LOTâ—RTZACH i. e. Thou shalt not Murder It was a â—ain Opinion of the Manachees whom Austin That the Life of no Creature might be taken away because the Commandment of God saith Thou shalt not kill God has given express leave to all the Sons of Noah i. e. to Mankind that they should take away the Lives of other creatures as they should see cause only Man being a more Divine Creature his Life is to be Sacred it may not be medled with except in cases where the Great Soveraign God who has an absolute power of Life and Death hath appointed 2. Capital Murder is wilful There is a difference between Murder and casual Homicide or accidental Manslaughter If a man shoots an Arrow or throws a stone or the like not thinking that any one will be hurt thereby in case it should happen to kill a man it is not Murder If he did it ignorantly unawares and no way sought the harm of the slain man he is not to be punished as a Murderer This we see in the Context ver 15. to 26. The City of Refuge was for such an one Deut. 19. 4. 5. And this is the case of the slayer which shall flee thither that he may live whosoever killeth his neighbour ignorantly whom he hated not in time past as when a man goes into the Wood with his neighbour to hew wood and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the Ax to cut down the tree and the head slippeth from the helve lights upon his neighbour that he die he shall flee unto one of those cities and live Not but that a man may be guilty of Murdering his Neighbour tho he did not intend to kill him namely If he did smite him in Anger or intend to harm him as the expression is in the 23. ver of this Chapter And it is here expresly declared not only that he who shall lye in wait or watch for an opportunity to destroy his Neighbour or that did formerly hate him shall be judged a Murderer but if he smite him in emnity that he dy v. 21. i. e. in an hostile way tho he had no quarrel with him before if he fall out with him and in his passion smite him a mortal Blow he hath murdered his Neighbour and is guilty of death This is presumptous Murder the heart was in it nor can it be said to be done ignorantly There is another clear Scripture which proves that if persons fall out and in the strife one shall strike the other a deadly blow life shall go for life Ex. 21. 14 21 22 But then 3dly In Murder the Life of a man is taken away unjustly In some cases it is lawful to take away the Life of another Yea Matters may be so circumstanced as it would be a great sin not to do it There are Three cases wherein the Life of a man may be taken away and yet no Sin no Murder committed 1. In case of a Just War. There is a great difference between blood shed in war and in a time of Peace Joab was guilty of Murder because he shed the blood of War in peace 1. King 2. 5 had he killed Abner Amasa in the war-time before David had made peace with him he had not bin guilty of Murder but because he shed blood after a peace was concluded he was a Murderer Somtimes in War they that take away lives do an acceptable service to God. Abigal told David that God would certainly bless him because he fought the Battles of the Lord. 1. Sam. 25. 28. And we know that Abraham was blessed after he returned from the Slaughter of the Kings with whom he had a just war. Heb. 7. 2. In these cases the not shedding of blood may possibly expose to a Curse Jer. 48. 10 Cursed be he that does the work of the Lord deceitfully and cursed be he that keeps back his sword from blood 2. They that are in Civil Authority may and ought to take away the Lives of men that shall commit Crimes by the Law of God worthy of Death The Apostle therefore saith concerning the Magistrate He is the minister of God to thee for good but if thou do that which is evil be afraid for he â—eareth not the sword in vain for he is the minister of God a Revenger to execute wrath upon him that does Evil. Rom. 13 4. Private Reveng is evil but publick Revenge on those that violate the Laws of God is good The Magistrate is God's Vice-gerent As none can give life but God so none may take it away but God or such as He has appointed It is their work to see that the Lives of men be taken from them when God has said that they shall surely be put to death Hence David speaks as in Psal 101. 8. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land that I may cut off all the wicked Doers from the City of the Lord. God had put the Sword into his hand for that end that so he might clear the Land of Malefactors who were worthy of Death and he was resolved to see Justice done But private Persons are not to arrogate to themselves that which is the Magistrate's proper work Men must have lawful Authority for what they do else in taing away Life they become guilty of Murder Suppose a person to have committed never such Capital Crimes if a private person or one that has no Legal Authority shall take away his Life he is guilty of Murder Except 3. In case of a man 's own just Defence So a private person may take away the life of another The light of Nature teaches men Self-Preservation If a Murderer assault him he may kill rather than be killed We cannot say that Abner was guilty of Murder when he slew Asahal in his own defence (b) Alsted Theol. Cas Cap. 15. p. 350. If a man be coutrary to Justice invaded or set upon by another in an hostile manner and there he no other way for him to preserve his own life but by killing the Assailant the Law of Nature and of all Nations acquit him from the guilt of Murder But he that has shed blood causless or that has avenged himself is a Murderer 1. Sam. 25. 31. Propos 2. Murder is an exceeding great Sin. It 's an expression in the Scriptures he is as if he slew a man Isa 66. 3. Implying that to slay a man is a thing most horrid hateful it is indeed the greatest Sin against the 2nd Table of the Moral Law and is therefore set in the first place amongst negative Precepts therein God forbids the greatest sin in the first place It is a Crying Sin The Lord said to Cain The voice of thy brothers blood cryeth to me from the ground Gen. 4. 10. In the Original the word is in the Plural Number the voice of thy brothers bloods Every drop of Abel's blood had as it were a voice a tongue in it crying for vengeance
for being wicked over much There is hardly any sort of Wickedness which you have not wallowed in-That sin particularly which you are now to die for is a most monstrous Crime I can't possibly describe or declare the sins whereby you have made your self an astonishing Example of Impiety punishment Mor. O Sir I have bin a most hellish sinner I am sorry for what I have bin Min. Sorry you say well tell me which of all your sins you are now most sorry for which lyes most heavy Mor. I hope I am sorry for all my sins but I must especially bewail my neglect of the means of grace On Sabbath dayes I us'd to lye at home or be ill imploy'd elsewhere when I should have bin at Church This has undone me Min. And let me seriously tell you Your Despiseing of Christ is a most dreadful sin indeed You have for whole years together had the Call of Jesus Christ to seek an Interest in him you would now give all the world for that interest but you would take no notice of him The Jews of Old put him to a worse death than yours will be this afternoon and by your contempt of Christ you have said the Jews did well to do so How justly might he now Laugh at your Calamity And for these sins of yours besides the direful woes plagues that have already come upon you you are now expos'd unto the Vengeance of eternal fire You are in danger of being now quickly cast into those exquisite amazing Torments in comparison of which the anguishes which your body ever did feel or shall feel before night or can ever feel are just nothing at all and these dolorous torments are such as never have an End as many sands as could lie between this earth the Stars in Heaven would not be near so many as the Ages the end-less Ages of these Torments Mor. But is there not Mercy for me in Christ Min. Yes and its a wonderful thing that I have now further to tell you Mind I entreat you The SON of GOD is become the Son of Man the Lord Jesus Christ is both God man in one Person he is both sufficiently able willing also to be your Saviour He lived a most righteous life and this was that such as you I might be able to say before God Lord accept of me as if I had liv'd righteously He died at length a most cursed death and this was that we might be able to say unto God Lord let not me die for sin since thy Son has died in my room This glorious Redeemer is now in the highest heaven pleading with God for the Salvation of His chosen ones And He pours out his Spirit continually upon them that do believe on him might you then be enabled by his grace to carry your poor guilty condemned enslaved ignorant soul unto Jesus Christ and humbly put your trust in him for deliverance from the whole bad state which you are brought into Oh then his voice is to you the same that was to the penitent Thief This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Mor. Oh that I might be so Sir I would hear more of these things I think I can't better fit my self for my death than by hearkning