An exposition of the morall lavv, or Ten Commandements of almightie God set dovvne by vvay of exercitations, wherein is contained an explanation of diverse questions and positions for the right understanding thereof, together with an explication of these scriptures which depend upon, or belong unto every one of the commandements, all which are cleared out of the originall languages, the customes of the Iewes, and the distinctions of the schoolemen / by Iohn Weemse ...

EXERCITAT. X. Of the increase of idolatrie, and how it increased and spread through the world. Commandement II.

Ier. 16.11. Your fathers have forsaken mee, saith the Lord, and have walked after other gods, and served them, and worshiped them, and ye have done worse then your fa∣thers.

IDolatrie is a worke of the flesh, Gal. 5.20. And there is no worke of the flesh that man is so prone unto as to idolatrie: The first period of idolatrie began not long after the creation. Gen. 4.24. Then began men to pro∣phane the name of the Lord. Psal. 49.12. Man being in honour abideth not, he is like the beasts that perish. Idola∣try maketh a man brutish. Ier. 10.14. Every man is bru∣tish in his knowledge, every founder is confounded by his gra∣••en image.

There were three notable men, from the creation to the floud, who kept the truth in sinceritie and puritie in their families; Adam, Methusalem, and Noah, and then the Lord drowned the world for wickednesse.

After the floud, as people increased they began to

build a towre to get themselves a name, and the Lord scattered them, and they who went to the east worshi∣ped idols, and this was called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Persians cal∣led the Scythians with whom they were conversant, Sa∣kas, a Sach vel Sacksah, which signifieth a multitude, be∣cause they were gathered together in multitudes; So the Arabians had their names from Gnarabh, miscere, tur∣ba miscellanea, a confused multitude. Gen. 14.1. Tidall King of nations, Symmachus translateth it King of the Scy∣thians; and these worshiped their conquerours and cap∣taines as gods. The church all this time remained with Heber and his posteritie, Melchizedeck and some few others who dwelt in Canaan. Those of Hebers posterity who went to Syria fell to idolatrie, and therefore an A∣ramite is put for an idolater in the scriptures; Terah A∣brahams father an idolater, Abraham himselfe was an idolater, Laban the Syrian an idolater, Naaman the Sy∣rian an idolater, and Balaam the Syrian an idolater.

There were some others who were not of the posteri∣tie of Heber who kept the truth amongst them. Gen. 20.4. Lord wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?

The third period after the floud when idolatrie in∣creased, was, when they set up a molten calfe which Mo∣ses caused bray to powder; and made them drinke it in detestation of that idoll which they had worshiped.

After Moses death, Satan laboured to make an idoll of the body of Moses, and that which he could not doe by him when he was living, he goeth about to effect it by his body when he was dead; but Michael withstood him. Iud. 9. and buried his body where no man knew; and here we may see that the reliques of the Saints are made idolls.

The fourth period of idolatrie was under the Iudges, and here we shall marke foure things. First that none of the Iudges themselves were idolaters, as most of the

King of Iuda and all the Kings of Israel were, and that was the cause why idolatrie got not such footing in the time of the Iudges, as it did afterwards.

Secondly, when they fell to idolatrie, the Lord scour∣ged them by the Philistims, Ammonites, Madianites, and then they cried unto the Lord, and hee helped them,

Thirdly, of all the tribes the tribe of Dan was most given to idolatrie; therefore they tooke away the Ephod Teraphim, and the graven image out of the house of Micah, and set it up in Dan, this was the idolatrie of the whole tribe, Is it better for thee to be a Priest for the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? Iud. 18.20.

Fourthly, Ionathan the sonne of Gershon, the sonne of Manasseth was the priest to this idoll. Ionathan was the sonne of Gershon, and Gershon was the sonne of Mo∣ses, and the Iewes observe that they will not have him called the grandchilde of Moses, but of Manasseth, who by anticipation was called Manasseth, because he followed him in his idolatrie; yet to shew that hee was the grandchild of Moses, the word is so set downe that it may be read either Manasse or Mose.

Because the tribe of Dan was most infected with ido∣latrie, therefore the golden calves were afterward e∣rected in Dan, as a punishment of their former idolatry, and for this cause it was that they were the first of the tribes, who were carried away in the west side of Ior∣dan. Ier. 8.16. The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan, and Iohn, Rev. 12. When he reckoned up the tribes which were sealed, he passeth by the tribe of Dan.

The fift period of idolatrie was under the Kings, the Kings of Israel were idolaters, or tolerated idols, All the Kings of Israel were sinners except David, Eze∣kiah and Iosias, Ecclus. 49.5. That is, they were ido∣laters. In this period idolatrie waxed by degrees, first

it waxed much in Salomons time, he who excelled all the sonnes of the East for his knowledg, he whose heart the Lord had enlarged, he who was a prophet of God and a pen man of the Holy Ghost, hee who for his devotion offered to God so many thousand sacrifices, his prayers, his great care he had to build the Temple, who fell not away untill his old dayes, who would have thought that the dragon with his taile would have pulled downe this great starre? and although the Lord threatned that the kingdome should be rent from him. 1. King. 11.11. Yet he was nothing moved with it; and if we will com∣pare his foolish sonne Rehoboam with his wise father, he may seeme to be more obedient then hee; for when hee had gathered an armie to fight against Ieroboam and the ten tribes, yet when the prophet Shemaiah came to him, 1. King. 12.24. He harkened unto the word of the Lord and went backe againe, but Salemon went on in his sinnes and idolatrie.

Secondly, it waxed more when the ten tribes were rent from the house of David and Salomon; then Ierobo∣am set up the calves in Dan and Bethel, then the ten tribes were Aholah, and yet Aholibah exceeded them in whoredomes. Ezek. 23.

Thirdly, it came to the height in the dayes of Manas∣seth, and so it continued with the rest of the Kings, like a leprosie, untill the captivitie. Then idolatrie died in the captivitie, for there they were purged and fined, and they brought it not backe, neither went a whoring after other gods.

The last period was when idolatrie began in the chri∣stian church, the beast which was dead was quickned againe: Revelat. 17.11. And then the idolatrie of the Gentiles was brought in in the christian church.

Notes

• The first period, of Ido∣latry.
• Idolatrie maketh a man brutish.
• The second period of idolatry.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 miscelanea turba a 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 miscuit▪
• The Churh in the third period remained with the posteritie of of He∣be•• and with some few others.
• Third period of idola∣trie.
• Satan laboured to make an idoll of Moses body.
• The fourth period of idolatrie.
• None of the Iudges were idolaters.
• Dan an idolatrous tribe.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 cum נ suspenso pro 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• The judgements of God upon Dan for their idolatrie.
• The fift period of ido∣latrie.
• Idolatrie in the fift pe∣riod increased by de∣grees.
• Idolatry came to a grea∣ter high in the dayes of Ieroboam.