It is the former of these two kinds of Idolatry, which is here prohibited in this First Commandment: Thou shalt have no other Gods before me; that is, thou shalt not give unto anything, either in heaven or earth, that inward heart-worship of affiance, love, fear, veneration, and dependance, which is due only to the True God, the Lord Jehovah.

The imperate acts, or outward expressions of this inward worship, are that, which we call External Idolatry, which is specially forbidden in the Second Commandment: of which I shall treat, in its place and order.

Now concerning this Internal Idolatry, observe these following propositions.

(1) Whosoever acknowledgeth, and in his heart worshippeth another God, different from that God, who hath revealed himself unto us in his Holy Scriptures, he is guilty of this Internal Idolatry, and the breach of this First Commandment.

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And, therefore, not only those miserable creatures, who worship the Devil: or those, that have recourse to diabolical arts and charms or those, who worship men, whose vices were their TODEWO, and their crimes their consecration; as Bacchus, and Venus, and others of the heathenish Gods: nor those, who worshipped men famous for their virtues; as the heathens did their heroes, and the papists do their saints: nor those, who worship any of the creatures of God; as the host of heaven, fire as the Persians, or water as the Egyptians, or the creatures of art, as statues and images, as if possessed and animated by their Deities; in which respect Trismegistus called images the bodies of the Gods:* and with the same madness are the Papists possessed, who are persuaded that God, and Christ, and the saints dwell in certain images made to represent them, and by those images. give answers to their votaries, and perform many wonderful and miraculous works; whereas, if there be any spirit that possesseth them, as perhaps there may, we have reason to believe, that, since their worship of them is the very same with the heathens, those spirits are likewise the same, viz. not God, nor saints, but devils and damned spirits. But, I say, not only these are idolators and transgressors of this First Command, but those also, who compound a God partly out of the figment of their own erroneous minds, and partly out of his own infinite attributes; and

* Aug. de Civ. Dei. 1. viii. c. 23.

thus are all Arians, Socinians, and Antitrinitarians guilty of idolatry; for they acknowledge one infinite and eternal being, but, denying the Persons of the Son and the Holy Ghost, they wor ship an idol, and not the True God, for the only True God, is both Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

(2) Whosoever acknowledgeth, and in his heart worshippeth more Gods than the only Lord Jehovah, is guilty of idolatry, and the violation of this First Commandment.

Thus was the idolatry of those nations, which the king of Assyria planted in Israel, after he had carried away the Ten Tribes into captivity: for it is said, 2 Kings xvii. 33. That they feared the Lord, and served their own Gods. And, upon this account also, are all Arians and Socinians, who deny the natural divinity of Jesus Christ, justly charged with idolatry: for since they say that Christ is God, and do worship him as God, yet deny that he is of the same nature and substance with the Lord Jehovah, they must of necessity make more Gods than one, and those of a diverse essence and being; and, therefore, are not only guilty of blasphemy, but idolatry: of blasphemy, in robbing Christ of his Eternal Sonship, and the Divine Nature; of idolatry, in attributing divine honour and worship unto him, whom they believe to be but a creature, and not God by nature.

(3) Whosoever doth ascribe or render to any creature that which is proper and due only unto God, he is an idolater, and guilty of the transgression of this First Commandment.

Now this attribution of the divine properties to the creatures, is either explicit or implicit : explicit, when we do avow the attributes of the divine nature to be in those things, which are not capable of them; as those, who hold the body of Christ, to be omnipresent: implicit, when we render unto any creature that inward worship, esteem, and affection, which is due only unto the infinite perfections of the Deity.

And, although our Reformed Religion be very well purged from the former idolatry; yet, certainly, the professors of it are not well purged from this latter idolatry: for, even among Protestants themselves, we shall find very many that are in this sense idolaters.

For,

[1] Whosoever chiefly and supremely loves any creature, is an idolater; because our chiefest love is due only unto God. Hence the covetous person is expressly called an idolater; and covetousness, idolatry: Col. iii. 5. Mortify your earthly

members;......uncleanness......evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. And the sensual epicure is likewise an idolater: Phil. iii. 19. his belly, saith the Apostle, is his God. The proud person is an idolater: for he loves himself supremely; sets up himself for his own idol; and falls prostrate before that image, which he hath pourtrayed of his own perfections, in his own fancy and imagination. And, generally, all such, who love and admire anything above God, or esteem anything so dear that they would not willingly part with it for his sake, have set up another God before him, to which they give that service and respect which is due only to the Great God of Heaven.

