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Night fheweth Knowledge. And thefe Meffengers of God were mistaken for God himself, Job xxxi. 26, 27. If I beheld the Sun when it shined, or the Moon walking in Brightness, and my Heart hath been fecretly inticed, or my Mouth bath kifed my Hand; This also were an Iniquity, for I should have denied the God that is above.

Q. 5. What do thefe Words [before me] import?

A. It notes God's perfect Knowledge and Abhorrence of all Idolatry, or worshipping of another God, as what he cannot endure to behold, Jer. xliv. 3, 4. Because of their wic kednefs which they have committed to provoke me to Anger, in that they went to burn Incenfe to ferve other Gods, whom they knew not, neither they, you, nor your Fathers; howbeit I fent unto you all my Servants the Prophets, rifing early, and fending them, faying, O do not this abominable Thing that I hate.

Q. 6. Are none guilty of this Sin but heathenish Idolaters?

A. Yes, all that place their fupreme Love or Truft in any Creature, make that Creature their God, and in Scripture are called Idolaters, Col. iii. 5. And Covetousness which is Idolatry.

Q. 7. How doth the Idolatry forbidden in the firft, differ from that forbidden in the second Commandment?

A. The Idolatry forbidden in the first Commandment is a Sin refpecting the Object of Worship, when we fet up any Thing in the Place of God, which by Nature is not God, Gal. iv. 8. Howbeit then when ye knew not God, ye aid Service unto them which by Nature are no Gods. But that against the fecond Commandment is, when we pretend to worship the true God, but do it by fuch

as he hath not required, o Means, and in fuch a Manner

hath forbidden, Exod. xxxii. 41 5. And be received them at their Hands, and fashioned it with a graving Tool, after he had made a molten Calf, and they faid, Thefe be thy Gods, O Ifrael, which brought thee up out of the Houfe of Egypt.

Q. 8. What is the firft Inference from the first Commandment?

A. That it is a fpecial Mercy to be brought forth in a Land where the true God is known and worshipped, Pfal.

cxlvii.

cxlvii. 20. He hath not dealt fo with any Nation; and as for bis Judgments they have not known them; praise ye the Lord.

Q. 9. What is the fecond Inference from the first Commandment?.

A. That it is a great and dreadful Sin to live without the Worship of God in the World, Eph. ii. 12. That at that Time ye were without Chrift,—and without God in the World. Q. What is the third Inference from the first Commandment?

A. That Christians must not comply with idolatrous or fuperftitious Worship, when they are caft into idolatrous Places, how great foever the Danger be, Pfal. xvi. Their Sorrows shall be multiplied, that haften after another God; their Drink-offering of Blood will I not offer, nor take up their Names into my Lips.

Q. 11. What is the fourth Inference from hence ?

A. That the fupreme Love, Fear, and Truft of the Soul is God's peculiar Right and due. Whofoever places them on any other befides God, is guilty of a very heinous and great Sin against him, 1 John ii. 15. Love not the World, neither the Things that are in the World; if any Man love the World, the Love of the Father is not in him. Compared with Job xxxi. 24, 28. If I have made Gold my hope, or have faid to the fine Gold, Thou art my Confidence; this alfo were an Iniquity to be punished by the Judge, for I should have denied the

God that is above.

Q. 12. What is the fifth Inference hence?

A. That God's Eye difcovers the clofeft Idolatry in the World, whether it be in fecret Actions, Ezek. viii. 12. Haft thou feen what the Ancients of the House of Ifrael do in the Dark? Every Man in the Chambers of his Imaginary; for they fay, the Lord feeth us not, the Lord hath forfaken the Earth. Or inward Affections, Col. iii. 5. Mortify therefore your Members which are upon the Earth, Fornication, Uncleannes, inordinate Affection, evil Concupifcence, and Covetousness, wh.ch is Idolatry.

Q. 13. What is the fixth Inference from hence ?

A. That an high and full Condition in the World, is a dangerous Condition, and lies most exposed to the Danger of Heart-idolatry, Prov. xxx. 9. Left I be full, and deny

L 3

thee,

thee, and fay, Who is the Lord? Mark x. 24. How hard is it for them that traft in Riches to enter into the Kingdom of Hea

ven?

Q. 14. What is the last Inference ?

A. That in covenanting with God, and avouching him for our God, we muft wholly renounce all others, and take God alone for our Portion; and the Object of our Love and Dependence, Hof. iii. 3. Thou shalt not be for another Man. So will I alfo be for thee, Luke xiv. 33. So likewife whosoever be be of you, that forjaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my Difciple.

Of the Second Commandment.

