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V. The Honour of God is a dutiful act of man, by which he knowingly and willingly repays to God the reward due for his excellent virtues and acts.

VI. The primary Object of all these acts, as they are prescribed by law and are man's duty, is, God himself: Because, for whatever other things these acts are to be performed, they must be performed on account of God and through his command, otherwise no one can truly call them "good."

VII. The Formal Reason of the Object, that is, why these acts may and ought to be performed to God, is, the Wisdom, Goodness, Justice, and Power of God, and the acts performed by Him according to and through them. But we permit this to be made the subject of a pious discussion, Which of these, in requiring simple acts, obtain the precedence, and which of them follow?

VIII. The immediate Cause of these acts is man, according to his understanding and inclination, and the freedom of his will, not as man is [animalis] natural, but as he is spiritual and formed again after the life of God.

IX. The principal Cause is the Holy Spirit, who infuses into man, by the act of regeneration, the affections of Love, Fear, Trust, and Honour; by exciting grace, excites, moves and incites him to second acts; and by co-operating grace, concurs with man himself to produce such second acts.

X. The Form of these acts is, that they be done through faith and according to the law of God: Their End is, that they be performed to the salvation of the workers themselves, to the glory of God, and to the benefit and confirmation of others.

DISPUTATION LXXIII.

ON PARTICULAR ACTS OF OBEDIENCE, OR THOSE WHICH ARE PRESCRIBED IN EACH PRECEPT, OR CONCERNING THE DECALOGUE IN GENERAL.

I. THE special acts of obedience are prescribed in the Decalogue, and in each of the Commandments: The Decalogue therefore itself must be considered by us in order.

II. A convenient distribution of the Decalogue is that into a Preface and Precepts. The Preface is contained in these words: "I am the Lord thy God, who have brought thee up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." For we are of opinion, that this Preface belongs to the entire Decalogue, rather than to the First Commandment;-though we do not consider

it advisable to contend about a matter so small and unimportant.

III. The Preface contains a general argument of suasion, why the children of Israel ought to yield obedience to Jehovah: And this two-fold,-The First drawn from the right of confederation or covenant, The Second, from a particular and signal benefit recently conferred on him. The former of these is contained in the words," the Lord thy God:" The latter, in the expression, "who have brought thee out of the land of Egypt:" Of which benefit a high commendation is given, in the description which is added, that Egypt was to the Israelites "the house of bondage;" that by amplifying the misery of that servitude, they might be able to call to mind those things which had happened to them.

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IV. Though this argument," thy God," may likewise have respect to creation, and may comprise that benefit; yet it is more probable that it has a special reference to the concluding of a covenant with this people.

V. From this Preface may conveniently be deduced those general acts, about which we have treated in the preceding Disputation, the Love, Fear, Trust, and Honour of God: For as Jehovah is their God who delivered them out of Egypt, therefore, most justly as well as profitably, must He be loved, feared, and honoured, and Trust must be reposed in Him.

VI. But some things generally must be observed for the correct performance of all the precepts together: Such are,

VII. The law of God requires the entire obedience of the mouth, heart and work, that is, inward and outward obedience. For God is the God of the whole man, of the soul and body, and looks principally upon the heart.

VIII. The explanation of the precepts of the Decalogue must be sought from Moses and the Prophets, from Christ and his Apostles; and it may be procured in sufficient abundance: So that nothing necessary can be imagined which may not be drawn from the writings of the Old and the New Testament.

IX. The meaning of each precept must be taken from the end on account of which it was given; and all those things must be considered as included in it, without which the precept cannot be performed. Therefore one and the same work may be referred to different precepts, so far as it has respect to different ends.

X. In an affirmation, its opposite negative seems to be comprised; and, in a negative, the affirmation which is opposed to it; because God not only requires a refraining from evil, but likewise a performance of good ;-though a reason may be given why God declared some things negatively, and others affirmatively.

XI. Homogeneous and cognate acts are commanded or are forbidden in the same precept; and a genus comprehends its species; and a species comprises, in the same command, other species allied to it,-unless a just cause exists why it must be otherwise determined.

XII. An effect in its cause, or a cause in its effect, (if the conversion be necessary and according to nature,) is not commanded and prohibited through accident.

XIII. When of those things which have a relation to each other, one is prescribed or forbidden, the other is also commanded or forbidden, because they mutually lay themselves down and remove themselves.

XIV. If it happen that the observance of two precepts cannot be paid at the same time to both of them, regard must be had to that which is of the greater moment, and for the performance of which more and juster causes exist.

DISPUTATION LXXIV.

ON THE FIRST COMMAND IN THE DECALOGUE.

