Divine Poems, Commandment 2
Commandment II.
Thou ſhalt not make to thy ſelfe any Graven image &c.
Superſtition here is free
If her Idols rais'd may be;
And with Zeal the ſame purſues
If will worſhip ſhe may uſe.
When, ſhe ſhould obey or hear
Sacrifice, ſhe doth prepare.
Such Religion to profeſs
Is but irreligeouſneſs:
And for that preſumptions vain,
Many Iſraelites were ſlain.
Command. II.
Let every Hand and Heart refrain
An Image of our God, to fain.
THree thouſand ſuffered by their brethrens hand,
For offering violence to this Command;
And for committing of the ſame offence,
The Sword hath been in action, ever ſince,
(Some where or other) to the devaſtation
Of many a powerful and renowned Nation.
For to adore one Godhead, and no moe,
Save him, to whom ſuch Duty all men owe,
Sufficeth not, unleſs our adoration
Be ſuch as may obtain his approbation.
A forged worſhip meriteth a Rod
As truly as a falſified God;
And ſuch as do their own Religion frame,
Serve but their Fancies; though God bear the name.
When humane wit, had fool'd away the notion
Of Gods true Being, and of true Devotion,
She calling to remembrance that each Creature
Had in it ſome impreſſion of his nature,
Did blindly ſeek him, by that couz'ning light,
And loſt at laſt the knowledge of him quite.
For, ſome did make him Figures like their own;
Some like to beaſts, and ſome like forms unknown:
Then by degrees the Devil ſcrewed in
To ſeem a God, and made the fouleſt Sin,
Thought pious worſhip: For, though vile it be
To picture him whoſe form we cannot ſee,
And to aſcribe to him imperfect features
Who gave their bodies to the faireſt Creatures;
And in whoſe Eſſence all perfections are,
Yet in their wickedneſs they ſtaid not there,
By wicked Ceremonies they invited
The world to think the Godhead was delighted
With helliſh actions for their living ſeed,
In horrid wiſe to death did often bleed
As acceptable offerings murtherous hands
Were thought the Actors of his juſt Commands.
And drunken Riots with laſcivious Games
Seem'd holy Duties and had holy Names.
Nor did the Gentiles only thus miſdo
But many Jews, and many Chriſtians too,
The ſelf ſame ſins in Eſſence did commit,
Though with new Vizzards they had covered it.
For how much better are their Feſtivals
Then Bacchanalian Riots, in whoſe Halls
And Parlours are aſſembled (in the ſtead
Of thoſe poor Souls, whom Charity ſhould feed)
A Rout of Roaring Ruffins, who are there
For nothing but to drink, or game and ſwear?
Except it be that they might ſoon undo
Thoſe fools which do abuſe Gods bounty ſo?
Mens follies make them frequently to err,
And, then, they Vice for Vertue do prefer.
Their Superſtition, makes them think amiſs
Of God; And then their ſervice of him, is
Accordingly devis'd: they favour not
That worſhip, which their wit hath not begot.
They fear him Tyrant-like, and dream that he
Is pleas'd with ſuch like works as Tyrants be.
For Carnal wiſdom, cannot be content,
Unleſs it may be ſuffered to invent,
The Scoenes, which make her Stage Religion ſeem
To Superarrogate in her eſteem.
Some, tho' they Scoff Idolatry, are hardly brought
To ſerve a God of whom they have not thought.
A circumſcribed Form, to which, they may
Addreſs themſelves, in that corporeal way,
Which they affect and therefore up they rear
Such Calves, as to their Fancies do appear:
Yea ſometime ſuch Ideas they deviſe,
As Piety would hate, and wit deſpiſe.
Some others are too homely, and too bold
Another way, and no man layeth hold
Upon the Truth, who thinks to ſeize thereon,
By ſearching for it, in himſelf alone.
Theſe Sins againſt this Precept juſtly blam'd
As thereto acceſſary have been nam'd,
In what we muſed, on the Law before
To which are added here, three other more,
Vain Curioſity, blind Superſtition,
Prophaneneſs, and a changeable Condition.
By theſe we are perverted, yea, by theſe
Our God is formed as our fancies pleaſe;
Sometime (like thoſe of whom the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks)
The God which to it ſelf mans Fancy makes;
Is either blind or careleſs. God, (ſays one)
Beholdeth not thoſe evils that are done,
Tuſh, God regardeth not, another ſays,
The folly or perverſeneſs of our waies.
Some others make unto themſelves, a God
So mild, as if he never us'd a Rod.
And, ſome again do fancy him to be
So cruel; that their God appears to me
To be that Saturn, now ſet up again,
Who (as the ancient heathen Poets fain)
Devour'd his Children; And they fain him, for
That which the God-like nature doth abhor.
Theſe Evils to prevent; This Law divine
The wandring humane Fancy doth confine
All men in Sacred worſhipings reſtraining
As well, from Intellectual Objects faining,
As from Corporeal forms: And him God threats
Who due performance of this Law forgets.
For God himſelf who knoweth beſt how far
By repreſentments, it convenient were,
To ſhadow forth his nature, did devize
As many and as few as might ſuffize.
God knew, that if mans frailty might not ſee
Some objects, whereupon might fixed be
His weak Devotion, he would either make
Vain Fictions, or Devotion, quite forſake.
It therefore, pleas'd, his goodneſs to prepare
Thoſe objects for the Jews, which fitting were
For them, ſuch was the Serpent made of braſs
Till by Idolators abus'd it was.
Such were their Temple and the Mercy Seat
On which or towards which their eyes were ſet,
In their Devotion; that the wandring ſence
There being fixed, Faith might raiſe from thence
The ſafer flight, and that Religion may
A body have, wherein her Soul may ſtay,
For, doubtleſs that Religion is untrue,
Which hath no outward ſhape for men to view.
As for the Jews: Our weakneſs, tendring too
God, hath vouchſaft the like, for us to do.
He hath advanc'd for us to look upon
The Image of his Crucified Son,
And limb'd him in his word with ſuch dimenſions
As may, and ſhould employ our Apprehenſions,
Without all vain additions of our own,
Until, the Eſſence of it, may be known.
Nor of our ſelves nor to our ſelves was made
This Image; But, the ſame, from God we had.
He ſet it up, for us to fall before it;
To contemplate; to honour; to adore it.
This Image he that faithfully ſhall view,
Thereby, that long left Image may renew,
Wherein Mankind was framed by God's hand,
And in that likeneſs we ſhall ever ſtand.
Still praiſed be that Image, which hath power
To perfect ſuch Imperfectneſs as our:
And let all thoſe who ſhall the ſame deſpiſe
Be guilty of the worſt Idolatries.
Oh Chriſt ſo perfect my renewed will
That I this holy precept may fulfil.
Amen.