but of the body and that for a time and consider with all that there is another death co come both of body and soule wherein you shall die eternally from-God and yet liue eternall to intollerable torments Consider then I pray you the Terrour of that great day where the fire howsoeuer spirituall yet shall thereby bee the more intollerable and yet the conscience shal be more stinging then the fire tormenting and the euerlasting exclusion from the presence of God shall make vp the measure of those vnsufferable torments If they were but for a hundred or a thousand nay a million of yeares yet there were some hope at length of release but remember that the worme neuer dyeth the fire neuer goet out because the wrath of God like a riuer of Brimstone doth continually maintaine the same Thus you may meditate vpon those endles torments And this by Gods mercy may worke in you that hartie and seasonable sorrow for your present sinnes whereby you may prepare to your present ends and so preuent those endles torments But be not too suddaine in applying mercy when your sinnes haue beene so many For it is not euery one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen Consider also that there can be no comfort in God till there be true sorrow for sinne the best sacrifices were sodden in the sowrest hearbs and the sacrifice best pleasing vnto God is that of a broken and contrite heart Onely bee you wise to try your sorrow There is a sorrow vnto death which is carnall and hypocritical rather greiuing for the punishment then the offence if therefore you will bee sorry in hope of 〈…〉 y you must in 〈…〉 God in your punishment 〈◊〉 〈…〉 ere farre greater and greiua for your sinnes that haue deserued more For your punishment is not great or then your faint but your 〈…〉 t greater then your punishment If you would farther trik the sinceritie of your sorrow examine it then by the fruit thereof Godly sorrow breeds Repentance and true Repentance expresseth it selfe in the hearty confession of sin and true confession is not forced but voluntarie not only of what apparant euidence wrings from vs but what is secret and only knowne to our selues and vnto God And thiâ—â—e it not enough to satisfie the world of what you are now conuicted of vnlesse you also discharge your conscience so farre as possibly you may remember of all that hidden burthen of sin which at the day of iudgement will be certainely layd open and charged vpon you euen to your vtter pressing downe and ouerwhelming for euer And withall lay it to your harts that if you shall fayle to acknowledge what you are now conuicted of as you shall least of all satisfie God who knoweth your harts to shall you not satisfie the world in this your obstinacy which must needs bee conuicted with such apparant euidences as haue bene deliuered and so iustly condemne you in that wherein you seeke to Iustifie your selues Let me heare speak vnto you euen from my very soule and set you in a way for your soules eternall good Do not thinke that euery Psalme of Miserere is sufficient to expiate your fault or to giue you an interest in the pardoÌ„ of your sin no I tell you you must confesse your faults to the world be-before you leaue the world You haue offended God and man as farre as confession may yeeld satisfaction do it care you die Oh feare and remember that saying As the tree falls so it lies If you bee dead while you liue you cannot hope to liue when you are dead If we forget our sinnes God will remember them and if we confesse them God will forget them Remember the good successe of the Prodigall child hee no sooner came home to his Father and confessed his sin but his Father ran to meete him and kissed him killed the fatted calfe for him and cloathed him with the be 〈…〉 〈…〉 yment Euen so our heauenly Eather hath offered his onely sonne as the fatted calfe for the redemption of all penitent sinners he is ready to meete vs if wee bee comming to him by Repentance nay to kisse and embrace vs if we cast of our sinnes and insteed of those theenish raggs you weare to cloath you with that glorious Robe of his perfect righteousnesse This I hope and wish that you may be so happie as to finde And therefore I desire you to embrace the Mercy of God that is now offered vnto you Labour to breake your hard harts with the consideration of his tender compassions and ease your distressed soules by the the acknowledgement of your sinnes Remember that God will not endure a stubborne sinner but they which are heauie laden with the burthen of their sins shal be welcome vnto him And to this end aboue all things take heede of desparing Consider that the mercy of God is aboue all your mysery whatsoeuer and that you shall more offend in disparing of Gods mercy then in shedding of the blood of so many innocents eueÌ„ as Iudas more offended in despayring of the pardon of his sinne then in betraying of that iust one who was the ransome for his sinne and let this last part be the best which is to comfort you Now I commend you with my best affections to the mercy and goodnesse of God wishing you to glorifie God in the confession of your greinous faults remembring that no time can priueledge no place conceale nor Persons beare downe and smother the shedding of blood but God in his due time will discouer the same and make the places of concealement the stages of discouery Yea he will make the Actors themselues to discouer their owne sinnes The blood of Abel shall crie for vengeance from the earth and the blood of these murthered soules hath cried for vengeance from the bottome of the Pond And therefore Iustifie God in this wonderfull discouery And so the Lord giue you wisedome in time to make your Peace with him This was the effect of the reuerend Iudges Exhortation as himselfe pleased to anow the same Which beeing ended their iudgement was pronounced and so respited till Manday for their execution that so in the méan time they might bee prepared by repentance to the comfortable issue thereof And this of the third Scoene of this second part of this Tragedy CHAP. 7. 