For, 1. All sects and erroneous persons may turn holy words and duties into symbols of their errors. 2. All christians in the world being imperfect, do sometimes err in matter or manner in their worship. And he that will materially avoid all the badges or symbols of their errors, shall have no communion with any church or christian. 3. As we must do our best so to avoid all their errors, that we choose them not, and make them not formally our own practice; (as tautologies, vain repetitions, disorders, unfit phrases, &c. We must ourselves when we are the speakers do as much better as we can;) so we must not therefore separate from them that do use them, nor deny them our communion when they use them; else we must separate from all others, and all others from us. 4. But when we are present with them, our minds must disown all the faults of the holiest prayer in the world which we join in: we may be bound to stay with them, and join in all that is good and warrantable, and yet as we go along, to disown in our minds all that we know to be amiss.
Quest. CXVII. _Are all indifferent things made unlawful to us, which shall be abused to idolatrous worship?_
_Answ._ You must distinguish, 1. Of the symbol of idolatry before spoken of, and other by-abuses. 2. Of an abuse done in former ages or remote countries, and in our own age and country. 3. Of the reasons inviting us to use them, whether necessary or not.
1. The case of symbols or badges is not here spoken of, but other abuses.
2. An abuse committed in the age and place we live in, or any other, which will by the scandal imbolden others to the like, may not be complied in, without so great reason, as will notably preponderate the evil consequents.
3. But yet in many cases such abused, indifferent things, may after be lawfully used by believers. For instance:
1. Names may be things indifferent, abused to idolatry, and yet lawfully used by us: as the name God, _Deus_, Lord, holy, just, good, temple, altar, sacrifice, priest, heaven, sun, moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and a hundred such; I mean these letters and syllables in these languages. That these names are all in themselves indifferent appeareth in that they are neither naturally necessary, nor by God's institution, but arbitrary signs of human invention and choice: for we may easily and lawfully make new words to signify all the same things that these do: and that they are abused to idolatry is notoriously known: and that yet they are lawfully used, the practice of all christians, English and Latin, even the most scrupulous themselves, doth judge.
2. And the use of temples (these individuals which have been used to idolatry) is lawful.
3. So also of bells, pulpits, cups, tables, and fonts, and other utensils.
4. The Bible itself, as it is this individual book rather than another, is a thing indifferent, yet it may be read in after it hath been abused to idolatry.
5. If the king would not only give the garments, but the money, lands, lordships, houses, which have been consecrated or otherwise abused to idolatry, to any poor people, or most of the scrupulous, they would think it lawful to receive and use them; yea, it is lawful to dedicate the same lands and money afterwards to holy uses, and to maintain religious worship.
6. Otherwise it were in the power of any idolater whenever he pleased, to deprive all the christian world of their christian liberty, and to make nothing indifferent to us, seeing they can abuse them all.
7. Yea, almost nothing is then already indifferent, there being few things that some person in some time and place hath not abused to idolatry.
8. If the question be only of all individual things abused to idolatry, the decision now given will hold good; but if it be also of all species of such things, it will be a dishonour to a man's reason to make a question of it.
Quest. CXVIII. _May we use the names of week days which idolatry honoured their idols with; as Sunday, Monday, Saturday, and the rest? And so the months?_
_Answ._ 1. It were to be wished that the custom were changed; 1. Because the names have been so grossly abused; 2. And we have no need of them; 3. And as the papists say, Our monuments, temple names, and other relics among you prove ours to be the old religion, and keep possession for us till it be restored; so the heathens say to all the christians, Your very names of your days and months prove our religion to be elder than yours, and keep possession for us till it be restored.
2. It is meet that we wisely do our duty toward the reformation of this abuse.
3. But yet long custom and sound doctrine hath so far taken away the scandal and ill effects, that rather than be an offence to any by seeming singularity, it is as lawful still to use these names, as it was to Luke to use the names of Castor and Pollux, Jupiter and Mercury, historically.