under it all religion, and is sometimes taken for religion itself.

This being laid down, this follows, which we are now chiefly concerned about, that superstition, which is the rival of fear, is universal error in religion. So that the notion of fear does not extend itself with a greater latitude to all manner of good, than superstition shoots itself into all the branches and fibres of error. For as fear stands with respect to universal religion; so superstition regards not the errors of each part separately considered, but the complex error both of sanctity and piety. Therefore, such who An approved defidefine superstition to be, when any one fears God in things nition of sunot to be feared, or places the worship of God in such perstition. things as he will not be worshipped in; these men, in my opinion, rightly and prudently discover wherein the whole power and nature of superstition does consist. And they do not amiss, who define an endeavour after piety, without sanctity, to be superstition. For since all matters are discerned in these three things, in knowledge, in action, and in endeavour; neither is knowledge, nor yet action, right in superstition; notwithstanding there remains endeavour, which, if it be approvable without the rest, is all the praise that superstition deserves. And there is in it perhaps somewhat to soften and allay in some measure the greatness of the evil that is in the other two. So St. Paul testifies of his brethren and kinsmen, That they had a zeal of God, but Rom. x. 2. not according to knowledge: that in the midst of their so great wickedness, and such blindness of their understandings, he might not take away the evil, but qualify it, and shew that there was some spark of good among all that evil. In which St. Paul endeavoured not to favour ignorance, which does corrupt zeal; but to correct zeal, that it might come to knowledge.

tion sup

But superstition cannot be without ignorance; for did Superstiit really know what it thinks it does, and put in practice poseth igwhat it knows, with all the powers of the mind, it would norance. then be no longer superstition, but religion. Therefore, while the Scripture does not name superstition, but de

2, 3.

scribe it, it always makes mention of ignorance, as in this John xvi. example: The time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor Rom. x. 3. me. And again, For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. But where knowledge is wanting, who can hope to have any action entire and perfect? For a man will either act rashly and at adventures, if he does any thing ignorantly; or else unsteadily, in case he be at a loss what he ought chiefly to adhere to; or with some doubting, if so be he understand not the true quality of the thing he has undertaken. But those persons are void and destitute of all knowledge of divine worship, that have once yielded up themselves to superstition: for they do those things, the nature of which did they but thoroughly know and perceive, not so much from the judgment of right reason, as from the aid of the grace of God, they would, as much as it were possible, have them in the greatest abhorrence.

For what a thing is it, to render good men and Ministers, as the Evangelist words it, áñoσuvaywyous, excommunicate, or thrown out of the synagogue? How great a matter is it to condemn them to death, and deliver them up to be torn asunder with all manner of tortures? What a thing is it to provide for the establishing their own righteousness? What a fearful thing is it, as much as in them lies, to betray Christ their Lord and Saviour, and to fix on him the extremest disgrace, and to crucify him? But the superstitious, while they think they desire to please God, kill, destroy, and betray those, whom with duty, kindness, and favour, they ought rather to embrace. And while they stand fixed in their own righteousness, as Rom. x. 4. in a strong hold, they never arrive at that law of righteousness, the end of which is Christ: and him, whom had they known to be the Lord of life and glory, they had not crucified as a traitor and malefactor, they put to the most cruel and shameful death.

From these things we understand, that there can neither. be true knowledge nor right action in superstition; and that it is tossed to and fro with ignorance and error, entertaining a depraved opinion of that which is right. For how can it otherwise come to pass, if men will worship God with things not to be worshipped? If, leaving the commandment and the word of the Lord, (wherein is contained, as it were, the fountain of knowledge and wisdom,) they follow after their own inventions, and their own wills? If they determine otherwise about things than God Almighty has appointed and prescribed; and direct them not to that end and use for which they were designed by him? Thus it comes to pass, that the whole matter in which superstition is cóncerned, is either this, that such things are applied to the worship and service of God as ought to be thrown out altogether and rejected; or else that mean and little things are had in greater price and esteem than is fit; or are bent and distorted to some other way than ought, and to which they were intended. But if those things are alone to be made use of, and applied to the service of God, which he has commanded; if nothing is to be added, nothing taken away; if we are not to incline to either side, but are to keep on right in the way of his commandments; all those things which have not the word of God and the Scriptures, either commanding men, or approving the things, must necessarily be rejected and taken away, if so be the service of God be sought by us, and we apply ourselves to God's pure and sincere worship, and propose to ourselves such a religion as is holy and undefiled.

