THough I have deſign'd to be brief upon the ten Commandements, not handling them now, Ex Inſtituto, as they are ſet down by Moſes, but Raptim, in a more large acceptation of them, as they are all of them comprehended in thoſe few words of S. John, the Commandements of God. 1. Epiſt. 5.2. and therefore, though for this reaſon, I ran through the four firſt Commandements, in one Sermon, and made the fifth alone the entire Subject of an other, becauſe of the multiplicity of matter in it; which yet I did not ſo much as ſummarily diſpatch, having ſpoken but half a word of the duty of Diſciples to their Teacher (my own intereſt compel'd me to ſpeak no more) and not half a ſyllable of the duty of the younger to the Aged, of the Inſtructed (any otherway) to the Couſellour, of the ſcholar (that peculiar way) to the Maſter; (want of time infoc't me not to ſpeak of theſe at at all) all of theſe, He that is the School-maſter. He that gives Counſel, and he that is the Aged man, being comprehended under the notion of Father, and a ſeveral reſpective Honour being due to the ſeveral kinds of Fatherhood in each of theſe; yet, at this time, I ſhall intirely inſiſt upon this one ſhort text, and large Command, Thou ſhalt not kill; Providence having ſo order'd it, that this Prophibition is next to be ſpoken of, on this very day, on which Authority has appointed thoſe to be releiv'd by the collection of your liberality, who ſo miſerably ſuffer by the barbarous inhumane breach of this ſixth Commandement, in all the branches of it, as it relates to the very act of murther.

All thoſe ſeveral branches I ſhall briefly enquire into, and make them the Diviſion of my Text, that when you have ſeen how diſobedient and Rebellious to God it is, to inflict all theſe degrees of ſufferings, how ſad, and greivous, how wretched, and almoſt inſupportable it is for man to endure them all, your hearts may be the more enlarged to ſupply their needs, and thereby to defend and maintain the lives of the ſurvivours.

This alſo is part of this Command. Every Negative precept of God, has it's Poſitive duty incumbent upon man; not onely, thou ſhalt not kill, not take away life, That's the Negative part of this duty, and it is but part; but alſo, thou ſhalt as much as in thee lies, ſuccour and ſupport life; That's the poſitive, and both theſe are the whole.

So many other Branches there are, which grow out of this root, thou ſhalt not kill, that I dare not ſo much as Name them before the Sermon, becauſe I can do no more then name them in the Sermon; you ſhall meet with them in their Order; Firſt and cheifly, of the root that beares them, thou ſhalt not kill, not take life away.

Thou ſhalt not do it, unworthily, illegally; that interpretation muſt run through every part of the Text; Elſe, there will be no juſt power left, to take his life away, who wrongfully takes away another mans; elſe one Scripture will thwart another. How many Commands are there, in the Word of God to take life away, upon ſpecial and due occaſions! but then they are the Judges, Publick perſons, men in Authority, that may, that muſt do this; and when they do this, take life away, though they do Kill, yet they doe no murther, provided ſtill that they do it upon juſt and due occaſions; elſe, murther may, ſometimes, and unadviſedly, be Committed with the very ſword of Juſtice; and when they thus kill, they doe not ſo much take life away, as preſerve life; they kill the murtherer, that neither he, nor others, by his unpuniſht example, may murther more; take away this ſword, and there is nothing elſe left but ſword; what ſhall we be without his protection, but ſpelunca latronum & Homicidaram? what ſhall we do, and ſuffer, but Rob, and be Rob'd, Kill, and be Kill'd! The Officer may do this; but Thou ſhalt not Kill, thou the Private man muſt not do it; I will not ſo much as name (though many good men do it) a ſe defendendo, to tolerate this act of private-killing; both, leaſt this excuſe may be pretended where Really it is not, and beeauſe a better Chriſtian has well taught me that a good perfect Chriſtian, D. H. H. in his Practic. • a • . out of the abundance of Chriſt Commanded Charity, will rather Die then Kill; and, therefore, may the Officer do this, without breach of this Command; becauſe, elſewhere, He is commanded to do it; and, therefore too, muſt the unworthily, the illegally be interpreted of the Prohibition in this Text, thoſe many other plaine and evident Texts in Scripture giving light and luſtre thus to expound this.

