so we may take a further view of the odiousnesse of the same Surely if we looke vp to the first Murtherer that euer was may we not obserue that Enuy prouoked him therevnto because his brothers was accepted and his sacrifice was teiected therefore did Cain saith the Apostle stay his brother Abell that was more righteous then he And was not the pride of his heart the occasion of this enuy because Caine was not respected according to the conceit of his owne worth therefore he enuied his owne brother that was better respected of God then himselfe and so through enuy shed his innocent bloud Was not Ioseph sold through enuy by his brethren Consider we the next Murtherer recorded in the booke of God Was not Lamech an Adulterer and thereupon a murtherer either inflamed thereto by iealousie which is the rage of a man and therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance or enraged thereto by lust which will admit no partner therein Did not Dauids adultery end in murther 2. Sam. 11. Is not lust the firebrand to contentions and murthers Iam. 4. 1. 2. was not lust the cause of that treacherous murther of the Shechemites Did not lust bring a whole Tribe in Israel to this end And what caused Absolon to seeke his fathers life was it not ambition and desire of soueraignty What mooued Ahab to take away Naboths life was it not a couetous desire to enioy his Vineyard was not Iudas blinded by couetousnesse to betray his Master to the death And may we not see all these causes concurring together in those cruell Iewes that murthered the Lord of Life To conclude Is not rage and furie vsually the spurre hereunto Haue not bitter words sometimes ended in bloudy broyles and barbarous murthers And is not drunkennesse an ordinary harnenger to this sinne not onely murthering hereby it master suddenly but also prouoking in his cuppes to spill the blood of others so iust is the Lord to meete with sinners in their kinde that they which make no conscience to abuse and spill the good creatures of God seruing for the encrease of bloud and maintenance of life but haue béene bretheren in such horrible sinnes shall bee giuen vp to shed the bloud of each other and so depriue themselues of that blessing which they haue abused These are some causes and occasions of this grieuous sinne vnto which if we shall adde what may bee collected from the consideration of the subiect formerly deciphered we may conclude that as the want of Gods feare is a speciall cause of falling into this sinne so obstinacy and hardnesse of heart proceeding there-from doth much enflame and harden therein yea an enraged and guilty soule doth oft-times prouoke hereunto out of hellish despaire As touching the Effects of this grieuous sinne let that suffice which hath beene spoken concerning the haynousnesse thereof onely giue mee leaue to adde some cautions herein That though it be a grieuous sinne to shed bloud yet this neither doth debarre the Magistrate and his Instruments from executing of Iustice against Malefactors because they are Deputies vnto the Lord herein and haue authority hereunto from his Word neither doth it priuiledge any Priuate man vpon any instinct whatsoeuer to presume hereunto though some inferiour calling in the Family hath beene wickedly thought by some to warrant the same because the power of life death is in the hands of the Supreame Magistrate and such as are immediately deputed from him thereunto Though aboue all other murthers that of our selues is most vnnaturall and monstrous therefore as wee may not iustifie any such particular sinnes by any example of Sampson or particular instinct So wee must bee meruailous chary and tender in condemning absolutely their estates that through violence of Tentation or such like distempers haue made away themselues because either they were not themselues in that distemper and so it shall not be imputed vnto them or it was done not without some reluctation and so the Lord may haue mercy vpon them onely let vs be carefull not to imitate them herein and so leaue them to the Lord to whom they fall or stand Thus of the Effects and Iudgement of this sinne Proceed we now in the last place to consider such Antidotes as may preuent the same The principall whereof is to maintaine peace with our God because if our wayes do please him he will not only make our enemies to be at peace with vs that we may not feare to be prouoked either by bridling their corruptions as he did sometimes Labans Esaus or turning their hearts towards vs as he hath done the hearts of many persecutors But will also incline our hearts to be at peace with our enemies either by giuing vs wisedome to ouercome their euill with good or affording vs Patience to beare with our enemies or sustaining vs with meeknesse neither to prouoke nor be prouoked by them Now we shall wisely Maintaine peace with God How 1 If we walke closely with him according to his will with all power and diligence not leaning to our owne Wisedome but relying on his reuealed word and not presuming of ought either beyond or short thereof 2 If though we faile and slip daily as who can cleare himselfe therein yet we shall daily iudge our selues and by repentance renue our couenant with the Lord warring daily with our corruptions and maintaining the spirituall combat hereby we may preserue our Peace with God 3 If séeing our best workes