelites. as Pharaoh in effect expressed the curse when he said, Exod. 10.10. Let the Lord be so with you, as I will let you goe, that is, I pray God that the Lord be no more with you, than I shall let you goe, this was an imprecation or curse which hee wished to come upon them; because he purposed not to let them goe. Object.

Psal. 131. The people in the captivity seeme to have expressed the curse: If I doe not remember thee, O Ierusa­lem, then let my tongue cleave to the roofe of my mouth.

This imprecation was not expressed when they were scoffingly urged by the Babylonians to sing, Answ. but after­wards, [Page 146] when the psalme was penned in remembrance of their mockery;The Iewes did not ex­presse this as a curse, but as a memoriall of mockery of the heathen. as if they should say, the Babylonians desired of us songs of mirth when we were in sadnesse; but we had rather that our right hand had dried up, and our tongue had cleaved to the roofe of our mouth, than that we had pleased them in singing.

Obj. Psal. 7.4. If I have done this, then let my enemy pursue my life, it might seeme here that David expresseth the curse.

Answ. David expressed not the curse here, but defended his innocency, and desired to bee freed of his enemies, as if hee should say,David expresseth not the curse, but defendeth his innocencie. If I have done these things, then they might have had just cause to pursue me, but seeing I am not guiltie of any such thing, but rather I may say I have deserved well of their hands; therefore I desire thee O Lord that thou wouldst free me from them.

The Scripture expres­seth cursing by blessing, in reverence of God.When the scripture speaketh any thing which might seeme to impare the holy name of God, it expresseth it by the contrary, as Naboth hath blessed God for cursed God. 1. King. 22.13. So Iob. 2.9. So Psal. 10. avarus benedicit; Targum, blasphemat.

Quest. Whether is this word to blesse here, to be taken iro­nice, per Antiphrasim, or per Euphemismum.

Ans. How to know when a word is spoken nonice or by way of mocking. [...] Meretrix a [...] sanctificareThat which is spoken ironicè, we know the contrarie is meant ex gestu loquentis, & forma sermonis; as when Christ said to his disciples, sleepe henceforth; but that which is spoken per antiphrasin, is not knowne by the gesture of the speaker, but by the words themselves; as the whoore is called Kedeshah from Kadash sanctificare, because she is not holy: So Deut. 22.9. Thou shalt not sowe thy vinyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sowne, and the fruit of thy vinyard be sanctified, that is, defiled. So auri sacra fames, id est, de­testanda, so S^t Antonies fire is called sacer ignis.

Euphemismus quid.But Euphemismus is, when wee expresse things that [Page 147] are odious by good and holy words; and as the scrip­ture expresseth filthy things by holy words, so it ex­presseth odious things by holy words, and this the scrip­ture doth, both for the honour of God, and to shew the puritie and holinesse that is in the scriptures themselves, as here, blesse God and die, for curse God, So 1. Sam. 14.41. Therefore Saul said unto the Lord God of Israel, shew who is innocent, that is, who is guilty, so the Latines call Scelus, piaculum.

The conclusion of this is,Conclusion. let us learne to sanctifie God in our hearts, and speake reverently of him with our tongues; mans tongue is called Cabhod, his glory, Gen. 49.6. and Psal. 16.9. because it should bee the in­strument to praise God, and set forth his glory; but oftentimes it becometh a weapon of unrighteousnesse, and a member which dishonoureth God most, and whereas it should be their glory, it becomes their shame. Philip. 3.19.

EXERCITAT. IIII. That men should not curse the creatures of God. Commandement III.

