He denies him the third time and Jesus looks upon him and then he weeps bitterly Before I come to make use of this it shall not be altogether impertinent to say something unto some queries that here arise concerning the condition of Peter and in him of all the Elect of God whilst they are in state of sin unrepented of for as for Peters faith which some makes doubt of there can as I conceive no question be made It is not to be thought that Peter had rever'st with himself the confession that he had formerly made of Christ or that he thought doubtless I have er'd this is not the person whom I took him to be Indeed through fear and cowardize he durst not confess that with his mouth unto salvation which in his heart he believed unto righteousnes Any thing further then this that speech of our Saviour takes away wherein he tells him before hand I have pray'd that thy faith might not fail But since our Age hath had experience of some who because the Election of God standeth sure and Christs sheep none can take out of his hands conclude therefore that for the Elect of God there is no falling from Grace that to David Peter no ill could happen no though for so they have given it out that they had died in the very act of their sin To meet with such disputants I will briefly lay down what I conceive is to be thought in the point Wherefore parate fauces pani as Saint Barnard speaks Hitherto I have given you milk provide your stomacks now for harder meat and such as befits strong men in Christ. Peter and Judas for I will couple them both together in my discourse whilst they are both joyned together in sin Peter I say and Judas in regard of their own persons were both more or less in the same case both fallen from Grace both in state of sin and damnation till the Repentance of Peter altered the case on his part But the Grace of God signified two things either the purpose of Gods Election the Grace and Favour Inherent in the Person of God which he still casts upon those that are his notwithstanding their manifold backslidings or else it signifies the habit of sanctifying qualities Inherent in the Regenerat Man those good Graces of God by which he walks holy and unblameable Again the state of damnation signifies likewise two things either the purpose of Gods reprobation or else the habit of damnable qualities in the sinful man from the state of Grace as it signifies the purpose of God to save the Elect can never fall In the state of damnation as it signifies something inherent in us every man by nature is and the elect of God even after their Calling many times fall into it that is they may and do many times fall into those sins yea for a time continue in them too David did so for a whole years space which except they be done a way by repentance inevitably bring forth eternal death for the state of mortal sin unrepented of is truly and indeed the state of death yea the whole and sole reason of the condemnation of every one that perishes for Christ hath said it except ye repent ye shall all perish So then you see that into the state of damnation as it signifieth something inherent in us a man may fall and yet not fall from the state of grace as it signifies Gods purpose of election for both these are compatible for a time if then we look upon the persons of Peter and Judas both of them are in the state of mortal sin unrepented of and therefore both in state of damnation but if we look back unto God we shall see a hand reacht out unto Peter pulling him back as he is now running down the hill which hand we do not see reacht out unto Judas Christ had a look in store for Peter which if it had pleased him to have lent unto Judas Judas would have done that which Peter did When then we pronounce Peter and in him any of the elect of God as they are in Peters case to be fallen from grace we speak not with relation to any purpose of God but we mean only that they have not that measure of Sanctification which ought to be in every childe which shall be an heir to life and what hinders to pronounce that man fallen from grace whom we must needs acknowledge to be in that state in which if he continue there is no way open but to death What then may some man say had Peter lost the spirit of adoption Had he not those sanctifying qualities of faith hope charity which are proper to the Saints and are given them by divine inspiration in the moment of their conversion was that immortal seed of the word quite kill'd No verily How then Having all these may he yet be called the childe of death I answer he may and is indeed so for these do not make him that at no time he can be so but that finally he shall not be so for they are not armour of proof to keep out all darts neither do they make our souls invulnerable as the Poets faine the body of Cyenus or Achilles to have been but they are precious balms evermore ready at hand to cure the wound when it is given They are not of force to hinder mortal sin for then every soul in whom they are were pure undefiled neither were it possible that the Elect of God after their conversion should fall but they are of force to work repentance which makes all our wounds remediable He that is mortally sick and dies and he that is likewise mortally sick and through help of restoring physick recovers in this both agree that they are mortally sick notwithstanding the recovery of one party The wound of Peter and of Judas was mortal and in both festred unto death but there was balm in Gilead for Peter for Judas there was none The sting of the fiery Scorpion in the wilderness was deadly and all that looked not on the brazen serpent died The brazen serpent altred not the quality of the Scorpions sting it only hindred the working of the poyson the sting of sin in Peter and in Judas was deadly but he that was lift up on mount Calvary as the brazen serpent was in the wilderness at him did Peter look and live Judas did not look and therefore died How comes it about beloved that God every where in Scripture threatens death without exception to all that repent not if the state of sin unrepented of in whomsoever it is be not indeed the state of death When David was intending to stay in Keilah and suspecting the inhabitants of that city asks of God whether the men of Keilah would deliver him over into the hand of Saul God tells him they would and therefore certainly had he stayed there he had been betrayed unto Saul to urge that Peter because of
