of mercy must die the death that so blood might be recompensed with blood and the land may be clensed from the guilt thereof And so according thereunto Justice administred without respect of persons yet with great wisedome according to the different degrees and circumstances in the committing of the Crime Heere is no admittance of Sanctuarie nor any such like protection to frustrate the course of Justice and nuzling of the wicked in their sinne so happy are we that God hath taken from our necks that cruell and bloody yoake of Antichrist who not onely maintained his owne tyranny by blood but also protected others therein And yet much more in this respect miserable if we shall not bee more thankefull for the light of the Gospell and improoue the time of our visitation with more profit and aduantage But blessed bee the Lord for the fruit of his Word that Justice hath his due course Iniquity braues it not vncontrould and righteousnesse may haue countenance enough if it bee accompanied with sobriety and meekenesse of wisedome If Sincerity be made a cloake for contentions and priuate lucre is it not wisedome to pluck off this vizard that so the Hypocrite may be ashamed and the sober Christian iustified But whither am I going I must retire my selfe to my present station We are now expecting the Judgement giuen vpon these Malefactors And blessed be God our expectation was more then satisfied Oh how true is it that Judges are in the place of God that he honoureth them as his Deputies and furnisheth them extraordinarily with diuine gifts What Maiesty doth shine in their honourable persons what wisedome and Equity flowes from their lippes what Righteousnesse mixed with Clemency appeares in their sentences Harken I pray you vnto that which followeth witnesse with me the truth of all these The Bench being set the prisoners are called to the Barre doubtfull matters are referred to a further cleering smaller offences are censured accordingly The greater and Capitall crimes of Blood and such like come now to be sentenced And that the sentence may be better layd to heart and take déeper impression to worke repentance and so thereby prepare the offenders to their deaths Harken I pray you vnto the diuine and graue speech the reuerend Judge makes vnto them in such words as these The speech at the giuing of Iudgement YOu Prisoners at the barre whose liues now stand wayting vpon death as you looke vp to vs with feare so wee looke downe vpon you with sorrow Your feare is to receiue punishment for your mis-doing and our sorrow is that wee must pronounce it Yet not without hope to bring you to Repentance which may gaine you pardon for your sin But as wee haue the commaundement of God to warrant and comfort vs herein that the malefactor must die so wee hartily desire of God that your condemnation may not bee of death vnto death but rather a meanes to a better life Now in these cases three things best befit a Iudge which are Discretion Correction and Comfort 1 Discretion to make an offender know his fault 2 Correction to Pronounce and inflict the punishment 3. Comfort that notwithstanding the denouncing and inflicting of the punishment yet so to prepare the delinquent vnto death that he may find life in death and so see heauen vpon earth before the world leaues him and he the world Concerning the knowledge of your fault that will best appeare by your acknowledgment thereof For without this acknowledgment there can be no sound Repentance Thus did God himselfe deale with his seruant Dauid in those his vncleane and bloody facts first to bring him to the sight of those sinnes he put the case by another and so brought Dauid to pronounce sentence vpon himselfe so my desire is that each of you would make Dauids case your owne And as in the like facts you would bee ready in another mans case to pronounce sentence as he did against the man that had dealt so cruelly so now to make his example your paterne to make it your owne case That as hee being conuinced by the Prophet to bee the man whom he had condemned in the like case of another was thereby brought to an acknowledgement of his owne sin and so receiue a gratious acquittance so you also being now conuicted of your heauy and bloody facts by such apparant euidence may by Dauids example bee brought to an acknowledgement thereof and so with Dauid obtaine an answere of the pardon of your sin howsoeuer for the satisfying of the world and humbling of the flesh you are like with Dauid to answere bloud for bloud The second thing I noted was Correction But the better to prepare you for it tell mee you poore soules that haue had a great portion of sorrow by your imprisonment if these three things do not now trouble you more then euer before that is Sorrow Shame and Feare 1 Sorrow for your life past so wickedly missed 2 Shame for your present facts 3 Feare not so much of your present punishment which ends in the punishment as of the iudgement to come bringing with it eternall torments and yet beginning but where the other ends To begin with this last because if it had beene