Forbidden.

brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

2 K. 17:16 And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

Jer. 44: 17 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, 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.

333. Idolatry and image-worship forbidden.

Ex. 20: 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.

22:20 He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.

23:24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.

34:17 Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.

Lev. 19:4 Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.

26:1 Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.

Dt. 6:14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; 15 (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you ;) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

8:19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

Consequences of.

27:15 Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place: and all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

28:14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

30:17 But if thy heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish.

Jud. 10:13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. 14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

1 K. 9:6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: 7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a by-word among all people.

Jer. 44:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein; 3 Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers. 4 Howbeit, I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.

334. Consequences of idolatry.

Jud. 2:11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: 12 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. 13 And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. 14 And the anger of the

Consequences of.

LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers.

Jud. 10:6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him. 7 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.

2 K. 17:9 And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. 10 And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: 11 And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger: 12 For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. 16 And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.

22:17 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.

Ps. 78:58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images. 59 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel.

Ezk. 36:18 Wherefore, I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it: 19 And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their do ings I judged them.

Sin and Danger of Ignorance.-Instability reproved.

IGNORANCE.

335. The sin and danger of ignorance.

Ps. 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.

Pr. 13:18 Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honored. 15:32 He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.

19:2 Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.

23: 12 Apply thy heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

Is. 5:13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

Hos. 4:1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

2 Th. 1:7 And to you, who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Je`us Christ.

INSTABILITY

336. Instability reproved―Unstable persons to be avoided. Gen. 49:4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel.

Pr. 24:21 My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change.

Ep. 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive: 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, eren Christ.

Heb. 13:9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace.

Common-Deceitful and injurious-Forbidden and discouraged.

INTEMPERANCE.

337. Intemperance a prevalent evil.

Gen. 9:20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

Is. 28:7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. 8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

56: 12 Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink.

Dan. 5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver.

1 Cor. 11:21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.

338. Intoxicating drink adapted to deceive and injure.

Pr. 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

23:21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty. 29 Who hath wo? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. 35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

Jer. 25:27 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD o hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.

Hos. 4:11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

339. Intemperance forbidden and discouraged.

Dt. 21:20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our