The Cry and Revenge of Blood, Chapter 6
CHAP. 6.
Of the Condemnation and Iudgement giuen vponupon the Malefactors, where after entrance made hereto: 1 The religious and learned Speech of the thrice reuerand Iudge, is published, tending to iustifie the righteous hand of God heroin, as also to prepare the delinquents to an holy vse thereof. 2 The Sentence it selfe followeth, with the great clemency and moderation thereof. 3. With diuers passages and profitable vses of the same.
WEe are now come vntounto the Dismall day, wherein the Murtherers receiued their sentence of condemnation and Iudgement thereupon. A day most comfortable to the godly, as wherein they obserue, the law of God executed, that the murtherer without any admittance of priuiledge, or Psalme of mercy, must die the death, that so blood might be recompensed with blood, and the land may be clensed from the guilt thereof. And so according thereunto, Justice administred without respect of persons, & yet with great wisedome, according to the different degrees and circumstances in the committing of the Crime. Heere is no admittance of Sanctuarie, nor any such like protection to frustrate the course of Justice, and nuzling of the wicked in their sinne; so happy are we that God hath taken from our necks that cruell and bloody yoake of Antichrist, who not onelyonly maintained his owne tyranny by blood, but also protected others therein: And yet much more in this respect miserable, if we shall not bee more thankefull for the light of the Gospell, and improoue the time of our visitation, with more profit and aduantage. But blessed bee the Lord for the fruit of his Word, that Justice hath his due course, Iniquity braues it not vncontrould, and righteousnesse may hauehave countenance enough, if it bee accompanied with sobriety and meekenesse of wisedome. If Sincerity be made a cloake for contentions and priuate lucre: is it not wisedome to pluck off this vizard, that so the Hypocrite may be ashamed, and the sober Christian iustified. But whither am I going? I must retire my selfe to my present station. We are now expecting the Judgement giuen vponupon these Malefactors: And blessed be God, our expectation was more then satisfied. Oh how true is it, that Judges are in the place of God, that he honoureth them as his Deputies, and furnisheth them extraordinarily with diuine gifts: What Maiesty doth shine in their honourable persons, what wisedome and Equity flowes from their lippes, what Righteousnesse mixed with Clemency, appeares in their sentences? Harken, I pray you, vntounto that which followeth, & witnesse with me the truth of all these. The Bench being set, the prisoners are called to the Barre: doubtfull matters are referred to a further cleering, smaller offences are censured accordingly: The greater and Capitall crimes of Blood, and such like, come now to be sentenced: And that the sentence may be better layd to heart, and take déeper impression to worke repentance, and so thereby prepare the offenders to their deaths: Harken, I Sir Henry Mountague, Lord chiefe Iustiée.pray you, vntounto the diuine and graue speech, the reuerend Judge, makes vntounto them in such words as these.
The speech at the giuing of Iudgement.
YOu Prisoners at the barre, whose liues now stand wayting vponupon death, as you looke vp to vsus with feare, so wee looke downe vponupon you with sorrow. Your feare is to receiue punishment for your mis-doing, and our sorrow is that wee must pronounce it. Yet not without hope to bring you to Repentance, which may gaine you pardon for your sin. But as wee hauehave the commaundement of God, to warrant, and comfort vsus herein, that the malefactor must die: so wee hartily desire of God, that your condemnation may not bee of death vntounto death, but rather a meanes to a better life.
Now in these cases three things best befit a Iudge, which are Discretion, Correction, and Comfort.
1 Discretion, to make an offender know his fault.
2 Correction, to Pronounce, and inflict the punishment.
3. Comfort, that notwithstanding the denouncing, and inflicting of the punishment yet so to prepare the delinquent vntounto death, that he may find life in death, and so see heauen vponupon earth, before the world leaues him, and he the world.
