Treatise of the Four Degenerate Sons, Treatise · Part 3 · Section 2 – Section 4
SECT. 2. How great a ſinne this ſinne of Idolatrie is.
GOd who is the ſupreame and independant cauſe, from whom are all things, by whom are all things, and for whom are all thinges, who is Alpha and Omega,God hath reſerved three things to himſelfe which he will not communicace to creatures. is worthy of greateſt honour; and he hath reſerved three things to himſelfe, which he will not communicate with any creature. The firſt is abſolute and ſupreme power in judging mans ſtanding and falling; Who art thou that Iudgeſt another mans ſervant Rom. 14.4. there is a great wrong done to this ſupreme Lord, when man takes upon him to ſit in his judicatorie, which onelyonly belongeth to God.
The ſecond thing, which God hath reſerved to himſelfe is vengeance, Rom. 12.19. Vengeance is mine, I will repay (ſaith the Lord) when any creature takes upon him that which the Lord hath reſerved for himſelfe, then he diſhonoureth God.God hath reſerved his glory for himſelfe.
The third and greateſt of all, is his glory and worſhip; which he hath reſerved for himſelfe; and that he will communicate to no creature. God is liberall enough otherwaies to man; he communicates to him his goodneſſe, his mercy, and bountifulneſſe; but hee hath reſerved his worſhip for himſelfe: He gave Adam liberty to eate of all the trees of the garden, but he reſerved to himſelfe the tree of knowledge of good and evill; and even as in the euchariſticall ſacrifices, the Prieſt got a part, and the people got a part, but the Lord reſerved the fat for himſelfe, Levit. 3.3. So the Lord hath reſerved his worſhip for himſelfe, therefore when Idolaters beſtow this divine worſhip upon creatures, this is a horrible and a fearefull ſinne.
In every ſinne there concurre two things, firſt averſio a Deo, a turning from God, and converſio ad creaturam, In every ſinne there is an a verſion from God and a turning to the creature.a turning to the creature; and the baſer and vilder that the creatures be which a man turnes himſelfe to, the ſinne is the greater; when Demas imbraced this preſent world, here was a great averſion from God, and a turning to the creature; but in Idolatry there is a greater averſion from God & a turning to the creature, for here he turnes himſelf to the Devill, who is moſt oppoſite to God; for the worſhipping of Idols is the worſhipping of Devils, Deut. 32.17. Pſal. 106.7. 1 Cor. 10.21.
To refuſe the moſt excellent, and to chooſe the vileſt,Idolaters refuſe the moſt excellent and chooſe the vileſt. this is great madneſſe: when the trees of the field deſpiſed the vine tree Iudges 9. which cheered both God and man, and the Olive tree for all his fatneſſe, and the Figge tree for all his ſweetneſſe, and made choiſe of the bramble to raigne over them, what a miſerable choiſe was this; there came a fire from the bramble and burnt the trees of the field: So for a man to refuſe the living God, and to make choiſe of a baſe Idoll, and worſhip it, what a bad choiſe was this: And what marveile is it that there comes not a fire of the wrath of God, and conſume theſe Idolaters.
The Angels have alwayes refuſed divine worſhip.The moſt excellent creatures in heaven, the Angels have alwayes refuſed to accept of this divine worſhip, Rev. 19.10. If thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it to the Lord, Iudg. 13.16. but the devils have taken this worſhip unto themſelves, and by all meanes ſought it: The devill accepted of this ſpirituall worſhip at Sauls hand, when he bowed himſelfe before him: ſo he ſought it of Chriſt, Mat. 4. It muſt be a horrible ſinne then to commit this Idolatry; the good Angels and glorified ſpirits are ſet downe to us for imitation, and not the devills.
Idolatrie diſſolves the marriage betwixt Chriſt & his Church.This Idolatrie is the greateſt ſinne, becauſe it diſſolves the marriage betwixt Chriſt and his Church: This idolatry is ſpirituall adultery; for the which the Lord repudiates his Church: This ſinne of Idolatry blots the children, and gives them place to plead againſt their whooriſh mother, Hoſ. 2.2. Plead with your mother, pleade with your mother, for ye are the children of fornication.