grievousness greatness of this sin of bloodshed and partly to give the best counsel I can for the restraint of those conceits and errors which give way unto it I have made choice of these few words out of the Old Testament which but now I read In the New Testament there is no precept given concerning bloodshed The Apostles seem not to have thought that Christians ever should have had need of such a prohibition For what needed to forbid those to seek each others blood who are not permitted to speak over hastily one to another when therefore I had resolved with my self to speak something concerning the sin of bloodshed I was in a manner constrain'd to reflect upon the Old Testament and make choice of those words And the Land cannot be purged of blood that is shed in it but by the blood of him that shed it In which words for my more orderly proceeding I will observe these two general parts First the greatness of the sin Secondly the means to cleanse and satisfie for the guilt of it The first that is the greatness of the sin is expressed by two circumstances First by the generality extent and largness of the guilt of it and secondly by the difficulty of cleansing it The largness and compass of the guilt of this sin is noted out unto us in the word Land and the Land cannot be purged It is true in some sense of all sins Nemo sibi uni errat no man sins in private and to himself alone For as the Scripture notes of that action of Jepthte when he vowed his daughter unto God That it became a Custome in Israel so is it in all sins The error is only in one person but the example spreads far wide and thus every man that sins sins against the whole Land yea against the whole world For who can tell how far the example and infection of an evil action doth spread In other sins the infection is no larger then the disease but this sin like a plague one brings the infection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but thousands die for it yet this sin of bloud diffuses and spreads it self above all other sins For in other sins noxa sequitur caput The guilt of them is confined to the person that committed them God himself hath pronounced of them The Son shalt not bear the sins of the Father the soul that sinneth shall die the death But the sin of blood seems to claim an exception from this Law If by time iâ—â— be not purged like the frogs of Egypt the whole land stank of them It leaves a guilt upon the whole land in which it is committed Other sins come in like rivers and break their banks to the prejudice and wrong of private persons but this comes in like a Sea raging and threatning to overwhelm whole countreys If blood in any land do lie unrevenged every particular soul hath cause to fear least part of the penalty fall on him We read in the books of Kings that long after Sauls death God plagued the Land of Jewry with three years famine because Saul in his life time had without any just cause shed the blood of some of the Gibeonites neither the famine ceased till seaven of Sauls Nephews had died for it In this story there are many things rare and worth our observation First the Generality and extent of the guilt of Blood-shed which is the cause for which I urged it it drew a general famine on the whole Land Secondly the continuance and length of the punishment It lasted full three years and better Thirdly the time of the plague it fell long after the person offending was dead Fourthly whereas it is said in my Text. That blood is cleansed by the blood of him that shed it here the blood of him that did this sin sufficed not to purge the Land from it That desperate and woful end that besel both Saul and his Sons in that last and fatal battel upon Mount Gilboah a man might think had freed the Land from danger of blood yet we see that the blood of the Gibeonites had left so deep a stain that it could not be sponged out without the blood of seven more of Sauls off-spring So that in some cases it seems we must alter the words of my Text The Land cannot be purged of blood but by the blood of him and his posterity that shed it Saint Peter tells us that some mens sins go before them unto judgement and some mens sins follow after Beloved here is a sin that exceedes the members of this division for howsoever it goes before or after us unto Judgement Yet it hath a kinde of Ubiquity and so runs afore so follows us at the heels that it stays behinde us too and calls for vengeance long after that we are gone Blood unrevenged passes from Father to Son like an Heirlome or legacy and he that dies with blood hanging on his fingers leaves his Off-spring and his Family as pledges to answer it in his stead As an Engineer that works in a Mine lays a train or kindles a Match and leaves it behinde him which shall take hold of the powder long after he is gone so he that sheds blood if it be not be times purged as it were kindles a Match able to blow up not only a Parliament but even a whole Land where blood lies unrevenged Secondly another circumstance serving to express unto us the greatness of this sin I told you was the difficulty of cleansing it intimated in those words cannot be cleansed but by the blood of him that shed it Most of other sins have sundry ways to wash the guilt away As in the Levitical Law the woman that was unclean by reason of Childe-bearing might offer a pair of Turtle-doves or two young Pigeons so he that travels with other sins hath either a Turtle or a Pigeon he hath more ways then one to purifie him prayer unto God or true repentance or satisfaction to the party wronged or bodily affliction or temporary mulct But he that travels with the sin of Blood for him there remains no sacrifice for sin but a fearful expectation of vengeance he hath but one way of cleansing onely his blood the blood of him that shed it The second general part which we considered in these words was that one mean which is left to cleanse blood exprest in the last words the blood of him that shed it The Apostle to the Hebrews speaking of the sacrifices of the Old Testament notes that without blood there was no cleansing no forgiveness He spake it only of the blood of beasts of Bulls and Goats who therefore have their blood that they might shed it in mans service and for mans use But among all the Levitical Sacrifices there was not one to cleanse the man-slayer For the blood of the cattle upon a thousand Hills was not sufficient for this yet was that sin to be purged with blood too and
