Whole Works, Tracts 1 · Tract 4 · Part 1 · Section 22
¶ Falſe worſhipping.
BUt what did the children of Iſraell and the Iewes? They let the ſignifications of their ceremonies goe, & loſt the meaning of them, and turned them vntounto the workes to ſerue them, ſaying that they were holy workes cō maunded of God, & the offerers were thereby iuſtified, & obtayned forgeuenes of ſinnes, & thereby become good: as the parable of the Phareſey & Publican declare, Luke. xviij. and as it is Luke. 18.to ſee in Paule and thoroughout al the Byble: and became captiue to ſerue & put their truſt in that which was neyther God nor hys worde. And ſo the better creature agaynſt nature did ſerue the worſe. Whereof all likelihode God ſhould hauehave accepted their worke by the reaſon of them, if their harts had The Iewes became ſeruauntes & captiues to theyr workes.bene right, and not hauehave accepted their ſoules for the blouds ſake of a Calfe or ſhepe, for as much as a man is much better then a Calfe or ſhepe, as Chriſt teſtifieth Math. xij. For what pleaſure ſhould God hauehave in the bloude of Calues or in the light of our candels? hys pleaſure is onelyonly in the hartes of them that louelove his commaundementes.
Then they went further in the imagination of their blynd reaſon ſaying, The blinde reaſon of hipocrites.in as much as God accepteth theſe holy workes, that we be made righteous thereby, then it foloweth that he which offereth moſt, is moſt righteous, and the beſtman: yea and it is better to offer an Oxe then a ſhepe, becauſe it is more coſtly. And ſo they ſtroue who might offer moſt, and the prieſts were well apayde. Then went they further ☞in their fleſhly wiſdome, ſaying: if I be good for the offering of a Doue, and better for a ſhepe, and yet better for an Oxe, and ſo euer the better thing I offer the better I am, Oh how accepted ſhould I be if I offered a mā, & namehym O blinde & …ll the imagination.that I moſt loued? And vpō that imagination, they offered their owne children, and burnt them to aſhes before Images that they had imagined.
And to cōti…e their blindues, they layd for them (no doubt) the enſample of Abraham, which offered his ſonne Iſaac, and was ſo accepted that God had promiſed hym, how that in hys ſeede all the worlde ſhould be bleſſed. Hereof ye ſee vntounto what abhomination blynde reaſon bringeth a man, whē ſhe is deſtitute of Gods word.
And to ſpeake of y• Sabbath (which was ordeyned to be their ſeruaunt, & Holy day.to preach & to be a ſigne vntounto thē, that God thorow his holy ſpirit and word Exod. 31.did ſanctifie them, in that they obeyed hys commaundementes, and beleued and truſted in hys promiſes (and therfore were charged to leaue workyng The Saboth day muſt ſerue vsus, and not we the Saboth day.and to come on the holy day and heare the word of God by which they were ſāctified) vntounto it, alſo they became captiue and bond to ſerue it, ſaying that they were iuſtified by abſteyning from bodely labour (as ours thinke alſo) in ſo much that though they beſtowed not the holy day in vertue prayer and How the Saboth day ſhould be occupyed.hearing the word of God, in almoſedede, in viſiting the ſicke, the needy & comfortleſſe and ſo forth, but went vp and downe idlye, yet what ſoeuer nede his neighbour had, he would not hauehave holpe him on the Saboth day, as thou mayſt ſee by the ruler of the Sinagoge which rebuked Chriſt for healyng the Luke. 13.people on the holy day Luke. xiij.
And of like blyndneſſe they went & The braſen Serpent.fet out the braſen Serpent (which Moſes commaūded to be kept in the Arke for a memory) & offered before it: thinkyng (no doubt) that God muſt be there preſent, for els how could it hauehave healed the people that came not nye it, but ſtode a farre of and beheld it onelyonly. And a thouſand ſuch madneſſe dyd they.
And of the temple they thought that The tēple.God heard them there better then any where els: yea and he heard them no where ſaue there. And therfore they could not pray but there, as ours can no where but at Church and before an Image. For what prayer can a man Prayer without fayth is n… prayer.pray, when the word of God is not in the temple of his hart: yea & whē ſuch come to Church, what is their prayer & what is their deuotiō, ſaue the blind image ſeruice of their hartes.
But the Prophetes euer rebuked them for ſuch faythleſſe woorkes & for Pſal. 46.ſuch falſe fayth in their workes In the xlix. Pſalme ſaith yt Prophet, I wil receaue no Calues of your houſes nor Goates out of your foldes, thinke ye God deſpiſe… the ſacrifices of y• vnfaithfull …ewes.that I will eate the fleſh of Oxen or drinke the bloud of Goates? And Eſayas ſayth in his firſt Chapter, what care I for the multit…de of your ſacrifices ſayth the Lord. I am full. I hauehave no luſt in the burnt offeringes of your Rammes, or in the fat of fa… beaſtes or bloud of Calues, Lambes or Goates: offer me no more ſuch falſe ſacrifice. And therto your ſwete cenſe is an abhominatiō vntounto me. And thus he ſayd becauſe of the falſe fayth and peruertyng the right vſe of them.
And for their calfe faſtyng, not referryng Faſtyng.their faſt vntounto the tamyng & ſubduyng of their fleſhe vntounto the ſpirite, Superſtious falling doth God abhorre.whē they complained vntounto God iuſtifying thē ſelues and ſaying, how happeneth it that we hauehave faſted and thou wouldeſt not looke vppon it, we hauehave humbled our ſoules and thou wouldſt not know it, God aunſwered them by Eſa. …8.the Prophet Eſayas in the. lviij. chapter, behold, in the day of your faſt, ye do your owne luſtes and gather vp all your dettes. And how ſoeuer ye faſt, ye neuertheleſſe ſtriue and fight and ſ…inite with tiſte cruelly. I hauehave choſen no ſuch faſt and humblyng of ſoule. &c. But that ye louſe wicked bondes and True faſting, what it is.let the oppreſſed go free, and to breake bread vntounto the hungry and to cloth the naked and ſo forth.
And concerning the temple, Eſaya… ſayth in his laſt chapter. What houſe Temple.will ye build for me or in what place ſhall I reſt? heauē is my ſeate and the earth my foote ſtole. As who ſhould ſay I am to great for any place that ye can make, and (as Steuen ſayth Actes vij. and Paul Actes. xvij. I dwell not Actes. 7. Actes. 17.in a temple made with handes.