Thou ſhalt not Kill; the inhibition is plaine, againſt the murther of any private man in any Nation; and 'tis as plaine againſt one Nation Invading Another, to kill and Maſſacre there; for, though it be a Pope, who is Biſhop of Rome, and, perhaps, ſupreme There in Cathedra non-Catholica, yet Rome is not Savoy; though it be a Duke, who, perhaps, is Prince and Cheife in Savoy, yet Savoy is not England; and the Pope has no more Power to Maſſacre There, or the Duke Here, then a Private man has power to do it, either here, or there; and that, becauſe, be he Pope, or be he Duke, as great as he is at Home, where he Raigns, yet out of his Juriſdiction he is but a Private man Abroade: nay, let me ſay it, neither Pope, nor Prince, can at all Travel out of their own Dominions; when they are once paſt their Bounds, the Pope and the Prince ſtay behinde, their Pompe and Power are left upon the ſhoare; and only the Man, in each of them, croſſes the Seas; and whenever they ſhall do ſo, God in his mercy preſerve us from their malice, that neither they may be ſo outragious, to Maſſacre any of the people of God in this Land, nor that any the people of God in this land may ever he ſo beguil'd and beſotted with ſuperſtition, as to beleive they have any power and Right to do it, to break this Command of God, Thou, thou that haſt no title at all to this Nation, Thou ſhalt not Kill here.

Nay, any the greateſt Potentates, in any their own Dominions, have not any the leaſt power, (power I mean of Right, though they have of Force) to take away the life of any their meaneſt ſubject, unleſſe according to the law of that place; much leſſe upon their own meer Arbitrarineſſe, to ſlay ſome Thouſands upon the Spot, and to drive out other Thouſands upthe Mountaines; this is ſuch a ſpot, which they will never be able to wipe off from their bloody ſoules, whileſt they continue either to practice this with their hands, or to believe in their ſoules that they may practice this: Againſt all ſuch Exorbitancies, and irregular Illegal Cruelties, even of the Greateſt, this Text ſtands in full force, thou (thou, O mighty man, who boaſteſt thy ſelf in miſchief) ſhalt not Kill; not Thus, not thus unworthily Kill; what ailed ye, ye mighty men, that of late ye made the poor Proteſtants to flie? ye inferiour Souldiers, that ye drave them back? ye Great perſons, that ye skipped over them like Rams, and ye little ones, like lambs? Tremble, all of you, at the preſence of the Lord, at the preſence of this command of the God of Jacob, Thou ſhalt not kill; above all, do not break Gods Command for Gods own ſake; Tempt us not by any more of theſe ſavageneſſes to apply that propheſie of Chriſt to you, The time Commeth, that whoſo killeth you, will think that he doth God ſervice, Ioh. 16.2. 'Tis neceſſary that all Chriſts propheſies Come to paſſe, but woe to that man by whom they thus come; 'tis a Zeal indeed this, but, like their Ignorant obedience, a Blinde one, Firſt, to put out their own eyes, and then the Eyes of the Proteſtants body, his Soule; 'tis that alone which ſees; Ariſtot. Oculus non videt, ſed videt Anima; open their eyes, O God, that they may no longer be the miſ-guided and dutiful ſons of deſtruction; that they who call themſelves by the name of Jeſus, •• ſuites. may learn ſome of his Meekneſſe, to ſuffer rather then to put to death; that they would endeavour to plant Religion only as Chriſt did, with perſwaſion, and not with blood, unleſſe of his own true Diſciples, not of thoſe who oppos'd his Doctrine, that they would, as Chriſt ever did, Teach only openly, and not Creep into houſes, leading ſilly ones Captive (but, alas, then, the diſſemination of their Errours would be prevented) that they would, as Chriſt did, ſay plainly, It is I, and not put off their own name, and put on another, not put off the Prieſts Coat, and put on the ſouldiers, not pretend one falſe Religion, that they may introduce another falſe Religion, and eſpecially, not to ſowe that Religion in the foule blood, as they take it to be, of Hereticks as they call them; Still to this purpoſe, may I not aske of them, Is it enough whereby to Kill, becauſe he, I know not who, commands them to do it, that has no Scripture Authority to command it, unleſſe ſuch words as theſe, of that uſurper, whom God was offended at, Marke, and when I ſay ſmite, then Kill; fear not, have not I commanded you? 2 Sam. 13.28. and is it not enough to refrain them from killing, by the clear words of that God whom we know, and whom they ſay, they know? thou ſhalt not kill. Will they upon this ſcore, take gifts to ſhed blood, Ezeck. 22.12. ſmite, and kill, for Pay, and under Command? will there, becauſe of this, be a Conſpiracy amongſt their very Prophets, divining lyes, unto them? will they, becauſe of Treaſure, and precious things, ſharpen their Appetites to devoure ſoules? and their ſwords, to make many widowes? verſe 25.