he doubted not but the Provincials would determine the same it were very fit that the Synod should likewise determine so of it neither was it any reason that for the particular opinion of one professor who in this did disassent from the judgement of all the reformed Churches the Synod should abstain from determination of the question Gomarus answered that the University of Leyden had never yet determined for homo lapsus and that both D. Whittakers and Mr. Perkins had determined the contrary whom he took to be such men as would not disassent from the confession of the Church of England that the matter ought first to be discussed with arguments on both sides before any thing should be determined on either side to whom the President returned this answer that after the judgements of all the Colledges were read the Synod would decree of that question what they shall think best after the Canon is conceived it shall be read if then you can shew that any thing contained in that Canon is against the word of God The Synod shall with al dutiful patience here what you can say There were read the judgements of the Geldri the South Hollandi who in their judgement wished that the question of homo lapsus might be left undetermined the North Hollandi the Zâ—â—landi who were all not long and agreed in all things with the former judgements delivered and so this long Session ended Sessio 110. 12. Martii There were read the Collegiat judgements of the Ultrajectini the Frisia the Transisulani the Groninganii et Omlandii all which foure were of a good length and in all things consonant to the former judgements Sessio 111. eodem die post meridiem There were read the Collegial judgements of the Drentani and Gallobelgici which were brief and agreeable to the former judgements and so was ended the reading of the judgements of all Colledges in which God be praised for it there was not the least suspition of of dissention of any thing and it is to be noted that all of them determined homo laepsus to be the subject of Predestination except Gomarus whom all men know to be against it and the South Hollandi who only said they would determine nothing of it There was read the judgement of the Divines of Great Brittain upon the second Article they were briefer then upon the first Article they left the received distinction of sufficientiae and efficacia mortis Christi untouched as likewise they did not touch that received restriction of those places which make Christs suffering general to the world only ad mundum Electorum There were read the judgements of the Palatines of the Hassians of the Helvetians who all did maintain the received distinction to wit that Christ his death was only sufficient for all men not efficient or impetrative and did restrain all the general propositions which are in Scripture to that purpose only ad mundum Electorum concluding that Christ was no wayes expiatio pro peccatis singulorum Sessio 112. 13. Martii There was read publickly the judgement of the Nassovici after them the judgement of the Genevenses both of which defended the received distinction and restriction after were read the judgements of the Bremenses who according to the number of their persons had three several judgements Martinius his judgement was first read who did stand in effect to the tenents of the Remonstrants in the second Article he mainly overthrew the received distinction and restriction and did determine that Christ did truly die for all and every man that he was made a propitiation both for the godly and wicked and that by his death he did impetrate reconciliation with God for them all at the latter end he condemned many things both in the Remonstrants and in the Contra-Remonstrants opinion but more in the Contra-Remonst next D. Isselburgius the second Bremensis his judgement was read who was directly against Martinius defending both the received distinction and restriction Thirdly was read the judgement of D. Crocius the third Bremensis who propounded a middle way between his two Colleagues granting which we also in our Colledge did that Christ did merit by his death some supernatural things for the wicked as the word preached and all such good graces as are common both to the godly and wicked but nothing belonging to remission of sin or reconciliation with God and so indeed for any thing I could perceive his judgement was directly against that of Martinius and in effect all one with that of Isselburgius Next was read the judgement of the Embdani who were exceeding long and agreed in all things with the Contra-Remonstrants as they do express themselves in the Collat. Hagiensis Sessio 113. eodem die post meridiem D. Isselburgius one of the Bremenses at the President his appointment publickly all auditors being admitted did at very great length prove that God his vindicative justice is natural and necessary unto him and that therefore that satisfaction which Christ made for the sins of the world was simpliciter necessaria proving withal by many arguments the fulness and sufficiency of Christ his satisfaction answering the arguments of Socinus and Vorstius against both the former conclusions Sessio 114. 14. die Martii There was read the judgement of foure of the Belgick Professors subscribed by Polyander Gomarus Thysius Wallaeus and a little beneath was written Ego Sibrandus Lubertus hoc Collegarum meorum judicium per omnia probo next was read Sibrandus his judgement who differed nothing from his colleagues save that he was shorter it was subscribed first by himself and then approved by the subscriptions of the rest of his colleagues all five of them did stand mainly for the above named distinction restriction Next was read the judgement of the Geldri who were too too rigid in many things next them the judgement of the South Hollandi next them the judgement of the North Hollandi who had many things which we thought not only to be rigid but false all these three Colledges at great length disputed for the received distinction and restriction Sessio 115. eodem die post meridiem There were read the judgements first of the Zelandi next of the Ultrajectini next of the Frisii next of the Transiâ—â—sulani next of the Groninganii and Omlandii all of them stood for the same distinction and restriction Sessio 116. 15. die Martii There were read the judgements first of the Drevtani who delivered many false and absurd propositions next of the Gallobelgici who were moderate enough both of them did maintain the former distinction and restriction and so was ended the reading of all Collegial judgements upon the second Article in which their was not altogether so uniform a consent both in regard of phrases and forms of speaking and iâ—â— regard of some propositions as was in the first Article yet certainly there was very great more then could well have been expected from so great a number of learned
