Our forefathers not

lowed in

their faults.

their fathers. Nevertheless they sinned yet more against him by provoking the Most High in the wilderness. And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust. Yea, they speak against God in these words, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

Let us not therefore approve the vices of our forefato be fol- thers, as if they were virtues, but of whatever quality their vices are, let us acknowledge them: and let us place our confidence in God, and not forget the things that he has done; let us do his commandments, lest we become, as the Psalmist speaks, like unto our fathers, a people, who turned back and rebelled, a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God. But why hearkened they not to Jeremiah, whom the Lord set apart, whom he had ordained a Prophet to the nations, in whose mouth God had placed his word? Why did they not rather turn the cause of their misfortunes, as Jeremy commanded, upon their own actions? Why did they not ascribe it to their own perverseness, to their own wickedness; that they obeyed not the voice of the Lord; that they walked not in his laws, and that they offered incense unto strange gods; but that this very opinion of their ancestors, which stuck so close, and was difficult to be removed, had taken such deep root, that it was not to be plucked away, or drawn out? They thought that their fathers were to be necessarily followed, their ancestors imitated, and all their words and actions towards God to be approved and confirmed.

How we are

to follow our fathers.

But if our fathers are to be followed, there is one who is our heavenly Father, who is not only King of kings, and Lord of lords, but Father of fathers also, who ought chiefly to be followed. If our fathers are to be followed, why do we rather reckon their numbers, than weigh their worth? Why do we rather take after the most in number, than wisest in understanding, and most holy in life? It is not following the fathers, to imitate their faults; but to be willing to express their virtues and knowledge, propounded to our imitation, in our own life and endeavour. The

commendation of the kings of Israel, is not that they walked in the sins of Jeroboam, and the other kings; but in that they directed all their actions according to the example of David. The greatest reproofs of the kings of Israel and Judah were, that they did not those things which were well-pleasing to the Lord, as David their father had done; but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. The best way to acknowledge God, and to know true religion, is to think that it may fall out, and almost in all ages doth, which they in the Book of Psalms confess to God, We have sinned with our fathers. This is that part of superstition, which St Peter calls a vain conversa- 1 Pet. i. 18. tion received by tradition from the fathers, which judges of the strength of any thing, from its having been in use and reputation with their ancestors: not understanding, that as in the ages of men, so in the succession of ages happens, those are not always the wisest that are oldest in years, but that possess that cause of wisdom, which the Psalmist produceth, I have understood more than the aged, because I sought thy commandments. And when the psalm declares that God was angry with the genera→ tion of their fathers forty years; yet the same spirit did as truly prophesy, that the people which should be born should praise the Lord.

it

have advan

tage of cor

former.

Hence it comes to pass, that not because some things After-times went before, therefore any thing is better; but because it follows that which has been prescribed by the most wise recting the and good God, therefore it is good. And following ages being taught by the ignorance of the former, correct many things, and make many alterations, not for the worse, but for the better. This the wisest Prophet saw and took notice of, and left it to be observed by us. Day unto day Ps. xix. 2. uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. But if any one would reckon up all the ages, yea centuries from Seth to Noah, and from thence to the times of the Patriarchs, then to Moses and Joshua, from them to the memory of David, afterwards to Ezechias and Josias, and

* Μάταιαν ἀναστροφὴν πατροπαράδοτον.

3.

Example of

nations, not to be depended on.

so on to Esdras and Nehemiah; from them to Christ, after Christ, and the certain succession of the Apostles to this very age; he will perceive mighty declensions of times, and the greatest ignorance and impiety prevailing in them. And at these certain spaces of time limited by God, they have been repulsed, and again called back to some light of divine religion; and that again by the authority of men, and by neglect often extinguished.

For as there are in the body certain joints and ligaments, by which it is tied together, and in these the greatest firmness and stability of strength is esteemed to consist; so in a long tract of years, and in the ages of the world, there have always been, and ever will be certain periods, wherein will be the greatest force and weight of truth; the divine Providence, either repelling the ignorance, or quickening the sloth, or lessening the wickedness and naughtiness of men. And thus much of the vain conversation received from the fathers.

