Christianismus primitivus, or, The ancient Christian religion, in its nature, certainty, excellency, and beauty, (internal and external) particularly considered, asserted, and vindicated from the many abuses which have invaded that sacred profession, by humane innovation, or pretended revelation comprehending likewise the general duties of mankind, in their respective relations : and particularly the obedience of all Christians to magistrates, and the necessity of Christian-moderation about things dispensible in matters of religion : with divers cases of conscience discussed and resolved / by Thomas Grantham ...

SECT. XIV. It is unlawful to form any shape or image of God, so much as in our minds.

What Shape or Form the Invisible God possesseth, in respect of his Existence, is a thing which we ought to be ignorant of, he having not revealed it. And though Moses is said to see his back-parts, Exod. 33. 23. yet neither is the Form thereof declared by Moses, or any other Mor∣tal beside him.

How severely God warned Israel, to remember that they saw no simi∣litude in Horeb, and that they should therefore never attempt to make

any similitude of it is evident, Deut. 4. 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. Take ye therefore good heed unto your selves, for you saw no manner of Similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb, out of the midst of the Fire; Lest you corrupt your selves, and make you a graven Image, the similitude of any Figure, the likeness of Male or Female, the likeness of any Beast that is on the Earth, &c. And lest thou lift up thine Eyes to Heaven, and when thou seest the Sun, and the Moon, and the Stars, even all the Host of Hea∣ven, shouldst be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all Nations under Heaven.

Notwithstanding this, great hath been the vanity of Israel, and all Na∣tions in this very Evil, wretchedly faining divers Shapes and Forms of God. Psal. 106. 20. They made a Calf in Horeb, and worshipped the Gol∣den Image. Thus they changed their Glory into the similitude of an Ox that eateth Grass. It were too tedious here to insert the prodigious Shapes of the Gods of many Nations, as set down by Austin de Civit. Dei. In∣deed it is better to suppress the memory of them, than to name them; Remembring also how it is written, Acts 17. 29. Forasmuch then as we are the Off-spring of God, we ought not to think that the God head is like to Silver or Gold, or the works of Mens hands, &c.

Sith therefore no Man can describe the Form of God, respecting still his Essence, for otherwise he hath given a gracious description of him∣self, (as we have seen above) it followeth that we ought not to form in our Minds any similitude of him, (we ought not so to think, saith the Apo∣stle) Isa. 40. 15, 16, 17. All Nations before him are as nothing — as the Dust upon the Ballance, — the drop of a Bucket. To whom then will ye liken God? or what Likeness will ye compare unto him?

To conclude; It speaks much of the Wisdom and Mercy of God, in that he hath kept secret his Glorious Presence from us, in this mortal state partly, for that it would certainly be prophaned many ways; as we see by experience, in respect of those who are on the one hand superstitiously disposed in making Images to Christ, &c. and on the other hand by cursed Oaths, wherein the Eternity, Life, Soul, precious Blood, his Holy Heart, and dreadful Wounds, are abused and blasphemed from day to day, by pseudo Christians. But forasmuch as we know we shall shortly see Face to Face, know as we are known, and be with the Father and the Son where he is, that we may behold his Glory; our present non-enjoyment thereof, may be an occasion of great force, to give all dili∣gence to those Vertues which give entrance into that everlasting Kingdom and Glory, 2 Pet. 1. 11. And in the mean time to be content to be ig∣norant of Him in the things we ought not to know. We read of one caught up into Paradise, who heard things not lawful to be uttered. There are therefore things of an Heavenly Nature, not fit to be known here. Let us strive to be religiously inquisitive after what is knowable only, and then to glorifie God according to what we know of him, and be thank∣ful Rom. 1. lest otherwise he give us up to vile Affections, and strong Delusions, as he did some in days past, Rom. 1. 24. And the same Judg∣ments are extant in our days, for many have changed their Glory for that which is their shame; and as they liked not to retain God in their know∣ledg,

as his Word directs them, hence they justly seem deprived of the knowledg of God, and of Jesus Christ whom he hath sent; attributing the things that are spoken of God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, to some∣thing in themselves, which is the ready way to deny that there is any God at all.

Having thus endeavoured to set forth, in a familiar and plain man∣ner, the knowledg of the Godhead, in respect of the Divine Essence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the Attributes by which they make known the Godhead to Men. We shall now, God willing, say some∣what of the Lord Jesus, with respect to his Manhood, and the gracious Offices which therein he performed for the Children of Men. For it is in him only that we are compleat, who is the Head of all Principality and Power, Col. 2. 10. And given to be Head over all things to the Church, the fulness of him that filleth all in all, Ephes. 1. 22, 23.