Sluggâ—rd to the pismire to learne instructioÌ„ why shold we scorne to earne of pagaâ—s who were endued with excellent gifts of nature Prou. 6.6 Phacion a great Magistrate in Athens when his son in law Charillus was to be endited for extortion would not so much as be preseÌ„t there least his couÌ„tenaÌ„ce might haue procured him some fauor assuming that when he tooke him to be his son in law he hoped he would â—e a good an honest man a Plutarch in praecept polit And Cleon when hee was called to be a Magistrate sent presently for all his friends and renounced then fâ—â—â—â—dship And when Simonides requested something of Thoâ—â—stocles a Magistrate that was not very iust heâ—re Hâ—â—â—â—m with this answer He is not a good Poeâ— that singeâ—â— wâ—tâ—out harmony nor he a good mag strate that sheweth any fauour aâ—aâ—â—st the lawes â—ut there is a most famous example of all other for this purpose recorded by Aelianus The sum of it is this There was a man of the people called Mardi A han lib. 1. cap 34. that had seauen sonnes whereof the youngest being stubborne and dissolute and one that would not be reclaimed the rather taketh him and bindes his hands behind him and bâ—ought him to the Iudges there doth â—arnestly accuse him required that he might bee put to death The Iudges being astonished at the strangenes of the thing would not meddle with â—t but brought the father and the son to Artaxerxes the King Where the father stiâ— pleaâ—ed against the son craued iustice The King seeing his eaâ—nâ—stnesse said vnto him Canst thou then with thine owne eâ—e endure to behold the death of thy son he answ â—ed yea very â—el For when I shall see him that wrongeth dishonoureth my family put to death Land the rest of my children shall liue with â—eater comfort When the King heard this he highly commended the father made him one of his Iudges affirming that he that durst so seuerely so iustly pronounce sentence against his owne childe would doubtlesse shew himselfe a sincere incorrupt iudge vnto others But he pardoned the young man for that time threatning to put him to a most horible death if euer â—e should offend againe in the l ke maÌ„ner â—â—h that our Magistrates and Iudges would follow thâ—se examples For if it did once appeare to the world that rich mighty men should be punished as well as the poore meane persons and that kinsfolke friends should finde â—o more fauâ—ur then those that are strangers it would soone cut off all hope of impuâ—â—â—e from all kinde of malefactors And blessed be God that at this time our eies do see the great care of his Maiesty to haue the â—aÌ„d purged froÌ„ bloud wherwith it hath been poluted that there is so strict so iust proceeding against all that were coâ—eâ—eraâ—e in so wicked a fact nd the Lord streÌ„â—then tâ—e hart â—aÌ„â—â— that most wortâ—y Lord chiefe Iustice that he â—ay stil go forward vnpartially to cut off al those that had any aÌ„ in so foul a murder Wicked As all the wicked must be punished without partialitie so none but the wicked must be enda gered Th y that are innocent and harme esse must not bâ—e mâ—lâ—sted The Lord commanded Moses that in the execution oâ— jâ—st ce Deut 2â— 1 Prou. 17.15 The righteous should bee iustified â—nd the wicked condemned And Solomon saith It is as great abhomination in the sight of od to condemne the iust as it is to iustifie the wickeâ— And the Prophet pronounceth as great a woâ— against â—im that Taketh away the righteous es of the r ghteous from him Isa 5.23 as against him That iustâ—fiâ—th absolueth the wick d for a reward The Lord hath puâ— a sword into the Magistrates hand Rom. 13 4 but it is to this eâ—d that he may Take vengeanâ—◠〈◊〉 him that doth euill And therefore bee abuseth his authorâ—tâ—â— and abuseth his sword if he turneth edge of it against the godly Psal 11 2. and smite them that are vpright in heart as Dauid saith This is a most fearefull and a most horrible sinne and a siâ—ne which God will â—ost seuâ—rely punish Among those se â—en things which the Lord hateth and abhorâ— h Pro 6.16 17 Psal 9. â—â— this is one The hands that shed innocent blood And â—auid saith that the Lord himselfe wiâ—â— make inquisition for blood Sometimes innocent blooâ— is shed vnder colour oâ—â—aw But there will be at tâ—me when the Lord wil câ—â—e with a quest of â—â—quiâ—e to find it out nd to punish it And therefore when the wicked brought the Prophet Ieremiah before the princes and would haue had him put to death he speaketh to them with great boldnesse Ier. 26.14.15 As for me I am in your hands doe with me as you thinke good But know ye for a certaine that if you put me to death ye