to abate hate Tit. 3.2 2. No provocation can be given to thee but by Gods permission for the tryal and exercise of thy Graces and Vertues Therefore David said Let Shimei Curse 3. Avoid all kindling or blowing up the flame of passion in thy own breast put and keep at a distance all that combustable stuffe that would take fire Be not a Companion of the Gamester the Drunkard or the froward in Spirit 4. Consider that anger resteth in the bosome of Fools So much fury so much folly Eccles 7.11 2. When it causeth envie to rise in my breast against my Neighbour Herein the Devil was a Murderer for that he envied our first Parents happiness the melioriety of their estate he being fallen himself And Cain being of that Seed he envies Abel because accepted of God before him Now this springeth from the want of true Love and from overmuch Self-love for love envies not 1 Cor. 13.4 And he that hateth his Brother for that good which is in him for which he should love him is a Murderer 1 John 3.5 Now Satan takes the advantage to kindle the Fire and Fewel and make it bouse over and break forth in action either against others or our selves in Revenge and injuring our neighbour in desires or purposes of Revenge as Esau said in his heart The daies of mourning for my Father are at hand then will I slay my Brother Jacob for the Blessing not considering whose propriety it is to Revenge Wrong Rom. 12.19 And hence proceeds actual Murders against our Neighbour or our selves sometimes secret by giving or taking poyson or giving way to Temptations of thaâ— kinde Sometimes open by laying violent hands upon our selves or others 1. Upon our selves A Sin so hainous in the sight of God that he Commands if a Beast slay a Man the Beast was to be stoned to death although he had neither Law nor Reason to restrain him how much more Man whom God hath endowed with a Reasonable Soul and bounded with a Righteous Law Exod. 21.28 Now this is so much the more evil by how much the nearer and stronger the bonds are by which God and Nature binds us to preservation whether the Bonds of Consanguinity or Affinity but most Monstrous and Unnatural of all is to lay violent hands upon our selves to whom I am bound by all Bonds to love and preserve Therefore for one to rend in sunder his own Soul and Body is very dreadful breaking all Bonds of God and Nature and for ought man can judge plunging themselves into Hell without Remedy there being no space betwixt Sin and Death for Repentance and certainly no Murtherer hath Eternal Life in him 1 John 3.15 Now what is the cause Find out that and you have half the cure 1. No one layeth violent hands upon themselves but pride is the root of it discontented with Gods wise providential disposal when persons chuse and resolve not to be at all because they may not be what they would be themselves not submitting themselves to what God will have them to be 2. Unbelief and impatiency want of faith in God to keep him in a quiet waiting upon the wise Governour of all things to work a good issue for us out of troubles 2. None lay violent hands upon others but for want of retaining the knowledge and awe of the all-seeing and sin-revenging God in their hearts as you may read at large Rom. 1.28 31. Now to prevent both 1. Beg earnestly of God to write his Law in thy heart and to put his fear in thee and keep thee in a meek and quiet frame of spirit 2. If at any time differences do arise that may by Satan or thy own heart be blown up to passionate revenge do these few things 1. If two constructions can be made of a word or gesture or action be sure to make the best It is a note of a wicked person to invent evil if he may construe it unto good 2. Be as ready to forgive as you would be forgiven your self either of God or man 3. Seek yea pursue peace until you overtake it 1 Pet. 3.8 9 11. If it be possible as much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men avenge not your selves but rather give place unto wrath Rom. 12.18 19. 4. Carefully maintain a noble spirit of sympathy with any when under temptation or oppression Could we obey that blessed rule to do as we would be done unto Gal. 6.1 2. it would abate anger prevent revenge and murder which is to the matter of fact Now we shall proceed to give you the relation with the aggravating circumstances which accompanied this hainous and we think almost unparalleld murder The person which committed this murder was one Mary Cook the wife of T. C. living since the late dreadful fire in Cloth-fair near Smithfield in London who was about the age of 37 years and had been married to her said Husband near 12 years by whom she had eight children and by the relation of many creditable persons who have known her of a child have given this character of her That she was of a very civil and sober life and conversation living in the neighbourhood very inoffensively but also that she was of a very