An Expojition upon the And thus much in the general, touchirig the External Worfi1ip of God fequired in this Commandment. . The Sins forbidden by it ar e Two: Contempt of t he Worfhip of God; and Superftition in performing it. Concerning the formet, I have already fpoken largely, in giving you the Charat\- c:rs Of a Prophane Perfon. ) !hall therefore at prefent fpeak only of Superfrition. Co~ce~·niog_ tho Etymology of the Word, both Tully and Lallantitu are_agreed, That It IS denved from Supcrjfitcs, Survivors; but about the reafon of the Notion they Gimo ~~ lllllch differ: 'T ully faith, .Q:!i totos dies precabantttr & immolobant, ut fibi fui liberi fuperfti- ~~~ Dm. tes effim,Jupe:ftitiof!{unt app_ellati: i .. e. They who immodcra~ely prayed and _fkri~ ... · ~- ced, that tht:tr Clnldrcn mtght furv1ve them. But La£fm1tiw IS not content wtth this I."'~·~· Reafon, and therefore gives anf>ther: Superjfitiofi aurem vocantur, non 1ui filios {uos fu~ ifljltt.l~b. perflites optant ( omnes cttim optamus,fed aut ii qui fuperjfitcm mcmoriam dej1mfforum colunt; 4 ' '- 1 · Aut qui pttrentibm fuU fuperftites celebrant) imagines eorum domi tnnquam Deos Penates: j. c. Men were called li.Jperftitiom not from defiring that their Children might furvive them, but becanfe they celebrated the fnrviving Memory of the Dead; or becaufe that furviving their Parents they worfhip'd their Images as their Houfhold Gods. But whatfoevcr be the Etymology of the Word, we may take this fhort Defcriptiqn of it, That it is a needlefs and erroneous·fear in ma~ters of Religion;. and this is twofold, either Negative or Pofitive. Negative Snpcrftition is, when Men d~fearfully abftain from, and abhor thofe things as wicked and abominable, which God hath not forbidden, and therefore are in themfclvcs bwful and harmlefs. And thofc who are biggoted with this Superfrition, ·will be fure to cry out againft all that do obferve Ii1ch things as they condemn) for mifcr'ably feduced and fuperftitious Souls. Which is the exaCt humour of the Men of our Days, who (as DiogencJ is faid to have trampled upon 1Plmo's Pride with far greater Prid.e) fo thefe exclaim againft Supcrftition with far greater Superftition. For Superftiuon is not either the obferving1 or not obferving of fuch things, but the doing of either with an erroneous fear left God fhould be difpleafed and provoked, if we did othenvife: He is therefore negat ively Supcrftitious who makes the not doing of that which is lawfu l and harmlefs, a matter of Confcience, and ofReligion. Pofitive Supcrftition is, when Men do fearfully obferve and perform thofe things wh ich either are forbidden, or at lcaft no where commanded by God: Or, if you wi!J, it is a rcftlefs fear of the Mind, putting Men upon Acts of Religion which are not due, or not convenient. · Now this Po!itive Superftitionexprelfeth it fclfTwo ways: Forfometimes it gives Div ine Hononrs to that which is not God: And fometimes it performs necdlefs and Ii1perflnous SerVices to the true God. Both thefc are the effects of Superfrition; but are commonly known by their proper names, thG one being Idolatry, and the other \\lill-Worfhip. And both thefe are forbidden in this Commandment. 1 • Firft, Idolatry is a part and fpecies of Su,perll:ition; fo we find it expreny, ACfJ 17 · I6. compared "vith Verfc 12. In the t6th it is £1id, That Paul's fp1:rit n>M ./firrrd ;, him, rrohen he Jaw the cit)' o{ Athens wholly given to idolatry And in the 22d it is fa id, That Paul reproved them as being too fuperll:itious. And therefore though all Su~ perftition be not Idolatry, yet all Idolatry is Superft ition, yea, and the blackell: kind of it. Now Idolatry is nothing elfe, but the giving of religious Worlhip unto an Idol; and an Idol is not only an art ificial Image or Reprefentation of any thing, whether real or fittitious, fct 11p to be worfhipcd, but any Creature of God, whether Angels or Men, Sun, or Moon, or Stars, &c. to which we give any religious Honour and Service. The worfhiping of any Creature, whether in Heaven above, or in tDc Earth beneath, or in the Water under the Earth, is Idolatry; which is particularly and by name forbidden in this Commandment. And indeed, this is a Sm fo abihrd and ftupid, that it is a wonder ~t Ihould ever be fo bewitching as to inveigle the far greater p:trt of the World. The Prophet Ifaiah doth very frequentl y deride the folly and madnefs ofldolaters, efpecially Chdp· 44· t6. He bnrnethpart of his wooden God in the fire; he roll:eth his meat with it, and is fatisfied; he warmeth himfelf; and the refidue thereof he maketh a God, he falleth down unto it and worfhipeth it, and prayeth unto it, and faith, Deliver me, for thou :lft my God. A mort gro~~ft~a~
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=