A20559:182
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.
But now to return to the doctrine it self, whosoever loves God, must in this manner as hath been spoken keep the law of God. This is proved 1. John 5. 3. 4. This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. Is it so may one say? then that is a very hard piece of work, few can do that, nay saith he, his commandments are not grievous, for all that is borne of God over cometh the world, he shows that a christian so far as he is regenerate, he hath conquered the world, and then Gods commandments cease to be burdensome, for the things that make Gods commandments heavy unto us, is our worldliness and fleshly lusts which strive against the spirit, but when Gods spirit which regenerateth us, hath set down and over come those lusts, in that measure, Gods commandments are very easy & lightsome, & we shall with as much comfort and quietness obey them, as Adam in his innocency, when we are once truly converted, according to the measure of our conversion. It is a most tedious thing to a christian hart, to obey the devils commandment, but it is most joyous to follow Gods. As if it were permitted to a christian man, for the while, to steal, to lie, to commit adultery, and to break the sabbath, or such like, why, his soul would abhor it, and he would rather die ⟨image 50⟩then do these things: it would be such a vexation unto him, but now, to hear the word, to pray, to confer, to do works of mercy, and the rest of this kind, it is even a recreation and delightful sport for him to do them, for Gods commandments are pure and holy, and do delight the hart so far as it is pure and holy. So John. 14. 15. If ye love me keep my commandments, and I will pray the father, and he shall send you another comforter. As if he should say, he that loveth me best, and keeps my commandments most, shall have trouble and misery, but let not that trouble him, for he shall have my spirit which will comfort him and sustain him in all his miseries. But I do keep Gods commandments, and have a care to be obedient unto Christ, then Christ saith, verse 21. He that hath my commandments and keeps them, one must first have them afore he can keep them, have them in knowledge and understanding, have them in memory, have them in Judgement and affection, and then fall to keep them in action;
But now to returne to the doctrine it selfe, whosoeuer loues God, must in this manner as hath beene spoken keepe the lavv of God. This is proued