Foure things are conſidered in Religion.In Religion there are foure things which we ought to conſider: firſt, wee ought to conſider the infinite majeſtie of God, and that all things depend on him. Secondly, we ſhould conſider our own baſeneſſe and vileneſſe, and that we are nothing, and have nothing of our ſelves. Thirdly, there muſt be an earneſt and true ſubmiſſion of the mind to God, which the mind muſt acknowledge within it ſelfe. Fourthly, there are externall ſignes, and bodily geſtures and actions required, teſtifying this inward reverence which wee carrie to God. The Angels having no bodies, teſtifie this their reverence by internall and ſpirituall ſubmiſſion to God; and when the Angels appeared in viſible ſhapes, they covered their faces before the Lord, in token of their ſubmiſſion to him: and man muſt teſtifie this his obedience both in minde and body. Now when man conſiders not the great and high majeſtie of God, then hee beginnes to reſemble God to a creature, and hee gives the creatures that worſhip which is due onelyonly to God,When men conſider not the great majeſtie of God, and their own baſeneſſe they fall into Idolatrie. and this is Idolatry. Secondly, when hee conſiders not his owne baſeneſſe and vileneſſe, but …ve, …s himſelfe above his owne condition, then he comm…s Idolatrie; take for an example the King of Tyre, who elevated himſelfe farre above his owne condition, Ezech. 28.3. who thought himſelfe wiſer than Daniel, and that there was no ſecrets hid from him; his contempt led him yet higher; hee thought himſelfe more glorious than the high-prieſt for all the precious ſtones in his breaſt-plate; he thought himſelfe wiſer than Adam when he was in Eden, ver. 13. and yet he aſcends more, hee thought himſelfe like a Cherub, or an Angell of God, verſ. 14. and laſtly, when hee can goe no higher, hee thinkes himſelfe not inferiour to God himſelfe, verſe 2. And ſo Antichriſt takes that honour to him which is due onelyonly to God,This ſinne is called foreign, Mark. 7.21. ab foreign, & foreign oſtendo, quaſi digit is pedum inſiſtens ſupra caeteros caput extollit ſeque conſpiciendum praebet; Sic metitur ſe perſe, 2 Cor. 10.12. 1 Theſ. 2.4. when he ſits in the houſe of God as God; when men conſider not the majeſtie of God, but beginnes to reſemble him to a creature, than the ballance goes downe, and they will give his worſhip to the very creeping things; but when man forgets himſelfe; and elevates himſelfe above his condition, then the ballance goes up, and he never makes a ſtay untill he equall himſelfe with God.
The Lord tanted and mocked thoſe Idolaters,The Lord mocked and tanted Idolaters and Idols. ſhewing their madneſſe, how with one peece of the tree hee warmed himſelfe, and of another peece of the tree hee made a God, and worſhipped; and ſo the heathen duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page mocked theſe worſhippers of Idols; Seneca, Quid (inquit) brutalius eſt, quam ſtatuis ſacrifices, ſtatuarium vero menſa tua excludas, apud ſtatuam genua tua flectis, pictorem aperto capite coram te ſtantem deſpicis & negligis, what is more ſenſleſſe and brutiſh (ſaith Seneca) then for thee to ſacrifice to an Idoll, and yet thou will not ſuffer him who made the Image to come to thy table; thou boweſt thy knee before the Image, and yet thou ſuffers him who made the Image to ſtand ba…ded before thee, and him thou deſpiſeſt and …g…cts. So Diagoras jeſted at the Idolls of old, and when he ſaw the Image of Hercules, he pulled it downe, and threw it into the fire, and ſaid, this ſhall be the thirteenth labour of Hercules: Thus we ſee every man a beaſt in his owne knowledge,No ſinne hath ſo many ſhifts for it as Idolatry hath. Ier. 10.14.
