4d8 Cháp.3, lu what cdfes it is Idz»fiul to flied blóud: Corn; cifion or cuttingoffthe member ;-and in curing ofTome difeafes of the eyes, the fight muff be as it were clofedup for fotne days, and the eyecovered that it cannot fee, that fo the fight may bepreferved , and the eye may fee better afterward. So here the fhedding of nocent bloud by Kings, and thofe that have Authority from them ( for to Inch and none elfe hath God given the fword ofJuflice ) is the way to prevent the {bedding of ihnocent bloud. In the beginning Government was eftablifht upon thisground, Optahilms eft ti- mere unum von; multas, it is better to fear one than many ; and therefore more fit it was for one to have power tokill, than for allto have this power. And he that bath this powermay lawfully ufe it, and cut off force thereby to preferve the whole body. For as in the natural body, if any member become fo infeéted, as that with- out cutting it off, the whole body will be endangered,(as in the cafeofa Gangrene) the rule is, melba eft utpereat units, quam unitot, better to cut off that member, than the whole body perifh ; fo it is in the Civil Body , better one offender be cut off than thewhole Land endangered. And as in a common fire, when onehoufe is on fire, if water will not quench it, the bell way to prevent the ref{ from taking fire is by pullbag it down ; Extinguit incendiism ruina, by the ruinof that they flay the fire from doing moreharm : fo in the Civil State they flay further mifchiefby one mans ruin. And therefore God commands, Tollere homicidam, ut malum tollatur ex Deut. 19. 19. Ifi'aele, to take away the man-Nye? that evil may be taken awayfrom Ifrael. And this malum to be taken away is two-fold. r. The wrathofGod againft the whole Land, which is defiled fo long as inno- cent bloud is fhed and not punifhed. 2. Liberty of offending further, ( which arifes by impunity,) by doing juflice on the offender,is prevented : for, as God faith, shoji that remain, Jbali bear andfear 20. andJhall henceforth commit no morefucb evil. Thus we fee that bloud may be fhed without pollution of our hands, nay it is fo far from that, that Mofes calleth it Confecrating themfelves to put Tome to death by lawful Authority ; fo that Tam necet eft hemlines habere qui ascent adios ab invafionibus, quam oeulia babere palpebras, it is as neceffary to have men to keep others from exorbitancies, as for the eyes to have lids, for they keep out out- ward injuries, and that which would hurt the eyes ; yea they keep and preferve the fight from hurting itfelf, which without eye-lids would difperfe itfelf with Plains rot air, continual beholding the Obied. Therefore the Prophet David faith, that it fhould be his common exercife every morning to scut off all the wicked from the City of the Lord. This is or should be the fiudy of the wife King, as Solomon faith , how to feaster thewicked, and to make the wheel to go over them. It was found at first Prov. 20. 26. when Magifiracy was eflablifht, that Gains City was the caufe ofSerbs,. and that e- vemamongft the feed of Seth , were force of Gains fpirit, which were to be re- Ezek; 34. 18, llrain'd with the fword, or elfe they would like the Rams and Hee-goats in Eze a1. kiel, pup ft at the leanPeep withtheir horns: and therefore that blond may be fhed to prevent the fhedding ofbloud, is evident ; for be that (heddeth mans blond, byman Pallbit blondbe Ihed, and be that taketh the fword pall porifb by the fword. Now it is properly God and not man that fheds the bloud of wicked perlons , for he is minifter Dei, the minifter of God, to whom God bath given the fword, and he mull not bear it in vain. Nowas we do not impute the death ofa man (lain to the fword, but tohim that ftriketh withit ; fo mull not we impute the death ofa Malefa6 or to the judge or King, but to God, wholeminder he is. For, nod organon eft utenti, idminifter eft jubenti, the Minifler is no more to him that commands than the inftru- mene to him that ufeth it. Now jubens eft Deus, the Commander is God , for as we look not at the fword, foneither muff we to man the Minifter , but to God, whole Delegates Princes are, when they cut offevil-doers. Now as the Sheriff may not execute any man, but , ex prafcriptoprinciple by warrant of the KingsWrit; fo may not the Prince or Magiffraredo any thing in this behalf; but ex preferipto Dei, by warrant of Gods Writ ; and his prefcript is only Exod. 23. 7 againft Malefaeeors. The MalefaElor mull die by Gods command, but the inno- r Sam.as.a9.eent and righteous flay thou not : his foul mutt be bound in the bundle of life. He mull not go beyond his prefctipt or bounds in either cafe. For be that juffifieth the
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