The Account Audited and Discounted, Exercitation 1 · Section 19
Section, 19. But he addes, Sect. 11. when Paul tells the Athenians, Acts 17.22. They were, foreign, &c.
ALl that he ſayes to this Section of mine, is not much material to the main queſtion between us, and indeed, a meer ſtrife about words: what foreign, ſignifies in that place, the Vulg. Lat. reades it Superſtitioſiores, and ours, too Superſtitious; The Doctor will have it ſignifie, [onelyonly their worſhipping of a multitude of Gods, n. 2, 3.moe then any other nation did: and the unknown God for one, as being more Pious, &c.] And for this laſt, that they were the moſt Pious, amongſt Heathens, he addes three Teſtimonies more, You cannot Worſhip the one God if ye impart and laviſh out that incommunicable priviledge to any other: So he ſaid pag. 26. numb. 18. Yet now, none ſo Pious as theſe Athenians.to what was ſaid before: But I pray was not their worſhipping a multitude of Gods, Superſtition bad enough? when one falſe God, had been too much: And when they worſhipped more Gods then others, were they not more ſuperſtitious, too ſuperſtitious? Nay let them take in the true, but unknown God alſo, and does not that ſtill adde to their Superſtition, that they joyn'd with him ſo many baſe and abominable Rivals? Nay, if they had worſhipped the true and known God, and that alone, but not with Worſhip by him preſcribed, had they deſerved the name of Pious, or more pious? had they not been ſuperſtitious, in giving falſe Worſhp to the true God? It's confeſſed in the laſt Section. Yet the Doctor here, calls it, a Pious Ethnick devotion: another contradiction, in adjecto, without a diſtinction. They worſhipped they knew not what, nor whom, and they knew not how, with an Altar, and Sacrifices, which God never commanded, yea, forbad; and yet Pious, devout men, with the Doctor. And he ſayes, the word here is [taken in a good, not ill ſenſe, not of any uncommanded Worſhip of the true God, but a Pious, though Ethnick devotion, toward the multitude of their falſe, ſupperadded to the one true God.] Or rather towards the one true God, (unknown) ſuperadded to the multitude of their falſe Gods; It's like, he came in, after all the reſt, ſo Pious they were: will the devout Doctor call this Piety? yes, with an extenuation; p. 61.[which Pious Ethnick devotion, though in a Chriſtian ſcale, or judgement it cannot be approved, becauſe it is Polytheiſme, yet in compariſon with other Heathens, &c.] Is that all the Crime? was it not, the beſt of it, falſe worſhip of the true God? and is that worthy the name of Piety, accompanied alſo with Polytheiſme? I wonder not now, that ſome men, commend the Devotions, and Moral virtues of Heathens, as good, and pleaſing to God, and preparations to grace, &c. when the Doctor makes this groſſeſt Impiety, a great meaſure of Devotion. Their neighbour nations (he ſayes) [were not guilty of ſo much devotion.] If he ſpeak it ſeriouſly, he ſtill applauds their Piety; If he mean it, in an improper ſenſe (as I believe he does) they were not ſo devout, as the Athenians; he might better have taken it properly, they were not guilty of ſo much Impiety and Superſtition, becauſe they worſhipped fewer falſe Gods, and perhaps did not bring in the true God, as a rival, amongſt them: But that the Doctor ſhould ſay, [It was Pauls buſineſs, to compare them with other Heathens, and look't upon it truly, as a greater meaſure of devotion, than the other *Juſt as Papiſts may be ſaid to be more Pious and devout, then the Proteſtants, becauſe they Worſhip many Saints and Angels with the true God.Heathens had,] is a ſtrange gloſs of the text; For by all Circumſtances, Paul look't on it, as an aggravation of their Impiety, and groſſer Superſtition, rather then Pious Devotion; It's ſaid verſe 16. [His Spirit was ſtirred in him, (with grief and indignation, (foreign, irritabatur;) [when he ſaw the City foreign, full of Idols, or wholly given to Idolatry.] And no doubt, his ſcope was to work them to repentance, which would rather be done by aggravating their ſin, then by way of Compariſon, to applaud them, as more Pious and Devout, then other nations. They had more Idols, and ſo more Idolatry then others, in joyning many rivals with the true God, when one had been too much: and beſides, worſhipped that true God ignorantly, verſe 23. and in a manner by himſelf forbidden. Let others judge.