Harlot with many Lovers i. Ier. 3.1 Hos 1.2 The Land hath committed great Whoredome departing from the Lord. She is not my wife Hos 2.2.5 neither am I her husband for she hath playd the Harlot Ephraim is joynd to Idols let her alone Hos 4.17.18 they have committed Whoredome The one verse is exegeticall to the other Apoc. 17.2 and 18.2 Moechia affinis Idololatriae Tertull De pudici Wisd 14.11 In this sense Babylon is call'd a great Whore with whom the Princes of the earth commit fornication Adultery is a kin to Idolatry saith Tertullian They are of a house Prima scortatio excogitatio simulachrorum saith Epiphanius borrowing it from the Booke of Wisedome which in this is no Apocrypha The inventing of Idols was the beginning of Whoredome According to this interpretation The City the Church of Rome that was once faithfull Application is become an Harlot According to the multitude of her houses are her Gods her Saints her Idols to which she daily pays that homage that is due to God alone for the bed and the throne brooke no rivals The Carpenter â—t Faber pistor mille dedere Deos. Non ipsa timemus sed cos ad quorum imaginemâ—cta et quorum no. and the Baker yeeld them a thousand Gods When they reply that they worship not Idols but God in them It is no more then the grossest heathenish Idolaters have pleaded for themselves as wee find in Lactantius wee say they feare not the images themselves but those that are resembled by them and to whose names we consecrate them And in Arnobius we worship the Gods by images Besides shall an adulteresse alledge for her selfe minibus consecrata sunt Lactan Deos per simulachra veneramur Arnob that she honours her husband in her paramour And if they say they worship the true not a false God in their images as the heathen doe I reply with the Apostle that many of the heathen knew the corruptible God and changed his glory into an image as the Papists at this day doe Besides Micha is branded with Idolatry for erecting an image though in memory of the God of Israel And Rom. 1.21.23 Iudg. 17.3.13 if it be urged that they worship none but the holy Saints of God I answer I much doubt of that Had I time I could prove that many of their Saints are fictious such as never were in nature And their owne learned men feare that some of them are now in hell However it be this will no more excuse them then it would an adulteresse to say that she lyes with none but her husbands friends All the water in Tiber cannot wash Rome from Idolatry Especially when we find and who would thinke they could be so infatuated and besotted that they worship Authonies Swine Annaes Comb Crispins paring-knife Francis Cowle Georges Scabbard Josephs Breeches Martins Boots Thoma's Shooes Roches Dogs These Romans sacrifice to God and to Mary Deo Mariae Deo Mario as the ancient Ethnicke Romans did to God and to Marius for their victory over the Cimbri And these deeds answer their Lawes Constitutions and Language It was promised at Rome that what good man soever would say afore a Crucifix seven Paternosters and seaven Avemaries should obtaine 56000. yeeres of pardon 14000. granted by Gregory 14000. by Nicholas and 28000. by Sixtus the fourth Nay heare how they bespeake the Virgin Maries girdle Oh blest girdle make us inheritors of everlasting life keepe us from destruction Flippoman Iewell Replic pag. 398. Gen. 20.6 Oh pure girdle preserve thine heritage be our strength ayd wall defence To rake no longer in this dunghill Not long agee we our selves did fairely trot toward Idolatry had not our course been checkt and countermanded by Divine Providence Our innovators might with Abimelech pretend they did all in the integrity of their hearts but we may answer them as God there doth him I withheld thee from sinning against me Let us now looke to our footing Though Israel have plaid the harlot Hos 4.15 Hos 2.7 1 Ioh. 5.21 2 Cor 6.16 Ezek 16.15 to 37. Principale crimen gencris human Summus seculi reatus Loâ—uples substantia criminis Tertul. Adoâ—ant insensibilia qui sentiunt Irrationalia qui sâ—piunt exanima qui vivunt terrena qui otiunturè coelo Lactan. Instit L. 1. Rom. 1.23 Divina Majestas in simulachronuÌ„ stoliditate facile coÌ„remnitnur An. Civit. yet let not Iudahsinne Let us returne to our first Husband as the Church resolves Let us keep our selves from Idols as Saint Iohn counsels us Say unto them get thee hence as it is Isay 30.21 22. What agreement hath the Temple of God with idols saith Saint Paul Saint Peter calls them abominable idolatries 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 4.3 Idolatry is the worst kind of adultery as the Metaphor is elegantly followd and continued in Ezekiel It is the principall crime of mankind the highest guilt of any age a hainous comprehensive mother sinne It is a braine-sicke ridiculous sinne as it is delineated to the life Isay 44.9 to 21. As good blocks as Images have layne at the fire-back and have boyl'd Diagoras his turneps In a time