shall surely bring innocent blood vpon your selues and vpon this city vpon the inhabitants therof Implying that God would reuenge his blood not onely vpon the murderers themselues but vpon the people the whole land should be guilty of it When poore Naboth was vniustly condemned and put to death by wicked Ahab the Lord sent Elijah the Prophet to him with this messag Hast thou killed also gotten possession Thus saith the Lord in the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shal dogs licke euen thy blood also 1. King 21.13.19 22.38 2. King 21.16 24.2.3.4 Which came to passe accordingly Manasseh was a cruell murderer He shed innocent blood exceeding much till he replenished Ierusalem from corner to corner But marke how fearefully the Lord reuenged this sin in his posterity In the daies of Iehoiâ—kim The Lord sent against him bands of the Caldees bands of the Aramits bands of the Moabites bands of the Amonites he sent them against Iudah to destroy it Surly by the commandment of the Lord came this vpon Iudah that he might put them out of sight for the sinnes of Manasseh And for the innocent blood that he shed therefore the Lord would not pardon it Manasseh was dead rotteÌ„ long before this time but we see the Lord had not forgotten his sin but the whole land smarted for it in the third generation after him So likewise Ioash most vnkindly caused Zechariah the son of good Ieâ—oiada to bâ— stoned to death because he reproued him for his idolatry But see what followed 2. Chro. 24.21.22.23.24.25 When the yeare was out the host of Aram came vp against him and they came against Iudah and Ierusalem and destroyed all the Princes of the people from among the people and sent all the spoile of them vnto the King of Damascus Though the army of Aram came with a small company of men yet the Lord deliuered a very great army into their hands After this the Lord somte him
persons know that if by any of these meanes they subduce a malefactor from deserued punishment they make themselues guilty of his sinne It is a true saying a Iudex damnatu cum no cens absoluitur the Iudge is condemned when the offender is absolued b qui non votat peccare cum potest iubet Sen. Prou. 24.24 17.15 And hee that doth not restraine a man when it is in his power doth command him to sinne Againe Solomon saith He that saith to the wicked thou art righteous him shall the people curse and the multitude shall abhorre him And in another place Hee that iustifieth the wicked is abhomination to the Lord Giuing vs to vnderstand that whereas they thinke by this meanes to winn the fauour and estimation of men they make themselues odious both to God and all good men Besides the Scripture maketh it cleare and euident that by this remissenesse they make themselues lyable to the wrath of God When the Lord sent Saul in expedition against the Amalekites and gaue him a charge to smite them 1. Sam. 15.3 and to destroy all that appertained vnto them and to haue no compassion on them but to stay both man and woman 8. infant and sucâ—ling c. And he contrary to this charge tooke Aâ—ag the King aliue Samuel was sent to tell him 23. that because he had in that manner cast away the word of the Lord the Lord had cast him away from being K ng And whereas Ahab had by Gods assistance discomfited Benhadad the King of Syria and had not put him to death 1. King 20.42 but vpon certaine conditions had let him goe a Prophet was sent vnto him with this message Because thou hast let goe out of thine hand a man whom I appointed to die thy lifâ— shall goe for his life and thy people for his people Malefacctors and wicked persons by the law of God are appointed to die the Lord hath giuen Magistrates a charge to that purpose if therefore they for foolish pity or any other respect let them escape they may iustly feare that Gods hand will be vpon themselues And many times we see by experience that a wicked wretch reserued from due punishment proueth a continuall vexation to him that hath spared him As the nations that inhabited the land of Canaan being not cast out and destroyed by the Israelites Iosh 23.13 Iud 2.3 as God had commanded them were made by the iust iudgement of God A snare and destruction vnto them and a whippe on their sides and a thorne in their eyes Secondly this doctrine doth serue to admonish all that are in authoritie Rom. 13.4 to set themselues with care and conscience to performe this duetie The Magistrate must not beare the sword for naught as the Apostle saith he must not be like a Scarre-Croâ—e to let the birds picke strawes out of his nose but he must draw the sword that God hath put in his hand to cut off such