There is no ſinne that hath ſo many ſhiftes for it ſelfe as this ſinne hath, as the whore wiped her mouth, and ſaid, ſhe did it not, Prov. 30.20. So they denie, extenuate, and cover this ſinne; therefore it is that the Lord when he deſcribes this ſpirituall whoredome;Why the Lord deſcribes Idolatry in ſuch plaine tearmes. hee deſcribes it in more plaine and open termes, then he doth bodily whoredome, Ezech. 16.15. Thou powreſt out thy fornications upon every one that paſſeth by, his it was; and verſe 25. Thou haſt opened thy feete to every one that paſſeth by; and verſe 26. Thou hast committed fornications with thy neighbour, great of fleſh; and Chap. 23.30. Shee doted upon their paramoures, whoſe fleſh is as the fleſh of aſſes, and whoſe Iſſue is as the iſſue of horſes; but when the Lord ſpeakes of bodily adultery, he ſpeakes in more covered termes, as Prov. 9.17. Stolen waters are ſweet. So hee deſcribeth by eating, She eateth and wipeth her mouth, Prov. 30.20. and the reaſon is, becauſe men are more ſenſſeleſſe in taking up this ſpirituall adultery, and they uſe moe ſhifts to hide it; and therefore the Lord ſets it downe in ſuch plaine termes.
The Lord ſaith,What ſignifies to ſet up an image before God. Yee ſhall not make to thy ſelfe any graven image, gnal pani before me, gnal panai ſignifieth either continuance of time, or noteth a place.foreign
Firſt continuance of time, that ſo long as I am,So long as the Lord lives no image muſt ſet up before him. ye ſhall not chooſe another god, Num. 3.4. And Eleazar and Ithamar miniſtered in the Prieſts office, in the ſight of Aaron their father, gnal peni Aharon, vivente adhuc Aarone. So 1 Sam. 31, 1. and the child Samuel miniſtred unto the Lord before Eli, lipne gneli ante Eli, that is while Eli was alive, Deut. 21.16.foreign yee may not make the ſonne of the beloved firſt borne, before the ſonne of the hated, gnal peni ben, juxta faciem filij exoſae, that is, ſo long as the ſonne of the hated liveth. So Exod. 20. Ye ſhall have no other Gods before me, gnal panai, ante ſeu coram me; that is, ſo long as I live.
So it is taken for a place;In no place an image muſt be ſet up before him. ye ſhall neither ſet up an Idoll before me, either privately or publickely, for Gods face is every where privately: the Lord forbiddeth them, Deut. 27.15.Neither privately. Curſed be he that maketh any graven or molten image an abhomination of the Lord, the worke of the hand of the craftſman, and putteth it in a ſecret place. So the Lord abhored the chamber of their imagerie Ezek. 8.12.Neither publickely. and he forbids them publickely to commit that Idolatry in the viſible Church; Cain fled from the face of the Lord Geneſ. 4.16. That is from the viſible Church; So the propitiatorie in the Church of Ieruſalem was called the face of God Exod. 25. they were called panes facierum, becauſe they ſtood before the propitiatory the face of the Lord; therefore the Lord forbids to ſet up an Idol before him: It was a great malapertneſſe in the Iewes to ſet up their Idoles in mount Olivet, juſt under the Lords noſe; therefore it was called 2 Kings 23.23. not mens Oliverum hamiſhka unctionis, but chamiſhceth perditionis, Elegans paranomafia.God never looked out of the holieſt of all, but he ſaw this vile Idolatry: to ſet up this image of jealouſie in the ſight of the Lord, was a vile abhomination Ezek. 18.
Before my face; the lawes of men at the firſt commanded, if the husband ſhould apprehend the adulterer with his wife, then he ſhould kill them both; as Solon and Draco his Lawes ordained;Plutarch in the life of Solon. Codice titulo. l. Gracchus Covaruvius de matrimonio. 2. p. c. 7 7. but the Law of the twelve tables mitigates this afterward, Maechum in adulterio deprehenſum necato, ſi vilis eſt, the husband might kill the adulterer with the adultereſſe, if he was a baſe perſon. So when the Lord apprehends his Church committing abhomination with theſe Idols, and apprehends her in foreign, may he not juſtly kill the adultreſſe?