in this kind that ever was made was enacted by Theodosius against the Donatists but with this restraint that it should extend against none but only such as were tumultuous and till that time they were not so much as toucht with any mulct though but pecuniary till that shameful outrage commited against Bish. Maximian whom they beat down with bats and clubs even as he stood at the Altar so that not so much the error of the Donatists as their riots and mutinies were by Imperial laws restrained That the Church had afterward good reason to think that she ought to be salubrior quam dulcior that sometimes there was more mercy in punishing then forbearing there can no doubt be made St. Austine a man of as milde and gentle spirit as ever bare rule in the Church having according to his natural sweetness of disposition earnestly written against violent and sharp dealing with He 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being taught by experience did afterward retract and confess an excellent use of wholsome severity in the Church Yet could I wish that it might be said of the Church which was sometimes observed of Augustus In nullius unquam suorum necem duravit he had been angry with and severely punisht many of his kin but he could never endure to cut any of them off by death But this I must request you to take only as my private wish and not as a censure if any thing have been done to the contrary When Absolom was up in arms against his Father it was necessary for David to take order to curb him and pull him on his knees yet we see how careful he was he should not die and how lamentably he bewail'd him in his death what cause was it that drove David into this extream passion Was it doubt of heire to the Kingdome That could not be For Solomon was now born to whom the promise of the Kingdom was made was it the strength of natural affection I somewhat doubt of it Three year together was Absolom in banishment and David did not very eagerly desire to see him The Scripture indeed notes that the King long'd for him yet in this longing was there not any such fierceness of passion for Absolom saw not the Kings face for two years more after his return from banishment to Hierusalem What then might be the cause of his strength of passion and commiseration in the King I perswade my self it was the fear of his sons final miscarriage and reprobation which made the King secure of the mercies of God unto himself to wish he had died in his steed that so he might have gain'd for his ungracious childe some time of repentance The Church who is the common mother of us all when her Absoloms her unnatural sons do lift up their hands and pens against her must so use means to repress them that she forget not that they are the sons of her womb and be compassionate over them as David was over Absolom loath to unsheath either sword but most of all the temporal for this were to send them with quick dispatch to Hell And here I may not pass by that singular moderation of this Church of oursâ—â— which she hath most christianly exprest towards her adversaries of Rome here at home in her bosome above all the reformed Churches I have read of For out of desire to make the breach seem no greater then indeed it is and to hold communion and Christian fellowship with her so far as we possibly can we have done nothing to cut of the favourers of that Church The reasons of their love and respects to the Church of Rome we wish but we do not command them to lay down their lay-Brethren have all means of instruction offered them Our Edicts and Statutes made for their restraint are such as serve only to awake them and cause them to consider the innocency of that cause for refusal of communion in which they endure as they suppose so great losses Those who are sent over by them either for the retaining of the already perverted or perverting others are either return'd by us back again to them who dispatcht them to us or without any wrong unto their persons or danger to their lives suffer an easie restraint which only hinders them from dispersing the poyson they brought And had they not been stickling in our state-business and medling with our Princes crown there had not a drop of their blood fallen to the ground unto our Sermons in which the swarvings of that Church are necessarily to be taxt by us we do not binde their presence only our desire is they would joyn with us in those Prayers and holy ceremonies which are common to them and us And so accordingly by singular discretion was our Service-Book compiled by our Fore-fathers as containing nothing that might offend them as being almost meerly a compendium of their own Breviary and Missal so that they shall see nothing in our meetings but that they shall see done in their own though many things which are in theirs here I grant they shall not finde And here indeed is the great and main difference betwixt us As it is in the controversie concerning the Cononical books of Scripture whatsoever we hold for Scripture that even by that Church is maintained only she takes upon her to adde much which we cannot think safe to admit so fares it in other points of Faith and Ceremony whatsoever it is we hold for faith she holds it as far forth as we our ceremonies are taken from her only she over and above urges some things for faith which we take to be error or at the best but opinion and for ceremony which we think to be superstition So that to participate with us is though not throughout yet in some good measure to participate with that Church and certainly were that spirit of charity stirring in them vvhich ought to be they would love and honour us even for the resemblance of that Church the beauty of which themselves so much admire The glory of these our proceedings even our adversaries themselves do much envy So that from hence it is that in their vvritings they traduce our judiciary proceedings against them for sanguinary and violent striving to persvvade other nations that such as have suffered by course of publick justice for religion only and not for treason have died and pretend we what we list our actions are as bloody and cruel as their own wherefore if a perfect pattern of dealing with erring Christians were to be sought there were not any like unto this of ours In qua nec saeviendi nec errandi per eundique licentia permittitur which as it takes not to it self liberty of cruelty so it leaves not unto any the liberty of destroying their own souls in the error of their lives And now that we may at once conclude this point concerning Hereticks for prohibiting these men access to religious disputations it is now too late to
