The manners of the Israelites in three parts. I Of the patriarchs. 2. Of the Israelites after their coming out of Egypt until the captivity of Babylon. 3 Of the Jews after their return from the captivity until the preaching of the Gospel. Shewing their customs secular and religious, their generous contempt of earthly grandeur. And the great benefit and advantage of a plain laborious, frugal, and contented life.

CAP. XXI. Idolatry.

THis Crooked inclination to I∣dolatry appears to us very strange and very absurd in the Manners of the Israelites: and it is that, which does most of all perswade us, they were a gross and brutish People. We scarcely see now any Idolaters: We only hear say, that there remain some in the Indies and other far distant Countries: But all the People, who surround us, Jews, Mahome∣tans, Hereticks, and Papists, profess the Unity of an Almighty God: The meanest sort of Women, the

most ignorant and heavy Louts, know distinctly this truth; so that we conclude, those, who believ∣ed several Gods, and worshipped Stocks and Stones, ought to be placed in the lowest form of the most ignorant, dunsical, and bar∣barous men. Nevertheless Barba∣rous we cannot term the Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, Syrians, and the other people of Antiquity; all whose Arts, Sciences and Poli∣teness are derived down to us, and for which we are much behol∣den to them: And we cannot de∣ny, but that Idolatry domineer'd among them with an absolute Em∣pire at a time, when as to other things they were most ingenious and polite. Wherefore we must pawse a little here, and dive into the Source and Fond of this Evil.

The Wit of man is so much darkned since the Fall, that he re∣mains in the state of corrupted nature. He does not apply him∣self to any Spiritual Idea: He on∣ly thinks of Body and Matter, and reckons all that does not fall

under his senses, for nothing. Nought appears solid to him, but what strikes his grossest Senses, the Tast and Feeling. We see it but too plainly in Children and men, who follow their Passions: They have no value but for what is Visible and Sensible: All other things seem to 'em meer Castles in the Air. And yet these men are brought up in the true Religion; in the knowledge of one God, of the Souls Immortality, and of a Future life. What then could those Ancient Gentiles think, who had never heard a Syllable of these things, and to whom their great Sages only presented sensible and material Objects? Read Homer, as long as you please, that great Divine and great Prophet of the Grecians; and you will not find the least tittle therein to conjecture, that he thought of any thing Spi∣ritual or Incorporeal.

And truly all their Wisdom ap∣plyed it self to what concerns the body and the senses. The Gym∣nastick exercises of the body, which they made so much their

business did only aim at preserving and augmenting Health, Strength, Dexterity, and Beauty, and they brought that Art to the highest pitch of Accomplishment. Scul∣pture, Painting▪ and Architecture regard the pleasure of the Eye; and such great Masters were they in those Arts, that their Houses, their Cities and all their Countries, were full of agreeable Objects, as we may see by the Descriptions of Pausanias. They also excelled in Musick; and tho Poetry seems to reach further than the Sences, it is stinted to the Imagination, which has the same Objects and produces the same Effects. Their most Ancient Laws, and their Rules of Morality do all likewise refer to bodily things, that each parti∣cular Person should have where∣with to live handsomely; that men should marry sound and fruit∣full Women; that the Children should be brought up to have stout Bodies, and that chiefly for War; that every one might be in securi∣ty in respect of Strangers or Ill-Citizens.

They thought so little of the Soul and 'its Spiritual Goods, that they did it a great deal of harm for the prefectionating of the Body. It is evidently against modesty, that the Young-men should appear all naked in publick to exercise themselves in the Eyes of all the World: This was re∣puted nothing; and the Women too in Lacedemon exercised them∣selves in that manner. Very dan∣gerous also it was to expose Sta∣tues and Pictures every where of all kind of Nudities, even the most infamous; and the danger was very great, especially for Painters and Carvers, who work to the Life: However they were oblig'd to content the pleasure of the Sight. Thus we know, to what point of Dissoluteness and Lubricity the Greeks attained by those means. Among them the most abominable Wantonness was not only in use but in Honour. Musick and Poetry, besides their fomenting of those Vices, did like∣wise excite and maintain Jealou∣sies and mortal hatred among the

Poets, the Actors and the Specta∣tors: And particular persons were often branded, Lampoon'd, and exposed by Forgeries and cru∣el Raileries. But they were not much netled or scandaliz'd, pro∣vided they had fine Songs and a∣greeable Sights.

