Because meek and merciful men are most like God who glorieth in his mercy so fierce and cruel men are most like Satan who delights in cruelty to whom is given the name of a destroyer in the 20. of the Revelation because he taketh pleasure to destroy the creatures of God so that when he cannot extend his malice to men he is content to exercise his cruelty on beasts as the Gospel telleth us of the legion of devils that drowned the Swine Thirdly Because our happinesse standeth in an union with God and the neernes of our accesse to God augmenteth our blessednesse according to the saying of the Psalmist * Psal 65.4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and whom thou causeth to come to thee Cruell men can have no society nor fellowship with God * Psal 5.6 Who abhorreth the bloud-thirstie for amongst all things that can be presented to the minde or senses of man there is not any two things so contrary to another as the mercifull Creator and cruell creature 4. Because albeit cruel and malicious men for a time may get liberty to exercise their fury yet in end they shal not escape the vengeance of God which is the just reward of their cruelty Amongst the Pagans Hercules and Theseus were famous that subdued and punished cruell men by whom many had beene injured and oppressed And shall it not much more concerne the glory of Gods power justice to render to cruel men the reward of their cruelty It was observed by Plato the Philosopher (o) Nullus tam severe inimicum saum ulcisci potest quam deus solet miserorum oppressores Plato in Timaeo That there is no man upon earth so sevirly can take vengeance on his enemie as the Lord God useth to take vengeance on such as oppresse poore men This vengeance the Lord some time executeth by the hand of man which did make * Iudges 1.7 Adonibezek to acknowledge the justice of God albeit it often falleth out that men whom God useth as instruments of his justice looke not to the glory of God but to sacisfie their owne vindictive humour * Isai 33.1 Woe to thee that oppresseth for when thou shalt cease another shall oppresse thee The Meeds and the Persians were no lesse cruell to the Caldeans nor they had been to the people of God but more frequently the Lord plagueth cruell men by his own immediate hand with visible judgements in the sight of the world to the glory of the power justice of God We read in the history of the Macabees that the bowels of the cruel Antiochus were tormented who had caused the bowels of others to be tormented and in the Iewish history we read of the punishment of cruel Herod the great for his crueltie as well against his owne Children as against the Nobles and people of the Iews The Scripture likewise telleth us of the condigne punishment of the wicked * 2 Chro 21.8 Iehoram king of Iudah And in the sea of histories it is related of the cruel and bloudy Attila king of the Huns who was never moved with tears of any to shew mercy or pitie but as he delighted in the sheding of humane bloud while he lived he was overtaken by the vengeance of divine justice in his greatest triumph in his mariage day for he was chocked with his own bloud which did flow abundantly from divers parts of his body untill his wretched life was finished There are infinite examples both in Ecclesiastick historie in the book of the Martyrs of the just punishment wherewith the cruell persecutors of the Saintes of God in all ages have beene plagued therefore it was worthily observed by Cyprian (p) Certi sumuset fidenres quod inultum non remanet quod perpetimur quantoque mator fuerit persecutionis iniuriatanto et iustior pro persecutione viudicta Cypreanus tract coutra Demetrium We are sure confident that what we suffer shall not be unrevenged and the greater the wrong of the persecution be somuch the more just and grievous shall be the revenge which God shall take of the persecutors The Second use which here is to be observed whensoever we heare of the cruelty of wicked men against the Saints of God in any place of the world and when we our selves are threatned with their cruel hostility then we should put up our humble prayer to the Lord our God We should pray to God to be delivered from cruell enemies for two reasons that if he will chastise us for our sins and offences he would doe it with his own hand and not give us * up to the will of our enemies For David wisely choosed * to fall into the hand of God rather than into the hand of men Thus we should pray for two reasons First because no favour towards the Saints can be expected at the hands of their persecutors Secondly because God to whom the Saints pray is both willing to heare and able to helpe First I say because no favour but extreme cruelty to the people of God may be expected at the hands of the cruell enemies of God and his people as Ieremie speaketh of the king of Babylon * which did show no mercy to the people of the Iews The Scripture compareth persecution to a floud of water for as a floud of water is not like an ordinary river which runneth along in its owne channell but altogether overfloweth banke and brae and violently carieth away whatsoever it overtaketh So persecution is not like an ordinary war betwixt