4. Consider, e'er thou let go thy profession, how remarkably the lighteous hand of heaven hath met with, and paid home the apostates, even in this life ; which nevertheless, is but as a few drops upon them before the cloud dissolve, and the whole storm falls ; but as the parboiling of them, before they be roasted in the eternal flames. See what is become of Judas, Mat. xxvii. 3, 4, 5. compared with Acts i. 18. Poor Spira, though I determine not of his final state, yet what a living monument of wrath was he whilst he lived ; I feel (saith he) ' the very torments of hell in
* my soul.' Lucian and Julian, two scofiing apostates, the one torn to pieces by dogs ; the other, when mortally wounded by a dart, flings up his blood towards heaven in a way of revenge, and cries, ' Thou hast overcome me, O Galilean.'
* 1 Thes. iy. 16. f Jude 14. | 2 Pet. iii. 10. § John v. 28,
D Matth. XXV. 31. ^1 Cor. vi, 2. 4- Mat. xxv. 32. • * Joel iii. l-i.
ANTIPHARMACUM. SALrBEHrJMUM. 5Sl
5. Suppose thou escape such a stroke, yet never expect a com- fortable hour in tliis world any more, unless the Lord give thee unfeigned repentance to life, which, in such cases, is but seldom : Thou mayest have as much comfort in thy enjoyments here, for which thou hast sold Christ, as Judas had in his thirty pieces, or Spira in his wife and children ; Mark viii. 35. " Whosever will " save his life, shall lose it," (i. e.) at least its comfort.
Touch not with idolatry and superstition ; under what name or notion soever it he presented to you.
I John V. 21. ^* Little children, keep yourselves from idols." Here you had need be exceeding cautelous, and * circumspect, (1.) Because it is a creeping thing which w^orks in itself by plausible pre- tences and insinuations, 2 Pet, ii. 1. Eph. iv. 14. Col. ii. 23. In which respect \mystery'] is written in the whore's forehead. Rev. xvii. 5. For as Dr. Usher well observes, ' The Roman apostasy ' stole into the church disguised, and by degrees.' It is a mystery of iniquity (saith the apostle) and a workmg mystery, 2 Thess. ii. 7. Iniquitas, sedmystica^ pietatis, etjidelitatis nomine palUata ; i.e. iniquitv, but a mystical iniquity, because palliated and cloaked under the name and pretence of piety and fidelity. Idolatrous prac- tices have a shew of wisdom. Col. ii. 23. (i. e. saith \ Davenant on the place) ' They are more modest than to jiretend an immediate re- ^ velation of the Spirit :' Yet lest their placets and inventions should want a pretext of Divine wisdom, they are wont to say, that their doctrines and traditions are not indeed consigned to writing by the apostles, but delivered by lively voice, according to that. We speak zcisdom among them that are perfect : And by the name of this wis- dom, every one calls his own fictions. Saith Irenasus, lib. 3. cap. 3. ' Thus sometimes under the pretext of wisdom, order, de- * cency, apostolical traditions, antiquity, the power of the church, ' &c. it steals upon men \ insensibly, especially being so ad van- ' taged by the proneness of corrupt nature to it.' To this purpose it is observable, that Babylon, the mother of harlots, is said, rRev ' xvii. 4. to give the wine of her fornication in a golden cup. Wine in itself is temptingly pleasant, but more so when presented in a gol- den cup; the brims || whereof are sugared and sweetened to make
* Qui cavet ne decipialur, vir cavet ; cum enim cavet, et cum cnvisse ratus est, scppe is cantor captus est. Wlien a man watclies against being deceived, he does it with human infirmities, when he even actually watches and apprehends he hath done it to purpose, yet such an one is often ensnared.
f It gradually began to be had in esteem by long use, and the tacit approbation of the learned, increasing in esteem insensibly.
II Velati pueris abxynthia tetra viedenies, cum dare conantux prim oras piocula circvji} ' CoiUingunt dulci ?neUis,Jlavoque liqiiorc, Lucr. 1 . 834,
523 ANTIPIIARMACUM SALUBERRIMUM.
it the more grateful. Therefore, little children, I mean you sim- ple, plain, credulous souls, apt to be taken with fine glittering things, look to yourselves; (2.) Because nothing more provokes and inflames the fiery wrath of the Lord, who is a jealous God, than this doth ; it makes his anger come up in his face, as that ex- pression is, Ezek. xxxviii, 18. and kindles consuming WTath, Ezek. xhii. 7, 8, 9. Upon this account the blessed God complains, after the manner of men, as if his heart were broken, Ezek. vi. 9. " I '' am [broken] with their whorish heart, and with their [eyes} *' which go a whoring after their idols."*' If it be but an unchaste glance upon an idol, it goes to the very heart of God : When he seeth his people yielding to the tempations of it, he shrieks, as it were, and cries out. Oh ! do not this abominable thing' that I hate : Oh 1 if there be in you the hearts of children, do not that which doth, as it were, break the heart of your father.
Quest. But what mean you by idolatry and superstition.'* We hope there are no such things practised among us ; Pagans and Papists may be guilty of it ?
SoL Give me leave here to open these things unto you, and then, perhaps, you may see them nearer to you, than you are aware of; and that this caution is a word in season.
Idolat?y then, according to the true and generally received de-. finition of it, is * a religious worship, given either to that which is not the true God, or to the true God himself, but otherwise than he hath prescribed in his word. From hence we plainly see that worship may be idolatrous two ways; (1.) In respect of the object : if it have anv thing besides the true God for its object, it is gross idolatry ; such as the first commandment condemns. Pagati idolatry, which the hght of the gospel hath long since profligated and expelled out of these parts of the world. Or, (2.) In respect of the manner, when we worship the true God, but in a way and manner which he hath not prescribed in his word, but is invented and devised by ourselves ; and this is condemned as idolatry in the second -f- commandment ; Thou shalt not [make to thyself^ i. e. out of thine own brain, or of thine own head, any [graven image ;] under which title all human inventions, corrupting the pure and simple worship of God, are prohibited as idolatrous ; for images J
* CuUus reliuiosus gvi exhibetur rei, qucB non est verus Deus : Vel etiam ipsi vero Deo, sed aliter qurim ipse jircescripsit iii verbo sua. Ravanelus.
•f Est autem idololalrin, cum vel Jingitur esse Deus, et cnlitur pro Deo quod non est, vel cum verus Di us culilur aliter quam vvit coli. Parasus com. in Rom. i. 25.