GOd who created his creatures hath onely power to curse them, for ejus est ligare cujus est solvere; God hath onely power to curse the creatures. God curseth the reasonable creature for his sinne, and the unreasonable and senselesse creatures, for the sin of man, [Page 148] Psal. 107.33. Hee turneth rivers into a wildernesse, and the water springs into drie ground: Creatures are cursed for mans sinne. a fruitfull land into bar­rennesse for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein, and God cursed the figge tree, that it might be an exemplar to the Iewes. David cursed the mountaines of Gilboa to bee barren, because of the blood that was shed there: when a man was killed under the law, and they knew not who killed him, the elders of the next citie were commanded to take a heifer, and bring it into a rough valley, How the place was bar­ren where the uncertain murther was commited. which is neither eared nor sowne. Deut. 21.4. that is, which should become rough afterwards, and should not be eared nor sowne; for the innocent blood that was shed there procured this barrennesse: So did it upon the mountaines of Gilboa.

We must neither curse the reasonable, nor unreaso­nable creatures, for then a man desireth the Lord but to execute his sinfull passion, and hee maketh himselfe both judge and party here.

We may not curse the reasonable creatures.We must not curse the reasonable creatures, nor use imprecations against them; because it is a fearefull sin. We have an example of this. [...] Per me jurant, id est, fa­ciunt de nomine meo ju­ramenti, & execrationis formulam, sic Num. 5.27. & Esay 65:15. Psal. 102.8. Bi Nishbag­nu, jurant in me, that is, they wish all evill to befall me, that I may become an execration. It was the manner of the Iewes when they wished any good thing to a man, they made choice of some notable good person, and they desired that the person to whom they wished well might be like such a man, or such a woman. As Ruth 4.11. The Lord make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel.

The people of the Iewes tooke a good or vile person to be a patterne of their blessing or curs­ing.So when they cursed, they made choice of some vile man to make him a patterne, as it were, of the curse. Ier. 29.22. The Lord make the like Zedekiah, and like A­hab, whom the king of Babylon rosted in the fire. So the woman that was guilty of adultery was a curse [Page 149] amongst the people. Num. 5.27. And here they use cursing against David, that he might become so misera­ble, as to be a patterne or example of miserie, so that all men might say when they cursed; The Lord make thee like David.

So we may not curse the unreasonable or senselesse creatures,We may not curse the senselesse creatures. because this curse redoundeth to the Lord himselfe; and as he who mocketh the poore, reproacheth his maker. Prov. 17.5. so he that curseth the creatures, in effect, he curseth the creator who made them.

So to curse the creatures as they have relation to man,Not to curse the crea­tures as they have rela­tion to man. is a great sinne, hee that wisheth evill to the creatures, wisheth evill to the man himselfe; the Lord forbiddeth in his law to curse the deafe or the blinde. Levit. 14.19. the unreasonable and senselesse creatures are deafe, and therefore wee should not curse them; and if the Lord would open the mouth of these creatures, and make them to speake as he did Balaams Asse; they would say, am not I thy horse or asse, why dost thou curse me?

Contrary to this cursing,The manner how the people of God blessed others when they did meete. is that custome which was used amongst the people of God [...] Let not this befall thee. Luc. 20.16. So David blessed Abigail. 1. Sam. 25.32. Blessed be the Lord who hath sent thee to meet me, and blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou. So to blesse men in their lawfull callings. Psal. 129.8. The blessing of the Lord be upon you. So Ruth 2.4. Beaz came from Beth­leem and said unto the reapers, the Lord bee with you; and they answered him; The Lord blesse thee.

The Prophets and Apostles had a singular warrant to curse both the reasonable and unreasonable creatures,The Prophets and A­postles had a warrant to curse. as Peter said to Simon Magus, Thy money perish with thee. Act, 8.20.