are mixed with such corruption that if the Lord should be seuere to marke what is done amisse euen when we doe our best we shall neuer be able to abide it we shall therefore daily deny our best righteousnesse and labour to be found in Christ renuing our right in him hereby we shall renue and Maintaine our Peace with God 4 And yet seeing the grace of God shal be sufficient for vs in what soeuer wants or extreamities may befall if now we can in patience possesse our soules not repining at the dispensation of our God but being contented therewith in all occasions we shall so hunger after what wee want as that we can be thankfull for that which we haue and so husband the same with all vprightnes and diligence to the glory of our God and the generall good this is an excellent meanes to maintaine Peace with God Lastly that we may maintaine Peace with God let vs still nourish enmity against the world because the Amity of the World is Enmity against God so vsing the good therein that we hate the euill thereof and so vsing the good that we trust not therein so enioying the things thereof as that we are still ready to part with them at the Pleasure of the giuer accounting all things as doing that we may win Christ and yet by our wise husbandrie laying vp a good foundation by them against the day of Christ. Thus may we
of Popery thus to traduce the light and let it be the glory of the Gospell thus to discouer their shame for if it were not powerfull why doe they spurne against it if they being galled thereby doe spurne against the same let them thanke their owne rottennesse and iustifie the powerfull Word But if being couered thus with shame they will not seeke the face of God in Iesus Christ the Lord will further glorifie his Word in hastening their confusion and gathering in the first borne to his glorious appearance And shall the blasphemous Atheist escape any better Surely as it is extreme folly in him to barke against the Moone because it giues him light to his desperate wickednesse for what wisedome is there to condemne that which is so fauourable vnto vs so doth this folly threaten his confusion as both discouering his accursed spirit imputing that obstinacy in sinne to the Word which ariseth from his ignorance of the power thereof and Rebellion against the same and thereby hardening his neck against all hope of reclaiming as reiecting the Word which is onely auayleable hereunto For what though as the heate of the Sunne doth harden the clay so the power of the word indirectly occasions the encrease of sinne in the froward heart Is the word in vaine while it doeth that vnto which it is appoynted Is not the wisedome of God herein more glorious who as he would neuer haue permitted euill but that he can bring good out of it so he turneth the rage of man to his glorious praise Not onely making way hereby to the iust confusion of the wicked for the aduancement of the glory of his righteous iustice but also discouering herein the riches of his Free Grace in softning the hearts of his Elect by the same meanes whereby the wicked are hardened and so by these contrary effects aduancing the Power of his mighty Word which with the same breath is thus able to kill and to quicken And therefore as the Atheist hath no iust cause to stumble at the power of the Word because Iniquity is discouered and enraged thereby so much lesse may hee iustly challeng the prouidence of God in accompanying his word with such great patience and common fauours seeing as the Lord hereby giues him his desire to inioy the pleasures of sinne that so he may haue nothing iustly to except against his goodnesse so by this his long suffering hee doth also inuite him to repentance and so makes him more inexcusable if he abuse the same But howsoeuer the filthy will be filthy still yet let the seruants of God magnifie his wonderfull mercy and free kindnesse towards them in softning them by the same meanes whereby hee hardens the wicked yea turning about the hardening of the reprobate to bee the meanes of their more close walking with their God and dependance on his free grace in the sense of their fayling when they doe their best yea let them euermore blesse the name of the Lord that seeing the righteous shall hardly be saued they may yet haue some hope of Life in so great conscience of their corruptions that they can yet follow after righteousnesse notwithstanding the streame runnes contrary and their labour is so thanklesse and dangerous in regard of present successe seeing iniquity doth so swarme and preuaile yea let this bee their euidence that Christ raignes ouer them euen in the midst of their enemies that euen where Satan hath his throne there God shall haue his glory Antipas his faithfull seruant shall seale it vp with his bloud or if this bee not yet the triall yet Ieremie shall be smitten with the tongue and holy Iob shall esteeme the booke that his Aduersaries writ against him to bee the most glorious Crowne that may adorne his head Yea the more that the word of God is blasphemed by the wicked the more watchfull shall his children be that they giue no iust offence that so either they which speake of them as euill doers shall glorifie God on their behalfe and so by their holy conuersation be won to the obedience of the Gospell or bee made more inexcusable when their mouthes shall bee iustly stopped if yet