as will not otherwise bee reclaimed And herein he must spare none If a pecuniary mâ—â—â— be to be inflicted a qui non habe in acâ—e luat in corpore hee that hath it not in his purse let him pay it on his skinne If he deserue a corporall punishment the Magistrate must not omit it Deu. 19.21 his eye must haue no compassion And herein he hath the example of our Sauiour Christ who comming to driue the buyers and sellers out of the Temple doth not prepare his eares to heare them but a whippe to scourge them Bern. de consid lib. 1. Hee maketh no words nor receiueth any answere for he sitteth not as a Iudge but pursueth them as a reuenger The Magistrate must doe likewise his zeale must bee inflamed against the generall impudency of the times he must make vngodly persons afraide of his countenance so as they shall not dare to come in his sight As Iob saith that when he was in prosperitie his authoritie did so terrifie the wicked of his time that they durst not shew their heads they were chased from among men Iob 30.3.4.5.6 and were constrained to flee into wildernesse 〈◊〉 and there to hide themselues in olâ—â—iâ—s of riuers and holes of the earth and rockes where they cut vp nettles by the bushes and the iuriper rootes were their meate Yea the least sinne that is must not escape vnpunished We see by experience that many times a little itch turneth to a filthie leprosie that spreadeth it selfe ouer the whole body so a masse of euill doth often arise of a small beginning A graine of poyson is enough to take away a mans life and the least euill is sufficient to spoile a whole citie Casus in pâ—liâ— And therefore in euils we are not to respect the waight of them but the danger not the greatnesse but the contagiousnesse The least mote of euill as one saith is not to be neglected The Magistrate must take heede that by the name of a little eui l hee bee not deceâ—ued with this paralogisme forgiue this this is but a small falt and forgiue this this is but a small fault and so euery fault shall be accounted small and none shall be punished As in a diseased body Phisitians labour to leaue no corrupt humour that may endanger the body so the Magistrate must leaue nothing in the common-wealth that may be hurtfull to it a Partâ—â— saepe scinâ—â—lla neglecta magnum excitauit incendium Curt. lib. 6. A little sparke not regarded hath many times raised a great fâ—re so a little euill neglected hath often turned to a great mischife But as the Magistrate must punish all sinne in generall so more especially such as make most to the dishonour of God as blasphemous swearing drunkennesse whoredome profanation of the Sabboath and such like Now herein many Magistrates are much to blame They are seuere enough to punish the least disgrace that is offered to their owne persons But let God be neuer so much dishonoured and his Sabboathes neuer so greatly polluted there are but a few that doe regard iâ— I confesse there hath beene a good beginning made this last yeare for the reformation of the Sabboath The right honourable the Lord Maior that now is and the other officers that assisted him haue taken great paines in restraining the abuses and disorders that are in Taâ—â—rnâ—s and Alehouses on that day I wish the like care may be continued in the next yeare And therefore I would intreate the Lord Elect that is to succeede that the example of those that haue gone before him may encourage him to vndertake this good worke of the Lord. He shall finde it an easier matter then it was before because the yee are already well broken to his hands vngodlinesse is already well curbed it were pittie that by any future remissenesse it should get head againe And let me exhort the right worshipfull Sheriffes that are newly come in
our God that preserueth vs. Our soule is escaped euen us a bird out of the snare of the foulers 7 Cic in Cati. 1 the snare is broken and we are deliuered Suffer not I beseech you suffer not the safety of the land and kingdome to be any more endangered by their meanes Iud. 8.20.21 But you that haue authority indeede you that haue strength in your hands rise and fall vpon them as Gedeon did vpon Zebah and Zalmunna wee that be Ministers may crie out against them and inferiour Magistrates may seeke to punish them and both be laughed to scorne for our paines It is you that haue greater power that must doe the deede A Gell. lib. 7. cap. 3. Strike therefore and strike home that both head and taile both the great Iesuites and the inferiour Priests may be cut off before they deuise any more treason It is good pollicie not to recompence benefits and good turnes before they be performed and