law which he wil haue remaine inuiolable namely Thou shalt not kill The which is the second commandement of the second table and yet the first of the negatiue sort By the which commandement the killing of brute beasts is not restrained Whose life or death God hath referred vnto mans will as appeareth in Genesis but the killing of man is vtterly forbidden that no man be so hardie as to kill himselfe or any other The reason is because man both as touching the bodie and the soule is the most excellent creature of God For albeit he made his bodie of the slime of the earth yet made he his soule of nothing after his owne image Gen. 2. placing the same in the bodie when he had breathed into his face the breath of life Moreouer forsomuch as man is immediatly subiect vnto God therefore God reserueth vnto himselfe the power of mans life or death insomuch that it is vtterly vnlawfull for one man to kil another and therefore Christ said vnto Peter who had a purpose to kill Matt. 26 Put vp thy sword into thy sheath for whosoeuer striketh with the sword shall perish with the sword Notwithstanding they which in a iust warre are souldiers armed by their prince to fight for the liberties of their coūtrey against any forreigne enemie that shal come to inuade the land are not murtherers in shedding their bloud and in killing such enemies 1. Sam. 18 1. Sam. 25 but the Lords souldiers fightting the Lords warre and the Lords battailes as may appeare by manie testimonies out of scripture As when the Syrian king had gathered his power against Iehosaphat Iahaziel the Leuit being inspired with the holy Ghost came to Iehosaphat after hee had made his prayers and gaue him this incouragement saying This is the warre of God not of men 2. Chro. 20 They therfore which fight the Lords battails haue this promise made vnto thē by God himselfe Leuit. 26. One of you shall chase a thousand and ten ten thousand Because the Lord himselfe as the Prophet Dauid speaketh will teach your hands to fight Psal 144. and frame your fingers to the battaile The souldier therefore in this action which fighteth vnder the standard of a Christian prince for the defence of Gods true religion against idolatrous Papists and proude Spaniards which with fire and sworde are readie to inuade need not to feare and stand in doubt their quarrell is Gods and therefore vndoubtedly good Let such therefore take vnto them a good courage and play the men The more blood they shed of such miscreants the more holy are their handes consecrated vnto the Lorde Exod. 32. and the greater blessing they shall receiue from him In like maner the magistrate which punisheth malefactors by death dooth not offende against this cōmandement but doth kill according to the prescript rule of Gods law where he saith Thou shalt not suffer a malefactor to liue The Iudge himselfe should sinne against God Deut. 18. if he should suffer such euill persons notoriously knowne lawfully conuented before him to liue Saul lost his kingdome and procured vnto himselfe the wrath vengeance of god 1. Sam. 15. because he slue not those sinners the Amalechites In like maner when the Lord had deliuered into the handes of Achab Benhadad the king of Assyria Achab entring into league with him let Benhadad go Then came to him one of the Prophets in the worde of the Lord saying 1. King 20. Because thou hast deliuered the man worthie of death out of thy hand thy life shall go for his and thy people for his people Which came accordingly to passe For within a while after he fighting with the Assyrians was slain Hereby it doth euidently appeare that magistrates doe highly displease the maiestie of God which punish not murtherers and such like malefactors being therevnto by God called ordained For what is the cause that many cruel and horrible murthers are committed but the impunitie of such wickednesses For murderers many times find friends which for money wil procure a pardon But when through such facilitie of remission pardon a second murther by the same malefactors is committed what else are such friends to bee accounted but buiers and sellers of bloud Wheras God to the contrarie hath said Ye shal take no recompence for the life of the murtherer Num. 35. which is worthy to die but he shal die the death Therefore those magistrates doe highly please god which administer iustice against such bloody mē according to the law of God man Thus much concerning the letter of the commaundement Thoushalt not kill By giuing the which precept the Lorde is not onely carefull to haue obedience from our hands but also from our hearts and tongues so that both thoughts and words as well as actions must come vnder subiection vnto him that neither of them be infected with malice which the Lord so hateth and abhorreth For we must interpret the law according to the nature of the law-giuer Man by reason that he onely seeth the deed and cannot discerne of the heart maketh lawes for the outward doings and punisheth them alone without proceeding further But the Lord who searcheth the very heart and reignes maketh lawes for it and punisheth euen the consent of heart going against his law For inasmuch as the Lord hateth the euill it selfe he cannot but abhorre it wheresoeuer he shall find it whether in hand heart or tongue Of the sinne of adulterie Christ saith Who soeuer