to these things Min. Attend then The never-dying spirit that lodges within you must now within a few minutes appear before the Tribunal of the Great GOD in what or in whose Righteousness will you then appear will you have this to be your Plea Lord I experienced many good Motions Desires in my soul many Sorrows for my sin before I dy'd or will you expect to have no other Plea but This Lord I am vile but thy Son is a Surety for the worst of sinners that believe in him for his sake alone have MERCY on me Morg. I thank God for what He has wrought in my Soul Min. But be very careful about this matter if you build on your own good Affections instead of Jesus Christ the only Rock if you think they shall recommend you to God He that made you will not have mercy on you Mor. I would be clothed with the Righteousness of JESUS CHRIST Min But you can't sincerely desire that Christ should justify you if you don 't also desire that He should sanctify you those 2 alwaies go together Is evry lust that has hitherto had possession of your heart become so loathsom to you that it would fill your soul with joy to hear Jesus Christ say I will subdue those Iniquities of thine I will make a holy heavenly a spiritually minded person of thee Mor. I would sin against God no more Min. But I must deal plainly with you You have made it sadly suspicious that your repentance is not yet as it ought to be when men truly throughly repent of sin they use to be in a special manner watchful against that Sin which has bin their chief Sin one of your principal sins which has indeed brought you to the Death of a Murderer is Passion unmortifi'd outragious Passionateness Now I have been this day informed that no longer since than the last night upon some Dissatisfaction about the place which the Authority hath ordered you by and by to be buried in you did express your self with a most unruly Passionateness Mor. Sir I confess it and I was quickly sorry for it tho' for the present I was too much disturbed 'T was my folly to be so careful about the place where my body should be laid when my precious SOUL was in such a Condition Min. Truly you have cause to mourn for it Secure the welfarre of your soul and this now pinion'd hang'd vile body of yours will shortly be raised unto glory glory forevermore And let me put you in mind of one thing more I doubt you han't yet laid aside your unjust Grudges against the Persons concerned in your Conviction Condemnation You have no cause to complain of them and you are not fit to pray much less are you fit to dye till you heartily wish them as well as your own soul if you die malicious you die miserable Mor. I heartily wish them all well I bear Ill-will to none What a lamentable thing is this Ah this is that which has brought me hither Min. What do you mean Mor. I over-heard a man mocking scoffing at me when I stumbled just now he does very ill I have done so my self I have mock'd scoff'd like that man and see what it hath brought me to he may come to the like Min. The Lord forgive that foolish hard-hearted creature But be not too much disturbed Mor. Yonder I am now come in sight of the place where I must immediately end my dayes Oh what a huge Multitude of people is come together on this occasion O Lord O Lord I pray thee to make my Death profitable to all this Multitude of People that they may not sin
A SERMON Occasioned by the EXECUTION of a man found Guilty of MURDER Preached at Boston in N. E. March 11th 1685 / 6 Together with the Confession Last Expressions solemn Warning of that Murderer to all persons especially to Young men to beware of those Sins which brought him to his miserable End. By INCREASE MATHER Teacher of Church of CHRIST The SECOND EDITION Deut. 19. 20. 21. And those which remain shall hear and fear and shall henceforth commit no more any such Evil among you â— 21. And thine eye shall not â—…ity but Life shall go for Life Eye for Eye c. Prov. 28. 17. A man that doth violence to the blood of any person shall flee to the pit let no man stay him Boston Printed by R. P. Sold by J. Brunning Book-seller at his Shop at the Corner of the Prison-Lane next the Exchange Anno 1687. To the Reader THe Sermons emitted herewith both that of mine and that also delivered by my Son are published to gratify some who have been perhaps too importunately desirous to have it so The Person that occasioned the Preaching of them is now uncapable of receiving Benefit by them Whether they were blessed for any saving Good to his Soul the Lord knowes and it becomeâ— us to leave Secret things with GOD. Late Repentance is seldom true There are who think that many who perished in the Floud were by means of that Judgment brought to true Repentance To this sense some interpret that Scripure 1. Pet. 4. 6. otherwise we read not of more than one man in all the Book of God that was brought home to Christ but a few hours before his death Nevertheless the Lord knows how to make the woful death as to his Body of a great Sinner to occasion the Conversion and Salvation of many Souls If any be awakned by this sad Example to turn from those sins which proved the ruin of a miserable man and if these Sermons such as they are may be a meanes to further the work of Repentance towards God Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ in any that shall read them the Design of this Publication will be attained As for the Exhortation annexed to these Discourses it was delivered on the same day with that Sermon preached by my Son whom the Lord Jesus hath fixed in the same Church to which I am related but in the after part of the day The Reverend and worthy Author has not had time to transcribe his whole Sermon only that part of it which concerned the then Condemned Malefactor Many have earnestly desired that it might in this way be made publick And because it is most suitable that the Best should come last it is in this Publication added to the other Sermons The Lord prosper his Truth by whomsoever spoken or written for the Good of Souls Increase mather March 26. 1686. NUMB. XXXV 16. And if he smite him with an Instrument of Iron so that he die he is a Murderer the Murderer shall surely be put to DEATH A Great part of this Chapter is taken up in declaring who should have benefit by the City of Refuge and who might not expect advantage thereby There are Two sorts of Man-slayers 1 One may kill his Neighbour Accidentally tho he had no design of Hurt to him nor any Displeasure against him The City of Refuge was for such 2. A Man may in Hatred or in Passion kill another and then then the City of Refuge could not secure or save him from the hand of Justice To intimate which is the Scope of the Words which have been now read wherein we have two things 1. A Criminal 2. The Punishment to be inflicted on such a Criminal 1. A Criminal He is a Murderer There are three Particulars mention'd which if they concur the Person is guilty of Murder 1. If he smites another man h. e. if he does so not accidentally but designedly 2. If the Instrument which he smites him with be of Iron that makes the Murder to be the more evident In the Verses following it is added That if he smite him mortally with a Stone or with Wood he shall be accounted a Murderer The Jewish Writers tell us (a) v. Grotium Ainsworth in loc That if a man were slain there was diligent enquiry made concerning the Instrument whereby he was killed If it was with a Stone or with Wood they examin'd whether the stone or wood were of that Bigness as that the dead man might probably receive his Deaths Wound thereby But they say If it were with an Instrument of Iron no enquiry was made as to the greatness of it because the least nail of Iron might easily kill And it is to be presumed that a man will not strike another with an Instrument of Iron except Blood and Murder be in his Heart 3. If the Wound prove mortal then the Striker is guilty of Murder Tho a man should smite another and that with an Instrument of Iron if Death does not follow he is not guilty of that high degree of Murder which the Text speakes of but if he smite his Neighbour so that he dye then he is a Murderer 2 Here is the Punishment to be inflicted on such a Criminal The Murderer shall surely be put to death Only Gods Order was to be observed he was to be put to death in a Judiciary way Amongst the Jews the Avenger of blood was to be the Executioner as the 19th ver in this chapter shews where it is said that the Avenger of blood himself shall slay the Murderer The Hebrew word for the Avenger pf bloud is GOEL which is sometimes translated a Redeemer The word properly signifyes one that is near a kin The next Kinsman had right to Redeem he also was to be the Avenger of blood Only before Execution could be done the Magistrate was to pass a Judgment The Man-slayer was sent from the City of Refuge whither he fled unto the place where the Fact was done there to have his Tryal If the Magistrates of that Place found him not guilty he was returned to the City of Refuge there to be in safety till the death of the High Priest and then to be set at Liberty But if he was found Guilty of Murder he was to be put to death publickly by the hand of Justice The DOCTRINE then before us as suited to the present Occasion is That Murder is a Sin so great heinous as that whoever shall be found Guilty of it must be put to death by the hand of publick Justice The Explication and Confirmation of this Doctrin may be set before us in 3 Propositions Prop. 1. Murder is when a man does voluntarily unjustly take away the Life of another person So that there are 3 Things implied in Murder 1. The Object slain must be one of Man-kind To take away the Life of another Creature is not Murder The Sixth Commandment saith Ye shall not kill The Hebrew words are
