A discourse concerning the object of religious worship, or, A Scripture proof of the unlawfulness of giving any religious worship to any other being besides the one supreme God part I.

SECT. V.

4. AS a farther proof of this, I observe, that Christ and his Apostles did not abrogate, but only com∣plete and perfect the Mosaical Laws. Our Saviour with great zeal and earnestness disowns any such intention or design.* 1.1 Think not that I am come to destroy the Law and the Prophets, I am not come to destroy but to fulfil. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to fill it up, by fulfilling the types and prophe∣sies of it, by exchanging a ceremonial for a real righ∣teousness, or by perfecting its moral precepts with new instances and degrees of vertue. And therefore he adds, For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be ful∣filled. And St. Paul, who was lookt on by the believing Jews as a great enemy to the Law of Moses, does re∣nounce all such pretences.* 1.2 Do we then make void the

Law through Faith? God forbid; yea,* 1.3 we establish the Law.

Indeed had Christ or his Apostles attempted to have given any new Laws contrary to the Laws of Moses, it had justified the Jews in their unbelief, for God by his Pro∣phet Isaiah, had given them this express rule to examine all new Doctrines by;* 1.4 To the law and the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them; and that Christ himself is not excepted from this rule, appears in this, that this is joyned with the prophesie of the Messias, both before and after; as you may see in 8 Isai. 13, 14. and 9 Chap. 6, 7. and therefore Christ and his Apostles always make their ap∣peals to the writings of the Old Testament, and St. Paul in all his disputes with the Jews urges them with no o∣ther authority but the Scriptures; and thô the Miracles which were wrought by the Apostles did move the Jews to hearken to them, and greatly dispose them to believe their Doctrine, yet it was the authority of the Scrip∣tures whereon their Faith was founded. As St. Peter tells those to whom he wrote, that though they preacht nothing to them concerning the coming of Christ, but what they were eye-witnesses of; and though God had given testimony to him by a voice from Heaven, which they heard, when they were with him in the holy Mount, yet he adds, We have also a more sure word of prophesie, whereunto ye do well,* 1.5 that ye take heed, as to a light, that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts. That is the Scriptures of the Old Testament; and therefore the Jews of Berea are great∣ly commended for their diligence in searching the Scri∣ptures, and examining St. Pauls Doctrine by them;* 1.6 and this is assigned as the reason why many of them belie∣ved.

To apply this then to our present purpose, I observe,

1. That if Christ did not make any new Laws in contradiction to the Law of Moses, then he could make no alteration in the object of Religious Worship. He could not introduce the worship of Saints and Angels without contradicting that Law, which commands us to worship no other Being but the one Supreme God, For the worship of Saints and Angels together with the Supreme God, is a direct contradiction to that Law, which commands us to worship God alone; though we should suppose, that in the nature of the thing, the wor∣ship of Saints and Angels were consistent with the wor∣ship of the Supreme God, yet it is not consistent with that Law, which commands us to worship none but God. So that let this be a natural or positive Law, or whatever men please to call it, it is a very plain and express Law, and Christ never did contradict any express Law of God.

It is true, that Typical and Ceremonial Worship, which God commanded the Jews to observe, is now out of date under the Gospel, and does no longer oblige Christians; but the reason of that is, because it has re∣ceived its accomplishment and perfection in Christ. Christ has perfected the Jewish Sacrifices, and put an end to them, by offering a more perfect and meritorious sacri∣fice, even the sacrifice of himself. The Circumcision, Washings, Purifications of the Law, are perfected by the Laws of internal purity. The external Ceremonies of the Law cease, but they are perfected by an Evangelical righteousness. But this I say, that Christ never repeal∣ed any Mosaical Law, but by fulfilling and perfecting it. He came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfil. Now methinks I need not prove, that the worship of Saints and Angels is not a fulfilling, but a destroying that Law, which commands us to worship none but God. And it is not enough to say, that these are positive Laws given

to the Jews, (though that be said without any reason) for let them shew me any positive Law relating to the Worship of God, which Christ has wholly abrogated without fulfilling it.

2. Yet as a farther proof, that Christ has made no alteration in the object of our worship, that he has not introduced the worship of Saints or Angels, or Images, into the Christian Church, which was so expresly forbid by the Jewish Law, I observe that according to our Sa∣viours own rule, that he came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfil; these Laws of worshipping one God, and none besides him, were not lyable to any change and alteration, because there was nothing to be perfected or fulfilled in them. He made no change or alteration but by way of perfecting and fulfilling; and therefore those Laws which had nothing to be fulfilled, must remain as they were without any change.

To perfect or fulfil a Law, must either signifie to ac∣complish what was prefigured by it, and thus Christ ful∣filled all the types and prophesies of the Law, which re∣lated to his Person, or his undertaking, as the Jewish Priesthood, and Sacrifices, &c. or to prescribe that real righteousness which was signified and represented by the outward ceremony, and so Christ fulfilled the Laws of Circumcision, Washings, Purifications, Sabbaths, &c. by commanding the Circumcision of the heart, and the pu∣rity of mind and spirit: or by supplying what was de∣fective; and thus he fulfilled the moral Law by new in∣stances of vertue, by requiring something more perfect of us, than what the letter of the Mosaical Law enjoyn∣ed. These are all the ways that I know of, and all that we have any instances of in Scripture of fulfilling Laws.

Now I suppose, no man will say, that the first Com∣mandment, which forbids the worship of any other Gods besides the Lord Jehovah, is a Typical Law, for pray

what is it a Type of? nor can any pretend that the first Commandment is a Ceremonial Law, for it prescribes no rite of worship at all, but only determines the object of worship.

