though I am apt to believe it is but an excufe that fome godlefs creatures make for themselves.

2dly, Hindering family worship; which may be done many ways; as by a too eager and unfeasonable purfuit of worldly bufinefs, till neither time nor ftrength is left for it; fhuffling it off by this and the other thing that is to be done, and not watching the feafon for it; ftrife and contention in families, especially betwixt hufband and wife, 1 Pet. iii. 7.; any member of the family drawing back, and creating diforder.

3dly, Hindering fecret worship; as not allowing people time to feek the Lord in fecret, mocking or difcouraging those that do fo, &c.

To which we may add our not doing what we can to further the worship of God in public, private, or fecret for it is not enough that we do not hinder it, but what do we to further it? Heb. x. 24. 25. the not ftirring up the lazy and careless, and putting them on to their duty.

Laftly, Oppofing of God's worship and ordinances, public, private, or fecret. This is more than to hinder them, Acts xiii. 44. 45. So are guilty, (1.) Perfecutors, Acts iv. 18. (2.) Thofe that fond on their own inventions fet themfeves to caft out or hold out God's true worship and ordinances out of a church: the fin of many at this day. (3) Oppofing of the fettlement of parishes with gospel minifters called according to the word, which, on prejudices and mista ken points of honour, has been and is the fin of many in the land. (4.) Lastly, All fuch as any way fet themfelves against God's worship in public in congregations, families, or fecret. This will be found, whatever people think of it, a fighting against God, Acts

v. 39.

SECONDLY, I come now to speak of falle worthip and ordinances, which is worship and ordinances not inftituted or appointed by God himself. And this is exprefsly forbidden, Thou shalt not make

unto thee any graven image, &c. Deut. xii. ult. It is not only a fin not to worship God, and not to regard his ordinances, but to worship him in a way which he has not inftituted, to bring in ordinances that bear not his ftamp. Of this there are two forts,

First, Idolatry. There is a fort of idolatry forbidden in the first command that refpects the object of worfhip, when we worship any other than the true God. But the idolatry here forbidden refpects the means of worship, when we make ufe of idols or images in worship, even though we intend ultimately the worfhipping of the true God. And here is condemned,

1. All religious imagery; for of images and pictures for a civil or political ufe merely, the command is not to be understood; for the command being of the firft table, plainly respects religion, Lev. xxvi. 1. and the art of cutting, carving, &c. is a gift of God, Exod. xxxi. 3. 4. 5. and has had God's allowance for the exercise of it, 1 Kings vi. 29. Now, under this article of religious imagery is forbidden,

ift, The making any representation or image of God inwardly in our mind, all carnal imaginations of him, as to conceive of him like a reverend old man, &c. Acts xvii. 29. for God is the object of our understanding, not our imagination, being invisible. This is mental idolatry, which the best are in hazard of.

2dly, The making any outward reprefentation of God by any image. Remarkable is the connection of the first and fecond command, Thou shalt have no other gods before me: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, &c. It is impoffible to get any bodily likeness that can truly reprefent God as he is; and therefore men that, over the belly of reafon and God's own will, will needs have reprefentations of God, are fain to betake themfelves to images of some corruptible thing, the very thing condmned in the Heathens, Rom. i. 23. And therefore it is abominable imagery, and highly injurious to the great God, VOL. II.

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to represent him any manner of way. Such abomi nations are the reprefenting of God by a fun fhining with beams, with the name JEHOVAH in it or over it, as in feveral Bibles: the reprefenting of the Father by an image of an old man; the Son by that of a lamb, or a young man; or the Father by a large fhining fun, the Son by a leffer fun fhining, and the Holy Ghoft by a dove, as in some great Bibles from England. It is lamentable to think how frequent of late the blafphemous pictures of Chrift hanging on the crofs are grown among Proteftants, by Rome's art no doubt, to fit the nations for their idolatry. All thefe are directly contrary to God's word, If. xl. 18. Deut. iv. 15.-19.

Though Chrift be man, yet he is God too, and therefore no image can nor may represent him. Yea, what image can there be of his body now, feeing he never fat for it? He is now glorified, and fo cannot be pictured as he is even in his human nature. There is nothing more ready to beget mean thoughts of Chrift, Hab. ii. 18.; and if it should stir up devotion, that is worshipping by an image, which is idolatry here forbidden.