melancholy temper which is the Anvil that the Devil delights to forge upon for now Satan makes use of all advantages against her to increase her melancholy blowing up in her mind great discontent with her present condition so that as her affection unto it decreased so her affliction in it increased insomuch that common business became a burden and fears arose in her as to wants that in fine she fancied death less bitter than life and now the Devil having thus far prevailed is not wanting to put her upon such temptations as might speed her ruin 1. Then the Devil stirs her up to revenge and this as she hath related since did give her a kind of secret content and this temptation prevailed much with her for being asked that morning she committed the fact what might be the reason of it one answer was That she had been a fortnight sick and weak and no one took care what she wanted thus through temptation she prefers revenge before temporal safety and eternal peace 2. The Devil prevailed with her to keep his secrets and counsel for she discovered her affliction to â—one that might pray with or foâ— her or could give suitable counsel to her and help to bear her burden by which means she struggling in her own strength until at last she concluded there was no hope of amendment of her condition or ease to her troubled mind but by death 3. Temptation by which the Devil prevailed upon her was to grow mindless of hearing Gods holy Word preached or read the Scriptures or to perform publick or private prayers this had prevailed so high that the morning she gave that fatal blow she confest for months together she had not been at Church to
sentence and execution hath removed the Offendor from the society of men except deep sorrow and unfeigned repentance bitter sighs lamentable cryes and above all the blood of a Saviour doth mediate to the appeasing wrath the same Offendor must be given up into the hands of Devils to be tormented with fire and brimstone whereas St. Mark saith their worm shall never dye and their fire shall never be quenched Therefore Reader if Murder speaks thus loud with God and man no doubt but City and Country will ring of it and Oh that the cry of this even of this that a Mother should so forget her tender Babe as not only to neglect it but the worst of evils to murder it yea to bath as it were her hands in her childs blood We again pray and say Oh that it might if possible reach to the ends not only of England but the earth to beget a reverence to God a dread to sin and a continual praying and watching over our hearts and lives and to bespeak warning to all that none henceforward upon themselves their child or neighbour shall entertain a thought to do this abominable thing that God so hates In a word there is nothing in the world the flesh or the devil can suggest how taking soever with thy sensual affections or however backed with arguments of pleasure or profit or secrecy but this Narrative and Sermon may teach thee to retort upon the suggester How can I do this wickedness and sin against God or hearken to this lying vanity and forsake my own mercy Oh that when you find your hearts at any time sordid a cogitare a vain sinful thought arise or lust conceive in thee thou wouldst dash it in pieces against the spiritual rock Christ and oppose enticements unto the secretest evils with that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the eye of God sees thy most retired thoughts and actions whilst yet unhatched and in the shell are open and manifest to him fearing that the porch is too large already to conclude in order to the spiritual and eternal advantage of your soul we leave this short warning and small expedient in your hands and if it may further that end we have our aim and let God have the sole praise A more full account of the life and death of Mary Cook taken by several Eye and Ear Witnesses most conversant with her from the hour she did commit that horrid Murther upon her Child till she was laid in the Grave THe subject of our present Narrative being a horrid Murther Before we come to the sad and Tragical matter of Fact give us leave in a few lines to open the hainousness of this sin the dangerous consequences of it and what means ought to be used for the preventing of it No Sin committed against the Commandements of the second Table cryeth louder to God for vengeance and unto Man for Justice than the shedding of innocent blood And the Lord said unto Cain What hast thou done the voice of thy Brothers blood cryeth unto me from the ground Gen. 4.10 Rev. 6.10 1. God will not stop his ears from the cry thereof nay he seemeth to speak as if he could have no rest until he be avenged on the Murtherer 1. Because it is a sin against his express Commandement Thou shalt not kill Exod. 20.13 2. Because it is the defacing of Gods Image in which man is Created Whosoever sheddeth Mans blood by Man