Exposition of the Moral Law, Book 1 · Commandment 2 · Exercitation 12
EXERCITAT. XII. Whether Naaman might bow in the houſe Rimmon or not? Commandement II.
2. King. 5.18. In this thing the Lord pardon thy ſervant, that when my maſter goeth into the houſe of Rimmon to worſhip there, and hee leaneth on my hand, and I bow my ſelfe in the houſe of Rimmon.
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; foreignſecondly, 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 foreign) 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 onelyonly, ſi adoravero in templo Rimmon: but ſe in what Naaman deſireth to be diſpenſed with; he craveth onelyonly 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, 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 onelyonly de genuflexione obſequii, this he ſaith, was lawfull in it ſelfe, and he bowed with the king, not having reſpect to idolatrie, but onelyonly 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 onelyonly 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 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 onelyonly 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 onelyonly a diſmiſſing of him, and ſending him away, promiſing that he would pray for him, that the Lord would ſtrengthen 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.