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It is objected against what has been said concerning the unlawfulness of judicial astrology, that Moses addicted himself to the study thereof, of whom it is said, That he was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, chap. vii. 22. To which it may be replied, that if, by the wisdom of the Egyptians, we understand, as most expositors do, judicial astrology, Moses might know, but not approve of, or practise this art, which was so much in use among the Egyptians. But it may be, nothing more is intended by it, but his knowing the regular motion of the stars, and the wisdom of God seen therein, without judging of future events thereby; which is not only lawful, but commendable: though, I am apt to think, that by the wisdom of the Egyptians, we are to understand those maxims of state, and the secrets of Pharaoh's court, which he had an opportunity to know, as being a great favourite with him, as Josephus observes, who thinks that he designed that he should succeed him in the throne *. Thus having considered this Commandment as being broken by Atheism and idolatry, and the various kinds and degrees thereof; which is called our having other gods;

We proceed now to inquire what is meant by these words [before me] in the first Commandment, which are an intimation of the aggravation of the sins forbidden therein; whereby God puts us in mind of his all-seeing eye, which ought to deter us from the breach of it; especially when we consider, that inasmuch as he beholds all our actions, he cannot but be exceedingly displeased when we entertain any conceptions of him that tend to question his authority, dethrone his sovereignty, or alienate our affections from him, and set up any thing in competition with him. And this should teach us how we ought to set the Lord always before us, considering him as the heart-searching God, who is jealous for his own honour, and will not suffer this sin to go unpunished,

QUEST. CVII. Which is the second Commandment?

ANSW. The second Commandment is [Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt now bow down to them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands, of them that love me and keep my commandments.

* Vid. Jos. 2ntq Lib. II. Cap. 5.

QUEST. CVIII. What are the duties required in the second Commandment?

ANSW. The duties required in the second commandment are the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath instituted in his word, particularly prayer and thanksgiving in the name of Christ, the reading, preaching, and hearing of the word, the administration and receiving of the sacraments, church-government, and discipline, the ministry and maintenance thereof, religious fasting, swearing by the name of God, and vowing unto him. As also the disapproving, detesting, opposing all false worship; and according to each ones' place and calling, removing it, and all monuments of idolatry.

QUEST. CIX. What are the sins forbidden in the second Commandment?

ANSW. The sins forbidden in the second Commandment, are, all devising, counselling, commanding, using, and any ways approving any religious worship not instituted by God himself, tolerating a false religion, the making any representation of God, of all, or of any of the three Persons, either inwardly in our mind, or outwardly, in any kind of image or likeness of any creature whatsoever, all worshipping of it, or God, in it, or by it; the making of any representation of feigned deities, and all worship of them, or service belonging to them, all superstitious devices, corrupting the worship of God, adding to it, taking from it, whether invented and taken up of ourselves, or received by tradition from others; though under the title of antiquity, custom, devotion, good intent, or any other pretence whatsoever, simony, sacrilege, all neglect, contempt, hindering and opposing the worship and ordinances which God hath appointed.

QUEST. CX. What are the reasons annexed to the second Commandment the more to enforce it?

ANSW. The reasons annexed to the second Commandment, the more to enforce it, contained in these words, [For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation, of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments] are, besides God's sovereignty over us, and property in us, his fervent zeal for his own worship, and his revengeful indignation

against all false worship, as being a spiritual whoredom, accounting the breakers of this commandment such as hate him, and threatening to punish them unto divers generations, and esteeming the observers of it, such as love him, and keep his commandments, and promising mercy to them unto many generations.

EFORE we proceed to consider the subject-matter of this Commandment, we shall premise something, in general, concerning the difference between it, and the first Commandment. The first Commandment respects the object of worship; the second, the manner in which it is to be performed. Accordingly the former forbids, our not owning God to be such an one, as he has revealed himself to be, in his word; as also the substituting any creature in his room, or acknowledging it, either directly, or by consequence, to be our chief good and happiness; the latter obliges us to worship this God, in such a way as he has prescribed, in opposition to that, which takes its rise from our own invention. These two Commandments therefore being so distinct, we cannot but think the Papists to be chargeable with a very great absurdity, in making the second to be only an appendix to the first, or an explication of it; the design whereof seems to be, that they might exculpate themselves from the charge of idolatry, in setting up image-worship, which they think to be no crime; because they are not so stupid as to style the image a god, or make it the supreme object of worship; whereas this Commandment, forbidding false worship, is directly contrary to their practice of worshipping God thereby.

