vnchristian course of life commended and approued of some with too much applause is after some sort warranted to breake this lawe of God Another sort transgresse in giuing themselues praise Pro. 27.2 which were fitter to bee done by some other So did that young man that said but very vntruly All these commandements I haue obserued from my youth Mat. 19.20 Their own conscience will tell such men that they beare in saying thus false witnesse And herein the Church of Rome doth grieuously offend deceiuing themselues and others by transgression of this commandement They call themselues Catholicke it is not their name it no way belongeth to them Their church is not catholick their faith is not catholick therfore themselues not catholick Their church nay not any church can here be catholick truly because so long as this world indureth all the members shal not be added to it and vntill the number bee complete it cannot bee called catholick properly And therefore we beleeue that there is a holy Catholicke Church which in regard of the true faith therein taught agréeable to the first promise of faith and doctrine of obedience which hath consent of all ages among the godly is called Catholicke but then in déed shall be truly made Catholicke when it shall haue the whole number added to it In the meane time also in respect of the Donatists who tied their Church to Aphric the godly called their Church Catholicke because the members therof were in all places and at all times and not restrained to any one time or place As for theirs I suppose themselues will be ashamed to say it is catholicke many points whereof are so newly hatched yea and some principal points which they hold not yet well agreed vpon that if they would say their faith is catholick their owne mouthes and pens would reproue yea strongly confute them Howsoeuer therefore the mouth of the wicked couereth iniquity Prou. 10.6 as Papists with the plausible name of Catholicke hide their Idolatries Heresies and Blasphemies yet shall these patrons of poperie I doubt not find by their owne experience that because they haue said to the Apostataes from the faith Thou art catholick that is Pro. 24.24 to the wicked Thou art righteous the people shal curse them and the multitude shall abhor them as already all such as by the light of Gods word see how damnable and dangerous their doctrine is Q. Seeing then not only such as report slanderous things to the disgrace of other but such also as willingly heare such slanders and rashly beleeue them transgresse this lawe it is very expedient wee should alwaies remember the answere which is made to this question Lord who shall dwell in thy Tabernacle Psa 15.1.3 who shall rest in thy holy Mountaine He that slaundereth not with his tongue nor doth euill to his neighbour nor receiueth a false report against his neighbour so shall wee be free from this grieuous sin of backbiting which whoso vseth Psal 14.11 shall not bee stablished vpon the earth as God by his Prophet threatneth A. It is so as also Salomon aduiseth Put away from thee a froward mouth Pro. 4.24 and put wicked lips far from thee Q. What thinke you of the tenth Commandement Is there any thing forbidden therein which is not prohibited in the other Commandements For wee haue heard that not onely the outward action of murder and other transgressions is forbidden but also the inward affection A. In other of the Commandements not the déed only is forbidden but also the willingnes or desire to performe the same But here the very motiō to disobedience and lust it self although we giue no consent therto is prohibited condemned as vnlawfull as the Apostle teacheth saying Rom. 7.7 For I had not knowne lust to be sin except the lawe had sayd Thou shalt not lust Q. What then is the vse of this Commandement A. It hath many good vses for first it serueth for instruction to teach vs the way how to obey the former commandements For if we withstand the first beginnings of sin and stop the springs thereof so as they cannot break forth and snub the sprouts that come out of the root not suffring them to haue any growth we shall find sin much weakned in vs neither will it bee hard by Gods grace to keepe it vnder so as it shall neuer raigne in these our mortall bodies Secondly it serueth for direction to reforme the corruption of our iudgement wherby we oftentimes deceiue our selues thinking we do well when it is nothing so Saul said when he had spared the Amalekites and much of that which belonged to them which God commanded that he without pitty should haue destroyed 1. Sam. 15 13. I haue fulfilled the commandement of the Lord. That yong man in the Gospel Mat. 19.20 I haue obserued all these things whatsoeuer loue or duty I owe to my neighbour from my youth vp when no man saue Christ onely could euer attaine to that perfection of loue But here we may learn Rom. 7.7 that séeing euen Lust it self is a breach of Gods Law as the Apostle teacheth vs as before is said