thee take heed how thou presume of thy strength to manage them look well upon them and see if there be not written in the forehead of every one of them Recepisti but beloved I perceive I deceive my self for these gay things of the world carry not their recepisti in their foreheads as they come towards us they are smooth and fair you can prognosticate nothing by their countenance but serene and summer weather our great master Aristotle hath told us that if our pleasures did look upon us when they come to us as they do when they turn their back and leave us we would never entertain them these goodly things have their recepisti written in their back it is never discovered till it be too late to mend it when death summons us when the world the flesh the glory and pomp of life turns its back leaves us then shal you read recepisti Cave therefore presume not but be wary and that thou mayest avoid a recepisti cave ne recipias be sure thou receive not how many of those think you who out of their opinion of skill and strength have given free entertainment to the world have made large use of the world lived abundantly fared costly dwelt sumptuously clothed themselves richly when their time and houre came would rather have gone out of some poor cottage than out of a princely palase and lived with no noise in the world that so they might have died in some peace See you not what some great persons in the Church of Rome have often done Charles 5. the Prince of Parma sundry others though they lived in all pomp and state yet at their death they desired to be buried in a poor Capuchins hood miserable men If to die in a state of perfect sequestration from the world were so precious so available a thing how much more precious more available had it been to live in it For thus to die not having thus lived is nothing else but to give sentence against their own life for we shall not appear before God as we died but as we lived To profess hate and desertion of the world at our death as most do to put on humiliation at our death that live at ease and in state all our life this is but to be buried in a Capuchins hood what is it beloved that thus reforms our judgement and clears our sight at that houre Nothing but this all our pleasures all our honours all the May-games of our life they now shall shew themselves unto us and every one cry out unto us Recipisti Thou hast received thy good things Now beloved that I may a little the better strengthen with good reason this my advice de non recipiendo of retiring from and rejecting the goodly things of the world give me leave a little to consult with my Topicks and to try out of what place I may draw some arguments to bring you on the easier And first of all were there no other reason to perswade you yet the very reading of this story where I have taken my text would afford arguments enough for what meant Abraham I beseech you when he told the rich man he had received his good things Did he use some obscure and unknown phrase which no circumstance of the story could open It stands not with the goodness of the Holy Ghost to tell us of our danger in unknown language something therefore certainly we shall finde to open the meaning cast back your eye upon the description of the person whom Abraham charges with this error and see if you finde not a paraphrase there the man to whom this phrase is applied is described by the properties of which I understand not that any one is a virtue first it is said he was rich secondly he ware scarlet and soft linnen thirdly he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was jovial and feasted liberally every day doth not this accurate description of the person shew his error For to what other purpose else could this description serve Either here is his error or this character is in vain it seems therefore we must conclude that to be rich to cloth our selves costly to fare deliciously thus to do is to receive the good things in our life except some favourable interpretation do help us out but we must take heed how we do de scripturis interpretationibus ludere dally with and elude scripture by interpretations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when St. John describes the world which he forbids us to follow he makes three parts of it the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life Do not all these three appear here in the character of our man where is the lust of the eye if it be not in gaudy apparel Where is the lust of the flesh at least one great branch of it if it be not in the use of dainty diet Where is the pride of life if not in riches and what reason have you now to doubt what should be the meaning of recepisti thou hast received thy good things He then that fears to hear a recepisti if he be rich let him not forget to distribute and empty those bags which lie up by him if he be costly clad let him turn his scarlet into sackcloth if he feed deliciously let him turn his costly dishes into temperance and fasting otherwise what can we plead for our selves that we should not as well as this man in my text when our time comes hear our recepisti But I see what it is peradventure that troubles you you will ask me whether I will avouch it to be a sin to be rich I must walk warily least I lay my self open to exception Pelaegius grounding himself upon that of our Saviour It is impossible for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of Heaven taught that lesson indeed as the words do lie and would by no means grant that a rich man could be saved but for this the Church noted him for an Heretick for among his heresies this is scored up for one together with that that it is not lawful to swear but if Pelagius had never otherwise erred the Church might very well have pardoned him that heresie many times it falls out by the reason of the hardness of our hearts that there is more danger in pressing some truths than in maintaining some errors that it is lawful sometime to sport our selves that it is lawful to feast at Christmas that it is lawful to swear and many other things of the like nature are all truths yet there is no necessity we should press them in our sermons to the people for there is no fear the people will ever forget these Cavendum est ne nimium me minerint better to labour that they do not too much remember them he that will labour in repressing the abuses which people ground upon these truths must remember the old rule Iniquum petendum est ut