First, they when they cursed,The Prophets and A­postles had the spirit of discerning when they cursed. had the gift of discer­ning of spirits, and they knew who were reprobates, and against these they used most fearefull imprecations of [Page 150] eternall damnation, as against Doeg, Achitophel, and Iu­das, that Psal. 109. from Vers. 6. to the end is a terrible imprecation, which David used against Doeg, because he caused the Priests to be slaine;The fearefull curse which David pro­nounced against Doeg. first against Doeg him­selfe, Vers. 6, 7. then against his familie, Vers. 8, 9. then against his name, honour and goods: Vers. 11, 12, 13. and against his eternall salvation. 14, 15. Set thou a wicked man over him, and let Satan stand at his right hand. Set thou the wicked man over him, the Caldee Paraphrast paraphraseth it, Set thou the devill over him, who is the father of wickednesse, and Satan he taketh not for an adversary, but properly for Satan, as Zach. 3.1. And because these were castawayes and re­probates: Iudas went to his owne place. Act. 1.25. there­fore the Lord by the mouth of his Prophets, denoun­ced these terrible imprecations against them.

Ob. But you will say, that the Apostles themselves wish­ed fire to come downe from heaven upon the Samari­tans. Luc. 9.54. they spake here in sinfull passion; how did the Prophets then, and Apostles curse without sin?

Answ. The holy Ghost as yet was not come downe upon the Apostles, and they were not directed as yet imme­diately by the holy spirit; and therefore Christ repro­ved them. Ieremiah, as a Prophet denounced many threatnings against the wicked enemies of the Church; yet through passion and perturbation, not as a Prophet, he useth many sinfull imprecations. Ier. 20. The chil­dren of God glory in their tribulations. Ieremiah cursed in pas­sion. Rom. 5.3. but Ieremie fretted in his tribulations: Christ saith, when a man chid is borne into the world there is joy; but Iere­mie cursed the day of his nativity, which was the crea­ture of God, and hee cursed the man likewise that brought the newes; whereas hee that bringeth good newes should be blessed, wherefore he spake these things in passion, and not as a Prophet of God.

The Prophets of God when they cursed,When the Prophets cur­sed, they had an eye to the glory of God, and good of his Church. they had an eye still to the glory of God, that his justice might ap­peare in the punishment of wicked men, and the Church might bee edified by their punishments. Psal. 59.11. Slay them not, left my people forget, scatter them and bring them downe, O Lord our shield.

Thirdly, the Prophets used these imprecations that they might vindicate their ministrie. If I bee a man of God, then let fire come downe from heaven, and consume thee and thy fiftie. 2. King. 1.10.

Fourthly, they used these imprecations that the Church might be kept in purity; Moses was the meekest man in the earth, yet he saith, Smite through the loines of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not against him. Deut. 33.11.The Prophets curses are to be taken for pre­dictions for the most part.

Lastly, many of their curses are to be taken rather as predictions than curses, as Davids cursing of Ioabs poste­rity, and it was but for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord. 1. Cor. 5.5. So Paul delivered Hymeneus and Alexander unto Satan, that they might not learne to blaspheme. 1. Tim. 1.20.

What use should the Church make now of these imprecations? Quest.

They may apply them against the enemies of the Church in generall, but not in particular. Answ.

Seeing particular men may not curse, Quest. Particular men may not curse now. Answ. why are the people commanded to curse Meroz. Iudg. 5.23.

This cursing was but an approbation of the curse which was already denounced against Meroz.

The conclusion of this is, let us blesse and not curse. How the people cursed Meroz. Rom. 12.14. Let us remember what tribes stood upon mount Ebal to curse the people, they were the children of the bond woman, for the most part; but those who are borne of the free woman stood upon the mount Ge­razim to blesse; they who curse are but the children of [Page 152] the bond woman, and shall bee cast out of the inheri­tance, and shall not inherit with the free womans chil­dren.

EXERCITAT. V. Of perjury. Commandement. III.

THe Lord threatned here a judgement upon Zede­kiah, because he breake his oath to Nabuchadnezzar who made him king, and because he brake the Lords owne oath, and the Lords covenant. Ezek. 17.19. there­fore he should die in the midst of Babylon.

