Sin Stigmatized, Part 1 · Section 105
§ 105
NOw of this their ſavage diſpoſition, 5 Reaſons of their ſavage diſpoſition.there are five maine reaſons to be rendered.
1 Firſt, 1 They muſt doe the workes of their father the Devill.becauſe they would doe the workes of their Father the Devill; he is a murtherer, and ſo his children are given to blood, Iohn, 8.44. and what can the Lambe expect of the Butcher, but killing? yea, and ſo given to it, that often times it contents them not to ſhed the blood of others, except alſo they ſhed their owne blood: as Nero, who was ſo artificiall in cutting of throats, that at laſt he runnes upon his owne ſword, ſaying, I have lived diſhonourably, I will dye ſhamefully: and Saul, who being blooded againſt David and the Prieſts, became as unmercifull to himſelfe, by wreaking his teene on his owne bowells: and Iudas that was ſo cruell againſt the innocent blood of his Maſter, became as cruell againſt the nocent blood of himſelfe: and I wonder how the murtherer can expect any other doome, that either heares how many have done the like, or reades, Gen. 9. where God ſaith, who ſo ſheddeth mans blood, by man ſhall his blood be ſhed; for in the Image of God hath he made man, verſ. the 6. The meditation whereof, if it did throughly ſincke into mens hearts, would make them more cautious; how much more, if they did read and underſtand, Gen. 4.10. where God inditeing Cain for murthering his Brother, ſaith, What haſt thou done? the voice of thy Brothers blood cryeth unto me from the earth. In which place the Originall hath it in the plurall number, bloods, and ſo ſignifieth, the voice of the blood ſhed, and of all the blood which might have come of that blood, if it had not beene ſhed; which being ſo, implyes that a man may kill a thouſand, in killing of one.
Secondly, that their deeds of darkeneſſe might not come to light. 2 That their deeds of darknes may not come to light.Vriah muſt be put to death, leaſt Davids Adultery be diſcovered, and himſelfe diſgraced: a living Curre, you know, will doe more harme then a dead Lyon. The Genealogies of the Iewes muſt be burnt, that Herod may be taken for a Iew, and one of the blood royall: and it's a ſure rule, that of eggs fryed in the pan, come no ill Chickens.
3 Thirdly, 3 otherwiſe they cannot follow their ſinnes ſo freely nor ſo quietly.the wicked through malice would ſeeke by all meanes to cut off the godly, becauſe their wicked and ſinfull lives are reproved by their godly converſation; neither can they follow their ſinnes ſo freely as they would, nor ſo quietly, without detection or check; now if Abel's good workes reprove Cain's evill deeds, 4 VVhat they cannot make good by arguments of reaſon they would by arguments of steele and iron.let Cain but take away the cauſe, kill Abel, and the effect ſhall not follow.
4 Fourthly, whereas the Godly are too hard for them in diſputing (take Steven for an inſtance) they would be even with them by caſting of ſtones, ſtop their mouthes with brickbats, fetch Arguments from the Shambles; and this they are ſure would doe, when all other hopes and healps faile, they would not ſtand to argue the caſe with us; for let the accuſed plead what he could for his owne innocency, the Wolfe would anſwer the Lamb, indeed, Thy cauſe is better then mine, but my teeth are better then thine, I will devoure thee; ſo they would put off the Fox, and put on the Lyon, and make their party good, if not with Arguments of reaſon, yet with Arguments of steele and Iron; but this is a very hard way of confuting.
5 Fiftly and laſtly, 5 Their glory and c…edit is eclipſedtheir glory and credit with the world is eclipſed by ſuffering thoſe which excell in vertue. We know the Moone hath ſo much the leſſe light, by how much it is nearer the Sunne, yea, ſo long as the Sunne ſhines above the Horizon, the Moone is ſcarcely …e…e: which made Adrian and Nero to kill all ſuch as eclipſed their glory by any demerit: and for this cauſe Mercine was murthered of her fellowes, becauſe ſhe did excell the reſt in beauty.
Yea, this hath made wicked men, in all ages, to deale with the godly, as Iulian the Apoſtate did by our Saviour Chriſt; who tooke downe his Image in contempt, that he might ſet up his owne in the ſame place, and have the people worſhip it; which he knew they would never doe, ſo long as the other was reverenced.
You know Herod thought he could not be King, if Chriſt ſhould raigne; yea, as though he had beene of the race of the Ottomans, he thought he could not raigne, except, the firſt thing he did, he killed all the Males in Bethlem from two yeares old, and under; and the Phariſees, that they ſhould be deſpiſed, if Chriſt were regarded; and hereupon they put the old Carinthians Law in execution, that hang'd a man in the fore-noone, and ſate in judgement on him in the afternoone.