that there is no Nation so brutish or inhumaine but is season'd with some opinion of the Gods Many conceiue amisse of them for so much bad custome in all like cases will effect yet all suppose a vertue or power divine not drawne hereto by voyces of others or debatements This is an opinion established not by civill lawes or institutions Now the free or vnsollicited consent of all Nations concerning any matter is to be esteemed as the Law of Nature 2. This observation of times more auncient is fully acquitted from the exception of moderne Atheists by the plentifull experiments of the age late past wherein diverse Countries peopled with inhabitants of different manners and education haue beene discovered the very best being more rude and barbarous then any Nation knowne but by heare-say to the Romanes And yet even in this refuse of Barbarians the very worst such as for their rudenesse and vncivilitie could hardly be discerned from brute beasts approue themselues to be of better linage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in that they acknowledge Gods or superior powers whom they honour with sacrifices other rites in testimony of their gratitude for benefits received from them As if the signification of Mans obligements to an invisible power for his life his health his food and other necessaries or at least for priviledges from disasters or mischances were as naturall to him as fawnings or like dumbe signes of loue vnto their fosterers or cherishers are to dogs or other domesticke and tame creatures The civill wisedome which appeares in Lycurgus Lawes Numaes Institutions with other like amongst the more civill sort of auncient Heathens may probably argue abilitie in them of framing many particular rites of Religion as politick Sophismes to retaine the simple in awe and blind devotion to their Hests Albeit the invention of such false worships without imitation of some true patterne formerly knowne would haue beene very hard if not impossible even vnto these wise and prudent Lawgivers Nor could their artificiall inventions haue wrought so succesfully vpon their mindes that were seduced by them vnlesse they had beene naturally inclined vnto the ingrafted truth of the generalls vnder pretence of whose soveraigne right these particulars were commended But who would father the first Notion of a Deitie and Religion vpon policie rather than nature when it appeares not vniversall onely but perpetuall to the severall generations of sundry people in whom no print of any policie saue meerly naturall is now extant 3. Some scruple notwithstanding may here be ministred to yong Students from these or the like vagrant Axioms whose seate or proper subiect is not so well knowne as they are frequent 1. That the decrees or iniunctions of Nature cannot be preiudiced by Custome or education 2. That such generall principles as by her light are cleare can hardly be denied by any of her children When as the experience of later times especially presents vnto vs a great many vnto whom Nature in distribution of her other gifts hath shewed her selfe no stepmother but rather indulgent as to her darlings all mightily oppugning this truth which we that are as they deeme of duller capacitie in matters secular devoutly obey as her vndoubted Law But here we may well doubt whether bad education or evill customes haue not better enabled these men to striue against such practises as this Dictate of Nature prescribes than vtterly to disclaime all sense of her suggestions or shake off all secret notions of her summons How ever that be for we know our owne hearts not theirs nor can we beleeue them that will not beleeue there is a God albeit they would interpose an oath for our assurance one way or other this we know that nothing can be more naturall to man than reason And yet how many haue we seene in whom nature and art haue done their parts by too much studie or intemperance become so vtterly destitute of all vse of reason or discretion that such actions or demeanure as nature prescribes to all men as they are reasonable haue beene more neglected by them than by brute beasts yea oftimes furiously inverted 4. This instance amongst others may be our warrant for restrayning the former Axiome that Nature cannot be preiudiced by Custome to nature either altogether inanimate or meerely sensitiue whose inclination is single and but one way set or if appliable to the reasonable or intellectuall nature whose propensions as they are many so are they freely fashionable to diverse meanes and apt to be directed to contrary ends it is true onely of the generall facultie or remote propensions not of their actuall promptnesse vse or exercise Many there be so extreamly vicious that their mindes seeme now de facto wholly bent to doe others mischiefe This notwithstanding prooues not that nature hath sowne no seeds of vertue in their soules but rather their wilfull suffering these to be choaked and stifled by cherishing