It was the same, as to their Religion: It only consisted in sen∣sible Ceremonies, and was injurious instead of being advantageous to good manners. And the source of all these mischiefs was, that man had forgot himself, and his imma∣terial substance. There was kept up among all people a constant Tradition, that there was a more excellent Being than man, capable of doing him good or evil. Know∣ing nothing but Body, they would needs have that Being, h. e. the Deity, to be also Corporeal, and by consequence, that there were several Gods; to the intent there might be some of them in each part of nature; that each Nation, each Town, each Family might have their peculiar Deities. They imagin'd them like immortal

men; and to make 'em happy, they attributed to them all the pleasures, without which they fancy'd no happiness, and that even to the most shameful Debaucheries: Which afterwards served to au∣thorize their Passions by the ex∣ample of their Gods. It was not enough to imagine them either in Heaven or upon Earth; they would see and touch them: Where∣fore they honour'd their Idols as the Gods themselves, being per∣swaded they were thereto fixed and therein incorporated: And they reverenc'd those Statues so much the more, as they were more sine or more Ancient, or had some other Singularity, which made them the more Recommen∣dable.

Their Worship was conforma∣ble to their Belief. It wholly turned upon two Passions, the Love of Pleasure, and the fear of sensible Ill. Their Sacrifices were ever∣more followed by Feasts and ac∣companied with Musick and Dances. Comedy and Tragedy began at their Rejoycings in the time of

Vintage, sacred to the honou•• of Bacchus. The Olympick Games, and those other so much celebra∣ted Combates were made in hon∣our of the Gods: in short, all the Shews of Greece were Acts of Religion; and according to them it was an high piece of Devoti∣on to assist at the most Lewd Plays of Aristophanes. And indeed their greatest business in time of Peace was to take care of sacred Com∣bates and Stage-plays; and fre∣quently in time of War they ap∣plyed themselves more, and were in greater expence for those things than for the War it self. Thus their Religion was not a Doctrine of Morality, as the true Religion was. In case some Justice was ob∣served, Oaths, Hospitality and A∣syles were not violated. In case men acquitted themselves faithful∣ly of their vows, and they were at expence for Sights and Sacrifi∣ces, they were then Religious e∣nough of Consciuence. Debauch∣ery was so far from being con∣demn'd by their Religion, that it was in some measure commanded.

'Twas necessary to be drunk for the righteous celebrating of the Bacchanals; and Women prostitu∣ted themselves in honour of Ve∣nus, particularly in Corinth. Al∣most every one knows, what was the God of Gardens, and what were the Mysteries of Ceres and Cy∣bele.

Thus it was that they honoured the Gods, whom they esteemed favourers of Mankind and doers of good. But as to the Infer∣nal, Deities, Hecate, the Eumeni∣des, Destinies and others, of whom their Fables made them a∣fraid, they were to be appeased by Nocturnal Sacrifices and the most horrible and inhumane Ce∣remonies. Some there were, who buried men alive: Others offer'd up Children, and sometimes their own, as those Adorers of Moloch did, so much detested in Scripture. 'Tis to that fear and dread, we must refer all their cru∣el and troublesome Superstitions, as to let out their own blood with lan∣cets or to cut themselves with Knives, as did the false Prophets of

and the Priests of Cybele, and to fast, to bath in cold water, and the like. Thereby they thought to divert the private mischiefs or publick calamities, with which they were threatned by Oracles, Dreams or Prodigies according to the explication of their Divines. They believed them to be Reme∣dies against Diseases, the Pestilence, Hail, and Famine. Now in those matters they chose rather to do use∣less things, than to omit what are useful. All their Lustration or Expiation of Sins lay in that kind of painful Ceremonies: It consisted in purifying the Body by Water or by Fire, and in making certain Sacrifices: But there was no talk of Repentance or Conver∣sion.

Perhaps it will seem strange, that a people so enlightned as the Greeks, should fall into such gross Super∣stitions, and should suffer them∣selves to be so easily amused by Astrologers, Augurs and so many other sorts of For∣tune-tellers. But we must consi∣der, that until the time of Alexan∣der

and the reign of the Macedo∣nians, they had not made any great progress in those Sciences, which might cure Superstition. They had improv'd the Arts very much; they had very good Laws: in a word, they had brought to an high perfection, whatever renders Life commodious and a∣greeable. But they had not so much applyed themselves to Specu∣lative Sciences as Astronomy, Geome∣try, and Physicks. The Anatomy of A∣nimals and Vegetables, the Search of Minerals and Meteors, the Fi∣gure of the Earth, the course of the Stars, and the whole Systeme of the World were still very ob∣scure Mysteries. The Chaldeans and Egyptians, who only now knew something of 'em, made them a great Secret, and only spoke of them in Riddles, and blended an infinite number of Superstitions and Fables with them.