Concerning the knowledge of your fault, that will best appeare by your acknowledgment thereof. For without this acknowledgment, there can be no sound Repentance. Thus did God himselfe deale with his seruant Dauid in those his vncleane and bloody facts, first to bring him to the sight of those sinnes, he put the case by another, and so brought Dauid to pronounce sentence vponupon himselfe, so my desire is, that each of you would make Dauids case your owne. And as in the like facts you would bee ready, in another mans case to pronounce sentence as he did, against the man that had dealt so cruelly; so now to make his example your paterne, to make it your owne case. That as hee being conuinced by the Prophet to bee the man, whom he had condemned in the like case of another, was thereby brought to an acknowledgement of his owne sin, and so receiue a gratious acquittance: so you also being now conuicted of your heauy and bloody facts, by such apparant euidence: may by Dauids example, bee brought to an acknowledgement thereof, and so with Dauid obtaine an answere of the pardon of your sin: howsoeuer for the satisfying of the world, and humbling of the flesh, you are like with Dauid to answere bloud for bloud.
The second thing I noted was Correction.
But the better to prepare you for it, tell mee you poore soules that hauehave had a great portion of sorrow by your imprisonment, if these three things do not now trouble you more then euer before, that is, Sorrow, Shame and Feare.
1 Sorrow for your life past so wickedly missed.
2 Shame for your present facts.
3 Feare not so much of your present punishment, which ends in the punishment: as of the iudgement to come, bringing with it eternall torments, and yet beginning but where the other ends.
To begin with this last: (because if it had beene well remembred by you, it might hauehave preuented the former, and yet being well applyed may release you from the latter:) that you may take a deeper impression of that great and generall Assizes. Be you aduised, not so much to looke vponupon VsUs, who hauehave only power to kill the body, as to looke vp vntounto the Lord, who hath power to destroy both body and soule: and remember his last and dreadfull comming in the clouds, where each of you must appeare personally, without Deputy, delay, or Aduocate, to receiue according to your workes which you hauehave done in your bodies, be they good or euill.
And that you may preuent the extremity of that Iugdement; my aduice vntounto you is, that you would erectin a iudgement seate your owne soules, iudging your selues by the euidence of your owne consciences, that so you may not be iudged of the Lord. So did Dauid obtaine the pardon of his sinne, he had no sooner iudged himselfe for his sinnes: and confessed them vntounto the Lord, but the Lord forgaue him the iniquity of them all: and no sooner shal you acknowledge your selues worthy to die, but the Lord will answere you, you shall not die, but liue. For if you be now dead in sin, by hardening your harts in the deniall thereof: though you be liuing to the world, yet you are dead vntounto God, and so shall neuer die out of the punishment of sin, how soeuer you be euer dying in the horror thereof. But if you shall now dievnto sin by vnfayned Repentance: though you may die for your sin, by the hand of man, yet you shall liue for euer without sin, by the power of God. And therefore howsoeuer you must die temporally to satisfie the Law, yet remember, this is but of the body, and that for a time: and consider with all that there is another death co come, both of body and soule, wherein you shall die eternally from-God, and yet liue eternall to intollerable torments. Consider then I pray you the Terrour of that great day: where the fire howsoeuer spirituall, yet shall thereby bee the more intollerable; and yet the conscience shalbe more stinging, then the fire tormenting: and the euerlasting exclusion from the presence of God, shall make vp the measure of those vnsufferable torments. If they were but for a hundred, or a thousand, nay a million of yeares: yet there were some hope at length of release: but remember, that the worme neuer dyeth, the fire neuer goet out, because the wrath of God like a riuer of Brimstone, doth continually maintaine the same.
Thus you may meditate vponupon those endles torments.
And this by Gods mercy, may worke in you that hartie and seasonable sorrow for your present sinnes, whereby you may prepare to your present ends, and so preuent those endles torments. But be not too suddaine in applying mercy, when your sinnes hauehave beene so many. For it is not eueryevery one, that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdome of heauen. Consider, also that there can be no comfort in God, till there be true sorrow for sinne: the best sacrifices were sodden in the sowrest hearbs: and the sacrifice best pleasing vntounto God, is that, of a broken and contrite heart. OnelyOnly bee you wise to try your sorrow. There is a sorrow vntounto death which is carnall and hypocritical, rather greiuing for the punishment, then the offence: if therefore you will bee sorry in hope of …y, you must in… God in your punishment, … …ere farre greater, and greiua for your sinnes, that hauehave deserued more. For your punishment is not great or then your faint, but your …t greater then your punishment.
