A20559:202
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.
Fourthly, the word of God is abused & profaned, by turning it to charms and spells & all kind of sorcery, to cure such persons as be mispoken as they term it, and aired, as such ⟨p. 49⟩foolish terms they have, and to say the Lords prayer or some place of scripture, to find things that be lost, with many such wicked things, this a sinful perverting of Gods word. And whereas men commonly excuse themselves for this sin, because the words be not ill, yet let them know, that when one abuseth good words to a wrong end, they be evil words to him, and if the word of God be perverted to such an end, as he hath not appointed, they be the devils words to him that thus perverts them, and Satan is no less dangerous an enemy, when he comes like an angel of light, then if he appeared in his colours: and this charming God himself condemns, & in the law saith, that he will find out such persons. So that, both these charmers and those that go unto them be wicked abusers of Gods name, and either, they shall have no success in the thing they sought for, or if they have, it is a greater plague, for now they prosper in their sin, and their hart is made more hard & incurable. And thus the word of God is abused. Now the remedy against this abuse is, that we labour to apply Gods word to the right ends that he hath appointed; and if we will know these ends, we may see them, 2. Tim. 3. 16. The whole scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable to teach, to improve, to correct, and instruct in righteousness, that the man of God may be absolute, being made perfect unto all good works. Here he shows how we must employ the scriptures of God, and first generally he saith, they be profitable, showing in general, that the word of God must never be meddled withal, but for some profit, in all conferences wherein we bring in the word of God, and in all manner of using Gods word, this must be the closing and shutting up of all, that there be some good done, that some body be the better for, that some fruit be reaped; where profit is not the end, Gods word is not rightly applied. Then particularly he shows wherein this profit consists; first to teach, j. to enlighten the understanding, that one may get more knowledge, and his mind is thus bettered.
Fourthlie, the word of God is abused & profaned, by turning it to charmes and spels & all kinde of sorcerie, to cure such persons as be mispoken as they tearme it, and ayr'd, as such