[2] Whosoever puts his trust and confidence in any creature more than in God, is guilty of this inward heart-idolatry.

As when we depend upon interest, or power, or policy for our safeguard and success, more than on that God, who is able both with and without created helps and means to relieve us. And that we do so appears, when we are secure and confident in the enjoyment of such created comforts and supports; but altogether diffident and dejected, when we are deprived of them: for since God is always the same, we should likewise have the same courage and spirit, did we place our whole affiance in him.

[3] He is an idolater, and a very gross one, who sets up any creature in his heart, whether saint or angel, to pray unto it, and to betake himself unto that vain refuge in his straits and necessities.

For invocation properly belongs to God alone: as an act of worship, which he hath challenged to himself; and the highest glory, that we can give to his Divine Majesty. And, therefore, he hath commanded us, Ps. 1. 15. Call upon me, not upon any saint or angel, in the time of trouble, and I will deliver thee. And, therefore, the Papists are most gross and stupid idolaters, who direct their petitions, not unto God, but unto saints and angels: which is nothing else but to advance them into his throne, and to ascribe unto them his infinite perfections; for prayer and adoration suppose the object of it to be omnipresent and omnipotent, omnipresent to hear, and omnipotent to save, or else they are in vain.

Thus much, for the First Commandment.

THE

SECOND COMMANDMENT.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing, which is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them : for the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers) upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me: and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

IDOLATRY is twofold.

Either spiritual and internal, residing in the affections and disposition of the soul; which we are guilty of, when we devote our supreme love, fear, and dependance unto any created being, which are due only unto the True and Only God. And this idolatry is forbidden in the First Commandment, as we have already seen.

Or, else, it is more gross and external, consisting in a visible adoration of anything besides God; who, as he challengeth the affections of the soul, so requires also the homage and reverence of our bodies, in those services which we perform unto him. And this idolatry is particularly forbidden in this Second Commandment, which I have now read unto you.

In which we have these three parts:

I. The PRECEPT itself, which runs negatively, and is branched forth into two several prohibitions; but both tending to the same end and effect: the one forbidding images to be made, Thou shalt not make to thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing; the other forbidding them to be worshipped, Thou shalt not bow down thyself before them, nor serve them.

II. Here is added a severe COMMINATION against those, that shall presume to violate this Command: I, the Lord thy God,

am a jealous God; visiting the sins of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation.

III. Here is likewise for the encouragement of obedience; the addition of a gracious PROMISE, of Shewing mercy unto thousands, that love God and keep his commandments.

I. I shall begin with the COMMAND, or PROHIBITION: which is twofold: Thou shalt not make images: Thou shalt not worship them. Not that the carver's or painter's art, but only the people's idolatry; not the ingenuity in making, but the stupidity in worshipping, those dumb representations; is here forbidden. The brazen serpent in the wilderness, the cherubims, and other resemblances in the temple, are a sufficient proof and evidence of this.

This prohibition, therefore, must be interpreted according to the subject matter which is here spoken of; and that being only divine worship, it is plain, that it is not unlawful to represent to the eye any visible thing by an artificial image of it: but only when God saith, Thou shalt not make, and Thou shalt not worship, the meaning is, Thou shalt not make anything, with an intention of worship; and, Thou shalt not worship anything, which thou or others have made. But, concerning the prohibition of this command, I shall speak more hereafter.

For the more full and clear understanding of this precept, I must desire you to recal to mind one of those several general rules which I formerly gave you, as helpful to instruct you in the due extent and latitude of the Commandments; and that was, That the negative commands do all of them include the injunction of the contrary positive duties: as, when God forbids the taking of his name in vain, by consequence he commands the hallowing and sanctifying of his name; where he forbids murder, he commands all lawful care and endeavour to preserve our own, and the life of others; where, in the First Precept, he forbids the owning and cleaving unto any other God besides himself, he enjoins us to acknowledge him as our God, to love, fear, and hope in him only. So, here in this Second Command, where he forbids the worshipping of images, by consequence he requires us to worship him according to the rules which he hath prescribed us. And, therefore, as under the First Command is comprehended whatsoever appertains to the Internal Worship of God; so, under this Second, is comprehended whatsoever appertains to the External and Visible Worship of God.