that by a more constant and perpetual Law then that of Sacrifices For the cleansing of other sins by blood is done away the date of it is out but to cleanse blood by blood remains as a Law to our times and so shall unto the worlds end sanguine quaerendi reditus out of blood no way to get but by blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith S. Basil hast thou shed blood wouldst thou be free from the guilt of it Thy best way is to be a Martyr and shed thy blood for Christs sake Now that what I have to say may the better be conceived and lodged up in your memories I will comprehend and order all that I will speak to under three heads First I will in General yet a little further briefly shew how great a sin the sin of blood is Secondly I will speak of the redress of some misorders very frequent in our age which give way to this sin especially private revenge and single combat Thirdly I will touch at the means of taking the guilt of blood away which here the holy Ghost commends to those which are set in authority to that purpose And first of the greatness of the crime and sin of blood Of sins in holy Scripture there be two sorts recorded One sort is a silent dumb and quiet sin God doth as it were seek after it to finde it as the people did after Saul when he was hidden amongst the stuff Of this nature are the ordinary sins of our life which do more easily finde pardon at the hands of God but there is a second sort of sin which is a vocal and a crying sin a sin like that importunate widow in the Gospel that will not suffer the Judge to be quiet till he hath done justice and those are the more heavy and grievouser sins of our lives Of this second sort there are two sins to which the Scripture doth attribute this crying faculty First the sin of Sodom For so God tells Abraham The cry of Sodom and Gomorrha is come up before me The second is the sin of which I am now to speak the sin of Blood-shed For so God tells Cain The voice of thy brothers blood cryes unto me from the earth The sin of Adam in Paradise doubtless was a great and hainous sin which hath thus made us all the children of death yet it seems to be but of the rank of mute sins and to have had no voyce to betray it God comes unto Adam convents him examines him as if he had not known it and seems not to believe any such thing was done till himself had confessed it But blood is an unmannerly importunate and clamorous sin God shall not need to come and enquire after it it will come up unto him and cry as the souls do under the altar in the Revelation How long Lord how long Nec patimur iracunda Deum ponere fulmina suffers not God to forget judgement or entertain a thought of mercy To satisfie therefore the cry of this importunate sin and to shew men the grievousness of it the Laws of God and men have wonderfully conspired in the avenging of blood by what means or by what creature soever it were shed Beasts unreasonable creatures though whatsoever they do they cannot be said to sin for whatsoever they do they do by force of that natural instinct by which they are guided and led as by their proper law yet mans blood if they shed it is revenged upon them God himself is the Author of this law Gen. 9. where he tells Noah The blood of your lives I will require at the hands of every beast will I require it And accordingly in the 21. of Exodus he precisely enacts a law De Bove petulco If an Oxe gore a man that he die the Oxe shall be slain and the flesh cast away as an abomination The laws of Natural men who had no knowledge of God come little behinde this yea they may seem to have gone before it in severe revenging of blood for amongst the laws by which Athens that famous city of Greece was governed there was one that if a Wall by chance had fallen down and slain a man as the tower of Siloam did of which we read in the Gospel that then the Judges should sit and formally arraign that wall condemn it and throw the storâ—â—s of it out of the Countrey This so formal proceeding against unreasonable against dull and senseless creatures hath been thus joyntly both by God and man practised only for our example to teach us how precious the life of man ought to be in our eyes and it resembles that action of Christ in the Gospel where for our instruction he curses the barren fig tree Sterilitas nostra in ficu vapulat c. Now as exemplary justice is severely done on these creatures for mans instruction so much more if man himself kept not his hands clean from blood did the laws of God proceed with much strictness and severity for to say nothing of gross malicious and wilful murther if a man only in his haste strook another with a weapon or with a stone so that he died though the striker intended but to hurt yet he was to die for it That he did it in anger that he did it in his drink that he did it provok't that he did it in defence of his honour and reputation none of all these pretenses might excuse him Nay which is yet more God himself propounds the case If saith he a man cleaving wood his axe head flie off and hit his neighbour so that he kills him except he could recover one of the Cities of Refuge he was to die and having recovered a city of refuge if before the death of the high Priest he were taken without the walls of the city he was to die So strickt was God in the case of chance-medly as they call it in a case which he takes unto himself and makes himself the Author of For in the 21. of Exodus speaking of the man that thus sheds blood by chance and unwittingly his words are these If a man lie not in wait sed Deus objecerit manui ejus but God put him into his hands I will appoint him a city of refuge to flie unto In which words God acknowledges that he who thus dies by chance dies by his providence and not by the sin of him that slue him If God saith he shall put him into his hands yet you see what a penalty he layes upon the innocent instrument of such blood shed The blood that is shed in battle and in times of lawful war you all suppose as lawfully shed Yet notwithstanding Moses in the 16. of Numbers gives charge that the souldiers returning from battel should stay a while without the Camp even seven days until they were cleansed Again when David advised with himself about the building of an house unto God he sends him word to lay by all thought of