they shall not cease to speake euill of the righteous wayes of God And this may also stop the prophane mouth of the filthy Libertine that though hee turne the grace of God into wantonnesse imagining his security and senselesnesse in sinne to bee the assurance of his happinesse yet the Word is holy yeelding no apperance much lesse allowance hereunto yea righteous herein is the mighty Word in giuing him vp to such a reprobate sense through his peruerting of the chiefe errand thereof the mercy of God in Christ Jesus to repentant sinners which if he could rightly apply might make him capable thereof yea meruailous is the wisedome of God herein that by the contrary apprehension of the promise and preparation thereunto by his seruants hee confounds the peruersenesse and prophanenesse of the Libertine If yet the filthy will be filthy still let him know this for his further confusion that as the Lord will not faile eft-soones to awaken his senselesse conscience with some inward quawmes or outward crosses to confound him in his security that so hee may bee forced to acknowledge and seeke to the power of the Word which hee hath so abased so if for all this he will not be reclaimed but by mistaking and mis-applying the mercy of God shall thereby bee cast into a deeper sleepe the Lord shall glorifie his Word in giuing him vp to a spirit of giddinesse euen to heape vp teachers vnto himselfe according vnto his lusts that may answer him according to the stumbling blocke of iniquity which he hath set vp in his heart that so he which could not commit sinne so securely but that his heart did sometimes smite him for the same might new continue in it more freely and desperately as being warranted hereunto by such accursed deceiuers Behold here the wisedome of the wicked in sin and obserue withall the wisedome of God in taking them in their craftines that they may securely reuell in wickednes their first policy is to make their conscience senselesse and that they may bring it to this passe their desperate wisedome is to multiply sin with greedines that so by this custome and outrage they may grow to an habite and so by often putting the iron in the fire may in the end harden and stupifie their harts that as it falls out with those which often drinke strong payson that in the end they can digest the same without any sense or danger so the wicked by often drinking in of iniquitie with gréedines become senselesse at length both of the euill and of the danger thereof wherby as they take occasion to commit any notorious outrage whatsoeuer so they become hereby obuious to the scandall and danger of the world which cannot but take notice of what themselues are senselesse of by it clamorus
haue no Peace in his mind till he clense the Pond that so their blood may be discouered Wil you sée the Hand of God more cléerly in reiecting the wisedome of the flesh and subduing all oppositions to serue his will Consider then I pray you the sequell hereof The Farmer cannot rest till the Pond be cleased Why His owne profit was against it because it would be great charge and no benefit to him that had but a short time to enioy it And therefore his Wife and Friends are also against it as consulting no Further then with flesh and bloud But God was for it and therefore he must be for God or else he shall not be for himselfe nothing will go gowne well with him till this be done And therefore he is resolute it shall be done Well at length with much ado he sets workemen about it but God will not be serued by deputies in so glorious a worke he that had the sowre while it was not done shall haue the sweete and comfort in doing it himselfe And therefore when workemen giue ouer as dispairing of the successe or being happily discouraged by friends Himselfe with his Brother sets vpon the clensing of the Pond Surely we must imagine not for any profit he expected thereby for he could not finish it without great cost and losse too but the maine ground was his mind must be satisfied nay to looke vp higher Gods iustice must be satisfied that so the glory thereof may be reserued intirely to himselfe alone and therefore when that is satisfied his mind is at quiet and his labour is at an end and so the feare of his charge and losse graciously preuented Shall we obserue how the Lord brought all this about and that with great speed and wisdome for his glory Oh consider and wonder at the Wisedome of God herein The worke is begun in the likeliest place for labour and carriage but the Lord will spare the poore mans labour he meanes not to put him to that cost as to lade and clense the whole Pond but onely to discouer the Murthered therein And yet he meanes to abase Him in this discouery euen by the bruit beasts that hath no vnderstanding Will you see the proofe hereof in the sequell of the Story Oh marke againe and wonder at the wisedome of God herein Our workmen by this time had made worke for the Teame The Horses they are brought to the place of their loading But this is not the Loade the Lord will haue carried out and therefore the Horses will not stay here howsoeuer they smart but away they must where God will haue them Man now must bee lead by them because they are lead by God that so the glory of the discouery may be taken from man and ascribed wholly vnto the Lord. And so after much triall and leading them about the Pond they