An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters…

Wrath killeth, &c.] But how doth wrath kill a foolish man? his wrath sometimes draws his sword and kills others: but is his wrath as a sword to kill himself? Many like Simeon and Levi, in their anger have slain a man; but that the anger of a man should slay himself, may seem strange? The passion of wrath is such an engine, as recoils upon him that uses or discharges it. As the desire of the slothful killeth him, Prov. 21. 25. so, the wrath of a foolish man kills him: that place enlightens this; how comes desire to stay the slothful? thus; A man slothful in action is full of desires and quick in his affections after many good things: he would fain have them, he longs for them: but the man is so extreme lazy, that he will not stir hand or foot to get the things which he desires, and so he pines away with wishing and woulding, and dies with grief, because desire is not satisfied. So, in like manner, wrath is said to slay a man; first, because it thrusts him headlong upon such things, as are his death; he runs wilfully upon his own death, sometimes by the dangerousness of the action, whence casual sudden death surprises him; sometime by the unlawfulness of the action, which brings him to a legal or judiciary death. Secondly, his wrath is said to kill him, because his wrath is so vexations ⟨p. 180⟩to him, that it makes his life a continual death to him, and at last so wearieth him out, and wastes his spirits, that he dyes for very grief: and so at once commits a three-fold murder; First he murders him intentionally, against whom he is wroth: Secondly, he, really, murders his own body; and thirdly, he, meritoriously, murders his soul for ever, except the Lord be more merciful, then he hath been wrathful, and the death of Christ heal those wounds, by which he would have procured the death of others, and hath (as much as in him lies) procured his own.

Wrath killeth, &c.] But how doth wrath kill a foolish man? his wrath sometimes drawes his sword and kils others: but is his wrath as a sword to kill himselfe? Many like Simeon and Levi, in their anger have slaine a man; but that the anger of a man should slay himselfe, may seeme strange? The passion of vvrath is such an engine, as recoyles upon him that uses or discharges it. As the desire of the slothfull killeth him, Prov. 21. 25. so, the wrath of a foolish man kils him: that place enlightens this; how comes desire to stay the slothfull? thus; A man slothfull in action is full of desires and quick in his affections after many good things: he would faine have them, he longs for them: but the man is so extreame lazie, that he will not stirre hand or foot to get the things which he desires, and so he pines away with wishing and woulding, and dies with griefe, because desire is not satisfied. So, in like manner, wrath is said to slay a man; first, because it thrusts him headlong upon such things, as are his death; he runnes wilfully upon his own death, sometimes by the dangerousnesse of the action, whence casuall suddaine death surprises him; sometime by the unlawfulnesse of the action, which brings him to a legall or judiciary death. Secondly, his wrath is said to kill him, because his wrath is so vexations