Before my face, the Schoolemen have a good axiome, Bonum niſi ex cauſa integra, malū vero ex quocun que defectu peſsimum vero ex defectu maximo. Circumſtances doe much exaggerat a ſin, for as in man it is not enough that the body have all the compleate parts to make up the perfection of it; but there is requiſite likewiſe proportion, colour, ſituation of partes, and if any of theſe be wanting, then a man is thought an uncomely man, Bonum hic ex integra cauſa naſcitur; but if any thing bee wanting, then that breedes defect, but the greateſt defect ariſeth of the greateſt want, and which is fartheſt from the good: It was a great ſinne in Abſalon to lye with his fathers concubines in any place, but to lye with them in the ſight of the ſunne, before all the people, this was a double ſinne and a deformitie 2 Sam. 16.23. So for Cozbi and Zimri to commit their wickedneſſe in any place, was a great ſinne, but to commit this ſinne in the ſight of Moſes and of all the congregation, when all the people were weeping before the Tabernacle of the Congregation, Num. 25.6. this was a fearefull ſinne: So to commit this Idolatry in a private place was a great ſinne, but for the Iſraelites to have committed this ſinne before the Lord in the ſight of the whole Congregation, this was a ſinne committed with a high hand againſt the Lord.
SECT. 3. Of the diviſion of Idolaters.
AN Idolater is either a formall Idolater,A formall Idolater and a materiall Idolater. or a materiall Idolater; the formall Idolater is he who hath a falſe conception of God, and worſhippes him falſely.
The conception of God is either verus, analogicus, The conception of God is verus analogicus or falſus.or falſus. Wee have either a true conception of God; or a conception of God by way of Analogie;God onelyonly hath a true conception of himſelf. or a falſe conception of God. The true conception of God is that which God hath onelyonly of himſelfe; for he onelyonly conceives himſelfe as he is;A conception of God by way of analogie is not a falſe conception. we take him up onelyonly by way of analogie: this conception is not a falſe conception of God, for wee being but finite creatures, cannot comprehend the infinite God but finitely, and although our conception anſwere not to the infinite God, yet we conceive not here any Idoll; for this conception is judged here after the manner of him who conceives, and not after the manner of him who is conceived: Our eye when it beholds the fire it receives into it the image of the fire, but not the eſſence of the fire; So we conceive of God according to our conception: When the Cherubims repreſented the angels in the Temple, this repreſentation was rather of their qualities and actions, then of their perſons; they were painted with the faces of children to ſignifie their mildneſſe; and with wings, to ſignifie their agilitie, and with the criſt of a Lyon, to ſignifie their ſtrength: So when God is deſcribed to us by way of analogie in the Scripture; the eſſence of God is not deſcribed to us, but onelyonly his actions, that we may take him up by way of analogie.
What is a falſe conception of God.The falſe conception of God is this, when the Idolater thinkes he may reſemble God, by a creature, and ſo worſhip the creature, or him by the creature, Pſal. 106.20. Thus they changed their glory into the ſimilitude of an Oxe that eateth graſſe; and this is a falſe conception of God, as when theſe heretickes called foreign thought that God had a body indeed as men have.
To ſet Chriſt God and man before us is the way to keepe us from a falſe conception.But leaſt our mindes ſhould erre in conceiving of God, who is infinite, and we take him up but finitely, therefore let us ſet Chriſt God and man, as the object of our mind when we worſhip; He that ſeeth the Sonne ſeeth the Father Iohn 14.10. If a man ſhould behold himſelfe in a Criſtall glaſſe, he ſhould not ſee his face in it, but if we put ſteele in the backe of the glaſſe (as we ſee in looking glaſſes) then we behold the reflexe of our face perfectly in the glaſſe: So when we behold the divinitie by it ſelfe, our mindes waver, and there comes no comfortable reflex from it; but God aſſuming the humanitie, this makes a comfortable reflexe as the ſteele does to the glaſſe, and this helpes our conception, when we looke this wayes upon God made man.
