by their words whē as the viper fell vpon Pauls hand Act. 28.1.2.3 c. Sure said they this man is a murtherer who although he hath escaped the seas yet vengeance hath not suffered him to liue Gen. 4.10.11 The bloud of Abel cried for vengeance And to conclude Murther is so detestable in Gods sight and so abhorring nature as for what cause soeuer one man shal or doth wittingly willingly kill another if it be secretly done Deut. 21.1 to 10. as doth appeare by diligent inquisition made for the finding out of the murtherer the hainousnesse of the sinne also appears by the greeuousnesse of the punishments which are no lesse then death Leui. 24.17.21 Deu. 21.8.9 It endangereth the whole congregation with the plagues of God how guiltlesse soeuer they be of that fact Gen. 4.10 Re. 6.9.10.11 It calleth and crieth out from earth to heauen for vengeance the soules of the Saints in heauen do call and crie vnto God for instice The holy man Dauid who by his regall authoritie also in his martiall affaires was to shed the bloud of many yet he prayed that God would deliuer him from bloud-guiltinesse Now concerning the killed to wit why God doth suffer innocent blood to be shed wilfully or to be subiect to the will of the wicked The answer is twofold The first answer concerning the killed is to manifest Gods secret decree concerning the time of mans departure and as for the manner how it is all one with God and so is it with a righteous man The manner of death maketh nothing against the matter of saluation Christs Iesus speakes comfortably and verie directly to this purpose vnto his Apostles and disciples and so vnto all true Christians You shall be betraid of your brethren Luk. 21.16.17.18.19 and kinsmen friends some of you they shall put to death ye shall be hated of all men yet there shal not one haire of your heads perish possesse your soules in patience The second answer concerning the killed It makes the iustice of God the more manifest vpon the killer As Salomon said concerning Ioab who had murthered Abner and Amasa 1. King 2.32.33 The Lord shall bring his bloud vpon his owne pate for he slue two men causlesse and more righteous then he their bloud shall returne vpon the head of Ioab The Prophet Habacuck questions to that purpose with God concerning the innocent that were slain so vniustly O God Hab. 1.13.14.15.16.17 saith he thou art of pure eyes and canst not see euill wherefore dost thou looke vpon the transgressours and holdst thy tongue when the wicked deuoureth the man that is more righteous thē he Shal they therfore spred forth their net not spare continually to slay the nations This is answered by the same Prophet in the same chapter after this manner Art not thou ô Lord my God 12. my holy one we shall not die O Lord thou hast ordained them for iudgement and ô God thou hast established them for correction As if he had said Thou wilt not suffer these lewd and gracelesse ones any longer then vntill thou hast accomplished thy will in mercie vpon vs then thy heauy wrath shall consume them Saint Luke affirmes interrogatiuely the same after this maner Shall not God auenge his elect which crie day and night vnto him Luk. 18.7.8 though he suffer long I tell you he will auenge thē quickly As Christ said concerning the man that was borne blind Ioh. 9.1.2 It was not his sinne nor his parents but that the worke of God might be seene euen so these whom the monsters of the world do kill and destroy is not in respect of that which they pertinently or properly haue deserued but that the iustice and vengeance of God might be seene iust vpon such as kill them There are many wayes and diuers manners by the which the deare children of God do depart this life but no way nor manner can preuent their preparatiō to die well how sudden and how vnusuall soeuer it seemes to be vnto others And seeing the case so standeth let all men beware of rash iudgement and vncharitable censuring of such as are slaine Let the manner of death be rather an occasion to forewarn others to be readie also as not knowing the time nor the manner of death It is commonly alike both to the iust and to the vniust for the outward manner of death but the inward is nothing so nor so As we may reade of the two theeues the one vpon the right hand Mat. 27.38 the other vpon the left hand of Christ the outward maner of their death was alike but the inward was not so for the one died faithfull and therfore Christ said This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise the other being vnpenitent inwardly went vnto the dāned Againe the suffering or permission of God is alway the meanes of his secret decree no man can kill another no not iniure his brother in the least measure but by the will of God because no sinne can be committed against his will nor any otherwise will God permit and suffer a sinner to outrage then in that maner so far forth as may stand well with his diuine purpose yet for all that such