shall his blood be shed Why For in the Image of God made he Man Gen. 9.6 Now to raze the Kings Picture or great Seal is High Treason 2. Man ought not to stop his Ears from the cry of innocent blood because there is no way to purifie the Land from the guilt of innocent blood but by executing Justice upon the Blood-shedder You shall take no satisfaction for the life of a Murderer So you shall not pollute the Land wherein you are for blood defileth the Land and the Land cannot be cleansed of the blood shed therein but by the blood of him that shed it Numb 35.33 Now as above said Gods Command is expresly Thou shalt do no Murder 1. Murder lyeth either in the Omission of Duty in doing good to my self or my Neighbour with respect unto Soul or Body whereby I may procure his welfare 2. In practicing evil against my self or Neighbour whom I am commanded to love as my self and to avoid all cruelty and unmercifulness against him A word or two of Soul-Murder Soul-Murder is dreadful though minded but by a few in the World the greater pity 1. When a people perish for want of plain and faithful preaching If thou warn not the wicked and he dye in his sin his blood will I require at thy hand Ezek. 33.8 2. When Parents and Masters of Families neglect their Duties to the souls of those that are committed to their charge mind not to teach Children and Servants to know God and to train them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord to stir them up to read and hear Gods holy Word and to hallow Gods Holy day to sanctifie it and themselves to the Worship and Service of their God whereby they might come to know God and Jesus Christ which is Life Eternal Deut. 6.6 7. May not we take up a lamentation for the excessive Remisseness in this Duty Youth for the most part suffered upon the Lords day to take their pleasure as if it were a day only for play Sad will the charge be of such Masters and Parents at the last day And those Children and Servants that are Sons of Belial will be under no Yoke but refuse to receive instruction and turn away from or stiffen the neck against reproof shall dye without remedy and his Souls blood required at his own hand Prov. 1.29 But so much shall suffice to be spoken of Soul-Murder or Omission of Duty to the Soul So I may murder my self or Neighbour by wilful neglect of doing good to my self when I shall refuse either Food or Physick which God hath ordained for the preservation of natural Life or Health The principal thing is to open Murther as it lieth under the practice of Evil against my self or Neighbour which is done sometimes secretly sometimes openly 1. Secretly When I am angry with another without cause or that it exceeds the cause either for time or measure When passion sinks deep in the heart it becomes devillish So that there should never be anger in our breasts where sin against God is not the cause otherwise you sin in being angry and give place to the Devil Ephes 4.26 27. If you be angry only for some injury done to your self you may easily find pride at the Root and if not timely prevented revenge will be the Fruit. Qu. But how shall I prevent it 1. Lay those manifold offences done by thee against God into the Ballance against those offences or injuries men do against thee and that may be one way
abroad and several reports went as to her self and what should be the causes of that barbarous Act. 1. That the Devil appeared in a personal shape unto her and told her she must either destroy her self or her Child 2. That the day before she went to see one of her other Children at Nurse and would have sent the Nurse forth that so she might have killed that Babe 3. That she was under trouble of mind about Religion with many other things Which for satisfaction to our selves and others and clearing the truth of Gospel-profession as being inconsistant for any true work of the Spirit of God in the conviction of a sinner to leave the soul having begun in the Spirit to end in the flesh Some of those Ministers which went to visit her in the Prison made more than ordinary diligent search into these things And as to the first report she said there was no appearance unto her but the violent Temptation of the Devil and her own wretched and sinfull heart giving way to the Temptation And as to the second she confest she went to see her Child at Nurse upon the Saturday before but it never entered into her heart to conceive a thought of doing that Child any hurt And as to the third her answer was That there was nothing of any Religious Concernment in it but it was that great Discontent which she had conceived in her mind grounded upon her apprehension of exceeding unkindnesses of her Relations unto her although she had never been undutiful unto them but very sparing she was in accusing any but her self And it is not the design of this Narrative to accuse them only to desire they may cal to mind and