Exposition of the Moral Law, Book 1 · Commandment 2 · Exercitation 6
EXERCITAT. VI. Commandement 2. How baſe idols are in the ſight of God.
Ier. 11.12. Ye hauehave ſet vp altars to that ſhamefull thing even altars to burne incenſe to Baal.
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, foreign ab illicitis idolorum cultibus. Quare addunt haebraei epithetum perpetuum.Mat. 24.15. ſo they are called foreign, 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 vntounto 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, 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 foreign cum נ in fine ſic foreign. 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 hauehave 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 onelyonly foreign 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 hauehave 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. foreign 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.foreign
So they are called Gnatzabbim, dolores, ſo they are called Tzirim, tormina vel cruciatus, foreignbecauſe they put a man to as great paine as the woman is when ſhe is in her childbirth,Pſal. 135.15. Eſay. 45.16. and 21.3. They are called Buſh, pudor. Ier. 11.12. the ſame word is given to a mans privie parts:foreign Deut. 25.11. Ye hauehave 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 foreign the God of thunder, but God in deriſion called him Baal-Peor, or foreign the god of a crack, they called their god Baalzebub, the god who did driue away flies, but Chriſt in diſdain called him foreign 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.