against his brother that had murdered him But that This is a grievous sin is manifest 1. In that it is a most unnatural thing Creatures of the same kind are not wont to destroy one another Naturalists observe concerning Wolves that though they be cruel creatures they will never kill one another therefore if Men do so they are worse than Wolves Tygers so that Murder is an unnatural and a monstrous Wickedness 2. The Vengeance which is wont to follow this Sin proves that it is an horrid and hainous Transgression There is a peculiar Vengeance that does pursue this sin at the heels of it The Gentiles had the motion of this fix'd in their minde hence those Barbarians could say No doubt this man is a murderer whom tho' he escaped the seas yet Vengeance suffereth not to live Act. 21. 4. ‖ Ethnici Dicen tanquam deam filiam Jovis colebant in Plut. l. de ser a vindict Dice daemon dicitur The Heathen esteemed dike the word there used for Vengeance as a Deity that would not suffer great Sinners and in special Murderers to go unpunished Temporal Vengeance pursueth this Sin. Hence they that have been guilty of it seldom live long in quiet Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days Psal 55. 23. Either they are cut off by the Sword of Civil Justice or if their Murders happen to be undiscovered a secret Curse of God follows them Often times they are themselvs Murdered as both Divine and humane Records do abundantly declare Nay tho men should truly repent of this sin and are then thro' the Merit of Christ saved from everlasting Punishment yet not from Temporal Judgment I cannot tell whether ever any man that was found guilty of this sin did escape Temporal Judgment at last When David had caused Vriah to be Murdered he did repent of it most deeply and unfeignedly yet God punished him severely as to outward Judgments he saw but few comfortable dayes after that the Sword never departed from his house I have read of a man that fought a Duel and murdered his Adversary who afterwards was very penitent and for several years an eminent instance of exemplary piety but at last he was smitten by the immediate hand of God so as that Blood gushed out of all the passages of his Body and he dyed suddenly The Relator notes upon it that tho' God forgave him as to eternal yet not as to temporal Vengeance But especially Spiritnal Vengeance follows this Sin The Murderers Soul is filled with hellish horrour of heart so that he is as it were Damned above ground and in hell whilst he is yet alive The avenger of blood pursues his soul Murderers have confessed that as soon as ever they had commited the bloody fact they felt the flames of Hell fire in their consciences and this we see in Cain therefore after he had murdered his Brother he cried and roared out that his sin was greater than could be forgiven his punishment greater than could be endured And some think that the mark which the Lord set upon Cain was a gastly guilty Countenance that he had Hell Horror in his countenance as well as in his Conscience And without Repentance everlasting vengeance will follow that Sin. It s said No murderer has eternal life 1. Joh. 3. 15. that is without true Repentance And if he has not eternal life then I am sure he has eternal death and Damnation If the Murderer were only to have the life of his body taken from him tho' in a painful shameful accursed way that were a light matter but there is an eternal Curse a weight of everlasting vengeance heavier than Mountains of Lead that shall press his Soul to death world without end Murder then is a fearful sin Propos 3. The Murderer is to be put to death by the hand of Publick Justice And this confirms the former Propositions concerning the greatness of this Sin. Men may not pardon or remit the Punishment of that Sin. Among the Jews there was no City of Refuge for a wicked or wilful man-slayer and it is said in the 31 verse of this Chapter You shall take no satisfaction for the life of a Murderer which is guilty of death but he shall surely be put to death This sin shall not be satisfyed for with any other punishment but the death of the Murderer There are some Crimes that other punishment less than Death may be accepted of as a Compensation for the wrong done either by some Mulct or Fine in their Estates or some other Coporal Punishment less than death but in case of Murder no Fine or Imprisonment or Banishment or corporal punishment less than death can be accepted You shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer And indeed Equity requires this by the law of Retaliation it is meet that men should be done unto as they have done to others and that as limb should go for limb so Life for Life But besides that there are two Reasons mentioned in the Scripture why the Murderer must be put to Death Reas 1. That so the Land where the murder is committed may be purged from the guilt of Blood. For Murder is such a sin as does pollute the very Land where it is done not only the person that has shed blood is polluted thereby but the whole Land lies under Pollution until such time as Justice is done upon the Murderer Thus in the 33. v. of this Chapter this is given as the Reason why no Satisfaction might be taken for the life of a Murderer so shall ye not pollute the land wherein you are for blood it defileth the land and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein but by the blood of him that shed it One Murder unpunished may bring guilt a curse upon the whole Land that all the Inhabitants of the Land shall suffer for it So that Mercy to a Murderer is Cruelty to a People Therefore it is said concerning the Murderer Thine eye shall not pity him but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel that it may go well with thee If the Murderer be not punished it may go ill with the Whole all may fare the worse for it if the sin be not duly punished there is a partaking in the guilt of it Reas 2. Because man is made in the Image of God. This reason is mentioned Gen. 9. 6. Whosoever sheddeth mans blood by man i. e. by some man in Authority proceeding in an orderly way of Judicature as the Hebrew Expositors do rightly interpret the words shall his blood be shed for in the Image of God made He him Hence there is Sacrilegious Guilt in this Sin. Amongst the Romans (d) Sueton in Tiber. cap. 58. if a man did but strike his Servant near the place where one of their Emperours lay he was to dye for it because that was look'd upon as
like that of Despising the Word of God. For this is the Condemnation that Light is come into the world and men love Darkness rather than Light. And How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation They that shall be found guilty of neglecting the great Salvation offered in the Gospel cannot escape the wrath of God to the utmost of it And this is true not only concerning such as have lived under the constant Preaching of the Gospel and yet remain and live dye in a natural unconverted estate but of them also that might hear the Word of God but will not concerning Such Christ saith It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah at the day of Judgment than for them Mat. 10. 15. This dying man now that his Conscience is awaken d saith It is a terrour to him to think I might have heard the Word of God preached many a time but refused it He neglected to hear Sermons not only on Lecture dayes but on Lords-Dayes too when he was a Servant he was wont as himself saith on Sabbath-Days to go out into the Fields and there to profane the Lords Dayes at the very time when he might and ought to have bin hearing the Word of God and since he had a Family his custom was to keep at home when others were attending the publick Worship of God. And he told me that he did foolishly please himself in thinking that he had sufficient reason to stay at home because he had not clothes good enough to appear publickly in whenas the mony that he mis-spent in drink would have procur'd him Cloatheing Let others then by his Example be warned against this evil lest they provoke God and feel sorrow for it as he has done I doubt there are very many in this great Town guilty of his sin in this particular perhaps some that are professors of Religion which is dreadful to think on I hear some say that there are many Hundreds nay some Thousands in this place that seldom hear a Sermon preached from one end of the year to the other if that be so it is very lamentable What is like to become of the souls of such profane persons If they that are in place of power be they Superior or Inferior Officers can possibly redress this evil they will certainly do a Service acceptable