Practical Exposition of the Ten Commandments, Lecture 7
THE SIXTH COMMAND.
Exodus 20.13.
Thou shalt not kill.
IN the fifth Command the Lord generally prescribed humility, and that respect which is to be shown by every one to another in their several stations and relations; he proceedeth now more particularly to give directions in these things that are most dead and necessary to men, first in the matter of life, command sixth: 2. In the matter of chastity and temperance, Com. 7. 3. In what concerneth their Estate, Com. 8. 4. In what concerneth truth, and more especially our neighbours name. Com. 9. Lastly, in what concerneth the inward frame of our hearts towards our own estate, and the estate of others. Com. 10.
For understanding this Command, Thou shalt not kill; we may consider 1. It's Object: 2. It's act, to kill: 3. It's subject (to speak so) Thou.
As for the first, this Command cannot be considered, as relating to Beasts; as if they were not to be killed, because God gave man all the Beasts for his use to feed on them, Gen. 9.3. and we are to eat of whatever is sold in the shambles, by his allowance, whose is the earth and the fulness thereof, I Cor. 10 25. Beside man in all these Commands is properly directed in reference to his Neighbour, and not to beasts: Yet I grant by striking a beast a man may offend, as 1. when that stroke wrongeth his Neighbour, to whom that beast belongeth. 2. when in our striking there is 1. unreasonableness, as if we would require that capacity in a be …st, that is in reasonable creatures, and so are ready to offend when they answer not our expectation. 2. when there is a breaking out into anger and passion at brutes, as when a horse rydeth not well, a Dog runneth not well, a hawk flyeth not well, &c. which speaketh an impotency in us, who are so easily mastered by irrational passions, which will sometimes also seize upon us even in reference to senseless and lifeless Creatures, when they do not accommodate us to our mind …. 3. when there is bitterness and cruelty in striking: Something of this the Lord reproveth by making Balaams Ass speak and rebuke the madness of that Prophet, who unreasonably smote the Ass, and wished he had had a Sword to kill her, Numb. 22.29. whereas a just man pitieth his beast, and regardeth the life thereof, Prov. 12.10.
But for the better Understanding of the Object of the Command, we shall proceed to speak to it, and the act of killing (vvhichwhich is the second thing) complexedly, and if we consider killing in reference to a mans self, it is certainly understood here; for that being the sum of all the commands of the second Table, thou shalt love thy Neighbour, as thy self, it must be understood as repeated in each of them; as here, thou shalt not kill thy Neighbour more than thy self, or shalt preserve him as thy self, which supposeth that it is not free for a man to wrong himself more than to wrong others; and generally these reasons whereby the Lord restraineth us from killing others, will also hold in restraining us from killing, and other ways wronging our selves; therefore there is no question, if it be a sin to wrong, hurt or torture others, whether in body or in their soul, as to the tranquillity and quiet frame thereof, and any ways to procure or further their death, it will be no less so to do thus to our selves; because love to our selves is the pattern that we ought to walk by in loving others.
We may be guilty of the breach of this Command in reference to our selves by omissions as well as by commissions, as when things needful for entertainment and health of the body are, either designedly, or with an excessive misregard to health and life, omitted.
We may further fall into the breach of this Command in reference to our selves, either directly, as purposing and intending hurt to our own bodie, or indirectly, by casting our selves in unnecessary seeming dangers, by wilful or careless overusing of known unwholesome food, by excessive and immoderate toyl, by spending and wasting the body with unchastness, by drunkenness and gluttony (vvhereby many more are destroyed then with the Sword, according to the common saying, plures gulâ quàm gladio pereunt) and many other vvays.
If we consider this command vvith respect to others, vve may conceive it in reference to a threefold life, which vve should endeavour to preserve and promote in them, in any one of which a commission or omission will make a breach thereof.
