would not pardon 2 Kings 24. 3 4. They are punished in their Posterity By Death or some other great calamity as you may see 1 In Joab according to David's threat to him For when Joab had trecherously murdered Abner who came over to him by taking him aside to speak with him thus he spake I and my kingdome are guiltles before the Lord for ever from the bloud of Abner the sonne of Ner let it rest on the head of Joab and on all his fathers house and let there not faile from the house of Joab one that hath an issue or that is a leper or that leaneth on a staffe or that falleth on the sword or that lacketh bread 2 Sam. 3. 28 29. See also Solomon's threat concerning him 1 Kings 2. 33. after which it is said also that hee himselfe was slaine by Benaiah at the command of Solomon even when he hung upon the altar 1 Kings 2. 28. to 34. For God will not be a refuge for murderers neither were the cities of refuge appointed for them Deut. 19. 11 2 In David for the murder of Vriah according to Nathans threat Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house because thou shast despised me and hast taken the wife of Vriah the Hittite to be thy wife 2 Sam 12. 10. 3 In Saul for murdering the Gibeonites For when the Gibeonites were asked by David what satisfaction they desired they demanded seven of Sauls sonnes and hung them all up with his consent 2 Sam 21 9 4 In Ahab for murdering Naboth For Joram his son King of Israel was by Jehu who was already anointed king in his stead shot to death with an arrow as hee sate in in his chariot 2 Kings 9. 24. See what he sayes when he had kil'd him v. 25 26 It was not long after ere Jehu put to death all the rest of his familie causing the heads of seventie of his sonnes to be brought to him at one time to Jezreel in baskets c 10. 7. Thus you see how loud and how long bloud crieth and how deeply it staineth so that nothing but bloud will fetch it out again especially if it be in a place where the true religion is professed for then the punishment will be as to one that hath defiled God's dwelling which must needs anger him exceedingly Num 35 33 34. So yee shall not pollute the land wherein yee are for bloud it defileth the land and the land cannot be cleansed of the bloud that is shed therein but by the bloud of him that shed it DEFILE not therefore the land which yee shall inhabit wherein I DWELL for I the Lord DWELL among the children of Israel The Odiousnesse of this sinne and how certaine it is to be punished may be further gathered out of the Scriptures thus 1 By the strictnesse of God's requiring the blood shed as if it were a thing more his owne then other things even at the hand of a beast that hath neither hand nor reason Gen. 9. 5. For if a beast killed a man yea though it were an Oxe the most usefull beast of any it was to be stoned to death and none of his flesh was to be eaten Exod. 21. 28. 2 By the strictnesse of God's inquiring after it I doe not read of his making inquisition for any thing but this and for this he allowes times of purpose as if it were a businesse which he constantly does and which he will not by any meanes omit When hee maketh inquisition for blouds be remembreth them Ps 9. 12. No wonder then there are such strange discoveries of murder so deeply concealed so long agoe committed Sithence he who is the searcher even of hearts maketh inquest for it and shall not he search it out See Isai 26. 21. I might produce many examples of such discoveries if it were not beyond my bounds 3 By the strictnesse of the Enquiry which he prescribed to the Elders of the Israelites when they found a man slaine and it was not knowne who kill'd him As likewise by the forme of prayer given them wherein they wereto desire God not to lay even such a man's bloud to their charge Deut. 21. 1. 4 By Davids charge to Solomon concerning Joab for murdering Abner and Amasa Let not his hoary head goe downe to the grave in peace 1 Kings 2. 5. 5 By the punishment which the Shechemites suffered for helping Abimelech in the murder of his brethren viz the slaughter of themselves and the utter ruine of their city by the hand of Abimelech himselfe Then God sent an evill spirit betweene Abimelech and the men of Shechem and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubaal might come and their blood come upon Abimelech thir Brother which slew them and upon the men of Shechem which aided him in Killing of his brethren Judg. 9. 23 24. 6 Lastly by what is said of the importunate cries of such as have been murdered which are sure to be heard Rev 6. 10. How long O Lord holy and true dost thou not judge and avenge our bloud on them that dwell on the earth What ever thou doest let the life of a man be precious in thy sight If thou hast the invitation of an opportunity to Save it as thou hatest bloud doe it For there are but two waies To Save life or to Kill Mark 3. 4. If thou hast the provocation of an injurie to destroy it as thou lovest life doe it not For if thou hast not hated bloud even bloud shall pursue thee Ezek 35. 