Queft. 49. W

WHICH is the fecond Commandment? A. The fecond Commandment is [Thou fhalt 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 fhalt not bow down to them, nor ferve them: For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, vifiting the Iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children, unto the third and fourth Generation, of them that hate me, and fhewing Mercy unto Thousands of them that love me, and keep my Commandments.]

Quet. 50. What is required in the fecond Commandment?

A. The fecond Commandment requireth, the receiving, obferving, and keeping pure and entire all fuch religious Worship and Ordinances, as God hath appointed in his Word.

Queft. 51. What is forbidden in the fecond Command

ment?

A. The fecond Commandment forbiddeth the worshipping of God by Images, or any other Way, not appointed in his Word.

Queft. 52. What are the Reafons annexed to the fecond Commandment?

A. The

A. The Reafons annexed to the fecond Commandment are, God's Sovereignty over us, his Propriety in us, and his Zeal he hath to his own Worship?

Q. What is the Sin cfpecially forbidden in the second Commandment?

A. The Sin here forbidden is the Corruption of God's Worship, by making any Similitude of any Perfon in the Godhead, and performing Divine Worship before it, or to it, Exod. xxxii. 8. They have turned afide quickly out of the Way which I commanded them: They have made them a molien Calf, and have worshipped, and have facrificed thereunto, and faid, theje be thy Gods, O Ifrael, which have brought thee up out of the Land of Egypt, Deut. iv. 15, 16. Take ye therefore good bead unto your felves, (for ye faw no Manner of Similitude on the Day that the Lord fpake unto you in Horeb, out of the midst of the Fire;) left ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven Image, the Similitude of any Figure, the Likeness of Male or Female.

Q. 2. What is the fecond Sin forbidden in this Commandment?

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A. The fecond Sin against this Commandment is Will. wor.hip, confifting in the Addition of Man's Inventions to the Worship of God as a Part thereof, Matt. xv. 9. But in Vain do they worship me, teaching for Do&rines the Commandments of Men, Col. ii. 20, 21, 22, 23. Wherefore if ye dead with Chrift from the Rudiments of the World; why, as though living in the World, are ye fubject to Ordinances, (Touch not, tafle not, kandle nat: Which all are to perish with the ufing) after the Commandments and Doctrines of Men: which Things have indeed a Shew of Wisdom in Will-avorship and Humility, and neglecting of the Body, not in any Honour to the fatisfying of the Flesh.

Q3. But if thofe Additions be for the more decent worfhipping of God, is it not allowed by, 1 Cor. xiv. 40. Let all Things be done decently and in Order?

4. No; That Scripture commands that God's Inflitations be regularly and decently performed, but not that we invent Ceremonies that are fymbolical, to make them more decent than Chrift left them.

Q4. Why is the fecond Commandment left out in all the publick Offices of the Popish Church?

A. Because it expressly condemns their idolatrous Images, kneeling at the Sacrament, Prayers to Saints, and all their fuperftitious Croffes, Surplices, Chrisme, as finful.

Q5. Do they not clear themfelves from Idolatry, by telling us they only worship God before, or by them, but not the Images themselves?

A. No, they do not; for the Ufe of Images in God's Worship is expressly condemned in this Commandment; and if this would excufe the Papifts, it had also excused the Ifraelites in worshipping the Calf, Exod. xxxii. 4.—And they faid, thefe be thy Gods, O Ifrael, that brought thee up out of the Land of Egypt.

Q. 6. What's the first Reason annexed to the fecond Commandment?

A. The first Reafon annexed is God's Sovereignty, I the Lord; which fhews that it belongs to God only to inftitute his own Worship, and make it effectual; and therefore to do that in his Worship which he never commanded, is finful and dangerous, Jer. vii. 31. And they have built the high Places of Tophet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their Sons and their Daughters in the Fire, which I commanded them not, neither came it into my Heart.

Q. 7. What's the fecond Reafon annexed to the second Commandment?

A. The fecond Reason is God's Propriety in us; he is our God, and we belong to him; and therefore to corrupt his Worship. greatly aggravates our Sin, Hof. ix. 1. Rejoice not, Ifrael, for Joy as other People; for thou haft gone a Whoring from thy God, &c.

Q. 8. What's the third Reafon annexed to the fecond Commandment?

A. The Jealoufy of God over his Worship and Worshippers; fo that this Sin of corrupting his Worship, will dreadfully incenfe his Wrath, as it did, Levit, x. 1, 2. And Nadab and Abibu the Sons of Aaron, took either of them his Cenfer, and put Fire thereon, and offered ftrange Fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out Fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.

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