well remembred by you it might haue preuented the former and yet being well applyed may release you from the latter that you may take a deeper impression of that great and generall Assizes Be you aduised not so much to looke vpon Vs who haue only power to kill the body as to looke vp vnto the Lord who hath power to destroy both body and soule and remember his last and dreadfull comming in the clouds where each of you must appeare personally without Deputy delay or Aduocate to receiue according to your workes which you haue done in your bodies be they good or euill And that you may preuent the extremity of that Iugdement my aduice vnto you is that you would erectin a iudgement seate your owne soules iudging your selues by the euidence of your owne consciences that so you may not be iudged of the Lord. So did Dauid obtaine the pardon of his sinne he had no sooner iudged himselfe for his sinnes and confessed them vnto the Lord but the Lord forgaue him the iniquity of them all and no sooner shal you acknowledge your selues worthy to die but the Lord will answere you you shall not die but liue For if you be now dead in sin by hardening your harts in the deniall thereof though you be liuing to the world yet you are dead vnto God and so shall neuer die out of the punishment of sin how soeuer you be euer dying in the horror thereof But if you shall now dievnto sin by vnfayned Repentance though you may die for your sin by the hand of man yet you shall liue for euer without sin by the power of God And therefore howsoeuer you must die temporally to satisfie the Law yet remember this is
Concerning as the two former the Parties that were Murthered together with the manner thereof and meanes to conceale the same Wherein howsoeuer all was done that carnall wisedome could deuise and the patience of God for six whole yeares together seemed to applaud and subscribe thereunto So that now it might seeme the Tragedy was finished and all further expectation preuented Yet as this was the Lords time to put to his owne hand for the discouery of this horrible crime So when he began once each creature in his place ministred gratiously vnto him for the full manifestation and conuiction thereof Attend therefore in the feare of God Three other Scaenes of this Tragedy Wherein now the Murtherers are to play their parts vpon the Stage of Iustice. And if euer thou desirest to be 〈…〉 tisfied in the wonderful Prouidence of God both in the discouery of Murther and challenging of the murtherers by a strange and secret hand if euer thou wouldst obserue a full and Honorable tryall of so foule a crime attend I say in the Name of God to that which followeth and if thou beest not fully satisfied in all these I must needes conclude that either thou wantest vnderstanding to discerne the Power and Wisedome of the Lord or thou wantest an heart to adore and magnifie the same Onely my desire is that thou woldst not stumble at my weake handling thereof thereby to challenge so excellent matter but rather hereby to prize the worth thereof as if it could not be sufficiently handled And if thou discernest any sparke of true light amidst so great darknesse and corruption any power of God in so great infirmity my earnest desire is that hereby thou wouldst ascribe vnto God the glory of his mercy that so thou mayst begin where I haue ended and still informè and inflame thy heart with such wonderfull workes of God CHAP. 4. Where first of the Reason why howsoeuer other sinnes come after Iudgement yet this sinne of Murther is seldome left vndiscouered 2. Of the Many wayes whereby the Lord hath discouered Murther from time to time with diuers instances thereof 3. That it was the Finger of God that detected this blood 4. Of the Manner and Instruments imployed herein 5. And the seuerall Vses to bee made thereof HJtherto of the first part of this Tragedy concerning the parties that were murthered and that exibited in three seuerall Scoenes according to the seuerall degrees whereby this murther was committed Th◠second part of this Tragedy now followeth concerning the discouery and iudgement of the murtherers And this also is enlarged in foure seuerall Scoenes The first whereof containes the discouery of the murther and murtherers The second expresseth their Iudgement and Conuiction The third their Iudgement and Condemnation The fourth representeth their righteous Execution As in the little world the soule of Man the vnderstanding leads the Conscience and the Conscience leads the Affection So is it in the soule of the greater world I mean Iustice and the due execution thereof There must bee first a discouery of the Crime before it be conuicted and it must be conuicted before it be censured For as Conscience without Knowledge is blind and erronious so the will and affections without conscience are peruerse and exorbitant Euen so conuiction of sinne before it be discouered produceth erronious Iudgement and sentencing of sinne before it be conuicted is no better then to peruert Iustice and condemne the innocent And yet as it cannot be denied but as the