of danger they are not able to keepe themselves much lesse their keepers Aeneas at the conflagration of Trey was faine to save his gods What more then madnesse is it that the sensible should adore the insensible they that have the use of reason the irrationall the living the livelesse they that are heaven-bred earthly stocks To make images much more to worship them is contumelious to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Clemens ad Corinthios what more stolid and insufferable then to turne the glory of the incorruptible God into the image of a man a bird a beast as Saint Paul aggravates it It frets God tha't 's the word Ezek. 16.43 It is unfaithfulnesse that I may have my Text in my eye It is breaking of covenant and oath Ezek. 16.59 It is suing out a divorce betweene God and us Hos 2.2 It gives away Gods honour and glory Isay 42.8 Act. 15.20 It brings Divine Majesty into contempt It is a hatred of God as is implyed in the second Commandement It pollutes the soule It provokes God to give us up to a reprobate sense It is threatned with impunity which is the worst of punishments Let me have none of such mercy saith Aug. Nolo hane misericordiam Aug. Ezek. 16.42 Hos 4.17 I will be quiet saith God I will be no more angry Ephraim is given to idols let him alone He is a privileg'd person he may runne to hell without interruption It is fatall to any Nation Most of the miseries transportations captivities of Israel sprung from idolatry For other crimes God Ezek 16.23 Iud. 10.6.8 2 Chro. 28.23 Ezek. 16 40.48 Idololatres homicida estquaeris quem occiderit scipsum quot Plagit quoâ—â— quot idololatriis Tertul. Castius dii
Den of murderers Their silver transformed to drosse The next Bill filed against them is for their neutrality or unlawfull blending mixture Thy wine is mixt with water This is the matter of the inditement The maner of the deliverie is pungent and patheticall how is the faithfull c. How Nota redarguentis admirantis deplorantis tanquam ad rem prodigiosam exclamat Calvin It is a note of admiration of reproofe of compassion He blesses himselfe and pitties them The Prophet breakes forth into an exclamation as at a portentous and prodigious thing How how is This is the plaine draught these the bare lineaments of the Text I must runne them over againe with colours taking my rise from the matter of the Text And therein from the Persons at the Barre A City a whole City How is the City become c. The City This City is Ierusalem famous for three things The Royall Law of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the magnificent Temple of Salomon and the numerous multitude of people It was Gods rest â—i sacrariura â—gia sedes and the Kings Seat the Citizens are this City for God hath no controversie with the stones and timber Ill inhabitants make ill places Sometimes the denomination is from the better part as that may be called a corn-heape wherein yet there is more chaffe then corne Here the denomination is from the greater part not a house an ally a lane a street an in ship but the City is said to be tainted whence I cannot but collect this sad truth that Usually the most goe the worst way To the evidencing of which conclusion all periods of time have brought in but too liberall a contribution There was but one righteous Noah for a wicked world One just Lot to weigh against two uncleane Cities One faithfull plaine-dealing Michaiah to countervaile 4.10 false Prophets All voted Christ to the Crosse All with one accord opprest Stephen with a heape of stones though indeed they unwittingly stroke him neerer to Christ the Corner-stone â—ing 22 6 â—8 â—t 27.22 â—7 57 〈◊〉 8 9 10. 〈◊〉 1â— 34. 〈◊〉 13.7 All from the least to the greatest gave heed to Simon the Sorcerer and were bewitched with his incantations All with one voyce cryed up the puppet Diana All Kingdomes Tongues and Nations were given up to be intoxicated with the Circaean Cup of the Beast In the Church as in the Arke a type of the Church the number of the uncleane exceed the number of the cleane As the Philosopher bespake the Courtezan thou hast more clients then I because I teach the cragged thou the flowry way â—â—quà canâ—â— sed qâ—à 〈◊〉 Sen. Men use to goe saith Seneca not the way that should be gone but that way which is most gone A good man is like a drop of water bearing up against the rapid current of an Ocean As Zacheus his lownesse of stature so the presse kept him from the sight of Christ so besides our native infirmities that are the livery of humanity a crowd of men obstruct our passage to our God Who that sets seale to this would judge of truth or godlinesse by a confluence a City of men Application Si justus es noli numerare sed appende Aug. in Iâ—sal 39 Sâ—mper abundantia contumâ—liosa in se ipsa est Tertul. Multitudo sociorum monstratte esse haereticum Hier. Examen vi improbum in illa castiges trutina Perseus Exod. 23.2 If thou beest a good man take not Religion by tale or number