3dly, The having of thefe images, though we do not worship them. For if it be a fin in itself to make them, how can they be innocent that keep them? Deut. vii. 5. It is a strange inconfiftency in fome to pretend to abhor images, and yet themselves will keep them. They may be a fnare to others, and therefore fhould be removed, blotted or torn out of books, if in them. For their very being is an injury to the great, invisible, and incomprehenfible Majefty.

4thly, Images of falfe gods, fuch as the Heathens worshipped, and of fuch angels and faints as the Pa pifts worship, we fhould beware of, becaufe of the danger of idolatry, Exod. xxxii. 8. Hezekiah deftroyed the brazen ferpent, that had been abused to idolatry. A zeal against them as God's rivals, which have got the worship due to him, is very natural to a

child of God touched with God's honour, Pfal. xvi. 4. 5thly, Images of God, Chrift, angels, or faints, ought not to be fet up in churches or places of worship, though men do not worship them. (1.) Because they are monuments of idolatry, that ought to be removed, Deut. vii. 5. and deftroyed, Exod. xxiii. 24. (2.) Hezekiah is commended for breaking the brazen ferpent, because the children of Ifrael burnt incense to it, 2 Kings xviii. 4. (3.) It is ftumbling, as an occafion of idolatry, and as it prejudices Turks and Jews against the Chriftian religion, and grieves the hearts of tender Chriftians,

2. All idolatrous worship is forbidden here as abominable idolatry, Thou shalt not bow down thyfelf to them nor ferve them. The forts of idolatry forbidden here are,

ift, Worshipping of falfe gods by images, as the Heathens did their Jupiter, Apollo, and the reft. Such was the worship of Baal among the idolatrous Ifraelites, Rom. xi. 4.

2dly, Worthipping the images themfelves of God, Chrift, and faints, which is contrary to the very letter of this command. See Lev. xxvi. 1. See Lev. xxvi. 1. The Papifts are most abominable idolaters in this refpect, bowing to flocks and ftones, Their principles allow them a worship more than civil, which they call fervice, and that for the images themselves properly; contrary to the exprefs words of this command, Thou fhalt not serve them, Gal. iv. 8. And the images of God and Chrift get the moft plain divine worship, though fome diftinguish they get it not for themfelves, but for what they reprefent. But get it as they will, it is plain they do get it, and that therefore the Papifts are as real idolaters as ever the Pagans were, worthipping the work of their own hands. And accordingly they bow down to images, kifs them, offer incenfe to them, pray to them, &c.

3dly, Worfhipping God in and by an image. The Papilts wipe their mouth, and fay, they have not fin 352 る

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ned, when they do not believe the image to be God, and do not terminate their worship on the image itfelf, but worship God in and by it. And when they have faid this, what fay they more than what the Heathens had to fay, and did fay to the Chriftians of old? Did they believe that their images were the very gods they worshipped? Nay, they made many images of one god, as of Jupiter; and when they grew old, they caft them off, and got new ones. But did they change their gods? No, Jer. ii. 11. Were not the Ifraelites abominable idolaters in the worship of the golden calf? Pfal. cvi. 19. 20. Yet they did but worthip Jehovah by it, Exod. xxxii. 5. So Jeroboam's golden calves were intended but as means whereby to worship the true God, 1 Kings xii. 26. So the calf-worship remained after Baal's worship was deftroyed out of Ifrael by Jehu. The fame was the cafe with Micah's idolatry, Judg. xvii. 13. & xviii. 6.

4thly, The worshipping of a man for fome relation to God, of the Pope as God's vicar on earth. They call him their Lord, and a God upon earth. And when he is new-made, he is twice fet upon the altar, and worshipped by the cardinals. And he does not only admit the kiffing of his feet, but expects and requires it as Chrift's vicar. He is carried in proceffion, as the Heathens carried their idols, and they themselves the facrament, which they account God, great and fmall worshipping him as a God. If they think the honour redounds to God, fo did Cornelius, Acts x. 25. 26.

Lafly, The fame idolatry is in their worshipping of angels, faints, relics, the crofs, bread in the facrament, though they think the honour redounds to God. As if faints and angels had fome Deity in them, or God were prefent in the crofs or relics, and heard prayers better at and by them than any where elfe.

Secondly, There is fuperftition and will-worthip; that is, whatever (though not idolatry) is brought into religion as a part of it, which God has not ap