THe mind of man being corrupted by Adams fall, is very apt and prone to be deluded by Satan, as wofull experience in all ages hath sufficiently testified; but more especially in this last and worst age of the world, the Devil hath ever been a busie-body: he hath never been idle; no sooner had God created man and woman, but the Devil tempts them to disobey the commands of God, and prevails, and by that fall of our first parents, he hath gotten ground upon all mankind, so that they are taken captive by him at his wil: and having gotten power over the sons of men, he is very busie to improve it, and like a cunning sophister, oftentimes doth, to the ruine of themselves and others. This he doth when he instigates men on to destroy themselves by murthering of others, wherein no age can compare with this for sad examples.
[Page 2] In Gen. 4. we read how wicked Cain by the instigation of Satan, and the corruption of his own heart, slew his own brother Abel; surely the Divel is very powerfull, when there were but three men, he could destroy two of them, the body of Abel, and both body and soul of Cain, who for that wicked murther was mace a Vagabond all his days, and perpetually branced with the infamous name of murtherèr.
The beloved Disciple of Christ, S. Iohn, exhorting Christians to love one another, in his Epistles, in chap. 3. sets forth the difference between the children of God and the children of the Devil, In this (saith he) the children of God are manifest, and the children of the Devil; who so doth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother: and wherefore slew he him? Becruse his own works were evil, and his brothers good. By which it appears, that it is the Devil that a [...]imates men on to murther; For he was a [Page 3] murtherer from the beginning, saith Christ, Ioh. 8. 44. O that men were wise, that they would consider their latter end; for did men consider when they destroy and murther others, that they murther their owne souis, and bring themselves to untimely ends, there would not be such frequent and horrid murthers as now there are.
But the Devil fils men with a revengefull saith, and keeps them ignorant of this, until they have committed their intended murther, and then he leaves them to be purished, either by the Laws of men, or else possesses them with wrerched thoughts of cestroying themselves, as may be seen in this following Relation.
A perfect and full Relation of the sad and hainous murther committed at Shelvidge. less in Kent, near Feversham, by Sir Geo Sands his youngest son, upon the body of his own and onely brother, on the 6 of August last, 1655. for which bloudy Fact he was condemned to die at Maidstone the 15 o [...] [Page 4] the same; by which the Knight their Father is bereaved of both his Children, and no Heir left to inherit his great Estate.
SIr George Sands of Shelvidg-lees in Kent near unto Fever sham, a man wel known not onely in Kent, but also in London, and other places, and a man of a very great Estate, having onely two sons, and no other children; on Munday the 6th. of August, 1655. at night, the youngest so most unnaturally murthered his Brother in his bed with a Cleaver, the manner how, was as followeth.
The eldest of these two Gentlemen having taken to wife one Mistris Delain, a very handsom Gentlewoman, but of no great fortune, considering the great estate he was likely to enjoy, and not having the consent of his father thereunto, he was perswaded from her (as it is said) by his father, who promised him, upon condition he would leave her, to settle the greatest part of the Estate upon him, and to leave but little thereof so his brother, who should be as it were sublervient to him. Now upon this [Page 5] temptation he was induced to obey men rather then God; for the Scripture saith, what God hath joyned together, let not man put asunder. And Let not the Husband put away his Wife, saith S Paul, 1 Cor. 7. 12.
Now after this, the Knight their father arrayed them both in two very rich suits of apparel, both alike: now it so happened that the elder Brother had by some accident soiled his Dublet, and there upon on the the next morning, he would have put on his younger Brothers Dublet, and left him the soiled one, which he unwilling to do, refused the same. Which when the Kr. their Father heard of, and seeing them in contention about it, commanded his younger son to submit to his elder Brother Up on this, the young Gentleman conceiving his elder Brother to be more affected by his Father then himself, was greatly moved, and urged upon the same, and so resolved one way or other to be revenged.
Being in this distracted and disturbed condition, the Devil, who goes about like a roaring Lion, seeking whom he may devour, took advantage of his revengefull thoughts [Page 6] and intents, possessed him with the thoughts of murther. Which he concealing stil harboured in his breast, although it was little suspected; yet for a while, the space of three moneths, he had not opportunity to do, although he had secretly laid wait to do it; and for that purpose had secretly conveyed out of the Kitchin the fatal instrument, a Cleaver, with which he did the Fact.
The Maides missing this Cleaver, sought after, but could not find it, and so supposed some one or other had stolen it; but he had conveyed the same into the bottome of his chest, where he kept it privately till Munday the 6 of August, 1655. at night: at which time the Devil appearing to him, he took it, and as his brother lay in his bed asleep, not mistrusting any thing, he clest in sunder his head there with; after which, the Devil bidding him to make use work, he run his sword several times most barbarously into his body.
Now the Devil having effected this wic-ed work, straight way possessed him with esperate thoughts of being his own Executioner, [Page 7] bidding him destroy himself: Who immediately went to his Fathers chamber with his hands all bloud, and told him how that he had murthered his brother, and was now going to destroy himself: Who being greatly affrighted, immediately started up, and laid hold of him, and to his great grief and lamentation, found it to be so indeed. Whereupon he was apprehended, and sent to Maidstone, where he was condemned to die the 15th. of August, 1655.
