A20559:615
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 right use of our own is seen in frugality and liberality. Frugality that stands in getting and keeping: getting things must be by some faithful labour in an honest calling, and by ⟨p. 75⟩honest dealing in the calling: As Ephes. 4. 28. Let him that stole, steal no more, but labour with his hands that thing that is good. To thievery which is a breach of this commandment, and idleness which is a kind of theft, he opposeth labour, and the keeping of the commandment, but then he shows what kind of labour it must be, namely in the thing good, in some lawful and christian calling. For many labour all day, and all night, but that is in dicing and carding, and gaming, and unthriftiness which will neither make them have an heart to do good, nor ability to do good, but brings a curse upon heart and estate, the one is wicked, and the other commonly weak as is to be seen in stage players and such like that draw the people away to vanity, which take pains indeed, but is is no profitable pains, and therefore it brings no profit, either to their soul or body, but brings them an hard heart and a wicked hand, and a miserable estate, that of all men they are the most profane and lewd. Therefore as a man must not be idle, for an idle man cannot be an honest man, so this must always be provided, that, he labour in an honest and lawful thing else one may toil and spend his body in toiling, and be never a whit the honester man, if he serve not God, but serve his lust and filthy flesh. Esau could take pains, and that eagerly till he was almost dead with labour, but it was in hunting, in following his foolish sport, in this he would spend himself, for he saith, I am almost dead, and he was so faint that he would sell his birth right for a mess of pottage to refresh him, all this while he was as bad as idle, because he was ill occupied, and and this was a cursed labour. For God would have one labour in such a calling as should humble his flesh, and pull down and tame his pride, and make him fit for death, and as would bring some increase unto his outward estate, and better him in his wealth, so that he might have where-withal to show mercy as have a merciful affection. This God hath appointed, and these will be the effects of a godly labour.
The right vse of our owne is seene in frugalitie and liberalitie. Frugalitie that stands in getting and keeping: getting things must be by some faithfull labour in an honest calling, and by