A20559:211
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.
Here is an hart fully possessed with the devil, or rather changed into a devil, that can find no other remedy when ⟨image 60⟩they are crossed & moved, but to dishonour God, as who should say, it is an ease & pleasure to their mind, when they can bring any foul disgrace unto his name, so much as in them lies. Hell gapes with open mouth for such hellish persons, and a most horrible & fearful damnation remains for such horrible and fearful sinners. But this may be an unspeakable comfort to poor christians, if God bear with such persons, with this furious mad beasts, that bite at his name, and seek to rend and tear his glory, how much more will he do to them that love him and reverence him, and desire to obey him; if God be so patient that for a while he will suffer men as it were to spit in his face in a chafe, then those that humbly cast themselves down at his feet shall find mercy. But let such persons, take heed how they presume often thus to cross God in their anger, in the thing that he most accounts of, for he will not long sit down by it, he will not still bear it, but he will arise in his anger, and plague them in their soul, and in that that is nearest unto them, if they set their tongues against heaven, heaven will send down thunderbolts of vengeance against them; & if one dash often against Christ, and will take no warning, at length Christ will fall upon them and grind them to powder. And thus much for idle and foolish swearing, as also beastlike and outrageous blaspheming.
Heere is an hart fully possessed with the diuell, or rather changed into a diuell, that can finde no other remedie vvhen ⟨image 60⟩they are crost & moued, but to dishonour God, as who should say, it is an ease & pleasure to their minde, when they can bring any foule disgrace vnto his name, so much as in them lies. Hell gapes with open mouth for such hellish persons, and a most horrible & fearefull damnation remaines for such horrible and fearefull sinners. But this may be an vnspeakable comfort to poore christians, if God beare with such persons, with this furious mad beasts, that bite at his name, and seeke to rend and teare his glory, how much more will he doe to them that loue him and reuerence him, and desire to obey him; if God be so patient that for a while he wil suffer men as it were to spit in his face in a chafe, then those that humbly cast themselues downe at his feet shall finde mercie. But let such persons, take heede how they presume often thus to crosse God in their anger, in the thing that he most accounts of, for he wil not long sit downe by it, he will not still beare it, but he will arise in his anger, and plague them in their soule, and in that that is neerest vnto them, if they set their tongues against heauen, heauen will send downe thunderbolts of vengeance against them; & if one dash often against Christ, and will take no warning, at length Christ will fall vpon them and grinde them to pouder. And thus much for idle and foolish swearing, as also beastlike and outragious blaspheming.