stay at length against the Place where the Bodies lay so gaue ayme to the workmen to renue their labour And did they find it lost labour to attend the Lord No surely they had not labored many houers vntill they light vpon the Bodies that made amends for all The Carcases are found Time and corruption hauing lest nothing else and so the Murther being discouered the mind is at quiet and the labour is at an end farther cost is spared and God hath the glory in the vse of foolish and brutish meanes Thus of the first part of this first Scoene namely the discouery of the Murther Proceed wee now vnto the second part hereof namely the discouery of the murcherers And herein also obserue with me a wonderfull and immediate hand of God Had these Parties bene newly slaine their blood is vsually a meanes to peach their murther or had their flesh not bene wasted and countenance remayned this might haue giuen some light to discerne their qualitie and condition and so to haue made some way for the finding out of the murtherers but that carkases onely of bare bones and those haply disordered should haue any remaindures left whereby they might be knowne what they were from others and so bee meanes to make knowne the murtherers seeing this is contrary to all sense and reason it must needs be ascribed to to the finger of God euen in such impossibility yeelding some light to the discouery both of the murthered who they were and also of the murtherers Will you see the proofe hereof in the sequele of the story oh then stir vp your harts to wonder at the prouidence of God The carcases being thus found and so murther being discouered yet the great matter still remained that Gods iustice must bee satisfied in finding out the offenders and that these may be discouered it is very fit to know who the murthered were that so from them and theirs matter may be gathered to sent out the murtherers The next thing therefore now to bee done is to find out who the murthered were And because this neither concernes nor indeed is â—astly to be compassed of a priuate braine therefore the Magistrate next adioyning is acquainted therewith whose paines and wisedome in this bustnes may with honour be remembred He taking notice of this discouery causeth the carcases to be taken charily out the mud and vsing the helpe of a Chyrurgeon herein caused each carcase to bee layd out seuerally by it selfe in it proportion to farre as the bones would afford it and so making speciall fearch into each carcase concerning fractures or any such defect that might giue any light for the particular knowledge of them somewhat here appeared that by the helpe of further intelligence gaue some inkling hereunto To this end the inhabitants thereabout were called vnto this spectacle and so inquiry made amongst them concerning such parties as were missing within compasse of remembrance amongst these the mother of these children calls to minde hers that haue beene missing and with all remembers what hath bene formerly related to her concerning the same both how they were gone for Ireland which was the generall voyce but especially she remembers what Worlich one of the Accessaries if not a Principall had told her many months before that he had seene her sonne in the Low countries and was the last man that had him by the hand aliue and dead Hereupon suspition and so much the rather because vpon the discouery of these in the pond Worlich playd least in sight and flying to LondoÌ„ was there appreheÌ„ded vpon this euidence but yet the day was but dawning more light shortly appeared by the wisedome of the Iustice the carcases were searched and measured And hereupon question made to the Mother what markes she could discouer to own them See the wisedome of God herein all outward tokens might seeme to fayle yet one remayned her sonne Iohn was high of stature sixe foote long this she calls to minde and ownes him thereby and so the measure of the carcase giues him her And so one sparke begets another Now the
remembers againe that her sonne Iohn had two teeth broken out of his vpper iaw by a former accident and the scull being searched approues the same and so both markes concurring vpon the same carcase the length and iaw marke hereby vndoubted conclusion was made that that carcase was her sonne Iohns and thus by the one discouered the other were gessed also to be hers the brother and sister that 2 yeares after were cast into the pond because they lay in one graue together and therefore were like to lie in one belly and so collected that they that murthered the former made also these latter away as vsing one common graue to burie them in Now all the mistery was who should be the murtherer of the first suspition there might be in regard of Norton and his dealings with them formerly as also of such instruments imployed by him to molest and oppresse them Emong whom the speciall was Land the weauer a man obserued not onely to bee imployed in busines to molest them but also to insuiuate himselfe often in to their companies and to draw them to much excesse of riot in gaming and drunkenes These things were now called to minde by many to nourish suspicion but yet this was not sufficient directly to chalendge the partie Behold then the wisedome and power of God in making the Partie to chalenge himselfe and that by that meanes whereby he sought to hide his