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Another use the Heathens fet forth of their Images, was to ferve as Books and Inftruction to the Unlearned who cou'd not Read; and to fix the Intention in the Worship of their Gods, that they might keep their Minds and Intention upon that God whom they faw Represented, in a Vifible Form, before their Eyes. This is infifted upon by Maximus Tyrius, a Heathen Philofopher, who was Tutor to Marcus Aurelius the Emperor, in his xxxviii. Differtation upon this Queftion, Whether Images were to be Dedicated to the Gods? Where he tells us, That they did not make Images, as any Likeness of the Perfons of their Gods; because they had Many, of Different Shapes, for the fame God: And that they thought their Images no more like the Gods they Reprefented, than the Letters which fpell their Names, which are of Different Shapes, in the Different Characters of feveral Languages: That it was Impoffible to make any Image or Reprefentation of the Perfon of the Supreme, Eternal, Infinite, and Invifible God, which, he fays, they did not Attempt, but only to Exprefs fome of His Perfedtions; as, by Fire, they Exprefs'd His Purity; by an Image with many Hands, His Power by one full of Eyes, His Providence and Omnifcience, &c. For, he fays, they know God to be Greater than the Worlds, more Ancient than All things, and whatever any Christian can Ipeak befitting the Divine Majefty.

If any think, That fuch wife Philofophers as thefe cou'd not be Idolaters, but only the more Ignorant People, who might take their Images for Real Gods.

I hope they will Allow Solomon to have been as Wife as Any of these Philofophers; and that he had more Advantages than they, being In

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ftructed in the Law of God, and to whom God did vouchsafe to Appear Twice; who, before he fell into Idolatry, had built the Temple, and Regulated the whole Service thereof, pursuant to the Pattern and Directions which he had Receiv'd from the Mouth of God Himfelf.

This fhews, that a Wife and a Good Man, and Beloved of God, as Solomon was, may fall

into Idolatry. And Maimonides thinks, that Maimon. Mor. it was his Wifdom that Betray'd him, in Truft. Nev. ing to Relative Worship, or fuch fort of Difinitions: Which fhou'd Teach us, not to be Wifer than the Law; or, as the Apoftle Expreffes it, Above what is written.

Let me here add, That the Arian Chriftians were Charg'd with Idolatry by the Orthodox, because they Worshiped our Lord Chrift, when they acknowledg'd Him to be but a Creature; tho' they advanced Him far above all Saints or Angels, or whatever Beings the Heathens Worshiped as their Inferior Gods. For God will have none to be Worshiped but Himself: This is an Honour He will not Give to Any other.

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Ther is indeed a Diftinction of Divine and Civil Worship; the latter paid to Kings, and Our Superiors among Men: But no fort of Religious or Divine Worship is to be Given to Any Creature. If the Distinction of a Divine but Relative Worship, wou'd hold, it wou'd excufe Heathen Idolatry, for it is Impoffible that they cou'd Worship thofe whom they call'd Dii Medioxumi with the fame Worship they Intended for whom they Acknowledg'd to be Above them: Or that Solomon cou'd think, that any of those Dumb Idols he Worshiped, was the Supreme Being that made him, and all the Worlds: (No

of the Idolatry of the Jews.

(No doubt, he was Mafter of as many Diftintions as we can use in the Cafe,) Or, that that the Arians, thinking Chrift to be a Creature, cou'd give Him the fame Worship, and in the fame Respect, as They thought Due to Their and His Creator.

This Account of the Heathen Idolatry was Neceffary to bring us to the true Knowledge of that of the Jews: For this was the Idolatry of which God did Warn the Jews, and ftrictly Prohibit to them.

Firft, To have no other Gods before Him, or with Him, as it is worded Exod. xx. 3, 23. or Befides Him, as it fhou'd be Render'd, Rom. 1. 25. ώρα * Κτίσοντα.

