56, Chap. 3 r. An Expoßtion upon the Book! of J o II. Verf,26, was allocalled by the Grecians fleliopolu, the Citie of the Sun. And as the Sun was worfhipped in thofe remoter Nations;fo allo neerer home by our Anceftors before the light of theGofpei fhi- ned to thorn. The learnedVerfegan in his defcriptionofthe man- ners and eußomes ofthe old pagan Saxons,faith, Vnto the dayde- dicated to the efpeciall Adoration ofthe Idol of the Sunne,Theygave the name ofSunday, as much at to fay, The Suns day, or the day of the San. The next to this according to the courte of the dayes of the weeke, was the Idol of the Moone, from whence our fe. cord day of theweeke yet reraines the name of Manday, or Atone.t.day. And ( by the way) I concave it a needfull peice ofreformation in thefe times to expreffe the dayes of the weeke by fome other names, then by thofe ( which are in common life among us ) borrowed from the praetices of grouch Idolaters. And as the old Heathen Gentiles were deeply infected with this kindof Idolatry, fo the jewes ( who were the peculiar peo- ple ofGod ) did not forbeare to imitate them in it (7udg.z.13.) They for(ooke the Lord, and fervid Baal andAfhtaroth. Baal fi g. nifieth Lord, or Mafler, and it was a common name applyed tca. Idol Gods, but eminently to the Sun ; This was the God of the Zidonians(IKings 16.3 I. )As allowas Afhtareth(IKings I I.5, 33 .)This Afhtaroth was the fame which the Greekes worfhipped under theTitle ofDiana,or the Moone;And how famousan Idol that was,read ( Ails 19. 2.7.) which is fuppofed to be meant by The jeene ofheaven (ver. 7. 18. per. 44. 17125. ) The hoe- rib'e Apoflacy and defection of the jewes to this abominable worfhip is often and often reproved by the Prophets ; And their excreame zeale about it is expreffed by fuch a Rhetorical) accu- milation of words aswe fcarfe find the like all the Bible over ( 7er. 8. ) where the Lord threatneth all degrees of men in the J:ewifh Nation from the King to the common people, that their enemies fhouldpull their bones out of their Graves; And faith he (v. 2. ) TheyJhall ,read them before the Sun, and the Meow, and all the heft of heaven, whom they have loved and ahem they have ferved,andafter whom theyhave walked, andwhom they have fought, and whom they have worfhipped. And whereas the Church faith ( Cant. I. 6.) L eke not upon mebecanfe 1am blacke, becanfe the San bath locked upon me ( which is generally expounded of the blacknes of the Church by reafun of perfecution) The Chal- dee
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