Perjurie a great sinne.This perjurie is a high degree of taking of the name of God in vaine; for when a man promiseth by an oath, hee layeth both Gods verity and justice to pledge; and God, as it were, layeth his credit in pledge for him. David desired the Lord to be surety for him. Psal. 119.122. [...] Sponde pro servo suo in bonum. Be surety for thy servant for good. In a promissory oath the Lord is surety for a man, and giveth his word for him; now if hee breake his oath, then he breaketh to the Lord, and maketh his name to bee evill spoken of.

Secondly, when man sweareth, hee bindeth himselfe to bring forth all that which he knoweth, and to per­forme that which hee promised; and therefore the [Page 153] oath is called vinculum animae, the bond of the soule. An oath is the bond of the soule. [...] Num. 30.2. If a man sweare to binde his soule with a band. Now when hee hath no care to performe his oath, it is evident that there is neither truth nor verity in the minde. [...] Obligatione oblagando animam suam.

Thirdly, these three goe alwayes together, verity in an assertory oath, fidelity in a promissory oath, and an execration, if it be not performed.

In a promissory oath there is double verity, first when a man maketh an oath and is minded to performe it, and secondly when hee performeth it;A double veritie in a promissorie oath. if a man promise a great thing or a little, and is minded to performe nei­ther of them, hee is a lyar equally in both, as it is an as­sertory oath; for all lyes, considered in themselves,All lies considered in themselves are alike. are equall, and none of them is greater than another: the lyars of Pambiditha said, that they could make a camell goe through a needles eye; if another lyar should say, that he could make a mouse goe through a needles eye, the one is not a greater lye than the other: so if one should sweare to give an hundred pound, and another should sweare to give ten pound, but yet neither of them are minded to performe this; both these lyes are alike, as they are assertory, one of them is not grea­ter than the other; but if ye will respect the performing of these two, the performing or not performing of them are not alike; for if a man withhold an hundreth pound which hee promiseth to give to a poore man, and hee doth not performe it; his sinne is greater than the sinne of him who promiseth ten pounds, and withholds it.Iustice and judgement how they are taken.

This oath must bee in truth, justice, and judgement. Ezek. 4.3. When justice and judgement are joyned to­gether in the scriptures, then justice is commonly un­derstood of civill affaires, and judgement of criminall. Psal. 89.14. Iustice and judgement are the habitation of thy throne, they are verba forensia. 2. Sam. 8.15. And [Page 154] David reigned over all Israel, and David executed judge­ment and justice unto all his people. So Iam. 2.13. He shall have iudgement without mercy, who sheweth no mercy, here it is taken for the execution of iudgement; Now when the Lord commandeth that we should sweare in truth, in iustice and iudgement. Ier. 4.3. it is meant that we should testifie the truth both in civill and criminall causes. When Zedekiah had given his hand to Nebuchad­nezzar. Ezek. 17.18. and sworne obedience to him, and brake his oath, then he failed in iustice.

Ob. Whether is a man alwayes bound to performe his promissory oath or not?

Ans. He is not alwayes bound in a promissory oath; there is a mutuall promise betwixt a man and a woman that they shall marrie together,When a man is bound to performe his promis­sory oath. the woman breaketh to the man, here the man is free of his promissory oath; but if there bee not reciprocatio, a mutuall dealing in the same case, then the bond is not loosed. Example, Iohn sw [...] ­reth by an oath to give Thomas so much mony, Thomas againe sweareth to him that hee will give him so many oxen, but not for the money, Iohn breaketh to Thomas, and giveth him not the money; the question is whether Thomas bee free of his oath in promising him the oxen? the answere is, hee is not; but hee is bound to give the oxen, nam specie ad speciem non admittur compensatio hic, that is, Iohn did not promise Thomas the money for the oxen, but in another respect.

Quest. Whether was Peter bound to keep this oath or not? Thou shalt never wash my feet. Iohn 13.8.