beholdeth a woman and lusteth after her Matt. 5. hath alreadie committed adulterie in his heart And Saint Iohn sayeth also Whosoeuer hateth his brother is a man-slecr For as Saint Hierom sayeth Quiodit fratrem suum qui occidit pari poena digni sunt Hee which killeth and hee which hateth his brother deserueth one and the selfe same punishment Whereby wee see that not onely grosse euils come into reckoning before the Lorde but euen hatred setled in the heart although the hande hath neuer beene stretched foorth to execute the same Neither commeth it before him as some trifling thing which dooth not greatlie displease him but appeareth monstrous hauing no other shape vppon it nor lesse account made of it then of murther Thus must we thinke of hatred consented vnto in the heart that it hath a blouddie face in the sight of the Lorde and therefore is to be abhorred and loathed as the crueltie of murther Saint Augustine sayth that the Iewes no lesse killed Christ then the Romans did although the Iewes layde no violent hands vpon him Whereunto also accordeth Saint Hierom writing vpon Isai Thou sayth he hast not killed with the sword but thou hast killed with the will And God in his law pronounceth a curse agaynst this secred murther saying Cursed is he that smiteth his neighbour secretly Therefore sayth the Lorde Deut. 27. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart Hatred ouerruleth
before and with falshood shameful deceit withdraweth stealeth it from the right heires she ladeth first her honest poore husband with great shame great trauel labor sorrow and pain in that he is compelled to bring vp those adulterous children which are not his own Moreouer she dishonoreth her father her mother her kinred her children euen her lawfull children who in time to come will be ashamed of her and of whom doubt will be made in the world whether they be lawfully begotten or no. Therefore when they speake of their mother or heare her named they are abashed and ashamed Adultresses also make their husbands to be despised and of no reputation though they be honest and vertuous men These and such like innumerable confusions shame hurt hishonour and filthinesse follow vpon abhominable adultery besides the poisonings murders treasons manslaughters and other mischiefes that ensue by reason of the same which I ouerpasse This did the ancient and noble men of old time weigh consider and therfore righteously and vpon iust occasion haue they appointed the punishmeÌ„t of death as due for the abhominable sin of adulterie Yet adulterers alledge for their defence that this rigorous punishment of death appointed by god hath not bene executed or put in practize at any time vpoÌ„ the offenders For Dauid was an adulterer say they and yet receiued no punishment therfore Yea the Lord Christ himselfe did abrogate and dissolue the punishment of adulterie forsomuch as he commaunded not the woman taken in adultery to be put to death Iohn 8. but bad her go her way and sinne no more and for because no man condemned her he also let her go To this I answere God hath once alreadie reuealed his will in his lawe concerning the punishment due to this sinne now if men do not execute the punishment according to Gods commaundement yet remaineth the law of God irreuocable and sure Therefore this is a vaine obiection And albeit all sentences and iudgements that haue beene executed of olde vpon adulterers be not extant in holy Scripture it is no maruaile For Gods booke is not so generall a Register that wee must looke to finde in the same the actes and punishments of all vnthriftes and brothels and the execution of all such malesactours The storie of Susanna telleth howe it was like to haue gone with her which plainly sheweth that such execution was then in vse Dauid also committed adulterie once in his life which was the occasion of the horrible murther also which he committed so that he caused not onely his faithfull seruant Vriah but other noble men in like maner to be slaine What came of it Truth it is he was not stoned to death But what chaunged vnto him Surely euen as he had dishonoured another mans childe so sawe he shame vpon his owne children while he liued and that with great wretchednesse For Amon defloured Thamar his owne naturall sister and they both were Dauids children And Abshalom did miserably slay Amon his brother for committing that wickednesse with his sister Thamar Not long after did the same Abshalom driue his owne naturall father Dauid out of his Realme and vnnaturally and shamefully lay with his fathers wiues Whereupon there followed an horrible great slaughter in the which Abshalom was slaine with many thousands mo of the common people Now let euerie man indifferently weigh with himselfe whether it be not a lesse thing once to haue execution and to die then to abide the death of so manie and that so long with such miserie and sorrow Therefore was Dauid more grieuouslie punished then if he had beene but once stoned to death Let euerie man then learne here by this example that none can escape the hande of God although the worlde lay no hand vpon him God neuerthelesse punisheth and that with a more heauie iudgement when hee doth it not here but deferreth it vnto another worlde And whereas they make Christ a maintainer of adulterers that is too intollerable