Sermon in tbe t9ktount. 1 --~L Mofeslsw oflikcfor likccxpoun# d<d. God rcncucd in vsJin.righcc~ufi1es; & true ho... lines, which ,was loH in .Adam, that io the dc– uills image,in tinne aad wickcdncs,may be de– faced. Thirdly, this mull: caufe vs to make no account ofany worldly' thing, tlut p~rraincth to vs;but all our ioy mutt be in Chrift, he mu!l: ilc our wi.fdom,and rightcou!i1cs,Our riches, & all things elfc, bccautC by him wr; arc r.enucd from the deuilslikt ncs tQ the image ofGod. v. ;8. Te haue heard that it hathbeenefoid, an.eyefor.an ve,a toothfor atooth,&t.' Here Chrift returns to the comrn:mdcmcnts ofthe fccond TableJ intending~d-rcllot·c the fame to their proper !On le, and withall to cbn– futc the erroneous interpretation thercof,giuC by the Icwilh Teachers, And fir{\, h'i!<mnmcth to a,pa.rticulat Iudiciall law of Mop!, pertai– ning to the1 lixt commandemcm, touchirtg the Requd4/l.of li'<ffor li~r· hl·which,as in the for– mcr,hc firfifccs down thewor~\s ofthehw of Mofu,bur yet to be vnd~rllood,wirh the crro• neous·intetprctatiofi bf the Scrib~es antlJPhari.. licsJ v. 38. thcn,he giucs c~c right fcnfe Ofthat law, and l>iithall confu'tcfh' rhe talfc :ntcrpreta– tion ofthclcwilh tc#chcrs, V.J9·40·4', Forchc fitll, the words of Mofts·law here fctdownc,.An e;e forAne;e, a»d Mouth ford tooth, areWrittcl), Exod. 21. 24• whcrtto,as to the formcr,<::hri!l)>refixcth this prtface,ft h!trh luene foid~ thereby 'giuing vs to Vnd~dl'and, that·he is about to laic downe the lawdf God in the-falfc fcnfe ofrhc Icwi!h Teachcrs;fo,.he better pcrcciuing whcceof, we muA: obferuc the true meaning c;>f that law: .A, ey_e for an Dcuto~,.d. ele,andatoothfor A ttJoth: wherein the Lotd rc'luireth,rcquital oflikc for likc,not by,ell cry pnuatc man,but bythe publicke Magillme.A' if a man did put out his neighbours eye, then the Magil\ratc !hould pu~ our his eye; & lltike out hts tCcth, that !hikes out his 'neighbours ~cc~~l: this appeares to be fo, bccau{e•rcuepgc IS d}reillj for6idden ro euc17_ priuat~p~rfon, and plamcly appropriatc'th to the Iudgc, Dcut. 19. 18. 19, 11. Bur rhe Jcwi'th Teachcr.s expoun– ded this law of pnuate rcucngc; aS though God bad faid to cuerypriuare ma,lfrhy neigh– bour pluckc out thine eyc,pluck olit his again; and if he•llrikc outthy tooth, 1\rikc thou out his tooth: this is the falfc.intcrprctation ofthe lc~cs, £l!<!ft. How could they fo farrc oucr– !hootc themfelues in fo dearc~ a cafe, ft-cing in all the bboks of Mofes, it is plaincly referred to the Magil\rate? .Anfw. There may be two reaCons giuen thereof: Firfi-,it is a natmall opi– nion, char a man may rcucngc himfelfc in his ownc c~ufc priuatcly,and not waite for rccom– pcnce ofthe ~{agiA:ratc; and anfwerablc here. unto,thcre is amiglny flrong defire ofreuengc in cuery mans heart by nature, when he 'is iniu– ' ried: now it is like,that thcfc !ewes followed ---- ~-~heir corrupt natur~, and hcadie affections, in A · the interpretation of this Ia\V.Again,the.le~~j ... i Wt people v;erc mightily giucn to rcuenge, by ! their narurall tiifpofition, as .may ap p:a1c by th~: lavvofthe Cirie·s ofRcfugc, and by men ti:. l ?ning ofthe Rcuenger ofblood:which plainly / 11nporrs, that the lc'.