Thirdly, It is a hard thing to convince Idolaters of their sin, and of the Justice of God coming against them for their sin. Plead with your mother, plead, she will not acknowledge it, she will stand it out, and say she hath not done so ill, she is not worthy to be cast off, you had need plead and plead hard with her, she will stand out else: Idolaters have so many distinctions, so many evasions, so many shifts and pretences, that it is a thousand to one ever almost to prevail with them. When you deal with Papists about worshipping of Images they will have such distinctions of worship,1 pierce, and worship per accidens, of honouring the creature, Propter se, & propter aliud, Proprie, improprie, and a hundred of such kind of distinctions and evasions, till they distinguish out the truth, and scarce understand themselves what they mean by their distinctions. Hence Idolaters scorn at judgements threatened, they think only a company of foolish & timorous people fear such things, they cry out, say they, that we are Idolaters, Idolaters and grievous judgements of God are coming ••on us, a company of foolish melancholy people they fear their own […]. Was it not so heretofore when we were going on in the ways of Idolatry space? Was it not the jeer and scorn of all such spirits? If any did seem but to make a question about Idolatry, they would never be convinced of such a sin, nor never fear any judgements hanging over our heads, Though God hath prevented it through his grace, and hath showed his prero•ation in the ways of his mercy, yet certainly there was sign enough of dreadful wrath hanging over us, and what yet may be we know not.
Thirdly, It is a hard thing to convince Idolaters of their sin, and of the Justice of God comming against them for their sinne. Plead with your mother, plead, shee will not acknowledge it, she will stand it out, and say she hath not done so ill, shee is not worthy to be cast off, you had need pleade and plead hard with her, she will stand out else: Idolaters have so many distinctions, so many evasions, so many shifts and pretences, that it is a thousand to one ever almost to prevaile with them. When you deale with Papists about worshipping of Images they will have such distinctions of worship,1 perse, and worship per accidens, of honouring the creature, Propter se, & propter aliud, Proprie, improprie, and a hundred of such kinde of distinctions and evasions, till they distinguish out the truth, and scarce understand themselves what they meane by their distinctions. Hence Idolaters scorne at judgements threatned, they thinke onely a company of foolish & timorous people fear such things, they cry out, say they, that we are Idolaters, Idolaters and grievous judgements of God are comming ••on us, a company of foolish melancholly people they feare their own 〈…〉. Was it not so heretofore when we were going on in the wayes of Idolatry space? Was it not the jeere and scorne of all such spirits? If any did seeme but to make a question about Idolatry, they would never be convinced of such a sinne, nor never feare any judgements hanging over our heads, Though God hath prevented it through his grace, and hath shewed his prero•ation in the ways of his mercy, yet certainly there was signe enough of dreadfull wrath hanging over us, and what yet may be we know not.
- 1Idolaters hardly convinced.
