Abolishing of Things Abused to Superstition and Idolatry, Tract · Section 14
Sect. 14.
NOw that I may provoke you hereunto, I ſhall as an addition to thoſe grounds you have already heard, offer you ſome few conſiderations, and ſo conclude.
1. It is the property of all ſuch, as ſeeing the evil of ſuperſtition and idolatry, do thereupon unfeignedly diſlike and turn from them, to do it.2 Cor. 7.11. The Scripture ſhews, that godly ſorrow is attended not only with care, fear, and zeal, but alſo with indignation and revenge. And as it ſtands thus affected towards other ſins, ſo particularly towards ſuperſtition and idolatry. When a man ſees what miſchief they have done him, and is duly ſorry for the ſame, he does all he can to be reveng'd on them: and the better to accompliſh his deſire herein, he roots out whatever either hath been an occaſion of it for the time past, or may be an occaſion of it for the time to come. 2 Chron. 33.15.When Manaſſeh became a new man, he preſently took away the ſtrange gods, the Idol out of the houſe of the Lord, and all the altars he had built in the mount thereof, and in Jeruſalem: and caſt them out of the City. So the Jews; upon their turning to God and his pure worſhip,Iſa. 31.7. every man caſts away his Idols of ſilver, and his Idols of gold, which their hands had made to them for a ſin. They do not dote on them as they us'd to do, but throw them away with contempt and ſcorn. And wherever there is true repentance from ſuperſtition and idolatry, Solomon de admiſſo idololatriae ſcelere nunquam perfecte paenituit, &c. in 2 Reg. 23.it uſes to be thus; and where it is not thus, we have canſe to fear there is not true repentance. Rabanus thinks Solomon was no true penitent, and that upon this ground, that he did not aboliſh thoſe things in his Dominions, which had been abuſed to Idolatry. Solomon (ſaith he) never truly repented of his idolatry: for if he had yielded fruits worthy repentance, he would before all things have taken care to remove the Idols which he made, Aug. in Pſ. 126. & alibi. Bell. t. 1. de verb. l. 1. c. 5. See what Voetius ſaith to the contrary, diſp. part. 2. p. 1044 And Prideaux Lect. 6. ſect. 17. p. 90.and not (being ſo wiſe a man) have left them to ſtand as stumbling blocks to fools, as if what he erroneouſly deviſed, had been wiſely and well done. But though what he and ſome others have ſaid concerning his condition, be ſome what too harſh, yet this is certain, that his neglect in the preſent caſe, renders his repentance and ſalvation far more diſputable than otherwiſe it would have been. If we will be accounted the friends of God, we muſt declare our enmity againſt thoſe things that ſtand in oppoſition to him, which we cannot, ſufficiently, be thought to do, whiles we ſuffer the occaſions of his diſhonour, peaceably to abide amongſt us.
2. If we do not do it, but inſtead thereof make uſe of them, we ſhall go againſt the clear light of Scripture which teaches us otherwiſe, we ſhall go againſt all thoſe precepts, promiſes, threatnings, commendations, reprehenſions, rewards, puniſhments before mentioned, which do in a very high degree oblige us thereunto. Now this we muſt by no means be guilty of, leſt with thoſe Job ſpeaks of,Job. 24.13. we be found rebellious againſt the light, and wilfully acceſſary to our own ruine. It is ſinful to withſtand the obſcureſt truth the Scripture offers to us, but to withſtand that which ſhines with ſo much evidence and brightneſs is ſinful indeed,Luk. 12.47. and therefore will no doubt be puniſhed with many ſtripes.