Answ. All oathes are to bee ratified by the superior, but Christ his superior allowed not this oath.An oath not ratified by the superiour, or when it is a hinderance to a greater good, is not to be kept. Secondly, all oathes have this tacite condition annexed to them, providing that they hinder not a greater good; Peters oath would have hindered a greater good here; forthen Christ could not have shewed them a patterne of great [Page 155] humility to wash their feet.

Whether may an oath made by the inferior, with the consent and knowledge of the superior, Quest. bee loosed a­gaine by the superior.

Not, the Canonists give an example of this, Answ. a schol­ler is sworn not to depart from the schoole beyond the bounds agreed on betwixt him and his creditor, before he make payment at the appointed day; his father in the meane time commandeth him to returne home; if he had contracted this debt for his study, hee had a ta­cite consent of his father, when he put him to schoole,The superiour may not loose the oath of the in­feriour which hee hath once ratified. for all necessaries to entertaine him at schoole, and the father by his owne consent is spoiled of his authority; but much more when he giveth his expresse consent.

But Abraham might free his servant of the oath which he had made him to sweare. Gen. 24.8. Object. If the woman will not bee willing to follow thee, then thou shalt bee free of this mine oath.

Abraham freeth him of an impossibility, Answ. but there is no impossibility here betwixt the superior and the inferior, when the superior looseth the oath of the inferior in that which he may performe.

When an oath is exacted of a multitude, Quest. whether bindeth it every one in the common wealth, although every one had not sworne the oath.

The oath representative bindeth all the posterity, Answ. as we see in the Gibonites; An oath representative bindeth the posteritie. therefore after many yeares the seven sonnes of Saul were hanged for the breach of this representative oath. 2. Sam. 21.6. Although particu­larly every one of them had not sworne the oath. When Saul tooke an oath of the people that they should eate none till night; Ionathan was not present when the oath was made. 1. Sam. 14.27. yet the oath did binde them all; so the Iewes tooke upon them and their seede to keepe the dayes of Purim. Esth. 9.27. So the Israelites were [Page 156] bound to carry away Iosephs bones out of Egypt, which their father did sweare. Gen. 37.29. Exod. 13.19. So in a representative oath the children are bound to keep that in forma specifica, which their fathers did sweare.

Quest. When a society or incorporation are sworne to keep the lawes in the citty wherein they live, whether are they periured if they breake any of them or not?

Answ. The statutes of the common wealth whereunto men are sworne are of two sorts, first some of them are pro­pounded with the condition of perjury expressed. Se­condly, some of them are but conditionally propound­ed,The statutes of a com­monwealth, how they binde. having the punishment annexed if they breake them: he who breaketh the first sort, where there is an expresse condition of perjury added, this man is perjured; But if hee breake the statutes of the latter sort propounded conditionally under such a punishment, hee is free of perjurie, if hee undergoe the punishment, because such an oath obliged to obedience or punishment, and the law bindeth either to obedience or punishment; and if hee refuse to undergoe the punishment, then hee is perjured.

Conclusion.The conclusion of this is, to sweare rashly and with­out a cause, is from that evill one, Mat. 5.37. but perjurie is a higher degree from the evill one, and the booke of Gods curse especially lighteth upon his house. Zach. 5. as we see in Zedekiah here.

EXERCITAT. VI. Of blasphemy. Commandement III.

IN blasphemie let us consider these things. First, wherfore it is called blasphemie. Secondly, where­fore the Iewes condemned Christ as a blasphemer. Thirdly, what ceremonies they used when they heard one blaspheme. Fourthly, the judgements which have be fallen those who have blasphemed.

First, wherefore is it called blasphemie, it commeth from the Greeke word [...] ladere famam. [...].