a will purpose and permission of his cannot be said to be the immediate cause of such an outrage or iniurie done howsoeuer but rather out of mans will who for his owne part respects not the fulfilling of Gods will so much as his owne which proceedeth from his corrupt nature being inuegled by the diuel And when as almightie God doth withdraw his helpes his gifts and graces which he may because properly they are his owne Ezod 7.4 thence it is said that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh that Sihon king of Heshbon would not let Israel passe by Deut. 2.30 for the Lord had hardned his spirit and his heart Further it must be granted that almighty God might verie well and most fitly if he would haue restrained and withholden that murther and shedding of innocent bloud and so the wrong and killing of other his Saints but it was not his wil it pleased him not so to do he foresees it not to be for his honor and a further good As may plainly be euidenced by a speciall difference betweene the purpose of God and Gods election for it is certaine that election was before the purpose of God to saluation or damnation because in election there is the holy will of God without regard either of good or euill to be found in man or before he had done either good or euil The concurrence and the prosecution whereof stands in these three most holy asseuerations of the Almightie the first being vocation the second iustification and the third glorification To which effect and purpose the holy man Dauid being preuented of his murthering mind said with all holy consideration
parents soules and bodies Gen. 4.10 As the bloud of Abel did call and crie from earth to heauen for vengeance against his brother Caine 2. Kin. 1.12.13 to 15. and as Eliah called cried that fire might come from heauen to the earth vpon all the captaines of Ahaziah euen so is there an interchangeable entercourse from heauen to earth frō earth to heauen of Gods irefull plagues to fall vpon such children The holy man Dauid although he vnlawfully longed to drinke of the water at Bethlehem yet vpon better consideration he wold none of it when the three Worthies brought it vnto him but poured it for an oblation to the Lord and said Let not my Lord God suffer me to do this 2 Sam 23.15.16 Be it farre from me that I do this is not this the bloud of these men which went in ieopardie of their liues 1. Chron. 11 17.18.19 shall I drinke the bloud of these mens liues So that by this it appeareth were there no other proofe how dangerously ill gottē goods are kept how more dangerously they are to be spent and how damnably such children do liue in this world indeed as it were without God yea the very damned in hell shall rise in iudgement against thē Luk. 16.27 For the gluttō in torments was perplexed with griefe for the state of his brethren which liued in sin would not haue them come to that place to aggrauate his torments Whereas these vngracious children haue no remorse or sorrow for their distressed parents which died in sinne and liue in death And what may not be said of another sort of gracelesse children who after the deceasse of their godly religious parents are so far from mourning after them or for them as that they indeed do ioy and reioyce in their hearts at their departure If they sorrow any thing at all it is for that they died not sooner according as many times they wished for their lands and goods sake Shall they escape for their wickednes No the Maiestie of our eternall Father will shorten their dayes diminish their store and from their gracelesse stocke shall spring vngracious impes to requite disobediēce seuen fold into their bosomes Mat. 7. For the measure saith our Lord which you mete to others shall be heaped vpon you againe When good king Iosiah was dead we reade not that his sonne Iehohaz mourned for him or followed his good examples either in the continuance of religion administration of iustice or godly conuersation Wherefore his dayes were shortned his life miserable and his kingdome was left to the disposition of his enemie His posteritie was yet more miserable for his sonne being dead was not lamented Ier. 22.18.19 neither did any mourne for him saying Ah Lord or ah his glory he shall be buried as an asse euen drawne and cast forth without the gates of Ierusalem This serueth necessarily to instigate and to call vpon all suruiuors of their parents and friends carefully to commemorate the heauy hand of God vpō themselues for that priuate depriuation of friends if they were godly with the acknowledgement of their owne sinnes chiefly in the omission of many reuerent duties towards them and specially in thankfulnesse vnto God for those helpes which they receiued from them It serues for the accomplishment of other holy duties towards the dead in taking care in making conscience to do good vnto those whom their friends being dead entirely loued whiles they liued Whereof we haue a