two Nations that can give take reasonable quarters as occasion is offered but persecution passeth the bounds of Humanity and breaketh the bonds of Nature and committeth outragious crueltie that Humane sense abhorreth the committing whereof maketh the eares to tingle the flesh to quake and the heart to tremble (q) Quamquam animits meminisse horret luctuque refugit Virg. lib. 2. Aentid So that the minde of man will abhorre the remembrance thereof with greife and sorrow We need not to call to minde the antient examples of cruelty that are registrate in Ecclesiastick history seeing of later times we heard of the Spanish inquisition and that which hath beene used in the prison houses and pillories of England while as the tyranny of the Prelates advanced to that hight that it could not stand and that these yeares by-past hath beene more than barbarously practiced by the Irish Rebels against the Saints and servants of God All this should make us draw near to God by humble prayer that we be not exposed to the cruelty of our enemies especially seeing as Solomon saith * The very mercies of the wicked are cruell For whatsoever favour cruell persecutors offer to the people of God is alwayes upon conditions that are worse than death For as Wizards and Witches when they cure mens bodies of diseases bring greater hurt to their soules by the use of unlawfull meanes whereby they draw guilt
Gods Saints and servants may well be called violent and cruell and that in three respects first in respect of their affection secondly in respect of their words thirdly in respect of their actions First I say in respect of their affection for the hatred they beare to the Saints of God as it is unjust in respect of the ground of it and deadly in respect of the project so it is irreconciliable in respect of the continuance of it First I say it is unjust in respect of the ground of it for they hate the Saints of God for the excellent graces which they see in them * 1 Ioh. 3.12 Cain slew his brother Abell because his own works were evil and his brothers good and therfore one said well (i) Si non esset claritudo sanctorum non surgeret invidia impiorum Lyra. cap. 4. Epist 1 Ioan. If the brightnesse of the Saints did not shine the invie of the wicked should not arise against them Next it is deadly in respect of the project of it for wicked men desire the utter ruine of the Saints of God and that not of a certaine number but of all the godly without exception for as the cruell Emperour Caligula wished that all the Romans had but one head that he might strik it aff at one blow So the desire of the wicked is that the Saints of God might perish from the earth The confederate Nations * Psal 83.4 will have Israel to be rooted out of memorie that they be not a nation Haman wil have all the Iews to perish in one day Dioclesian and Iulian the apostate had a purpose to roote out the name of Christians from under heaven Lastly their hatred is irreconciliable in respect of continuance Cain will not be reconciled to his brother albeit the Lord offer himselfe to take up the matter * Gen. 4.6 Esau layeth up in his heart the hatred of his brother untill the death of his father For this * Gen. 27.4 cause they are called not only enemies but likwise foes * Psal 27.2 because their enimitie is altogether implacable and their seed like that of Amalecke is irreconciliable Secondly They are violent and cruel in respect of their words whereby sometimes they expresse how they despise and contemne the Saints of God as Nabal spake of David Sometimes they threaten to execute the extremity of their rage and furie as did Senacherib against Ezohia and some-times they burden the Saints of God with calumnies and reproaches as Shimei railed against David In all which respects they are said * Psal 27.12 To speake cruelly and their words are compared * Psal 120.3 to a great scourge * Psal 58.3 and to sharpe arrowes to burning coales and to the venome of Aspes for as any of these things can griveously hurt mans body so the cruel words of violent men do greatly grieve and afflict the hearts of the Saints of God Thirdly They are called cruell and violent in respect of action and so their cruelty is best seen by some and felt by others for when they are permitted by the Lord to afflict his Saints they expresse all manner of cruelty that can be devised or executed without regard of sex or age or quality of persons Therefore it is that in holy Scripture they are called * 2 Thessa 1.6 Troublers Oppressors * Psal 10.18 Persecutors * Ioh. 15.20 Troublers because they suffer not the Saints of God to live in peace and quietnesse but frequently give them occasion of griefe and sorrow under the sense whereof they are forced to complaine to God They are called Oppressors by reason of the manifold injuries which they doe to the Saints of God without any cause or occasion they do to others what they would not be content should be done to themselves And they are called Persecutors partly because though they finde not opportunity at the first to execute their malice yet they diligently seek occasion and wait till they finde it and partly because they invade the Saints of God as savage beasts doe