a Quid and a Quis The parts a Subject and an Object A thing threatned a party threatned The Subject or thing threatned is malediction Cursed The Object or man threatned is hee that keepeth backe his sword from bloud From the first which must first be handled we may collect this point Doct. 1. Gods Prophets were wont to threaten That it was the practise of Gods Prophets in former ages to denounce the Curse in their Sermons at sometimes They did not alwayes come with peace peace and words of blessing in their mouthes Their songs like z Psal 101.1 Davids had a due mixture and were composed of judgement as well as mercie The word Cursed as here you see and else-where may see flowes from the mouth falls from the pen of old Ieremy * Ier. 11.3 17.5 for all he was so tender boweld so mercifull hearted a man The writings of Moses are full of Curses Twenty times at least in the booke of Deuteronomie hath hee this phrase up Cursed be he that doth this and Cursed bee be that doth that Reade a whole catalogue in the 27. chapter from the 15. verse to the end in the 28. chapter from the 16 verse to the 21. The Prophet Esay is in the same straine The CURSE hath devoured the earth a Isa 24.6 The sinner being an hundred yeeres old shall be ACCURSED b 65.20 So is Malachy Cursed bee the deceiver c Mal. 1.14 I will send a CURSE upon you and will CURSE your blessings yea I have CURSED them already d 2.2 Yee are CURSED with a CURSE e 3.9 And so were the rest of the holy Prophets Never a one amongst them all did alwayes abstaine from thundering from threatning as is very manifest in their writings Neither need wee marvaile any whit at it For they had both cause to doe it and a call unto it First they had cause to threaten In their times the Reason 1 Law of the Lord was transgressed vice abounded vertue decayed commanded dueties were either wholly omitted or but coldly performed forbidden courses were eagerly followed delightfully walked in Wh◠meane else the many and manifold complaints of the Lord against Israel for her sins against Iacob for her transgressions Now the righteous God hath so ordered that where the breach of the Law goes before the curse of the Law must follow after f Deut. 28.15.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theod. quaest 34. in Deut. p. 170. Which wise and just ordinance of the Lord his holy Prophets having weighed could not did not spare to spend the arrowes of the Lawes rigorous curses when they saw most to have swerved and all prone to swerve from the Lawes righteous courses Had not David who was a Prophet as well as a King just cause to declaime woes when the men of his time did rebelliously decline Gods waies Cursed be the proud which doe erre or because they erre from thy Commandements g Psal 119.21 Reason 2 Secondly they had a call to this service The same God that gave them a charge and charter to comfort some h Isa 40.1 sealed them a commission to curse others as knowing i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theod. quaest 36. in Deut. p. 172. wicked men to be sooner moved better wrought upon by menaces than promises Ieremie's commission wee may reade at large in the beginning of his Prophesie See I have set thee this day over the Nations and over the Kingdomes to roote out to pull downe to destroy I will utter my judgements against them touching all their wickednesse Thou therefore gird up thy loynes arise and speake unto them all that I command thee k Ier. 1.10.16.17 Goe and cry in the eares of Ierusalem l Ier. 2.2 Ezekiels call and commission to this we have in the second and third chapters of his Prophesie where wee may read that the Lord himselfe set him upon his feet m Exek 2.1 put courage into his heart n Ibid. ver 6. words into his mouth o cha 9.1.2.3 p cha 2.9.10 spread before him opened vnto him the Legall Roll writ on both sides with lamentation mourning and woe which he was to q Ezek. 3.4 preach and reade in the deafe eares of rebellious Israel Vpon the like warrant did the other Prophets doe the like worke It was their priviledge to denounce the Curse therefore it was their practise Which being so Vse who sees not how worthy of blame all those bee who take on and cry out against us that are Gods Messengers for speaking to them at some times in the terrible language of the Law Speake wee comfortably to all at all times they can well beare it Preach we curses against any at any time they cannot endure it So r Sim. Cassian de relig Christ l. 6 c. 1. fol. 132. col 1. grievous to mans eare is Gods Word when it convinceth him of sinne or goes about with an holy violence to plucke him from the world and save him from hell as the threatnings of it are for all these purposes Why may not wee doe as our Predecessors the Prophets did Is our Charter lesse nay is not our Commission larger