upon sleight occasions to put their wives away Because he saw that otherwise their exorbitant lusts would not be bounded within these limits which he in Paradise in the beginning had ser. And it is observed of the wise men which had the managing and bringing up of Nero the Emperor that they suffered him to practice his lusts upon Acte one of his Mothers Chamber-maids Ne in stupra foeminarum illustrium perrumperet si ill â libidine prohiberetur Least if he were forbidden that he should turn his lust upon some of the Noble Women permission and toleration warrants not the goodness of any action But as Caiphas said better one man die then all the people perish so they that first permitted Duels seem to have thought better one or two mutinous persons and disorderly die in their folly then the whole Common-Wealth be put into tumult and combustion yet even by these men it was never so promiscuously tolerated that every hasty couple upon the venting of a little choler should presently draw their swords but it was a publick or solemn action done by order with inspection either of the Prince himself or of some other Magistrate appointed to order it Now certainly there can be no very great reason for that action which was thus begun by Cain and continued only by Goths and Vandals and meer Barbarisme Yet that we may a little better acquaint our selves with the quality of it Let us a little examine the causes and pretences which are brought by them who call for trial by single combat The causes are usually two First disdain to seem to do or suffer any thing for fear of death Secondly point of Honour and not to suffer any contumely and indignity especially if it bring with it disreputation and note of cowardise For the first disdain to fear death I must confess I have often wondered with my self how men durst die so ventrously except they were sure they died well In aliis rebus siquid erratum est potest post modum corrigi in other things which are learnt by practising if we mistak we may amend it for the errour of a former Action may be corrected in the next We learn then by erring and men come at length not to erre by having often erred But no man learns to die by practising it We die but once and a fault committed then can never afterward be amended quia poena statim sequitur errorem because the punishment immediately follows upon the errour To die is an action of that moment that we ought to be very well advised when we come to it ab hoc momento pendet aeternitas you may not look back upon the opinion of honour and reputation which remains behinde you but rather look forward upon that infinite space of Eternity either of bliss or bale which besalls us immediately after our last breath To be loath to die upon every slight occasion is not a necessary sign of fear and cowardise He that knew what life is and the true use of it had he many lives to spare yet would he be loth to part with one of them upon better terms then those our books tell us that Aristippus a Philosopher being at Sea in a dangerous Tempest and bewraying some fear when the weather was cleared up a desperate Ruffian came and upbraided him with it and tells him that it was ashame that he professing wisedome should be afraid of his life whereas himselfe having had no such education exprest no agony or dread at all To whom the Phylosopher replied there was some difference between them two I know saith he my life may be profitable many ways and therefore am I loth to loose it but because of your life you know little profit little good can be made you care not how easily you part with it Beloved it may be justly suspected that they who esteem thus lightly of their lives are but worthless and unprofitable men our own experience tells us that men who are prodigal of their money in Taverns and Ordinaries are close handed enough when either pious uses or necessary and publick expence requires their liberality I have not heard that prodigals ever built Churches So these men that are so prodigal of their lives in base quarrels peradventure would be cowardly enough if either publick service or religion did call for their help I scarcely believe any of them would die Martyrs if the times so required it Beloved I do not go about to perswade any man to fear death but not to contemn life life is the greatest blessing God gives in this world and did men know the worth of it they would never so rashly venture the loss of it but now lightly prizing both their own and others blood they are easily moved to shed it as fools are easily won to part with jewels because they know not how to value them We must deal with our lives as we do with our money we must not be covetous of it desire life for no other use but to live as covetous persons desire mony only to have it neither must we be prodigal of life and trifle it away upon every occasion but we must be liberal of our lives know upon what occasion to spare upon what occasion to spend them To know where and when and in what cases to offer our selves to die is a thing of greater skill then a great part of them suppose who pretend themselves most forward to do it Nam impetu quodam instinctu currere ad mortem cum multis commune est For brutishly to run upon and hasten unto death is a thing that many men can do and we see that bruit beasts many times will run upon the spears of such as pursue them Sed deliberare causas expendere utque suaserit ratio vitae mortisque consilium suscipere vel ponere ingentis animi est but wisely to look into and weigh every occasion and as judgement and true discretion shall direct so to entertain a resolution either of life or death this were true fortitude and magnanimity And indeed this prodigality and contempt of life is the greatest ground of this quarrellous and fighting humour Qui suam vitam contempsit dominus est alienae There is a kinde of men who because they contemn their own lives make themselves Lords and Commanders of other mens easily provoking others to venture their blood because they care not how they loose their own Few places of great resort are without these men and they are the greatest occasioners of bloodshed you may quickly know them There are few quarrels wherein they are not either principalls or seconds or some way or another will have a part in them Might there be publick order taken for the restraint of such men that make a practice of quarrelling and because they contemne their own lives carry themselves so insolently and imperiously towards others It will prevent much mischief and free the Land of much