contrary desires or imbracing pleasant allurements vnto evill If such blindnesse haue by bad custome crept on some that they cannot now discerne any lineaments of Gods image in their hearts it will not hence follow that this light of nature whereby they might haue seene Him did never shine vnto them but rather that they haue smoothered it because they loued the workes of darkenesse better then the deeds of light purposely obliterating all resemblances of Him who is the avenger of evill whose pourtraiture their first parents had blurred by imprinting his enemies picture vpon it Nothing more easie than for others so they will be observant clearely to discerne the liue image not of the old man but of the old serpent in such as cannot or will not see the image of God in themselues 5. Besides this difference betweene the inclinations of nature in man and in creatures inanimate or irrationall a difference there is not much observed but worthy of diligent observation betweene common principles meerly speculatiue or abstract and others practicall or morall The latter may be in many intensiuely more cleare than the former as indeed they are more naturall in respect they are more deeply implanted in the very soule not let into the braine by externall senses albeit even for this reason they are by many lesse regarded as being more familiar then such speculatiue notions as these every whole is greater than its part twice two make foure or such like of whose certaintie no man at any time can doubt not that our nature as reasonable is of it selfe more inclined to abstract speculations than to moralities but that speculatiue notions are seated in the head or vtmost confines of the soules regiment as in an Academie or Cloyster priviledged from such tumultuous broiles as might divert our intentions from beholding them or retract our inclinations from adherence to their truth On the contrary such disturbances are most frequent in the Court or Pallace of this little Kingdome wherein morall notions of God and goodnesse haue their
them are expressely forbidden by Moses his Law as acts of open and palpable adultery The last and most miserable sanctuary whereto these malefactors closely pursued are glad to betake themselues is That this commandement Thou shalt not bow downe to them was meerely ceremoniall and concerned the Iewes onely not Christians Our Saviours manifestation in the flesh hath manifested the Synagogues pretended loue to God and his Law to haue beene but carnall false and idolatrous being indeede a loue onely of their owne humorous superstitious fancies Now the symptomes and signes subsequent as well as antecedent being the same in the Romish Church sufficiently testifie her disease to be the same but more dangerous because it is morbus complicatus Her whole Religion wee may without offence to God or wrong to it though not without some distast to her children fitly define to be a mixture or complication of Iewish vaine-glorious delight in worthy Auncestors and of Heathenish grosse and palpable superstitious worship of their Images in whose memorie shee so delights The brasen Legendaries by how much more they are in other cases vncapable of any trust yeeld vs so much greater plentie of canonicall proofe for evincing the truth of this definition or observation concerning the originall matter of Rome-Christians disease So great is the multitude of her Saints so prodigious are the manifold miracles wherewith shee graceth every Saint in particular whilest he lived or his image after his death and all avouched with such confidence that if the old Roman which cut a whetstone in pieces with his pen knife were to arbitrate betweene the Legendaries the latter Iewish Rabbines and the Poeticall Encomiasts of heathen Gods or Heroikes and were bound to reward every one according to his deserts he could not bestowe lesse than nine parts of ten vpon the Legendaries The symptomes notwithstanding of this vanitie hath beene perpetuall crueltie as well in the Romanist as in the Iew. The distempered zeale which the one bare vnto a Moses of his owne making and magnification did empoyson his soule with deadly hate of the true prototypon exhibited in presence of life and of his Disciples which were the liue Images of Moses and Abraham Abrahams sonnes as truely by reall likenesse of holy life as by descent of bodie The flames of the others wild and ill-kindled loue to such dead Images of Christ and his Saints as he hath fashioned to please his fancie hath caused his stonie heart to boyle over with vnstaunchable bloudie malice against the liue-images of Christ and truest successors of his Saints against all within these thousand yeares that would not run a whoring with them after their imaginations As Antiochus Epiphanes was an illustrious type of the Romane Antichrist so his short and furious persecution of the Orthodoxall Iewes was but a Map though an exquisite one of the Papacies continuall