Treatise of the Four Degenerate Sons, Treatise · Part 3 · Section 5
SECT. 5. Of the progreſſe of Idolatrie.
EPiphanius reckons up twentie hereſies, which were before Chriſts comming in the fleſh,Lib. 1. panariae. Epiphanius reduces, the periods of Idolatry into foure. which hee reduceth unto foure heads, Barbariſme, Schythiſme, Helleniſme, and Samaritaniſme.
Firſt Barbariſme, which comes from Bar, and in the Syriack, ſignifieth extra, but being doubled makes barbar, as if yee would ſay, thoſe who are altogether without the Church, and at this period of tyme there were but few gathered into the Church;How long Barbariſme indured. Hee makes Barbariſme to have laſted from the creation of the world, to the dayes of Noah for ten generations: This firſt period of Idolatrie was before the flood, then they beganne to prophane the name of the Lord, Gen. 6.5. but ſeeing this time is tempus foreign,Of Barbariſme and Schythiſme. See Col. 3.2. and 2.11. and few things are ſet downe by Moſes of the progreſſe of the Church at this time, and the heathen hiſtorie beginnes long after this time, therefore we will reſt here, and enquire no further of it.How long Scythiſme indured.
Secondly, he makes Schythiſme to have indured from Noah to the building of the tower of Babell.
Thirdly,How long Helleniſme indured. Why the Syriackes put alwaies an Aramite for an Idolater. he makes Helleniſme to have indured from Abraham to the carring away of the ten tribes.
This Grecian by the Syriack is called an Aramite, Col. 3.11. and ſo elſewhere an Aramite is put for a gentile, or an Idolater ſtill in the Syriack; and the reaſon why they were ſo called is this; becauſe the firſt Idolaters who are named in the ſcripture were Syrians, or Aramites, as Terah the father of Abraham was a Syrian, and Baalam was a Syrian, Deut. 25.5. and Naaman was a Syrian; all theſe were Idolaters.
How long Samaritaniſme indured.Fourthly, hee makes Samaritaniſme to have indured from the captivity of the ten Tribes, unto the dayes of Chriſt.
The pure worſhip of God (ſo long as this Greciſme, or Aramites Idolatrous worſhippe laſted) was in the family of Abraham, Melchiſedecke, and a few others.The Church was firſt in a familie.
The Church hath beene divided, firſt as ſhee lived in a familie, and then ſhee is called an oeconomicall Church.Secondly, diſperſed through a nation. Secondly, when ſhe was diſperſed through a nation, and then ſhee was called a nationall Church. And thirdly when ſhee was ſcattered through the world,Thirdly, ſcattered through the world. and then ſhee was called the Catholike Church.When the Church was in a family.
Firſt, the Church was in a familie, as in Abrahams family, Iſaackes familie, ſecondly in a nation, as when the Church was ſpread through Iudea: The Church when ſhee was in Egypt ſhe was not a nationall Church, becauſe the Church lived then but in a part of Egypt: So when ſhe was in the wilderneſſe, ſhe was not a nationall Church, but when the Church came to Canaan, and expelled the Cananites, then ſhe was a nationall Church.
The people of God were ruled three waies.The people of God were ruled three wayes, by Patriarches, by Iudges, and by Kings: firſt wee will conſider how Idolatrie increaſed or decreaſed under the Patriarkes; Secondly, under the Iudges, and Thirdly under the Kings.
When Idolatrie ſpreads it ſelfe over the face of the earth, then it pleaſed the Lord to have pittie upon Abraham, and Sara, who lived in Chaldea, and worſhipped the Moone, the Sunne, and the ſtarres, to call them out of Caldea to Charran, and there hee taught them the true worſhip of God; They were firſt Idolaters as well as Terah was, & Nahor: Therfore Ioſua ſaith Ioſua 24.2. Your fathers dwelt beyond the flood of old time, even Terah the father of Abraham, and of Nahor, and they ſerved other Gods, Amos 2.4. Their lies cauſed them to erre after the which their fathers have walked; that is, the Idols which their fathers worſhipped: Abraham was an Idolater as well as Terah was, and as Nahor: therefore, Rom. 4.5. when the Lord juſtified him, he found him foreign, an ungodly man; and Rembam teſtifies,Lib. 1. Halach. 4. cap. 1. that firſt he was a worſhipper of the ſtarres.
