home: But whether they were Paintings er Statues, appears not. The Arabians had a Place called Gur-baal. The Sabeans, who, 'tis likely, had fome drunken Rites, had Figures of Men with Bracelets upon their Hands, and beautiful Crowns upon their Heads. Afia copied after Babylon; and St. Paul fays, They had changed the Glory of the incorruptible God into an Image made like corruptible Man; and to Birds, and four footed Beafts, and creeping Things; and worThiped and ferved the Creature more than the Creator, who is God blessed for ever. What this Creature, the Object of their Worship and Service was, will appear plainly by and by. The Ifraelites who (except what was done in Egypt) first went aftray, wanted fomething inftead of Mofes, which they called a God, to go before them: For Mofes had been, as God appointed him, a God; as they call a Representative God, he was the Reprefentative of God to Pharoah; and in fome Measure, as the Ifraelites thought, to them: Though indeed God had another Reprefentative, as will appear afterwards. When the Calf was made, they facrificed before, or to it, as to other Idols. But what was the Obje&? Aaron tnade a Proclamation, and faid, To Mor row row is a Feaft of the Lord. There was no Object but God, or the Operation of the Airs; I think the Calf was a Reprefentation of God, 'tis like as the Egyptians reprefented the Operation of the Airs; and inftead of Mofes, who they pretended was loft. But there were alfo fome who faid, Thefe be thy Gods, which brought thee up out of the Land of Egypt. Thefe could not be the Calf, it was but new made; nor does it clear the Point, if God was their Object; though then it was but Idolatry: But if thy had another Object, it was Idolatry, and denying God. Tobit fays that Jeroboam reprefented Baal by an Heifer ; and the Men that were with him, and his Calves, were called Children of Belial. If those who spoke intended it as a Reprefentative of the falfe Gods, then, it ftands right, This is (or is a Reprefentative of) the Gods which brought thee up, &c. and thofe who faid fo, thought that the Operation of the Airs, which, as it will appear, had performed all thofe Miracles, had acted of itself, or without being fubject to God, 'tis faid, 2 Kings xvii. 16.-and made them molten Images, even two Calves, and made a Grove, and worshiped all the Hoft of Heaven, and ferved Baal. I think that botla here and in Samaria, fome worshiped the G 3 true true God under this Reprefentation, and fome Baal. This and fome other Expreffions tempt me to determine the Difpute about Subftitutes, and facred Reprefentatives, which God has from Time to Time appointed which we call Sacraments; and feveral other Points, which have been long contested for Want of proper Evidence, and to demolish another pretended Miracle. But as that hath proceeded from too much Zeal for the Thing fignified, it comes not within my present View, and deserves more tender Treatment. But to return: Whatever was the Object, the Crime was fo great, that St. Paul fays, Acts vii. 41. And they made a Calf in thofe Days, and offered Sacrifice unto the Idol, and rejoiced in the Works of their own Hands. Ver. 42. Then God turned, and gave them up to worShip the Haft of Heaven. If this had been an Exchange from worshiping a Calf, furely it had been giving them up for the better: For there were very ftrong Temptations to worship the Hoft of Heaven, but none to worship the Figure of a Calf. And it was a Proverb upon Jeroboam, that he made Ifrael fin. Gideon made an Ephod of the golden Ear-rings, the Figures of the Moon, and other Enfigns of the Ishmaelites, and all Ifrael went a whoring after it, and it became a Snare to Gideon and his House. Micah made Images and an Ephod; and he, and the Children of Dan, worshiped God by thofe Reprefentatives; and little is faid of that. And the Children of Ifrael facrificed to God only upon the Idolatrous high Places; and little is faid against that They err'd in Form, but not in Subftance. But thefe Calves had been, and were, employed to reprefent the Heavens. Thefe Signs were never fuppofed to be Gods; nor did they ever serve any thing befides God, but this Power of the Air, which is all along called the Creature, otherwise than when they had fubstituted a Sign, they imagin'd that it represented the Thing or Power; and the outward Reverence they paid to the Sign, was given to what it reprefented. Perhaps fome were fo weak as to think that the Affiftance. which they imagin'd was returned, also came through that Channel; and no Man in his Senfes ever went farther. Ezekiel explains the Effects of giving them up to worship the Hoft of Heaven, in the Article of facrificing their Firft-born, and fhews the Object, Chap. xx. 24. And their Eyes were after their Fathers Idols : Ver. 25. Wherefore I gave them Statutes. THAT were not good, and Judgments, where - by they fhould not live. Ver. 26. And I pole luted them in their own Gifts, in that they caufed to pass through THE FIRE all that openeth the Womb, that I might make them defolate, to the End that they might know that I AM the Lord. Baal, Molech, &c. were but Signs; Fire, the Operation, was the Object. In Ezek. iv. 3. a Draught of the City of Jerufalem befieged, upon a Tile, was to be a Sign to the House of Ifrael. When they came to Canaan they did not ftrictly obferve the Covenant, to destroy all the Idolaters and idolatrous Places, nor afterwards to put to Death the first Offenders; fo foon after the Generation who had feen God's Miracles were dead, and another arofe, in the Time of the Judges, this Vice crept in, and fome of them began to worship Baalim, or Baal and Ashtaroth. At firft he had an Altar and a Grove, or Image, and after a House, a Tower, a ftrong Hold ('tis likely in Imitation of that at Babel,) where Abimeleck had Money, where Gaul curs'd him, and which Abimelech burnt with Baal's Wor→ fhipers: Afterwards they had got several Images from feveral Countries, which were fometimes worship'd, and fometimes demolifh'd: A little after the Temple was built, they brought abundance of their. Trum pery |