jealous rage against all that will not bow their knees vnto the Idols or offer sacrifices vpon the Altars which they haue erected to vnknowne Gods in holy Temples 4. This carnall vaine-glorious loue whether vnto imaginary Patriarcks in the Iew or to fancied Saints in the Romanist did never swell so much in either as when themselues were most vnlouely in the sight of God and his Saints Both begunne to be most affected with their worthy Auncestors prayses when themselues were least prayse-worthy As it commonly falls out in other cases from a secret instinct or working of hypocrisie they sought to stuffe their fancies with imaginations of their holinesse from whom they carnally descended that as fresh colours bring some comfort to sore eyes or gentle plaisters ease to festered wounds so the reflex of their Auncestors integritie vpon their hearts might in some sort allay the smart of their galled consciences And their consciences by this meanes finding ease afterwardes being lulled asleepe with the continuall sweete sound of others prayses they dreamed the substance of that holinesse to be rooted in their hearts whose shadowe or representation floated in their braines as the Philosopher obserues that a drop of sweete Phlegme tickling the tast in slumber or light sleepe makes men thinke they swallowe honey or that they are glutted with sweete meates For wedging in this selfe-deceiving fancie and perpetuating the pleasant phrensie whereinto the Iew and Romanist had cast themselues the visible monuments of Prophets and Saints did the old serpent very great service To embolden the Iew in cruell practises against our Saviour and his disciples he could devise no fitter sophisme than to employ them in adorning the tombes or other like testifications of loue vnto the Prophets reliques whom their Fathers had slaine being by this meanes perswaded that they loved the Prophets themselues and their doctrine much better than their Fathers had done they could not easily mistrust their hate of our Saviour for vniust For if he had beene a true Prophet would not they which loved all other Prophets and justified them before their fathers haue loved him and maintained his doctrine The conclusion of these Fallacious collections was that from this vaine confidence or presumed freedome from guilt of their fathers sinnes they came by degrees to make vp the full measure of them in crucifying the hope of Israel The like successe hath the same fallacie had over Rome-Christian shee by adoring the Images and reliques by lavish garnishing the monuments of those Saints which Rome-heathen had persecuted with fire and sword hath beene fet over by the great Tempter to accomplish and consolidate that mystery of iniquitie whose shape or surface the irreligious tyranny of Rome-heathen had drawne in bloudy lines For mistaking this strong internall affection which shee bare vnto her owne fancie and by consequent to Saints of her owne imagination and to their reliques for an vndoubted pledge of great zeale vnto that truth which they professed her conscience became so seared with this wild-fire that shee persecuted all that did controll her without remorse or scruple as greater enemies to Religion than Heretickes or Infidells And thus the Romanist as well as the Iew by reiecting the written word for the rule of life haue kindled the Almighties wrath and indignation by those very sacrifices which without his warrant they instituted to appease it Both of them presumed their zealous costs vpon Saints monuments should either supererogate for their predecessors sins or cleare all reckonings betweene God themselues for any wrong done to his servants This triumphant confidence in exercising remorslesse crueltie vpon all without exception that contradict her idolatrous doctrine vpon presumption that they are sacrilegious contemners of Gods Saints is that which the Propheticall Apostle termes drunkennesse with the bloud of Saints shee hath drunke so deepe of the cup of abominations that shee takes bloud for milke and feedes on it as on the foode of life Thus much of the originall the effect and Symptomes of Romish Phreneticall zeale to Images CHAPTER XXXIII By what meanes the publicke
title to Gods honour offered to them by their Parasites But as the Heathen fathered vnobservable or strange events vpon new fained gods or Lady Fortune so the trencher-mates of our times resolue all good successe of state into some great mens wit or valour whom they admire or loue to flatter for their owne gaine Not the discovery of the Powder-Treason it selfe but hath beene in our hearing ascribed to the Oracle of Intelligence as if the plotte had beene knowne to some Demi-gods of state before the plotters fell a digging He should not much wrong this Table-tatling crewe in word or thought that thinkes and speakes of them as of Idolaters more detestable than the most superstitious Heathen Romanes or if they come short of them in the proper nature