SECT. 6. Of the increase and decrease of Idolatrie in the family of Jacob.
THis Idolatry tooke increase in the family of Iacob,* 1.1 when Rachel stole her fathers Idolls, Gen. 31.19. and in his retinue was polluted with these strange gods, the Idolls that shee brought from her father Labans house; shee was not free of Idolatry, yet neither was her sister Leah, and her handmaid Zilpah free of that I∣dolatrie, Gen. 30.11. Bagad is read two wayes; first, ba¦gad, venit turma, vel exercitus. Secondly, it is reade, conjunctim, bagad, i.e. fortuna vel fortunate: and Rabbi; Salomon reades it, Venit sidus bonum, seu planeta bo∣nus; and she acknowledged this her child, fortunae in∣fluentis donum, a good gift from fortune, Esa. ••5.11. gad, they interpret fortunam; and the Arabians (as Abenezra witnesseth) cald God, Gad, or Mars, & hence come this word God, and Leah called this her sonne Gad, or good fortune, because in Labans family they worshipped Gad or Fortune as a God.
Rachel brought these Idols from her father Labans house,* 1.2 which was a dangerous treasure for her to carrie about with her. Saint Iohn saith in his first Epistle, Chap. 5. vers. 21. Little children keepe your selves from Idolls, they are soone insnared with them; and as children de∣lights