1 Containing the execution of the Murtherers 2 And such accidents as fell out therein 3 Together with such Vses as may be made thereof VVe are now come to the last Scoene of this Tragedy concerning the Execution of the murtherers And herein we may first behold the singular wisedome of God in disposing thereof according to the diuers condition of the Murtherers For wheras there was two conuicted condemned for this haynous murther namely Land and Worlich Though these both were brought to the Gallowes and knew no more but they should both dye yet such was the prouidence of God guiding
and iust scandall either awaken them to repentance or conuince them to punishment Behold how the Lord takes the wise in their craftines They desire to be senselesse of sin that they may commit it more greedily and the more greedily they commit the same the more they prouoke the world through their scandall and it one danger to awaken them thereout what remedie is now left in carnall wisedome to make vp the breach and lull them a sléepe againe Behold againe the hight of this wisedome in sin and obserue how the Lord takes the wicked in their craftines If Elia will Prophesy no good but euill vnto vs while wee sleepe in sin yet welfare Zidkiah that will warrant good successe therein flattering vs that wee may go vp and prosper because hitherto it hath gone well with vs and though he lie falsely yet he will walke in the spirit that hee may deceiue more effectually yea hee wants not his rough garment of tything mint and comin yea he will not spare herein to humble flesh by voluntary deuotions of Pilgrimage penances and such like trash to the satisfying of the flesh euen in a great shew of wisedome to abase the same And what now shall be spared for the sinne of the soule though it be to the parting with our substance yea our first borne and all yea which is the hight of this delusion shall not a greater sinne be made a price for the lesse shall not the murther of Princes become an expiation for all our personall sinnes Behold here the depth of the Mistery of iniquity and admire with me the Justice of God in taking the whore and her accursed brood in their owne craftines that while they estéeme their owne blood vile that they may murther the Lords annoynted they haue iustly brought the Kings of the earth vpon their heads to secure themselues in subuerting Antichrist whom otherwise they could haue bene contented still to haue made their band for the satisfying of their lusts Oh! the vnsearchable riches of the wisedome and mercy of our God who turnes about the carnall wisedome of man tending only to it present bodily good to be meanes of remouing that great stumbling blocke whereby their soules were ensnared that so they might ascribe vnto him alone the glorie of their true happines so farre aboue and contrary to their corrupt intent Well thus we see how the Lord takes the wise in their craftines That the world may securely reuel in sin the false Prophet must bee a snare vpon Mispah to cry ayme thereto that so the blind leading the blind both may fall into the ditch And is not this prouidence of God very remarkeable in these daungerous dayes of the contempt and peruerting of the word of God that though the Lord feedeth the hungry with good and wholesome food yet the daintie and full stomake is either choaked with chaffe or puffed vp with wind that so seeming that which he is not he may not see what truely he is and thereby be both preuented of sound curing and withall hardened to destruction Behold here then some further light to iustifie the Prouidence of God in the ouer-flowing of sinne amidst so glorious light of the Gospell Not that the word is any true cause thereof but onely a meanes to discouer and conuince the same whereby as through our naturall rebellion the more sinne is conuinced the more it is enraged and so encreased thereby so through carnall wisedome the light being peruerted becomes a broker vnto sinne and thereby proues a further meanes to encrease and ripen the same And yet all this in great Iustice and exceeding Equity The Lord herein giuing the wicked their desires for the accomplishment of his righteous decree in their condemnation in that themselues are their owne caruers in the meanes there vnto And all this executed by his mighty word becomming thus vnto the wicked a sauour of death vnto death whereby as he taketh the wise Papist and Atheist in their Craftines so doth he also iustly confound the Prophane Libertine who while he fathers that vpon the Word which proceeds from his owne corrupt sense and application thereof doth therefore Iustifie the word in his hardening thereby and so is Iudged by the Word while he peruerteth the