Com.6: 4T6 = Chap.5. Ofthe fp rit;tal lt?srther o f the Soul, 2. Though one have not the charge of Souls, yet as a private perfon hemay be guilty of the fpiritual death ofanothers Soul, ifeither by counfel, or otherwife, di- ac, or faeta, by word or deed, by example, &c. he caufe his Brother to fall; as Peter matdt.16.2ä. by his counfel was a fiandal toChrilt, and would have prevented his fuffering { if Chrilt could have been diíf'waded ) and fo the great work ofmans Redemption had been hindred. So the fame Apoftle by hisexample gave offence, and mifliked the Gal. a. 13. Jews and Barnabac. The like did they whom Saint Paul reproveth who by their, examples induced others, weak perfons, toeat of things facrificed to Idols, with 'Can 8.la, doubting confciences.Let all filch as prove fcandalsto others , remember that wo denounced by our Saviour ; That it bad beenbetter for them that a milftcne were Matd1 :` i8.6. hanged about their necks, and that they were thrown into the fea. And in the cafeof the Soulsmurther, a man may be acceffory to the deathof his ownSoul ; as he may to the murther of his Body. 1. By negleEting the means of his Salvation : for all mull not lie on the Minifter, Phil. z. 12. we have OUT parts too. Workout your. _ownfalvation, faith the Apoftle, with fear and trembling. Ifwe negleEt ir, we areacceffory to our own perdition.. 3.19. 2. By Peeking alter worldly things too much. The fame Apoftle tells us in the next Chapter that they that mind earthly things inordinately , end in De- ftruEtion. Ephef. 4. 19. 3. Bygiving bimfelf over to in, . withoutfenfe; and workng uncleanneJt with greedi, Het); .16. a. nefi, and makeno confcienceof finning. 12. 17. 4. By deferring Repentancefrom time totime,till he find no place for ir; it was Efan's cafe; and it is the Mafler_piece of the Devil, where heworketh this negleEt. Saint Gregorydefcribeth it excellently, Cumin gravi peccato mifer homo labitur, fua- elet ei diaboltone pnitat, ne confrteatur, peccatum leve ac modicum in cordeaffirmat In bonal. mifirieordiampr edicat ; longum vitxfpatiumpromittit ; pehmanere in peccatofuggerit : ut ftc in contemptum Dei,' & defperationem fui inducat & pereat. Whena wretched man falls into grievous fin; the Devil diffwades him from Repentance, fromcould- fing his fin ; then tells him it is afmall fin, then preacheth Mercyto him, and promi- feth him long life, and urgeth him to continue in his fin, till at Taft he bringshim in- toGods difpleafure and defperation with himfelf, and fo he perifheth. And this is by deferring Repentance. 3. The thirdRule for expounding the Law, is, that it reaches to the heart, for Gods Law is fpiritual; and fo thisLaw reachethnot only to outward Murther, in regard ofthe aEl, butto Murther in the, heart. The Pharifees counted it not mur- thee, unlefs bloud were fhed, and the life taken away ; but Chrift teacheth us, that 4atth. 5.22; the Law goes further ; it refirainsnot only the arm, and the blow that is given, but the $rfl motions and defires of the heart. If any hate a man in his heart, or be an- gry without a caufe, he isguilty of the breach ofthis Commandment : for the out- ward aEts doneor committed, whereby any is murthered, are nothing elfe but fru- ileb. la. 15. Elue ine,the fruitsof unjuft anger,which is thatroot ofbitterneft from whence all out- wardads fpring, and this root mull be plucked up; and therefore he pronounceth Mate,. 15.19. plainly, that out ofthe heartproceedeth murtbert,&c. Thofe that reftrain only the out- ward aet, are like thofe that' apply Plaifters to the Armour or Weapon, which will never cure the wound. The reaforr given by God himfelf, why Man-killing is not fometimes capital, is, becaufe he that killed his brother, did not hate him before; whereas he that hated his brother, and flew him, was to die without mercy, andnot to have any benefit of SanEtuary. And this briefly for the thirdRule. CHAP,
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