Çom.2, _ Againfi Images, Chap. 2 197 After the Holy Gftofthath thus fet down the general, to make all lure, you may fee what be doth farther. Becaufe we fhould have no pattern, to frame to our felves, he maketh an enumeration, of Heavenlyand earthly things, and confequently, leaveth nothing to refemble Godby, either in Heaven or in Earth, and thisis comprehended, under thefe 3. heads. t. Things in Heaven above. z: In the Earth beneath. 3. In the waters under the Earth. i, For the firft. The Papifts, as divers of their lateWriters affirm, do utterly diG claim with us, the drawing of the Deity; and are weary of defendingthe lawful- nefs of reprefenting it and that upon this Text of the Prophet, Towhomwillye liken God, or what likenefs willye compare lentohim Efa.4o,r d, For ocher-things in Heaven, it was high time for God to give thischarge ; becaufe Men had robbed him ofhis honour , in afcribing that to his Creatures, whichwas .only due to hitnfelf,.wefee, that Labánhad his Teraphim, angelosgenios, good Angels, as they call them. Gen.3c,19. The ,Greek renders it rpswra : And there were few of the Philofophers afterwards, but knew and worfhipped them by the Title of intelligentiarum, intelligences, or Ypirits : for the fouls of Men it wasno lefs neceffary, theopinion was that they were Dti minorum gentium received up into Heaven , and an ufual thing it was to deifie them and give themDivine honour. And for the Stars we fee , that the Sun came alto to be worfhipped ; for we read , that good King jzofiab, in reforming the fervice, and worfhip of God; a.. mong other his ads of reformation , one was, that he burin the Chariotsof theE eká,i4r, Sun. And 3er.44.. 57,18. The People fay that they will facrifice to the Queen ofJer.44, r7. Heaven.TheSun was fo called, becaufe in the Hebrew 11]1 the Sun is ofthe'Femi. nineGender. It was the God of the Perfans. The Yewsallo worfhipped the Moon 2Kings23. 5. Again Saint Stephen tells the Yews, out of the Prophet Amos, that the People gmoss.as: worfhipped the Holt ofHeaven, that is the Stars : one was Molech (which was theAía.y,4:,4 ;; Star ofSaturn) and theStar of the GodRempham. And Baal (by the Learned) was the Star 7upiter, and Marvim, Mars. 2. In the Earth ; after thethings inHeaven, he cometh downto theEarth : And r. Firft, for Men. Males,no fimilitude muff be made of them. It was the fault ofthe I(railires, after Gedeons death, they went a Whoring (faith the Text) after Baalim, Deut.4.61ì and made Baal-Berith their God: as they had done formerly to Baal-Peer. We Judg833: read, that Ahaziah tent to enquire of Baalzebub theGod of Ekron. So were there Num.a5,3. Hercules, 7upiter, Mars, and many othes, worfhipped among the Heathen: Jid s &4z7 2. There were Females too, . that had their worfhip, as Afhtarotbmentioned inthe Book of the Judges, and 5iuno, Venus, &c. 3. Fowls, Saint Paul tellsus, that they 2óm,.534 changed the glory of the. uncorruptible God intoan Image like corruptible Man , and to Birds,and four- footed Bealts,and creeping things ofBirds,as the Ibis among the Egyptians,the goldenCalf among the lfraeliees,theOwl among the wife Grocians, and the Eagle with the Romans, and Bells in the fhape ofa Dragon, with the Bajligoni- ans, and Worms with Trogloditi. 4.. Plants, as the Dodonean Grove, to yupirer. Nay, they defcended even to Garlick. 5. They worfhipped alfo things made by Art, as a piece of Red Cloth, as Strohs relatesof Nations in the North-Eaft, 3. In the Waters. They worfhipped Sirens and Dagon, as it is in the firft of Samuel,who was refembledby a Water-Snake : and Dragons,and Crocodiles,Fifhes, r Satn,f,. ea the Dolphin : as alfo r/Efculapise whom they adored as God of Phyfick, in the BeLz3. fhapeofa Water-Serpent. So that God feeing what had been done to his difho- Deat.5,tasee nour , and forefeeing what would bedone, and that Men had, and would abufe all his Creatures in this kind, interdicebat omnia, gave a ftraight injun(tion againft them all, allowing neither fimilitude, nor pattern, God would be refembled bynone ofthem. And therefore Mofes, ( making as it were acomment upon this Com- mandment, andletting them know , that they muff net account of Gods worfhip, as a ceremonial thing) puts them in mind that when God fpake to them out of the ridft of the Fire, they heard a voice, but faw no fimilitude, but onlya voice, and therefore a voice, fay the Robbins, becaufe a voice cannot be drawn into any fhape,' and fo was not likely to deprive God of any part ofhis,honour; and he bids them there.
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