r88 t The deceitfulneffe of Mans heart. tle, by degrees they quickly entice us on to more, How true this is,wil eafily appear, if either we look to the matter of faith,or ofmanners:For the matter of faith,or doEtrine, witneffe the Popifb fuperffition, in molt of her horrible hereres, which were not fo grofle at the firft, as now they are;but after that the feeds and foundations of them were fecretly laid in the ground,in the Primitive Church,the degene- rating ages that fucceeded, added, on this piece, another, till that at length, in procefl'e of time, they came to that monftrons deformity,which now we fee. The primacy of the Roman Bithop at firft, was only in regard of order and honour, not ofthe power and jurifdielion,which afterward be obtained. Monafticall life at firft was only for fafety in time of perfecution;and theMonafteries of the ancient were not much differing from our Colledges. The ufe of Images in Churches was firft only hiftoricall : after- ward, thus much being granted,the idolatrous heart of man never gave over, till the religious ufe obtai- ned. Such is the danger of yeelding but to the very leafi occafions and beginnings of errour and idola- try.ñ2iletiars his image came out of his private parlor into the common hall,then into the ftreet,nexc into the Church-yard, then to the porch ofthe Church, after that to be on the wall,laft of all it gat upon the Altar it felfe.After Ahaz had made his wicked altar, and offered upon it, he brought it into the Temple, firft feting it by the brazen altar,but then he brought it further into the houfe, and advanced it to higher ZKïa ih.ti, place,and fet it on the northfide of Gods Altar, Loe, I33 ,a, how Idolatry fecretly , and by ftealth, creeps in, andj
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