Sundry people doe expresse one and the selfesame thing diversely. Example, 1. King. 2.10.Sundry people expresse one phrase diversely. Hee blasphe­med God and the King. The Greekes commonly expresse this phrase this wayes [...], as Ioh. 19.12. Who­soever maketh himselfe a king, speaketh against Caesar. But the Hebrewes when they expresse this phrase, they say, [...]. hee hath blessed the king; and the Seventy, following the Hebrewes say [...] hee hath blessed the king, [...]. and the Atticks amongst the Hebrewes expresse it otherwayes, [...] hee hath spoken well of the king; that is, hee hath cursed the king, and this [...] signified [...] to blaspheme, [...]. which word is appropriated now to God, when his holy name is blas­phemed, and this is done sundry wayes.It is blasphemie to give God names which befit him not.

First when men give to God that which no wayes be­fitteth him, as when they called Christ a drinker of wine. Mat. 11.19.

They blaspheme when they speake disdainfully of God.Secondly the name of the Lord is blasphemed, when they malitiously and in disdain speake against the Lord, as Pharoah said; Who is the Lord that I should know him? Exod. 5.2. such was the blasphemie of the sonne of the Israelitish woman. Levit. 24.11. He blasphemed the name of the Lord, in the originall it is, he pierced the name of the Lord; such was the blasphemie of the Iewes who said, [...] Perforavit nomen. that Christ did cast out devils through Belzebub the chiefe of the devils. Luc. 11.15. This blasphemie is pro­perly called the sinne against the holy Ghost; and they sinne toti, in tote, & totaliter. Toti, that is, having their mindes enlightned, and their affections malitiously set, they reject the whole knowne truth; In toto, that is, they sinne against the whole law, and cast the law be­hinde them: And totaliter, they fall away finally from the truth; To blaspheme this wayes is a most terrible sinne, for it pierceth the side of God: And as the stroakes which are given to the vitall parts are deadly; so to blas­pheme God, of whom we hold out life, that is a most fearefull sinne.

How they condemned Christ as a blasphemer.Secondly, why they condemned Christ as a blasphe­mer. Iob. 19.7. Wee have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himselfe the son of God. The law is set down; Exod. 22. Lev. 19. Deut. 18. that the blasphe­mer shall die the death; and the practise of it, Lev. 24. But the Iewes did mis-interpret this law, for first, they generally hold that the sonne of the Israelitish woman was put to death, because when he cursed, he expressed the name Iehova, [...] and so Onkelos the Paraphrast para­phraseth it, Parash eth shema, he expressed the name Ie­hova; the Seventy [...], hee named the name Iehova. In this sense they said not, that Christ blasphe­med, but they say, hee shall die because he made himselfe the sonne of God. But the law faith, he that blasphemeth the name of God, shall die the death: Now to apply this to [Page 159] him who was the sonne of God and gave the law, was the wresting of the law, therfore they say, We have a law; it was their law, but not the law of God.

Thirdly,The ceremonies which they used when they heard blasphemie. consider the ceremonies which they used when they heard any blaspheme; they were two espe­cially: first, they put their fingers in their cares that they might not heare the blasphemie; Act. 7.57. and second­ly, they rent their cloathes.

How could they rent their cloathes, Quest. seeing the Lord biddeth them rent the heart and not the clothes. Ioel 2.13.

Hee doth not forbid them simply to rent their cloaths, but rather to rent their heart than their cloaths. Answ. So Thou shalt be called Israel and not Iacob. Gen. 22.38. that is, thou shalt be called rather Israel than Iacob. So buy wisdome and not gold. Prov. 8.10. that is, rather, wisdome than gold. When ye make a great feast, bid not your bre­thren, but the poore. Luc. 14.12, 13. that is, rather the poore than your brethren. So, he sent me not to baptize, but to preach. 1. Cor. 1.17. that is, rather to preach than to baptize.

They rent their cloathes when the king died,When, and for whom they rent their cloathes. as David and his men rent their cloathes for the death of Saul and Ionathan. 2. Sam. 1.11, 12. and for burning of the booke of the law. Ier. 36.23, 24. and when the temple was destroyed, Ier. 41.5. and so when they heard the name of God blasphemed. 2. King. 19.1.