done but is a point of great folly not to preuent intended villenies but to linger and stay till they be committed and then to thinke to punish them when the mischiefe that is done cannot be vndone How it commeth to passe I know not but the truth is they haue too much liberty Euen those of them that be in prison are little restrained by their imprisonment They haue the Masses as ordinarie and as common and there is as great resort of many sorts of people to them whom they seduce and peruert as if they were in their owne houses yea they can at their pleasure goe abroade all the citie ouer And yet they are not ashamed to crie out of heard and cruell vsage that they are like to bee famished and I know not what Indeede I am sorrie for their heauinesse He that shall looke on the cheekes of many of them will thinke they are better fedde then taught They know well enough that in Queeene Marias time the poore seruants and Martyres of Christ endured other manner of persecution at their hands They were mannacled and fettered and kept in the stockes night and day 1. King 22.27 yea not onely their feete but their neckes also They were fed with the bread of affliction and the water of affliction These men walke vp and downe in their brauerie and eate of all the dainties that may be and yet are not pleased Well let me exhort those that be in authoritie that if they will not hung them vp vnto the Lord 2. Sam. 21.6 as the Gibeonites said of Sauls sonnes which yet I am perswaded would be as acceptable a sacrifice to God as that was and as pleasing a spectacle to all God people yet they would tie them shorter and make their imprisonment a restraint indeede that they may not haue so much liberty to doe mischiefe But it may be some will obiect Will you then deny all mercy vnto those that doe offend No by no meanes I know that Solomon saith Pro. 20.28 The Kings throne shall be established with mercy I would not haue the seate of Iustice to be a Reorum scopulus Alex. ab Alex. lib. 3. cap. 5. the rocke of malefactors as they said of the tribunal of Cassius I hate the cruelty of Draco who punished the lightest and smallest offence with death and therefore was said to write his lawes not with incke but with blood b M lum est delectari sono catenarum Sen de clement li. 1. cap. vlt. I hold it a filthy thing for a Magistrate to delight as one saith in the ratling of chaines and fetters as a carter that is neuer well but when he heares the lashing of his whippe But as Dauid saith in the beginning of this Psalme I will sing mercy and iudgement so I would haue all those that are to punish offenders to temper mercy and iustice together c Vt non facilitas authoritatem aut seue ritas amorem minuat Cor. Tac. in vita Iul Agric. c Milis sâ—ueritas non dissoluta clemen ia Plin Sec. in panegyr that too much leuitie doe not derogate from their authority nor too much seueritie doe not diminish their loue They d Tam omnibus ignoscere crudelitas est quam nulli Sen. de clement l. 1 c. 2. a Potest poena diluta exigi non potest exacta renocari Sen. de ira l. 2. Sen de clement l. 1. must vse a milde seueritie and not a dissolute clemencie as Plinie said of Tragane the Emperour As they must not shew mercie hand ouer head so they must not denie mercie to all e For it is as great cruelty to shew mercy to all as to none And therefore to the end that the Magistrate may carrie himselfe vprightly in this case there are diuerse causions to be obserued First of all they must not be too headlong nor too hastie in inflicting punishment All other meanes as we haue said before must be vsed and if they be despised and contemned then at the last they must come to punishment It was a good saying of Seneca f Ne superet medicina modum A punishment that is deferred may be exacted but if it be once inflicted it cannot be recalled Secondly they must labour by smaller lighter punishments to peruent greater They must not come to capitall punishments at the first vnlesse the feare of future euill be greater then the present Death is the last punishment and therefore there is none will inflict it but he that hath spent all his other remedies Thirdly they must punish in equity and due proportion according to the quality of the offence a Nesuperet medicina modum The medicine must exceede meâ—sure And this was the commandement of the Lord himselfe that if a wicked man were found worthy to be beaten the Iudge should cause him to lie downe Deut. 25.2 and to be beaten according to his trespasse c. And our Sauiour Christ hath taught vs that he that sinneth of ignorance must be beaten with fewer stripes then he that sinneth against