May ~ligious Worjhip be giwn to Creatures ? if he fmbid his Subjcds or Scholars Cuch daily or weekly helps for their Calvation as they ha need of, and have no nc~tiliry _to forbear.; fuch as a~e hearinJ? or :lffembling with the Churd:c 0~r;~~ week daycs at conventcnt tune, Rcadmg the Scnptures datly, or good Books accompanyi g · 1 men fearing God, praying, &c. Becaufe God hath commanded thefe when wec:n perform rh~J. WH 1 Qge~. 111. WhetiJer ~ligiou-5 Worfoip may begil.>en to a[reawre ? and what? An[w. wHile the terms of the ~cfiion remain ambiguous, it is uncJpable of an anfwcr. 1. By 1Yorjhip is meant either CultJH in gtntre, any fmtour expreJTed w anoth<.:r . 0 fame [peci.Jl all of houour. We mufi underlland the ~ettion in the fidl General fcnfe or el[e we', ~ not anfwtr it, till men tell us, what Atls of honourin~ they mean. , :m 2. By. ~eligioJI! is. mean~ e~ther i~ gt~eral, that w.hich wc arc bound tob~ ~od, or is doneby virtue of a Rehg1ous, that Js, a D1vl~~obh.gatlon, an~ ~o JS made par~ of our RehgtOn, that is, of our obe~ J~ence toGod ; Or et re by R.ehgwus 1s meant Dtvme, ~~.that whJc~ is properly due to God. The que– thon rnuH be taken m the hrfi ge.nenl fenfe ; or clfe It IS no qudhon, but ridiculous, (to ask whether we may give Gods proper WorOup to a creature). And fo I anfwcr, ,, By way of difiindion, 2. Of folution. 1. We mufidil\ingui01 b_etwcen the honour or wodhiping aGts of the mind, and of the Body. 2 • Between Idolatry as agamfi the firfi Commandment, and Idolatry or fcandal as againfl the !C– cond. Af. Prop. r. There is due to every creature, a true efiimation of it according to the degree of its dignity or goodnefs; And a Love proportionable: Asalfo a B:lief, a Trufi, a Fear, proportionable toevery mans credibility, fidelity, power, &c. 2 • There is an eminent degree therefore of ellimation,.reverence and Love and trufi due to Good l'fal. 1 S·. 4 . men above bad, and to thofe in Heaven above thofc.on earth ; And apeculiar honour eo Rulers as fuch which is not dlle to their infniours. ' 3· This is to be cxpr<ffed by the Body, by convenient adions. 4 • The highe!\ honour which we owe to any, is for the Image of God in them, viz . 1• His NJtu– ral Imagt as men, 2· His moral Image as Saintr, 3• His .Relative Image of {upereminenc)•, as {ztpcrWur 1• And fo it is God i11 thtm firjl, and they next as the lmagtt of God, who are to be honoured. 5· There is no honour to be given to any Creature, but th>t of which Gud bimfelf is the E>td; viz . as it rtf(ntth to 1Ji1 GloY)'· 1 Tiro. 4 r. 6. Therefore ~tU honour given to men, mull be thus f.Jr Rtligiour honour ( or worlhip ) : For as all ;~2~r: 115~. 14 • things ~repfa~d:ifict 7t and ~y laints, ~o a1l1th~~gs ~hat Rtigiousab:n h~~' medfi ie ~lito(J~ doneh 1 Pao-~. 3 , 7· s er ons, od a.cu, r.oo s, w 1 ~r s,.u en J sd, lzmes, c. mu r. . blour h ~r o s a e, as t ey 1 Cor. 6 • 9 • are RtlJtt:d toGo , with .uch ej tmcsums an txprtJ!irms as are 1U1ta e tot cu Rclatiom. « 10 • , 7 • Neg. 1 • No Creature mufi be dleemed to be a God; nor any of Gods proper attributes or honour Rev. z.r. 8. rg·iven t'O any Creature whatfoever. , • ~~\~~~ 6. 2 • No CTeature mull be e(\(cm:d better er greater or wifer than it is ; ( As far as we have means G.o~l. S· 20• to know lt.) 2 Command3. whatfOtver outward cxprtffions of honour (by w~rd or deed ) are appropriated to the I rueGod, mem. • 1 • By Divine Inftitutio11, 2• Or by nature, 3· Or by recewed ufage, tha.t e~prdlion of honour ought ~!;:2~~4,~:.· tlOt to beufed to a creature, w~re the htart .never fo ~ree fr~rn ho~ounng It. I. Becaufe it is bodily 1 c,., 8 . Idolatry : z, And fcandal as bemg Idolatry mtcrprctatlvely, m the JUfl fenfe of others. & 10 • , 9 , 2S. 4 • whatfocvcr outward exprtjJiom of_h~nour, Idolaters have ufed, and do ufe to fignifie their inI Juh. s. 2r. ward[dolalry, or taking aCreature.or a fi6bon. to be God, and fo make it a trff.Jr<~ or fymbrJl or Pto~ D;tn. )• feffing fig" of that thtir ld~latry, tf thofe aet10ns are f~ ufc:d or dleemed among us, or within the notice of our •ll"ions-. lt IS unlawful for us to ufe the hketo any Creature. Bccaufe the ufe of their rxpreffion, maketh it 10 be a p,.frffiunof Idolatry by Uf, and fo to be intcrprmtive Idolatry and fcandal : ~·or to ufe Profcffing fymbols tS to proft{l. · Exctpt when there is fame notorious .rcafon.-to ufe the fame words or aCtions to another lawful jignijicJtion, which is of greater weight th~n the fcandal; And we make it M public~, to obtiare the {,andal, that ''"·e do it not to the Idolaters mtents. , ~·or exampk, [ lf the M•hometans ma·ke it a fymbole of their Religion, to fay [God i< but ont J upon a fa\fe fu.ppofidon that the Chrif\ians make more Gods than one ; yet it is lawful for us to ule 'hot fyml>olical word to a better end. But if they add to their fymbol [And Mahornet i< hi< Proplm], we may nJt 11 fe tl~>t, bccauTe it' s J, Symbolical of a fal[e Religion; >· And a falfhood of it fell. So if they make it a difiint!ive note of their r-eligious meetings, to congregate the people by VrJice and not byBells; when it will be taken for a profej)ing their Religion to do the fame, we muU avoid it: But rv"it when there is great caufc for it ( as it we have no other means ) and the reafon 3gtinfi it, f'' 'Co.ndaJ may be wc:li avoided. )• Ima~e \Vortl1ip) (or bowing or othcrwife wmfhipping towards an lm:~ge as an GbjeCl)) in the timeo.J Vi~·i;te rr.•rJf,ip) or when we othcrwife pretend to be worjhiping God, is fo grofs an appca~ance of i nrPard
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