SERMON VII . S. LUKE iv. 8. And Jefus answered and faid unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worShip the Lord thy God, and him only halt thou ferve. T HAT the Devil, as S. Ignatius obferves, was ignorant of our Saviour's Incarnation, feems evident from the former Part of this Chapter: For if he had known him to be the eternal Son of God, he would not have been fo impolitick, and poffibly not fo bold, as to have tempted his Maker. 'Tis plain from the Nature of the Temptations, that the Devil took our Saviour for no more than fome extraordinary Prophet fent to reform the World; and therefore he refolves to try if he could pervert him before he could accomplish his Defign. He well remembred how fuccefsful he had been in Paradise, how he had feduced our first Parents in their best Condition; before there was any Guilt, before there was any Weaknefs upon human Nature; he had therefore the lefs Reafon to queftion prevailing over their lapfed Pofterity: and like one well-practifed in Deceit, he referves his Mafter Stratagem for the laft. knew, the most generous, and best fortify'd Minds, who are Proof against other Vices, are often found weak upon the fide of Ambition. And therefore, being baffled in his two former Attempts, he throws out the Baits of Power and Greatnefs; and, to make them the more invi ting, he prefents a Scheme as rich as Imagination He gination could paint it, draws all the Pomp and Splendor of the World into one Profpect, and fhews our Saviour all the Kingdoms of the Earth in a Moment of Time. And when he thought his Senfes were dazled, and his Mind charmed with the glorious Reprefentation; he makes a Proffer of the whole, and demands nothing but Homage and Acknowledgement for it: If thou wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And here our bleffed Saviour was neither pleased to dif cover himself, nor yet to make any exceptions against the Tempter. He does not tell him he was an Apoftate Spirit, and therefore ought not to pretend to Worship, nor how infinitely he had been his Inferior had he stood in his Integrity. He does not object, that he ufurped the Perfon and Character of the fupreme God; for, this the Devil did not do; he boasted, indeed, that the World was at his difpofal, but then it was not in his own Right, it was only delivered to him: Now this is a plain acknowledgement of higher Power: And that the Tempter pretended Q 2 pretended to be no more than a minifterial Deity. Yet our Saviour refuses him under this Notion, tho' moft advantagioufly taken; and gives him an Answer which makes it unlawful for a mere Man to Worship the moft glorious Angel in Heaven. He tells him, that Adoration was to be paid to none but the fupreme Being, that the most excellent Creatures had no Authority to challenge fuch a Submiffion from those below them. For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, &c. From thefe Words, I fhall endeavour to prove that religious Worfhip is to be given to none but God. Which Propofition may be made good thefe three Ways. I. From the Doctrine of the Scriptures. tients. 1 III. From the Reafon of the Thing. But before I do this, it will not be improper to ftate the Notion of religious Worship: By which we are to understand that Worship which is given to invisible Spirits; 6 Spirits; to the Inhabitants of the other World, who are removed from human Converse. From whence we may obferve that it's not the fame thing to worship vifible and invifible Angels. When an Angel prefents himself to our Senfes, and gives good Affurances that he comes from God, there is a great Regard without doubt due to the Superiority of his Nature, but especially to his Character as he is God's Meffenger. But this Regard, which ought to go no higher than moral Reverence, is no Warrant for a folemn Addreffing our felves to them when their Embaffy is over: When they are reduced to private Perfons, when they are unfeen and poffibly out of the reach of our Application. In the next Place we may obferve, that the outward figns of civil and religious Worship are often the fame, and only distinguishable by Circumstances. When we kneel to God, and to our Prince, our Pofture may lawfully be the fame: There is no visible difference between our bowing at the Name of Jefus in Acknowledment of our |