his knowledge Luk 12.47.48 That seruant saith he that knew his maâ—sters will and prepared not himselfe neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many wripes But he that knew it not Ezra 7.26 and yet did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes And this the heathen king euen by the light of nature prescribed vnto Ezra adsit Regula peccatis quae poenas ittoget acquas Ne scutica dignum horibâ—li sectere flagello Hora. serm l. 1. sat 3. that whosoeuer will not doe the law of God and the kings law hee should haue iudgement whether it be vnto death or vnto banishment or vnto conffication of goods or to imprisonment Where we see he maketh diuersities of punishments according to he desert of the offender b And vnlesse this rule be obserued to proportion punishments according to the offences they shall punish that
piece of bread Hereupon the Apostle chargeth Timotheus euen before God 18.21 and the Lord Iesus Christ and the elect Angels that in executing the ecclesiasticall censures vpon wicked persoÌ„s 1. Tim. 5.21 he should not preferre one before another and that he should doe nothing partially Wher he vseth two words of great signification 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The first doth signifie to esteeme highly of some one man in respect of others which is most intollerable in a Iudge who must sit in the place of iustice not to iudge of mens persons but according to their causes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beza The second is borrowed from him that holdeth the ballance implying that the Iudge must waigh the causes of men that are at variance as it were in a balance so as he must incline to neither part otherwise there can be no right iudgement Secondly this respect of persons and this parcialitie is condemned also in punishing When the Lord had appointed punishments by way of retaliation vnto him that had any way hurt his brother hee addeth in the end Ye shall haue one law it shall be as well for the stranger as for one borne in the country The stranger if he deserue fauour must haue as much sauour as if he were borne in the country and he that is borne in the country must be punished with as much seuerity as if he were a stranger Againe the Lord commandeth Deu. 17.25 If there be found among you in any of thy cities which the Lord thy God giu th thee man or woman that hath wrought wickâ—dnesse in the sight of the Lord thy God c. then thou shalt bring foorth that man or that woman vnto thy gates and shalt stone them with stones till thy 〈◊〉 We see here is none excepted Whosoeuer they be that transgresse high or low rich or poore they must be punished And therefore in some cases it were not lawfull for the father or mother to spare their owne sonne that was borne of their bone and flesh of their flesh If any man haue a sonne saith the Lord that is stubburne and disobedient Deut. 11.18 19.21 which will not hearken to the voice of his father nor the voâ—ce of his mother c. then shall his father and his mother take him and bring him out vnto t e Elders of his citie and then all the men of his citie shall stone him with stones vnto death Yea there is not any bond of nature or of friendship that should hinder a man from the performance of this duetie according to that strict charge and precept of the Lord. Deut. 13.6.7.8.9.10 If thy brother the sonne of thy mother or thine owne sonne or thy daughter or thy wife that lieth in thy bosome or thy friend which is as thine owne soule entice thee secretly saying let vs goe and serue us other Gods c. Thou shalt not consent vnto him nor hâ—are him neither shall thine eie pitie him nor shew mercy nor keepe him secret But thou shalt eu n kill him thine hand shall be first vpon him to put him to death and then the hands of all the people 2. Cron. 15.16 c. And therefore Asa king of Iudah is commended in the word of God for his vprightnesse in this respect that when Maacha his owne mother committed idolatry he would not spare her but punished her euen by deposing her from her regency And indeede it is truely said a Iustitium non nouit patrem non nouit matte n ventatem voâ—s that Iustice knoweth neither father nor mother but onely the truth As Moses testifieth of Leui that he said vnto his father and to his mothe I haue not seene him neither knew he his brethren nor knew his owne children so must it be with euery good Magistrate The neerest kinsmen and dearest friends that he hath in the world must haue no more fauour then other men Besides the Lord hath entitled and stiled Magistrates by the name of Gods as Dauid saith God standeth in the assembly of gods Psal 