set upon their prey to which they are compared by the Prophet David in the 22. Psalme The Turks History telleth us that Bajacet the fourth king of the Turkes by his countrey-men was called Gilderin which signifieth lightning because in a great battell which his father Amorath fought against the Christians he brake in with a part of the Army so fiercely and terribly as if it had beene thunder and lightning But there is a word in the Text which is not to be lightly overpassed seeing it includeth more than at first it would seeme to doe For when the enemies of David are said To seeke afttr his soule there are two things included First When the enemies of David seeke after his soule there are two things included That the harme which Davids enemies would doe to him is not a light but a grievous hurt Secondly That they wish not only the death of Davids body but likewise the destruction of his soule First I say that the hurt and skaith which they wished him is not a light harme which easily may be comported with soon repared but a great and grievous hurt which can neither be indured nor repared This is not like other kindes of hurt that sometimes by men is done to men King * 1 Sam. 11.7 Saul threatneth that the oxen of the Hebrews shall be cut in pieces which follow him not to war against the Ammonits cruel * 1 Sam. 11.2 Nahash will put out the right eyes of the Citizens of Iabesh * Luke 23.16 Pontius Pilate will scourge Iesus and let him goe But the enemies of David seeke after his soule they wil not only spoil him of his wealth and honour but likewise of his life they are set against him as the Pharisees were set against Christ * Luke 23.21 That will have him put to death And as the Iewes were against Paul when they said * Acts 22.22 It is not fit that he should live And as History telleth That Charles Duke of Anjew was so cruelly set against Conradine king of Cicily that the proverbe vvent through the world Vita Caroli mors Conradini The life of Charles was the death of Conradine he should not live except he died And so the Scripture telleth us That the life of David was fought by his enemies both by secret plots open violence which not only maketh him to say * Psal 56.1 That his enemies would swallow him up but likewise he compareth them to savage beasts which when they set upon a man doe not simply byte him untill he bleed neither take they away one of his members but they leave him not untill he be dead and have eaten their pleasure of his carcase wherefore he saith * Psal 27.2 That his enemies come upon him to eat up his flesh Secondly It importeth that the enemies
of David not only desired the death of his body but likewise they wished that his soule might perish forever the like example of matchlesse cruelty we shall hardly finde in prophane History for some-times we read of men that hath wished the death of their enemies and yet afterwards hath lamented their death As it is said of Alexander the great that weeped over the dead body of Darius king of Persia Some-times though they lament not their death yet they will cause them to be buried as * 2 Kings 9.34 Iehu would have done to Iezabel And as it is said that Hannibal the famous Carthaginian Captaine caused the Romane Consuls to be honourably buried whom he had valiantly vanquished some-times they will not suffer them to be buried which was the despite that Caesar used against the Armie of Pompei who was vanquished in the fields of Pharsaly Albeit as one said well (k) Ignobilia sunt odia qua ultra mortem procedunt Barclaus lib. 4 argendis That is base hatred that goeth beyond death The Scripture telleth us of the base and barbarous despite of the Caldeans that did open the graves of the Iewes and scattered their bones upon the earth The writters of the Indian Histories relate that many of these nations have a custome to eat their enemies which they take in the warre and to make musicall instruments of their bones One example we read amongst the Pagans who in his booke that he writeth against his enemie whom he dar not name he not only wisheth many bodily miseries to befall him but likewise (l) In loca ab elisiis di versa fugabere campis quasque tenent sedes noxia turba coles Et ibid nec mortis paenas mors altera finiet huius horaque erit tantis ultima nulla malis Ovid. in thin That his soule may be tormented in hell with endlesse paine We read in the Gospel that the Iewes thinke not enough that Christ should die unlesse he be crucified because so they thought his soule should perish by dieing a cursed death But if it be asked how may it be known that this was the dispight of Davids enemies against him I answere briefly in this plaine comparison if one man shall desire another to goe from one place to another in a way that he knoweth to be ful of robbers and savage beasts out of all question he desireth him to die So the enemies of David did not only banish him from the house of God where he was most desirous to dwell but likewise they bid him goe and serve the gods of the Gentils the 26. Chapter of the first of Samuel that by cōmitting idolatry he might perish eternally and therfore * Psal 86.13 he magnifieth the mercy of God who in this respect