6. Take heed of a bloudy hard heart How many Murderers are there that never lifted up their hand to hurt a man Oathes Such as doe not keep them or take them fasly threatened With Certaine punishment Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine for the Lord will not hold him guiltles that taketh his name in vaine Exod 20 7. Name What an account doth the meanest of us make of his name and how tender are we of it and how doe we listen when we heare another mention it Thy God thou wouldest be wary of using the name of thy King or thy Master or thy Father in their hearing and why not of thy God who heareth at all times and places is then most quick of hearing when his name is used In vaine or for a Lie For that the word in Hebrew for vaine will signifie and is so used and that when the meaning is only of assertion and not of promise For whereas in this chapter vers 16 the word for false witnesse is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Deut c. 20. it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I know they usually say that these wordes are cheifely meant of promissory oaths because of our Saviours words Mat. 5. 33. speaking only of the forbidding of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is forswearing And as if this word were properly
is made fat with fatnesse and with the blood of Lambes and Goats and with fat of the kidneys of rams for the Lâ—nd hath a Sacrifice in Bâ—zrah a great slaughter in the land of Idumea chap 34 6. To conclude It is God's word and I may speak it with confidence let the wicked plot against the just as much as he will and gnash upon him with his teeth Ps 37 12 till his teeth break all the wicked first or last shall perish and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs they shall coÌ„sume into smoake shall they consume away Psal 37. 20. It will not be done in an instant neither are they burnt away suddenly in a flame you must tarry God's leisure and if you believe you will not make hast The enemies of the Jewish Church in Canaan were not destroyed at once no more will the enemies of the Church in Generall Be sure they shall by degrees wast away as in a smoake and drop away like fat by the fire of God's anger At the Feast of Tabernacles in seven dayes the Israelites were to offer seventy bullocks for the first thirteen for the second twelve for the third eleven and so forward every day diminishing the number by one and the reason thereof some Jewes conceive to be this viz To shew how the Seventy Nations for whom they say those Sacrifices were offered should still grow lesse and lesse till all were subdued to the govermeÌ„t of the Mâ—ssias Jesus Christ Doubtlesse the time shall come when that prophecy which is twice related in the Booke oâ— Isaiah shall be fulfilled They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy Mountaine Isa 11 9. chap 65 25. I have been the longer in this chapter of the punishments of the enemies of God's children because I see that God's children have so many enemies and because I see how light a matter men make it to wrong them and persecute them Envy Enviers are punished 1 With Not having their desire although I must confesse it be proper rather to emulation then Envy to desire for envy is properly sorrowing at that which an other man hath not because I have it not but only because hee hath it whereas Emulation is because I have it not or because I have it not as well as hee and therefore in the text which I am about to cite after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yee envy before the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and cannot obtaine you have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yee emulate and we translate it desire to have Ye lust and have not ye envy and desire to have and cannot obtaine James 4 2. Adde hereunto that their envy is seldome to any purpose many times those whom they envy have the more for it and from Esek and Sitnah they come to Rehoboth This name Isaac gave to that well in the digging whereof the Philistins who envied at him for his prosperity and therefore strove against him in digging of his wells before called therefore Esek and Sitnah both which names signifie contention when they saw it was to no purpose forbare to stâ—ive any longer Because said he now the Lord hath made â—ome for us and we shall be fruitfull in the Land Gen 26 19 20 21 22. I remember a saying of Alexander's to Meleager who was angry with him for bestowing a thousand Talents of Silver upon a Barbarian prince Invidos homines nihil aliud quà m ipsorum esse tormenta Envious men are meerely their owne tormenters and nothing else Q. Curt l. 8. Nay perhaps for having an evill eye because God's eye is good they may not only be forced to be contented with that which is their owne but be bid to be gone too as the servaÌ„t was in the parable because he envied at those who wrought but one houre received a penny as well as he Take that thine is and goe thy way I will give unto this last even as nuto thee Matt 20 14. 