we must neither beléeue such Commentaries of Gods Law which teach the obedience therto to consist in the outward performance only as did the Scribes Pharises Math. 5.20 whom therefore our Sauiour Christ reproueth vers 21.27 neither iustifie our selues in any thing that we can do seeing perfit obedience is so hard nay so vnpossible for man to attaine vnto so long as we are in the flesh for these motions vnto sin will euer be stirring as a root howsoeuer oft stubbed yet while it liueth will euer be sprouting The third and last vse thereof is that it is a preparatiue to the performance of a necessary duty which God requireth of vs For God hath created vs excellent creatures indued with reason inabled by many good helps to the end we should by our holy obedience glorifie Him Math. 7.18 But an euil tree cannot bring forth good fruit such trées are we if Lust raign in vs had are our fruits Therfore to euery one of vs who haue a desire that our light so shine before men Math. 5.16 that they seeing our good works may glorifie our Father which is in heauen God saith Thou shalt not Lust For Lust is as leauen that sowreth and maketh vnsauorie all our actions The end therefore of this Commandement is Ephe. 4.22 That casting off concerning our conuersation in time past the old man wee cleanse our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit 2. Cor. 7.1 and grow vp vnto ful holines in the feare of God That being sanctified throughout 1. Thes 5.23 our whole spirit and soule and body may be kept blamelesse vntill the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ Vnto which holinesse that we may truely striue to attaine as wee ought to do wee
Prayers and not belonging vnto the Saints and therefore also saith that all flesh shall come vnto GOD the simple man then thus concludes with himselfe Seeing my seruice must not be to the Image and the Saints cannot heare or helpe mee it is vaine that I pray or offer before them Againe wee sée the practice not onely of vnlearned men but of their learned and religious men to the contrarie of their doctrine We read in the second Nicen Councell so much estéemed of the Romish-Church for setting vp Images Acts 5. how one Dennis told them a tale of one Iohn an Abbot and Anchorite a man famous saith this Dennis This Iohn had in his Cell where hee lay the Image of the Virgin Mary and his fashion was when he went abroad as he did sometime for 5. or 6. moneths together to make a candle being ready to take iourney he prayed to our Lady as he termeth her Totus in Imaginem eius intentus wholly respecting her Image Thou holy Mother of God because I haue a long iourney in hand care for thy Candle and see that it burne not out And hauing spoken thus to the Image he tooke his iourney Is not this a plaine testimony of praying to the Image it selfe and allowed in that Councell of Nice for good stuffe Q. It is strange that any that professe the name of Christianity could so break this Commandement of the Almighty in making Images to worship seeing euen diuers of the heathen Philosophers that knew not the true GOD thought that things that cannot be perceiued by outward sences but by vnderstanding only must be by Faith comprehended as Theodoret out of Parmenides Solon Empedocles Antistenes teacheth in his third Booke against the Idolatrie of the Gentiles Yea hee there reporteth that Antistenes would not that any Image should be made of God because saith he God cannot by any counterfeit or picture be comprehended but by beleeuing and therefore very aptly calleth Faith the Eye of the mind A. Certainely these Heathenish Philosophers shall rise vp in iudgement against these Popish Idolaters to whom wee may truly say as there Theodoret speaketh to the Gentiles that worshipped the creature in stead of the Creator and fell downe before Images Solis visibilibus contabescitis manuque confecta simulachra venerantes doctrinam quae de inuisibili traditur non admittitis You euen pine away saith hee about things visible and worshipping Images made with hands you receiue not that which is taught of the inuisible God And in deed the Romish Church so doteth vpon and for their Images that they little respect Gods word in comparison of them Q. Can that be true A. It is most true For when they saw that they could deuise no good answer to warrant their Images from the force of this 2. Commandement and that the words were so plaine that they in kéeping their Images must be accoūted transgressors of the lawe in so much also as Vasquer a Iesuite confesseth that diuers Papists are against the making of the Image of God as also sundry of the ancient Fathers when I say this Commandement was such a blocke in their way that this and their doctrine of Images could not wel stand together then they began to loose this knot as Alexander the great did that Gordian knot in the Temple of Apollo hee cut it in pieces with his sword So haue the Papists handled this Commandement they could deuise no