And why should the example of any nation withdraw you from God, when all of them are his, and created to serve the living God? For all nations shall serve him. If those nations which excel others in exquisite learning and in good religion, are not to be drawn into example; and a pattern of life and manners is not to be taken from them; then no human discipline, no institution ought to prevail to establish worship, or bring any authority to constitute religion. For if those things which in men's opinions are of greatest excellence, and to the wits of men seem most admirable, have no place, no right here, things of less weight, and more inconsiderable, are much less to be introduced and applied to any part of piety and divine worship. But God rejected the imitation of the best and most flourishing nations, proposed his own word to be followed, and taught us, that all other religions are empty, Lev. xviii. false, and vain. For he saith by Moses, After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do, and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I am about to bring you, shall ye not do, neither shall ye walk

3, 4, 5.

in their ordinances, ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances to walk therein; I am the Lord your God, ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them. Not only The learnprofane histories set forth most magnificent and famous ing of the Egyptians. things concerning Egypt; but even Scripture supposed all the fountains of all human wisdom flowed thence, which watered almost all the world with its precepts and opinions. For the Scripture, when it would commend the learning and education of Moses, says, that he was trained up and instructed in all the learning of the Egyptians. And when the wisdom of Solomon was shewn to have far surpassed the wit and prudence of all others; his understanding is not only set forth to have been greater than the wisdom of all the men in the East, but is declared to have exceeded the cunning of those in Egypt. So that the being accomplished in the arts and learning of Greece, was not a thing of greater esteem and reputation among the Romans, and with the other nations of Europe, and of Asia the Less, than was the glory of those who were masters of the wisdom and learning of Egypt, throughout India, and over the Greater Asia and Africa.

to follow no

tions.

Away therefore with them, and let us put far from us Admonition the ordinances of all nations of what kind, and how great nation's soever they be; lest they draw us off from the word of the prescripLord, and from the true religion prescribed and appointed us. For as there is no respect of single persons, so neither is there of particular nations with God. For in him that made us, there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision Col. iii. 11. nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free; but Christ is all and in all.

to be fol

But if neither Jew be any thing, nor Greek, if circum- Christ alone cision be nothing, nor uncircumcision, but Christ be all and in all; why do we set before us their example for our authority and imitation, who are not only without Christ, but against him? And why do we not rather follow him, who, being all in all, hath suffered death for all, that whether we live or die, we might all be his. But what need

we say more: they whose whole life is transacted in a blind ignorance, who neither hold to what they should follow, nor see what they should hold to; what can these persons have to draw men over to imitate them in religion? But unless all had been in ignorance, why was it commanded the Apostles, that they should go and teach all nations? Forasmuch as we do not teach the knowing, but admonish them; we do not punish the ignorant, but instruct them.

To this part of superstition, the Scripture has not assigned an universal name, yet from the Scripture there may one be given it. For as among the Greeks they are said Κρητίζειν, Σικιλίζειν, Ἰσθμιάζειν, Λυδίζειν, to Cretize, to Sicilize, &c. who imitate the customs and vanities of those countries, the Cretans, the Sicilians, the Isthmians, the Lydians; and they are said in Latin pergræcari, to be thorough-paced Greeks, who follow the levity and good fellowship of that people in their lives; so those who run after the superstition of the Jews, are said by St. Paul 'loudále, to Judaize. And those who propose to themselves the laws and ceremonies of other nations, are said Εθνικῶς ζῆν, καὶ οὐκ Ἰουδαικῶς, to live after the manner of How to call the Gentiles, and not as the Jews. And since the greatest this part of controversies at the beginning in the Church, while yet a superstigrowing, were concerning the law of Moses, concerning the ceremonies, concerning the rites of the Jews; as in other matters, so in this particular, I shall have a right to be excused, if that which is most famous in its kind I make to serve for all, and name the imitating the manner of that nation in point of worship, Judaizing, or playing the Jew.

tion.

Therefore, so far as was convenient to be said summarily, concerning the things to be rejected, (that neither our own devices, nor the practice of our ancestors, nor the example of any nations, ought to call us off, or slacken us from the word of God,) I think it has been sufficiently declared in this place. It remains that the things going before be throughly handled, which are things in nature.—