lay to heart and repent of their neglect of duty towards her wherein they shall any of them be conscious unto themselves of remisness and that all others who shall reade this sad Relation may take warning thereby so to discharge their relative duties that they may not expose their Relations unto Temptations and so when a separation cometh either violent or natural they have cause to mourn all their dayes for their own and their other mens sins But as to her self the sense of her great sin and guilt lay with such weight upon her conscience that Satan used his utmost endeavour to drive her into despair of ever obtaining mercy it being his usual method to present God all mercy to allure men to commit sin and afterwards to present God altogether severity to drive the sinner into despair of God's mercy in the pardon of their sin A great wound lay upon her with respect unto her dear Babe whom she had so inhumanly destroyed Whether her Fact might not hinder the Child's Salvation Much care and pains was taken so to speak as might not in the least extenuate the sence of her guilt and yet to open a door of hope unto her that the eternal state of the Child might be safe notwithstanding her great wickedness through the riches of God's grace which sheweth mercy unto whom he will shew mercy that 18th of Ezekiel ver 24 being read unto her But still she sadly bewailed the horridness of her sin wishing often Oh that she had had more Grace for if it were to do again she would submit to a thousand deaths rather than to commit that sin And her sore trouble now was that her heart was so obdurate that she could not mourn as she should and desired to do and begged that all good people would pray for her And being asked What she desired us to pray unto God for for her her answer was that God would give her a broken and penitent heart She also sadly lamented her distraction by reason of her evil company in the Room with her that hindred both her meditations and addresses to God O it is sad dwelling in the Tents of Kedar and a sore evil to leave our great work to do until the last not knowing what hindrance we may meet with It is inconvenient to cast up our Accounts in a crowd and hurry of business Ever and anon she would sadly bewail her want of the light of God's countenance and it was not to be wondred at that she was so much in the dark having committed such a gross sin against the light of Nature Iniquity separates betwixt us and our God and causeth him to hide his face that it is rarely if ever they recover it though he may in mercy pardon the sin yet he may justly cause the sinner to go mourning and with broken bones to the grave The Sessions now came on and upon the 21th of February she was arraigned and endicted at the Old-Baily and cast for her life Upon the Petition of her Husband she had a weeks time granted her to prepare for her death and being sentenced on Wednesday the second of March to die in Smithfield over against Clothfair-Gate where she formerly lived when she committed that horrid Murder During this time much pains was taken with her continually by skilful and faithful Physicians for her Souls recovery out of the snare of the Devil who had carried her captive at his will and several Books of Mr. Baxters and other Books suitable to her present condition were brought her to reade which she seemed diligently to improve her time in together with the holy Scriptures March 1. being the day before her Execution one Mris. R. H. had an earnest desire to see her and to watch with her that night and through God's mercy it was of great use unto her for her comfort who had now but a little time to live That day being asked If a pardon for life or a pardon for her sin were equally presented to choose one which would she choose she answered If her heart did not deceive her it would be the pardon of her sin O her sin her sin her blood-guiltiness lay with weight upon her but still she cryed out she could not find her heart in that broken and believing frame which she desired it should be in On the same day great pains were taken with her to help her understanding and apprehension both as to the nature of true Repentance and saving Faith to which she with more than former freedom answered That as to Repentance opened unto her she hoped God had given her a sight of her sin and a desire to be truly humbled for it it was her wound she was no more wounded and that she did desire to forsake sin with abhorrence and to loath her self for her sin to lay her mouth in the dust and yet to look up unto the Lord Jesus if so be she might find mercy And as to her Faith she said God had convinced her that her own righteousness was but unrighteousness even as a filthy menstruous cloth and therefore desired out of the sence of her own nothingness and utter emptiness to go out of her self and to rely upon Jesus Christ alone for Righteousness and