Exposition of the Moral Law, Book 1 · Commandment 2 · Exercitation 13
EXERCITAT. XIII. Of mixtures of Religion. Commandement II.
1. King. 18.21. And Elijah came unto all the people and ſaid, how long halt yee betweene two opinions? If the Lord be God, then follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.
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,foreign 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.foreign 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 foreign, 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 in the feminine gender, Mebhaſhereth.Prophets and Euangeliſts put in the feminine gender. foreign 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 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 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 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.