than theirs was Iohn Baptist who was greater than the rest of the ſ Mat. 11.11 Prophets as well in respect of t Bucer in Mat. 11. his office of preaching Christ after he was borne as of his act v Euthym. ca. 19. in Mat. 11. of acknowledging Christ by springing in the wombe before hee was borne was lesse than the least in the kingdome of Heaven that is not onely lesse than the blessed soules of glorified Saints in actuall happinesse x Lyr. in Mat. 11. or lesse in nature than y Stella in Luc. to 1. fol. 179 col 2. the Celestiall Angells which ever stand in Gods glorious presence but also lesse than the least of Christs holy Apostles lesse than the z Calv. in Mat. 11. Ministers of the Gospell who are the last in time of the Ministeriall function of the least esteeme in the worlds opinion Now that Iohn thundred may not wee then threat Did God bid Ieremie utter his judgements Moses curse and Malachie condemne and doth hee forbid us to doe the like I confesse we are Ministers of the Gospell Interpreters of the new Covenant and in that respect doe differ from the Prophets the a Legis Interpretes custodes Prophetae erant Scult in Isa ca. 1 pag. 9. Keepers the Interpreters of the old Must we for that cause never preach nor presse the Law Ah frivolous and groundlesse conclusion The Gospell it selfe is a law the law of Grace the law of Faith b 1. Cor. 9.21 It hath a c Chrysost Hom. 15. in Mat. Euthym. in Ma◠c 5. fol. 26. C.F. commanding a forbidding authority as well as the Law Doth the Law forbid the practise of sinne the Gospell
shall touch upon anon You have the meaning The matter next whose course comes now multiplies upon us into many points 2. The matter which consists in Doctrinall points some indirect some direct all which to handle twice as much time as I entend for this subject would not suffice us Wee will name no more than we intend to handle we will handle no more than wee may well dispatch within the compasse of a reasonable time and they shall bee these three First Doct. 2. or 1. from the second part that God sometimes smiteth one wicked man by the â—â—nd of another Secondly that the sword may not bee stretched out to bloud without a call Thirdly that to bid the sword keepe scabbard when God calls it forth exposeth to the Curse Of these in their order And first of the first b Solet Deus malos per malos punire Parae in Gen. col 1074. God sometimes drawes the sword of one wicked man against another Here the Chaldaeans an impious idolatrous people are summoned to battell against the Moabites and Ieremie Gods Prophet brings Israel Gods people the certaine newes and tidings of it In the * Hoc primum bellum legitur in historijs mundi nec profanae habent tam antiquum ne dum antiquius ullum Ib. col 1069. first field that was ever fought which did happen as some reckon in the c Ergo 84. anno circiter aetatis Abrami haec gesta videntur mundi anno 2092. Ibid. col 1071. fourescore and fourth yeere of Abrahams age the 2092. of the world we have ten wicked Kings hard at it five against five in the Vale of Siddim d Gen 14. the first 13. verses In the booke of Iudges we shall finde the unrighteous Midianites sheathing their swords in their owne bowels and every man drawing upon his neighbour e Iudg. 7.20.22 When the Tribes of Israel grew corrupted the Lord threatned by his servant Esay that every one should eate the flesh of his owne arme Manasseh Ephraim and Ephraim Manasseh and that they both should be against Iudah f Isa 9.21 The same Prophet foretold the destruction of Babylon by the Medes and Persians g Isa 13.27 the overthrow of the Egyptians by the hands of the Assyrians h Isa 19.2 Saul a gracelesse reprobate man put Amalek a i Deut. 25.19 cursed people to the edge of the sword k 1. Sam. 15.7 Iehu an Idoll-server an imitator of Ieroboam that made Israel to sinne l 2. Kin. 10.29 drawes his blade makes it red in the bloud of the followers of Baal m 2. King 10. ver 19. ad 28. Adramalech and Sharezer wicked birds of an evill egge laid violent hands on their owne father proud Senacherib n Isa 37.38 Reason negative What truth more backed with multitude of testimonies than this is If any would know the reason of this I answer It is not because God delights in cruelty or takes pleasure to see men imbrue their hands in one anothers bloud for as o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mac. hom 16 231 236 he is voide of all sinne himselfe so hee neither is nor can bee the author or approver of any iniquity notwithstanding hee bee both the p Fulgent de Praedest ad Monim l. 1. p. 295.296 orderer and q Ibid. avenger of it As r Macar hom 16. p. 236. no darknesse can comprehend his light no impurity communicate with his holinesse so his light can abide no darknesse his Majesty can away with no wickednesse The chiefest good cannot take