of this particular summe we are to take the abatement not so much from any lesse measure of false religion as from excesse of Atheisme and irreligion But from what Schoole they take these lessoÌ„s I know and must hereafter haue Machievill their Maister in examination for his impudent animadversions and hypocriticall corrupt glosses quite contrary as well to the professed meaning of that very Text he tooke vpon him to expound as to the vnanimous tenent of best Romane Writers even Senators themselues concerning the causes of their States advancement 8. But questionlesse such of the Romanes as adored Foelicitie for a goddesse were not of those Philosophers minde which denied felicitie to be the gift of God for what could haue nurst in them this desire to please her saue onely hope that shee could reward with happinesse such as diligently sought her and could prosper industrious and carefull indevours for private or publique weale in which cases onely they did sollicite her furtherance Such good successes as grew rather from meere happe than good husbandry were taken as favours of Mris Fortune not graces of the great Queene Felicitie or Lady Vertue The worshippers likewise of this inferior goddesse did by their service acknowledge that some divine power must giue increase and maturitie to such seeds of morall honestie as by nature had be one planted or watered by civill education or good discipline That the blessings of this supposed goddesse were as necessary and beneficiall to the labour or culture of the minde as the blessings of Ceres or Segetia were to tillage or workes of husbandry Hence we may gather Cotta's mouth to haue beene a great deale too wide when it vttered that vnsavory observation which Tully as I conceiue observing the decorum of the parties disposition or the part which he was to act brings him in rather bâ—lching than speaking his tautologies are so abrupt and tedious part of which are to this effect No man did ever acknowledge God for the Author or donor of vertue And this stands with reason for we are iustly commended by others for vertues and we our selues rightly glory in our vertues which could not be so if vertue were the gift of God not a qualitie of our providing But for the increase of honour or revennues for the attayning any good which might haue mist vs for eschewing any evill which might haue befallen vs we thanke the Gods disclaiming our owne praise or deseruings Doubtlesse he had never asked the consent of his honest Neighbours to this peremptory determination which alike concerned them all but vsed his owne proud irreligious spirit as an allowed measure of others thoughts Did any man ouer thanke the Gods for making him a good man For what then For his riches honour or safetie Iupiter had his titles of greatnesse and goodnesse from these effects not for making vs iust and temperate or wise men nor did ever any man vow tithes to Hercules for being made wise by him From these vnsavory ejaculations of Cotta and also from the Romane Poet who acknowledged himselfe to haue beene of Epicures broode we may inferre That this Sect amongst the ancient Romanes did not absolutely deny the divine providence but onely as it respected the soule of man A speciall providence over mens bodies and temporall estates they did with reverence acknowledge herein much better than the Libertines of our times than carelesse professors of Christianitie or those Heathen Epicuraeans before mentioned in Iuvenalls time Sit mihi quod nunc est etiam minus vt mihi vivam Quod superest aevi si quid superesse volunt dij Sit bona librorum provisae frugis in annum Copia neu fluitem dubiae spe pendulus horae Sed satis est orare Iovem qui donat aufert Det vitam det opes aequum mi animum ipse parabo With what I haue or if 't be lesse vnto my selfe to liue I am content if longer life the Gods shall please to giue Of bookes I chiefly plentie wish of other things such store As may my mind froÌ„ floting thoughts to setled state restore Of Ioue who giues and takes away all that I mean to craue Is life and meanes an vpright mind I of my selfe can haue 9. Not to cloy the Reader with multitude of instances without varietie of observation scarce was there a blessing or good gift any manner of punishment or reward which wee Christians deriue from God whose forme or abstract the Romanes and Grecians did not conceipt as a God or goddesse according to the Grammaticall gender of the noune or word whereby the nature was signified Pauor Dread was a god Paena Punishment a goddesse Praemium reward I know not whether a god or goddesse but to them a deified power Though in no case we may legitimate this misconceite of these Heathens yet must we acknowledg it to be but one degree removed from that truth wherof it is the degenerate of-spring He that wills vs to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect supposeth the ideall perfection or exemplary forme of all goodnesse required in vs