III.

4

to

or

SERM.tures and Images of the Invifible God, even of the Father Almighty, in express oppofition to the Second Commandment. And in the matter of Tranfubftantiation; fancying the elements be changed into the Body of Chrift, and knowing, the Body of Chrift to be. in union with his Divinity, and his Divinity to be in union with that of his Father; from hence, by three four steps of multiplied idolatry, idolatry, they pay to the mere elements of bread and wine, That Worship which indeed is due only to the God and Father of All, even to Him who fo loved the World, as to give his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting Life. In which and the like cafes, an unaccountable Tyranny has for many Ages compelled Learned men to employ their whole skill and abilities, not in getting a right understanding of things, but in defending implicitly what ignorant and unlearned Perfons had decided for them before.

4. ANO

4.

.

ANOTHER Kind or Species of Ido- SER M. latry, is when Men apply themselves to III. God through Falfe and Idol-Mediators, in diminution of the Honour of the One True Mediator, whom God himself has expreffly appointed to be Alone our Advocate, Interceffor and Judge. God who at fundry times and in divers manners Spake in times paft unto the Fathers by the Prophets, bath in thefe laft days Spoken unto us by his Son; who, when he had by himself purged our Sins, fat down on the right band of the Majefty on High; where be ever liveth, to make interceffion for us. To Us Chriftians therefore, as there is (if we will ufe St Paul's expreffion) One God, even the Father, of whom are 1Cor. viii. all things; fo there is alfo One Lord, 6. even Jefus Chrift, through whom are all things. For there is one God, and One Mediator between God and Men, the Man Chrift Jefus, 1 Tim. ii. 5. As therefore the fetting up any Idol or Falfe God, in oppofition to, or in conjunction with the True God, is Idolatry with regard to God; fo the setting up any Idol or Falfe Mediator, in oppofition to, or in con

junction

III.

Which

SERM.junction with the One True Mediator, is Idolatry with regard to Chrift. most evidently fhows, that the Worship paid by the Church of Rome to Angels, and to Saints departed, to Images and Relicks, and to the Bleed Virgin, whom they profanely ftile the Mother of God; is truly and properly Idolatry: And that the Excufe they plead, that the Worfhip thus paid, is not Divine, but only Mediatorial Worship; is nothing to the purpofe, and alters not at all the Nature, but only a Circumftance of the Crime: An Idol-Mediator being as truly and plainly an Idol, and a departing from Chrift our only true Mediator and Advocate; as the worshipping an Idol-God, is a departure from the Living and True God. St Paul argues in this manner expreffly and moft prophetically; Col. ii. 18; Let no man beguile you of your Reward, in a voluntary humility [or willworship, ver. 23.] and worshipping of Angels; intruding into thofe things which he hath not feen, vainly puffed up by his flefbly mind, And not holding the Head, which is Chrift. And the fame thing

was

w

was long before prophefied of by Dani- SER M. el, ch. xi. 38; when fpeaking of Anti- III. chrift, he foretells concerning him, that not only a God whom his Fathers knew not, fhould be bonour, that is, fhould corrupt the true Notion and Worship of but moreover, that he fhould be nour alfo Gods of Forces, (or as it is more rightly rendered in the Margin of the Bible) should worship divers Gods-Protectors, that is, Saints, and Angels, and Images, on whom men fhould rely for Protection and Salvation.

God;

5. Fifthly and Laftly; BESIDES all these feveral Kinds and Degrees of Idolatry, literally and ftrictly fo called; there are alfo feveral other things, which because they are, in different ways and manners, a departing in fome measure from God, and placing our reliance or our Affections upon fome wrong Object; they are therefore in Scripture figuratively, and by way of analogy or proportion, reprefented as Idolatrous Practices. Thus St Peter defcribes thofe Jewish Profelytes, who had indulged themselves in being prefent, though not perhaps at

the

SER M. the actual Worship, yet at the Idol-Feafts III. of the Heathen; he defcribes them as

having wrought the Will of the Gentiles,in revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries, 1 Pet. iv. 3. And St Paul, fpeaking of Jews, who never had literally been idolaters, but, neglecting the true Will of God, had placed their whole Truft upon what he there calls the weak and beggarly elements of a formal and ceremonious religion, namely, their Superftitious obfervation of days and months and times and years; he thus expreffes his cenfure of them, Gal. iv. 8. then when ye knew not God, ye did fervice unto Them [ unto thofe things] which by nature are no Gods. And among Chriftians, mens taking delight in promoting Corruptions of Religion introduced by human power and violence, the Scripture calls falling down and worshipping the wild Beaft, that is, paying more regard to the Will of oppreffive and unreasonable Men, than to the Will of God; [And worshipping the Image of the Beast, that is, (with fome allufion perhaps to Nebuchadnezzar's golden Image,) being

fond