A20559:135
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.
Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven. &c.
Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image, nor the likenesse of any thing that is in heauen. &c.
IN all which commandment is showed by what outward means we must worship God, namely, not after the inventions of flesh and blood, but after the commandment of his holy word. The commandment contains a prohibition, in these words, Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image, nor the likeness of any thing in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth, thou shalt not bow to them, nor worship them. These words contain the prohibition, forbidding us to have any Images to represent God, or to help us in his worship, or to have any superstitious or will worship, thereby to please him the better. The reasons ratifying the prohibition, ⟨p. 29⟩are two, one drawn from the vengeance of God against Idolaters and superstitious persons, in these words, For I the Lord thy God am a Jealous God, visiting the sins of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. Showing Gods power in that he is Jehovah, and a strong God, as the word signifieth, and his will that he is a jealous God: the similitude is taken from a jealous husband that can abide no light behaviour of his wife, but he will be revenged on it. So God cannot endure that any one that is his should once look to Images, or superstition, for if any do, as by reason of his strength, he is able, so he is willing also to revenge it on the sons, and sons sons, to the fourth generation of such as do it.
IN all which commandement is shewed by what outward meanes we must worship God, namely, not after the inuentions of flesh and bloud, but after the commandement of his holy word. The commandement containes a prohibition, in these words, Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image, nor the likenesse of any thing in heauen aboue, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters vnder the earth, thou shalt not bow to them, nor worship them. These words containe the prohibition, forbidding vs to haue any Images to represent God, or to help vs in his worship, or to haue any superstitious or will worship, therby to please him the better. The reasons ratifieng the prohibition,