to GOD and to our Lord JESUS CHRIST But I proceed to the Second Exhortation If Murder be such a Crime as has bin declared then Let whoever has been guilty of this Sin be humbled for it and repent of it As for Interpretative Murder many are guilty of that O how many have by Debauchery Intemperance shortened the lives of themselvs or others let such repent and turn from their sins unto God. But I hope there is none in this vast Assembly that has bin guilty of that Murder which is by the Law of God and of the Land a Capital Crime excepting one man and one such person there is here present unto whom I shall now particularly apply my self Do you then hear that your soul may live This is the Last Sermon that ever you shall hear Time was when you might have heard Sermons but would not and now you shall not hear them tho' you would For as God said to him This night thy soul shall be required of thee so I say to you in His Name This night thy soul shall be taken from thee This night your soul shall be in Heaven or Hell for ever You are appointed to dye this day and after death commeth the Judgment As soon as your Body is dead your immortal soul must appear before the great GOD and Judg of all and a Sentence of everlasting Life or Everlasting Death shall be passed upon you Are you willing when those Chains which are about you shall be taken off that your immortal soul should be hang'd in everlasting Chains Are you willing that when your Body is removed from the Prison your Soul should go to the Spirits that are in prison You have complain'd that you have bin in a Dungeon and had little light there but are you willing to go where you shall never see light Are you willing that when your Body is delivered from this Dungeon your Soul should go into that Dungeon where is Blackness of darkness for ever If not I charge you in the Name of God to hear and obey his Word yea that Word which you have many a time despised I have spoken so often to you in private since your being Apprehended that I shall not need to say much now only a few words 1. Consider what a sinner you have bin The Sin which you are to die for is as red as Scarlet and many other sins hath your wicked life been filled with You have been a stranger to me I never saw you I never heard of you till you had committed the Murder for which you must dye this day but I hear by others that have known you how wicked you have been and you have your self confessed to the world that you have been guilty of Drunkenness guilty of Cursing Swearing guilty of Sabbath-breaking guilty of Lying guilty of secret Uncleanness as Solomon said to Shimei Thou knowest the wickedness which thine own heart is privy unto so I say to you And that which aggravates your Guiltiness not a little is That since you have been in Prison you have done wickedly you have made your self drunk several times since your Imprisonment yea and you have bin guilty of Lying since your Condemnation It was said to a dying man Dost not thou fear God seeing thou art under Condemnation Oh what a sinner have you bin for since you have bin under Condemnation you have not feared God. And how have you sinned against the Gospel What Unbelief what Impenitency have you bin guilty of Consider 2. What Misery you have brought upon your self on your Body that must dye an 〈◊〉 ed death you must hang between Heaven and Earth as it were forsaken of both and unworthy to be in either And what Misery have you brought upon your poor Children you have brought an everlasting Reproach upon them How great will their Shame be when it shall be said to them that their Father was hang'd not for his goodness as many in the world have bin but for his wickedness not as a Martyr but as a Malefactor truly so But that which is Ten Thousand Thousand times worse than all this is That you have without Repentance brought undoing Misery upon your poor yet precious Soul not only Death on your Body but a Second Death on your never-dying Soul. It is said in the Scripture That Murderers shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is the Second Death Rev. 21. 8. O tremble at that I remember a Man that was condemned and Executed in this place some years ago that had been a Souldier and as stout a spirited
I have â—in partly ruind by But here I am and know not what will become of my poor soul which is within a few moments of eternity I have murder'd a poor man who â—â—d but little time to repent and I know not what is become of his poor soul O that I may make use of this opportunity that I have O that I may make improvement of this little little time before I go hence and be no more O let all mind what I am a saying now I 'm going out of this world O take warning by me and beg of God to keep you from this sin which has bin my ruine His last words were O Lord receive my spirit I come unto thee O Lord I come unto thee O Lord I come I come I come THE CALL OF THE GOSPEL APPLYED Unto All men in general and Vnto a Condemned Malefacto in particular In a SERMON Preached on the 7th Day of March. 1686. At the Request and in the Hearing of a man under a just Sentence of Death for the horrid SIN of MVRDER By COTTON MATHER Pastor to a Church at Boston in N. E. The SECOND EDITION Psal 89. 1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever with my mouth will I make known thy Faithfulness to all generations Nulla species Peccati tanta est qua non sit Superior JESUS Orig. Printed at Boston by Richard Pierce 1687. To the Reader ALtho' my Consent to the Publication of the ensuing Sermon had no small Objections to Encounter with for First The short time allow d me for Preparation after I was by the littleexpected dying Desire of a poor man diverted from my spending the whole of the Sabbath with a bereaved Congregation to which my help was promised and Next the Regard to be had unto the Administration of the Lords Supper which now in the Absence of an Honoured Relation that kindly answered my Engagement elsewhere I was to keep some Eye unto both necessitated me to want in this Discourse that Accuracy that full pertinency which might recommend iâ— unto the Iudicious Nevertheless so long as among all the Faults in it I found not this That it was not dâ—signed to do good and so long as among all the Pleas which in a curious captious age my love to my own râ—pose brought against â—he omitting of it I never met with this That It was impossible any good should be done by it I have at the urgent Importunity of others ventur'd to deliver it into the Hands of as many as shall think themselves concerned to peruse it Praying that it may reach touch the hearts of them to whom a Christ should be a Pearl of great Price till they LOOK unto HIM and be SAVED Cotton Mather The CALL of the GOSPEL unto All the Ends of the Earth Apply'd especially unto a poor man under the just Sentence of Death for the Crying Sin of MVRDER Isai XLV 22. LOOK unto Mâ— and be ye SAVED all the Ends of the Earth THESE Words give unto us the most Joyful Sound that ever the Children of Death had the favour of Some of us doubâ—less can with a most Distinguishing and Experimental Relish profess concerning this Oracle of God as some other persons have concerning some other Passages in the Sacred Pages â—â—e would not have had this Sentence left out of our Bibles for the riches of both the India's Yea who among us all at the reading of these glad â—ydings unto us can forbear joyning with the Rapturous shouts of Heaven with that Angelical and Evangelical Out-cry in Luc. 2. 14. Glory to God in the â—â—gâ—est on earth peace Good-will towards men Behold the Saviour of the world is this day speaking unto you ye Congregation of the Lord Arrayed in His white garments He looks thro the Windows of His bright Ivory Palace and â—tereth an Invitation to you which Blessed are your ears that hear this day This 45 th Chapter of that which we may not ineptly â—â—st the Gospel according to Isaiah seems the Close of a Sermon begun at the 40 th chapter of that admirable Book whose Gospel-strains are so abundant that in the New-Testament some have counted perhaps about threescore Quotations from it and good old Ambrose hence advised Austin unto a peculiar frequency in the Reading of it Isaiah signifies the Salvation of God now that very thing especially in the more promissory Conclusion of his Prophecy is very much the Subject of his Ministry The Princely Prophet is predicting perhaps about 200 years before the Accomplishment thereof the Reduction and Redemption of the captiv'd Jews from Babylon together with the very name of the Persian Emperor Cyrus who should be the â—â—â—â—rument thereof and thereupon he assigns the several reasons of this stupendions Dispensation One ground thereof laid down is that the Nations of the world far and near might be brought to abandon their Lying vanities and to acknowledge the Only true GOD with Jesus Christ whom He hath sent At the mention of this there immediately falls in the gracious invitation to those Nations which we have now to insist upon wherein we may observe 1. The Subjects which are call'd upon These are all the ends of the earth even the Gentiles in all quarters of the world whose Vocation is here foretold