2 Not having Content of mind though they have never so much which I take to be a very great punishment And Haman told them viz his friends and his wife of the glory of his riches and the multitude of his Children and all the things wherein the King had promoted him and how he had advanced him above the Princes and Servants of the King Haman said moreover Yea Esther the Queene did let no man come in with the King unto the banquet that she had prepared but my selfe and to morrow am I invited unto her also with the King Yet all this availeth me nothing so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the Kings gate Esth 5. 11 12 13. Though Elkanah were kinder to Hannah then he was to Peninnah yet because Peninnah had children and she had none she remained in bitternesse of Soule and refused to eate her meate 1 Sam 1. 7 10. 3 Consumption of their Bodies which punishment they owe to themselves and their own sin as there are scarce any sinners but are filled with their owne devices Pro 1. 31. Solomon saith Envy is the rottenes of the bones So David speaking of meÌ„ envying the prosperity of the righteous They shall gâ—ash with their teeth and melt away Ps 112. 12. Eliphaâ— told Job Envy slayeth the silly one Job 5. 2. When Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no Children Rachel envied her Sister and said unto Jacob give me Children or else I die Gen 30. 1. or I am a dead woman for so is the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If Envy be so much in the eye as I believe it is it must needs cause a gâ—eat deale of paine because it is in a very tender part It is expressed in Scripture as we usually expound it by the name of an evill eye although that expression may be meant also of being niggardly or hard-hearted or not good that is mercifull liberall or charitable see Matt 20. 15. Prov. 23. 6. and the Appendix 4 Destruction both of Body and Soule Envyings Murders c. Of the which I tell you before as I have also told you in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Gal 5. 21. I might give you many instances of severe punishments inflicted perhaps for other sinnes but upon such sinners who were primarily if not chiefly incited by envy to doe what they did I will mention only two or three 1 The King of the Egyptians who tooke up his resolution to persecute the Israelites for which he suffered all those fearefull plagues upon this motive Behold the people of the Children of Israel are more and mightier then we Exod 1. 9. 2 Dathan and Abiram and their company They envied Moses also in the Camp and Aaron the Saint of the Lord sayes the Psalmist Ps 106. 16. viz for being above the rest of the congregation Num. 16. 3. and it follows immediatly in the next verse The
I believe it is chiefly meant of wrongfull condemning men to death which I make no question is a breach of that Commandement Thou shalt doe no Murder And that the greatnesse of those sinnes is set forth by this expression as the fittest for aggravation it makes much the more for the aggravating of this sinne God 's not pardoning their sinne For though there had beene three Kings in Judah since Manasseh's time yet it is said in the second booke of Kings ch 24. v. 4. speaking of the misery that befell the Jewes for Manasseh's sinnes And also for the innocent blood that he shed for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood which the Lord would not pardon 5 Shortnesse of life If they escape a violent death Bloody and deceitfull men shall not live out halfe their dayes Ps 55. 23. 6 Violent death Before the Law threatened or prescribed Who so sheddeth mans blood by man shall his blood be shed for in the image of God made he man Gen. 9. 6. So that he destroyes not meerely a man as he that breakes in pieces the statue of a Prince doth not onely breake the wood or the stone It was either the death of Esau or little better which Rebeccah feared when she bid Jacob fly from him adding this reason Why should I be deprived of you both in one day Gen. 27. 45. Vnder the Law prescribed He that killeth any man shall surely be put to death Lev. 24 17 repeated v. 21. A Law that admitted of no coÌ„position or satisfaction The land cannot be clensed of the blood that is shed therein but by the blood of him that shed it Under the Gospel threatened For our Saviour told one of his company who had cut off the care of a servant of the High-priest's that came to apprehend him Put up thy sword againe into his place for all that take the sword shall perish with the sword Mat. 26. 52. you have almost the same words in Rev. 13. 10. They that take the sword though persecuted yea though Christ and his Gospel be persecuted they may not take such armes to themselves no more then a man could take a the Priesthood to himselfe that is unlesse they are called of God Even in Tertullian's time when the Christians had farre lesse reason there were so many of them to fear perishing with the sword if they tooke it then they had when Christ spake those words yet he saith they durst not doe it Cui bello saith he non idonei non prompti fuissemus etiam impares copiis qui tam libenter trucidamur si non apud istam disciplinam magis occidi liceret quam â—â—cidere Examples of violent death executed upon murderers either by the Magistrate or by God by the hands of themselves or others the Scripture affords many I will produce some of the more noted As 1 Zeba Zalmunna Kings of Midian Being taken by Gideon in fight they were by him afterward put to death in cold bloud for murdering his brethren Jud 8. 