A view of the threats and punishments recorded in the Scriptures, alphabetically composed with some briefe observations upon severall texts / by Zachary Bogan ...

Curiosity (especially in Divine things)

Threatned.

The Lord said unto Moses, Goe down, charge the people lest they break thorow unto the Lord to gaze, & many of them perish Exod: 19, 21. Charge the people—in Hebrew 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 testify to them, or command them before witnesses; for there being no law to forbid this act, they will say they were too severely dealt with, unlesse there be some to witnesse that it was forbidden by God: Then again, charge them before witnesses, to shew that I am re∣solved to do what I say; as Joseph did his brethren Gen: 43, 3. Lest they breake tho∣row unto the Lord: it may be render'd lest they destroy themselves for God, viz: Out of desire to look and pry, or out of curiosity to see him.

Punished.

And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, be∣cause they looked into the Ark of the Lord: e∣ven he smote of the people fifty thousand, and

threescore & ten men 1 Samuel 6, 19. wicked men commonly are more desirous toknow the things of God in a way of curiosity * 1.1 then godly men; and it is one great vanity of the eye (both of the body and the mind) to delight in seeing strang sights: which ma∣ny times make them turne aside from God: Moses, when the Angel appeared to him in a flame o fire in a bush, seeing the bush burnt and not consumed, left the Angel to turne aside, and see this great sight, why the bush was not burnt. Exod: 3, 3. But God lo∣ved him well, and therefore restraind him. You know how Jacob was reproved by the Angel for asking his name Gen: 32, 29. and Manoah in the like manner Jud: 13. 17. Tacitus, speaking of Hercules his pillars, of which it is questioned whether Hercules went thither or not, sayes, Sanctius & reverentius visum de actis deorum credere, quam scire. For things said to be done by the gods, I think it more religion, and reverence to believe them, then (as we say) to go seeke the proofe of* 1.2 them. Yet some are as hard to beleeve, that God is God, without too dili∣gent inquiry, as Thomas was to believe, that Jesus was Jesus John 20, 25. But we may not be too busie: there are some secret things, which belong only to God, Deut. 29. 29. It was a saying of Heraclitus 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,

nature loves to be hid, and the god of nature more then her. Ignorance in such things, though it be not a mother, is a very great helper of devoti∣on: & curiosity on the contrary, a very great hinderer. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. saies Themistius, speaking of God, whom we reverence, & admire the more, because the knowledge of him is not easie and triviall, & ready to every mans hand.

Curiosity in humane things, hath been an oc∣casiō of many sad accidents. Lot's wife. Gen: 19. out of curiosity to observe & gaze up∣on the destruction of Sodom (contrary to the) Angel's cōmand v: 17) stealing a time when her husband did not see her, looked back from behind him, and was presently turned into a pillar of salt v. 26. 2 Dinah (Jacobs daughter) gadding abroad (forsooth) to * 1.3 see the daughters of the land▪ Gen: 34, 1. was deflowred by Shechem, and became the occasion of all the sin, and misery, all the cruelty, acted and sufferd, by Simeon and Levi, and the people of Shechem. verse 25. 3 Davids curiosity* 1.4 and desire only to know the number of his people, cost the Israelites the death of no lesse then seventy thousand men by the pestilence. 2 Sam: 24, 15. For when he commanded Joab to number

them, all the reason he gave why he would have it done, was, That I may know the number of the people verse 1.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Herod was desi∣rous to see Christ Luk 9, 9. c. 23, 8. and so were the Greeks John 12. 21. they that cared most to see him, cared lest to be∣leve in him. blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have beleeved c. 20, 29.
• * 1.2

  Lycaon in the fable had better beleev'd Jupiter was a god, then have sought the proof of it, as he did, by setting mans flesh before him to eat Ov•• met: l. 1.
• * 1.3

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (not simply 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) to gaze upon them and observe ve∣ry earnestly their fea∣ture, and fashions and beha∣viour. (the Septuagint. translate it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to learne) which is a practise too common a∣mong wo∣men.
• * 1.4

  Joab as∣ked him why he took de∣light in this thing vers. 3.