I am loth to tell them of the Ignorant folly of one of their ſide, who would needs finde expreſſe Text, wherewith to kill any Heretick, and therefore made uſe of that of Paul to Titus, ch. 3. v. 10. Him that is an Heretick, de vita, reject; fuge ſaies another tranſlation, flie from him; but he, poor ſoul, would not flie from him, but rather out of his blinde Zeal to the Roman Hereſie, Firſt, cut the verbe in two peices, De vita, and then flie upon him, and cut the very throat of him; 'tis true, the word of God is a two-edged ſword; but this word of his, thus inexpertly weilded, is too Blunt a weapon, wherewith to draw blood from any; had he proſper'd in this, what ſtrange ſhift, by ſome ſuch like wilde adventure, would he have been put unto, to prove a Proteſtant to be an Heretick! and truly, his after-friends, though they have better Latine, have no better Religion, wherewith to wound us.

By this time it appeares, if Great ones, without their own precincts, or within them, have no priviledge, Papal or Dukal, no Prerogative Royal, to ſet themſelves above the commands of that greater God who is higher then they, much more does this Text lay an Incruental obligation, a bond of peace upon all ſubject people, upon all private perſons, in their Townes, and Nations, and Travels.

To every of you it is ſaid, on a more palpable eviction, thou ſhalt not kill; and well it is ſaid ſo; for, God ſaid it, and providentially is it ſaid ſo; for, the merciful God ſaid it; ſaid; no more then this, thou ſhalt not kill.

In favour to Meak capacities, (and many ſuch there are amongſt Vulgar Subjects) it is not ſaid, thou ſhalt not kill thy Brother, leſt they might be miſperſwaded of the lawfulneſſe to kill an Egyptian, quà ſuch; to ſlay him that is of a different perſwaſion, of a Religion thwarting theirs, as not being a Brother to them in the ſame Faith of Chriſt: let Rome be as ſeduc'd, as ſhe is willing to be, I would rather, were it poſſible, a Papiſt ſhould take away a hundred lives from me, all but (what is impoſſible) the life eternal, then that I ſhould take away his one life from him, upon that ſhadow of reaſon (for, it is too dark to appear to be reaſon) becauſe he is a Papiſt; what if he misbelieves he may do this to me? ſhall I, who diſprove, and condemn his misbeleif, misbelieve with him? no; I am ſuſtain'd againſt the miſcheif, by Thou ſhalt not kill, and againſt that ſeduction by Vindictamihi, avenge not your ſelves; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, ſaith the Lord, Rom. 12.19. And yet, had it been written, in this very Text, thou ſhalt not kill thy Brother, S. Auſtin would ſomewhere, have told thee the due extent of this command he would have given thee to underſtand, that not only the Romaniſt, but the very Turke is thy Brother (and if ſo, a Proteſtant, ſure, is a Brother to the Romaniſt, and ſhould not be, as ſome of them would make him, only a Brother in bloody when he ſaies, that Adam and Eve are the Parents of us all, and we all, in them, are Brethren.