19. 21. 2 Abimelech with the helpe of the Shechemites had murdered seventy of his own brethren Jud. 9. 5. But according to Jothams parable v. 7 when the Shechemites rebelled a fire came first out of this bramble and devour'd them vers 45. and after that fire came out of them and devour'd the bramble vers 53. For as Abimelech was besieging the tower at Thebez a woman threw down a piece of a milstone upon his head and brake his scull whereupon lest it should be said he was slaine by a woman he caused his armour bearer to run him thorow and so died ibid. 3. Agag king of the Amalekites For having made women childlesse Samuel hewed him in pieces after he had taken him in cold bloud 1 Sam 15. 33 and Saul lost his kingdome for sparing him vers 33. 4. Rechab and Banah two of king Ishbosheths captaines They murdered their master in his bed and carried his head to king David 2 Sam 4. 7. But so farre was he from commending them for what they did that although he whom they had murdered was his competitour in the kingdome yet he caused them presently to bee put to death and cut off their hands and their feet and hung them up for a terrour 2 Sam 4. 12. 5 Zimri captaine to Elah king of Israel He murdered his master and made himselfe king but being afterward besieged in Tirzah by Omri whoÌ„ the people erected in his place he set his house on fire over him and so died 1 Kings 16. 10 18. This example Jezabel used to fright Jehu with all 2 Kings 9. 31. 6 Ahab king of Israel Hee caused Naboth upon false witnesse of blasphemy to be stoned to death that hee might get his possessions 1 Kings 21. 2 3. But hee he was afterward in a fight with the King of Syria wounded in his chariot and died of the wound c. 22. 37. Now his bloud runâ—ning out in the chariot when the chariot came home it came to passe according to that which Elijah the Prophet threatned him ch 21. 19. viz In the place where dogges licked the bloud of Naboth shall dogs licke thy bloud event hine 7 Shallum king of Israel He â—urdered Zachariah king of Israel and was murdered by Menahem who came in his place 2 kings 15. 10 14. 8 Pekah Hee made himselfe king of Israel by the murder of Pekahiah and was afterwards murdered by Hoshea who came in his place 2 Kin. 15. 25. 30 9 The servants of Amon King of Judah They murdered him in his house and were all of them afterward put to death by the people who made Josiah king in his steed 2 Kings 21. 24 10 Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah Having made her selfe Queen of Judah by the murder of all the seed royall except Joash whom Jehosheba hid 2 Kings 11. 2 shee was afterward slaine at the command of Jehoiada v. 16. 11 Joash King of Judah He caused Zachariah the son of Jehoâ—ada to be stoned to death and was afterward murdered by his own servants 2 Chr. 24. 24. 12 Those servants but now mentioned they were put to death by Joash his sonne Amaziah who reigned after him ch 5. 3. 7 The last punishment of murderers which they sâ—ffer in their persons is Hell for he whom John saw sitting upon the throne hath said it himselfe that murderers shall have their part in the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone Rev 21. 8. They are punished in their Countries 1 With Famine There was three yeares famine in Israel for Sauls murdering the Gibeonites 2 Sam. 21. 1. 2 Conquest and destruction by enemies Such as befell the Jewes upon the rebellion of Jehoiakim Surely at the command of the Lord came this upon Judah to remove them out of his sight for the sinnes of Manasseh according to all that he did and also for the innocent bloud which he shed for he filled Jerusalem with innocent bloud which the Lord
to coole themselves they tooke cold and died Others that the Starres caused winds and other Meteors in such extremity that they could not fight A Fourth way wherein the hand of God is more notoriously seene in punishing the Enemies of his Church is when he makes use of contemptible and unlikely meanes such as were 1 A sling and a stone wherewith little David slew great Goliah and put the Philistins to flight 1 Sam. 17 49. 2 Rams hornes at the sounding whereof the walls of Jericho fell downe Josh 6 20. 3 An Oxe-goad wherewith Judge Shāgar is said to have slain no lesse then six hundred Philistins and delivered Israel Judg. 3. 31. It is likely that Saul's army when they went against the Philistines c. 1 Sam. 14. had but little better weapons then such tooles for they had no Smiths of their owne and those Smiths which they went to of the Philistins doubtlesse durst not make them any other things then Axes and Mattocks and such other tooles as belonged to husbandry chap. 13 20. 4 One onely woman and with nothing but a hammer and a naile for therewith Jael the wife of Heber slew no lesse man then Sisera the King of Canaan's Generall Jud. 4 21. 