same to such ends as are contrary thereunto And thus hitherto for the Iustifying of Gods prouidence in disposing of such greuious sinnes as do accompany and preuaile euen in the most glorious light of the Gospell of Iesus Christ. CHAP. 2. Wherein first an entrance is made by way of Application vnto the Particular sinne of Murther being the proper subiect of this Treatise where 2. The Progeny and heynousnesse of this sinne is discouered and enlarged 3. The causes and occasions thereof in generall are explained 4. The Dangerous Effects and consequences thereof are detected And so 5. Such seuerall vses are propounded as both tend to the preuenting of this sinne as also for the wise suppressing and weeding out thereof FRom that which hitherto hath bene discoursed concerning the Prouidence of God in disposing of such multiplicity and encrease of sinne in this glorious light of the Gospell we may gather these Conclusions First that the Gospell is not properly the cause of these euils but onely 1 the ignorance thereof 2 peruerting the light to the iustifying of sinne or else our want of loue and so obedience thereunto 2 That as Ignorance breeding Error and so Disobedience to the truth is the Mother of all that grosse wickednesse that is discouered thereby So in that Popery is the chiefe and onely Patron of ignorance so it becomes also the very Chaos of all errors and delusions and so proues the maine Broker to all grosse and desperate wickednesse 3 That whereas the weapons of Popish warfare are only carnall and diuellish vsing these as her last refuge when her Paper bolts and enchantments will not preuaile to roote out and destroy all her opposits as being that Scarlet-coloured Whore whom nothing will secure and satisfie but the bloud of Saints and all such as shall oppose her Tyranny Therefore howsoeuer all other sinnes are harbored in her bosome as beeing ashamed to haue them knowne to the world Yet this sinne of Murther is her cheife darling and glorious sinne whereof she is so farre from being ashamed as that she raignes only thereby and triumphs therewith not onely vpon her pretended power of the secular sword whereby she arrogates supreme authority ouer life death But especially vpon pretence of the Power of her Keyes whereby presuming ouer the soules as well as the bodies of men she thereby confirmes and iustifies this her vnsatiable thirst of bloud as either seruing for the good of their soules whose bodies she butchered or else by cutting off such supposed Leapers thereby securing the estates of others Thus doth her Progeny declare the same who is of her Father the Diuell that was a murtherer from the beginning So her condition doth
import no lesse who being an harlot hunts for the precious life of man so her very Name doth portend and glorie therein as being that Apollyon that Child of Perdition ordained of God in his Justice for the plaguing of vnbeléeuers and thereby to ripen her owne destruction yea her very Habite proclaimes the same as being Died bloud-red with the slaughter of the Saints and her End also shall manifest the same when she shall be made drunken with her owne bloud and drowned therein because she hath shed the bloud of the Saints Behold here these the generation of this bloudy sinne Sathan the Arch enemy of Mankind enuying his happinesse and that especially vnder the Time of the Gospell that he might vtterly destroy him both roote and branches head taile soule and body to this end abusing the security and Pride of the Times begdt thereupon the Whore of Babylon that great Enchantresse and deceiuer of the world And that he might by this Bastard execute his malice more fully against the Saints when she came to age began to reuell in Pride and Soueraignty then he begat on her this Monstrous and bloudy sinne whereby as the Viper eateth out the bowels of her Mother so the first aduentures of this Cruel brat were atchieued against it Damme one Pope cruelly making away each other And being thus throughly fleshed and imbrued in her owne bloud Is it any maruaile if she spares not other Is it not iust with God that while she spares not her owne bloud to take away the lines of the annointed of the Lord that the Princes of the Earth should secure themselues in letting out her life bloud and consuming her vtterly with fire that so her Memoriall may perish from the earth Behold the righteous doome of Iehoua against the Whore And obserue we wisely herein the Progeny of this bloudy sinne and issue thereof Shall we now further way this sinne in the Ballance of the Sanctuary that thereby we may discerne the greatnesse thereof so be brought into greater detestation of y e same First then let vs measure it by the obiect against which is committed and heere consider wee these particulars First the Murtherer doth what lies in him to take a way the life of God himselfe in that hee destroyes his Liuely Image in Man not so much that outward frame and substance of the Body as if God were like vnto man in his outward feature as some carnal Capernaites haue dreamed as those Acts of the Diuine soule which it exercised in the bodie these the boudy hands do wholy abolish whereby man in regard of his better part was made after the Image of God yea hereby the life of God his prouidence and other acts of his gouernment is in a manner extinguished in that creature who is thus by cruell hand cut off