As those Sciences principally de∣pend on the Experiments of the Phaenomena, the following Ages do always add to them; and they are at present in a greater Perfection,

than they have ever been. They are taught publickly to all, that will apply themselves that way, and they suit mighty well with our holy Religion, which condemns all Superstition, Divination and Ma∣gick. And yet we find too many who listen to Astrologers and that kind of Impostors. I do not only speak of Peasants and I∣deots, the Dregs of the People, but of Women, who pretend to a large State of Wit, Politeness and Knowledge, and of men brought up in the light of the best Educa∣tion, who in other points show themselves great & daring wits, and will not yield to the Authority of the true Religion. What was it then, when all these Fooleries composed a great part of Religion? when Sooth-sayers really pass'd for Di∣vine men? when Astrology, Pyroman∣cy, Necromancy and the rest were Divine Sciences? How could peo∣ple resist the Authority of Priests and False Prophets, who ve∣ry seriously related a great number of former Tryals in confirmation of their Doctrine, and whom

whole Nations so blindly follow'd? They must needs give credit to them, seeing they knew not, how things could naturally come so to pass, and tho any one should have had that knowledge, he must be very bold, that durst have contra∣dicted them.

Thus this Inclination to Idolatry was not peculiar to the Israelites; it was an Universal evil: And that hardness of heart, for which the Scripture so often rebukes them, does not consist in their be∣ing more addicted to sensible things than other Nations, but in their being as much as they were, after having received particular fa∣vours from God, and having seen great Miracles. Most assured∣ly it was requisite to have a strong force of mind to resist the ill example of all other Nations. When an Israelite was out of his own Country among Infidels, they seeing him neither offer Sacrifices nor worship Idols, accused him of having no Religion at all; and when he spoke to them of his God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth,

they had him in derision and asked, from whence he came. These reproaches were hard to be sup∣ported: David himself does testi∣fie, that during his Exile, his Tears were his meat day and night, while they continually said unto him, where is thy God? Weak Spirits were staggered by these Attacks, and often could not cope with them. The Propensity we have to pleasure, augmented the Temp∣tation: For the Feasts of the Pagans were both magnificent and frequent. Curiosity easily carries away young People, especially Maidens, to go see Pomps and Processions, the order and tricking of the Victims, the dances and Choirs of Musick, and the orna∣ments of the Temples. There still was found some officious Stranger or other, who engag'd them to take place in the Feast, and to eat of the meats offered to Idols, or to come and Iodge in his House. This gave occasion to ac∣quaintance and Amours, which ter∣minated either in a meer Debauch or in a Marriage against the Law.

Thus did Idolatry insinuate it self; the ordinary Charms whereof were good Victuals and bad Women. Thus in the time of Moses the Daug∣ters of the Medianites engaged the Israelites in those detestabl Mysteries of Belphegor. And thus Strange Women perverted Solomon.

Furthermore, the Law of God might seem to them too Severe. It did not Permit them to Sacrifice but in one place by the hands of the Priests, and according to cer∣tain very strict rules: And there were but three great Feasts through the whole Year, the Passeover, the Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. This was but a small thing for People, who lived in Abundance, and in a Climate that inspires Pleasures. However, dwelling in the Country, and being employed in Husbandry, they could not assemble conveniently but at Feasts. Wherefore they must either borrow from Strangers, or invent new ones. We, who believe our selves so Spiritually given, and who without doubt ought to be so, if we were really

Christians, do not we often prefer the Possession of sensible benefits before the hopes of eternal good? and do not we strive to reconcile with the Gospel sundry Divertise∣ments, which all Antiquity has judg'd incompatible therewith, and against which our Instructors never cease to declaim? True, we abhor Idolatry; but we do not see it any where (without it be a∣mong the Papists,) it having been entirely decryed for above a thou∣sand years. We must not there∣fore believe, the Israelites were more stupid than other People, because the repeated favours, which they received from God, did not cure them of Idolatry: But we must acknowledge, that the wound of Original sin was ve∣ry deep, since such holy Instructi∣ons and such great wonders were not sufficient to elevate men above sensible things. And Besides, we see, that other People the most illuminated in other things, as the Greeks and Egyptians, were also without Comparison more blinded herein.

Notes

• Ter••ul. de Spect. Au∣gust. de Civ. Dei 2.
• Demosth. Philip. Aug de verâ Rel.
• Clem. Alex. Prom. in
• Ps. 42▪ ••3
• Fumb. 29.