TheAnne of Cain Brea- Pall ion Sdar. SE?' ter than that ofAdam. on . . Saint chryfflume treatingof thefinne ofCain; faith, That it was greater than that ofAdam. For, betides his looting inthe turning ofa hand,thegreareft Em- pire thateuer the world had we cannot imagineany finne to be greater thanthe barringofall mankind from heluen the deprivinghim of grace and of the friend fhipofGod : yet notwithftanding,this feetnerh to be the greater, andhee prouethit by the fentence that was giuen vpon the one fin & the other. God fen - tencing Adam,faid, Curfd is theearthfor thy f ke, &c. The blowof the curiewas to fall vpon Adam . and as thef Cher which makes ;hew to throw thecandleftick at his Eons head, but flings it againft thenext wall ; fo God fayes, Curfditthe earthforthyfake. But with the Serpent,and withCain, heproceeded oth erwife. TorheSerpenthefaid ,7haa artcurfedaboue allcattle , and above euery beáfof the field,vpon thy bellyflralt thougoe, anddull,(halt thou easeall thedayes Of thy life. To Cain, Thouart curfodfrom theearth, which hatb openedher mouth, to receive thybro- thers hloodfromthine hand, itfhall not henceforth yeeldunto theeherflrength,&ç. He did not forbid himto tread vpon the earth, but heforbad him to enioy the fruits thereof, &c. Secondly,Thevoyceofaby'brothers bloodcryethuntomefrom the earah.Saint Am- brofefaith, That he heard the voyce ofAbel; forwith God, the dead fpeake as well as theliuing. TheHebrew bath it, The voyceof bloods; putting it in the, plurali number (as Lyrabath noted it: ) For beehad shedfomanybloods as Abel mighthaue hadchildren. For, albeit they had neither being nor life inthem- felues, yetthey might in their caufe and beginning : It cryes to meefrom theearth. Not from his body, for though thybrotherfhould hauefòrgiuen thee yet the earth would not pardon thee, to fee it felfe violated by aTraytbr. And it God would hauebutgiuen way thereunto,athou.fandmouths would haue opened to fwallow theevpalive; but beinghewould not confenr thereunto, it goes cho- king thofefeedes whichmight haue ferued thee forthyfuflenance anddelight; and fhaking thee offfrom thence like a banifhed man, this 'Writ is goneout a- gainft thee,Avagabondandrunnagatefsaltthou bevpon theearth. Thirdly, All thefuperiourand inferiour creatures were to be his perfecutors and his tormentors the heauens with thunder and lightning ; the Angels with fearful! apparitions ;thebeafts ofthe woods andmen,fhunning his company ;and Godhimfelfechaftifing himwitha continuall trembling. But tome rvilfay,How couldGod perfecute him, fincehe publifheda Proclamation, That whofoeuer fhould kill Cain,fhouldbepunifhed feuen-fold,Sextuplum punietur: TheSeuentie Interpreters render it,Septem vindiCtas exoluet, Sevenfeuerallreuenges (hallbee ta- kenofhim. Praline anfwers hereunto, That this Proclamationwas madeagainft Cain; For,a man curledby God, perfecuted by heauen,by earth,by Angells,by men, bybeafts, andbyhimfelfe,would haue held it a happineflè to dye ; but God wouldnot that heíhouldinioy fo great a blefling : But that he Mould hue fettengenerations, and that ineueryoneof them, Godwould takefeuere venge- anceofhim, Septem vindiEdasexoluet ; till that Lamech Mouldcome, who gaue him a fodaine andviolentdeath. AO this is anotable place againft all kind of murderers, and man (layers. Dauidwould not drinkeofthewater, though he werethirfty, which his fouldiersbrought him, becaufe ithadcolt them the ha- zard of their hues; andtherforeoffered it vp infacrifice toGod. Theydidpoure forth innocent bloodlskewater in theliegeofleruf lem. David did flied the water, be- caufeit teemed to him to be blood ; and others (lied bloodas if it werebut wa- ter : fome takeblood forwater,and others, water for blood. Ee e 2 Cogita- 6n3
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