ANNOTATIONS. PSALME. CXIII.
12. The Idols of the Gentiles are siluer and gold.] Al Catholique Diuines agree in this authentical definition, of Idolattie, that it is diuine honour geuen to anie creature, as to a god. Of the diuers so t••s also of Idolatrie the ancient lerned Doctors haue vvritten much. Namely Iustinus Martyr in his Orations against the Gen iles, Tertullian in Apologetico, Arnobius Orat. ad Gentes. Lactantius, li. 2. c 17. Diuinar. Instit, and manie others. But most copiously and profoundly S Augustin, especially in his tenne first bookes de C••uitate Dei. Into vvhich er∣ror & crime the Platonistes sel, holding that spiritual inuisible createdsubstan∣ces, to vvitte, Angels good and euil, vvhom they called Intelligentias separa∣tas, had diuine povvre, & so gaue to them diuine honour. O hers honour dead men, and some before their death as goddes, for their notable actes atchiued in this life, as Saturne, ••uppiter, Hercules, and the like. Some yeld diuine ho∣nour to mere corporal creatures, liuing or vvithout life, as to beastes and ser∣pentes, the sunne, the moone, fire, vvater, earth, the vvhole machin of the vvo••ld, as if it vvere animate, and that vvith diuine spirite or soule. Againe al these haue bene vvorshipped as gods, not only in them selues but also in their imagees. But to omite other diuersities, the most grosse sorte of al, is the Ido∣latrie vvhich the P••almist here describeth, vvhen Imagees made by mens handes are immediatly honored as goddes in themselues. For such goddes the Gen∣tiles had, and of them the Prophet here speaketh. Compa••ing these visible sensles imagined goddes, vvith the one eternal inuisible God; vvho is made notorious by his diuine conspicuous vvorkes, vvheras these idols, by hovv much they are more visible, so much more they are contemptible: because be∣ing fashioned vvith mouth, eyes, eares, nose, handes, feete, throte, and other members, they are altogether sensles, not able to speake vvith their mouth, and therin more base in nature, then the men that made them; nor able to see, heare, smel, taist, feele, to vvalke, to moue, nor to crie, al vvhich beastes can doe. And therfore these that make them, or haue confidence in them (as the Prophet here signifieth that some haue. v. 16.) are most absurde: becoming like to the same idols, in their vnderstanding and internal cogitations, as these idols are voide of external sense. And al Idolaters are most vvicked, geuing, diuine honour to anie creature, & are therin seruantes of diuels: VVhether they immediatly honour diuels, as vvhen sorcerers and vvitches, making pact vvith the diuel, adore him, and he for the same doth some thing vvhich they demand: or that they honour some other creature, vvherin by the diuels false persvva∣sion, they thincke there is diuine poore. Both vvhich vvares diuels vsurpe Gods honour, and therfore the same Prophet saide in an other Psalme: Al the goddes of Gentiles are diuels.