82.1.6 he iudgeth among Gods And againe I haue said ye are gods c. And therefore as they communicate with God in his name so also they should follow his example Now the Scripture doth euery where teach vs that God is no respecter of persons The Lord your God saith Moses is God of gods Deut. 10.17 18. and Lord of Lords a great God mighty and terrible which excepteth no persons nor taketh reward c. And Iehosaphat exhorting his Iudges that he had made to the due execution of iustice vseth Gods example as an argument to perswade theÌ„ therunto Let the feare of the Lord saith he be vpon you 2. Chr. 19.7 take heed and doe it for there is no iniquity with the Lrrd our God neither respect of persons nor receiuing of reward And Elihu affirmeth the same in the booke of Iob. Iob 34.19 The Lord accepteth not the persons of Princes and regardeth not the rich more then the poore for they be all the worke of his hands The greatest and the richest are like to finde no more fauour at his hands then the meanest and the poorest Isa 11.3 for he made the one as well as the other And the Prophet Isaiah speaking of the kingdome and dominion of Christ saith He shall not iudge after the sight of his eyes he shall not bee caried with outward respects to condemne or absolue any man without cause In a word the Apostle Peter saith 1. Pet. 1.17 that God without respect of persons iudgeth according to euery mans worke And we see by experience that the greatest potentates and mightiest monarches in the world can no more escape the vengeance of God then the poorest wretches that liue vpon the earth Witnesse Pharaoh Nabuchad-nezzar and diuerse others whom God brought to confusion notwithstanding all their pride Neither can the greatest multitude of sinners that are rescue themselues from the stroake of his punishing hand no more then if they were but a few or but one person as we see in the old world in Sodome and Gomorha and the cities about them and in the great army of Sennacherib Yea the Lord correcteth his dearest children euen as well as those that are his enemies As the Apostle Peter 1 Pet. 4 17. saith The time is come that iudgement must beginne at the house of God And the Lord himselfe saith to the wicked nations Loe Ier. 25.29 I beginne to plague the citie where my name is called vpon and should you goe free And speaking of the children and posteritie of Dauid whom he loued so dearely Psal 89.30.31.32.33 as he promised that he would Neuer take his louing kindnesse from them saith notwithstanding that If they forsake his law and walke not in his iudgements if they breake his statutes and keepe not his commandements he would visit their transgression with the
with great disseases And at the last his owne seruants conspired against him and slew him on his bed And the reason of all these iudgements is giuen there by the holy Ghost that they were For the blood of the children of Iehoiada the Priest And to this purpose the Lord did threaten the Iewes Mat. 23.35 that Vpon them should come all the righteous blood that was shed vpon the earth from the blood of Abel the righteous vnto the blood of Zacharias the sonne of Barachias whom they slew betweene the temple and the altar When the wicked Iewes were so earnest with Pilate to haue our Sauiour Christ put to death and he would haue testified his innocencie in the matter they all with one voice took it vpon themselues Mat. 27.25 and cried out His blood be on vs and on our children Which fearfull imprecation of theirs the Lord did heare and auenged his blood vpon them with a witnes Neither was there any sinne so seuerely punished as that sinne For the Lord brought an vtter destruction vpon the whole nation that euen to this day they are despersed and scattered throughout the whole earth and may euen be termed the common Rogues and vagabonds of the world And Pilate that wicked iudge that pronounced that wicked sentence against him to gratifie and please the Iewes euen against his conscience Euseb li. 2 c. 7. did not escape the reuenging hand of God For the Lord brought vpon him such wofull calamities that to be rid out of his paine he thrust himselfe through with his owne hands and so ended his wretched life In a word we reade in the Reuelation that the soules of them that were killed for the word of God Reuel 6.10 and for the testimony which they maintained doe crie with a loud voice vnder the altar How long Lord holy and true dost thou not iudge and auenge our bloodeâ— them that dwell vpon the earth By all this that hath beene spoken we see what a fearefull sinne it is to be guilty of shedding innocent blood And yet we see it by too much