from that holie regiment 2. The bloody minded man as he thirsts greedily after blood so doth he lie in waite priuily for his pray partlie fearing to attempt vpon equall termes as being through his inward guilt a very dastard and coward and partly hoping hereby to make surer worke when all meanes of preuention shal be forestalled and frustrated And doth he not hereby proue oftimes a murtherer of his brothers soule taking him thus on the suddaine and so preuenting Repentance May we not consider herein the malice of Diasius the Lawyer who in a deadly hatred to his brothers soule first enforced him to deny his faith in Christ and then instantly tooke away his life 3 The Murther in destroying his Brother destroyes himselfe not only in that his brother wasis owne flesh but in that he necessarily exposeth himselfe either to be his owne Butcher though the horror of his conscience as many haue done or else iustly lies open to the sword of the Magistrate who aboue all other sinnes will not suffer this vnreuenged Yea doth not the Murtherer in sinning willingly plotting his cruelty with deliberation and desperatenes doth he not heerein commonly murther his owne soule as excluding himselfe through this wilfulnes the mercy of God What should I speake of those fearefull euents that haue followed the same hath not the Father murthered the sonne comming home as a stranger for lucre of his mony when he came to the notice thereof did he not first murther his wife that procured him thereto and afterward layd violent hands vpon himselfe And did not this accident bring his onely daughter to an vntimely end and so the whole roote and branches were wholly cut off vtterly And if here wee shall consider that hereby many a wife hath beene depriued of her husband many children made Orphanes and so exposed to all extremitie doth not the murtherer make faire worke for the Diuell And is not the common Parents hereby depriued of many a good member doth not the common Mother hereby lament the losse of many a Nursing Father and so is exposed to combustions and desolations Behold heere the haynousnesse of this sinne by the consideration of the Obiect against which it was committed And may wee not hereby also guesse at it greatnesse in regard of the subiect that committeth the same 1 Is not the Murtherer a Traytor in the highest degree both committing treason against God whose Image hee thus defaceth and beeing guilty of treason against his Prince and Countrey whom he depriueth of their guard and glory Is not he a Traytor to his Brother in surprizing him so cruelly Is he not a Traytor against himselfe in betraying his owne life and soule hereby to the graue and destruction Surely if of all other the hypocrite shall be beaten with many stripes then must the Murtherer looke for his ful payment because hee crowcheth and boweth to onsnare his poore Brother he kisseth and betrayeth fawneth and stabbeth saluteth and smiteth speakes peaceably with his tongue when his hand is ready to shed bloud and all this with a breath to take away breath and triumph more securely in his masked wickednesse What should I say the Murtherer is an Atheist If he thought the eye of God were vpon him hee durst not thus wilfully deface the Image of God The Murtherer is an Idolater in defacing the Image of God and setting vp the Idoll of reuenge in his heart which he adores aboue all that is called God either Gods presence the Magistrates sword Gods Image in his brother his life in himselfe In a word as there is not any sinne wherein the Murtherer hath not a share so herein is his case most fearefull and desperate that not sinning of infirmity but of malice and digested hatred as herein horesembles his father the Diuell so hereby he casts himselfe desperately vpon his malice to indure vnquenchable torments for the recompence of his vnsaciable malice Thus by the subiect of this grieuous sinne wee may seeke some farther scantling of the haynousnesse thereof Shall we now proceede to examine this sinne by the causes thereof that
iollity and security And by this time euen the memory of these murthered soules was buried with them What now remained Surely where man vsually ends there God beginneth and while the wicked slept securely the vengeance of God was bestirring it selfe Behold saith the Prophet when the Lord makes inquisition for blood hee remembers it and forgets not the complaint of the poore The blood of these murthered soules cried loud in the eares of the Lord. from the bottome of the Pond for vengeance euen while the bloud-suckers sang a requiem to their soules And the Lord awakened at length out of the sleepe of his patience discouering the murthered by his owne Immediate Arme and by their discouery discouered also the murtherers and so brought them in due season to their iust triall and confusion as shall appeare most wonderfully in the next Chapter Which before we enter into for conclusion of this present and preparation to the discouery A speciall Case of Conscience comes heere to bee discussed and resolued Namely that seeing murther is so crying a sinne that it calls for speedy and continuall vengeance in the eares of the Lord how notwithstanding it comes to passe that the Lord differs the discouery and recompenâ—e thereof many yeeres yea ages after That the Lord doth thus deferre this discouery and execution is not onely apparant by the