to be originally essentially and supereminently in him Of which truth this is the immediate consequence That the exact definition of vertues especially intellectuall or of any essentiall branch of goodnesse is more proper to the divine patterne or Idea than to the participated impressioÌ„ which it leaues in vs. That definition which did either breede or abette some needlesse controversies amongst Schoolemen and moralists whether Iustice be a morall or intellectuall vertue was intended by Vlpian the author of it for a description of the heathen goddesse Iustice as the learned Hottoman with some other good Lawyers avouched by Salmuth to my remembrance haue rightly collected from the words annexed Iustitia est perpetua constans voluntas suum cuique tribuendi cuius noâ— Iurisconsulti sacerdotes sumus Iustice is a perpetuall and constant will of rendring to every man his due whose Priests we are that professe the Law 10. There is no attribute of God as conceived by vs or rather no conceipt we haue of his attributes but hath its distinct bounds or limits We cannot say
soules with two distinct habites of Religion one of latria wherewith wee serue God another of dulia whereby we tender such respect and service as is fit for Saints and Angells For every abstract number without addition or subtraction of any vnitie without any the least variation in it selfe necessarily includes a different proportion to every number that can be compared with it and so doth every sanctified or religious soule without any internall alteration or infusion of more habites or graces than that by which it is sanctified naturally bring forth three severall sorts of religious and respectfull demeanour 1. towards God 2. towards Saints or Angells 3. towards Princes men in authoritie or of morall worth As it is but one lesson Giue honour to whom honour loue to whom loue tribute to whom tribute so it is but one religious habite or rule of conscience that teacheth the practise of it And in some sense it may be graunted that men in authoritie or of morall worth must be worshipped with religious worship in another sense againe it must be denyed that Saints are to be worshipped with religious worship though worthy of some peculiar religious respect whereto Kings and Princes vnlesse Saints withall haue no title 4. The respect or service which we owe to others may take this denomination of Religious from three severall References First from the internall habit or religious rule of conscience which dictateth the acts of service or submission secondly from the intellectuall excellency or personall worth of the partie to whom they are tendred thirdly from the nature and qualitie of the acts or offices themselues which are tendred to them with the manner or circumstances of their tendring According to the first denomination we must worship vngodly Magistrates and irreligious Princes with religious Worship For if wee must doe all things for conscience sake and as in the sight of God our service wheresoever it is due must be no eye service no faigned respect All our actions and demeanours must be religious as Religion is opposed to hypocrisie dissimulation or time-serving And in this sense religious and civill Worship are not opposite but coordinate Men truely religious must be religiously civill in their demeanor towards others If our respect or service take the denomination of Religious from the personall worth or internall excellencie of the partie whom we worship it is most true wee are to worship Saints with more than meere civill Worship None of our Church I dare be bound will deny that godly and religious men must be reverenced not onely for their vertues meerely morall or politicke but for their sanctitie and devotion Yet is this all that the moderne Papist seekes to proue against vs. And from this Antecedent which needes no proofe he presently takes that for graunted which he shall never be able to prooue either from these or other premises to wit That Saints are to be worshipped with religious Worship as it is opposed to civill Worship His meaning if it reach the point in question must be this Wee are bound to offer vp the proper acts of Religion as prayers with other devotions by way of personall honour or service to the Saints This wee say is formall Idolatrie 5. It is one thing to tender our service in lowlinesse of spirit for conscience sake vnto the Prince another to tender him the service of our spirit or subiection of our consciences Religion binds me to bow my knee or vse other accustomed signes of obeysance in vnfaigned testimony that I acknowledge him Lord of my body armed with Authoritie from the Maker of it to take vengeance vpon it for deniall of its service Or in case he punish me without cause the bond of conscience and Religion tyes me to submit this outward man in humilitie of spirit to the vnlawfull exercise of his lawfull power rather than I should graunt him the command or disposall of my