1. There is a life of the body; and vvhatever cometh from us that vvrongeth that, either directly, as stroaks, challenges or appeals, &c. or indirectly, if it vvere but by keeping back something that is in our power to give vvhichwhich might be useful to our neighbour in his need, that no doubt maketh guilty of this sin of killing in respect of this bodily life. I have mentioned appeals to Duels under the former branch, because albeit that in the matter of private duels, the pride and corruption of men do ordinarily either commend a vain bravery and gallantry, or pretend the ex …uses of a seeming Obligation in the point of honour or necessary defence: Yet vve are sure that the judgment of God, vvhichwhich is according to truth, by pointing out on the part as vvell of the accepter as of the appealer; these ensuing irregularities …do condemn the thing as exceeding sinful. As 1. Impotency of mind and excess of passion, vvhichwhich if sooner in the accepter, doth only add deliberation to his other guilt. 2. Contempt of the publick Laws and civil order. 3. An Usurpation of the Magistrates sword, vvhichwhich is given to him, both for punishing and protecting; And 4. An invasion of Gods …ight of vengeance, vvhichwhich he hath so expresly reserved to himself, and from this the accepter observing ord …nar …ly no more moderament in his defense, than there vvas necessity for the engagement, hath no excuse more than the challenger, so that in effect although the mediate rise may be thought to be on the appealers part, yet the sin is common, land is in a vvord a plain complication of hatred against our neighbour, contempt against the Laws and Powers and God, who hath appointed them, …and a bold and desperate despising and rashing upon Death, Judgment and Eternity, vvhichwhich do so immine …tly attend all such rencounters: O how much more heroick and noble, were it for men to approve the wise and great King … choice he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit then he that taketh a City, to hear him, vvho is higher than the Princes of the earth, who commands us, Love your Enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and confirmed all by his own most perfect example: And lastly, the study of that divine goodness, which embraceth both good and evil, just and unjust, to aspire to that height of all felicity and glory in being perfect as our Father, vvhichwhich is in heaven is perfect: But to proceed.
2. There is a spiritual & eternal life of the soul, thus sin deadneth and killeth men, and in this respect all vvho are unfaithful to others in the matter of their souls, or vvho cause them to sin, or sinfully give them occasion of sin, become guilty of soul-murther, so Ezek. 3.18. and 33.6. his blood will I require at thy hands, saith the Lord to the Prophet.
Men become guilty of this not only 1. By commanding, as Saul did Doeg to kill the Lords Priests, and David did Joab to cause Vriah to be slain, 2. By counselling and advising, as Jonadab did Amnon in reference to his sister Thamar, 3. By alluring and downright tempting, as Tamar did Juda; 4. By consenting to the sin of others, or any vvise assisting, countenancing or incouraging them in it, as Saul vvas consenting to the death of Stephen, and vvas standing by keeping the cloaths of them that stoned him, and as men may be in reference to false Teachers 2 Epist. of John 10, 11. 5. By giving high Provocations to others, and thereby stirring them up to sin such as are reproaches, opprobrious speeches, chartallings and challenges to fight, &c. but also 6. By evil example, as David vvas accessary to the sin of the Adversaries blasphemous reproaching, by vvhat he did, and the Apostle often insinuateth Christians may be thus guilty by their insutable deportment in the several relations they sustain and stand under, this may also be by doing vvhat hath the appearance of evil, yea even by doing of things in themselves lawful but inexpedient, because unseasonable and vvith offence. Thus one Christian may be accessory to anothers stumbling, and may sinfully hazard the destroying of these for vvhom Christ dyed, as the Apostle discourseth concerning offences even in things not sinful in themselves: 7. By not warning faithfully before sin be committed, as is clear, Ezek. 3.18. 8. By not reproving after the sin is committed, but suffering it to lye on our brother Lev 19.6. 9. By not suiting and proportioning the reproof to the greatness of the sin, but making it too soft and gentle, not shewing just indignation against it, which vvas Eli his guilt, who though he did not altogether neglect or omit to reprove the prophanity and gross vvickedness of his Sons, yet did not reprove at that rate of holy severity, called for, and answerable to, their atrocious and villanous wickedness, he frowned not on them and dealt not roughly vvith them, as he should have done, as is clear by comparing 1 Sam. 2.22, 23, 24, 25: with 1 Sam. 3.13. 10. By rash putting men in Offices for vvhichwhich they are not at all, or not competently qualified, and so cannot but in all probability sin much in them, especially in the Office of the Ministry, 1 Tim. 5.22. 11. By not endeavouring by all suitable and lawful means within the compass of our power and calling to prevent the sin of others, and to restrain them from it, as Eli is on this account challenged by the Lord, 1 Sam. 3.13. 12. By broaching, venting, teaching and spreading heresies and false doctrine; thus Antichrist is notoriously and primely guilty of this sin of soulmurther; as all false teachers and seducers are less or more according to the nature of the doctrine taught by them and their industry in propagating the same; and likewise all that tolerate and do not restrain them, whose Office obligeth them to it according to their power: All these and other ways may men be accessory to other mens sins, and so make themselves guilty of this great and cruel sin of Soul-murther.