answere to stop the mouthes of their aduersaries and therefore in their Catechisms they quite leaue out this Commandement Vaus the Iesus psalter both in English an olde office of the blessed virgin Mary printed more then forty yéeres since likewise a new Breuiary or Office of the Virgin Mary in English and Latine A booke intituled Bulla super forma iuramenti c. And Bellarmine in his catechisme all of them leaue this Commandement quite out as if God had neuer spoken such a word not fearing the curse pronounced against such as put or take any thing from Gods word Q. But this Commandement forbiddeth not the making of all Images For the representation of men or women whom for their authoritie or other good parts in them wee reuerence or loue is not vnlawfull or if they be made to garnish and beautifie any place or in any other ciuil respect this Commandement is not thereby broken A. Most true and therefore in the commandement it is sayd Thou shalt not bowe downe before them or worship them thereby teaching vs what Images they are whose making is in this commandement forbidden And in these words wee are to learne that all kind of honour externall and internall of the body or of the Spirit is vtterly vnlawfull to be done to those Images Q. But they make vs to beleeue who are ignorant people that the honour that is done before the Image is not done to the Image but to that which the Image representeth A. So they teach but the practice of learned and vnlearned séemeth to bee contrary For it is very hard to finde any among the simple who if they confesse the truth do not kneele and pray to the Image it selfe Yea why doe they so trim vp with clothes of price and precious Iewels their Images why doe they make them to speake as did that at Winchester whereof Pollidor Virgil in his history of England in his sixt booke reporteth why do they deuise to make them turne away their faces to auert their eyes sometime also to fome at their mouth and make such tokens of being displeased when their offrings doe not come in so plentifully as they haue done Are not these things done that the Image it selfe might the rather be reuerenced and worshipped To what end is the incense offred or the candles lighted before them The things by them represented stand not in need of any light if they be saints they see by a much more glorious light if not the taper-light cannot pleasure them Neither can the sauor of the Incense come to the place where Gods Saints liue in eternall blisse or if it could might it please them any thing who are wholly rauished in beholding the vnspeakable glorie of God and all whose exercise is to sing praise and glory vnto him that sitteth vpon the throne and to the Lambe And that idolatrous assembly at Niece called the second Nicen Councell hath many things to iustifie this that wee accuse the Romish church of namely that they do honour to the Image it selfe There was one Iohn intitled Sanctiss Praesbyter a most holy Priest who said it was a cleere case that He who worshipped the Image Acts 4. or sayd This is Christ sinned not Another telleth a tale of Iohn an Abbot whom hee commendeth very much to be famous in his time who vsed oft to goe on pilgrimage And his manner was when he would take any iourney in hand to make a candle and setting it before the Image of the blessed Virgin
him Q. We learne then that this Commandement may be broken by swearing either falsly or vainly by talking of Gods workes vnreuerently by vowing or promising to God not caring to performe the same by inconsiderate wishes and wandring praiers and lastly by making profession of seruing God when wee serue our owne lusts sinne or Sathan A. It is true But one thing I had almost forgotten For wée dishonour Gods Name not onely in our wandring prayers as is before sayd but also in praying to him for things vnseemly or that against our enemies hee would bee an executioner of our wrath In all these or such like requests we dishonour the name of the Lord our God And also in oathes besides false and vaine swearing already prooued to be against this Commandement it is a great dishonor to Gods Name to match him with any other in swearing or any other seruice of GOD as Gods people did for which GOD by his Prophet threatneth to destroy the land and to cut off the people and the beasts the birdes and the fishes also and this séemeth to be a great cause of that generall destruction because they did worship and sweare by God Zeph. 1.5 and by Malcham For our great and mighty God who gouerneth all things as he will scorneth so vnequally to be matched with Idols or any creatures Q. Now besides all these transgressions of this Commandement we read that God very often findeth fault with false prophets that came in his Name when hee sent them not spoke in his name when hee bid them not and made the people beleeue they were his true Messengers yet were nothing lesse Did not such take the name of the Lord in vaine A. Certainly they did