Religion or honour him with the acts or exercises of it In like sort the sight and presence of any whom God hath graced with extraordinary blessings of his Spirit will voluntarily extort signes of submissiue respect from every sanctified and religious spirit in vndoubted token that they reverence Gods gifts bestowed vpon him and heartily desire their soules might take some tincture or impression from his gratious carriage or instructions which they can hardly doe without some nearer linke of familiaritie and acquaintance or at least would doe so much better by how much the linke were closer or their vicinitie greater The right end and scope whereto the instinct of grace inherent in our soules doth direct these externall signes of submission is to woe their soules and spirits whom we thus reverence to some more intimate coniunction This submissiue reverence though not required by them is on our parts necessary for holding such consort or iust proportion with the abundant measure of Gods graces in them as we may draw comfort and perfection from them Contemplation of others excellency without this submissiue temper in our selues either stirres vp envie or occasioneth despaire and yet all that these outward and vnfaigned signes of submission can lawfully plight vnto them is the service of our bodies or inferior faculties These we could be content to sacrifice not to them but for their sakes alwayes provided that we doe not preiudice the right or dominion which our owne spirits and consciences haue over our bodies immediately vnder God But to offer vp the internall and proper fruits of the Spirit vnto them by way of tribute and honour is to dishonour to deny that God which made them The seedes of grace and true Religion are sowne immediately by his sole powerfull hand and their natiue of-spring acts of faith especially must be reserved entire and vntouched for him Prayers intrinsecally religious or devotions truely sacred are oblations which may not which cannot without open sacriledge be solemnly consecrated to any others honour but onely to his who infuseth the Spirit of prayer and thankesgiving into mens hearts The principall crime whereof we accuse the Romish Church and whereof such as purposely examine the inditement put vp by Reformed Churches against her and her children are to take speciall notice is her open professed direct intendment to honour them which are no gods with those prayers or devotions with these elevations of mindes and spirits wherewith they present the onely wise immortall King in Temples dedicated to his service He that prayed in olde times to an Idoll in a Groue destinated to his worship did wrong the true God after the same manner that he doth which robs him of his Tyths before they be set apart for his house But to come into his house of prayer with serious purpose to honour him with the sacrifice of a contrite or broken spirit and in the time of oblation to divert our best intentions to the honor of our fellow-creatures is worse than Ananias and Saphirahs sinne a lying to the
he was astonished might discover the misplaced motions of his spirit or affection by some such outraying or mis-fashioned lines in his bodily gesture or outward behaviour as an expert Courtier would quickly espie in a meere contemplatiue Scholar called into some Court-like audience This carriage was for the present more pardonable in him than the continuall imitation of it can be in any A gratious Prince would take little or no displeasure if a man in a dreame or traunce or in some extraordinary passion of feare arising from apprehension of imminent danger or of ioy for vnexpected safetie should bestow royall titles on his speciall benefactor or preferre extemporary petitions or gratulations ore tenus in such submissiue style or gesture as might impeach as well the greatest subject in the Kingdome that should accept them as the meanest that could offer them of disloyaltie if they were drawne into legall forme or daily practise Admitting the Angel had not twice disallowed the worship proffered by the Apostle yet if we consider the extasie or strange exultation of spirit whence it was wrested the delinquencie of the Romish Church vsing his example for a patterne of their behaviour in publicke and solemne service when no occasion of like passion is offred either by Angelicall presence or joyfull Embassage argueth more wilfull and contemptuous disloyaltie towardes God than the former supposition implieth towardes earthly Princes And as it is a point of indiscretion to shew such peculiar observance to great Personages in the Princes presence as good manners else-where would exact so to tender such solemne worship to Saints and Angels in the Church or house of God is a circumstance which much aggravateth the haynousnesse or rather induceth an alteration of the qualitie of the Worship it selfe enough to make it superstitiously Religious though otherwise decently civill or offensiue