cry of those soules vnder the Alter slaine for the Word of God How long Lord holy and true doest thou not iudge and auenge our blood on them that dwell vpon the earth But also by the reuenge vpon Sauls Posterity for his slaughter of the Gibeonites which was not executed many yeeres after and the histories of our age doe witnesse no lesse that many murthers haue laine hid some 20. some ten yeeres some more some shorter time If wée desire to bée satisfied in the true reasons of this Diuine prouidence 1 some may be giuen in respect of the murtherers 2 others in regard of the murthered 3 some concerne the Information of the World and 4 some immediately concerne God himselfe Concerning the murtherers the prouidence of God is wonderfull in deferring the discouery of their sinne euen to a long time after for these Reasons Some tending to their good Others tending to their further condemnation Those that tend to their good are First that by the patience of God in deferring their discouery and vengeance they might be prepared meane while to repentance and so be better fitted to what end the Lord hath appoynted Rom. 4. 2. Secondly By the patience of the Lord towards them if they will not make vse of it for themselues yet hereby they may bée further seruiceable for the common good in those places and callings wherein God hath set them as for education of their Posterity for the maintaining of peace and order abroad yea happily for the sauing of others howsoeuer themselues are reprooued So was Iudas a long time concealed from others though long before knowne to his Master for the execution of his calling and seruing his Lord therein Reasons tending to the condemnation of these blood-suckers are 1 That the Lord forbeares the discouery of them not onely to make them Instruments of his further Iustice in peruerting and hardening others but also 2 This forbearance is a meanes to harden them in their sinne and drowne them in seâ—urity that so their surprizall being more suddaine may prooue more deadly and fatall to them 3 Hereby they are also nourished in their Atheisme and contempt of Gods prouidence and so prouoke the Lord in due time to auenge himselfe in their confusion As for the Murthered there may bee some Reasons of Gods silence and Patience euen in regard of them 1 That the crying of bloud from the earth so long deferred to vengeance may be a Simbole vnto them of an answer from God at length because no crie shall be in vaine which he hath warranted in this word 2 That the cry of Bloud though a long time deferred yet at length answered may Type vnto them their resurrection from the dead The case herein being much alike That as the bloud though consumed yet hath a loude cry for vengeance and shall in due time be recompenced so the bodies though rotten in the graue yet because they rest in hope doe therefore in their Manner cry for their raising vp againe and so in due time shall obtaine their desire Euen as the creature made subiect vnto vanity not willingly but by reason of him that hath subiected the same in hope doth therefore earnestly waite for the Reuelation of the sonnes of God that it also may be deliuered from her bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the Children of God Touching the World This Patience of God respecteth it also And that to try it affection to Gods Iustice and such as are taken away whither they find any want of them whither they thinke the World is not well rid of them and that they may be heard of no more and such like But the maine ground of this Prouidence is in regard of God himselfe and that in these respects As first to Iustifie his great Patience to such horrible sinners whom he is so farre from taking in their sinnes that he respites them many times to commit greater euils that so he may make them more inexcuseable in the day of vengeance 2 His wisedome is herein magnified that by respiting the wicked in such horrible sinnes the guilt of the conscience is hereby so encreased and at length enraged that though all other meanes fayle yet their owne tongues shall be forced to bewray them to ease the inward pangs and so to Iustifie the Lord euen out of their owne mouthes 3 Lastly hereby the Lord reserues vnto himselfe alone the glory of his Iustice that when all sides are husht y e murtherers secure the murthered forgotten the world carelesse all hope past Then doth the righteous Lord make himselfe knowne by executing of vengeance to the stopping of the mouth of Atheisme that saith There is no God because the wicked scape scot-frée and to the opening of the mouthes of his children in that gratious acknowledgment Verily there is a reward for the righteous doubtlesse there is a God that iudgeth the earth 4 And doth not the Lord discouer herein his absolute power that seeing the times and seasons are onely in his hands and therefore when he seeth a conuenient time he will execute vengeance that it may appeare his thoughts are not our thoughts therefore howsoeuer we may thinke euery moment too much wherein vengeance is deferred Yet the Lord will deferre the time that it may appeare to be at his dispose and yet will do it in the most conuenient time which may make most for his glory and affecting of a secure and faithlesse generation And this may serue for the resoluing of this case of Conscience And thus farre of this third Scaene of this bloudy Tragedy