thunder breakes out before the lightning so where the party delinquent is of that exorbitant power that it cannot stand with the safety of a diseased state to question him Iudicially because his greatnesse may either outbraue or suppresse Iustice If in this extremity sentence and execution anticipate legall triall as this is to be ascribed to the necessity of the state so it may well stand with the prerogatiue of the Prince who in such exigents may performe Martiall Law And this also answerable to the diuine Iustice who in such like cases vpon it Prerogatiue royall hath executed vpon exorbitant sinners before their legall conuiction iustified his Ministers in the like executions But as these extraordinary cases may not prescribe to such persons and offences as are ordinary so we may obserue that the wise Lord in al ordinary trials hath kept this ordinary course As first to discouer though not so much for his owne information vnto whom all things past are present nothing so hid as is not knowne before it is done much moreafter as for our satisfaction so also in the second plate to conuince sinne being discouered and then to execute vpon the same And euen the same course hath our wise and glorious God taken in méeting with bloudy and crying sinnes Long hath the bloud of these slaughtered soules cryed for vengeance from the bottome of the pond Long had the Lord deserted the answering of their crie but when he saw a conuenient time he rowsed vp himselfe He put on righteousnesse as a brest-plate and an Helmet of Saluation vpon his head and he put on a garment of vengeance for a clothing and was clad with Zeale as a cloake and so according to their deedes he repayed fury to the murtherers recompenee to his enemies If wee doubt that it was the Lords doing that his onely hand discouered the Murther and detected the murtherers harken I pray you to the discourse that followeth and if we shal not herein acknowledge the immediate finger of God it is because there is no true knowledge of God in vs. You haue hitherto heard the rase of the Murthered how they were brought to their end how disposed in their end the bottom of the pond was their Graue and obliuion was their Motto and there I hope was an end of their part of the Tragedy Now harken I beseech you to the second part of the Tragedy concerning the Murtherers And here first are presented vnto you as in a dumbe shew the carcases of the Murthered raised out of the Pond by a Diuine Instinct and in a strange and wonderfull manner discouering and fastning vpon the Murtherers and these be the Actors in this first Scoene Will you heare the truth thereof confirmed by the story then hearken I say againe vnto that which followeth and conclude with the worthy Iudge that it was Digitus Dei the immediate Finger of God The Pond wherein these bodies lay you must imagine had a Maister that occupied the Farme and ground wherein it was vnto whose custody the Lord hauing committed in trust these slaughtered soules doth now require of him the discouery and restoring of them for the satisfying of his Justice But would you know the manner how the Lord required them of Him marke I beséech you and wonder at the wisedome and Power of God herein Because the bloud of the slaine could not cease crying for vengeance till they were recompenced Therefore the Farmer can
honorable trial to the stopping of all gain-saying lippes and to the aduancement of Gods glory in such righteous proceeding And heere to say nothing of the manner of these Trials by witnesses to proue the fact and Iurers to finde the same a course so warrantable both by the practice of God himselfe and all Nations euen by the instinct of Nature that it shall bee in vaine to light a candle when the Sunne shineth so cleerely Giue me leaue I pray you to poynt at some things especially remarkeable in this Triall for the more cléere iustifying and benefit thereof As First that whereas out of the mouth of two or three witnesses euery truth shall stand we haue not onely heere apparant circumstances euen from the mouth and actions of the Delinquents to conuince them sufficiently of the Fact but also no lesse then 28. Euidences were taken by the worthy Iustice all of great moment by way of circumstance and consequence to proue the same whereof though no more then 18. were produced at the Barre because time which there is precious would haue béene otherwise taken vp and those that were produced in the iudgement of the Honourable Iudge were sufficient yea more then enough yet who could desire more then so many Euidences especially seeing the rest all aymed at the same end so cléere was this Triall so fully iustified Secondly Whereas exception against Witnesses as it is vsually admitted in honourable Trials so being denied may seeme to challenge the equity of them this is also obseruable for the iustifying of this Triall that howsoeuer the accused were obstinate in denying or faint in acknowledging the fact yet as there was no iust reason why they should except against the witnesses so either they did not except against them