The poor souls whose natural Distanse from the Church of God and whose moral Distance from the Love of God was exceeding deplorable 2. The Object propounded for these to converse withal This by that Expression Me is determined to be the Lord Himself But who Truly it is God the Saviour it is the Lord Jesus Christ a Devotion to whom should come instead of the Homage which men had bin wont to yeild unto their other Images of God and Deliverance by whom is the Antitype of what the Lords people had of old by other â—â—viours To confirm this Interpretation I find the Chaldee Paraphrase rendring this Me by My Word using the Term of Meemar which belongs to the 2nd Person in the adorable Trinity 3. The Act to be applyed hereunto This is to Look namely with an Eye of faith of repentance In this Clause there seems to be an Allusion to the Looks that the ancient Israelites had bin wont to give unto the Brazen Serpent which if that great Reformer Hezekiah had not made meer brass of it might for ought I know be still abus'd to vain vile Superstitions among ' em 4. The End of the Whole T is said Be ye saved and the intent of that is Double it is both be desireous that ye may be saved it is be assured that ye shall be saved The two fold End both finis Operis and finis Operantis both the Design the Event is to be Salvation Salvation SALVATION but what a Word is That It is a word that does contain more than any man can conceive From hence then This Doctrin of GOD your Saviour does challeng
Egyptian darkness for evermore On the heel of the former this second Proposition taketh hold 2. SALVATION will most undoubledly be the Fruit of a Believer's Looking unto the Lord Jesus Christ The great God who once said unto upright man Obey and live now saith unto lapsed man Believe be saved and truly an Exceeding great multitude whom no man can number have bin happy witnesses to the Fulfilment of it It is that which our Lord has ordered to be proclaimed unto every creature I mean as the Hebrews do by that Phrase unto every man in the world Marc. 16. 16. He that believeth shall be saved And when a convinced Jayler was solicitous about his everlasting Weal the Messengers of heaven gave him this Testimony which surely the convinced Prisoner that I have before me may very reasonably look upon himself as concerned in Act. 16. 31. Believe on the Lord. Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved Thus also it is represented as the Property the Priviledge of true Believers in Heb 10. 39. We are of them that believe unto the saving of the soul Verily a man does no sooner look unto Jesus Christ in away of Beleeving than a Sentence of Salvation is passed upon him and all the Promises yea and all the Attributes of the Eternal Jehovah are engaged for the execution of it ¶ Shall we descend unto some Particulars Every part of that Salvation which Jesus Christ is the Author of ever follows upon Looking Believing for it As those three comprehensible and inexhaustible Treasures of life in 2. Cor. 13. 14. even the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the Communion of the Holy Spirit are to be got by Booking So particularly the voice the sweet soul-melâ—â—ng voâ—ce of the Lord Jesus Christ unto Sinners is LOOK unto Me and you shall be Justified Hence not to speak of the large Discourses on this point in the Epistle to the Romans concerning whom the spirit of Prophecy fore-saw that they would apostatize from their Orthodox Perswasion and Professions herein It is said in Joh. 3. 18. He that believeth on the Lord Jesus Christ is not condemned No he is in Christ and there shall not one Condemnation fall upon him as the Appostle else-where has it tho' he may have deserved a Thousand Million He is saved from the horrendous Wrath Curse of God. The Free Grace of God forgives all his transgressions and accepts him as righteous imputing the Righteousness of Jesus Christ unto him the just holy God that was once angry with him every day now sayes unto him Fury is not in me Fury is not in me And he rejoices with such a white stone put into his hand as that Paralitick had unto whom it was said Son be of good theer thy sins â—re forgiven thee Yet again The voice of the Lord Jesus unto sinners is Look unto Me and you shall be Adopted Hence is it averr'd in Gal. â— 10. Yâ— are the children of God by Faith in Christ Jesus Thus these blessed believing Lookers shall be saved from the doleful Family of the Devil they shall be taken into the number they shall have a Title to the Felicity and Dignity of them that are the sons of God the Angels now call them Brethren and the Almighty Magnificent Governor of the world saies unto them Ye are my sons my daughters Besides all this the Voice of the Lord Jesus unto sinners moreover is Look unto Me and you shall be Sanctified in regard of this it is that He has said in Joh. 3 36. He that believeth hath everlafling life the Seed the Spring of it is in Him. Truly such a man shall be saved from his slavery to the Enemies of his soul He shall be renewed in his whole man after the Image of God and be enabled more more unto a dying to sin and a living in Grace his spirit his soul his body his All is now under an enobling Dedication unto the Service of shewing forth the praises of God a curious Needle-work made by the fingers of the eternal Spirit covers him adorns him makes him more excellent than his neighbour And Oh what peace even the peace of God that passeth all understanding O what Joh even Joy unspeakable full of glory Oh what Assurance Oh what Perseverance in this life will flow from these unto the saved Believer Finally the Voice of the Lord Jesus unto sinners likewise is Look unto Me and you shall be Glorified On this score has the beloved Disciple said in 1. Joh. 5. 13. You that believe on the Name of the Son of God may know that ye have eternal life Oh how firmly is Eternal Life ensured unto Believers Certainly those Christ-prizing Ones shall be saved from the second Death they shall awake in the upper world in the future world they shall behold the Face of God and Christ in Righteousness and be satisfied with His likeness The Lamh shall feed them and lead them to Fountains of Living water they shall enter into the Joy of their LORD they shall drink of the Rivers of pleasure at the right hand of GOD for ever more they shall so partly at their Dissolution they shall so fully at their Resurrection they shall so in the Heaven of Heavens until the very Heavens be no more Such is a little of the Be ye saved which all Believers hear from their heavenly Friend from their Undertaker on high So great Salvation will a Believing LOOK procure But that this Gospel may have a fit and fult dwelling in your hearts there is one Proposition more to be laid into your Understandings 3. The Lord Jesus Christ in His Gospel does graciously earnestly INVITE all men thus to Look unto Him and be saved That ever-glorious One whom God has exalted to be a Prince and Saviour to give Repentance unto His Elect with Remission of sins He hath with a matchless degree of Favour and Fervour too adâ—isâ—â— Man-kind about this matter He hath reviv'd a dying world with such sweet words of his mouth as these O ye perishing Out-casts I am a Saviour infinitely able ready to relieve the Distresses which you are plung'd into I require you and entreat you therefore that you don't keep at a distance from me And for this cause it is that in Isa 65. 1. he makes according to the Apostolical Interpretation in Rom. 10. this proffer even to the very Heathen O let the blackest blindest Negroe at the further end of this Assembly count himself bound to answer such a Call Behold me behold me q. d. O that you would LOOK at me for my SALVATION We have indeed a most precious Bible in our hands that Book of Life I see in those hands too that must dye pinion'd before many dayes have roll'd away man do you first look downward upon that and so look upward unto Him from whom it comes it is a Bible iudited by the Spirit of