5 A mean man of no quality such as Gideon who was of the poorest family in all the tribe of Manasseth and the least man in that family Judg. 6 15. and yet God sent him to save Israel from the hand of the Moabites vers 15. and also told him that he should smite the Midianites as one man vers 16. A FIFTH way wherein the hand of God more notoriously appeares in punishing the enemies of his Children is When he makes use of Angels in that manner as he did when he punished Sennacherib the King of Assyria for besieging Jerusalem in the time of Hezekiah For the Angell of the Lord went out and smote in the campe of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand and when they arose early in the morning behold they were all dead corps 2 Kings 19 35. It is not unlikely that use was made of Angels at other times also when it is said that God smote or the Lord saved and the Lord discomfited such or such a people for you may observe that for the most part it is so said when the number of men was so little that it could not be done unlesse God's hand did eminently shew it selfe either this or some other extraordinary way I will instance in one place especially viz Jud 4 15. where it is said that the LORD DISCOMFITED Sisera and all his Chariots and all his host with the edge of the sword before Barak now it is probable that in that fight God made use of Angels because Deborah in her Song of Thanksgiving for the victory sayes They fought from Heaven chap 5 20. As also because it is said vers 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we translate They came not to the help of the Lord to the help of the Lord against the mighty but others translate it thus They came not to our help The Lord was our help even the Lord with or in his mighty ones meaning by Mighty ones Angels according as we translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies the bread of strong or Mighty ones the Bread of Angels Ps 78 25. Paul cals them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Angels of his power or or as we render it his mighty Angels However I must confesse it is sometimes thus spoken when it is like the intention was only to denote the just judgment of God upon those that were smitten for their sins as in Judg 20 35. and elsewhere This is certaine that Persecuters of God's Children have just cause to feare the helpe which they have of Angels in regard that as contemptible as they make them they have allowed them Angels of their owne provided of purpose for them continually attending upon God in their behalfe and looking but for the word to execute vengeance upon any that shall wrong them I say unto you their Angels doe alwaies behold the Face of my Father which is in Heaven saies our Saviour Mat 18 10. And therefore was it that in the words immediately before he bade them take heed how they did but despise though it were but one of those little ones that believed in him See Hebr 1 14. Eccles 5 6. and likewise Acts 12 15. for there it is said that when Peter knocked at Mary's doore in the night the people of the house being cōfident it could not be Peter himselfe whom they knew to be in prison the day before said it is his Angel which they seem to have spoken in such a manner not using many wordes for they might have said it is an Angel sent from God about some businesse concerning him as if it were a thing then commonly believ'd and knowne by experience for God's Children to have Angels for their Guardians But to say more yet God's Children have not only each of them his Angel as Peter had but they have had I doubt not they may have againe if occasiō require Mahanaim an army of Angels such as Jacob had for his guard when Esau was coming to meet him in his way homewards from Haran Gen 32 2 And such as 't is likely Elisha had for his when an army of men was sent by the King of the Syrians to take him for when his Servant began to be afraid of the many horses and Chariots which he saw of the Syrians it is said that upon Elisha's prayer the Lord opened the eyes of the young man so it is God must open our eyes by faith before we can see the helpe which he hath laid for us upon Jesus Christ who is mighty to save and he saw and behold the mountaine was full of horses and Chariots of fire round about Elisha So that for horses and Chariots against him there are horses and Chariots for him even horses Chariots of fire 2 Kin. 6 17. Besides what I have here produced the Tendernes of God's love towards his Children the Bitternes of his hatred gainst those that persecute them may be further gathered out of the Scriptures by the Tendernesse Bitternesse of his expressions therein concerning them I will produce only two places One is in Matthew where mention is not made of persecuting them but only of offending them Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones an expression of most tender love which believe in me it were better that a milstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the middest of the Sea Mat. 18. 6. The other is in Isaiah where God calls the slaughter of their enemies a Sacrifice as he does also elswhere viz Jer 46 10. c. and he seems by his manner of expression to speak of it with abundance of delight and complacency The sword of the Lord is filled with bood it