A20559:272
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 God bids us keep the whole seventh day, for he would have us give as long a day to him as he hath given unto us; and if day contain day and night, when he saith, six days shalt thou labour, and we upon that permission and allowance of Gods, take it for granted, that in the night we may do what business we have to do, & when we be in bed may spend the time in ordering our private affairs, and pondering how to deal in such things as we have to deal in, by reason of our calling. I say, if we do this, and think as indeed it is true that he gives us the night and day both for our callings, why is it not so in the sabbath then, that he takes the seventh day & night to himself as well as he gives six to us. Therefore we must know that the Lords day must contain xxiiij. hours, and for want of this, we deprive our selves of those blessings which else we might have, because we undo that in the night that we did in the day, we did Gods work one part of his day, and that was well, but we take the remainder to our selves, & that is a fault.
Now God bids vs keepe the whole seauenth daye, for he would haue vs giue as long a day to him as hee hath giuen vnto vs; and if day containe day and night, when he saith, sixe dayes shalt thou labour, and we vpon that permission and allowance of Gods, take it for graunted, that in the night we may doe what businesse we haue to doe, & when we be in bed may spend the time in ordering our priuate affaires, and pondering how to deale in such things as we haue to deale in, by reason of our calling. I say, if we doe this, and think as indeede it is true that he giues vs the night and day both for our callings, why is it not so in the sabboth then, that he takes the seauenth day & night to himselfe as well as he giues sixe to vs. Therefore we must know that the Lords day must containe xxiiij. houres, and for want of this, we depriue our selues of those blessings which else we might haue, because we vndoe that in the night that we did in the day, we did Gods work one part of his day, and that was well, but we take the remainder to our selues, & that is a fault.
Thirdly, this teacheth us to do the duties of the Lords day upon his day. Now this sanctifying and keeping of it holy, consists in doing things either private or public. The private are these; After examination of our own harts, and finding out of our sinful ways, with repentance and sorrow for the same, to beseech God that he would prepare and fit our harts to profit by the public exercises of religion on the sabbath. And to entreat him that he would so direct the ministers mouth, is that he may speak to our harts, and say something that serves to kill our sin, and to comfort and build up our souls, that as he is appointed for a physician, so he would fit us with some medicine, as well as others, as saint Paul bids them