true God"; the not having and vouching him for God, and our God"; the omission or neglect of any thing due to him, required in this commandment; ignorance", forgetfulness, mifapprehenfions, falfe opinions", unworthy and wicked thoughts of him"; bold and curious fearchings into his fecrets; all prophaneness', o Jer. 2. 27, 28. Saying to a ftock, Thou art my father; and toa ftone, Thou haft brought me forth. Where are thy gods that thou haft made thee?-for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah. Compared with 1 Theff. 1, 9. p Pfa. 81. 11. But my people would not hearken to my voice and Ifrael would none of me. qIfa. 43. 22, 23, 24. But thou haft not called upon me, O Jacob, but thou hast been weary of me, O Ifrael. Thou haft not brought me the fmall cattle of thy burnt-offerings, neither haft thou honoured me with thy facrifices. r Jer. 4. 22. For my people is foolish, they have not known me, they are fottish children, and they have no understanding they are wife to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. Hof. 4. I, 6. For the Lord hath a controverfy with the inhabitants of the land; because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God iu the land. My people are deftroyed for lack of knowledge. fJer. 2. 32. Can a maid for get her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number. Pfa. 50. 22. t Acts 17. 23, 29. For as I paffed by, and beheld your devotions I found an altar with this infcription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship him declare I unto you. We ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or filver, or ftone, graven by art and man's device. v Ifa. 40, 18, To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? hatred of God", felf-love, felf-seeking, and all other inordinate and immoderate fetting of our mind, will or affections upon other things, and taking them off from him in whole or in part; vain credulity, unbelief, herefy*, misbelief, diftruft", defpair'; incorrigibleness, and infenfibleness under judgments, hardness of heart", pride", prefumption, carnal security", tempting a 2 Tim. 3.2 For men hall be lovers of their own felves, covetous, &c. b Phil. 2. 21. For all feek their own, not the things which are Jefus Chrift's. CI John 2, 15, 16, 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. I Sam, 2. 29. And honoureft thy fons above me. Col. 3.2, 5. d 1 John 4. 1. Beloved, believe not every fpirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; becaufe many falfe prophets are gone out into the world. e Heb. 3. 12. Take heed brethren, left there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. f Gal. 5. 20. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, ftrife, feditions, herefies. Tit. 3. 10. g Acts 26. 9. I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jefus of Nazareth. h Pfal. 78. 22. Because they believed not in God, and trufted not in his falvation. i Gen. 4. 13. And Cain faid, My punishment is greater than I can bear. k Jer. 5.3. Thou haft ftricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast confumed them, but they have refused to receive correction; they have made their faces harder than a rock, they have refused to return. 1 Ifa. 42. 25. Yet he knew not; yet he laid it not to heart. m Rom. 2. 5. But after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasureft up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. n Jer. 13. 15. Hear ye, and give ear, be not proud; for the Lord hath spoken. o Pfa. 19. 13. Keep back thy fervant alfo from prefumptuous fins:-then shall I be innocent from the great tranfgreffion. And punish p Zeph. I. 12. of God: ufing unlawful means", and trufting in lawful means; carnal delights and joys'; corrupt, blind, and indiscreet zeal'; lukewarmnefs", and deadness in the things of God; estranging ourselves, and apoftatizing from God"; praying, or giving any religious worship, to faints, angels, or any other creatures"; compacts and confulting with the devil, and the men that are fettled on their lees: that fay in their heart, The Lord will not do good, nor will he do evil. q Mat. 4. 7. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. r Rom. 3. 8. And not rather, (as we be flanderously reported, and as fome affirm that we fay,) Let us do evil that good may come? f Jer. 17.5. Curfed be the man that trufteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whofe heart departeth from the Lord. t 2 Tim. 3. 4. Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. v Gal. 4. 17. They zealoufly affect you, but not well; Rom. 10. 2. For I bear them record, that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. John 16. 