A20559:111
The bright star which leadeth wise men to our Lord Jesus Christ, or, A…
The bright star which leadeth wise men to our Lord Jesus Christ, or, A familiar and learned exposition on the ten commandments gathered from the mouth of a faithful pastor by a gracious young man, sometime scholar in Cambridge.The bright star which leadeth wise men to our Lord Jesus Christ, or, A familiar and learned exposition on the ten commandements gathered from the mouth of a faithfull pastor by a gracious young man, sometime scholler in Cambridge.
London: printed by John Harison for Thomas Man, 1603London: printed by Iohn Harison for Thomas Man, 1603
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
As we may see in Joseph, though he might have done that evil to which he was solicited most secretly, that no man could have spied or perceived it, yet he would not for all the world consent: and the reason was, the fear of God made him hate it in his hart, and hating it inwardly, he would never practise it outwardly. So Job speaks of himself, That he could have borne out his oppression, and could have made all stoop to him, no man would have gone about to find fault with him, yet he durst not for all that, his hart would not let him, for gods Judgement was terrible in his eyes, and he could not be delivered from his highness, and this was that, that kept him from doing wrong, though no man durst have gone about to have sought revenge against him.
As we may see in Ioseph, though he might haue done that euill to which he was solicited most secretly, that no man could haue spied or perceaued it, yet he would not for all the world consent: and the reason was, the feare of God made him hate it in his hart, and hating it inwardly, he would neuer practise it outwardly. So Iob speakes of himselfe, That he could haue borne out his oppression, and could haue made all stoope to him, no man would haue gone about to finde fault with him, yet he durst not for all that, his hart would not let him, for gods Iudgement was terrible in his eyes, and he could not be deliuered from his highnesse, and this was that, that kept him from doing wrong, though no man durst haue gone about to haue sought reuēge against him.
Secondly, the fear of God if it once throughly do possess the hart, will make one pliable and frameable to Gods will, though it be never so contrary to his nature, and former behaviour. As the example of Paul will show: for when God comes to him and smites him down off his horse, and fills his heart full of horrible fears and terrors, and strikes him down to the ground with them, and let him perceive a little the majesty ⟨p. 21⟩and power of God, and then after begins to reason the matter with him, and shows him that he is a persecutor of Christ Jesus, then he is presently quiet and saith, Lord what shall I do? That which all the preaching in the world could not do, nor all the miracles that he had seen and hard, that did this fear of God work in a short time, and did so effectually call him in that little space, as that he never turned back again. One might have thought; what would men say, if I should turn from persecuting to preaching, & of the sudden all at once go to be an Apostle, that was a persecutor? what will the high Priests say, from whom I have letters, they will say I am unconstant, & that I do them injury, and Paul might seem to have many reasons to keep him from preaching Christ so, all upon the sudden, but all is nothing now, no, no, the true fear of God casts of all objections, for it so surpriseth the lusts of the flesh, and makes the strength of sin so much to abate, as that one cares for nothing, nor regards nothing in all the world, so that God may be pleased, and he escape the anger of God.