at all or onely made such cauils as either were not consonant to reason or did confound themselues by their contradiction or were but triflings to differ or elude Justice Thirdly Whereas in such infamous and strange cases for the further conuiction of them The voyce of the people is as the voyce of God that what generally is currant and auouched by the generallity carries with it some warrant of truth it may bee obserued also for the further iustifying of this Triall there hath not beene hard of a more generall consent of the people in any Trialls desiring the discouery of the truth and approuing yea applauding the detection thereof then was manifest at this triall Lastly If contraries may be gathered by their contraries seeing it is the policy and malice of Satan then to resist the light most when it shiues most cléerely may not the obstinacy of Land in opposing such cleere and manifest Euidence that was brought against him as prouing hereby more effectuall to harden his heart by making him desperate the more cleerely he was conuinced thereby may not this obstinacy I say of that accursed wretch serue much more to iustifie the truth of this honorable Triall I touch this last poynt of speciall purpose both to satisfie the wise in this particular whereat the ignorant vsually stumble and also to stop the mouth of all gaine-saying herein For why should it seeme strange to any that offenders should so differ in the issue of their conuiction that the one should be penitent and confesse the fact as Worlich in part hath done by referring himselfe to the mercy of the Judge the other should still remaine obstinate euen to the death in the iustifying of himselfe Haue we not examples of the like in the Booke of God one thiefe beeing penitent on the Crosse and the other continuing obstinate to the death And may not the eternall decree of God of two in a bed electing the one and reiecting the other iustifie the execution thereof in the very last breath the one iustifying his sinne on the Gallowes and so condemning himselfe the other acknowledging his fault and so interessing himselfe in the mercy of God And is there not apparant reason of this desperate obstinacy may not common course preuaile in this case which is to pleade not guilty to the Fact May not hope of life induce thereunto thereby to preuaile if it may be with a corrupt or pittifull and Ignorant Iurie and when once we haue denied the Fact may not credite or obstinacy continue in that note Is it not too apparant that many preferring their credit and good of their Posterity before their conscience and benefit of their soules doe therefore stand obstinate in the deniall of that which their owne conscience cōuinceth them of What else meant y e answer of Gardiner to Bishop Day whē he exorted him on his death-bed to trust onely in the mercy of Christ and renounce all Popish trash and selfe-deseruing Did not the conscience of that Bloud-sucker conuince him of the truth And yet did the glory and credit of his profession carry him contrary in that reply that if that gap were opened all would be gone Nay may not such consequences follow hereupon that if they confesse the truth others shal be drawne in danger and so either by bribery or flattery compassion or such like many are contented to sell away their owne soules to Satan for the preseruing of others Doe not these things vsually fall out and might not Land bee hardened in his sinne by some or all these meanes Howsoeuer let him die in his sinne and let vs liue to glorifie God in making a holy vse of these things though not absolutely iudging of any by their ends yet wisely iudging of the end by the former life that they which liue desperately doe vsually die obstinately And so let vs by the ends of such men labour to reforme our liues taking héede of custome in sinne and hardening our hearts therein lest when we would we cannot leaue it and when we cannot leaue it we grow to iustifie it and so not onely die therein but dye eternally thereby Concerning further Guidences and Acts of the Iurie because they are onely matters of Forme or needlesse in so great light I willingly passe them ouer resting myselfe on such collections as I haue gathered for the iustifying of the Proceedings And thus farre of the second Scoene of the second part of the Tragedy concerning the Conuiction and casting of the Murtherers CHAP. 6. Of the Condemnation and Iudgement giuen vpon the Malefactors where after entrance made hereto 1 The religious and learned Speech of the thrice reuerand Iudge is published tending to iustifie the righteous hand of God heroin as also to prepare the delinquents to an holy vse thereof 2 The Sentence it selfe followeth with the great clemency and moderation thereof 3. With diuers passages and profitable vses of the same WEe are now come vnto the Dismall day wherein the Murtherers receiued their sentence of condemnation and Iudgement thereupon A day most comfortable to the godly as wherein they obserue the law of God executed that the murtherer without any admittance of priuiledge or Psalme