A20559:145
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 idol.
Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any idoll.
IN that God first forbids the making, then the worshipping of idols. The doctrine that we learn from hence is, that he that would avoid idolatry, must avoid idols, as in the corporal marriage, those that would avoid adultery, must avoid adulterers, so in the spiritual marriage those that will keep themselves from idolatry, must keep themselves from idols. Therefore the holy Ghost himself 1. John. 5. saith, Babes beware of Idols, meeting with a secret objection that might be made. Indeed I hate idolatry, but yet to have idols, to put me in mind of God, and to beautify the place, that I trust is no such peril? Yes it is, beware of idols, if you will be freed from idolatry, put away all provokements and inducements to it. Now of these idols some are more damnably blasphemous, & ⟨p. 32⟩most directly against this commandment, and those are such as are made to represent any of the three persons in Trinity, the Father, Son, or holy Ghost, and these what ever pretence or purpose one hath in setting them up, are simply evil. Therefore Deut. 4. 12. Moses shows the people, that when God came purposely to show his power near unto them, and to speak in their ears, yet he showed no image nor resemblance of himself, but only they heard a voice; and therefore in any case they should not go about to make any image to represent God unto them. So Isai. 40. 18. Whereunto will ye liken me? what similitude will ye make of me? There he shows the cause of making of images to resemble God, is because we cannot conceive of him, and his greatness so as we should, for if heaven and earth, and all things in heaven and earth be compared to him, they are not only nothing, but less then nothing, and therefore what thing can they find to set forth Gods Majesty, what comparison is betwixt a spiritual substance and a bodily, betwixt a thing infinite and finite, betwixt that that contains all things in himself, and that which is less then nothing. Therefore it is a blasphemous debasement of his Majesty, and lifts not up our harts unto him, but draws down our harts from him, to conceive carnally of him, as of those things which we see.