A50229:35
A sermon, occasioned
A sermon, occasioned by the execution of a man found guilty of murder, preached at Boston in N.E., March 11th, 1685/6 (together with the confession, last expressions, & solemn warning of the murderer to all persons, especially to young men, to beware of those sins which brought him to his miserable end) / by Increase Mather ...
Boston: printed by R.P., 1687
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Reas. 1. That so the Land where the murder is ⟨p. 12⟩committed, may be purged from the guilt of Blood. For Murder is such a sin as does pollute the very Land where it is done; not only the person that has shed blood is polluted thereby, but the whole Land lies under Pollution until such time as Justice is done upon the Murderer. Thus in the 33. v. of this Chapter, this is given as the Reason why no Satisfaction might be taken for the life of a Murderer; so shall ye not pollute the land wherein you are; for blood it defileth the land, and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. One Murder unpunished, may bring guilt & a curse upon the whole Land, that all the Inhabitants of the Land shall suffer for it; So that Mercy to a Murderer is Cruelty to a People. Therefore it is said concerning the Murderer, Thine eye shall not pity him but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee. If the Murderer be not punished it may go ill with the Whole, all may fare the worse for it; if the sin be not duly punished, there is a partaking in the guilt of it▪
Reas. 2. Because man is made in the Image of God. This reason is mentioned Gen. 9. 6. Whosoever sheddeth mans blood, by man (i. e. by some man in Authority, proceeding in an orderly way of Judicature, as the Hebrew Expositors do rightly interpret the words) shall his blood be shed, for in the Image of God made. He him. ⟨p. 13⟩Hence there is Sacrilegious Guilt in this Sin. Amongst the Romans (d)if a man did but strike his Servant near the place where one of their Emperors lay, he was to dye for it, because that was looked upon as an affront put upon his Imperial Majesty; so he that shall kill a man that is made after the Image of God, puts a Contempt upon the DIVINE Majesty, there is Treason against God contained in the bloody Bowels of this Sin. Upon this account it is indeed a greater sin to kill a good man that has the Image of God renewed in him, than to kill a wicked man. Nevertheless, that also is a Capital Crime; for all men have something