Nor are we here to attribute too much to our own inventions, or tread too close upon the footsteps of our ancestors, or be led on by the example of the most powerful nations. Our own inventions are such, that when we follow them, we hearken not to the voice of the Lord; we approve what is our own, and reject what is from others: but are not therefore the wiser, because we applaud our

P

How to a

void superstition.

1.

Human in

ventions,

11, 12.

selves; but therefore may justly be punished by God, because we reject what comes from him.

For as in the past ages of men he suffered all nations to walk in their own ways, so will he suffer all our counsels to be ineffectual, our endeavours fruitless, our service to be vain: and he will deservedly bring that of the Psalmist Ps. lxxxi. against us; My people would not hear my voice, and Israel would not obey me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and let them follow their own inventions. This branch of superstition St. Paul fitly names 0λ00ρnoxía, will-worship: which is wholly contained in those voluntary inventions and judgments of ours, framed after our own lusts. This vice is so reprehended in Scripture, that to will any indifferent thing is hardly allowed there. Hence is that grave and severe reprehension of St. Gal. iv. 21. Paul, Tell me, ye that would be under the law.

Will-worship.

22, 23.

Hence

that sacrifice of Saul, which he offered prudently, as he thought himself, but yet inconsiderately, and without any command of God; nay, without and contrary to his will. This turned away the favour and clemency of God, and armed his anger and his fury against him. Let us learn,

1 Sam. xv. therefore, what we are to hold to, that obedience is better than sacrifice, and to hearken is more excellent than the fat of rams. Let us learn that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and not to acquiesce in the word of the Lord is as great a crime as idolatry. Let us learn, that the Lord will have mercy and not sacrifice, and that the knowledge of God is better than whole burnt-offerings. But, lastly, which is the greatest of all, we think this will-worship to be the perversest idolatry, because they who feign new kinds of worship, think God to be other than he really is; and so they do in effect frame to themselves a new deity in their own minds.

2.

Ancestors.

There is another kind of the superstitious persons, who seek not novelties, but are content with what is ancient; who trouble not their inventions to contrive, but follow what has been in use; and what has been left them by

58.

16, 17, 18.

their ancestors, they judge to be firm and sure; they admit not of other things, but adhere to that alone. But it is a grievous thing to establish that which your forefathers have used, to hold that certain and fixed, and to reject and set at nought what Christ, elder than all your ancestors, commanded. Christ saith, Before Abraham was, I am. John viii. But how wicked and abominable were it to relate those things which the Prophet had said, As for the word that Jer. xliv. thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the frame of heaven, and to pour out drink-offer- Queen. ings unto it, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. But since we left off to burn incense to the frame of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto it, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. These things said the men of Judah, while they sojourned in Egypt. Ah, miserable men! How mistaken were they, not knowing the Scriptures! How did they harden their hearts, disbelieving Jeremiah! How did they through blindness turn away the true cause of their miseries! For Moses had foretold it to them: Not for thy righteousness, Deut. ix. 5. or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess the land: for thou art a stiff-necked people, when thou provokedst the Lord, when thou didst worship idols, when thou refusedst to put thy trust in the Lord. Remember, and for- 7, 8. get not, how thou provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, and till ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the Lord. Also in Horeb ye provoked the Lord to wrath, so that the Lord was angry with you to have destroyed you. And the Psalmist cries out, They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in Ps. lxxviii. his law; and forgot his works, and his wonders that he 10. had shewed them. Marvellous things did he in the sight of