Abraham left not his Idolatrie, when he was in Meſopotamia, when he dwelt in Vr, of the Chaldeans; but when he came to Carran; therefore the Lord brought him out of Meſopotamia, that he might leave that Idoll ſervice; but as concerning Terah, and Nahor, they retained ſomething of their old Idolatrie, as Rachel did afterward, who although ſhe was taught by her husband to renounce Idolatrie, yet ſhe ſtoll her fathers Idols; & ſo there was ſome of this leaven of Idolatry in Iacobs family, which he cauſed to be purged out, Ge. 15.2. Terah and Nahor got ſome knowledge of the truth, and they acknowledged Iehovah to be the true God, but they retained with all their Idolls, and worſhipped him in their Idolls: And Abraham when hee was to provide a wife for his ſonne of the beſt that he could finde (abhorring the Canaanites altogether) hee made choiſe to ſend to his kinred of Nahors houſe, who (although hee was not free altogether of this Idolatry and ſuperſtition) yet he reckons him not as an infidell, and rather wills his ſonne to marrie with him than with the vile Canaanites. It is ſaid, Gen. 11.31. that Terah the father of Abraham went out of Vr of the Chaldees, to goe unto the land of Canaan, and they came to Haran and dwelt there, and yet it is ſaid, Gen. 12.1. Now the Lord ſaid to Abraham, Get thee out of thy countrey, and from thy kinred, into a land that I ſhall ſhew thee; but God commanded this before Terah went out of Vr, to Haran as it is cleare out of Act. 7.4. The rule of the Hebrewes holds here, Non eſse prius & poſterius in Scriptura; So Gen. 1.27. Male and female created he them, and Gen. 2.22. The rib which the Lord had taken from man made he a woman.
He called Abraham and Sarai out of Chaldea, that Idolatrous countrie; and commanded his people to flee out of Babylon, leſt they ſhould have beene partakers of her puniſhments, Ier. 51.6. Rev. 18.4.
Queſt. For what ſinnes ſhould we leave a Church?
Two ſorts of defects in a Church, defects in manners, and defects in doctrine. We are not to leave a Church for corruption of manners.Anſw. There are two ſorts of defects in a Church: The firſt is, defects in manners: The ſecond in doctrine; for corruption of manners, a man ſhould not ſeparate himſelfe from a Church, for then they might have left the Church of Epheſus, the Church of Pergamus, the Church of Thyatira, the Church of Laodicea; for the Lord laid ſomething to the charge of all theſe Churches: But in this caſe men ſhould ſeparate themſelves from their corruptions, and not defile their garments, but walke in white, Rev. 3.4. As for errors in doctrine they are three-fold;Errors of doctrine are, 1 Praeter fundamentum. firſt, thoſe which are praeter fundamentum; and a man ought not to leave a Church for theſe. Secondly, there are errours in doctrine,2 Circa fundamentum. circa fundamentum, which weakens the foundation, although they overthrow it not; and for theſe, men ſhould not leave a Church.3 Contra fundamentum. Thirdly, there are errors, contra fundamentum, and raſeth the foundation, for theſe a man ſhold not leave a Church, if the Church be not wholly infected with them & totally. There were amongſt the Galathians ſome who maintained the doctrin of Iuſtification by works, but becauſe all maintained it not, therefore they were not to leave the Church for that error. So in the Church of Corinth there were who maintained, that there was no reſurrection from the dead, but becauſe this was not holden by all, therefore the Church was not to be left for this. So there were in the Church of Pergamus, who held the doctrine of Balaam, yet all held it not; therefore the Church was not to be left for that: The whole head may be ſicke, and the whole heart faint, Eſay 1.5. and yet may recover againe; as the Church of Thyatira was ready to die, yet the Lord exhorts her to repent, and to watch, Rev. 3.3. and to ſtrengthen the things which remaine, that are ready to die; but when once ſhee is dead, and no life to be found in her, then men are to ſeparate themſelves from her. Hence it was that the Prieſts and Levites in this caſe, left Iſrael and came to Iudah, 2 Cor. 11.13. becauſe ſhee was a dead Church, and not a decaying: Therefore the Lords ſoule hath no delight in thoſe who ſeparate themſelves from the Church, and make a rent, finding but ſmall blemiſh in her.