but by weight saith Aug. Truth is truth though but one though none entertaine it and where many are gathered together professing it there is the Church not for the many but the truths sake Nay Tertullian makes no scruple to affirme abundance hath purchased a contumelious name And Hierome doubts not thus to argue against Pelagius The swarme of thy complices speakes thee an heretique And for the regulating of our practise let not a multitude of presidents flatter us in our course Try it not by that scale follow not a multitude to doe evill is divine counsell Exod. 23.2 Let not paucity prejudicate holinesse nor numbers justifie basenesse Men like silly sheepe flocke together they thinke to the pasture when it may be to the slaughter Had Noah conformed himselfe to the most hee had beene swallowed in the universall Deluge Had Lot lived by the eye hee had beene suffocated with Sodom by that hell rain'd from heaven as Salvian cals it Company in damnation will rather intend then remit the torments the more fuell the greater the flame The deviating of a whole City in my Text rather aggravates then extenuates their guilt It is more malignant because epidemicall Afore I dismisse this particular I must mind you that there is an emphasis or rather a brand set upon this City because a City especially such a City as Ierusalem Citizens of such a City are the more stigmatiz'd for their delinquencies because they offend against more light and meanes of grace then others are blest with to consolidate them in goodnesse and to reduce them when lapsed The sinnes of a Goshen a land of light are of a deeper dye then those of a darke Egypt They are neerer neighbours to the Temple and the thresholds of the Prophets The heavenly manna lies round about their Tents Celestiall dew oft distils on their fleeces Government and society might civillize them And though soule diseases may be there more frequent and catching yet the same places yeeld cures parallell to every malady And yet wee may observe by the many complaints of the Prophets how Cities doe daily degenerate There are many Texts concentricke herein to mine Ezek. 7 23. The City is full of violence men affected with the sinnes of the times were such a rarity that scarce one in a City was to be found but if any they were to be marked on their fore-heads for wonders of their age Againe Ezek 9.4 Ezek. 9.9 the City is full of perversenesse Cities are the Epitomies the abstracts the spleenes of a King dome that commonly swell so big Vt in Mare omnin flumina sic vitia in Vrbes Pius 2. ad Platin. that they make the make the other parts pine and languish They are too often the Centers Sinkes receptacles of all Irreligious Superstitious irregular persons As all Rivers flow towards the Sea and there lose themselves so all Vices disburthen and promiscuously blend themselves in famous populous head Mother-Cities and where there is so much Negotiation and Commerce Application Video civitatem plenam â—urbis sed magis turpiticuidâ—ibus plenam â—ivitiis sed â—agis Vitâ—is â—â—b 7. cap. 12. there Fraud injustice Collusion will also abound And may wee not take up over this Metropolis this famous City Salvian's complaint over Carthage I see a City fuller of Lusts then people of Vices then Riches ingulpht in all the Crimes that stain'd Sodom Gomorrah Samaria or
mihi annulus saciem videre non desidero Bern. For when we preferre them afore our Maker or love God onely for their sakes it is but a harlotry love As if a Bride should say give me my Bride-groomes goods I care not for his person His ring suffices me I desire not to see his face But these Harlots I also passe by and descend to a Third kind that prostitute themselves to Idols the works of their owne hands Which interpretation seemes to fall in most fitly with the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rationality the scope the contexture of the Text. For if a faithfull City be that which in an entire orthodoxe worship cleaves wholy and soly to her God and husband then a harlotry City must by the rule of contraries be that which in a false heterodox superstitious worship goes a whoring from her God and husband after dunghilly puppets senselesse idols A Lapide Ad idola quasi ad adulteros A Lapide a Papist so understands the words turning to idols saith he as to her adulterers And this is the ordinary Scripture idiome there are an hundred Texts running parallell with this according to this acception of the word Harlot Besides the histories of the raignes of those Princes Vzziah Iotham and Ahaz under whom Esay wrote this Prophesie doe testifie that the people were much devoted to Images to strange Altars and fire to high places Nay that they arrived to that height of superstition and cruelty that some of them sacrificed their sonnes and daughters in the fire to the honour of Moloch Thus was the faithfull City become an harlot I might from the words thus expounded observe That it is an high aggravation