This sort of murther aboundeth and is very rife, and yet is in an especial manner forbidden by this command, and the prevention of it accordingly called for, it being a greater evidence of love to our neighbour to be careful of his soul then of his body, the one being more pretious then the other; and however false Prophets, teachers and seducers, seem ordinarily to be most tender of mens persons, and most desirous to please them, yet are they in this sort horridly guilty of their murther.
3. There is a life of contentment, consisting in the tranquillity of the mind, and the calm frame of a quiet spirit vvith comfort, joy and chearfulness; to this purpose saith Paul, 1 Thess. 3.8. I live if ye stand fast in the Lord, and it is said of Jacob Gen. 45.27. when he heard that Joseph lived, his spirit revived, as if it had been dead before, because of his great heaviness, arising from the supposed death of his Son; thus we become guilty of this Sin of ki …ing, when vve obstruct or interrupt the spiritual comfort and joy, or the inward contentment of our neighbour by fear, heaviness, disquietness, discouragement, &c. whereby his life is made bitter, and his tranquillity impaired, and so his hurt procured or furthered: As Josephs brethren did not only become guilty of his blood but of weighting their Father, and deadning, as it were, his spirit, which afterwards at the news of Josephs being alive revived, so people may be guilty against their Ministers, when they make them do their work not with joy but grief, as it is Heb. 13.17.
Again Murther, as it respecteth the bodily life of our Neighbour, is either immediate, as Cains was of Abel, Joabs of Abner and Amasa, or mediate, as Sauls was of the Lords Priests, Davids of Vriah, and Achabs of Naboth.
Again, killing may be considered either as purposed, such as Cain's was of Abel, and Joab's of Abner and Amasa, or not purposed; which again is twofold: 1. Innocent, which is even by the Law of God every way so, and is indeed no breach of this Command: as when a man, following his duty, doth that which beside, and contrary to his intention, and without any previous neglect or oversight-in him, proveth the hurt and death of another. 2. Culpable, because although it do proceed beyond the purpose of the person, yet it is occasioned and caused by a culpable negligence: As suppose one were hewing with an Axe, which he either knew, or might have known to be loose, and the head not well fastened to the helve, did not advertise those about him of it, if by flying off it happened to wound or kill any person, he were not innocent, but if without any inadvertencie he either knew not that it vvere loose, or that any vvere about him, if then it should fall off and kill his Neighbour, in this case he is guiltless: So vvhen the Lord commanded those vvho built houses to build battlements about the roofs of them, if any person fell vvhere the battlements vvere, the Master vvas free; if the battlements vvere not, he vvas guilty.
Murther is also either to be considered, as committed after provocation, or vvithout all provocation, vvhichwhich is a great aggravation of the sin, though the provocation maketh it not cease to be a sin. Further, it may be considered, as it is the murther of evil & wicked men, or of good and religious men, and that on the account of their Religion, vvhichwhich is a most horrid aggravation of the murther.
Lastly, this murther, is either ordinary, as of meer equals, or inferiours; or extraordinary, aggredged by the quality of the person murthered, vvhether he be a superiour, as a Magistrate, a Parent; or vvhether he be of a near Relation, as a Brother, or Kinsman, &c.
We come a little more particularly to consider the extent and nature of the sin forbidden here (vvhichwhich is not certainly to be understood of taking the life by publick Justice, or in a lavvful or just War, or in necessary and pure self-defence) that vve may the better understand the contrary duty commanded: It implyeth then a hurting, vvhichwhich vve may consider 1. as in the heart, 2. as in the mouth or vvords, 3. as in gestures, 4. as in deeds; for vve take it for granted that it reacheth further then the gross outvvard act, as by Christs exposition of it in Matth. 5. is incontrovertibly clear.
