463 which God hath put it, and taking it without any Warrant into our own. God Almighty, who hath the fole Power of Life and Death, hath authoriz'd Magiftrates to execute Wrath upon him that doth evil, but no private Perfon hath any fuch Grant or Authority over the Life of any other : fo that what is Juftice in the one, is Murder in the other. Yea, this is wrefting Vengeance out of God's hands, who claims it as his due, and not to be invaded by another : For Vengeance is mine (faith he) and I will repay. So that to vindicate our Quarrels with our own hands, is not only to diftruft the Power and Goodness of God, but to ufurp upon his Prerogative; and tho the Vindication of Mens Honour is the ufual Plea for thefe Barbarities, yet there is fcarce any thing that more reflects upon the Honour of God, or more impairs their own.

In fhort, all voluntary taking away our Neighbour's Life, either by open Violence, or fecret Contrivance, whether it be immediately by ourselves, or by inftigating, advifing or encouraging of others, or any way becoming inftrumental and acceffory thereto, is the Sin prohibited in this Precept; the great Evil and Danger whereof will be evident to any that will confider,

1. The great Indignity that is hereby offer'd to our Maker, who as he is the fole Giver, fo he is the fole Difpofer of all Mens Lives: and therefore to take away Life without his Confent, and against his Will, is to rob God of his Right over his Creatures, to take away his Power of Life and Death, and to ufurp upon the Tribunal of Heaven. Moreover, God having made Man in his own Image, to murder any, is to destroy his Image; yea, to murder him in Effigy, which is the highest piece of Contempt that can be offer'd him. Again,

2. Murder is a high piece of Injustice to the Publick for it robs the King of a Subject, and the Country of a Member, that might be ferviceable to both.

Lattly, "Tis an unfpeakable Injury to the Party himself, who is hereby depriv'd of the dearest and most invaluable Bleffing, his Life, with all the Comforts and Advantages of it: yea, the murder'd Perfon is robb'd not only of his temporal Life, but is extremely hazarded as to his future and eternal State; for he is cut fhort of his Time for Repentance, and may perhaps lofe his Opportunity of making Peace with God: which is an irreparable Injury, for which no fufficient Amends or Satisfaction can be made.

And

Part II. And as the Sin of Murder is thus inexpreffibly great, fo is the Guilt and Danger of it no lefs; for 'tis a crying Sin, that calls loudly for Vengeance, and feldom or never miffes of it. It brings a Stain and Pollution upon a whole Country, where 'tis committed, which is not to be wash'd out but by the Blood of the Murderer.

In fhort then, all Invafion upon the Life or Perfon of our Neighbour is the great Sin here forbidden. But because our bleffed Saviour, in expounding this Commandment, hath extended it to the prohibiting all the Degrees, Motives and Occafions of this Evil, 'twill be requifite briefly to confider fome of the chief of them. And,

1. All maiming, wounding, or any ways impairing the Life or Limbs of another, are forbidden by this Law; for this is a degree of Murder, and often leads to it: and tho it do not always take away Life, yet it deftroys all the Comfort of it, and renders it many times more burdenfome and less defirable than Death itself; and therefore we are charg'd to do Violence to no Man, nor to hurt any in Body, Goods or Name.

2. Al rafh, causeless and immoderate Anger, ftands here condemn'd as a frequent occafion of this Evil; for fo our Saviour tells us, Mat. 5. 21, 22. and fad Experience informs us of many Quarrels that begin with Anger, and end in Slaughter not that all Anger is finful, for we are bid to be angry and fin not; but only when 'tis inordinate, that is, when we are angry without a Cause, when we fuffer our Paffion to run too high, or to continue too long: then doth it tranfport us beyond the bounds of Meeknefs and Decency, and hurry us on to all the Acts of Outrage and Violence.

3. All reproachful and contumelious Language falls under the prohibition of this Law; for this often ftirs up Wrath, and is a frequent occafion of Duels and Bloodfhed: and therefore our Saviour cautions us against faying to our Brother Racha, which fignifies a vain empty Fellow; and much more against calling him Fool, which will bring us in danger of the Judgment, for the many Evils that enfue from fuch detracting and opprobrious Language, which of ten engenders Strife, and draws on Murder and Blood. And if, as our Saviour tells us, we are to give an account of every idle Word that does no good, how much more are we to reckon for fuch pernicious and provoking Words, as occafion fo much harm?

Laftly,

Laftly, All Envy, Hatred and Malice are things prohibited in this Precept; for thefe, we all know, are great occafions of Murder and Cruelty. Cain, out of Envy, flew bis Brother Abel, because his own Works were evil, and his Brother's righteous, 1 John 3. 12. Out of the Heart (faith our Saviour) proceed evil Thoughts, Murders, &c. Mat. 19. Where Malice and Hatred are harbour'd in the Heart, there Murder and all forts of Villany break out in the Hand; for thefe beget thofe fecret Grudges, Spite and Animofity that fire Mens Spirits, and make them ftudy nothing but Mischief and Revenge for which reafon, St. John declares, that be that bateth his Brother is a Murderer, 1 John 3. 15.