of nationall sinnes to offend against the contrary examples of Religious predecessors For an Owle to come out of a Nightingales nest It will not advantage but judge us rather Mat. 3.9 to plead with the Pharisees We have Abraham to our Father when his conditions and ours are so disproportionable They are Abrahams children that doe the workes of Abraham Malo pater tibi sit Thersues duÌ„modo tu sis Aeacidae similis quam te Thersitae similem producat Achilles Iuven. Satyr 8. It is better to descend from Thersites and to be like Achilles then to be descended from Achilles and to resemble Thersites saith the Poet. You may be made free of this City but you cannot be saved by your fathers Coppy The City was once faithfull now turned harlot Secondly Regis ad â—â—â—plâ—m 〈…〉 Râ—â—h uâ— m◠〈…〉 pe miâ—â—us nobiliâ—â— Inven. Satyr 8. that the purity and adulterating of Religion depends very much upon the temper and quality of the Princes and Governours for the time being Under the Raigne of King David and Salomon we heare not of these complaints But when Uzziah Iotham and Ahaz came to the Crowne the faithfull City becomes an harlot The whole world is ready to compose it selfe to Princes examples Subjects like Limners worke much by the eye 1 Chron. 13. Hos 13 2. 1 Kin. 14 15. 1 Chro. 1â— 2 1 Chro. 20. 2 Chro 28. â—4 When Saul raigned the Arke of God was not sought to Religion was neglected When Ieroboam raigned Calves were worshipped When David ascends the Throne Religion begins to recover breath to revive to flourish When Ahaz raigned the doores of Gods house were shut Thirdly That though the gates of hell cannot prevaile against the whole Catholike Church Mat. 16.18 Rom. 11.20 21 22. it being founded on a Rocke yet no particular Church can be so farre priviledged but that it may be possible for it to recidivate and revolt from its fidelity in Religion and profession Every Church is a Tabernacle that may be taken downe A Plant that may be transplanted from soyle to soyle A branch that may be broken off from the True Olive God is said somtimes to depart from a Church as Hos 9.11 Sometimes to remove it out of his sight as 2 King 23.27 Sometimes to divorce it as Ier. 3.8 He is a free Agent not bound to places or persons not confined as the Sun within his Tropicks And when he withholds his beames or influence the most glorious Church shall wither and languish Neither are the Ordinances chained to any entayled on them fastned to their freehold they are tranfitory moveable Iâ—â— 8.8 and may be alienated How doe you say we are wise and the Law of the Lord is with us Loe certainely in vaine made he it in vaine is the pen of the Scribe Amos 8.11 Zach. 13.7 Zach. 11. last 2 Chro 15.3 God cansend a famine of the word so that we may goe from Sea to Sea to seeke it and not find it The Shepheards may be smitten and the sheepe scattered The lights may be dimmed and darkned The Prophets removed Israel was long without a teaching Priest They may be hidden or slaine as 1 Kin. 19.10 Or driven away as Mat. 10.23 Or they may fly as Iohn 10.12 Or a faction may be so prevalent that the better side may be under hatches And the darkenesse may be so condensed that for the present the light cannot breake through The truth may be so supprest like a few graines of wheat amidst a floore full of chaffe it may be hardly discernible As in Athanasius his time the world wondred to see it selfe turn'd Arrian Thus may a faithfull City become an harlot Therefore let us not dreame of the settled affixing of the ordinances to us Application If God spared not his naturall branches the Jewes but cut them off he may not spare us therefore be not high minded but feare Rom. 11.21 22 23. Ier. 3 8. as Saint Paul warnes the Romans God takes it ill that Iudah should not tremble when he had put away back-sliding Israel Let us long and pray for the everlasting Tabernacle in heaven Here is no abiding place we looke for another to come Abraham expected a City with a foundation Heb. 11.10 There is no firmenesse here The faithfull City becomes an Harlot But Fourthly That which I would make some pause upon is to acquaint you what God esteemes of Idolatry Fond doating man may think it a foyle to set off the service of his God a decorum a grace a beauty to divine worship But God who judges not according to outward appearance to scenes and representations but judges righteous judgement accounts it no better then Whore-dome Hose 2.19.20 Our conjunction with God is a marriage our deserting of him or conjoyning others with him in worship is adultery For a Church a City to follow Idols is as if a matron that afore lived soberly and modestly and in good repute should resigne her selfe ever to a wanton loose impudent course of life leaving her husband and fixing her affections on strangers rendring to them her service and obedience and depending on them for her protection and maintenanâ—e Let us heare the Scripture speake Thou hast playd the