Works, Treatise · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.The Apostasie of the Iatter Times PART I.
foreign in the Scripture imports Revolt or Rebellion. That Idolatry is such, proved from several passages in Scriplute. By Spirits in the Text are meant Doctrines. foreign are to be taken Passively, viz. for Doctrines concerning Daemons. Several instances of the like form of speech in Scripture.
I Return now unto the First part of my Text, The Description of that solemn Apostasie; where I will consider the five parts or points thereof as I have propounded them, though it be not according to the order of the words. And first in the more general expression, as I called it, in the words foreign, & foreign.
foreign is as much as to say, They shall make an Apostasie: Now foreign in the Scripture's use, when it looks towards a person, signifies a Revolt, or Rebellion; when towards God, a spiritual Revolt from God or Rebellion against Divine Majesty, whether Total, or by Idolatry and serving other Gods. For the Seventy, whence the New Testament borrows the use of speech, usually translates by this word the verb foreign to rebel, and foreign Rebellion; both which when they have reference to a spiritual Sovereignty, mean nought else but Idolatry and serving of other Gods: as may appear, Iosuah 22. 19. where the Israelites supposing their brethren the Reubenites and Gadites, in building another Altar upon the banks of Iordan, had meant to have forsaken the Lord and served other Gods, they said unto them, foreign you have rebelled against the Lord, and presently, Rebell not against the Lord, nor rebell against us; where the Seventy hath foreign and in vers. 22. foreign Rebellion is translated foreign, in the words, the Lord God of gods he knoweth if it be in rebellion or in transgression against the Lord. Also Numb. 14. vers. 9. when the people would have renounced the Lord upon the report of the Spies, Iosuah and Caleb spake unto them, saying, foreign, Rebel ye not; where the Seventy hath foreign, Be not Apostates from the Lord. So Nehem. 9. 26. in that repentant confession which the Levites make of the Idolatry of their Nation, they were disobedient, say they, foreign and rebelled against thee: where the Seventy hath foreign. And Daniel in the like confession, Chap. 9. vers. 9. foreign, the Seventy, foreign we have rebelled against him. So the Idolatry of Ahaz, 2 Chron. 28. and Chap. 29. is by the same Interpreters called foreign, and he foreign revolted greatly from the Lord.
I will not trouble you with the places where foreign translated foreign is used for Treason and Rebellion against earthly Princes, which are many. It is sufficient to gather from what we have quoted, That Apostasie having reference to a Sovereignty and Lordship, betokens a withdrawing of service and subjection there-from; which, if the Sovereignty and Majesty be Divine, is done by*Hence the phrase in Scripture Fornicarid Des, To apostatize from God by spiritual fornication: vide Psal. 73. Hos. 9. & ch. 4. Ezek. 23. See Concord, Kir…: Idolatry and service of other Gods, as well as if the Majesty of the true God were renounced altogether. The use of the New Testament is answerable. Hebr. 3. 12. Take heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, foreign in departing from the living God. And, which is more near to our purpose, S. Paul in his 2 Thess. 2. 3. means no other thing in his Prophecie of the man of sin by foreign than Christian Idolatry; foreign (Syr. foreign) foreign, Vnless that Apostasie come first, that is, Unless there be a breach of Allegiance and Faith given unto Christ, by Idolatry under Antichrist. The like therefore I conclude to be intended in my Text by foreign, namely, That in the latter times men should break their Oath of fidelity to Christ that in and through him alone they should approch and worship the Divine Majesty. And so hath the use of the word foreign taught us something, or at least it hath wrought an indefinite suspicion of what should befal Christians in the latter times. Howsoever we are yet in suspence whether this departing from Christ and the Mystery of Godliness should be Total, in not acknowledging him at all, or whether Heretical, in serving others besides him. For the Iews we know, when they forsook the Lord most, yet did not forsake him altogether; but their Apostasie was in not serving him only and alone, but others besides him, as Calves, the Host of Heaven, and Baalim.
LET us therefore see if the next general words will afford us yet further information, viz. foreign foreign & foreign i. e. foreign Chald…e… & Targumustis est Idolum: & foreign est Idola colere & l…ortari.attending to erroneous spirits, or, as some read, foreign spirits of errour. It would be unprofitable and tedious to tell here of the diverse use of this word Spirit in Scripture. Some take in this place for Doctors of spiritual things, and so foreign, or, as some read, foreign, should be Doctors of Errors.
But I had rather take Spirits in this place for Doctrines themselves; For so Divines observe it to be used, I Iohn 4. 1.Rom. 1. 27. foreign, Believe not every spirit, i.e. every doctrine, foreign, but try the spirits, foreign,2. Thess. 2. 11. if they be of God; foreign, because many false Prophets are gone out into the world: 2 Pet. 2. 1….and so onward in that Chapter, foreign the spirit of Antichrist signifies the false doctrine of Antichrist. So if this sense be admitted, we are something less in suspence than we were, and may guess that this Revolt should not be Total, but Heretical: For we shall not easily find the word Spirit to be otherwise used but either for the Doctrines or Doctors of Christianity, or for Heresies under the same. It seems therefore to be some revolt from Christ by Idolatry, even in those who would seem to worship him.
But suppose it be so, yet still are we in suspence what these Erroneous and Idolatrous Doctrines might be: For Idolatry, as we may see in the Iewish Apostasies, was of diverse kinds, as worshipping the Host of Heaven, Baalims, and the Gentiles other things besides them. But we shall not be long in doubt, the next words will clear the case, and tell us they shall beforeign …. 10. 8. foreign Doctrines of Daemons: not which Daemons or Devils are authors of (though that be true) as if the Genitive case were active; but Doctrines concerning Daemons, the Gen…tive case foreign being here to be taken passively for the object of these doctrines; as in Hebr. 6. 2. we have foreign doctrines of Baptisms, and doctrines of laying on of hands, of the Resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment, that is, doctrines about and concerning all these. And the same use may elsewhere be found even with the word Doctrine: as Acts 13. 12. foreign the doctrine of the Lord, that is, concerning him. So Titus 2. 10. foreign, the doctrine of God our Saviour. And Gal. 2. 20. we have foreign, the foreign Act. 3. 16. Phil. 3. 9. foreign and foreign 2 The…, 2. 13. Consider them.faith of the Son of God, that is, concerning him. Semblably in my Text, foreign are Doctrines of Daemons or Doctrinae Deastrorum; that is, The Gent…es idolatrous Theology of Daemons should be revived among Christians. For I take the word foreign or foreign (for all is one) not in that worst sense (which no Author but the Scripture useth) but in the better or more indifferent sense, as it was supposed and taken among the Theologists and Philosophers of the Gentiles, and as it is also sometimes taken in Scripture, as I shall shew in due time.