Speakest thou not unto me knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee have power to release thee But it is more fitly spoken by Jesus Christ unto you Knowest thou not that I have power to destroy thee soul body in hell forevermore knowest thou not that if thou passest a day or two more without a due regard unto me thou canst not be saved therefrom tho' the life of all the Angels in heaven should be proffered for thy ransom and speakest thoâ— not unto Me O thou deplorable soul speak and seek and look unto Him as for Life eternal May last Request unto you is O give get all the Honour you can unto that Jesus from whom you look for your Salvation While you are secking to look well unto Him O see that you speak well of Him and do well for Him until you shall speak and do be among the living on the earth no more Surely you have by presumptious things enough reproached him already The sharp Ax of Civil Justice will speedily cut you down O for a little good fruit before the blow Manifest your penitence for your Iniquities by a due care to excel in tempers quite contrary to those ill Habits and customs whereby you have heretofore blasphemed the worthy Name of Christ Christianity Especially employ the last minutes of your Life in giving a zealous Warning unto others to take need of those things which have bin destructive unto you Tell them what wild Gourds of death they are by which you have got your Bane point out before them those pathes of the destroyer which have led you down so near unto the Congregation â—f the dead When the numerous croud of spectators are 3 or 4 days hence thronged about the place where you shall then breathe your last before them all then do you with the heart-piercing groans of a deadly wounded man 〈◊〉 of your follow-sinners that they would turn new every one from the evil of his way Beseech of them to keep clear of ill Haunts ill Houses with as much dread of them as they could have of lying down in a nest of poisonful Snakes Beseech of them to abhor all Vncleanness as they would the deep ditch which the abhorred of the Lord do fall into Beseech of them to avoid all Excess in Drinking as they would not rott themselves with more bitter Liquors than the Waters of Jealousie Beseech of them to moderate and mortifie all inordinate Passions as they would not surrender themselves into the hands of Devils that will hurry them down into deeper Deeps than they are aware Beseech of them to Shun idle Swearing as a Prophanity that the GOD to whom Vengeance belongeth will not permit to go unpunished Beseech of them to avoid Curses on themselves or others lest while they like Mad-men so throw about fire-brands arrows death they bring upon their own heads as you have done the things which they are apt rashly to be wishing of Beseech of them to beware of Lying as they would not be put to need crave be denied a drop of water to cool their tongues in the place of Torment Beseech of them to be as averse to all Stealing as they would be to carry coals of fire into the Nests that they so feather by their dishonesty Beseech of them to prize the means of Grace to sleep At or keep from Sermons no more to love the Habitation of God's house and the place where His Honour dwels lest God do soon send their froward barren souls to dwell in silence where there never shall be a Gospel-Sermon heard never never as long as the Almighty sits upon His Chrystal Throne And when you have given these Warnings upon the Ladder from whence you shall not come off without taking an irrecoverable step into eternity O remember still you give unto Jesus Christ the honour of LOOKING to Him for His Salvation Remember that if you would do a work highly for the honour of Him This is The work of God that you Believe on Him. Even after your eyes are so covered as to take their leave of all sights below still continue LOOKING unto Him whom you have heard saying Look unto Me. And now let the Everlasting Saviour LOOK down in much mercy on you O that He would give this Murderer and extraordinary Sinner a place among the Wonders of free Grace O that this wretched man might be made meet for the Inheritance with the Saints in Light being kept from such an unrepenting and deluded heart as unquenchable fire will find Fuel in And be thou pleased O Holy Lord God Almighty to sanctifie this Example so that the Sinners in this Zion may be afraid that Fearfulness may surprise the Hypocrites thereof and they may all hear and fear and do wickedly no more Amen Amen AN EXHORTATION To A CONDEMNED MALEFACTOR Delivered March the 7th 1686. By JOSHVA MOODY Preacher of the Gospel at Boston in New-England Ezek. 33. 9. If thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it if he do not turn from his way he shall dy in his iniquity but thou shalt deliver thy soul Josh 7. 19. Give glory to the God of Israel and make Confession to Him and tell me what thou hast done Isai 55. 7. Seek the Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is near Let the wicked forsake his Way and the unrighteous man his Thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and He will have mercy upon him and to our God for He will abundantly pardon Printed at BOSTON by R. P. Anno 1687. To the Reader IT was the Motion of many and the Importunity of some that drew from me my consent to make this almost extemporary discourse thus public The Prisoner sent to me on the After-noon before the Sabbath a writing under his hand wherein he own'd the Justice of God in bringing him to this untimely End and the Righteousness of the Sentence of Man upon him together with a Confession of those sins that he had lived in all his dayes of which there is something spoken in the Sequel adding 2 Requests viz. that I would take some Notice of him in my Sermon and that I would give warning to those of his Follow-Siners that had been guilty of the like evils lest they also become like monuments of divine Justice Such reasonable requests especially from a dying man I could not deny My Subject that day was Isa 12. 1. and my Business at that time to discourse of the necessity means marks of the turning away of God's Anger which I judged not unsutable for a person in his condition accordingly did as there was occasion apply my self particularly to him in my Sermon which is not so proper to insert here What was directly spoken to himself or to others at his desire so far at least as my memory would serve me is committed to the Press and added as an
Appendix to those more studied sermons which the Lord put into the heart of other of His Servants to preach For his sake that is gone and publish for the good of others that survive The good Lord follow the whole with his blessing and grant that all Israel may hear fear so that there may no more such great wickedness be done in this our Land. Joshua Moody VVHat I have to say to the poor condemned Prisoner shall be under these I we Heads viz. Something 1. By way of Conviction and Awakning 2 By way Encouragement and Counsel First To begin with Matter of Conviction Awakening and tho' I understand he is already somewhat considerably affected concerned yet more of that may be useful for him And here I shall use all Plainness and Freedom taking it for granted that dying men are past all expectation of Flatteries or Complements and that plain dealing which will do most Good will find best Acceptance 1. Thou standest here before the Lord and his People at this Time as a solemn Example of that sacred Text Numb 32. 23. You have sinned against the Lord and be sure your sin will find you out This day is this Scripture awfully fulfilled upon you You have owned under your hand that you have lived all your dayes in those abominable sins of Cursing Swearing Lying Drunkenness and Sabbath-breaking such sins as that the least of them however you have made a light matter of them without deep Humiliation sincere Application to the Bloud of Christ iâ— enough to exclude you forever from any Inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven 1. Cor. 6. 9 10. And those that have been acquainted wiâ—â— you think you have not wrong'd your self iâ— that Confession Besides all the other evils thâ— your own heart is privy to and many more which the All-seeing God has observed in you I speak not this to upraid you but further to humble you and withal to tell you that you glorify God by this Confession Thus you say you have liv'd and these sins you traded in till now at last the Lord has left you to commit that great horrendous Sin of Murder in the doing of which you have even fill'd up your measure and all the rest of your sins do in this one sin find you out and light upon you You may look at this sin as part of the punishment of your former and other sins And it is one of the Lord 's most righteous but withal most tremendous waies of punishing Sin viz. with Sin or by Sin Lesser sins are punished by leaving men to greater sins Thus did the Lord punish the Gentiles Rom. 1. 18 c. the Apostle there calls it the Revelation of the wrath of God from heaven when for their Unthankfulness Vanity c. He gave them up to vile Affections and Actions among which Murder is mentioned as one v. 18. 32. Solomon tells us Prov. 13. 21. that Evil pursueth sinners and it is true of the Evil of Sin and the Evil of Punishment both that they do pursue sinners tho there that of Punishment is properly intended as appears by the Opposition unto the Good which shall be repaid to the righteous You have bin pursuing the evil of Sin and the evil of Punishment hath been in the mean time pursuing you and now you are overtaken seized thereby 2. The Great terrible God is dreadfully angry with you for this sin for all the rest that that have bin previous thereunto The only Subject upon which that fearful thing the Anger of God falls is Sin and Sinners for Sin. All His own works are good his Creatures good so owned pronounced in Gen. 1. 31. and therefore the Lord is pleased with them SIN only that is the Devils work Man's work God is angry with You have heard something e'en now of the nature of God's Anger but who knowes the Power of it Psal 90. 11. And you are the person against whom this inconceiveable Anger is enkindled O let this word sink down into the bottom of thy Heart and pierce thy very soul Say to thy self I am the man with whom the eternal GOD the Soveraign of the whole World is angry Think on that Text let thy heart meditate terror the while Psa 7. 