experience that where wicked men are in authority they that are most godly and most religious are sure to be most molested Is it not an ordinary thing with the Papists where they haue the law in their hands to punish a man more seuerely for reading the holy word of God for the comfort and education of his soule at for eating flesh on a friday or for breaking any of their superstitious ceremonies the â—either for blasâ—â—my or drunkennesse or whordome of for murâ—er it selfe For thoughâ— man bee guilty of these sinnes hee may haue a dispensation and a pardon but if he bee taken â—ardie in aâ—â—e of the other hee is sure to bee burnt at a stake and to fry a fagot And others also that are no Papists at least would be counted none as farre as their power will stretch doe most of all manifest their malice against the children of God I know they are ashamed openly to professe this But they haue other shifts and other preâ—enses for their proceedings If Haman desire to haue the whole nation of the Iewes destroyed there shall not bee the least insinuation that it is because they are the people of God that were too grosse But They doe not obserue the Kings Iames Ester 3.8 and therefore It is not th Kings profit to suffer them If the Iewes conspire the Prophet Ieremiahs death the quarell must not be because he is a faithfull Prophet of the Lord and will boldly speake all that the Lord commandeth him to speake that were too shamefull But forsooth Ier. 26.11 He prophesieth against the citie and therefore he is worthy to die If flattering Amâ—siah the Priest of Bethel would bring poore Amos into disgrace with Ieroboam the pretence and colour of his acâ—usation must be this Amos 7.10 Amos hath conspired against thee in thâ—â—â—ands of the house of Israel the land is not able to beare all his words When the Iewes were purposed to crusifie our blessed Sauiour the Lord of life Ioh. 8.46 though they could find nothing in him that was aâ—issâ— for there was none of them that could truely rebuke him of sinne yet this they falsely pretended against him That they found him peruerting the people Luke 23.2 and forbidding to pay tribute to Caâ—sar and that he spake against Caesar in making himselfe a King Ioh. 19.12 Act. 6.10 When the aduersaries of Saint Steuen sought â—â—â—â—de the maine quarell was because they were not able to resist the wisedome and the spirit by which he sâ—ake But yet they had another manner of accusation against him namely that he ceased not to speake blasphemous words against the holy place and against the law In like manner when Ananias the high Priest and the elders went about to put the Apostle Paul to death they had as farre a cloake â—or their viâ—leinous intent as could be Act. 24 1.2 5. They hired a skilfull lawyer to accuse him to be a p stilent fellow and a mouer of sedition among all the Iewes throughout the world And doubtlesse wicked and vngodly men at this day are not lesse ingenious nor lesse malicious to deuise false accusations agai st those that are most sincere and so farre as is in their power to bring them within compasse of law when as in truth if they would sâ—riue themselues their owne heart telleth them that their quarell against them is no other then Cains was against his brother Abel 1. Ioh. 3.12 euen because their owne workes are euill and the others good And therefore let all those whom this may concerne be admonished Mat. 27.24 to wash their hands but with a purer conscience and a cleaner heart then Pilate did from the innocent blood of all iust persons Let them take heede that they haue no hand vpon any pretence whatsoeuer not onely in the dead but not in the vniust molestation or wrongfull punishment of any that are knowne to bee godly Betimes or early This noteth his speede and diligence in punishing offenders he promiseth to doe it speedily without delay diligently without remisnesse and constantly without intermission From whence we may obserue that they that are to punish others must doe it speedily This was the commission that was giuen to Ezra Ezra 7.26 that Whosoeuer would doe the the law of his God the Kings law he must haue iudgement without delay That which God commandeth to householders and fathers of families namely that if they loue their children they must Correct them betimes Prou. 13.14 19.18 and chasten them whilâ— there is hope is also required of Magistrates and fathers of the couâ—â—ry that in punishing of sinne they must begin early and betimes least it tâ—ey be â—â—â—e â—nd slacke and remisse they doe not in time conuenient and in due season meete with those euils that are to bee reformed So that if