7 heaven, for the heathen are / diſmayed at them. | q The J:ws being to live anong the Chaldeans in theic Cap-| tivitr, where many of them were already, the prophet in this Sermon admonitheth them againſt the Superſtirions of the Chal- dean Idolatries, which he underſtands here by Heathen, who were alſo much addicted to AS$rology, and eſteemed the Original of Sciences : The Cutoms and their Manners he calls here their IWay, as is frequent in Scripture, Lev. 18. 2. and 20. 23. r This was a Practice and Scudy fo common among them, that Judz- cial Altrclogers, of what nation foever, were genera]ly termed Chald.ens ; a practiſe ſo hateful ry God, that ſometimes he po- ſitively prohibirs it, Deur. 18. £0, 14. and ſometimes in a way of Scorn an:! Derifion, Sarcaſticaliy ſends them to ſuch. TIſ2.47.13. and often labaurs to perſwade againſt it ; For though Aſtronomy be not only iawful, bur uſeful, as being Rules - of Art whereby many Actions of Humane Life are direQed, and guided, and proportioned, yet Judiciary Aſtrology is indeed oripinally Di2bolical and Heathenith ; and though God . do ſuffer their Predictions ſometimes to fall out righe, yet it is eo puniſh the Curiofity of the Enquirer. { q. d. Leavethis to Heathens ; it doth not become God's People, who do wholly depend upon him; for indeed the Heathen, as many ignorant Chriſtians do to this dav, where more atraid ol the Signs of Hea- ven, and Aſtrological ?reditions, than of God, and what is fore- cold in his Word of Prophecy ; as if Things were governed ra- ther by the Inflaences ot the Stars than the Providence of God. Not :bue that we may be affefted with ſuch preter-natural Ap. pearances in the World, whi:h God doth extraordinarily ceuſe to appear, as ſome Tokens ot his approaching Judgments, Joel 2. 30, 31. Maith. 24.7. Luke 21. 11, : 3 For the | cuſtoms of the pcople are tr vain - for + lHeb. Fore cutteth atrez out of the x foreſt, the work of
Staturzs the hands of the workman, with the axe. or Or4i- t 7. e. Sach Courſes, Inſtitucions, idolatrous Cuſtoms,and Ce- Ninces are remoniesas theſe, that many People follow, they are vain, and vanity. itis a fooliſhand wicked thing, that any that profeſs the true *114. 44. God, ſhould give heed to {u-h lying Vanities. u Here he an- 9, 12, TC. nexeth their Idolatry to their Aſtrology, q. d. They cut down Tim- ber to make the Images and Repreſentations of theſe Stars and Plannets, that they fear and Worſhip as Gods, either 1n memorial of them, when they could not ſee them, or elſe upon a ſuper- ſticious Conceit that the Stars. which they worſkipded, aig by iome Magick Art convey ſome Vertue or Spirit into thele Statues or Images ; or rather,he doth ſet forth the Folly of the Heathen, that whereas for the matter of them, they are but a peice of Wool, a Tree out of the Foreſt ; and as to the form of them, no other than the Carver, a ſorry Man, is pleated to put them into by his Ax.,{which I ſuppoſe is here put for any cutting Tool | of the Artiſt, whereby he thapes it ;)yet they are afraid of theſe,
asif they were Gods, Iſa. 40. 20. See on Fer. 8. 2. 4 They deck it with filver and with gold; they faſten it with nails and with x hammers, that M
move nor.
x A {arther Deſcription of their Workmanſhip. Having ro other Conelin:(s but what they confer upoa it, and they no greater ſecuritz or cert*inty of it, than as they can with hammer and Nutl mike it tat, and fix it to ſome place, the woodden God being 197 able to preſerve it ſelf from falling ; therefore 1: is ra- ther to be m2ant of tatening to ſome Wall, or Pillar, than of faſtening cheir parts cogether, becauſe they ſeem to be cut out of one «ntire Pizce, anal thzeretore need 1t not.
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5 They areupright as the y palm-tree, * but {peak 21454 25» z Not : they muit needs be * born, becauſe they can- - w # 6 - - o 25, 16. not 4 go: Be not afraid ofb them, for they * cat- +1; 45 not do evil, neither alſo zs i in them to do good. 1, -.
y The nature of which is to grow upright and call, without * !{a.q ts any Branchings, tiilit comes to the top, thereby poliibly rep: e- 2, lenuing Majeſty. 4 Looking asif they were abou: to ipeak,{tzn-
!0g 10 a ſpeaxing poſture, but have not a word to uter, being only dumb Stocks, woodden Gods. 4 They move no farther or faſter than you life them, either whe1 vou go to fet themup,
or upon any occation of Removal: As iff as taxes, being it1- deed bur ſticks, b They can do you no more narm, than ce Signs of Heaven could do.They are bur dead ſtocks. The Hearhens worſhipped tome ldos that they might do them good, and others that they mighr do them no harm ; but Gods tells them tere, they can do rcisver good or barm, as in the next words: Taey can neither puniſh nor reward. They can neither hurt their Enemics nor help their Friends : By this the true God will be diſtinguiſhed trom Idols, that he alone can foretel! things to come, and he alone can reward or puniſh, 1/2.48. 5- and therefore the Prophet endeavours to run them off from their Idols co the true God.
6 For c as much as * there 7 none like unto thee, **" O LORD: thou art great d, and thy name s great ,''.*.. IN e might. Le,
c This Particle [A Afin isto be taken here cauſally, and reters either to what goes before, ſhewing there is no Compariſon be- eween God and TIols ; or rather, to what follows, as the Ground and Realon of all due Subjeftion to God ; as in the next Y-rſe.
4 Or, thou art tranicendently great. ez.e. Though Idols may have fomething of a Name 10 the World among the Heathe 1, yer there was nothing of their real Power or Might ſeen ; or 1t the
Devil mighe a tomthing through them to delude the Worid, yet nothing to be compared with that Mighe that hath manifeſted it ſelf in God's Works, Pl. 106. $. and 111. 6. All the Works of Idols are either none, or feeble and weak, Yer. $, |
7 * Who would not fear thee, O king of fnati- * Rev. x7. ons ? for || to thee doth ic appertain : for as much #_ ., as among all the wiſe cz of the nations, and in all}; ;1g their kingdoms zhecre z5 none like g unto thee.