The formall Idolater worſhips the image. The materiall Idolater makes the image.The formall Idolater is he who worſhips the image, and the materiall Idolater is he who makes the image; the Iſraelites ſaid to Aaron, make Gods to us who may goe before us; Aaron made the Calfe and he was the material Idolater: but the Iſraelites who worſhipped the Calfe, they were the formall Idolaters: If one had come into the ſhop of Demetrius the ſilver ſmith, and had asked what he was doing, if he ſhould have anſwered that he was making gods, he ſhould not have anſwered rightlie heere; for he that worſhips and adores the image properly makes a God of it.
Qui fingit ſacros auro, vel marmore vultus
Non facit ille deos; qui rogat, ille facit.
SECT. 4. Of the effects of Idolatry.
SVndry are the effects of Idolatrie;Idols have ſundry names in Scripture. wherefore in the ſcripture the Idolls get ſundry names, they are called gelilim, gods of dung, becauſe they are loathſome, and defile the conſcience of men proceeding as dung and excrements out of mans corrupt heart, Shickutſim, foreignthat is loathſome things, Ezeck. 20.8. and they are called Zirim, Iſa. 45.16. as yee would ſay Tormina, ſuch as a woman hath in childbirth:foreign And they are called gnazthamini ſorrowes, Pſal. 115.4. 1 Sam. 31.9. which brings nothing to a man but ſorrow, Pſal. 16.4. So they are boſheth pudor, Ier. 5.19. and 11.13.foreign the ſame name which is given to a mans privie parts, Deut. 25.11. So they are called Miphlezeth horrenda Statua. 1 Kings 15.13. and Iſa. 65.4.foreign they are called cuſtodita in contempt, becauſe they cannot keep themſelves, ſee Iſa. 46.1.2. And Emim terriculamenta, 1 Chro. 15.16. Ier. 50.38. becauſe they terrifie their worſhippers, and they get no comfort by them, Apoc. 14.11. and they are called vanities and lies, Ier. 14.24. and 16.19. and Aven Iniquitas, Hoſ. 10.8. and 4.15. And the people who worſhips them are called a fooliſh people, Deut. 32.11. and no people Hoſ. 2.23. and 1 Pet. 2.10. And their Idolatrie is not onelyonly called fooliſhneſſe, but Summa malitia, Hoſ. 10.15. and Idolaters are ſaid to eate the bread of lies, Hoſ. 10.13. that is a lie it ſelf, ſuch is that forme of ſpeech Prov. 4.17. to eate the bread of ſluggiſhneſſe, that is to be a ſluggard; So Ephraim is ſaid to feede upon the wind, Hoſ. 12. that is to deceive himſelfe, with vaine hopes, depending upon Idols: So he is ſaid to follow the eaſt winde; The eaſt winde is the worſt ſort of any wind, for it brake their ſhipps; ſo the Idoles are called the ſpiders cobwebbes, which are eaſily ſwept away, Hoſ. 8.10. and 1 Pet. 4.3. they are called abhominable Idoles: this Epithite is added to them, not for diſtinction ſake, as though there were ſome Idols which were not abhominable, but it is Adiectivum perpetuum (as the Hebrewes call it) Such is that phraſe he deſcended into the low graves; This diſtinguiſhes not one grave from another, but onelyonly ſignifies a deepe grave, ſee Levit. 11. the creeping thing which is uncleane,Adiectivum perpetuum and adiectivum diſtinctionis. foreign & foreign. here the adjectivum is adjectivum perpetuum, and not a note of diſtinction, Iſa. 37.36. they are called dead corps, which makes not a diſtinction heere, but is adjectivum perpetuum: So Idols are called abhominatio ſtupenda, Dan. 9.27. and foreign abhominationes, Mat. 24.15. ſo the wife that lies in thy boſome Mic. 7.5. this Epithite is not a note of diſtinction.Idoles are nothing privative but not negative
Theſe Idols are nothing, 1. Cor. 8.4. They are nothing, not negative, but privative; they can neither hurt thoſe who abhorre them, nor helpe thoſe who worſhip them: therefore Pſal. 106.28. they are called Dii mortui, dead gods, who could neither helpe their friends nor hurt their foes.