3. If we do not do it, but make uſe of them, we ſhall give great offence to thoſe amongſt whom we live. We ſhall offend ſome by confirming them in their idolatry, others by drawing them to it, and others by grieving and making them ſad with our unwarrantable carriage herein. The Holy Ghoſt according to the ſeptuagint, terms the Idols of Ephraim foreign, ſcandals, or offences; and indeed that is the nature of all Idols, Hoſ. 4.17.with the ornaments and utenſils belonging to them: they tend to the offending either one way or other, of all that have to do with them. Balak inticed the Iſraelites to eat meat ſacrificed to Idols, and how do's the Holy Ghost interprete it?Rev. 2.14. Hall Caſes of Conſc. p. 183. Ed. 3. why he calls it a caſting a ſtumbling block before them. And a late Biſhop diſcuſſing the caſe, whether reſerving your conſcience to your ſelf, you may be preſent at Idolatrous devotion, anſwers it negatively. Your preſence (ſaith he) is unlawfull upon a double ground: of ſin, and of ſcandal: Of ſin, if you partake in the idolatry; of ſcandal, if you do but ſeem to do it. The ſcandal is threefold: you confirm the Offenders in their ſin, you draw others by your example into ſin, you grieve the ſpirits of thoſe wiſe Christians that are the ſad witneſſes of your offence. How we muſt reconcile this with what he ſays after in defence of Naamans bowing before Rimmon, I ſee not; unleſs we muſt ſay that in ſo doing, he neither partak'd in the idolatry there committed, nor any way ſeem'd to do it, and if ſo, then (as I ſaid before) what need was there of a pardon? Certainly whether he partak'd in it really, or no he did in ſome ſort ſeem to do it, which afterwards being convinced was unlawful, he is ſorry for it, and reſolves againſt it for the future. And if the ſeeming to own, and make uſe of abuſed things be thus offenſive, what remains then, but that denying them any countenance, or room amongſt us, we take them and bury them in obſcurity.
4. If we do not do it, but make uſe of them, we ſhall occaſion our godly brethren to ſeparate and withdraw from us. God hath charged them, that when they ſee us fall in with ſuperstitious and idolatrous courſes, to ſtand at a diſtance, and keep off from us. When the Iſraelites were fall'n to ſuch courſes, he requires the godly Jews to have nothing to do with them. Come not ye (ſaith he) to Gilgal, neither go yee up to Bethaven.Hoſ. 4.15. Before the Iſraelites fell to ſuch courſes, the Jews might lawfully enough have gone either to Gilgal or Bethel (here for the wickedneſs of it, called Bethaven) and there have held communion with them, but afterwards they might not, without the guilt of ſinful Symbolizing and complying. And what he requir'd of the Jews, he requires of all his faithful Servants, whom he hath obliged to the like abſtinence; and therefore if we mean to have their communion, we muſt refrain from ſuch courſes, and walk more inoffenſively. Nay
5. If we do not do it, but go on to make uſe of them, we ſhall provoke God to caſt us off and forſake us. If we will preſerve his worſhip and ordinances ſincere, and keep cloſe to him in the regular uſe of them, he will favour us with his preſence, and abide amongſt us; but if otherwiſe, he will withdraw from us and leave us. When the Iſraelites fell to Idols, he proceeded with them after this manner: he claps a Loammi uponHoſ. 1.9. their heads, divorces them from him, and leaves them. Before, he own'd them in an high degree, bleſſed them with rare and ſingular priviledges; but when they forſook his pure worſhip, and fell to ſuperſtitious and idolatrous courſes, he ſuspends his wonted kindneſs, delivers them into the hands of the Aſſyrians, See Voetius diſp. part. 2. p. 145, 146drives them out of their own land, and do's ſo diſperſe and ſcatter them; that it's become a dispute, whether there be ſuch a people at this day in the world. As then, we would enjoy the preſence of God, which is the greateſt bleſſing any creature can poſſibly poſſeſs, let's throw away all our Idols of what ſort ſoever, and caſt from us every polluted and unclean thing; otherwiſe, there is nothing to be expected, but utter abdication and rejection, of which what good man, can think without horror and trembling?
FINIS.
End of the text · Joseph Wilson, Abolishing of Things Abused to Superstition and Idolatry (1668)