And then further, They have made many Altars

And then further, They have made many Altars.

In the opening what a sin it was to make any other Altar but that God has appointed, I shewed out of Joshua, how their Progenitors was so provoked when there was made another Altar, they did rise against them and made account to destroy them every one, because of making any other Altar besides Gods; but now they make many Altars. Their Fathers were careful to keep themselves to one Altar, but their successors they make many.

Hence note that, We are ready to imitate our forefathers in that which is evil, but not in that which is good. Their forefathers were great enemies and were mightily incensed against adding but one Altar to Gods Altars, but they will not imitate their forefathers in this good thing, in standing for that one true worship of God; ordinarily when any thing is evil there we will imitate our forefathers, but we leave them in that which is good.

If you would ask the reason why it came to pass that their Progenitors were so zealous for Gods own Altar, and yet now their children after them make many Altars, the reason may be this, which will afford a note of very great use to us, When their Progenitors came first into the Land of Canaan, and Joshua as soon as they came in he did according to the Commandment of God by Moses, set up an Altar, and they seeing upon their first coming into the Land the goodness of God towards them, they were much taken with this; but now after they had enjoyed the Land a while, after they begun to be settled, to be warm in their nests, and to prosper in the Land, then they ventured upon this way of corrupting of Gods worship, and multiplying Altars; and when they had once ventured, and escaped unpunished, then they thought they were sure: and so by degrees they come to this excess in superstitious worship.

The note is this, We must take heed to make any distance of time from the Commandment given, or the Threatening denounced to make us to fear the breach of the Commandment less. They were afraid of the breach of the Commandment soon after it was given; but when there was a distance of time from the Commandment, and when they were settled in a way of prosperity, then they ventured: so that (I say) from hence our note is, That we must take heed that the distance of time, or our settling in a prosperous condition does not make us to fear the commandment less than we did fear it at first when we were not in such a settled way. And for this you have a most excellent Scripture in (Deuteronomy 4:25). Says the text there, When you shall beget children, and childrens children, and shall have remained long in the Land, and shall corrupt your selves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the Lord your God to provoke him to anger. When you shall beget children, and childrens children, and shall remain long in the Land, then you shall make graven images: There was not so much fear that when they came first into the Land, that they should make graven images when they first were delivered out of their bondage, and God had made known his glorious Word to them, their hearts were a little warm, but after they had lived long in the Land, then they began to forget God and make graven images. Just so it is with us for all the world, when we are newly come out of afflictions, then our hearts are kept a little warm, and then we would serve God according to his own way; but after we have continued long in the Land, and been a while in a prosperous condition and pretty well nestled, and find all things pretty well about us, Oh! then we begin to be cool and forget the Lord in his way. It has been always so, and it is so, not only in particular persons and Nations, but Churches too, ordinarily when people are delivered from superstitious vanities and come to worship God in his own way, at first when they come to enjoy the Ordinances of God in the purity of them, Oh! how glad are they, and they bless God, and their hearts are warmed and enlarged, and their hearts do close one with another, and what sweet union is there together at first! but after they have lived a while in the Land, after they have lived a while in the way of God and enjoyed him a little, they begin to grow more cool, and dead, and begin to fall to wrangling and contending, and so all that spiritualness and that heavenly heat that they had before it vanishes and comes to nothing. I beseech you remember this text, Deuteronomy 4:25. Take heed after you have abode a while in such a condition; you thought when you came first into it you would never forget God, Oh you blessed God, and rejoiced in Gods worship; well, your hearts are taken at first, but look to your selves, for after you have continued any long time it may prove to be otherwise with you.

Again further, Ephraim has made many Altars: has multiplied Altars, so Hierom. So the Seventy has gone on in way of multiplication. They had some Altars at first, and their fore-fathers made some, and they afterwards made more, and so still every generation did multiply their Altars.

From there the note is this: That idolatry and false worship does not only continue in succession, but in every age there will be an addition. Oh my Brethren! let the true worship of God then, not only continue, but multiply. Idolaters they will make this no argument, Why should we be wiser than our fore-fathers? No, they will go beyond their fore-fathers in way of false worship, And yet, how many among us will be pleading against Reformation with this argument, Why should not we content our selves with what our fore-fathers did? Our fore-fathers knew not of such new ways of worship as you tell us of. But now my Brethren, if our fore-fathers reformed a little, let us bless God for what they did, but let us add more, to raise up the worship of God yet higher and higher, as in (Psalm 71:14). But I will hope continually, and will yet praise you more and more. The words may be read thus: I will add to your praise, O Lord: You have had praise, indeed formerly you had praise from others; Oh! but I will do something to add to your praise, I will praise you more and more: so every generation should strive to praise God more and more, to add to Gods praise, to find out more of Gods truths, to add to the purity of Gods worship, and to cast out superstition more than our fore-fathers have done: it was an argument of a great deal of praise in our fore-fathers to do what they did, and (I say) we are to bless God for them, that the Lord put such a spirit into them, but know that that which was accepted of from our fore-fathers, will not be accepted of from us, God expects that we should add to the praise of God. Men desires to add more and more to the states of their Progenitors, and so your Children they will add a little to the estates that you leave them; and so men account it their ambition to raise their families. My Brethren, we should have a holy ambition by practice of religion more and more in every age, as Jehu said in (2 Kings 10:18). Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu shall serve him much: So others; as he said of false worship, though in a feigned way; we should say of the true worship of God, we have served the Lord a little, but we will serve him more; we have more mercies than they had, more light than they had, if they served God a little, we will serve him more.