So that as by that which hath formerly bin said we haue learned how euery man may transgresse this Lawe so here we are taught how these in their particular function do grieuously and very dangerously for other breake this Commandement And herein do all popish and other false Teachers wickedly offend in that they vaunt themselues as messengers from God to teach his truth when they speak of nothing but their owne fancies and mens traditions vnlesse as gracelesse murderers will cast Sugar vpon poison to deceiue him that eateth it so they now and then alleage somewhat out of Scriptures to make their hearers beleeue that al that they deliuer is like that when their doctrine and Gods word in his booke deliuered are no more like then night to day darknesse to light or Antichrist to Christ And thus much for this third Commandement I meane for the things prohibited therein Q. But what is required in this Commandement that we should do A. He who will not that wée dishonour his name would haue vs occupied in sanctifying the same For as Christ saith Mat 12.30 Hee that is not with mee is against mee and hee who gathereth not scattereth So hee who honoureth not GOD dishonoureth him whensoeuer occasion is giuen to honour him in that hee omitteth that dutie And therefore Moses though hee did not any thing whereby God might be dishonoured yet is charged not to haue honoured God because when oportunity serued with assured faith in Gods power and mercie he commanded not the Rocke to send forth water Exod. 17.6 as sometime before hee had done Because saith God ye beleeued not me Num. 20 12. to sanctifie mee before the Children of Israel therefore yee shall not bring this Congregation into the land which I haue giuen them And God accounted this such a dishonour to him Deut. 3.25 that though Moses praied God that hee might goe in and see that good land beyond Iordan Yet God would not heare his praier for that thing verse 26. Q. It appeareth then that this prohibiting or forbidding to dishonour Gods name doth necessarily containe in it a commandement to honour the same and that worthily For the honouring of his Name is the first thing that our Sauiour Christ hath taught vs to begge of God in that forme of prayer which he hath taught vs which we call the Lords Prayer Therefore as you haue taught vs how his Name may be in diuers sorts or many waies dishonoured so let vs heare how wee may apply our selues to honour the same A. First if we do the contrary to those things whereby Gods name is dishonoured As if taking his name in swearing we sweare alwaies truly and in iudgement or for deciding of controuersies of weight or importance if wee thinke or speake of his workes reuerently if wée performe the holy meanes which wee haue promised in our hearts to vse to furder vs in his seruice if in our short and ordinary wishes or solemne prayers wee with feare and reuerence sue to God seriously lastly if our outward profession of religion bee ioined with care and indeuour to serue God truly and walke worthy of our calling by these meanes we shall rightly performe this holy seruice Q. Are there not some particular or speciall obseruations which if wee follow we may more religiously apply our selues to all these duties before mentioned A. Yes verily and briefly they are these A diligent hearing or reading of Gods word For without it wée are like men that haue a desire to worke and will be doing somewhat but in the darke night when through want of light they know not whether it be right or wrong good or euil that were in Therefore that in all our doings and sufferings God may bee glorified Rom. 15.5 wee must pray to the God of patience as S. Paul calleth him that hee will giue vnto vs Phil. 1.29 not to beleeue only but to suffer also for Christs sake 1. Cor. 6.20 So shall we glorifie God in our bodie and in our Spirit as St. Paul willeth Q. What is meant by the words following For the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine A. God thereby moueth this people to take heed that they offend not against this lawe For many go forwards in their sinnes rashly thinking that as man doth not so God cannot espy or at the least doth not see their wickednesse or if he see yet he regardeth it not or that hee will not punish or that he is not of power sufficient For what is so absurd that vngodly men will not surmise to flatter themselues in their owne waies therefore God heere giueth his people to vnderstand that if they prophane his name they prouoke against them the LORD himselfe whose All-séeing Eye beholdeth the very thoughts of the heart and whose Power is infinite and not to bee hindred by any deuice or policie or to be restrained by any strength of man Who if he wher his glittering sword Deu. 32.41 and his hand take hold of iudgement will execute vengeance on his enemies and will reward them that hate him So that howsoeuer they deceiue themselues and plead not guilty yet he who knoweth them better then they