It is not ſaid, Thou ſhalt not kill thy Neighbour, leſt ſome ſhallow conceptions, ſhould thence extort a bloody doctrine, that they might, Deo non obſtante, nay, perhaps further yet, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , with Gods own leave, ſlay a Forrainer; And yet, the ſame S. Auſtm, who is ſibi conſtans, will, elſewhere, tell thee, Homo Homini proximus, that every one man is neighbour to every other man, and therefore no one man may ſlay another; nay, the Text of Chriſt will tell you as much; which thinkeſt thou of theſe three was neighbour to him that fell among thieves? Luke 10 36. and he, who thus fell, he, to whom one of the three ſhew'd himſelf a neighbour, and the other two ſhould have done likewiſe v. 37. by what other name is he notify'd and Characteriz'd, but by that of man, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , a Certain man went, and fell, v. 30. ſo certain it is, that he who is a man, is a neighbour (he and ſhe too, for, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is of both Genders) and neither of them may be ſlaine.

Nay, 'tis not ſaid, thou ſhalt not kill thy enemy (thy enemy) leſt ſome deſperate zelot might thereupon undertake to kill Gods, though he ſpar'd his own enemy; and yet does not David ſay, Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with thoſe, that riſe up againſt thee? I hate them with a perfect hatred, I count th • m mine enemies. Pſa. 139.21.22. the enemies of God, are to be eſteem'd the enemies of the Diſciples of God too; not only the Haters of God, but the very lovers of God, ſhall be found liars, if they eſteem them otherwiſe; and yet, in neither of theſe capacities, as haters of God, or, as enemies of the people of God, do they make a forfeiture of their lives: would you know then, how you may hate ſuch enemies? David has intimated to you how; it muſt be with a perfect hatred; and what that perfect hatred is, you may learn out of that meekly pious ancient Father, and Martyr, Ignatius ep. ad Philadelph. By his counſel, if you follow it, the Lord will deliver you from blood-guiltineſſe, or, as it ſounds in the Hebrew, and as Doway her ſelf tranſlates it, from Bloods, With Doway, Pſ. 50. v. 16. from the maſſacring of many, Pſal. 51.14. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , you muſt indeed hate them who hate God; but then, he will preſently bound your hatred, the Remainder of your wrath he will reſtrain, he will tye up your hands behinde you, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , you muſt not ſo much as ſmite an enemy, though of Gods; if you do, you do it with the fiſt of wickedneſſe, Iſ. 58.4. you muſt not perſecute him, ſo much as out of his eſtate, much leſſe may you ſmite away his very life from him, and perſecute his body out of his skin, or his ſoul out of his body, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , enemies you may ſtill account them, and ſeperate from them, from Communion with their ſins, but not with their perſons, not from adviſing them, if they are of your Acquaintance and Neighbourhood, not from preaching to them, if they are of your Pariſh; Incluſively even to this laſt purpoſe, does it follow in that grave Religious Father (if that word be not diſlik't by thoſe, who are unwilling to be Sons) 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , you muſt Admoniſh them of their ill manners, and labour to reduce, (to recall) them to Repentance. And did not this After-runner of Chriſt, learn this Demeanour, think you, from Chriſts fore-runner? John the Baptiſt preacht Mat, 3.1. the ſubject of his Sermon was Repentance, v. 2. when the Phariſees and Sadducees came to him, though he knew them to be what he call'd them, a Generation of Vipers, v. 7. yet he did not un-Church them for all that, he did not Excommunicate them from his Congregation, he renew'd his Sermon and preacht even to them alſo, on the ſame ſubject; he ſaid unto them (and yet, not he, but the holy Ghoſt in him, an example high enough to follow) bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance, v. 8. I will not now aske, Are thoſe, who are ſeparated from, more Hypocritical then the Phariſees? do not others more loudly pretend to Holyneſse then they? are thoſe, who are ſeparated from, more Heretical then the Sadducees? do not others more boldly deny the Reſurrection then they? this I wil not aske; I will but give this reaſon for my ſhort digreſſion in theſe very few words; it is, what I may, if it be poſſible, as God ſhall enable me; (and if he enable me, poſſible it is: His bleſſed ſpirit can work with five words utter'd with underſtanding and Charity as powerfully, as with a Folio) it is, that I may, by any meanes, ſave ſome, by reducing them from the Errour of their way.

