The Caufes of Murder. CHAP. Vllf. .Adl>ice againft Murder. 1• J, THough Murder be .' Gn which humane nat.ure and intmjl do fo powerfully rife up againfi that one would think bc:fides the Lsws ot_ N~tur~, •nd the fear_ of temporal punijhment, .there (hould need no other argument agam11 H ; And though lt be a fin which is not frequently committui except by Souldiers, yet becaufe mans conuprep·heart is lyable to it, and becaufe oHt fin of fuch a htynJIH nature, m•y be more mifchievous than many fmall infirmities, I !hall not wholly pafs by this Gn, which fa11s in order her< before me. I lh•ll give men no orher ad– v;ce againfi it. than only to open to them, •· The Caufcs, and >• The Greatnds, and 3. The Confe– quenrs of the Gn. 9· 2. J. The Cau[<rof Murder are either the Nemjl, or the more'raJical and remote. Theopen– ing of the Nurejf fort of Cau{e1, will be but to tell you, how many wayes of murdering the World is ufed to ! And when you know the Caufe, the contrary to it is the p1cvcntion ; Avoid thole Canfes and you avoid the fin, ~· 3• x. The gremjl Caufe nf the cm<llefi murders, is unlawful R>arr : A\1 that a man ki11eth in an ·unlawful war, hemurdneth : And a\1 that the Army kil\erh, he that fetreth them a work by Comm1nd or Cnunfel is guilty of himfclf. And therefore how dr_eadful~ a thing is an unrighteous war ? and how much h"ve men need to look abo\1t them 1 atid try every other lawful way, and {Uff,r long, before they venture upon war. It is the ~~ill and glory of aSouldier when he can kill more than other men. Ht lludyerh it; he m1kerh it the matter of his grcatd\: care and valour and endeavour : He goeth through very great difficulties to 'accomplilh it: This is not like a fudden or involuntary act. Thieves and Robbers kill fingle pcrfons; but Souldicrs murder thoufands at a time: And becaufe there is none at prefenr to judge thtm forir, they walh their hands as if they were innocent, and fleep as quietly as it,the avenger of blood would never come. 0 what Dev11s are thofeCounfellers and in– cendiaries to Princes ard Sratcs, who fiir them up to unlawful wars! 9· 4• 2• Anmher Caufe and way of lt'lurdtr, is by the Pride and tyranny of mm in power. When they do it eafily 1 hecaufe they con do. it. Wh(n their WiD and lnttrtjl is their Rule, and their Paffim fecmeth a lufficient warrant for their injufticc. lr is not only Ncro>s, 'l'iheri!u's, Domitia11's, &c. that are guilty of this crying crime ; but 0 wha1 t man that carerh for his foul, had nor tarhcr be tor– mented a thoufand years, than have the blood-guiltinefsof a famous applauded Aiexandtr, or Ce[ar, Or Tamerlane, to anfwcr for l So dangerous a thtng iris to have Power to do milchief, that Vriah may fall by a Davidr guilt, and CriJPIHmay bl killed by his father Con(!antine. 0 what abundance of horrid murders do the hifiorics of almoft all Empires and K;ngdoms of the World al!:>rd us ! The maps of the.affairs of Greeks and Romans, of Tanarians, Turks, Ruffio~ns, Germans, of Heathens and Infidels, of Papifis, and too many Piotdhnts ah dra'wn our with too many purple lin(s, and their Hifi:orics written in letters of blood. WhaY write the Chrifiians of the lnfidels 1 the Orrhodox of the Anians, (Romans or Goths or Vanda:ls } or the moft impartio~l HiUorians of tht: mock Ca.. tholicks of Rome, but Blood, Blood, Blood• . HoW proudly and loftily doth a Tyrant look, when he tdltth the oppreffcd innocent that difplcafeth him) Sina, Pie make you know my p01\/er ! Tlke llim; Imprifon him, Rack him; H.mghim! Or as Pilatt to Chrifi, ]oh. 9· re. Knowejl th,,u iZ1tlh.Jt 1have powtr to Crucifte thee, and h.:v~ po'll'tr to releafe thee l l'le make you kr.ow chat your l1ie is in my fiand: Heat the Fmmcc G. ven tum·s hotter, Da~t. 3· Alas poor wor~ ! Haft rhc u powrr eo kjb l So ha'th a Toad or Adder or mad 0 Jgg or pefii\encc, when God permitteth it. H•ll thou power to i~!U ? But haft thou alfo power to kerp thy felf alive? and to keep thy Corpfe from rottennds and dull ? and to keep thy foul from p1ying for it in Hell ? or to keep thy Con{<iencc for worrying thee for it, to all Eternity ? With how trembling a heart, and ghafily look wilt thou at lall hear of this, which now thou gloridl in. The bones an,d dufi of the opprdftd Inno-– cents, will be as great and honourable as thine : And their fouls perhaps in rcft and joy, when thine is tormented by infernal fUries. When 'hou art in NebuchadnczzarJ glory, what a metcy were 1t to thce 1 if thou mighretl be turned out among the bea(ls to prevent thy b::ing turne-d' otlt among the Devils. Jf kJUing and dejlroying be the glory of thy grearnefs 1 the D~viis are more honourable than thou; And as thou agrect\ with them in thy work and glory, (o 011lt thou in the reward. 9· 4· 3• Another mofi heynous Cau(e of Murders, is amalignant enmity againjl: the Godly, and a ptr{rctlting deftruaivt Zeal. What a multitude of innocents bath this confumed ,I and whlt innume– rable companies of holy fouls are fiill crying for vengeance on thcfc perfccurors ? The Enmity be~ gan immediately upon the fall, between the Womans and the S"pents feed : It !hewed it felf prefently
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