2. That these, and all other religious duties or ordinances which God has enjoined, are to be kept pure and entire. As we are not to cast off the ordinances of God in general, so we must take heed that we do not, while we perform some, live in the neglect of others; for that is not to keep them entire. Thus private duties are not to shut out those which are social in our families or the public assemblies; nor entrench on that time which ought to be allotted for them; and, on the other hand, it is not sufficient for us to worship God in public, and, at the same time, cast off all secret duties. This reproves the practice of some modern enthusiasts, who pray not, unless moved by the Spirit, as they pretend; and deny their obliga tion to observe the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's sup per.

Moreover, as we are to keep the ordinances of God entire, we are also to keep them pure; that is, to allow of, or practise nothing but what is warranted by the rules which God has given us in his word, in opposition to those who corrupt his worship, by intruding those ordinances into it which are of their own invention; and pretending, that though God has not commanded them, yet the service which we perform (which can be no other than will-worship) will be acceptable to him. This leads us,

II. To consider the sins forbidden in this Commandment. The general scope and design hereof, as to what concerns the negative part of it, is God's prohibiting all false worship, either in our hearts, outward actions or gestures, whereby we adhere to our own imaginations rather than his revealed will; which is the only rule of instituted worship. The things forhidden in this commandment may be reduced to three heads;

1. A not attending on the ordinances of God with that holy, humble, and becoming frame of spirit, that the solemnity of the duties themselves, or the authority of God enjoining, or the advantages which we may expect to receive by them, call for. When we do not seriously think what we are going about before we engage in holy duties, or watch over our own hearts and affections, or else worship God in a careless and indifferent manner, in which case we may be said to draw nigh to him with our lips, while our hearts are far from him.

2. We farther break this commandment, when we invent or dinances which God has no where in his word commanded; or think to recommend ourselves to him by such gestures, or modes of worship, which we have no precedent or example for in the New Testament; this is what is generally called superstition and will-worship. Thus we read in the degenerate age of the church, that the statutes of Omri were kept, and the works of the house of Ahab, Micah vi. 16. as intimat

ing that false worship which was practised by them. And here we cannot but observe, that there are many things in which the Papists are chargeable with superstition and willworship, if not with idolatry. As for instance,

(1.) Their worshipping the bread in the sacrament, as supposing it to be the real body and blood of Christ, and not barely the sign thereof; understanding the words of our Saviour, in which, in instituting this ordinance, he says, This is my body, Matt. xxvi. 26. in a literal sense; whereas it ought to be taken in a figurative. Again,

(2.) Their lifting up the bread in the sacrament, pretending that this is a real offering of Christ, and, at the same time, the people being obliged to shew all possible marks of sorrow; such as beating their breasts, shaking their heads, &c. as though they really saw Christ on the cross; whereas it is a profaning the Lord's supper, to say that Christ is really and visibly offered therein by the hands of the priest; which is contrary to what the apostle says of his being but once offered to bear the sins of many, Heb. ix. 28.

(3.) They use several superstitious ceremonies in baptism, which have, indeed, a shew of religion, but want a divine sanction, and are no other than an addition to Christ's institution. Thus they use spittle, salt, and cream, besides the water with which the child is to be baptised, and anoint it with oil, and use exorcism, commanding the unclean spirit to depart out of it, and signing it with the sign of the cross; at which they suppose the Devil to be so terrified, that he is hereby obliged to leave it, being by this means, as it were, frighted away. But the principal reason they give for their adding this ceremony to Christ's institution, is to signify that the child is hereby obliged to fight manfully under Christ's banner; which obligation is neither increased nor diminished thereby; and it is a sign which he makes no mention of.

(4.) Their frequent crossing of themselves, as a preservative against sin, and a means to keep them from the power of the Devil, and to render their prayers acceptable in the sight of God.

(5.) The splendor and magnificence of their churches, and especially the shape and figure of them, as accommodated to that of Solomon's temple, and their situation east and west; and also their bowing to the altar, which is placed in the east ; for which there is not the least shadow of argument in scripture, nor example in the purest ages of the church.

(6.) The ludicrous and unwarrantable ceremonies used in the consecration of churches, and the reverence that every one must shew to places thus consecrated, though it be not in the divine worship. And to this we may add, that there are

many superstitious ceremonies in consecrating all the vessels and utensils that are used in their churches; yea, the very bells are baptised, or, as they express it, consecrated that so the Devil may be afraid of the sound thereof, and keep his distance from those places of worship in which they are fixed; which charms can be reckoned no other than the sport of the powers of darkness, or looked on by them with contempt.

(7.) They ascribe a divine, yea, a meritorious virtue, to the frequent repeating the Lord's prayer in Latin, commonly called Pater noster, and the angel's salutation of the virgin Mary, mentioned in Luke i. 28. called Ave Maria; which words they put a corrupt sense upon, contrary to the proper meaning thereof; which, if only recited, whether understood or no, it is reckoned acceptable service.

(8.) The distinction of garments, and the relative holiness of persons that wear them as signified thereby. To which we may add, the canonical hours which are appointed for the performing divine service; especially if we consider the reason which they allege for it, namely, because there was something. remarkable done or suffered by Christ, at those hours in the day. These things argue them guilty of superstition.