famous example in Dauid toward his faithful friend Ionathan who was dead Is there any man 2. Sam. 9.1 to 8. said he of the house of Saul that I may shew mercie vnto him for Ionathans sake to whom was brought Mephiboseth Ionathans son Dauid said vnto him Feare not for I will surely shew thee kindnesse for Ionathan thy fathers sake who is dead and I will restore thee all the fields of Saul thy father and thou shalt eate at my table continually Againe he said 2. Sam. 10.1 I will shew kindnesse vnto Hanun as his father shewed kindnesse vno me There was a solēne law in Israel which was to be performed to the widow of him which was dead if she had no son to comfort her which law Christian commemoration for the dead was memorably performed by Boaz towards Ruth Ruth 4.10.21 If the person dead were wicked in his life and at his death then there is more cause of mourning and lamentation and calling earnestly vnto God by his kindred and by his allied friends for the auoiding of Gods iudgements which they most iustly haue deserued in that they did not more carefully and more conscionably instruct such a man or such a woman vnto a better life whereby he or she might haue made a better death According to which purpose Saint Iames speaketh after this maner Iam. 5. v. 19.20 If any of you haue erred frō the truth and some man hath conuerted him let him know that he which hath conuerted the sinner from going astray out of his way shall saue a soule from death and shall hide a multitude of sinnes If the partie dead or dying be publicke spirituall or temporall and iust Then consider the present euill that hath happened to particular persons to priuate families to publike congregations and to whole kindomes after the deceasse of such a man or such a woman Which is drawne from that good which almightie God vouchsafeth for the time present wherein they liued who being dead it incontinently ceasseth As Salomon saith By the blessing of the righteous Pro. 11.11 cities are exalted to wit the whole inhabitants of that towne and countrie where a righteous person liueth shall fare and prosper the better and shall haue the iudgements of God which they haue deserued withholden from them And it is certaine Iosua 7.1 to 6. as for the sinnes of one many haue bene in the anger of God destroid and brought to nothing so for the true godlinesse of one or more 2. Sam. 24.15 many hundreds and thousands haue bene most miraculously preserued God promised Abraham that if in all Sodome and Gomorrah there were found but ten righteous persons Gen. 18.24 to 33.19.18 to 26 he would spare all the rest for their sakes The same was experimented in Zoar at Lots request for all the people therein were miraculously preserued from the fire which abundantly fell from heauen round about them There was three yeares dearth in all the land of Israel for Sauls sinnes onely in slaying the Gibeonits 2. Sam. 21.1 to 11. Dauid the King did therfore importune the Gibeonits for their fauour vnto God in their behalfe which being obtayned the plague ceassed On the contrarie so long as Ioseph liued King Pharao and all his subiects prospered but when Ioseph died Exo. 1.6.7.8 to the end 9.1.33 Exo. 9.27.28 2 King 24.2 to the end Dan. 11.1.2 then their plagues reuiued and fell thicke
full height maturitie which the licour iuice thereof could possibly extend then presently it returnes and in very little time is withered and cleane gone Salomon likens man for his growing and decreasing vnto Lillies and roses Cant. 2.1 As an Alchymist hauing violētly exhausted the spirits and by little and little distilled the quintessences of minerals and mettals they are thenceforth good for litle or nothing but as salt hauing left the saltnesse euē so man hauing his natural vigour by little and little taken or worne away is but a dead carcasse good for nothing but for to be hid in the earth The eight reason why all men must die It is drawne from the decree of almightie God for the dissolution of the world and a finall end of all things a throwing together and as it were a folding vp of many things into one thing Esai said concerning this dissolution thus Esai 13.9 The day of the Lord commeth cruell with wrath and fierce anger to lay the land waste Mat. 24.29 the starres shall fall from heauen and the planets shall not giue their light the Sun shall be darkned in his going forth and the Moone shall not giue her light Likewise Ezechiel saith O how fearefull and how terrible that day shall be to them which pierced him through yet then whosoeuer shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saued The ninth reason why all men must die It is that there may be a generall victorie ouer death and hell For so saith S. Paul 1 Cor. 15.26 The last enemie that shall be destroyd is death God speakes to that effect by the mouth of his Prophet vnto death in the behalfe of the godly O death Hose 13.14 I will be thy death As though he had said triumphantly