A20559:518
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.
This is therefore to deface Gods image and as it were to raze the princes picture and broad seal, yea this thing is so hateful unto God that if a beast slay a man, he must be slain and his flesh must not be eaten. Now if God will have the beast stoned which hath slain a man though he have neither law nor reason to restrain him, much more those worse than beasts, that having Gods commandment and reafō to hold them back, yet by all these bars cannot be kept in from violating the image ⟨image 142⟩of God and the soul of man. Besides they have seen how ill murderers have sped; as Cain what a curse, what a brand did God set upon him that he was always a runagate and vagabond and could find no rest upon the earth? And in Numb. 35. It is said that the land is polluted and cannot be made pure but by the death of him that was the murderer. Now this is so much the more vile by how much those be nearer bound in any link or bond to him that doth this wrong. As a brother the brother, the child the father, the wife the husband or such like, which makes the sin a great deal more heinous and odious. But most monstrous and most indigne of all is it for one to lay violent hands upon himself, to whom he is bound by all bands. For though one be near to father and mother &c. yet his self his own person is most dear to himself and he ought to have most care of himself; therefore to rend his own soul and body a sunder is most horrible and breaks most bonds of God and nature. And this no beast will do; Sometimes they will tear and gore one an other, but no beast was ever in such extremity of pain or in such misery as that he would rage against himself and seek to deprive himself of life. And this is noted of heinous persons, as of Judas and Ahithophel who were first violent and barbarous to others, and then at length they turned the point of cruelty upon themselves.
This is therefore to deface Gods image and as it were to rase the princes picture and broad seale, yea this thing is so hatefull vnto God that if a beast slay a man, he must be slaine and his flesh must not be eaten. Now if God will haue the beast stoned which hath slaine a man though he haue neither lawe nor reason to restraine him, much more those worse thē beasts, that hauing Gods cōmandement and reafō to hold them backe, yet by al these bars cannot be kept in from violating the image ⟨image 142⟩