(9.) We might also take notice of the many things which they make merchandise of, as consecrated bread, wax candles, &c. to which they ascribe a spiritual virtue, or some advantages to be received hereby, by those that purchase them; which tends to advance the price thereof. There are also the relicts which they call the church's treasure, or those rarities which they purchase at a great rate; though some of the wiser Papists have made but a jest of them. We pass by many other superstitious ceremonies used by them, for brevity sake, and shall only observe,

(10.) Their bowing at the name of Jesus; which can hardly be vindicated from the charge of superstition, especially because no extraordinary instance of reverence is expressed at the mention of those incommunicable attributes of God, which are ascribed to him; nor, indeed, do they bow the knee at the mentioning of the word Saviour, Christ, or Emmanuel, or when any other divine characters are given him.

The only scripture they make use of to vindicate this practice, is in Phil. ii. 10. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow; whereas it is plain, that this bowing the knee does not signify a bodily gesture, but only a subjection of soul to Christ, as angels, authorities and powers are said to be made subject to him, 1 Pet. iii. 22. These, indeed, are a very considerable part of the inhabitants of heaven, but they have no knees to bow; and as for things under the earth, to wit, the powers of darkness; they do not bow to him in a way of wor

ship, but are subjected to him as conquered enemies, Which leads us to consider,

3. That they are guilty of the breach of this Commandment, who frame an image of any of the persons of the Godhead, or of any creature in heaven or earth, as a means or help made use of in order to their worshipping God. Here it must be enquired,

(1.) Whether the making images, absolutely, or in all respects, be unlawful. To which it is generally answered, that if pictures representing creatures, either in heaven or earth, be made with no other design, but in an historical way, to propagate the memory of persons, and their actions to posterity, it seems not to be a breach of this Commandment. But the sin forbidden therein, expressed in those words, Making to ourselves the image or likeness of creatures in heaven or earth, is when we design to worship God by them; and accordingly the using bodily gestures to them, such as those which are used in the worship of God; as bowing, uncovering the head, &c. wherein a person designs an act of worship, is idolatry. And if nothing else is intended but the worshipping of God by them, it can hardly be excused from the appearance of idolatry at least; so that, according to one of the rules before laid down for the understanding the Ten Commandments, it is to be reckoned a breach of the second Commandment; which is what we are now considering *.

(2.) It must farther be enquired, whether it be unlawful to represent any of the persons in the Godhead, by pictures or carved images? to this we answer, that God being infinite and incomprehensible, it is impossible to frame any image like him, Isa. xl. 18. chap. xlvi. 5. Acts xvii. 29. Moreover, he assigns this as a reason why Israel should make no image of him, because they saw no manner of similitude when he spake to them in Horeb, out of the midst of the fire; and adds, lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, Deut. iv. 15, 16. And the apostle styles this an offering the highest affront to God, when he speaks of some who changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man. Rom. i. 23.

There are others, who, though they do not much care to defend the practice of making pictures of God, yet plead for describing an emblem of the Trinity, such as a triangle, with the name Jehovah in the midst of it. But that which I would observe concerning this practice is, that if the design hereof be to worship God by it, it is idolatry; but if not, it is unwarrantable, and, indeed, unnecessary; since a Trinity of persons in the unity of the divine essence, is to be understood as reveal

* See Page 498.

י,

ed in scripture, and not brought to our remembrance by an emblem, which is an ordinance of our own invention.

It is farther enquired, whether we may not describe our Sa viour, as he sometimes is by the Papists, in those things that respect his human nature? whether we may not pourtray him as an infant in his mother's arms; or, as conversing here on earth, or hanging on the cross; as they not only describe him, but adore this image or representation of Christ crucified, which they call a crucifix? To this we answer; that whatever of Christ comes within the reach of the art of man to delineate or describe, is only his human nature, which is not the object of divine adoration; and therefore this rather tends to debase than give us raised and becoming conceptions of him as such.

As to what is argued by some, to prove that it is not unlawful to make an image of God, inasmuch as he is sometimes represented as having a body, or bodily parts; and the prophet Daniel describes God the Father, as the ancient of days, Dan. vii. 9. therefore, they suppose, that it is not unlawful for them to make such representations of him by images. To this it may be answered, that God's being described by the parts of human bodies, is in condescension to the weakness of our capacities, or agreeable to human modes of speaking; in which the eye signifies wisdom, the arm power, the heart love, &c. We are, notwithstanding those modes of expression, to abstract in our thoughts, every thing that is carnal, or applicable to the creature when conceiving of him, and therefore not to give occasion to any to think that he is like ourselves, by describing him in such a way. The Papists not only plead for making such like images, but set them up in churches, calling them the laymen's books, with a design to instruct them in those things which the image represents. To which it may be replied, that such a method of instruction is without any warrant from scripture, as well as contrary to the practice of the purest ages of the church, who always thought that the word of God was sufficient to lead them into the knowledge of himself, without making use of a picture to that end.

But notwithstanding this colour is put on their practice, of setting up such-like images in churches; yet there are some who plead for the worship of images, only with this distinction, that it is a subordinate or a relative worship that they give to them, while, at the same time, the highest worship is given to God only; in which respect they cannot exculpate themselves from the charge of idolatry. And, indeed, in some of their books of devotion, we find the same expressions used, when they address themselves to the creature, as though they were paying divine adoration to God; particularly in the book, that is well known among them, called the Virgin Mary's Psalter;