pleasure in any evill the soveraigne and supreme Mercy cannot delight in any cruelty He will indeed laugh at the wickeds destruction and mocke when their feare commeth Å¿ Pro 1.26.27 yet hee laughs not joyes not to see men sinning in destroying one another And therefore no evill or cruell disposition in God can be the ground of our assertion t Quest. What then v Answ Reasons affirmative 1. I answer first his Will secondly his Wisedome both concurring to set forth the glory of his Iustice First his Will is the ground of it Sinne being the transgression of his Law x 1. Ioh 3.16 an horrible y Salv. de provid Dei l. 4. p. 120. injury to his sacred Diety a z Salv. de prov l. 1. p. 29. thing that beates his eares and knockes at heaven gates necessarily calls for a Theophyl ad Autolyc l. 2 p. 114. D. punishment at the hand of his Iustice Of the infliction of which punishment both for the matter manner and meanes of it his will is his rule If it be his will that Angells shall be the instruments of executing his judgements then the destroying Angell is sent forth If it be his will that Iehu shall destroy Ahabs family Iehu is annointed and appointed to the purpose If it bee his will that the Daughter of Sion shall thresh the Nations HER hornes shall be made as iron her hooues as brasse b Mich. 4.13 to that worke If on the other side it be his will to give the Land of Egypt to the king of Babell that king of Babell shall surprise her multitude spoile her spoile take her prey and it shall be the wages of his Armie c Ezek. 29.19 It is his pleasure to smite one wicked person by the hand of another and therefore it is that one evill man is punished in Gods Iustice by an other as bad as himselfe His wisedome as well as his will is another reason Reason 2 his wisedome I say to bring to passe his owne worke To punish the ungodly is his owne worke Neede he aske of man or Angell what workeman he shall employ Shall the scholler prescribe the Master what rod to smite with shall man teach God what sword to fight with Hee whose the Iudgement is knowes what instrument to chuse to use without the direction of any other When therefore you see one wicked man stretching forth his hand striking with his sword against another Nation against Nation as Chaldaea against Moab say as the Prophet doth This commeth forth from the Lord of hosts who is wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working d Isa 28.29 A point very usefull if we rightly improve it First Vse 1 Instruction in two conclusions Conclusion 1. it affordeth two conclusions for information of judgement 1. That the warres betwixt the Pope and the Turke are no argument that the Pope is better than the Turke I know that Babylonian Prelate arrogates to himselfe as a superiority above all Princes so an excellency above all persons in the world as though in place and grace he were superior to all inferiour to none but in my judgement in basenesse and badnesse the Turke himselfe goes not beyond him Their cursed Kingdomes began much at the same time In the yeere 607. Boniface the third or rather Maleface challenged by disputes
enjoyed by life as we will never be able to answer For mans life is never to be extinguished but when it is an hinderance to Gods glory and altogether hurtfull to humane society and not then neither but by such as are appointed by God to that worke Reason 2 2. The stretching out the sword to bloud requires the putting on of a kinde of cruelty as we see in Samuell 1. Sam. 15.33 Ios 10.26 who hewed Agag in pieces without any shew of compassion as we see in Ioshuah who hanged up the five Heathenish kings without any commiseration Now wee know that the Scripture doth every where almost call upon us for the contrary to be mercifull to put upon our selves the bowels of tender compassion to cloath our selves with goodnesse with kindnesse to doe good to all to love our enemies And therefore we had need have a speciall care that we have a speciall call to put this habite upon us lest wee exercise a lawlesse cruelty when and where we should shew lawfull mercy and lest when wee should compassionately spare the effusion of bloud wee doe unadvisedly spill it and by that meanes bring upon our owne heads the guilt of bloud which is a very fearefull and heavie thing This is a doctrine I doe desire may bee remembred by our reverend Iudges Vse 1 when being set in their judgement seates the lives of men are brought in question before them Oh what good may it make them doe what evill may it keepe them from how may it make them rid the innocent out of the bloud-hunters clawes and set them free from the hands of those wretches whose false tongues a bloud-thirsty desire arising from malicious covetousnesse doe set on worke to give in evidence against them Would they but consider at that time that