A20559:191
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.
now the devil & his limbs will exult & brag, now they sharpen and whet their tongues, the religion of Christ shall be blasphemed, the professors of religion taunted, every one shall have this laid in his dish that desires to be a christian, and the name of God, and the spirit of God shall not escape without some blot of reproach: ho say they, these be your professors, these be these holy men that be so full of the spirit, these be they that will be the holy saints of God, these be they that run to sermons and carry bibles, these be the fruits of their profession, you may see what godly men they be, I warrant you they be all alike, never a barrel better herring, you may see by one what be the rest. Thus we see what a great stain religion ⟨p. 54⟩hath among men, by the name of those that be hypocritically religious, and live ungodly lie, with-out the power of it, how they fill wicked mens mouths full of slander, & give their malicious harts matter to set it self a work against God, and Godly men, and this was the sin of Ophni and Phinehas, they should have been the Lords high priests, have given such good exhortations, & have showed such grace in their conversation, as that all men might have delighted to come into the place of Gods worship, and to serve him, according to the law, but they were so wicked and so ungodly, and so full of filthiness, that the service of God by their means, was made hateful, odious, and loathsome. Sith then this is such an high taking of gods name in vain, to be a bramble in gods vineyard. This serves for the confuting of those men, that think if they can keep their tongues from swearing and forswearing, then they be never a whit guilty of the breach of the third commandment, if no man can charge them with an oath or perjury, they think they need not repent for taking Gods name in vain. Not so, but let them know, that by an ill life, by walking and conversing after a sinful manner, they may profane Gods name more, hurt religion more, and bring more grief into the harts, & shame into the faces of professors, then an other by a thousand rash oaths; yea, by gross and open perjury.
now the diuel & his lims will exult & brag, now they sharpen and whet their tongues, the religion of Christ shalbe blasphemed, the professours of religion taunted, euerie one shall haue this layde in his dish that desires to be a christian, and the name of God, and the spirit of God shall not escape without some blot of reproch: ho say they, these be your professors, these be these holy men that be so full of the spirit, these be they that will be the holy saints of God, these be they that runne to sermons and carry bibles, these be the fruits of their profession, you may see what godly men they be, I warrant you they be all alike, neuer a barrell better herring, you may see by one what be the rest. Thus we see what a great staine religion