no man that I know ever doubted of.
2 He would proue that it vvas appointed to Gods service. But
alas he can bring no colour for that. It was a patterne (saith hee) of
the Lords altar, which was a chief•• instrument of Gods worship: as our
crosse is a resemblance of the crosse of Christ. Where 1 vvhy doth he
compare the crosse vvheron Christ did suffer vvith the Lords Al∣tar?
that crosse vvas no more holy, then the souldiers that nailed
Christ to it, or then Iudas, that betrayed him into their hands:
and therefore the signe of that crosse in respect of the resemblance
vvhich it hath to that, is no more holy then the picture of Iudas.
2 Is every resemblance of a holy thing holy? then every Al••∣house
picture, vvhich resembleth any thing belonging to the
Scripture & holy uses, is also holy. 3 If any of the Tyrians which
vvrought under Salomon about the vvork of the Temple, should
haue procured a modell of the Temple to be drawne, and carried
it vvith him into his Country for to haue shewed it them for
newes, had that model been religious or holy? the Def. thought
he had to doe with such as vvould beleeue whatsoever he said.
3 He goeth about to proue, that it vvas mysticall signification
••eaching a spirituall dutie: because that one end of it vvas, in re∣spect
of the present Gileadites, to teach that the Lord was God: and ano∣ther
in respect of their posterity, to testifie their consent in the true Re∣ligion.
But in all this faire shew, there is scarce one word true. For
1 it doth not appeare out of the text, that there vvas intended any
use of it for the present age that then lived. The contrary appea∣reth
plainly, vers. 27, 28 &c. The last verse cited to this purpose
by the Defendant, must be interpreted as Iun••us noteth out of
the 30 verse. So that even by this it is manifest that a direct helpe
unto devotion vvas not sought for in the erecting of this altar. For
then not onely the two Tribes then living should haue had use of
it, but most of the other Tribes should haue had reason to haue
imitated their example, in setting up Altars of devotion even at
every three-way-leet, as crosses are wont to stand. 2 in regard of
posterity, the immediate end was to testifie, that though they were
separated from the other Tribes by the river Iordan, yet they
belonged to the same people, and had right to come unto the
same place of vvorship. Now vvhat is this to a ceremonie which
hath state and immediate use in the speciall solemne worship of
God? the use of this testifying vvas to procure a consent and ap∣probation
in future times among the other Tribes, that these two
Tribes might be suffered to come to the Temple for to worship
God there. So that neither the two Tribes, nor the other ten were
stirred up by this Altar as by an instituted mystical ceremonie un∣to
vvorship or devotion: for as for the two Tribes, they vvere