fault not through his nature But he that shall take into consideration these words of my Text shall farre better then any natural man be able to perceive that man hath no cause to complain of his weakness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Aristophanes It was a tale that passed among some of the Heathen that Vulcan offended with the men of Athens told them that they should be but fools but Pallas that favour'd them told them they should be fools indeed but folly should never hurt them Beloved our case is like to that of the men of Athens Vulcan the Devil hath made us fools and weak and so we are indeed of our selves but the Son of God the true Pallas the wisdome of the Father hath given us this gift that our weakness shall never hurt us For look what strength we lost in Adam that with infinite advantage is suppli'd in Christ. It was the Parable of Iphicrates that an Army of Harts with a Lyon to their Captain would be able to vanquish an armie of Lyons if their captain were but an Hart. Beloved were mankinde indeed but an army of Harts were we Hinnuleo similes like unto the fearful Hinde upon the Mountains that starts at every leaf that shakes yet through Christ that strengtheneth us having the Lyon of the tribe of Judah for our Captain and Leader we shall be able to vanquish all that force which the Lyon that goeth up and down seeking whom he may devoure is able to bring against us Indeed we do many times sadly bemoan our case and much rue the loss which through the rechlesness of our first parents hath befallen us Yet let us chear up our selves our fear is greater then our hurt as Elkanah speaks unto Hannah in the first of Samuel Why weepest thou Am not I better unto thee then ten Sons So will we comfort our selves in the like manner Let us sorrow no more for our loss in Adam For is not Christten fold better unto us then all the good of Paradise The Mulbery tree indeed is broken down but it is built up again with Cedar The loss of that portion of strength wherewith our Nature was originally endued is made up with fulness of power in Christ It is past that conclusion of Zeba and Zalmana unto Gideon in the Book of Judges As the man is so is his strength for now Beloved as is God so is our strength Wherefore as St. Ambrose spake of Peters fall Non mihi obsuit quod negavit Petrus immo prosuit quod emendavit So may we speak of the fall of our first Parents it hurts not us that Adam fell nay our strength and glory is much improved that by Christ we are redeemed Our natural weakness be it never so great with this supply from Christ is far a above all strength of which our Nature in its greast perfection was capable If we survey the particulars of that weakness which we drew from the loines of our first parents we shall finde the chiefest part of it to be in the loss of immortality For as for the loss of that pleasant place the blindness of understanding and perverseness of will being suppos'd to betide us immediately upon the fall these seem weaknesses far inferior to our mortality For God forbidding us the fruit of the tree of knowledg setting down the penalty that should ensue making choice as it is most likely of the fearfullest judgement and what he saw in his wisdome was most likely to awe us threatens neither blindness of understanding nor crookedness of Nature but tells us What day ye eat of it ye shall die Yet see beloved with how great strength this mortal weakness is repair'd For thus to be able to encounter with death the fearfullest of all Gods curses and through Christ to overcome it as all true Christians do to turn the greatest curse into the greatest blessing is more then immortality Si non errasset fecerat ille minus Had not man been thus weak he had never been thus strong Again on the contrary let us conceive unto the utmost what our strength might be in our first estate let us raise our conceit unto the highest note we can reach yet shall we never finde it to be greater then what here is exprest in my Text. For greater ability then power to do all things is not imaginable I can do all things Beloved these words are Anakims they beseem not the mouth of a man of ordinary strength He that hath right unto them must be one of the race of the Giants at least for he saith not simply 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I can though peradventure with some difficulty hardly with much labour and pains but he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I can with ease I have valour and strength to do them I ask then first as the Eunuch doth in the Acts of whom speaks our Apostle this of himself or of some other man I answer both of himself and all other Christians For every Christian man by reading it as he ought makes it his own for in reading it as he ought he reads it with the same spirit with which St. Paul wrote it Wherefore as St. Paul some where records of himself that he was not found inferiour to the chief Apostles so is it true that the meanest Christian that hears me this day in all that is contained in my Text is parallel'd is nothing inferiour unto St. Paul unto the chief Apostles What a comfort then is this unto the brother of low degree when he considers with himself that how mean soever he may seem to be either in the Church or common weal yet notwithstanding in so great a priviledge as is this omnipotent power of doing all things he is equal unto Peter unto Paul the greatest Peers of the Church If then the weakness of Christians be so strong as to deserve the name of Almightiness what name what title doth the strength of a Christian deserve to bear Secondly I ask what meaning hath this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this can do in my Text I answer very large first though it be rendred by this word doing yet it comprehends sufferings too for possum valeo I can is as well to suffer as to do and that our blessed Apostle amongst other things so meant it is apparant by the words foregoing my text And here is the first part of a Christians omnipotency his patience is infinite it suffers all things Never any contumely never any loss never any smart so great as could weary out Christian patience Talia saith Tertullian tantaque documenta quorum magnitudo penes nationes detractatio fides est peaes nos vero ratio structio Such examples such precepts have we of Christian patience as that with infidels they seem incredible and call in question the truth of our profession but with us they are the ground and foundation of faith God