11. God is angry with the wicked every day While thou wert Cursing Swearing Drinking to excess c. God was angry with thee even every one of those dayes was he angry while thou wert wickedly transgressing living in a course of open Transgression He was angry all the while Thou wert conceiving Sin and God was conceiving Anger which is now brought forth tho thou tookst no notice of it nor hadst any dread of it before Especially He is severely angry with thee for this execrable Sin of Murder for which there is no expiation but by the death of the Murderer whereof that Reason is given Gen. 9. 1. because man was made in God's Image so that the Killing of a man is the Destroying of the image of God. Murder is a Sin against the light of Nature and so hainous that the Barbarians who had no knowledg of the true God yet concluded that Vengeance followed the Murderer up and down so that tho' he may escape for a while however at length it would not suffer him to live Act. 28. 4. Know then that this is the main thing thou hast to think on this is the most terrible thing before thee not so much the pain or shame of the death thou art speedily to undergoe as the Anger of God that comes with it This is the great Concernment of every man at all times and of thee principally at this time How stand matters between God and thee how is He affected is He angry or pleased Why I tell thee That God whose favour is life and whose Wrath is Death He is angry with thee That Anger of God at which the Heavens shake the Earth moves the Hills quake the Rocks rend Hell it self trembles is now upon thee The Devils believe that there is a God and tremble Jam. 2. 16. do thou believe that and further that God is angry with thee and tremble at it 3. You are by the Law of God and man for this Sin declared to be a person whom the earth cannot bear The Creation groans under you as a common Enemy to mankind and one who by the positive and indispensable Command of God must fly to the pit and no man must stay you Prov. 28. 17. This is the Decree of God and the righteous Sentence of man concerning you You are yet but a young man and according to ordinary course might have lived many years in this world had not your over-much Wickedness brought you to dy before your time as Eccles 7. 17. Not before God's time but before your time i. e. before that time which is usual for man whose dayes are reckoned threescore and ten and sometimes four score
years Ps 9. 10. Also before your time which probably you had lotted on and which men too often do promise themselvs Such as upon any awakenings of Conscience and Calls to Repentance delay put it off while in their Youth it is upon a promise of repenting when they are old and how many in that sense die before their time And here for your further awakning observe the Lord in his Providence making good another dreadful word upon you viz. that bloudy and deceitful men shall not live out half their dayes Psal 55. 23. Thus you are a son of Death God and man have said to thee Oh wicked man thou shalt surely dye 4. Your time is numbred and almost finished Indeed God has numbred all our times Yearâ— and the number of our months is with him Job 1â— 5. But the number of your I cannot say monthâ— but dayes is with your self you your self may number your own dayes The Lord teach you to apply your heart unto wisdom while numbering them Psal 90. 12. You are just now upon the very brink of the Pit the Grave is ready for you upon the very Edge of Eternity are you I say eminently you now walking will be within the line of it very speedily Job could say when a few years are come then I shall go the way whence I shall not return Cap. 16. 22. But you may say Before 4 dayes are come gone I shall be gone to the place from whence I shall not return till the very heavens be no more It made Belshazzar's Countenance to be changed the joints of his loins to be loosed and his knees to knock one against another to see the Hand-Writing upon the wall Dan. 5. 6. and we may imagine or at least one would think you whose very case it is may imagine how his thoughts within him were troubled when the Interpretation laid that dreadful doom upon himself that his Kingdom was numbred finished by God and it was meant of his life All which was lost that night v. 27. 30. It 's true we have none of us any lease of our lives we cannot say what may befal us this night and yet O amazing Madness Folly how apt are we if not to boast of yet to lot upon tomorrow How ready to promise to our selvs many years as the Fool in the Gospel did Luc. 12. 20. who well deserved the name of Fool had it been for that one evidence of it only But for your part you have your bounds set told you beyond which you cannot pass you know at the utmost the Date of your life and Day of your Death you may die sonner but you must not live longer your end is in your view you have but a few steps thither and had not need take any vain unprofitable or false ones You seem to bewail your sin of Sabbath-breaking well know that you shall never have another Sabbath to break The Lord help you to keep this as you ought I cannot pass this particular without once more commending it to your serious Consideration O chew upon it dwell upon it that a few hours hence you shall cirtainly dye It 's a very awful thing to us to look upon you a person in your Youth Health and Strength Breasts full of milk and Bones moisâ—ned with marrow and then to think that within so many daies this man tho' in his full Strength must dy and methinks it should be much more awful to you 5. Your Death will not expiâ—te your Offence in the sight of God nor cause the Turning away of His Anger from you It s true the shedding of your bloud will take away the Sin from the Land that it shall noâ— ly there else innocent bloud should be imputed to the Land but this doeâ— nothing towards the Satisfaction of Gods Justicâ— in order to the Removal of his wrath from the Murderer Punishment makes no amends for Sin unless it be that which was inflicted upon Christ as he stood in the capacity of a Surety in behalf of the Elect and so bare both their sin and their punishment but otherwise Hâ—ll torments don't satisfy God's Justâ—ce nor quench the fire of his wrath muchless can any bodily suffering do it tho it be the highest even death it self Do not then deceive your self Say not I have sinned its true but am now to suffer the Law and that being undergone I shall then be quitt It is so indeed as to any thing that men can do to thee but thy death does not at all deliver thee out of the hands of Divine Justice Nay rather Sixthly If you get not this Sin and all the rest of your sins done away and so the Anger of God removed your approaching Death will be but the beginning of Sorrows to you However sensually or like a Beast or worse you have lived you shall not dye as Beasts dye so as that there shall be an end of you and all your sufferings together No no such matter Your precious immortal soul must live forever and if you get not the fire of God's Anger put out Know that there is a Fire kindled in his anger that shall burn to the lowest Hell. Without Repentance â—â—to life which is the gift of Christ and for your Comfort I tell you in the midst of all these bitter things I have been speaking to you he is freely willing to give it even to you Oh look up to Him heartily for the same I say unless you get this Repentance unto life your death is but an In-let to the Second death No sooner shall your guilty soul be forced out of your wretched body but it shall appear before God that gave it there to receive another manner of Sentence of Condemnation than what you have already heard from man by which you were condemned to dye but there was room for a Lord have Mercy on your soul to be annexed whereas in that Sentence there will be no mercy upon your soul for your soul is the principal subject of the 2nd death Separating your soul and body asunder was the aim and will be the â—ssue of this Sentence but the death everlasting utter loss of your soul for which nothing can be given to God in Exchange Mat. 16. 26. will be the meaning of this Sentence Theâ— shall your soul be committed into left in the hands of the Devil your master whom you have served that great Murderer Lyar who was so from the beginning and is the father lord of such to be dragged down by him into the place where your fellow-Murderers and fellow-Lyars and fellow-Drunkards are viz. into the lake that burns with fire brimstone which is the second death Rev. 21. 8. there to be tormented with the Devil his angels where the Worm never dyeth and the fire never shall be quenched Marc. 9. 43. 44. You have a scareing vision Rev. 6. 8. of one whose name was Death