sin and elude iustice For hearing that such a scull wanted such teeth and so was thereby owned by the mother his guilty conscience drawes him to the pond and yet in a shew of wisedome to bewray him the more he hopes if that marke bee defaced the euidence wil be confounded and therefore he takes away the scull with him and foole as he was that might haue knockt them out himselfe yet first goes to a barbar to plucke out more teeth that hee might bee a witnesse against him and that out of the mouth of two or three witnesses the truth might be confirmed loe the barbars toole shall not do the feat and therefore vengeance sends this murther to the smith and he at length serues his turne to witnesse against him And yet the sort must heape more coales one his head and that in a shew of wisedome to bewray himselfe further he comes to a woman thereby that knew him well enough had obserued his comming going from the Pond and doings there yet I say he comes like a stranger as hearing of such strange newes and desirous to satisfie his curious eye therewith enquires of her where these carcases lay she replies vnto him that hee need make no such enquiry he was better acquainted therewith and charges him with what had formerly passed his deniall hereof confirmes the suspition and conuinceth him of the fact And so hereupon being layd hold one by iustice diuers speeches and accidents formerly passed long before are now reuiued tending to his further chalenge and conuiction Now it is euidenced that 2 dayes after the murther Land meting with one of his consorts asked him when he saw Iohn Leeson marke saith the worthy iudge the murtherer askes the other the other doth not first enquire of him a manifest token of his guilty conscience and apparant euidence accusing himselfe Now it is proued that he and Worlich were in the company of Iohn Leeson at the Mill-hill after which Iohn was neuer seene againe Now many other speeches are remembred that had formerly passed betweene Land and others in their cuppes tending to the particular fact of casting them into the Pond condemning them by their own mouthes One special among the rest I may not omit that in a dry summer they talking of casting of Ponds and ditches bolted out such words that if such a Pond were cast mentioning that where y e murthered lay it would go hard with three or foure of them to passe ouer others materiall hereunto Their examinations are manifest that no lesse then 28 witnesses gaue in euidence concerning the fact chalendging Land by circumstance to bee the Murtherer But in so cleere a light what need their many nay indeed any witnesses when Lands one actions and words are sufficient to conuince him so iust is the Lord to cause the tongues of the wicked to fall vpon them so wise hereby to satisfie the world and gaine himselfe the glory of this discouery by taking the wicked in their owne craftines Well thus we haue found out one of the Murtherers or rather he hath offered himselfe vnto vs vnsought for or rather indeede the Lord hath brought him to the Barre euen by his owne wisedome And so we may also conclued of Worlich faine would he haue béene gone but the Lord arrested him at Yarmouth with a fearefull sicknesse and brought him backe againe and his owne mouth must bewray him to be priuy at least to the murther when he told the Mother that hee was the last man that had Iohn by the hand aliue and dead in the Low-Countries It being prooued that he was neuer there and expounded wisely by the Reuerend Lord Chiefe Justice that he meant by the Low-Countries the bottome of the Pond So now we haue two of the Actors or at least Accessaries time will shortly God willing discouer others that are in hold Meane while blesse we the Lord for this discouery hitherto And iustifie we his prouidence in méeting with sinners in their kinde euen by their owne mouthes And aboue all take we heede of wisedome in sinne because it will prooue greatest foolishnesse in the end Blesse we the Lord for good Magistrates that will sift and bolt out hidden wickednesse and pray we heartily for their liues and welfare by whose meanes we enioy our liues and liuelihoods yea that which is most precious aboue all the hope of life to come in the liberty of the Gospell being wise in our seuerall places to shame and discouer sinne that so wee may bee kept from participation and danger there-from and yet charitable in couering the infirmities of our Brethren least otherwise casting them off by our rigor and indiscretion wee force them to breake out through despaire into desperate wickednesse Thus of the first Scoene of the second part of this Tragedy concerning the discouery of the murther and Murtherers CHAP. 5. Declareth the Conuiction of the Murtherers 1. Where the Euidences against them are published and opened by the Iudge 2 Their Inditements found hereupon by the Iury 3 Their Obstinacy vpon their finding declared and discussed with the Vse of all By that which formerly hath beene related concerning the discouery of the murtherers and such euidences alleadged thereunto howsoeuer it may séeme the matter to bee so cleere as that it neede no further triall yet this being but a preparatiue to ripen the businesse that so it might haue it publicke and iudiciall triall at the Barre It shall be very necessary to adde somewhat concerning y e Equity and solemnity of that