wickednesse Christ neuer gaue libertie to sinne for hee sayth I came not to breake the lawe but to fulfill it Saint Paul also sayth To the righteous there is no lawe giuen but to the vnrighteous and disobedient to wheremongers to periured to liers and blasphemers And to the Galathians he sayth Walke ye in the spirite so are ye not vnder the lawe Therefore forsomuch as adulterers do walke in the flesh and not in the spirite they are vnder the lawe neither hath the Lord taken the lawe and punishment from them Moreouer as touching the storie in the 8. chapter of Saint Iohn we must consider that the Lord said vnto the adultresse Woman hath no man condemned thee And when she had answered No man lord He sayd Neither do I condemne thee For with this answer laid he before her the sentence of the Iudges to strike her coÌ„science that she might feele and see what she had deserued But forsomuch as he was not come nowe to giue sentence as a Iudge but to saue hee woulde not condemne her and therefore neither medled with the law nor act The Lord was now come to haue mercie vpon sinners and to call to repentance Therefore said he also to this woman Go thy way and sinne no more By which words the Lorde doth warne all such as are tangâ—â—◠〈◊〉 adulterie to cease from henceforth and to amend In so doing God wil haue mercy vpon them and take from them the same dishonour paine and punishment which they haue greatly deserued For God hath no delight in the destruction of a poore sinner but will rather that they conuert and liue But if they will not turne if they will needs be stiffe necked and set foorth their shameles foreheads then verily doth God watch ouer their wickednesse and sayth thus vnto them by the mouth of the Prophet Hieremie In the desire of vncleane lust they are become like vnto stallandes euery one neieth after his neighbours wife should I not punish this Wherefore all they that do persist in this wickednesse may dayly looke for the heauie vengeance of God to fall vpon them Therefore that thou mayest eschue the same and the contagion of so foule a leprosie embrace these fewe lessons as speciall preseruatiues 1 Eschew idlenesse and euer be occupied in some honest labour 2 Auoyde all occasions of euill all suspect houses and wanton companie 3 Beware of filthie communication wanton songs and histories of bawderie 4 Vse sobrietie and temperance in meat drinke sleepe and apparell 5 Looke not to narrowly vpon the beautie of a woman 6 Be dayly conuersant with such persons as are both chaste honest vertuous and godly 7 Remember often the passions of Christ for sinne 8 Consider the certaintie and suddennesse of death and of the day of iudgement 9 Vse dayly faithfull and feruent prayer vnto God for the gracious gift of chastitie and of cleannesse of heart So dooing thou shalt be sure to reape the fruit to thy continuall
comfort The eight Leper is the Couetous man RIches are the gift of God and are many times bestowed vppon his children in this worlde in great measure as may appeare by the examples of Abraham Dauid Iob Ezechias and diuerse other who hauing the wisdome of Gods spirit do know how to vse thē for their comfort for the reliefe of their needy brethren and to the glorie of God Contrariwise the vngodly doe abuse their riches to their owne hurt and also to the hurt of others Ambr. in Lucum Discant diuites sayth Saint Ambrose non in facultatibus crimen haberi sed in his qui vti nescinnt Nam diuitia vt impedimenta sunt improbis ita bonis sunt adiumenta vertutis That is Let rich men vnderstande that there is no fault in riches but in them which knowe not howe to vse them For as riches are impediments to wicked men so to good men they are the helpes of vertue Therefore vngodly rich men may fitlie bee resembled to Naaman the Syrian who was verie rich and mightie 2. King 4. but yet an vncleane Leper Rich men may offend two wayes first in getting their riches by euill meanes as by deceyte briberie oppression rapine and by vsurie agaynst the which the Lord complaineth thus In thee haue they taken giftes to shedde bloud thou hast taken vsurie and increase and thou hast defrauded thy neighbours by extortion Ezech. 22 and hast forgotten mee sayth the Lorde This complaint the Lorde made then of one people onelie the people of the Iewes but nowe these wickednesses through insatiable couetousnesse hath made a generall deluge so that he may now say to the whole worlde as he spake to one nation by the Prophet Amos saying They sell the righteous for siluer Amos. 2. and the poore for shooes For couetousnesse hath made the lawe which should be as a sanctuarie for the poore oppressed to be a snare and a pit for their destruction whereas God in his law hath giuen this commandement to all magistrates saying Thou shalt nor fauour the person of the poore nor honour the person of the rich Leuis 19. but shalt iudge thy neighbour iustly Againe it is sayd Wrest not the lawe nor respect any mans person neither take rewarde Deus 16. For rewardes blinde the eyes of the wise and peruert the woordes of the iust For this cause King Iehosaphat when hee had appointed Iudges to execute iustice gaue vnto them this charge Take heede what yee doe 2. Chro. 19. for yee execute not the iudgement of man but of God If these things were printed in the minds of Magistrates and