2. Luke 9.54, 55. w Rev. 3. 16. So then, becaufe thou art lukewarm and neither cold mor hot, I will fpue thee out of my mouth. x Rev. 3. 1. I know thy works that thou haft a name, that thou liveft, and art dead. y Ezek. 14. 5. Because they all me are all eftranged from through their idols. Ifa. I. 4, 5. They have forfaken the Lord, they are gone away backward. Why should ye he ftricken any more? Ye will revolt more and more. z Hof, 4. 12. My people afk counfel at their flocks, and their staff declareth unto them: Rev. 19. 10. And I fell at his feet to worship him; and he faid unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow-fervant, and of thy brethren that have the teftimony of Jefus; worfhip God. Col. 2. 18. Let no man beguile you of your reward, in a voluntary humility, and worshipping of angels, intruding into thofe things which he hath not feen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind. Rom. I. 25. a Lev. 20. 6. And the foul that turneth after fuch as have familiar fpirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even fet my face against that foul, and will cut him off from among his people. 1 Sam. 28. 7, 11. Compared with Chron. 10. 13, 14, hearkening to his fuggeftions"; making men the lords of our faith and confcience; flighting and defpifing God, and his commands"; refifting and grieving of his Spirit, difcontent and impatience at his difpenfations, charging him foolishly for the evils he inflicts on us; and afcribing the praise of any good we either are, have, or can do, to fortune", idols", ourselves', or any other creature. Q. 106. What are we especially taught by these words (before me) in the first commandment? A. These words (before me) or before my face, in the first commandment, teach us, that b Acts 5. 3. But Peter faid, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart, to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? c 2 Cor. 1. 24. Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpere of your joy. Mat. 23. Y. d Deut. 32. 15. Then he forfook God that made him, and lightly esteemed the rock of his falvation. Prov. 13. 13. Whofo defpifeth the word, fhall be deftroyed but he that feareth the commandment, fhall be rewarded. 2 Sam. 12. 9. e Acts 7. 51. Ye ftiff-necked and uncircumcifed in heart and ears, ye do always refift the Holy Ghoft. Eph. 4. 30. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God. f Pfa. 73. 2, 3, 13, 14, 15, 22. But as for me my feet were almoft gone, my steps had well nigh flipt. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the profperity of the wicked, &c. g 1 Sam. 6. 7, 8, 9. But if not, then shall we know that it is not his hand that fmote us, it was a chance that happened to us. h Dan. 5. 23. And thou haft praised the gods of filver and gold, of brafs, iron, wood and ftone, which fee not, nor hear, nor know; and the God, in whofe hand thy breath is, and whofe are all thy ways, haft thou not glorified. i Deut. 8. 17. And thou fay in thine heart, My power and the night of my hand hath gotten me this wealth. Dan. 4.30. k Hab. 1. 16. Therefore they facrifice unto their net, and burn incenfe unto their drag. God, who feeth all things, taketh special notice of, and is much difpleafed with, the fin of having any other god: That fo it may be an argument to diffuade from it, and to aggravate it as a most impudent provocation'; as also to persuade us to do as in his fight, whatever we do in his fervice. Q. 107. Which is the fecond commandment? A. The fecond commandment is, Thou fealt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likenefs 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 shalt not bow down thyfelf to them, nor ferve them; For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, vifiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me: And fbewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments". Q. 108. What are the duties required in the Jecond commandment? A. The duties required in the fecond com IPfa. 44. 20, 21. If we have forgotten the name of our God, or ftretched out our hands to a ftrange god: Shall not God fearch this out? for he know eth the fecrets of the heart. Ezek. 8. 5. to the end of the chapter. And behold northward, at the gate of the altar, this image of jealousy in the entry. But turn thee yet again, and thou shalt fee greater abominations. m 1 Chron. 28. 9. And thou, Solomon, my fon, know thou the God of thy father, and ferve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind: for the Lord fearcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts. n Exod. 20. 4, 5, 6. |