A20559:565
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 third outward breach of this commandment follows. And that is uncleanness which is either unnatural or natural; unnatural, as Sodomy practised of the Sodomites, condemned Rom. 1. when man with man works wickedness, woman with woman commits villainy, or else that beastly sin, when the seed of man is mixed with the seed of a beast. These nature abhors and they be commonly punishments of some other wickedness, and follow a very profane and dead heart, & are worse then dulterie. The natural uncleanness is either alone, one by himself may defile his own body in most filthy sort, which though it be more secret from man, yet it is most abominable before God, and often God brings it to light by punishing those which have used it with tears of conscience, and horrible fears in their mind, or else with frenzy and franticness. These punishments have often fell on the practisers of this secret sin, and then all goes abroad, then they lay open, and vomit out all their own shame, and however they seemed chaste and pure before, yet now their filthiness is brought to light. Also an other kind of natural uncleanness is between married people, either in their entrance into marriage, or else in their proceeding and use of marriage. The uncleanness in the entrance is either if one marry an other of a contrary religion; as a professor, and a Christian to wed an Atheist or a Papist; their whole life so led till repentance and conversion, is unclean in the eyes of God, for their marriage was not lawful before God, and therefore in Ezra; these that had so married were constrained by God to put away both their wives and children as illegitimate. Also if those marry together that be within the degrees of consanguinity or affinity forbidden, they may cloak and shift as long as they will, but they shall never shift of the account and estimation of being unclean persons before God, sith they marry without the warrant, yea contrary to the commandment of God. Also those that marry without consent ⟨p. 57⟩of parents, their marriage is lawful, and life unclean, till they be reconciled to God by repentance, and their parents by submission. These be in the entrance and taking the estate of marriage. In the use of it uncleanness is committed.
The third outward breach of this commaundement followes. And that is vncleannesse which is eyther vnnaturall or naturall; vnnaturall, as Sodomie practised of the Sodomites, condemned