238 THE ARIAN INVITED TO ORTHODOX FAITH. powers, more than human, belonging to it, with an acknowledg. ment of our dependence on this being, and subjection to it." And now let us see, whether according to his own description, my argument for the divinity of Christ, drawn from religious worship, willnot stand upon firm and unshaken ground. 1V. " God has assumed religious worship to himself in his word, as his own peculiar prerogative, and with the severest penalties has forbid it to be paid to any inferior being." It is not my business here to enquire; whether in the ab- stracted nature of things a mere creature be, or be not, capable of religious worship, that is, of some honours superiorto human, and yet inferior to divine : but it is evident, that God thought it the best way to secure his own divine honour, and to guard his people inall ages from idolatry, by forbidding all such religious honours to be paid to any mere creature whatsoever: And this hedoes in most general expressions, excluding all sorts, kinds, and 'forms of religious worship whatsoever, and that in the most awful and solemn language, as a matter of the greatest im- portance. Ex. xxxiv. 14. Thou shalt worship no other God, for the Lord, whose name is jealous, is ajealous God. Dent. vi. 4, 13, 14,, 15. The Lord our God is one Lord: Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and him shalt thou serve, and shalt swear by his Name. Ie shall not go after other gods ; for the Lord thy God is a jealous Godamongyou, lest the an- ger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee and destroy thee. Dent. x. 20. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; Shim shult thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name : He is thy praise, the is thy God, that kith done for thee great and terrible things. Deut. xiii. 1, 2. " If a prophet shall say, let us go after other gods and serve them," it is interpreted verse 5. " a turning them away from the Lord their God," and that prophet shall be put to death. And verse 6, &e. " If thy brother, thy son, thy daughter, thy wife or thy friend, &c. shall say let us go and serve other gods, thou shalt stone him with stones that he die," for it is interpreted a " thursting thee away from the Lord God." And, verse 12, &c. " It' a whole city shall agree to serve other gods, the in- habitants of that city shall be utterly destroyed,with the edgeof the sword, the city itself shall be burned with tire, and shall be a heap for ever." 1 Sam. vii. 3. Prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve' him only, and he will deliver you. Hosea xiii. 4. I am the Lord thy God from the land ofEgypt, and thou shalt know no other God but me, . for there sa no other Saviour beside me. Ps. lxxxi. 9, I0. There shall no strange goci be in thee, neither shalt thou worship any strange god. I am the Lord thy God, 4c. The first of the ten com- mandments delivered with such solemnity upon Mount Sinai ;
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