These Gentlemen were well beloved in the place whete their Father lives, both by rich and poor, who now do greatly lament this sad and most unhapp accident.
Here follews another Relation of several strange murthers lately committed.
ONe Mistris Grace Grissin by name, but indeed Graceless by this odious action of hers, a Silk throwsters wife in the Borough of Southwark, one who lived [Page 8] in good repute and fashion; her Husband being troubled with a cold, desired her to fetch him some Hony, and give him; which she did, and put poison therein, and so poisoned him: For which Fact she was burned to death according to the Law, at Kingston upon Thames, the 6th. of August last, 1655.
Also there were excuted at the same time there, three other Women for several murthers. One of them quarrelling with another woman, violently thrust a Napkin down her throat and choaked her. Another was for beating out the brains of her own child with a Hammer: the other also was for wilfull murther.
Likewise on the 6. of August last, there were two Milk-women as they were going along the fields near S Gileses, there they saw a woman going very saintly along, and going to her to see what the matter was, they espied a new born child in her apron, which she confest she was going purposely to make it away, and did attempt it several times, but had not the power to do it, and so was prevented.
A Relation of a sad accident that hapned in Sea-coal Lane in London.
On Saturday night the 11 of August, 1655. several workmen being at work in Seacoal-Lane, intending to let an House of Office into the Common-shore, and when they had made way for it, they unstopping the vent, it brake out so violently upon them, that it strook them down, and the candle being out, one of the master-workmen was stifled to death.
Several other strange murthers have bin committed of late, such as no ageever knew the like before, of which this following is one.
A true Relation of a great and bloudy Murther committed at Penard in Somersetshire, near Lidford, where on the 1 of August 1655. were murthered four children together by their own mother.
UPon the first day of August last past, there being a fair at a place called Lidford [Page 10] in Somersetshire, a Carpenter that lived at Penard near thereunto, went thither to set up standings, leaving his wile, and four small Children at home, the eldest of which was nine years of age: But at his return home, hee found all his four children murthered, and put into a Chest. It is suposed that his Wife did this bloudy act, by reason she is not to be found.
Now having given you a short, but sad Relation of several sad accidents, I think a word or two of Christian admonition will not be unseasonable.
O that every one that hears this sad, but true Relation, would fear the Lord, and abhor such bloudy action, and take heed to themselves, lest they also be deluded by Satan; for he hath many sleights and devises to destroy poor souls.
If men would but faithfully and constantly serve the Lord, and walk according to his Commandements, there would not be so many strange and sad accidents to be heard of every day, as now there are: For [Page 11] when men, for want of Grace, do for sake God, God doth justly for sake them; and then the Devil enters into them, and cartieth them forth into all manner of wickedness.
If men would but practise goodness, and resist the Devill by the strength of Grace, hee would soon flee away from them, as Saint Iames saith, for he is a professed enemy to all goodness. And though his fingers itch to be tampering with those that are good, yet is sure only to take those in his snare who forsake the Lord; for those that faithfully serve the Lord, and fear him with their whole heart, God hath promised to keep them, and will assuredly do it.
The Devil deals with men as the Panther doth with beasts, he hideth his deformed head till he hath with his sweet sent drawn them into his clutches. When the Devil first tempts to sin, he shews himself like a Parasite, a meer flatterer; but when men have once fulfilled his desires, he will soon shew himself what he is, a roaring Lion, a destroying Serpent: at first he tempts men [Page 12] into little sins, and then having drawn them to that, he tempts them to greater; as he did this young Gentleman Mr. Sands, first possessing him with revengefull thoughts, then having filled him with that, ends his design with murther.
When a man begins to sin, he knows not where or when he shall end; for the Devil is cunning, and wil draw men if they be but once deluded by him, from one degree of sin to another, from anger to wrath, from wrath to malice and envy, from malice and envy to inhumane murther, and so utterly destroys them, without the great mercy of God. Little sins it may be have but little temptations; but its devilish to sin either with or without temptation: therefore when the Devil tempts to sin, and saith, Do this, tis but a little one; let us say, It is a very great unkindness against God, to yeeld unto the least sin, Be angry, and sin not, saith the Apostle; do not yeeld in the least unto Satan, if thou doest, thou art undone for ever; for he will thereby get advantage against you.
The Devil tempting a young man to one [Page 13] of these three sins, either to kill his Father, or else to lie with his mother, or else to be drunk; he thinking to yeeld to the lesser, namely to be drunk, that thereby he might (as he conceived) be freed from the other, which no doubt were then odious in his eys, he yeelded to the Devil to be drunk, and then being drunk, he first killed his father, and after committed abomination with his mother.
Now the Lord help every one that desires to fear the Lord, constantly to avoid all occasions of sin: which that we may all do, the grace of God, and the God of all grace so keep and direct us in all our ways, that so we may be kept from the power and rule of Satan, and from the reign and dominion of sin, and from an irrevocable downfall into hell for evermore; and give us all grace so to live here, that we may live for ever hereafter.
Amen.