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. V. That idolatrie is most opposite to God. Commandement II.

2. Cor. 6.14. What communion hath light with dark∣nesse? 16. and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?

IDolatrie is a sinne that is first most opposite to God himselfe, and secondly it is opposite to his mariage with his Church.

First, it is most opposite to God himselfe, God is ens entium, and therefore he is vnus, verus, and bonus.

First, God is ens entium, who hath his being of him∣selfe, and hereby ye shall know that Chai, the living Lord is amongst you. Iosh. 3.10. this title distinguisheth him from dead idols which haue neither life in themselves, nor can give life to others. Psal. 106.26. And they joyned to Baal-phegor, and eat the sacrifices of the dead, that is, the gods who are dead; they are called dumb idols, Haback. 2.18. So Psal. 115. they haue mouthes but they speake not, the idols are called elilim, nihilitates. Esay. 2.8. Ezek. 30.13. and Tohu, emptinesse. 1. Sam. 12.21. things are true as long as they agree with the patterne which is in the minde of God, but when they goe from that once, they are reckoned for shadowes of things onely. Prov. 20.6. Who shall finde a faithfull man? as if he shoud say, it is easie to finde shadowes of men, but it is a hard thing to finde a man indeed who is answerable to the minde of God. Idolaters, because they goe from this patterne, they are called non gens. Hos. 10.9. and

non populus, not a people. 1. Pet. 2.10. and the apostle saith, an idoll is nothing. 1. Cor. 8.4. it is not nihil nega∣tivum, but nihil privativum, there is no relation be∣twixt God and it, or it is nihil affectivum.

The first attribute of God who is Ens entium, is unit as and therefore the scripture by way of excellence cal∣leth him vnus, Iob. 31.15. Did not one fashion us in the wombe, that is, God, so Zach. 14.9. In that day there shall be one Lord, and his name vnus, this name Ehhad, after∣ward the heathen called it Adad, corruptlie, Deut. 6.4. Hearken Israel, the Lord thy God is one, and it is written with a great Daleth which letter signifieth foure, as the Hebrews marke, to signifie the foure corners of the earth, and that he should be worshiped in them, and none else but hee; although there be many that are called gods, yet to us there is but one God. 1. Cor. 8.6.

The gods of the heathen were many; they had thir∣tie thousand gods, as Hes••••d witnesseth. And Augustine observeth well in his booke de civitate dei, that they multiplied their gods because they durst not concre∣dit all to one God: as they had one god for the moun∣taines, another for the vallies, one for the sea, and ano∣ther for the land; so they had a god for every period of mans life: when the child was borne, they cōmitted him deae Lucinae: when he weeped they committed him to vaticana or vagitana: when they lifted up the child from the ground, they committed him to Dea Levana: & when he was in the cradle to Dea Cunina, & so thorow the rest of the periods of his life. But David acknow∣ledged God to be his God from his mothers wombe. Psal. 22.10. So they had a god or a goddesse for every severall part of the bodie, Iupiter the eldest brother got the head, Neptune the second brother got the breast, and foreparts, and Pluto the third brother got the hinder parts, the middle part or cinctum they gaue to Mars,

the eyes to Cupid, they gaue the kidnies to Venus, and the knees to the Goddesse Misericordia, and the feet to Thaleia: these parts they committed to severall Gods and Goddesses, because they distrusted them, and would not concredite all to one God, but David saith, Psal 34.20. That God keepeth all our bones. And Christ saith, that the very haires of our head are numbred. Matth. 10.30. so that they cannot fall to the ground without Gods providence. They had like wayes Deos tutelares which they carried about with them, as Rachel stole her fathers Gods. Gen. 31.19. and they had Penates, their houshold Gods, Esay. 46.7. They beare him upon the shoulder, they carie him and set him in his place, and hee standeth: yea from his place shall he not remove.

The second attribute of God who is Ens entium is ve∣rum, but the idoll teacheth lies, Habakuk 2.18. how tea∣cheth the idoll lies? Non per inexistentiam, sed per assi∣stentiam. Non per inexistentiā, that is, the divill spake not out of the idoll, but per assistentiá, that is, the priest lying beside the idoll, the divill inspired the Priest to speake these lies. When the Priest slept vpon the skin of the beast that was sacrificed, then the divell inspired him; this sleeping the Greekes call it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the idoll was but the pledge of the devils presence to the Priest: so now when the Priests stand in defence of their idols and idolatrie, and teach that they are to be worshiped, then the devill speaketh by the idoll, and the idoll is the pledge of the devils presence to the Priest, and that which is offered to the idoll is said to be offered to the devill. Psal. 106.37. 1. Cor. 10.20.

The third attribute of God as he is Ens entium, is Bo∣num, goodnesse, there is none good but God onely, that is, having his goodnesse of himselfe: but idols by way of appropriation are called sinne. Lament. 1.8. My peo∣ple haue committed a sinne, that is idolatrie. So Exod. 32.

22. This people is prone to sinne, that is, to idolatrie. So Num. 23.21. He saw no iniquitie in Iacob, that is, idola∣trie, and in this sense is that place of Syracides to be vn∣derstood, Syracid. 49.5. All the kings of Israel were sin∣ners except David, Iosias and Ezekias, that is, they were idolaters.

Secondly, this sinne of idolatrie breaketh that holy wedlock which is betwixt Christ and his church, he be∣ing a iealous God, hee cannot suffer his spouse to goe a whooring after other gods, but would haue her a chast virgin presented unto him; this was typed vnder the law by the turtle doves and young pigeons, which the Lord commanded to be offered to him: the young pigeon was commanded to be sacrificed vnto him, because it had never a mate; and the turtle dove, because it had but one mate: so God will haue of his church her first loue, and onely loue: this abstinence from idolatrie is called virginitie. Revelat. 14.4. and idolaters are called adulterers, Iam. 4.4. when the Iewes denied Ioh. 8.41. that they were the children of fornication, they meant, they were not idolaters, who say to the stocke thou art my father, and to the stone, thou hast brought me forth, Ier. 2.27. they say, they haue God for their father, and they called the Samaritans bastards, because they worshiped strange gods. When the church is corrupted and de∣filed with idolatrie, then she is called Moreah, Zeph. 3.1. the Seventy translate it, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, when one is expo∣sed to some great shame for their filthinesse, and in this sense it is said, that Ioseph would not make Mary a pub∣like example for her suspected incontinencie. Mat. 1.19.

The conclusion of this is, idola••rie being a sinne so opposite to God himselfe; it was a great blindnes in Mi∣cha when he set up an idoll in his house, to say then. That the Lord would doe him good, Iudg. 17.13. their sorrowes shall be multiplied who hasten after other Gods, Psalm. ••6.7.

Notes

• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Qui habet vitam in se & a se.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• The idols are called dead gods.
• People following other gods become no people.
• Nihil

  • negativum.
  • privativum.
  • effectivum.
• Omne ens est unum nu∣mero & specie, sed Deus unum eminenter.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Ʋnus.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• The heathen multiplied their gods according to the periods of their life.
• They had gods for eve∣ry part of the body.
• How the idoll speaketh lies.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 pellis.
• Idolatrie by way of ap∣propriation is called sin.
• Idol••trie breaketh the wedlocke betwixt Christ and his Church.
• God will have of his Church her first love, and onely love.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ingluvies vel vesicula in avibus quae sordium recepta∣culum est a 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ster∣cus. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• Conclusion.