Of idolatry a discourse, in which is endeavoured a declaration of, its distinction from superstition, its notion, cause, commencement, and progress, its practice charged on Gentiles, Jews, Mahometans, Gnosticks, Manichees Arians, Socinians, Romanists : as also, of the means which God hath vouchsafed towards the cure of it by the Shechinah of His Son / by Tho. Tenison ...

PART 1. Of the Provisions made by God against Idolatry among the Jews.

THE Israelites by their Constitution were of all Nations a people the most averse to Idolatry. Their first Commandment prescribeth the Worship of one God. Their second forbiddeth external religious honour to graven Images; which by the exhibition of that honour, whatsoever they were before, become very Idols. Wherefore St. Cyprian a 1.1 thus renders the sense of the Command, Thou shalt not make to thy self an Idol. And the contention about the Translation of Pesel, by Graven thing, Idol, or Image, is with respect to the design of Moses, an unnecessary Grammar-War. This second Command against the Worship of Images, the Jews have esteemed the great Command of all. Their very Moneys have had on the Obvers the name of Moses inscribed; and on the Revers, that second precept or prohibition b 1.2. Their third Command, [Thou shalt not take, or bear in thy mouth c 1.3 the name of Jehovah thy God in vain,] may seem also to discoun∣tenance Idols, and to forbid all Oaths of promise made

by them in the name of God, by which they often called their false Deities. It may seem to forbid not so directly the breach of Neder, a Vow to the Lord, as Schefugnah, (according to the distinction of the Jews) a 1.4, a Vow by the Lord, or by his Name, when that Name was used in signifying some Idol. I say it may seem so to do; for that it does so, I rather guess than affirm. In this conjecture I am helped by Tertullian: That Father discoursing concerning the unlawfulness of naming the Gods of the Gentile-world b 1.5, maketh use of this distinction; he teacheth that the bare na∣ming of them is lawful, because it is necessary in Dis∣course, but he condemneth the naming of them in such manner as if they were really Gods. After this distinction he pursueth the Argument in this manner:

The Law saith c 1.6, You shall make no mention of the names of other gods, neither shall they be heard out of your mouths. This it comman∣ded, that we should not call them gods. For it saith in the first part [or Table] of it, Thou shalt not take up the Name of the Lord thy God in vain, that is, in an Idol d 1.7. He therefore fell into Idolatry who ho∣nonred an Idol with the name of God. But if they must be called gods, I should add something by which it may appear that I do not own them to be Gods. For the Scripture it self calls them gods, but then it addeth [by way of discrimination] their gods, or the gods of the Nations. In such manner David called them gods, when he said the gods of the Nations were Devils—It is a customary wickedness to say, Mehercule.—And it proceeds from the ignorance of some who know not that they swear by Hercules. Now what is swearing by those whom [in Baptism] you have forsworn [or renounced] but a corrupting of the Faith with Idolatry? For who does not ho∣nour

those he swears by?

To this purpose are those words in Hosea a 1.8: Though thou Israel play the Harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, [or Bethel,] now become a house of iniquity, vanity, or Idolatry, b 1.9, nor swear the Lord liveth. That is, seeing they worship the Golden Calves, which are really Idols, though they give to them the name of Jehovah, as setting them up for his Symbol; yet use not you that word there, or the form of their oath by Jehovah; for thereby you will take up the name of God, and the name by which he is most eminently distinguished, in vain, or in an Idol. Idols are Elilim, or vanities: they are very lyes, at once to use the terms the Prophet gives them, and to allude to the Syriack Version of the third Command, [Thou shalt not take up the name of the Lord thy God with a lye.] He therefore who sweareth by them without distinction, calling them gods, or giving them any names which signifie Divine Power; He that sweareth, or voweth by Coelum or Coelus, that is, the Heavens; by Pluto, or the Earth: such a one does not only dishonour the * 1.10 name of the true God, but he doth also by interpreta∣tion forswear himself; for he sweareth by an Idol, lie, or vanity; vowing by its help to perform his Oath, which therefore he cannot by that means perform, be∣cause he trusteth to an helpless thing, though by his trust he honoureth it as a Divine Power.