delivered his soule from the lowest hell A two-fold use may be made of this point First The consideration of the cruelty of Davids enemies teacheth us a two fold use Christians should have a singular care not only to look to their words and wayes that they show no signes of crueltie but likewise that the spirit of crueltie be not harbured in their hearts but rather that they may studie to meeknesse and the exercise of mercie and that for foure reasons First because so we are taught by the word of God We should avoid crueltie and studie to mercy for four reasons Secondly because crueltie maketh men like Sathan Thirdly in respect of our union with God Fourtly In respect of divine vengeance which is the reward of crueltie First I say because Christians are taught by the word of God to flee crueltie and follow mercie and that by no lesse example then God their Creator and Christ their Redimer * Luke 6.36 Be mercifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull * Matth. 11 2◠And learn of me that I am meek and lowly in heart We justly thinke that both the Religion of Papists and the Religion of the Machometans cannot be a good religion seeing their religion teacheth them the practice of crueltie and to force people with fire and sword to imbrace it whom they cannot perswade by their arguments even as Ambrose speaketh of the carriage of the Arrians in his time towards the Orthodox Christians (m) Quos non possunt sermonibus decipere gladio clamant feriendos cruentas leges ore dictant manu scribunt putant quod lex fidem hominibus imperare possit Ambros lib. 5 epist 32 Whom they cannot deceive by word they cry that they are to be killed by the sword they indite cruell and bloudy lawes with their mouth they write with their hand and thinke that their lawes can command Faith unto men But the Christian and true Religion which is grounded in the word of God in this is known to be a good Religion because it injoyneth the hatred of crueltie and love of mercy and will have none to be forced by violent compulsion but rather perswaded by powerfull preaching and evident arguments from divine truth that men may acknowledge and imbrace the truth according to the worthie saying of Tertulian (n) Religionis non est cogere religionem quae sponte suscipi debet non vi cum hostiae ab animo libentiexpostulentur Tertu lib. ad Scapulam It is not the part of Religion to constraine Religion which men should willingly receive and not by force seeing the sacrifices of the Lord are required of a willing minde howbeit it cannot be denied but although the Lord only can perswade the heart yet when the professors of the truth have to doe with Heriticks and Schismaticks and prophane persons that live amongst them but walk not with them in the unitie of faith and in the way of godlines refusing to be informed and hating to be reformed such may be constrained by humane Lawes to use the meanes of the true Religion that either their soules may be saved or their impictie may be restrained that it prove not scandalous to the people of God and so the Scripture telleth us that when Iosias in the Reformation of the people of the Iewes renewed the Covenant betwixt God and his people * 2 Chro. 34.32 He caused all Iudah and Benjamine to stand to it albeit we have reason to thinke that many of them were affected to idolatrie in their hearts But Papists and all other enemies of the Truth who thinke rather by rigorous persecution than by right imformation to bring people to their erroneous profession thereby they declare to the world the cruelty and falshood of their Religion And therefore whosoever is delighted with the exercise of cruelty and is averse from the works of mercie what ever profession he make of the true Religion he hath not found the converting power of the Gospel of Christ seeing though * Gen. 27.22 he hath the voice of Iacob yet he hath the hands of Esau together with the cruell heart of Esau Secondly
hee saith They set not God before them No wonder therefore that God cast them behinde him as afterwards shall be declared In the handling of the first point Two sorts of pride possesse and miscary the children of men there are two things likewise considerable first how the enemies of David are called proud men And what sort of pride is this wherewith they were possessed and miscaried Secondly What can be the reason wherefore the proud enemies of David arise against him And all other proud persecutors against the Saints of God As for the first there are two sorts of pride wherewith a great many of the children of men are possessed and miscaried The first may be called an inward pride because though it be knowne to God from whom * Ierem. 