\'CS would haue blood o.– gainc ofhim that fhcd blood,whercfoeucr they / met with him. Nov.,• rhe Icwil11 Teachers fra- J med their doChinc .m the cOlJlltlOn cli!pofitio.n 1 and bchauiour oftheir people, and fo fallificd I the trutl.t ofGQd,as_many t,iplCs It falls out,th:r f the commonptaCbtc of men makes finne to fecme no finne. . J "-• I ·' fn the perf6 pft)lcfc hwlfh !cachct9,WC may , . Ccc thepolicie ofthe deuil:whofc intent is,and ' ;.~~·.J;ri:l"" b,ath,becne i{\all ages, tO ouerturnc tCligion 1' rt~g,on tu"" 8 ~pd tO this end~, hee c,ndcatwurS to caufe men :1;;r~ni~~~}1 to_tcmpcr religip.n_;o thcit.11arur:.m dilpolltion pohcko and common opinion iri o~twnr4 manners· '\~ereby hec pucrtumc;th both religion and people. This app.catcs m other points amopg t.h:elc,i\'ts, as- wcU as in this cafe of rCucngc.: T!l'efwcre avropl~ glucn mUch ,'to COHC'toul: Q~lfc, •s m•y !'ppqrc by t\)_claw of toleration for takingvfuryofllrangers,and·by their ha~;d... •\elfe-of hca.o, fn~\nuch rcprd0 c,d by all the Prophcrs.Now the Deuil percciuing this (\\~e their natural difpofition,makes Gods dd~~c offa:IUation,fccmc to thema doChine of earth– ly benefits; for hce <aufed the"i to drcam~·,if an earthly Ki11g forl their Mdlias, and of an ear:chly flour\01ing kingdome vndcr him,,Thu s alfo'hath the dcuill dealt -with other heathen C people: The Romans in Italic hauc becnc cucr grofly addiCled to !i1pcrlliti011; [orectic, an!l idolatrie, as hc:tthcn writers dOctdlific. Now ·==~ , ·~ j though God vputhfafcd rhcm his true Rcligi• on, in the Primiriuc Church, yet the deuil per~ cguing their naturall difpofi.tion to fupcriHtion, hath fo teanpercd the truth of God among them, " 'ith a naturall and fupcrfl:il:ior.~s religion char now they abound as mu·ch in idola-.:. .tric and fupcdHtion; as ·eucr they did when they were heathen, The like malitiouspra<ftif~ doth the dcuill !hew among the 'Proteftan!sJ where the Golpcl.is trulyprcachcd;for though he cannot(as he dchrcs)corrupt religion in the r:~~~~l p~o.mouth{:s of the Teachers ; yet he w~akcns it greatly in the he:JttS of men, both Teachers D and hearers, caufing them fo f~nc forzh oncly 1 to rccciuc it,as it i~ futablc t,b their nature & di– fpolition! but whCrc it cro{fcch.rhcir hurnm:~,. there to }cauc it. Is not tbi.'i cuidcnt?fos he that canbraccth the truth with his heart, wiil frame r his life according to it;but generally the enter- · tainmcm ofreligion is only formal :for though I men profc{fc it,yet they liUc in their finnes,thcy mJ.ke it to ium~1c "\'ith their na.tural difpolitionJ hauihg indeed atl':cw ofgodlincs,but they wit , the PC'I'''cr thereof; and fo in them religion isVainc,Iam.r.z6."\..Vhcrcby \\'C mufi be aducr.. nfcd, to take hccde ofthis policic ofthe dellil: and whcrc:ls ht htbours to tr:msformc religion to n1ens difpofitiohs:, we on the comrarie ffiull: H 3 md~-
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