Further, one great end of the fourth Command was the prevention of Idolatry. The seventh day was ob∣served as a Memorial of that one God the Creator of the World, and the God of Israel; and they who kept it holy, kept it holy to Jehovah, and made profession hereby that they were not Gentiles, who worshipped many Gods, but the seed of Abraham who served but one, the God of that Patriarch, and of Isaac, and Jacob.

This (saith Mr. Mede) was the end of the Sabbath a 1.11, that thereby, as by a Symbolum, or sign, that people might testifie and profess what God they wor∣shipped.

He ought, it may be, to have spoken this with limitation, and called it a great end: and that it was such, is evident from the Text of Moses, than whom, no man better understood the Levitical Oe∣conomy. To him God spake b 1.12 saying, Speak thou al∣so to the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you, throughout your Generations, that ye may know that I am the Lord who doth sanctifie you, [or set you apart as my Worshippers, distinct from those who worship Idols.]—Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath to observe the Sabbath throughout their Generations, for a perpetual Co∣venant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever. For in six days the Lord made Heaven and Earth, and on the seventh day he rested [or ceased] and was refreshed, [or was pleased with that exceeding good and beautiful frame of things, which his Wisdom, Goodness and Power had made.]

A like end there was of the Levitical Sacrifices. God needed them not; the Sacrifice of a pure and humble mind was more agreeable to him who is an Intellectual Spirit. But the Israelites doted on such a gross manner of expressing their devotion. And seeing they must needs offer Sacrifice, it pleased God to give them a Law which might at once indulge them in their incli∣nation, and restrain them from sacrificing unto Idols; whilft it appropriated that service to God alone, and denied it to Angels and Men. To this purpose St. Cyril discourseth c 1.13, and this is the sense of the words of that Father.

God had no thirst which was to be quenched with blood. He required not of himself so gross and material a worship, but one more spiritual, per∣fected

by universal virtue. He required a life ho∣nesty and integrity, and such as shone honourably with good works; a right contemplation of the Deity, and a true and blameless knowledg, and practice of that which is really good. But because the feeble and earthly minds of the Israelites could not with∣out difficulty be brought off from the worship and ungodly manners, and detestable superstition of the Egyptians; therefore God by the Pedagogy of the Mosaic Law, gave them a spiritual command against many Gods, and yet permitted them, after the anci∣ent manner of the worship to which they had been accustomed, to offer Eucharistical and Expiatory Ob∣lations, duly and wisely appointed, and as types and shadows of good things to come.—For the begin∣nings a 1.14 of Sciences are imperfect, and by the gra∣dual additions of little and little, they arrive at their compleat stature.

Touching the whole Law of Moses as Mosaical, Mai∣monides saith of it b 1.15

That the principal design and intention of it was the removal of Idols.

Notes

• a 1.1

  De Exhort. Martyr. c. 1. p. 378. Non fa∣cies tibi Ido∣lum.
• b 1.2

  Hottinger. in Cipp. Hebraic. p. 136.
• c 1.3

  Grot. in De∣cal. p. 50. In Hebraeo, non fe∣res, nempe in ore tuo, quod idem est cum illo, non sumes in os scilicet.
• a 1.4

  See Fagius on Numb. 30. 3. and see Deut. 20. 10.
• b 1.5

  Tertull. de Idololat. Sect. 20. p. 97, 98.
• c 1.6

  Exod. 23. 13.
• d 1.7

  Id. ib.—in van•…•…, id •…•…ft i•…•… Ido•…•… Aquilas 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 vers. Interlin. i•…•… vanum.
• a 1.8

  Hos. 4. 15.
• b 1.9

  So the vulg. Latine renders Aven in Hosea 6. 8. Galaad civitas opexa•…•…∣tium Idolum.
• * 1.10

  See Josh. 23. 7. Neither make mention os the name os their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow your selves unto them. See Jer. 5. 2, 7.
• a 1.11

  Mr. Mede's Discours. 15. of the Sab∣bath, p. 73.
• b 1.12

  Exod. 31. 12, 13, 16, 17.
• c 1.13

  S. Cyril. Alex. contr. Julian. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. p. 126.
• a 1.14

  Id. ibid. p. 126, 127.
• b 1.15

  Maim. More Nevochim. par. 3. c. 29. p. 424.