A20559:148
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.
Sith then Christ is both god & man, and the main thing that makes him Christ is his godhead, let us know that it is a wicked impiety to make an image of Christ, sith we can no way resemble that, that makes him Christ. But if we would see God, & see Christ, let us look one him, according as he hath revealed himself in his word, for so Christ is called the engraven form of his father, that as he which would know what is graven on the seal, need but look upon the wax, and there he shall see it: So he that would see God, let him look on Christ as he is set out to us in the word, and there he shall see his power his wisdom, his mercy, his truth, & all his properties. So much of ⟨p. 33⟩the first and most notorious kind of idols. Another kind of idol there is, not so presumptuously wicked, & in such an high degree of impiety, and that is to make an image or picture of gold or silver or wood, or any such matter, to be put in mind of God, & helped the better to worship and serve him. For this putting in mind, God hath showed what an idol will put one in mind of, and what an image will teach, Habak. 2. 18. What profiteth the image? the maker thereof hath made it an image, and a teacher of lies. He shows indeed that images be teachers, and as they call them lay mens books, but then he shows what lessons they teach, namely lies, and then in the next verse, he shows what one shall get by being a scholar of these teachers. viz. the curse of God: for so he ads, Woe unto him, that saith to the wood arise, and to the dumb stone arise, it shall teach thee, I but will some say, no man will be so foolish as to say to the stone arise: But indeed they do say so, for in that they kneel down to them, and knock their breasts before them, and creep unto them, all this implies that they hope to speed the better by that wood▪ or stone, and by that means to get themselves some good: and this is all one, as if they should say arise, awake and go. We would count him an absurd fellow that would say, I vvill go to yonder stone, and speak to it, and entreat it that at my request it would walk up and down a little;
Sith then Christ is both god & man, and the maine thing that makes him Christ is his godhead, let vs know that it is a wicked impietie to make an image of Christ, sith we can no way resemble that, that makes him Christ. But if we wold see God, & see Christ, let vs looke one him, according as hee hath reueald himselfe in his word, for so Christ is cald the engrauen forme of his father, that as he which would know what is grauen on the seale, neede but looke vpon the waxe, and there he shall see it: So he that would see God, let him looke on Christ as he is set out to vs in the word, and there hee shall see his power his wisdome, his mercy, his truth, & all his properties. So much of