17!e [aufes of Mr<rder. ftntly in the two firfl men, that were born into the World. A malignant envy againfi the ac– ccprcd SJcrifice of Abtl, was able to make his Brother to be his Mur~crer. And it is ufull with the DLvil to cafifome bone of carnal interell alfo between them,.. to heighten the malignant cn– mii}'• '\o\'icked men arc all Covcrous, voluptuous and prmtd : And the doCtrine and practice of the Godly doth contradi(l them ;md condemn them: And they ufually (fpouit: fame wicked intc– reft, or engage lhtmftlves in fomc: fcrvice of the Devil) which the fcrvants of Chrifi are bound in rht ir fl vt'ral piJces and callings to refifi. And then not only this rdifhnce, though it be but by the humbid1 words or a8ions, yea the very conceit that they are not for their intc:refiand way, doth in~ fiig~tte the bcfooltd worl~ to perfecuti?n! And thus an Jjhmacl and an I{aac, an Ef.m and a Jacob, a s.mi and a D.zvid cannot hvc together m peace. G11. 4· 29. Bttt aJ thot he tbat wa1 born after tbt fh.fh pcrflcmui bim th.zt r:aJ l·ont afl.cr. tbe {pirit, cvtn jO it Mnow. Sauls intere~ maketh him think it jult to pt.rftcurc D,t~·zd; and nltgtot:tly he hlt!Tcth thofc that furthered htm! 1S1m. 2 3. 2 1. Bhffcd bey rf tbe !~ord,j(.r J'Cbat·e compa!Jion on me.He juftitieth himft::lf in murdering the Pricfis,becaufc he thought that thty hc:lptd David againtl him; and Docg fccmcth but a dutiful fubject, in executing his bloody command, 1 Sllm. 22· And Shimei thought he might boldly curfehirn, 2 Sam•. 16. 7 , 8. And he could fcuce have charged h.im with more odi.o~s fin, ~h~n to be [~bloody m&~t and .s m.:m of Belial. J If rhc Prophet fp_eak agam~ 7crohoamJ pohoc~l R~hgton, he will fay, Lay held o1t him! 1 King. I3· 4· Even Aja w11l be ragemg wrathful, and unpnfon the Prophet that reprehendc:ah his fin, 2 Chron.J6. IO· Ah,;b will feed Michaiab in a Prifo,n with the Bread and \Vater. of affliction if he contradict him, l Kin![,· 22. 2J· And even Jerufalem kjUed tbe ProphctJ, aJtd fto~ted them wbicb were [em tof!,ather thrm under the gracious wi1tg of Chril\, Maub. 23· 37• 1-flbich of the Prophet.rdid they Jtot pcrfw:tr? ACt. 7· 52. And if you confider but what ftrcarns of blood fince the death of Chrift and his Apotllcs h.:.ve btcn fhed for the fake of Chrif\ and righreoufm'fs, it will make you wonder, that fo much cruelly can confiH wi1h humanity, and men and Devils 010uld be fo like ! The fa.me man as pdui, as foon as he.., cea.feth to OH:d the blood of others, muft look in the fame way ro lofe his ov..·n: How many thoufands were murdered by Heathen Rome, in the ten perfccutions ? And how many by the Arian Emperours and Kings ! And how many by more Orthodox Princes in 1heir puricular dit\atls! And ytt how far hath thepretended Vicar of ChriH out·done them all ! Howmany hundred thouCmds of the AlbigotfoJ, TValdm[eJ and Bohemi:uu hath the Papll rage confumed ? Two hundred thoufand the Irijh murdered in a little fpace: ro outgo, the thirry or forty thoufand which the French MJfrJcre made an endol !The f,~.criticesoffered by their fury in the fluncs,in the Marian perfecurion here in England, were nothing to what one day hath done in other pans. Wl":at Volumes c.an contain the particular Hitlories of them ? what a Shambles was their Inquifition in the Low· Countrifl? and what is the employmem of it frill! fo that a doubting man would be inclined to think, that Papal Rome is the murderous Babylon, that doth but confider, how drunlten jhe Mwitb the b/Qod-of tlJe SaintJ and the MartyrJof Jrfu!, and that the blood ofSaint! wiUbe found in her in her day oftryal? Rcvo~7. 6. & 18.24. ]f we (hould look ovc:r all the refi of the W01ld, and reckon up the the torments and murders of the: innocent, (in ]apa1z,and mofi parts of the World, where ever Chrifiianiry came) it may in– creafe your wonder, that Devils and men arc fiill fo like! Yea though there be as lowd a teftimony in humane nature againll this bloodinefs as almoft any fin whatfoevcr ·, and though rhe names of perfecutors alwayc:s fiink to following Generati011.'5, how proudly foever they carryed it for a time; atld though one would think a perfecutor thould need no cure but his own pride, that his name may not be left as PilMttJ in the Creed) to be odious in the mouths of the Ages that come after him,; Yet for all this, fo deep is the Enmity, fo potent is the .Qevil; fo blinding a thing is fin and inrereft and paffion, that fiill one Generation of pcrfecuters doth fuccced the others; and they kill the prcfent Saints while they honour the det~d onn, and build th(m Monuments, and fay, If we b,zd lived in the dayeJ of our faJbcu, we would not have been partaker! wiJb them iu tlx Prophet! bl9od. Read well Matth. 23. 29· to the end. What a Sea of righteous blood bath ma.lignity and pcrfccuting ztal drawn out? ~· 5• 4· Another caufc of Nlur~cr is RaftJ and unrigbteouJ judgement. When Judges are igno– rant, or partial, or perverted by plfhon, or prejudice or rcfped: of perfons: Bur though many an innocent hath fufiered rhis way,l hope among Chrifiians, this isone of the rareR: Caufes. ~- 6. 5· Another way of murder is by opprcf!ion and uncharitablmefl ; when the poor are kept dcHitute of nccdf.nies to preferve their lives: Though few of them die dirc6tly of famine, yet thou– lands of them dye of thofc fickndfcs which they contract, by unwholforne food. And all thofe are guilty of their death, either that caufe it by oppreffion, or that relieve them not when they arc able and obligedtoir,Jam. 5·1,2, 3,4,5• ~· 7• 6. Anoth<r way and caufe of murd<r, is by '1hievCJ andR,bbers that do it to polfcfs them· felvrs of that which is another mans : when riotoufnefs or idlenefs ha.th confumed what they had thcmfelves, and floath and pride will not fuffer them to labour,no'r fenfuality futfer them to endure want~ thrn1hey will have ir, by right or wrong, what ever itcoft them: Gods Laws or mans, the Gal– lowsor Hell fhall not deter them; but have it they will, though they rob and murder, and are hang,d and damn' cl for it. Alas, how dear apurchafe do they make ! How much eaGer are their greatcfi wants, than the wrath of God and the pains of Hell? ~· 8. 7· Anotrer caufe of murder is Guilt and Shame. When wicked people have done fame great difgraceful fin, which will utterly Chame them or undo them if it be known, they are tempted to murder them that know it, to conceal the crime and fave them(elves. Thus many a Whoremonger hath murdered her that he hath committed fornication with : And many a Whore hath murdered her 5'
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