Fifty Godly and Learned Sermons (The Decades)

Lastly murders procure & mark y• ⟨p. 168⟩conutters thereof with endless spots of reproachful infamy, and that which is worst of all, it bringeth unto them everlasting damnation. Wherefore Solomon in his Proverbs, saith: My son if sinners entice thee, consent not unto them. If they say, Come with us, we will lay wait for blood: & will lurk privily for the innocent without a cause. We will swallow them up like the grave quick and whole, as those that go down into the pit. We shall find all manner of costly riches, and fill our houses with the pray. Cast in thy lot among us: we will all have one purse: My son walk not thou with them, but rather pull back thy foot from their ways. For their feet run to evil, and are hasty to shed blood. Now David saith that The bloodthirsty man, and the hypocrite, are abominable to the Lord.

Lastly murders procure & marke y• ⟨p. 168⟩conutters thereof with endlesse spots of reprochfull infamie, and that which is worst of all, it bringeth vnto them euerlasting damnation. Wherefore Salomon in his Prouerbes, sayth: My sonne if sinners entice thee, consent not vnto them. If they say, Com with vs, we will lay waite for bloud: & wil lurk priuily for the innocent without a cause. Wee will swallow them vp like the graue quicke and whole, as those that goe downe into the pitte. Wee shall find all maner of costly riches, and fil our houses with the pray. Cast in thy lot among vs: wee wil all haue one purse: My sonne walke not thou with them, but rather pull back thy foot from their wayes. For their feete runne to euill, and are hastie to shead bloud. Now Dauid sayth that The bloudthirstie man, and the hypocrite, are abhominable to the Lord.

From this law is exempted the Magistrate ordained by God, whom ¹God commandeth to use authority and to kill, threatening to punish him most sharply, if he neglect to kill the men whom God commandeth to be killed. This sixth commandment of the Law therefore, doth flatly forbid upon private authority to kill any man. But the magistrate killeth at Gods commandment, when he putteth to death those which are by law condemned for their offences, or when in defence of his people he doth justly and necessarily arm himself to the battle. And yet the magistrates may offend in these two points two sundry ways. For either they do by law, that is, under the coloured pretence of law say y guiltless, to satisfy their own lust, hatred or covetousness: As we read that Jezebel slew y just man Naboth with the Lords Prophets. Or else by peevish pity and foolish clemency do let them escape scot free, whom the Lord commanded them to kill: as Saul & Ahab are reported to have sinned in letting go the bloody kings whom God commanded to be slain. And Solomon in the 17. of his Proverbs doth testify, that the Lord doth as greatly hate the magistrate that acquiteth a wicked person, as him that condemneth an innocent man. The magistrates also in making or else repelling war do offend two ways in this sort. For either they do unjustly themselves make war upon other men, and entangle their people therein: Or else they suffer foreign enemies to rob and spoil the people committed to their charge, & do not with such force, as they may, keep off and defend that open wrong and manifest injury. Both these offences are of sundry sorts, and therewithal so great that they can hardly be purged. Thou readest therefore that the holy kings of Israel did never make war upon any body, unless the Lord commanded them. And they again fought for their people, & suffered them not to be led away captive as miserable bondslaves. For so did the blessed Patriarch Abraham follow upon & pursue those four kings, nay rather cutthroat robbers of the East, and recovered by force of arms Lot, Lots substance, and the people of Sodom that were carried away.