The method, in which this Commandment is laid down, is the same with that of several others, viz. as we have therein, an account of the duties required, the sins forbidden, and the reasons annexed to enforce it. We shall therefore

I. Consider the duties commanded. These are contained in two heads.

1. The obligation we are under to observe, or attend upon, such religious worship and ordinances as God hath appointed. Religious worship is that whereby we address ourselves to God, as a God of infinite perfection; profess an entire subjection and devotedness to him as our God; put our trust in him for a supply of all our wants, and ascribe that praise and glory, that is due to him, as our chief good, most bountiful benefactor, and only portion and happiness.

As for the ordinances, our attendance on them depends on a divine command, to which God has annexed a promise of his gracious presence, whereby our expectations are raised, that we shall obtain some blessings from him, when we engage

therein in a right manner, in which respect they are instituted means of grace, and pledges of that special favour which he designs to bestow on his people. This is that which more especially renders a duty enjoined, an ordinance. Accordingly our Saviour says, Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them, Matt. xviii. 20.

Now these ordinances are either solitary or social; such as we are obliged to perform in our closets, chap. vi. 6. in our families, or in those public assemblies where God is worshipped. These are particularly mentioned in this answer; and they are prayer, thanksgiving, reading, preaching, and hearing the word, the administration and receiving the sacraments; to which we may add, praising God by singing; all which will be insisted on in a following answer, and therefore we pass by them at present, and shall only observe; that as these are duties which are daily incumbent on us, so there are other duties or ordinances, which are only to be performed as the neces sity of affairs require it; such as religious fasting, whereby we express public tokens of mourning and humiliation, and perform other duties agreeable thereunto, when God is provoked by crying sins; or when his judgments are upon us, and our families, or the church of God in general. Thus the prophet Joel, when speaking concerning several desolating judgments, which Israel was exposed to, commands them to sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly; and to weep between the porch and the altar; and say, spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, Joel ii. 15, 17. This is not to be done at all times, but when the providence of God calls for it. Therefore we have no warrant for the observation of annual fasts; when that which was the first occasion thereof, is removed; much less for those weeks of fasting which the Papists observe, which they call Lent; for which, no sufficient reason can be assigned why it should be observed at that rather than any other time of the year. And their fasting on certain days of the week cannot be vindicated; much less their doing this without joining other religious duties to it, or their abstaining from some kinds of food, while they indulge themselves in eating others that are equally grateful to the appetite; which is a ludicrous and superstitious way of fasting.

Again, another occasional daty or ordinance is, our setting apart time for thanksgiving to God for deliverances from pub lic or national calamities, or those which more immediately respect ourselves and families; in which those religious duties are to be performed, that tend to express our spiritual joy and thankfulness to God, who is the Author thereof, and at the VOL. III. 3 М

same time, we are to pray, that he would enable us to walk as such who are hereby laid under renewed engagements to be his; thus the Jews observed some days of thanksgiving for their deliverance from Haman's conspiracy, Esth. ix. 20, & seq. And this is to be religiously observed, wherein it differs from that carnal joy, which is generally expressed by those who receive mercies, but do not give glory to God, the sole Author thereof.

Moreover, besides these occasional ordinances, there is another mentioned in this answer, namely, vowing to God. Thus the Psalmist says, Vow, and pay unto the Lord, Psal. lxxvi. 11. which either, more especially, respects their entering into a solemn obligation, or promise to give something that was to be applied to the support of the public and costlyworship which was performed under the ceremonial law; upon which account it is said, in the following words, Bring presents unto him; or it may be considered as to what concerns the moral reason of the thing, as including in it our resolution to set apart, or apply some portion of our wordly substance, as God has prospered us in our secular affairs, to the maintaining and promoting his cause and interest in the world. And we ought, at the same time, to devote ourselves to him, whereby we acknowledge his right to us, and all that we have. Thus the apostle says, concerning the churches of Macedonia, not only that they devoted their substance to God, but that they gave themselves, also unto the Lord, 1 Cor. viii. 5.

This does not include in it our resolution to do those things that are out of our own power; or, that we will exercise those graces that are the special gift of the Spirit of God, but rather a dedication of ourselves to him, in hope of obtaining that grace from him which will enable us to perform those duties, which are indispensably necessary to, and inseparably connected with salvation. This is such a vowing to God, as will not have a tendency to ensnare our own consciences, or detract from his glory, who is alone the Author of all grace; nor does it contain in it the least instance of presumption, but it is a duty which we ought to perform by faith, to his glory and our own edification.

And to this we might add another ordinance, mentioned in this answer; namely, swearing by the name of God; which, as we have elsewhere expressed it, contains a swearing fealty to him, and our consecrating and devoting ourselves to him *. And as to what respects swearing, as it is a religious duty to be performed in subserviency to civil duties, we shall have occasion to speak of that under the third Commandment; and therefore we pass it over at present, and proceed to consider,

See more of this in Vol. I. Page 226.

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