Queſt. But was not this againſt nature for Abraham to leave his countrey and old parents.
Anſw. This is onelyonly againſt corrupt nature,Abraham left his father and countrey for Gods cauſe. Primum vinculum eſt fortius ſecundo. which preferreth it ſelfe to God; but hee that loves father or mother better than God, is not worthy of him. The neareſt conjunction of all is betwixt God and man; and therefore he ſhould leave all for God. It is ſaid of Levi, Deut. 33.9. That he ſaid unto his father, and to his mother, I have not ſeene him, neither did hee acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his owne children, for they have obſerved thy word and kept thy covenant. So the diſciples, Matth. 4.23. When Chriſt called them, left their fathers, and the ſhip, and followed Chriſt. When Hanna wept, becauſe ſhee had no children, her husband comforted her, ſaying, Am I not better to thee than ten ſonnes, 1 Sam. 1.8. A man ſhould love his wife better, nor his father, or his mother, yea than tenne ſonnes: what love then ſhould we carrie to God, who ſhould be deater to us than tenne fathers, tenne wives, twentie ſonnes, and all the world.
God can chuſe out of any ſocietie ſome to himſelfe, except out of hell.He called him from the Idolaters; there is no ſocietie ſo bad; but the Lord can chooſe out ſome from amongſt them, except onelyonly out of hell: As in Nero's court, hee had ſome, Phil. 4.22. Salute them of Ceſars houſe: And in Creete, although they were ſlow bellies, and wilde beaſts there, yet the Lord planted a Church there; and in Ahabs houſe, he had Obadiah, who feared the Lord greatly, 1 King. 18.3. And amongſt the Phariſees, the Lord had Nicodemus; and in ſuperſtitious Athens, he had Dioniſius, Areopagita, and Damaris, Act. 17.34. By this we may ſee that the Lord reignes even amongſt the midſt of his enemies, Pſal. 110.2.
He called Abraham and Sarai out of Chaldea, when they were Idolaters,When God would teach his people thankfulneſſe, he wills them to looke backe firſt to their naturall eſtate. Ioſh. 24.2. The Lord when hee would teach his people thankefulneſſe, bids them looke backe to their former eſtate; firſt, how hee multiplied them out of a drie ſtocke, Eſa. 51.2. Looke unto Abraham your father, and to Sarai who bare you, and hee called him alone and bleſſed him, and encreaſed him: Looke to the rocke whence ye are hewen, and to the hole of the pit whence yee are digged:Secondly to their poore eſtate. So he willeth them to looke backe to their poore eſtate, that they may be thankefull to pay their firſt fruites, Deut. 26.4. And the Prieſt ſhall take the basket out of thine hand, and ſet it downe before the altar of the Lord thy God; and thou ſhalt ſpeake and ſay before the Lorh thy God, Iacob was called a Syrian, not that he was borne there, but becauſe he dwelt there with Laban; So Chriſt is called a Nazaret, becauſe he dwelt there.I profeſſe this day unto the Lord, a Syrian ready to periſh was my father, Syrus perditionis, non Syrus perdens, meaning Iacob that ſerved in Syria under Laban; and then he brought him downe to Egypt and ſojourned there with a few, and became there a mighty and a great people; for this the Lord would have him to be thankefull.And thirdly, to remember their Idolatry. And laſtly, hee calls them backe to remember their Idolatrie, how their fathers were Idolaters, and ſerved Idols beyond the flood, Ioſ. 24.2. So the Apoſtle wills the Corinthians to looke backe to their former eſtate, how they were Idolaters, 1 Cor. 12.2. Ye know that ye were Gentiles carried away unto dumbe Idols, even as ye were led.