As for the third way of fulfilling Laws, by perfecting them with some new instances and degrees of vertue, it can have no place here, for this Law is as perfect as it can be. For it is a Negative Law, Thou shalt have none other God. Now that which is forbid without any reserve or limitation, is perfectly and absolutely forbid. There are no degrees of nothing, though there are several degrees of perfection in things which have a being; and there∣fore though there are degrees in affirmative Laws, for some Laws may require greater attainments than other; and one man may do better than another, and yet both do that which is good; yet there are no degrees in not doing a thing, and no Law can do more than forbid that, which the Law-giver will not have done.

And besides, this way of fulfilling Laws, does not ab∣rogate any command, but adds to it; it may restrain those liberties which were formerly indulged, but it does not forbid any thing which was formerly our duty to do; for when God requires greater degrees of vertue from us, he does not forbid the less. And therefore in this way, Christ might forbid more than was forbid by the Law of Moses, but we cannot suppose that he gave liberty to do that which the Law forbids, which is not to perfect, but to abrogate a Law.

But to put an end to this dispute; if Christ have per∣fected these Laws by indulging the worship of Saints and Angels under the Gospel, which was so expresly forbidden by the Law, then it seems the worship of Saints and Angels is a more perfect state of Religion, than the worship of the one Supreme God alone.

If this be true, then though the Heathens might mi∣stake

in the object of their Worship, yet the manner of their worship was more perfect and excellent, than what God himself prescribed the Jews. For they worshipt a great many inferiour Deities, as well as the Supreme God; and if this be the most perfect and excellent wor∣ship, it is wonderful to me, that God should forbid it in the worship of himself; that he should prescribe a more imperfect worship to his own people, than the Heathens paid to their Gods.

For to say that God forbade the worship of any Being besides himself, because this liberty had been abused by the Heathens to Idolatry, is no reason at all. For though we should suppose that the Heathens worshipt evil spirits for Gods, this had been easily prevented, had God told them what Saints and Angels they should have made their addresses to; and this had been a more likely way to cure them of Idolatry, than to have forbad the wor∣ship of all inferiour Deities; for when they had such numerous Deities of their own, to have made their ap∣plication to, they would have been more easily weaned from the Gods of other Countries.

And we have reason to believe, so it would have been, had God been pleased with this way of Worship, for he would not reject any part of Religious Worship, meerly because it had been abused by Idolaters. The Heathens sacrificed to Idols, and yet he commands the Jews to offer Sacrifices to himself, and so no doubt he would have commanded the worship of Saints and Angels, had he been as well pleased with this, as he was with Sacrifices; had it been a more perfect state of Religion than to worship God only, and without any Image.

When God chose the people of Israel, and separated them from the rest of the world, to his own peculiar worship and service, we cannot suppose that he did in∣tend to forbid any acts of worship, which were a real

honour to the Divine Nature, much less to forbid the most excellent and perfect acts of worship; for he who is so jealous of his glory, will no more part with it him∣self, then he will give it to another; and therefore ex∣cepting the Typical nature of that dispensation, the whole intention of the Mosaical Law was to correct those a∣buses, which the rest of the world was guilty of in their Religious Worship, which either respected the object or the acts of worship; that they worshipt that for God, which was not God; or that they thought to honour God by such acts, as were so far from being an honour, that they were a reproach to the Divine Nature. And whatever is forbid in the worship of God, unless there be some Mystical and Typical reasons for it, must be re∣duced to one of those causes. This account God him∣self gives, why he forbids the worship of any Being be∣sides himself, or the worship of graven Images. I am the Lord,* 1.7 that is my Name, and my glory will I not give to another, nor my praise to graven Images. Whatever is his true glory, he reserves to himself, and therefore ne∣ver did forbid any act of worship which was truly so; but he will not give his glory to another, and for that reason forbids the worship of graven Images, or any thing besides himself; and if this was not his glory then, much less the most perfect and excellent part of worship, I know not how it should come to be his glory now, un∣less the Divine Nature changes and alters too.

So that Gods having forbid by the Law of Moses the worship of any other Being besides himself, is a very strong presumption, that the worship of Saints and An∣gels, (whatever fine excuses and Apologies may be made for it, yet at least) is not a more perfect state of Reli∣gion, than to worship God alone. For though God may not always think fit to command the highest degrees of perfection, yet there never can be any reason to forbid

it. But let us now consider the nature and reason of the thing, whether it be a more perfect state of Religion to worship God alone, or to worship Saints and Angels, &c. together with the Supreme God. Now the perfe∣ction of any acts of Religion must either respect God or our selves, that they signifie some greater perfections in God, or more perfect attainments in us, and a nearer union and conjunction with the Deity. Let us then briefly examine the worship of Saints and Angels, both with respect to God and our selves, and see whether we can discover any greater perfection in this way of wor∣ship, than in the worship of the Supreme Being alone, without any Rival or partner in worship; and if it ap∣pears, that it is neither for the glory of God, nor for the happiness and perfection of those, who worship, we may certainly conclude, that our Saviour has made no alte∣ration in the object of our worship, for he made no al∣teration for the worse but for the better; he fulfils and perfects Laws, which, I suppose, does not signifie making them less perfect than they were before.

Notes

• * 1.1

  5. Mat. 17.
• * 1.2

  21. Acts 21, 22.
• * 1.3

  3. Rom. 31.
• * 1.4

  8. Isai. 20.
• * 1.5

  2 Pet. 1. 16, 17, 18, 19.
• * 1.6

  17. Acts 10, 11.
• * 1.7

  42. Isai. 8.