And when they did Worship the Gods of the Nations round about, they did not do it in that Senfe, as if they had totally thrown off the Lord from being their God, and taken fuch a Falfe God in His Room, thereby quite Changing the Object of their Worship. No; but they Worshiped both together, in a Superior and Inferior Degree, as the Heathens did. And God calls this a Forfaking of Him, and going a Whoring after other Gods, because He had po fitively Forbidden it, as having Marry'd His Jer. xxxi. 32. Peculium, and calls Himself her Husband; and therefor wou'd have none other to Share in their Religion and Devotion but Himfelf Alone: And the taking of Others in, tho' in an Inferior Degree, was as when a Woman takes Another into her Husband's Bed; which is a Forfaking of her Husband, tho' fhe ftill lives with him, and a taking Another in his Place.

Ifai. liv. 5.

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But that the Jews their Forfaking of God, was only in this Adulterous Sense, in Worfhiping of other Gods jointly with Him; and

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not a total Difcarding of the Lord from being their God at all; will evidently Appear in this, That they Worshiped Both together: Which cou'd not be, if they had quite thrown off the One, and taken the Other in His Room. Thus we Read, That the Jews did Worship Zeph. i. s. and Swear by the Lord, and Swear by Malcham.

That they feared the Lord, and ferved their 2 Kin. xvii. 33. own Gods, after the Manner of the Nations who carry'd them away.

And thefe Nations Worshiped every one their I own Gods; and yet, Nihilominus (fays the vulg.) nevertheless colebant Dominum, they Worshiped the Lord.

So that here the Idolatry of the Jews, and of the Heathen is made the fame; as it must be, when the Jews fell into the Heathen Idolatry; which was, the Worshiping of other Gods with the true God.

v. 32:

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Thus when All the House of Ifrael Lamented Sam. vii. 2,. after the Lord, to Perform this Matter was the 3, 4 chief Care of Samuel, who fpake unto them, faying, If ye do Return unto the Lord with all your Hearts, then put away the frange Gods, and Afhtaroth from among you, and prepare your Hearts unto the Lord, and ferve Him ONLY; and He will Deliver you out of the Hand of the Philiftines. Then the Children of Ifrael did put away Baalim and Afhtaroth, and ferved the Lord ONLY.

The Notion was, as told before, That every Nation had their Tutelar Gods, whom they were to Worship; but ftill in Subordination to the Supreme God, who was over All. Thus 2 Kin. xvii. the King of Affyria fent to Teach his People 26, 27. The Manner of the God of the Land of Ifrael; supposing that the Jews, like other Nations,

did

V. 15.

did Worship a particular Tutelar God of their own, who had Care of their Country; but not at all to Exclude the Common Receiv'd Notion of the whole World, That ther was a Supreme Infinite Being or God Above them All; only that he had Committed the Care of Such and Such particular Countries and People to Leffer Gods under Him: Whence Homer makes Fupiter to Chaftife the other Gods upon feveral Occafions, and makes them all Accountable unto Him, and to Petition and Supplicat Him.

Now, as to the other Branch of Idolatry, of Worshiping GOD by Images, ther was nothing more Pofitively Prohibited to the Jews, as being a Debafing and Corrupting their Notions of God, and wholly Unworthy of Him. Therefor God Cautions them to Remember, Deut. iv. 12. that when he spoke to them, out of the midft of the Fire, ye heard the Voice of the Words (fays He) but Saw no Similitude, (that's, of whom he fpoke) only ye heard a Voice-Take therefore good Heed unto your felves (for ye Jaw no Manner of Similitude on the Day that the Lord fpake unto you in Horeb, out of the midst of the Fire) left ye corrupt your felves, and make you a Graven Image, the Similitude of any Figure, the Likeness of Male or Female, &c. And He Repeats it again, Take Heed unto your felves, left ye Forget the Covenant of the Lord your God, which He made with you, and make you a Graven Image, or the Likeness of any thing which the Lord thy God hath Forbidden thee; for the Lord thy God is a Confu ming Fire, even a Jealous God. And He cryed Jer. xliv. 4. by his Prophets, faying, Oh do not this Abominable thing that I hate! See with what Deteftation God fpeaks of this Sin: And obferve,

v. 23.

that

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