way to leave men to undo themselves thereby to prevent their being everlastingly undone But doubtless there have been such Examples in the world of men that have been thus saved and who can tell but thou mayst make one more 5. Heartily bless God and wonder at His Kindness therein that He did not suddenly take thee away with His stroke as He has done many such a sinner as thou hast been Many a Drunkard has staggered and reeled into the Pit has dropt into Hell in a moment and gone full of Drink into the place where there is not a drop of water to cool his tongue Bless Him that he did not choak thee with a Lye in thy mouth or make thee fall down dead as soon as ever thou hast vented it So were Ananias and Sapphiraâ— serv'd Act. 5. 5 10. Bless him that He did not stop thy breath just when some execrable Curse or Oath was out of the evil Treasury of thy filtthy rotten heart crawling up that open Sepulchre of thy throat Bless him that he did not strike thee dead in the place when thou wert profaning of His Sabbaths and for not sanctifying that holy Rest unto God that He did not in the twinkling of an eye send thee to the place where thou should have no rest night nor day O bless him for this time of Patience and Forbearance for a space to repent that Divine Long-suffering has afforded thee Bless Him that He has given thee a longer time of Consideration Preparation for a latter end that that poor wretch had who was by thy cruel hand hurried away into Eternity in a little time When thou gavest him his death's wound Vengeance might have given thee a fatal stroak and sent thee to thy own place before him But he is gone and thou art left and forborn a little tho' but for a very little longer let the Goodness of God lead thee to Repentance 6. See that of thy self thou hast no way left to satisfy Justice or pacify divine Anger Say within thy self Wherewith shall I come before the Lord before whose dreadful Tribunal I must appear within a few hours And then say to thy self I have no thousands of rams nor 10 thousands of rivers of oyl and if thou hadst hear the Lord saying to thee that they would avail nothing no nor would the first-born of thy Body be an expiation for the sin of thy soul All thy confessions prayers tears will not answer for the least of a Thousand of those sins under the guilt of which thy soul is now lying Shouldest thou spend every precious moment of thy short time in Confessing Praying fighing groaning weeping all that would not doe No no Here thou standest a guilty Creature condemned of God man and canst not strike one stroke toward thy own Salvation nor deserve that God should do it for thee God has judged thee and men have judged thee worthy of Death and do thou judge thy self worthy of Damnation too A self-judging and self-condemning frame is a suitable frame for thee to be in this day 7. Humbly heartily like a poor laborious heavy laden perishing shiftless Creature cast thy self down at the Footstool of the Throne of Grace crying and looking for the Mercy of God through the Merits of Christ unto thy Pardon Acceptance And Oh the height and depth and length and breadth of the Grace of God in Christ There 's room for a Curser Swearer Lyar Drunkard yea and a Murderer too to ly at that Footstool with hope Then fly for refuge to lay hold on that hope that is set before thee Heb. 6. 18. Flee away to the City of Refuge and I do assure thee from God that the Door stands ready to receive thee and Oh make haste for the Avenger of blood is at thy very heels The City of Refuge under the Old Testament was only to entertain the Man-slayer not the Murderer him that killed a man unwittingly and unwillingly while the wilful Murderer was by express Command from God to be deliver'd up But herein as in all other things does the Antitype out doe the Type Jesus Christ who was and is the Substance of that shaddow invites Murderer as well as Man-slayer and has declared it to be the Father's Will and his own Resolution that whosoever comes to Him He will in no wise cast out Joh. 6. 37. The same Advice which was given to the Murderers of Christ as has been hinted to thee Act. 3. 20. I do now in the name of the Lord give to thee Repent and receive Christ and thou shalt be saved Thou hast sorely angered God already by all that Course of sin that thou hast lived in and principally by this last great sin that thou art condemned for now do not anger Him yet more by neglecting to embrace his Son. Thou hast done all these Wickednesses now don't add to all the rest that which will be unspeakably more than all the rest the rejectof a Saviour yea of a Saviour thus openly freely heartily offering himself to thee even to thee in particular in this solemn Ordinance and that as verily as really as if He should by an audible voice call to thee by name from Heaven and invite thee to come Set thy heart to these things that from the Lord I am Testifying to thee this day for they are thy life Hearken then as for thy life as for thy last or at least that which is next to thy last And that which I have to say to thee is this Behold Jesus Christ is for thy sake come into this place this day this Sabbath this thy last Sabbath which should therefore be a great Day to thee and here He stands cries to thee that if thy guilty soul be heated scorcht by God's Anger and made thirsty after Righteousness which may put out that flame allay that heat and in which thou mayst be found in that day Lo here it is for thee Open thy mouth wide and He will abundantly satisfy thee Hear Christ saying to thee Thou condemned Malefactor I pitty thy case my bowels do yern over thee and tho' dye thou must by a violent death as to the taking away thy bodily life yet I profess I have no delight in thy destruction I have no pleasure in thy death and tho thou dye Temporally I would have thee live Eternally Again hear the same Lord Jesus asking thee expostulating the case about thy soul What doest thou mean to do with thy soul whither shall it got when it leaves thy body what care hast thou taken about it I 'm afraid but little hitherto Hast thou provided a place of rest for it Why if thou be at a loTs and it is a good step to thy being found if thou dost feel thy self lost if thou art afraid lest the devil should get it at last whose slave thou hast too much bin all thy days and art willing to be effectually eased of
against thee as I have done Min. Amen Amen ten thousand times the Lord GOD Allmighty say Amen to this Prayer of yours It would indeed be an excellent thing if you could now come to receive your death with some Satisfaction of soul in this thought That Much Glory is like to come to God by it I am verily perswaded God intends to do good to many souls by means of your Execution This is a greater honour than you are worthy of After the Discourse had been intermitted about a minute or two by reason of the miery way Mor. I beseech you Sir speak to me Do me all the good you can my time grows very short your discourse fits me for my Death more than any thing Min. I 'm sorry so small a thing as a plashy Street should make me loose one minute of this more-than-ordinary precious time a few paces more bring you to the place which you have now in your eye from whence you shall not come back alive Do you find your self afraid to dy there Mor. Sir If it were not for the Condition that my SOUL must by by be in I should not fear my death at all but I have a little comfort from some of Gods promises about that Min. And what shall I now say These are among the last words that I can have liberty to leave with you Poor man thou art now going to knock at the door of Heaven and to beg cry Lord Lord open to me The only way for thee to speed is to open the door of thy own soul now unto the Lord Jesus Christ Do this and thou shalt undoubtedly be admitted into the gloryes of His heavenly Kingdom You shall fare as well as Manasseh did before you leave this undone and there 's nothing remains for you but the Worm which dyeth not and the fire which shall not be quenched Mor. Sir show me then again what I have to do Min. The voice the sweet voice of the Lord Jesus Christ who was once hanged on a tree to take away the Sting and Curfe of even such a Death as yours unto all that close with him His heavenly voice now is Oh that I my Saving work might be entertained kindly entreated in that poor perishing soul of thine Are you willing Morg. I hope I am Min. His Voice further is If I am lodged in thy soul I 'll sprinkle my blood upon it and on my account thou shalt find Favour with GOD. Do you consent to this Mor. This I want Min. But this is not all that he saith His Voice further is If I come into thy soul I will chang it I will make all sin bitter to it I will make it an holy heavenly soul Do you value this above the proffers of all the World Mor. I think I doe and now Sir I must go no further Look here what a solemn sight is this Here lyes the Coffin which this Body of mine must presently be laid in I thank you dear Sir for what you have already done for me Min. When you are gone up this Ladder my last service for you before you are gone off will be to pray with you But I would here take my leave of you Oh that I might meet you at the right Hand of the LORD JESVS in the last Day Farewel poor heart Fare thee well The everlasting Armes receive thee The Lord JESUS the merciful SAVIOUR of Souls take possession of thy Spirit for himself The Great GOD who is a great Forgiver grant thee Repentance unto Life and glorify himself in the Salvation of such a wounded soul as thine forever With HIM and with His free rich marvellous infinite Grace I leave you Farewell FINIS