onely in excesse 5. But to what end did the Apostle so carefully register the Angels two-fold prohibition or his owne reiterated checke To blazon his owne dignitie and high respect with Angels or to embolden others of meaner place in the Church Militant to fasten that kindnesse vpon them absent which would not be accepted from him whiles he spake with them face to face Some Romanists thinke such lowly obeysance did not so well become S. Iohn because he was a Priest others because he was a Virgine and the office of Priesthood is in their doctrine as great Virginitie in a man of his age a greater dignitie than Angelicall excellencie Virginitie I thinke is more scarce and rare in Romish Priests than the gift of Prophecie or familiaritie with Angels is in other men and this is the reason that they set so high a price vpon it Others coniecture the spirit of Prophecy did priviledge this great Apostle from the common service of Angels But the greater skill he had in heavenly mysteries the greater were his motiues to worship this Angell vnder God his principall Instructor And Saint Peters refusall of like obeysance from Cornelius doth so crush all these and whatsoever pretences can be brought that they can never seeme whole or sound againe to such as first made them 6. Cornelius was neither Prophet Priest nor Virgine a Gentile by birth and a novice in faith committed by the Angell of God to S. Peters instruction He was in conscience and Religion bound to reverence this great Apostle not onely for his religious and sanctified life but as his Father in God his chiefe Gardian vnder Christ But might he therefore worship him with religious worship as his intermediate advocate or intercessor with God as his peculiar patron No when he offred no other signe of submission to S. Peters person than every Romish Priest and Prelate doth vnto his Image he tooke him vp and warnes him not to fall downe before him or any Saint so againe I my selfe also am a man But may not this speech imply that Cornelius tooke him at first sight for a god and so polluted his externall worship with this internall misconceipt Sure he that was so well acquainted with the Iewish Religion and so well spoken of by the Iewes did not acknowledge more Gods than one And he could not be ignorant that one Simon Peter which lodged with one Simon the Tanner was neither this one God whom he before had worshipped nor any God For would the Angell haue willed him to send to Ioppa for God to come vnto him But albeit Cornelius from the first to the last did perfectly know Simon Peter to be a man yet he knew him to be a man sent from God to instruct him in the way of life And out of that naturall infirmitie of flesh and bloud which wanting such as S. Peter was to checke or controll it brought forth Idolatry in the Heathens and the Romanists he sought to entertaine Gods Embassador in most lowly and submissiue fashion To set their hearts too much vpon such creatures as are Gods instruments for their extraordinary good is a temptation wherewith good natured men such as Cornelius was without spirituall instruction are soonest overtaken And out of the abundance of affectionate desire to testifie his thankfulnesse in the best sort that he could he renders that to the Embassador which was due onely to his Maister Hic est vetustissimus referendi bene merentibus gratiam mos vt tales numinibus ascribant The most auncient manner of expressing thankfulnesse to speciall benefactors is to inroll them in the Kalendâ—r of Gods or divine powers After the holy Ghost to the astonishment of the circumcision had fallen vpon all that heard Peters words in testimony that they were the words of God did either Cornelius himselfe or the meanest Gentile present fall downe and worship S. Peter though not as the author and fountaine of that inâ—stimable blessing whereof all were made partakers yet as the immediate Intercessor which had procured it No S. Peter had so well instructed Cornelius before that as the Text resolues vs the first fruits of their new tongues were offred vp immediately in sacrifice vnto God which had given such gifts to men The spirit whereof they were partakers taught them to glorifie the giver onely not man which had nothing which he had not received 7. Never had any man juster occasion to worship an Angell than S. Iohn or a Saint than Cornelius and his company had The reason why the Lord in wisedome would haue aswell their willingnes to worship as the Angels S. Peters vnwillingnes to accept their proffered submission so expressely registred was to imprint the true meaning of that Law in the hearts of all that should reade those Stories Thou shalt worship thy Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue as also the necessitie of that caveat which another Apostle had given to posteritie Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humilitie and worshipping of Angels intruding himselfe into things which he hath not