1. Iohn '5· verfe 2.1. 'Babes, k!epeyourJeluesfromldols. ~~:::o-'~~'OHe intent ;ond !Cope.oft~e A afr~rrhecalfe was one~framed , Aaron proApofile m thiS Eptfile 1s clatmed aday offolemmry,and faid,To ..orrow to fetdowne markes and jhAibttheho!JdAy oflehoua, .Ex.d. H·5. That tokens,wherbymenmay which the Ifraelites di'ol in this cafe was no know whether they bee doubt the fame which they had of;en feene the children of Gool or the Egyptians doe before them. Now theEno. Hauing performed gyptians reprefc:nted and wor!hipped God in this from the beginning the formcsofwilde and tame beafrs,as&Straofthe Epillle to theend thereof, toward the borhe Geographer plainely faith, Images in &se. pag endofthischaptet in the 18. ver. heanfwers a vfc: of religion, ereaed by the wifellofthe 600 • C.cret obie[lion which may be framed on this heathen,were nothing butldols: and·many of manner. He th:tt inhc child ofGod may fall them verily were images ofthe true God, as from Cod, commit a finnevnto death, and fo B Pau/refiilieth,when he faith,R.,,I,2l• They confeqtiently loofe his alfurance. Therefore turned the glery of the incorrwptiblc God it feemes, that there is nocomfort by the afli1to the fimilirade of an image of cortuptibl; ranee ofour adoption, but for the time preman,and ofbirds,&c. Thirdly,idolsoltenligfent. To this the Apofile anfwers ncgatiucly . nilie falfc:gods rhemfelues,1 .Chron,16.26.Tbe in the 13,19•'"· ve.rfes: the effect of the angodsoftheptopl••r«Jaine things,or idols. Thus fweris, That bee which is borne of God fo R•helisfaid rolleale Idols,ortheGodsofher preferues himfdfe by grace, thaehe cann·ot be father. And 'P•11I 1 1,Cor.8.4.makes ani>ppofidrawneby Sathan to commit the finne that is tion betweeAe an Idol and the true God. yet Gtn. l'· todearh. And in this laftverfeofthisch~p:. arenotfalfegods idols propedyfo rearmed, '9·3•· ter,he fets downc a rule how men !hould,Pte· but by ametaphor.Becaufe as tmages madein fe~ue themfelnes that they fall not into tlus the way ofReligion, draw the heart from the finne ; 'Babes, k!•p•) 'OUr fo/oes from Idols : that trueGod: euen fo doefalfe gods,truely called is,hold faft the true and fpiriruall wodhip of C idels. Thus then, an idoll is any thing f<t God : and for this caufc aueide all things that vp ro bee wcrfhipped , either in the roome may-withdraw your hearts from God,efpeciofGod, or as God. ln the roome of God allytakehecdeofldols. · asprophaoe images: as God, namely falfe In this ruler confidertwo things: acorn· gods. . mandemwt, Keepeyourfolllesfromldo/s, The The generall property ofidols, is, that reafon isinfoldedinrhe word Ba~es. Thatthe they are NOTHiNG in the world, as Pail/ right meaning of the commandement may faith,J.Cor.8.4.and they are fotearmed, beappeare the bctter,l\1·11fland aw'hile to!hew: caufe they haue nothing inthem of the diui· lidl, what is meant by idols,& focondly,how nity or godhead,whetber wee regard the· na· wee arc to keepe our fclues from them. The rureorthe efficacie therof.And this appearos word Id./ generally and properly fignifiesas byPauls reafon, An idol, faith bee, imothing much as lmage,thatis,the refemblanceofany D in the lt'orld: becaujif!nto'Vsthereuboton Gad, verf.6. De Ido- thing either good or bad. For that which IFurthermore, it is nothing in refpe~ofrebtq. mageisin Larinc,JdolisinGrceke. Tmu!/i. prefentation: for an idol fometime is n aHierom ~n faith, that Idol fignifies a fermeor little rhing at all: fometime it reprcfenteth asl ;n ifa.J7. forme:and the difrin~ionof Idol and Image God, that whichismeerely nothing: famePer ;dola was not obferucdofthe (•)Latin interpreter. time itreprefentsthetrue God,otherwifethen !~~~~~~ ..- Yet by more narrow and more vfuall fignifihe is; and in this rcfpetlaJfo it reprefects no· g;nes catio,the wordIdols is pur for any fuch Image thing. . . . monuo· as is erected to reprefent either falfe or true The kmdes and fort.s ef Idols are hkewtfe rum. God. TharidolsareimagesoffalfeGods, all tobeconfidered, fpectally fuchas haue beene ;:.'~!,~: men grant; but that they are images alfo of ere~cd fince t~e dates of the Apofile. Por go fimuthe true God,thercisthequellion.But I make thereisooq~dhon, _but he dtd forefee 1 that hch<·orii. it manift:ll rhus. The golden calfe ofthe Ifraethe Apofrollcal rehg10n woold bee corrupted Amos '· li<es,was2n idol, as it iscalledbySaintSttuen by Idolatrie,& thatmade himfa~; Bab~s kt•p• :J~\~,~~· Ail·7·4'· and it was animage ofl•ho•a. For JDHrfoists fom /doll. That the dJUers kmds of ---------- _· ---- Idols
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