A20559:604
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.
And where as you say, it will do you good, and help you, that is not true, it will hinder you rather and brings a further curse on you then afore. I but what course would you have a man take? the world hath forsaken me, I have no friend to help me, what would you have me do? what? why rather any thing then this. Have men forsaken you, and will you make God forsake you to? you can have no help in the world, and will you therefore shut up heaven against your selves to? if one were helpless and friendless here and knew not which way to turn himself for relief & succour, yet if he could turn to god and run to heaven, & have hearing there & comfort from thence, that God did hear his prayers and give peace unto his soul, his case is good, and he is well so long. But now when one is quite out of hope among men, and destitute of all outward comfort, then for him to make God his utter foe, and fill him self with inward evils and griefs to, this is a fair mending of the matter indeed, this is a wise kind of help.
And where as you say, it will doe you good, and helpe you, that is not true, it will hinder you rather and brings a further curse on you then afore. I but what course would you haue a man take? the world hath forsaken me, I haue no freind to helpe me, what would you haue me doe? what? why rather any thing then this. Haue men forsaken you, and will you make God forsake you to? you can haue no helpe in the world, and will you therefore shut vp heauen against your selues to? if one were helplesse and freindlesse here and knewe not which way to turne himselfe for releefe & succor, yet if he could turne to god and run to heauen, & haue hearing there & cōfort from thence, that God did heare his prayers and giue peace vnto his soule, his case is good, and he is well so long. But nowe when one is quite out of hope among men, and destitute of all outward comfort, then for him to make God his vtter foe, and fill him selfe with inwarde euils and greefes to, this is a faire mending of the matter indeede, this is a wise kinde of helpe.
Therefore above all, then a man had most need to keep peace and league with God when the world hath cast him of, and if God doth chastise him with want, it were a far better course to repent, and entreat God to help him, and turn away his heavy hand, then to add more to his sin, and so cause God, to add more strokes and corrections, to those that he hath already laid upon him. So that whether the thing be little or great, what ever a mans estate be, or who ever he be whom he wrongs, he must always take heed of this