Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub

V

self unto him with humility, and patience," look for all good things from him alone; and lastly, with the entire affection of my heart, love,y reverence, and worship him; a so that I should rather

Lord. Jer. xvii. 5, 7. Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. Prov. xxix. 25; xxviii. 25.

▾ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him. 1 Pet. v. 6, 7. Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. James iv. 7.

For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. Heb. x. 36. Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation. Rom. xii. 12. Be ye not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Heb. vi. 12. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James i. 3, 4. Do all things without murmurings and disputings. Phil. ii. 14. Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering, with joyfulness. Col. i. 11. Hold thou still in the Lord, and abide patiently upon him. Ps. xxxvii. 7.

* Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James i. 17. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue. 2 Pet. i. 3. If ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Matt. vii. 11. Ps. civ. 27-29. ▾ And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deut. vi. 5. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Matt. xxii. 37.

That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments. Deut. vi. 2. Sanctify the

renounce and forsake all creatures, than commit the least fault against his omnipotent will.b

95. Q. What is idolatry?

A. It is in the place of that one God, or besides that one and true God, who hath manifested himself in his word, to make or imagine, or possess

Lord of hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and your dread. Isa. viii. 13. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Prov. ix. 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Prov. i. 7. Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matt. x. 28. Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom, which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Heb. xii. 28, 29. 2 Cor. vii. 1. For his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to genera

tion. Luke i. 50.

Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Matt. iv. 10. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God ; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. Deut. x. 20. O come, let us worship him, and bow down, and kneel before the Lord our maker. Ps. xcv. 6. God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John iv. 24.

b We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts v. 29. He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me : and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt. x. 37. If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his life also, he cannot be my disciple. Luke xiv. 26. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. Matt. v. 29, 31.

any other thing, wherein to repose our hope and confidence.c

96. Q. What does the second commandment require?

A. That we should not express or represent God by any image, shape, or figure; nor worship him

t;

Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. 1 Cor. xii. 2. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or earth (as there be gods many, and lords many), but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we by him. 1 Cor. viii. 5, 6. Howbeit, then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. Gal. iv. 8. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. Phil. iii. 18, 19. That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. Eph. ii. 12. They served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence. Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the Lord, nei ther do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandments which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel. 2 Kings xvii. 33, 34. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. 1 Cor. x. 14. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John v. 21.

d To whom, then, will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare him unto? Isa. xl. 18. Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb, out of the midst of the fire: lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, the likeness of

any otherwise than he has in his word commanded himself to be worshipped.

97. Q. Are then all images or resemblances of things prohibited in this commandment?

A. God ought not, nor can be represented by any means, or in any way; and although it is lawful to form figures of created things, yet God notwithstanding forbids their images to be made or had, for the purpose of worshipping or honouring them, or that God should be worshipped by them.f

:

any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth and lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven. Deut. iv. 15-19. Because, that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations; and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves; who changed the truth of God into a lie, and wor shipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Rom. i. 21, 23-25. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Matt. xv. 9. Deut. xii. 30-32.

To whom, then, will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Isa. xl. 25.

Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. Exod. xxxiv. 17. 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, and ye shall serve the Lord

98. Q. But may not images be tolerated in churches, which may serve for the use of the common people?

A. No. For it is not seemly that we should be wiser than God, who will have his church instructed by the lively preaching of his word, and not by mute images.h

your God. Exod. xxiii. 24, 25; xxxiv. 13. Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places. Numbers xxxiii. 52. And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. Deut. xii. 3. Neither shalt thou set thee up any image, which the Lord thy God hateth. Deut. xvi. 22; vii. 5.

g Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Tim. iii. 14-17. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts. 2 Pet. i. 19. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Rom. i. 16, 17.

h Every man is brutish in his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them, They are vanity, and

« EdellinenJatka »