And is not all this inſtead of Stabbing him to the heart, a nobler, a worthier, a more generous, a more Chriſtian carriage towards an enemy? is not this the Perfection of Hatred? nay, is not this the perfection of that love, which Chriſt himſelf enjoyns towards enemies, Love them, Bleſse them, Do good to them, Pray for them, Mat. 5.44. ſuch a perfect hatred, ſuch a perfect love, which will Caſt out all fear from the man we thus love, from the enemy we thus hate?

Hence, it eaſily appears, that though it had been ſaid, thou ſhalt not kill thy Brother, thy Neighbour, thy Enemy, no private man of what Nation or language ſoever has any excuſe whereby to palliate his ſpleen of killing another Private man, much leſſe of aſſaſſinating a Publick perſon; and that too, becauſe of the immediate ſubnexion of this command, to that of Honouring thy father, (which if it be not the very next here in Exodus, as ſome contend, who follow the Greek coppies, which place the Commandement concerning Adultery betwixt that of Parents, and murther, yet thoſe very Greek coppies, in the book of Deuteronomy place that Commandement which forbids murther, before that which forbids Adultery; as alſo the Hebrew in both thoſe books) and hence, it much more appears, that this may not be done by any Private man, becauſe the Prohibition is Abſolute, unlimited, nothing elſe but Thou ſhalt not Kill. We have ſeen the extent and latitude of this killing, how univerſally it is forbid; ſee we next the heynouſneſſe of the guilt, the ſinfulneſſe of this ſin of committing murther.

Though it might be enough, to teſtifie the iniquity of it, that, not to do it, is a moral law, written in the very heart of man, by the finger of God himſelf; that it is forbiddn even by Nature, and that, to every one man in the behalf of every other man; ſo that, indeed, he who is but Compos mentis, who has reaſon enough, not only in Radice, by a candid Interpretation to denominate him, but, in Fructu, exerted reaſon, to evidence and demonſtrate him to be a man, cannot chooſe but know it: yet, to how much higher pitch and degree is this tranſgreſſion inhanc't and elevated, in that this command, which was before a command of God, is once again a command of his, written by himſelf, in a Table of Stone!

This indeed is too much the fault of worldly-wiſe mankind, to meaſure good or bad, either by their own warineſſe or indiſcretion, and not to impute it to the Performance or violation of the command of God, either poſitive or Negative; he who kills a man, becauſe he ſhall not be known to have done it, or becauſe he knows, that he ſhall eſcape when he has done it, breaks the command of God twice over; Firſt, in killing, to ſatisfie his own rage, and then in deſpiſing the command of God, becauſe of his preſent ſecurity; this imprints the deepeſt ſtigma, 'tis a mark with the blackeſt coale upon the helliſh murtherer, that he ſets the Command of God at nought.

See we yet more of the ſinfulneſſe of this man-ſlaying, 'tis abominable before God, and it is odious to man: Philo does ſo abhorre this ſin, that he is not content to call him that kills, a murtherous, unleſſe he call him a Sacrilegious perſon too, becauſe he puts to death that man who is the Image of God; 'tis not in this ſenſe ſaid by our Saviour, when he askt whoſe Image the penny bore, Give unto Caeſar the things which are Caeſars, and unto God the things which are Gods, that thou ſhouldſt therefore ſend the ſoul of man, which is the Image of God, to the God of that ſoul, the father of ſpirits, from off the point of thy ſword.

He ſins againſt humane Society, to which we are born (in Coetum geniti ſumus, ſaies Seneca) which ſociety cannot be upheld, whileſt the lives of Innocents are in danger.

He ſins againſt the law of the land, who ſlaies though a Nocent perſon, that has deſerv'd to dye, becauſe he ſnatches into his own hand that power which is the right of the law, and ties it upon the hilt of his ſword.