Iudges generally then shoulde not the poore haue cause to complaine as they doe at this day of the oppression which they sustaine at the handes of the mightie by whom they are ouerborne and their cause many times not heard according to equitie and right Then should neither money friendship nor affection beare any sway then should not iudgement bee turned into gaule Amos. ◠nor the fruite of righteousnesse into Woormewood So would they not deuise wicked things to keepe men from their right and so shoulde they escape the wo which the Prophet threatneth O that they would say with Aristotle Isay 10. determining a cause betweene Plato and Socrates Amicus Socrates sayeth he amicus Plato sed magis amica veritas Socrates is my friend Plato is my friend but the truth is more my friend And as another sayd Nihil possum contra veritatem sed pro veritate I can do nothing against the truth but for the truth O that they would follow Catos example who being required by noblemens letters to be good to an offender put them into his bosome answering the bringer I will first do my dutie and then read your letters Such vprightnes of minde without affection ought to be in Iudges and iusticers that they should answer vnlawfull suters as Vlisses answered Andromache making earnest sute to him for his sonne Astianax O Andromache saith he thy teares I confesse do much moue me but the teares of my countrey and countrey men do much more moue me who like enough might perish if thou shouldest preuaile As Iudges ought to be of this vprightnes taking heede of couetousnes and corruption by bribes so also all lawyers and pleaders of poore mens causes must also take heed that couetousnes doth not retaine them against the truth that they betray not the cause of their poore client for any fee be silent when they should speake This was a fault imputed to Demosthenes For on a time certaine Ambassadours being sent into the place where Demosthenes should be present and fearing that hee might hinder their sute gaue him a large fee to holde his tongue The day following when they declared their ambassage Demesthenes feigned himselfe to haue the Quinsey a disease in the throte hindering speach for the which cause against the appointed time he should be in publique place he bound white wooll about his necke to colour the matter of griefe But a merrie fellow priuie to the match cried out thus Demosthenes non anginam sed argenti anginam patitur that is Demosthenes hath no Quinsey but a swelling of pence in his throte Men say that many lawiers in these dayes are troubled in like sort not with a swelling of pence but of Angels in their throte whereby they set silence to sale I am well assured that there are diuers vpright Iudges and Lawiers that feare God loue truth execute iustice to their power and do pity the cause of the poore the orphant and the widow God increase the number yet this shall be no vnnecessarie admonition for all in generall Be ware of couetousnesse For this is a perillous leprosie and hath tainted all degrees and calling among men the which hath so long raigned in thē that it is not only a leprosie but a leprous dropsie the nature of which disease is such that the more a man is puft vp with that corrupt humor the more deadly thirst he hath Euenso it may be said of a couetous man Auarus non implebitur pecunia A couetous man will neuer be satisfied with money For to allude vnto the woordes of Christ he that drinketh of this water shall thirst againe Mony to the couetous man is as salt water of the which the more a man drinketh the more hee thirsteth And as fire by the laying on of more wood is made more vehement euenso the couetous man the more the fornace of his minde is heat with the store of money the more he desireth the gaine of riches of the which desire there is no ho vntil by death his insatiable fack of couetousnes doth crack and till his greedy and dropsie soule doth descend into the restlesse flames of hell fire The couetous man sayth Saint Hierom doth euer want as well that which he hath as that which he hath not his minde being more vpon that which
Eccle. 5. Riches shal not profit a man in the day of vengeance And in another place Some man is rich by his care and niggardship and then saith I haue gotten rest and now will I eat continually of my goods Eccle. 11. Lnke 12. yet he considereth not that the time draweth neere that he must leaue all these things to other men and die himselfe Couetous rich men are like vnto doues who still build their nests there who both themselues and their dammes before them lost their birds Euenso couetous men lay vp all their treasure here in this worlde where their forefathers as they know left all behind them But in the day of death and of iudgement they shall crie too late Wisdom 5. what hath the pompe of our riches profited vs At what time it will appeare what a vaine confidence they had in them which now cannot help when they haue most need Rich men haue slept their sleepe sayth the Prophet and haue found nothing in their hands Ppsal 75. that is to say Rich men haue passed ouer this life as men doe passe ouer a sleepe imagining an assurance to themselues by their great riches but when they awake at the day of their death they find that they are vtterly void of all helpe In respect whereof the Prophet Baruch asketh this question Baruc. 