A20559:468
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.
in Gifts. Or Age.
in Giftes. Or Age.
The duties of those that are inferior to others in gifts, is first to acknowledge it, and reverence them for their gifts. If God bestowed upon any one more godliness, more wisdom, more discretion or understanding, though he have no authority, ⟨p. 32⟩yet, he hath an excellency & superiority above those which have not equal gifts; and this they must acknowledge to Gods glory, and reverence him that God hath honoured. Else they clip the Lords coin, and deface his image, if whom God hath graced with the spirit of wisdom and counsel, with grace and power over their affections, and such like; they by obscuring them, so far as they can, hinder the glory of God, and the good fruit that might come by them. They must then with reverence be acknowledged. And thus the woman of Canaan that at first rested with Christ, at length perceiving his gifts, acknowledgeth him to be a Prophet (for so far only she saw then,) and deals more reverently with him. And Nebuchadnezzar seeing that Daniel was endued with wisdom and knowledge from God to expound dreams, more then he or any of his nobles, doth confess this, and reverence him for it. But contrary is their practise, which through envy & pride, set themselves to deprave or to lessen other mens grace, & think no gifts worth looking after but their own, and judge all men fools besides themselves. Yet they think it a duty that other men should acknowledge their outward gifts, as wealth and such like, and reverence them for it, as indeed they ought with a civil reverence for peace sake, but no man is bound to think better of them for their wealth sake; and why then do not they themselves confess the inward gifts bestowed upon others which are much more excellent?
The duties of those that are inferiour to others in gifts, is first to acknowledge it, and reuerence them for their gifts. If God bestowed vpon any one more godlinesse, more wisedom, more discretion or vnderstanding, though he haue no authoritie, ⟨p. 32⟩