I. THE ten precepts of the Decalogue are conveniently distributed into those of the First and those of the Second Table. To the First Table are attributed those precepts which immediately prescribe our duty towards God himself: Of this kind there are four. The Second Table claims those precepts which contain the duties of men towards their fellow-men: And to it are attributed the last six.

II. This is the relation which subsists between the commands of each table,-that, from love to God and in reference to Him, we manifest love and the offices of love towards our neighbour: And if it should happen that we must of necessity relinquish either our duty to God or our neighbour, God should be preferred to our neighbour. Let this relation, however, be understood as concerning those precepts only which are not of the ceremonial worship: Otherwise, [respecting ceremonies] this declaration holds good, "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice." III. The First Commandment is, "Thou shalt have no other God before my face," or " against my face."

IV. It is very certain, that, in this negative precept, the subjoined affirmative one is included or pre-supposed as something preceding and a pre-requisite, "Thou shalt have me, who am Jehovah, for thy God." This is likewise immediately consequent

upon the preface, " I am the Lord thy God:" Therefore, "Let me be the Lord thy God:" Or, which is the same, "Therefore have thou me, the Lord, for thy God."

V. But "to have the Lord for our God, is the part both of the understanding and of [affectus] the inclination or the will; and, lastly, of an effect proceeding from both or from each of them.

VI. Another god" is whatever the human mind invents, to which it attributes the divinity that is suitable and appropriate to the true God alone,-whether such divinity be essence and life, or properties, works, or glory.

VII. Or whether the thing to which man attributes divinity be something existing or created, or whether it be something nonexistent and merely imaginary and a figment of the brain, it is [perinde] equally "another god:" For the entire divinity of that other God lies radically, essentially and virtually in human ascription; and by no means in that to which such divinity is ascribed. Hence is the origin of this phrase, in Scripture, "To go a whoring after their own heart."

VIII. But this" other God" may be conceived under a threefold difference, according to the Scriptures. For those who have him, have (1.) either themselves been the first inventors of him, (2.) have received him from their parents, or (3.) from other nations, when neither they nor their fathers knew him: And this last is done either by force, by persuasion, or by the free and spontaneous choice of the will.

IX. For this reason, that "other god" is truly called "an idol;" and the act by which he is accounted another god, is idolatry; whether this be committed in the mind, by esteem, acknowledgment, and belief; or by the affections, love, fear, trust and hope; or by some external effect of honour, worship, adoration and invocation.

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X. The enormity of this sin is apparent from the fact of its being called "a defection from God," " a forsaking of the living Fountain," and "a digging of broken cisterns that hold no water,' "a perfidious desertion of holy matrimony," and " a violation of the connubial compact." Nay, the Gentiles are said to sacrifice to devils whatsoever they suppose that they offer to God, in this ignorance of God and alienation from the life of God.

XI. The cause why men are said to do service unto devils, although they have themselves other thoughts, is this, because Satan is the fountain, head and origin of all idolatry; and is the author, persuader, impeller, approver, and defender of all the worship which is expended on another god. Hence likewise it

is the highest degree of idolatry when any one accounts Satan as Satan, displaying himself as Satan, and vaunting himself for God, or when he ascribes Divinity to Satan.

XII. But though the Gentiles worshipped angels or devils, not as the supreme God, but as minor deities and his ministers, by whose intervention they might have communication with the Supreme God; yet the worship which they paid to them was idolatry, because this worship was due to no one except to the true God. But it does not belong to the definition of idolatry, that any one should pay to another, as to God, that worship which is due to the true God alone; for it is sufficient if he account him as God, by ascribing divine worship to him, though in his mind he may account him not to be the Supreme God. It is no palliation of the crime, but an aggravation, if any one knowingly performs divine worship to him whom he knows not to be God.

XIII. And since Christ must be honoured as the Father is, because He has been constituted by his Father KING and LORD, and has received all judgment, since every knee must bow to Him, and since He is to be invoked as Mediator and the Head of his church, so that the church can pay this honour to no one except Him, without incurring the crime of idolatry: Therefore the Papists, who adore Mary, the angels, or holy men, and who invoke them as the donors and administrators of gifts, or as intercessors through their own merits, are guilty of the crime of idolatry.

XIV. Besides, when they adore the bread in the Lord's Supper, and receive and account the Pope for that personage whom he boasts himself to be, they commit the sin of idolatry.

DISPUTATION LXXV.

ON THE SECOND COMMAND IN THE DECALOGUE.

I. THE Second Precept consists of a command and its sanction, from a description of God, who is prompt and powerful to punish the transgressor, and who is greatly inclined to bless him that is obedient. In this are consequently included a threat of punishment, and a promise of reward.

II. This command is negative: A deed which is displeasing to God is forbidden in these words: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them."

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