3. What are they now which heaped vp togither gold and siluer and which made no end of their scraping togither He answereth himselfe They are now rooted out and gone downe into hell Therfore we see how dangerous a thing it is for wicked men to haue the possessiō of riches 2. Tim. 6. because thereby they fall into many temptations and snares of the diuell and into many vnprofitable hurtfull desires which drowne men into destruction and perdition wherein they are so deepe plunged Math. 19. that with great difficultie as our Sauiour Christ testifieth they shal get into the kindome of heauen Let all rich men then learne this lesson of the Prophet Dauid who plaied the part of a good steward vsing that well and disposing that faithfully which was by God committed to his trust He giueth this counsel If riches increase set not thy heart vpon them Psal 61. Whereunto also agreeth the saying of S. Augustine Diuitiaseculares si desunt non per mala opera querantur in mundo si autem adsunt per bona opera seruentur in coelo If thou haue not worldly riches seeke not for them in the world by euill meanes and if thou haue them lay them vp by good works in heauen For of the good and godly rich it is said He hath dispersed and giuen to the poore Psal 112. Saint Ambrose saith that those things are not rightly called our goods which we cannot carie away with vs Sola misericordia est comes defunctorum Dead men carie nothing with them but mer-cie Whatsoeuer thou hast bestowed on the poore make a sure account of that to be thine but whatsoeuer thou hast bestowed vpon the world make thy reckoning that it is lost and that thou hast put it into a bottomlesse purse Discreete husbandmen do sow their graine in the most fertile soile In like maner we cannot sow our worldly substance in hope to haue a great and plentifull gaine better then in bestowing it on the poore O that we would affoord God so much credite in heauenly things as we do to our earthly seed If we want not faith we wil. Lay not vp then for your selues treasures in earth which are subiect to many casualties and perils but lay vp for your selues treasure in heauen which shall endure for euer and euer The ninth Leper is the Murtherer THE Murtherer is pollured with that leprosie with the which Dauid cursed Ioab 2. Sam. 3. saying Let the bloud fall vpon the heade of Ioab and on all his fathers house that the house of Ioab be neuer without some that haue running issues or leprie c. This Ioab talking deceitfullie with Abner Captaine of the host of Israel stabbed him vnder the short ribbes and killed him In like maner he had slain afore Amasa Captaine of the armie of Iudah For the which cause Dauid before his death gaue charge to king Salomon his sonne saying Thou knowest what Ioab the sonne of Zeruiah did to mee 1. King 2. and what he did to the two captaines of Israel whome he slue and shedde bloud of battaile in peace Doe therefore according to thy wisedome and let thou not his hoare heade go downe to the graue in peace The which commaundement Salomon obeyed For after the death of Dauid his father Salomon commaunded that Ioab shoulde bee slaine saying His bloud bee vpon his owne heade for hee smote two men more righteous and better then he Whereby it may plainely appeare that God will take vengeance vpon all murtherers who through their priuate grudge and hatred shedde any mans bloud As it is written He that sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed Gen. 9. When wicked Caine had slaine his innocent brother Abell God sayde vnto him What hast thou done the voyce of thy brothers bloud cryeth to mee from the earth Gen. 4. which hath opened her mouth and hath receyued thy brothers bloud from thy hand A vagabond and a runnagate shalt thou bee vpon the earth To the which Caine answereth That the vengeance of God will follow him whethersoeuer he goeth and that they which finde him will kill him Abimelech who slue his owne brethren Iudg. 9. had his braine panne shortlie after broken with a Milstone cast vpon him by a woman and presently was dispatched of the small remainder of his life by his owne page Abner of whom mention is made before slue Azahell and therefore his bloud by the iust iudgement of God was shedde in like manner by Ioab Iesabell was denoured of Dogges 1. King 21. for shedding of innocent Naboths bloud Gen. 37. Ruben abhorring bloudshed sayde to his brethren which conspired Iosephs death Shedde not bloud For hee knewe that God woulde take vengeance on the same and therefore afterwarde hee put his brethren in minde of his wholesome admonition Gen. 41. Warned I you not saying Sinne not agaynst the childe and yee would not heare and nowe his bloud is required God will neuer suffer murther and cruell bloudshed of innocents to escape without vengeance though for a time he deferre it As may also appeare by the extreame famine which came vppon the Iewes in the time of king Dauid concerning the which Dauid asking counsaile of the Lorde receyued this answere It is for Saul and for his bloudie house 2. Sam. 21. because he slue the Gibeonites Manie mo examples might be brought of the Scriptures and out of chronicles and stories to proue make manifest howe the vengeance of God falleth either first or last vpon murderers Exod. 20. For almightie God hath giuen a