the sword of justice must not touch the bloud of any man without a just and important cause oh what prayers would they make to God to guide them what paines will they take in sifting of causes in sounding of witnesses in examining of evidences in boulting out all appendant circumstances that they will not pass sentence upon the party except he be worthy of death indeed or if they do the fault shall be more in the Iurors than in any negligence in themselves to search the truth or want of conscience to passe sentence as out of the seate and in the sight of God himselfe I touch but upon this string Isocr Epist 2. p. 803. A cont praefat affix stratag Satan I have more pertinent uses to apply my selfe unto The first whereof I feare mee will be harsh because as that Orator told Philip great Alexanders father men love rather to be praised than reproved But if I be harsh I must crave pardon a twofold evill too common in our times A grosse error in some a rash practise in others doe necessarily call for a just reproofe Vse 2. Reproofe twofold 1. The error is that to give the stabbe for a crosse word or to challenge the field upon every slender occasion is a signe of true fortitude and that hee is a base gull no rightly valorous nor magnanimous Gentleman that will pocket up the least injury and not prosecute it to the very drawing of bloud from him that offers it Of these erroneous spirits and furious sparkes I would gladly know what proofes they can give that true valour consisteth in such exploits what call men have to expresse their fortitude by such private quarrells Is the thwarting of their humour the stirring of their choler a call sufficient cause warrantable enough they want grace or wit if once they thinke it Now Duells without a call to them are lawlesse things and did ever any man Divine or Pagan teach and avouch that lawlesse things are truely praise-worthy There are some enemies I confesse whose bloud to shed is a very laudable action but in heate of bloud to shed Christian bloud is a condemnable vice in the eyes of God yea what is further from true fortitude than this is The magnitude of the minde is proved by this that it is capable of eternity as a Father speaketh Bern. in Cantic ser 80. not by this that it scorneth to put up the pettiest injury True valour consists in patience and humility not in anger or unbridled fury For men to dog one another to the field that they may wreake their wrath the one upon the other and take away life the one from the other is a manifest badge of a base minde an evident token of a villanous spirit and dare any applaude it for a marke and signe of a brave courage and valiant spirit Basil Seleu. orat 5 p. 38. Oh applause as one said once on occasion of Cains churlish answer to God Am I my brothers keeper Oh voice more execrable than the murther it selfe oh impious and irreligious sentence This is to justifie wickednesse it selfe this is to applaude the manifest breach of the sixth Commandement in a hainous kinde To stretch out the sword before God commands to strike with the sword when God forbids call you this true Valour Valour it is as Augustine Aug. in Psal 58. To 8. saies of confidence in mans owne merits a mad valour then a reproveable a damnable valour What A damnable valour Object when men irritate and provoke one another by reproaches by disgraces by other kinde of wrongs Yes even then a damnable valour Answ or rather Cowardize For he is conquered by his angry passions like a coward that falls to fighting for a few reproaches and it is a foolish thing to account a person a man of courage who like a vanquished slave lies prostrate at the feet of the lust of anger Tell me I pray did not David doe a more noble exploit by bearing with patience the cursings of Shimei than hee should have done if hee had drawne his sword and slaine him with it To lay snares for bloud for a few crosse words is a greater injury than those cross words can be a thousand times better it is injuriam ferre quà m inferre to suffer wrong Basil Seleu. orat ult p. 407. Aug. in psa 92. than offer it to beare the lesser than doe the greater At this bearance thine anger shall breake and split in pieces thy courage thy strength shall hold its owne For hee is a man of mettall indeede who can generously beare all adverse accidents Had but such challenges a good end were such single combates which are more grounded on malice than on the law of Armes usefull or gainefull in their issue there were some reason to commend them But their fruite and issue being for the most part so fearefull so woefull Bern in serm ad milit Templ cap. 2. fol. 83. Q. that the slayer committeth a deadly sinne the party slaine without Gods greater merey is sent to hell thou art to bee condemned if thou doest not condemne them It may be objected the