The heart is the fountain, spring, and treasure of all evil, duplicate page duplicate page in it breedeth all evil, and from it proceedeth this murther, Matth. 15 19. he that in heart hateth his brother is a murtherer, 1 John 3.15. In a vvord, vvhatever is opposite to love in the heart, is a breach of this Command: As 1. hatred, vvhichwhich is malitious, and simply vvisheth ill to our Neighbour, and only because vve love him not, vvithout any other reason, as one vvickedly said,
Non amo te Zabidi, nec possum dicere quare,
Hoc tantum possum dicere, non amo to.
So Cain hated his Brother vvithout cause. 2. Anger, that supponeth a pretended vvrong, and is desirous of revenge, because of ingratitude, pretended injustice, &c. 3. Envy, vvhereby vve are grieved vvith the good of another, supposing, though groundless, that it obstructeth ours, and therefore vve seek to overturn it: Anger is cruel, and wrath outragious, but who can stand before Envy, saith Solomon. There is often secret hatred on this ground more irreconcileable, then vvhere many and grave reasons can be given. 4. Rage, vvhichwhich presseth revenge beyond vvhat is condign, though it follovv it lavvfully, as to outvvard means. 5. Saevitia, or Cruelty, that delighteth in the hurt and prejudice of another, all these and others of this kind go generally under the name of Hatred and Anger.
If any ask here, Is there no anger lavvful? Answ. Yes, for there is somevvhat of it natural, yea, and sometimes it lavvfully immixeth it self in duty, as in zeal, vvhen God is dishonoured, vvhichwhich vvas in Moses, Exod. 32. And no doubt, Indignation at vvicked men, in some cases, is lavvful, and also required. But carnal Anger is forbidden; vvhichwhich, 1. Is a desire of revenge vvhere there hath no vvrong been done to us: 2. When the revenge desired is disproportioned to, and greater then the vvrong: 3. When it is preposterously desired, vvithout intervening Justice: 4. When it is not desired for the right end, to wit, the mans gaining, but only for the satisfying of our carnal humour: 5. When it is immoderate and corrupt in the manner of it, so as the name of God is dishonoured by it. This unlawful Anger, when it is 1. against a Superiour, it is called grudge; 2. when against an Equal, rancour; 3. when against an Inferiour, disdain and contempt; these two last follow ordinarily upon the first.
2. This Command is broken by injurious words, as in that fifth Chapter of Matthew, He that shall say to his brother, thou fool, is guilty: O what guilt will there be found to have been in imprecations, cursings, wrathful wishes, disdainful and passionate speeches, when Christ will call men to an account for the breach of this Command?
3. It is broken in gestures, such as high looks, fierce looks, gnashing with the teeth, Acts 7.54. foaming with the mouth, and such like, wherewith even our blessed Lord and his Servants have been followed; and as there may be Adultery in looks, so there is also murther in them; such looks had Cain, Gen. 4.5.
4. It is broken in deeds, even when death followeth, not as in wounding, smiting, oppressing, cruel withdrawing of the means of life, extortion, exaction, byting, injury, litigious wrangling, violent compulsion, raising and racking of Land or House-rents beyond the just value, and squeezing and exacting upon poor Labourers and Tenants, without any due regard to them or their labours; which last is a frequent sin, but little regarded, a crying sin, but little cared for; next, it is broken by withholding what might be useful and refreshful, as by neglecting the sick and distressed, want of hospitality, specially to the poor: All these are sinful breaches, whether directly or indirectly incurred, neither is it sufficient that we simply abstain from committing some of these, but we must also make conscience to practise all contrary duties.
The last thing proposed to be spoken to, was the person thou; where, in a word, we are to distinguish private men from publick men, who are Magistrates and bear the Sword, whom this Command doth not restrain from executing of Justice; y …t these may also sin in their passions and unjustly put forth their authority, and be carnal in pu …shing and passing sentence, even when there is ground in Justice, and thus Magistrates may become guilty, though in the executing of Justice, not simply, but by reason of other con …u …g circumstances. Thus much shortly on this Command.