thou that hast bene the death of all mankind ô cruell enemie ô thou vnsatiable deuourer now I will be thy death now shalt thou be destroyed for euer now thy sting and thy strength shall vtterly be taken away 5.8.6 Againe the same Prophet saith he will destroy death for euer and God will wipe all teares and heauinesse from all faces Luk. 20.36 and S. Luke saith they can die no more The tenth reason why all men must die Hath foure speciall respects or diuine attributes The first whereof is drawne from the celestiall kingdome whence our soules came and the terrestriall tabernacles and houses of clay wherein our soules do a while liue or dwell as strangers and soiourners Men are said to be strangers either in respect of their trauell from one place vnto another or in respect of some kingdome where they dwell being borne elsewhere not yet free denized nor naturalized In both which respects Dauid saith Psa 39.12 1 Chro. 19.15 1 Cor. 5.1.2 that as our fathers were in this world strangers soiourners so Saint Paul to the like purpose saith We know that we haue a building giuen vs of God that is an house not made with hands but eternall in heauen as if he had said our certaine and most resting place is not here on earth but is in heauen As he that is in a voyage or iourney neuer cōtenteth himselfe vntill he be at home and therefore toiles and trauels with great carnestnesse to end his businesse that he may returne euen so are we in this tabernacle 2 Cor. 5.2 as Saint Paul said sighing and desiring to be clothed with our house which is from heauen The faithfull did manifestly confesse that they were strangers and pilgrimes on earth Heb. 11.13 and that they desired an heauenly countrie The second respect or attribute giuen to the children of God is Drawne from the meere merits of Christ by whom also our bodies and soules haue interest and title to the kingdome of heauen that in a more particular and proper manner then in this world as thus appeareth Christ is called our bridegroome and we his bride Mat. 25.6 Cant. 4.12 Ephe. 1.22 Coll. 1.18 inferring by a necessary consequence that where the husband is there must be the wife Againe where Christ is called the head of the Church it is to be inferred necessarily that where the head is gone before the mēbers must and shall follow after much like to that which Christ said Whersoeuer the body is Luk. 17.37 thither will the Eagles resort As an honest wife hath alwaies an vnsatiable desire and longing to be with her husbād no way cōtented with his absēce no not with loue letters nor with messēgers nor with tokēs of great price but with his corporall presence euen so the true mēber of Christ being zelously affected faithfully disposed towards her holy heauenly husband Christ Iesus Cant. 1.1 saith Let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth As if the Church or bride of Christ had said vnto God his and her heauenly father O let me haue the fruition of his glorious presence let me be alway with him The third respect or attribute giuen vnto the children of God is Drawne from the mortall hatred malice which the deuill hath against vs exceedingly enuying our spirituall and glorious arriuall into heauen therefore layes many snares and infinite allurements to let hinder vs from our passage with whome therefore according to the will of God we must encounter vnder the conduct of our Lord Generall Christ Iesus In respect of which striuings Eph. 6.10 to 18. 2. Timo. 2.3 Phile. 1.2 conflicts and battelles we are called souldiers and warriors inferring thereby that when we haue valiantly fought the Lords battels and faithfully triumphed ouer the diuell then it followes that we shall returne to our owne home with rewards and crownes of euerlasting glotie The fourth respect or attribute giuen vnto the children of God is Drawne from the affaires wherin God our eternall king hath imployed vs for the performance of certaine religious duties whereof some are pertayning to God some to our brethren and some to our selues the which being done and duely accomplished then must we be gone In regard whereof we are called Legates Ambassadors and such like sometimes labourers sometimes pilgrimes And in our commission we haue euery man his set and limited time of dispatch Iob. 7.1 1 Pet. 2.1 which being ended the ancient of dayes the Angell of the couenant will send his Angell Gabriel or some other Dan 9.20.21.22 saying vnto vs for our returne vnto heauen as vnto the people of Israel in Babylon for their returne vnto Ierusalem Now me thinkes I heare two obiections made against me by two sorts of people The one saying This doctrine concerning the generality of death needed not it might haue bene spared and the speech spent vpō matter that we know not For by the vse of reason by common experience and by manifold examples men are induced to beleeue all this that you haue said to be true and long since generally allowed This is now a