Thus I have briefly fhew'd what is forbidden in this Commandment, to wit, all kind of Violence offer'd to the Perfon of any, more especially the taking away of Life by Murder, Affaffination, Poison, or any other unlawful Means; together with all the Motives and Inducements leading thereunto: All which we are here requir'd carefully to avoid. And because we daily meet with many occafions of Anger. and Animofity, that may tempt to thefe Enormities, we are to abstain from all appearance of Evil, and watch and pray that we enter not into Temptation.

T

DISCOURSE XV.

EXOD. XX. 13.

Thou shalt not Kill.

HE Defign of this Precept (as I fhew'd in my laft) is to fecure Men in their Lives and Limbs, and to guard their Perfons from all kind of Violence. But because the negative Precept always includes an affirmative Duty, I proceed now to what is requir'd in this Commandment; and that is, the Preservation of Life, and performing all good Offices tending thereunto.

And here, to omit the Prefervation of our own Lives, about which Nature itfelf ordinarily prompts Men to be fufficiently follicitous, I am to fhew what Religion teaches us to do for the Prefervation of others. "Tis a great VOL. II.

Ii

mistake

to

to think or fay with Cain, that we are not our Brothers Keepers, and that we may caft off all Care and Concern for others Welfare; for God has made us fociable Creatures, and plac'd us in a condition of mutual Need and Dependence, that we may be mindful of and helpful to one another. To which end, he cautions us against that narrow contracted Spirit, that confines all our Care at home, whereby Men become Lovers of themselves, and only Seek their own; whereas Religion tends to enlarge Mens Hearts, and to make others the Object of their Concern and Care: for the Precepts of the Second Table require us to love our Neighbour as ourselves; and the Apoftle directs, As we have Opportunity, to do good unto all Men, Gal.

6. 10.

Now because the Prefervation of Mens Lives, and the Comfort of them, depends very much upon the practice of fome Chriftian Virtues neceffary to that end, it will be requifite to explain and treat of them as things requir'd in this Commandment. And here the

First and Great thing requir'd to this end, is the Virtue of Humanity. This is that Benevolence or Good-will towards Men implanted in our Natures by God himself, and proclaim'd by the Angels at the Birth of our Saviour; whereby we are or fhould be inclin'd to wifh well to Mankind, and instead of impairing the Life or Health of any, to do all the Service and good Offices we can to both.

To this we ftand oblig'd by that common Nature whereof we are all Partakers, which being the fame in all, is every where to be lov'd and regarded by us; for our Neighbour is but ourself multiply'd and enlarg'd, the fame Substance diffus'd and communicated to another Perfon: fo that when we help our Brother, we are but kind to ourselves, and only cherifh our own Flefh. The meanest Person is equally defcended with ourselves, he hath the fame Father in Heaven, and derives his Pedigree from the fame earthly Parents ; for Adam is the Father of us all, and Eve the Mother of all living: yea, God hath ftamp'd his own Image on all Men, which is therefore to be refpected in all, and not to be mifus'd in any. Hence we find Murder condemn'd as an Affront offer'd to God, and a Violation of his Image, Gen.

9. 6.

But what Influence has this Virtue of Humanity upon the preferving of Life? Why great, fundry ways. For,

(1.) It

(1.) It prevents all thofe Evils that are injurious to one another's Welfare; it keeps Men from all kind of Violence and Cruelty, and is fo far from doing, that it thinketh no Evil to any Man. And not only fo, but,

(2.) It puts Men upon the practice of thofe things that tend to promote each other's good; it makes Men love their Neighbours as themselves, and do to all Men as they would be done by: yea, it begets a Sympathy in Mens Nature, enclining them to fhare in one another's Joys and Sorrows, bearing and eafing one another's Burden; and where that is, no harm can be done to the Lives or Perfons of any and therefore this Virtue is here requir'd for the Security of both.

2. Meekness is another great Help and Prefervative of human Life, and therefore requir'd in this Commandment. This is that Virtue that restrains Mens Paffions, and keeps them from the Impatiences of Anger, which are fo uneafy both to themselves and others. What doleful Evils pro ceed from wild and ungovern'd Paffions, daily Experience may inform us : What Rancour and Malice they create in the Mind; what bitter and reviling Language they draw from the Mouth; what Violence and Bloodfhed they occafion by the Hand, are Matters too well known to need any Proof. Indeed, nothing is more injurious to Mens Lives and Perfons than unbridled Paffions, which hurry them on headlong into the greatest Mischiefs.

Now Meeknefs is the Grace that calms thefe boisterous Paffions, allays the Storms of the Mind, and preserves it from the bad Effects of Rage and Impatience. For this reason, we have many Precepts and Exhortations in Scripture to this Virtue St. Paul wills us to be meek and patient towards all Men, to put away all Bitterness and Wrath, all Clamour and Evil speaking, with all Malice; Eph. 4. 31. to be strengthen'd with all Might unto all Patience and LongSuffering, Col. 1. 11. To give way to Wrath, is to give place to the Devil, and that will lead to all Outrage and Villany; but to fubdue our Paffions, is to refift the Devil, and to give the Tempter no power over us: by this we quench the Sparks before they break into a Flame, and put a ftop to the beginnings of Evil. In a word, this excellent Virtue ferves to prevent all the Murder and Mifchief forbidden in this Commandment; and therefore the Practice of it must be here requir'd, for the Prefervation of our Lives and Limbs.

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3. Peaceable