16.17 no iniquity is hid yet it is not known to men except * Luke 26.45 when the mouth speaketh of the abundance of the heart for so the pride of the Pharisees was often manifested But so long as it is not outwardly expressed it is no wonder though it be not known to others seeing it is hid from the maÌ„ that hath it for either he no more knoweth that pride ruleth in him thaÌ„ * 2 Chro. 26.20 Vzziah did know that he was leprous before he was violently taken from the altar by the high priest Or else which is worse he is so far from thinking this pride to be vice which is to be avoided that he imagineth it to be a singular vertue which is to be cherished for this is one of the miseries to which sinfull men are subject in this world (a) Fallit enim vitium specie virtutis umbra Iu ven satyr 14. That they are deceived with vice under the colour of vertue Now we must consider that this inward pride hath three branches first The inward pride hath 3. branches vvhen men thinketh either that they have the gifts and graces that they have not or at least in a greater measure than indeed they have them * Galat. 6.3 He that thinketh himselfe some-thing while hee is nothing is deceived For as the emptie vessels when they are touched soundeth loudest and the barren trees lift their branches highest So where there is least worth there is usually a greatest conceit and opinion of worth Hence it is that often-times men are puffed up with a conceit of righteousnesse though they be unrighteous as our Saviour speaketh of the Scribes and Pharisees They are wise in their own conceit when their remedilesse folly is manifested to others according to the saying of Solomon Hee that is wise in his owne conceit there is more hope of a foole than of him And in a word they are puffed up with a conceit of knowledge above other men while they are replenished with grosse ignorance of things that are chiefly to be known like the * Iohn 7.49 Pharisees that counted the people cursed that knew not the Law yet they themselves understood not the meaning of the Law As vve may read in the 23. of Mattews Gospel and therefore an Ancient said vvell (c) Nulla praesumptio pernitiosior quam de propria iustitia aut scientia superbire O superba praesumptio O prasumptucsa superbia Augu. de verbis Domini No presumption is more hurtfull than to be proud of our own righteousnes and knowledge O proud presumption O presumptuous pride 2. Men are inwardly proud when though they be gifted above others they acknowledge not their gifts to come from God who ought to be praised for the bestowing of them and served in the use of them they finde the fruit but see not the tree from whence it falleth they see the water but perceive not the fountaine from whence it floweth they finde the gifts to be in themselves therefore they think them to be of themselves and from themselves for though they have nothing but what they have received they boast as though they had not received This maketh them to ascribe the praise of the gifts to themselves and to thinke they may use them at their pleasure They * Habac. 1.16 sacrifice to their owne net and burne incense to their owne yarne As the first pride was presumptuous so this pride is sacrilegious because it depriveth God of the praise and glory that is due to his Majestie And therefore Gregorie well observed (d) Qui bona accepta sibi arrogant de bonis dei contra DeuÌ„ pugnant Grego in moralibus That hee who afcribeth not to God the good things that he hath received fighteth against the Lord with those good things that he hath received from the Lord. 3. Men are puffed up with inward pride when albeit they acknowledge they have received gifts from God and are daily craving benefits at his hand yet they are filled with such a conceit and opinion of their owne merits â—s â—â—at they thinke they deserve whatsoever they have received they thinke the Lord no lesse oblidged to them than they are to him The old Pharisees though they could purchase heaven by their owne good workes * Luke 18.18 Good Master what good thing shall I doe to inherit eternall life and so they needed not to be saved by the merits of another who by their owne merits could save themselves The proud hypocrits are angrie when they are not regarded of the Lord as they thought they should have beene * Isay 58.3 We have afflicted our soules and thou hath not seene it greater pride than all this is found in Papists In the opinion of their merits of Congruitie Dignitie and Condignitie and in the workes of Supererogation not remembring what our Saviour hath injoyned his Disciples to say * Luke 17.10 That wheÌ„ they have done all they can do they are unprofitable servants For albeit the basest man in the world may sometime well deserve at the hands of the greatest and the worse man at the hands of the best yet neither the greatest nor the best man in the vvorld can deserve any good at the hand of God * Lam. 3.22 whose mercie it is that he is not consumed and a greater mercy that by Christs merits he is brought to salvation who by his own merits procures nothing but endlesse condemnation Therefore it was well acknowledged by Origen (e) Vix mihi suadeo quod possit ullum opus esse quod ex debito dei remunerationem deposcat cum etiam hoc ipsuÌ„ quod agere aliquod possumus velcogitare vel proloqui ipsius dono largitione faciamus Ori gen in cap. 4. ad Komanos I hardly can bee assured that there can be any work that requireth reward of God according to debt Seeing even that that we are able to doe any good or to thinke or speake any good we are inabled and furnished thereto by the gift of God Thus much concerning the inward pride vvhich is not here understood by the Prophet I now