Chap. 3 r. An Expaltion upon riot Books of j o s. Verl. 265_ the Stoicall Philofophers wereofopinion, that theft heavenly be- LaBfarett,r dyes were enduedwith life, and that their motion was rational! and ÿ;$1R? Ersr, voluntary. He that will may read Lattantitu both reporting and 4, 5, refuting the vanity of thefe imaginations concerning the Sunne, Moore, and Sterres, and of that Divine worfhip which there- upon was bellowed upon them. And furely this is one and not the lealI part of that vanity to which the creature is made fubjeft by reafon of fin ( Rom.8.20.) That vanity conf ta chiefely (I conrave) in two things ; Firft, when the creature is afflict d by the rigour and cruelty of men, or abufed to ferve their lulls, their pride, wantonnes and luxury ; This is the vanity to which the creature is made fubjeft in defect, or by letting it lower then it ought to be:Secondly,the creature is made fubjeft to vanity in cxceffe,or by letting it too high,andby afcribing that honour to it, which is alone due toGod the Crea- tor. Thus thePaapifts fubjeft the RiledVirgin Mary tovanity, as allo otherSaints, and theAngels, when they pray to them and ufe them asMediators ofinterceffion untoGod. And when man gives any creature the Sonne or Moore divine Adoration , or adoreth God by them, he abufeth them to vanity. Here it may be queftioned,that for as much as 7'4 in this place purgeth himfelfe from the fuipition and imputation of all falle worfhip, why doth he inflance only in his not- worfhi pping the Sun and Moone? There having been alrnofl innumerable Idols or falle gods worfhipped in the world, why doth he rot dii- claime the worfhipofall thole ? I anfwer, Becaufe the Sun and Moone with the hofl of heavens have the greateft power to attract the heart into an admiration and over-eflimationof them. So that when 74 faith bee did not wortisip the Sun and Moone, it is a difclairner ofall Idolatrous worfhip. He that is not overcomeby that which hash the grea. tell power to draw him from the living and true God to falle worfbip, declares himfelfe untoucht of all falle or Idolatrous worfhip. There's-no danger that he will worfhip any inferior creature, who refraines the worflip ofthole nobler creatures they Su:tne and Moone. Further, the worfhipof images, which are the'worke ofmens hands, was ofmuch a latter date then theworfhip of the Sunne. How linage-worfhip crept into the-world,we finde wei reported. im
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=