If you would farther trik the sinceritie of your sorrow: examine it then by the fruit thereof. Godly sorrow breeds Repentance, and true Repentance expresseth it selfe in the hearty confession of sin: and true confession, is not forced, but voluntarie: not only of what apparant euidence wrings from vsus, but what is secret, and only knowne to our selues, and vntounto God. And thi…e it not enough to satisfie the world, of what you are now conuicted of, vnlesse you also discharge your conscience (so farre as possibly you may remember) of all that hidden burthen of sin, which at the day of iudgement will be certainely layd open, and charged vponupon you, euen to your vtter pressing downe, and ouerwhelming for euer: And withall lay it to your harts, that if you shall fayle to acknowledge, what you are now conuicted of: as you shall least of all satisfie God, who knoweth your harts, to shall you not satisfie the world in this your obstinacy, which must needs bee conuicted, with such apparant euidences, as hauehave bene deliuered: and so iustly condemne you, in that wherein you seeke to Iustifie your selues Let me heare speak vntounto you euen from my very soule, and set you in a way for your soules eternall good. Do not thinke that eueryevery Psalme of Miserere is sufficient to expiate your fault, or to giuegive you an interest in the pardō of your sin: no, I tell you, you must confesse your faults to the world; bebefore you leaue the world. You hauehave offended God, and man; as farre as confession may yeeld satisfaction, do it care you die. Oh feare and remember that saying. As the tree falls, so it lies. If you bee dead while you liue, you cannot hope to liue when you are dead. If we forget our sinnes, God will remember them, and if we confesse them, God will forget them. Remember the good successe of the Prodigall child: hee no sooner came home to his Father, and confessed his sin, but his Father ran to meete him, and kissed him, killed the fatted calfe for him, and cloathed him with the be… …yment. Euen so our heauenly Eather, hath offered his onelyonly sonne, as the fatted calfe, for the redemption of all penitent sinners, he is ready to meete vsus, if wee bee comming to him by Repentance, nay to kisse and embrace vsus, if we cast of our sinnes, and insteed of those theenish raggs, you weare to cloath you with that glorious Robe of his perfect righteousnesse. This I hope and wish that you may be so happie as to finde.
And therefore I desire you to embrace the Mercy of God that is now offered vntounto you. Labour to breake your hard harts with the consideration of his tender compassions, and ease your distressed soules by the the acknowledgement of your sinnes. Remember, that God will not endure a stubborne sinner but they which are heauie laden with the burthen of their sins, shal be welcome vntounto him. And to this end, aboue all things, take heede of desparing. Consider that the mercy of God is aboue all your mysery whatsoeuer, and that you shall more offend in disparing of Gods mercy, then in shedding of the blood of so many innocents: euē as Iudas more offended in despayring of the pardon of his sinne, then in betraying of that iust one, who was the ransome for his sinne: and let this last part be the best, which is to comfort you. Now I commend you with my best affections, to the mercy and goodnesse of God, wishing you to glorifie God in the confession of your greinous faults remembring that no time can priueledge, no place conceale, nor Persons beare downe, and smother the shedding of blood: but God in his due time will discouer the same, and make the places of concealement, the stages of discouery. Yea, he will make the Actors themselues to discouer their owne sinnes. The blood of Abel shall crie for vengeance from the earth; and the blood of these murthered soules hath cried for vengeance from the bottome of the Pond. And therefore Iustifie God in this wonderfull discouery. And so the Lord giuegive you wisedome in time, to make your Peace with him.
This was the effect of the reuerend Iudges Exhortation, as himselfe pleased to anow the same. Which beeing ended, their iudgement was pronounced, and so respited till Manday, for their execution, that so, in the méan time, they might bee prepared by repentance to the comfortable issue thereof.
And this of the third Scoene of this second part of this Tragedy.