A20559:442
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.
The common duties which mutually belong to them both, are to pray one for another, and to give thanks one for another. That the minister ought to pray for the people, the continual example and practise of Paul almost in all his Epistles doth declare, as to the Philip. Coloss. Thess. for whom (he writes) that he gives thanks to God, and prays day and night for their increase ⟨image 124⟩in all good graces. By Pauls example, then ministers must learn to pray to God in secret, for the flock committed to their charge, that God would pardon all their sins, and heal their natures, and make his doctrine effectual, to work grace and salvation in their hearts. And then if God have heard his prayer, and blessed his preaching to convert the hearts of his people, & to save their souls, he must not let this slip, but mark and observe and return thanks unto God for it.
The common duties which mutually belong to them both, are to pray one for another, and to giue thanks one for another. That the minister ought to pray for the people, the continual example and practise of Paule almost in all his Epistles doth declare, as to the Philip. Coloss. Thess. for whom (he writes) that he giues thanks to God, and praies day and night for their encrease ⟨image 124⟩in all good graces. By Paules example, then ministers must learne to pray to God in secret, for the flocke committed to their charge, that God would pardon all their sinnes, and heale their natures, and make his doctrine effectuall, to worke grace and saluation in their hearts. And then if God haue heard his prayer, and blessed his preaching to conuert the hearts of his people, & to saue their soules, he must not let this slip, but marke and obserue and returne thanks vnto God for it.
So 1. Sam. 12. 23. The people being affrighted with Gods fearful sign and seeing their sins, then they come unto Samuel the prophet of God, (as commonly it is the practise of men in time of prosperity to set light by the minister, and not to regard him at all, but in time of adversity where misery pincheth, it is often seen, that men will send for him and be content to hear him and crave his direction) so in affliction they come to Samuel, and earnestly desired him to pray for them. Then his answer is, God forbid that I should sin against God, and cease praying for you: showing that it is a great sin against God in the ministers if he be not frequent in prayer for his people. So that though the minister study diligently, preach painfully, and walk religiously, in all good conscience; yet if he do not pray to God, and beseech him earnestly to amend those faults that he sees in them, and to convert their souls unto him, and do not also give thanks when he perceives any good thing wrought in them, and pray for the continuance and increase of it, he doth sin against God, and fail in a special duty that he owes to his charge. For all planting and watering is in vain, unless God give the increase. And how can he respect any blessing of God, unless he do both often and earnestly seek for it, and render most hearty thanks for it as he finds it granted?