What are the sins forbidden in the second commandment?
The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devising, counseling, commanding, using, and anywise approving, any religious worship not instituted by God himself; tolerating a false religion; the making any representation of God, of all or of any of the three persons, either inwardly in our mind, or outwardly in any kind of image or likeness of any creature whatsoever; all worshiping of it, or God in it or by it; the making of any representation of feigned deities, and all worship of them, or service belonging to them; all superstitious devices, corrupting the worship of God, adding to it, or taking from it, whether invented and taken up of ourselves, or received by tradition from others, though under the title of antiquity, custom, devotion, good intent, or any other pretense whatsoever; simony; sacrilege; all neglect, contempt, hindering, and opposing the worship and ordinances which God hath appointed.
Proofs
- The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devising, (Numbers 15:39)
- counseling, (Deuteronomy 13:6β8)
- commanding, (Hosea 5:11; Micah 6:16)
- using, (1 Kings 11:33; 12:33)
- and anywise approving, any religious worship not instituted by God himself; (Deuteronomy 12:30β32)
- tolerating a false religion; (Deuteronomy 4:15β19; Acts 17:29; Romans 1:21β23, 25)
- the making any representation of God, of all or of any of the three persons, either inwardly in our mind, or outwardly in any kind of image or likeness of any creature whatsoever; (Daniel 3:18; Galatians 4:8)
- all worshiping of it, (Exodus 32:5)
- or God in it or by it; (Exodus 32:8)
- the making of any representation of feigned deities, (1 Kings 18:26, 28; Isaiah 65:11)
- and all worship of them, or service belonging to them; (Acts 17:22; Colossians 2:21β23)
- all superstitious devices, (Malachi 1:7β8, 14)
- corrupting the worship of God, (Deuteronomy 4:2)
- adding to it, or taking from it, (Psalm 106:39)
- whether invented and taken up of ourselves, (Matthew 15:9)
- or received by tradition from others, (1 Peter 1:18)
- though under the title of antiquity, (Jeremiah 44:17)
- custom, (Isaiah 65:3β5; Galatians 1:13β14)
- devotion, (1 Samuel 13:11β12; 15:21)
- good intent, or any other pretense whatsoever; (Acts 8:18)
- simony; (Romans 2:22; Malachi 3:8)
- sacrilege; (Exodus 4:24β26)
- all neglect, (Matthew 22:5; Malachi 1:7, 13)
- contempt, (Matthew 23:13)
- hindering, (Acts 13:44β45; 1 Thessalonians 2:15β16)
- and opposing the worship and ordinances which God hath appointed.