A20559:275
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.
Six days shalt thou labour &c.
Sixe daies shalt thou labour &c.
IN which words God shows a reason why we should obey this commandment. God hath given a man six days for the duties of his calling, but on this condition that he shall contrive all his works so within the compass of the six days, so that he let none remain till the seventh, nor reserve any outward thing to trouble him from the service of God, on the sabbath. From this equity God draws a reason to move every one of us to keep the sabbath. From this we may gather that Gods commandments are equal, as he saith in Ezek. 18. 25. God deals with those that charge his laws of unjustice, and shows that his ways be all together equal, & the ways of man be unequal. So 1. John 5. he saith, that the commandments of God are easy, indeed to many they be most tedious and heavy, but this is not from any unequalnesse in the law, but from the naughtiness of the men, that have carnal harts, and worldly minds, for if one have overcome the world and grown any thing spiritual, so far Gods commandments are lightsome, the spiritual hart feeds upon the spiritual law, and delights and rejoiceth in it. This must serve therefore to cut off those dangers that men cast to themselves in keeping of this commandment, as though God had overshot himself in making such an unjust law, as no man can keep it, but he must be undone by it, as though he knew ⟨p. 75⟩not what he did when he bad them rest the sabbath day. It is a marvellous impudency in many that no man durst speak so hardly and presumptuously against any positive law of the prince, as every base person will speak against this law of God. Oh it is impossible to keep it, such losses it brings, and these damages it brings, that he must needs come to beggary that will observe it: what did God seek the impoverishing, and the spoil of men, when he bad them serve him? nay he appointed it as a day of blessing: and it seems so hard and unjust to them, because they be carnal, and fleshly, and not having faith in Gods promises, nor any desire to obey him, they will still have shifts, and something to say against it, the hart is dead and wicked, or else the law would bring comfort. Oh how should one do for recreation, say some? is it not a recreation for a christian to hear the voice of a christian, and for a sheep of Christ to feed in his pastures?