2. We must not injure another in his body. The life is the most precious thing : and God hath set this commandment as a fence about it, to preserve it, " Thou shalt not kill." God made a statute which was never to this day repealed. Gen ix. 6., " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." In the old law, had a man killed another unawares, he might take sanctuary; but if he had killed him willingly, though he did flee to the sanctuary, the holiness of the place was not to defend him, Exod. xxi. 14., " If a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile ; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that lie may die." Now in this commandment, '^ Thou shalt fio no murder," all those sins are forbid- den which lead to it, and are the occasions of it : As,
(1.) Unadvised anger. Anger boils up
the blood in the veins, and oft producetfi murder, (ien. xlix. 6., " In their anger they slew a man."
(2.) Envy. Satan envied our first parents the robe of innocence, and the glory of par- adise; therefore never left off till he had procured their death. Joseph's brethren envied him, because his father loved him, and gave him a " coat of many colours :" therefore took " counsel to slay him," Gen. xxxvii. 20. Envy and murder are near a- kin, therefore the apostle puts them toge- ther, Gal. v. 21., " Envyings, murders.'* Envy is a sin breaks both the tables at once ; it begins in discontent against God, and ends in injury against man, as we see in Cain, Gen. iv. 6, 8. Envious Cain was first discontented with God, — there he broke the first table ; .ind then he fell out with his brother and slew him, — there he broke the second table. Anger is sometimes ' soon over,' like fire kindled in straw, which is quickly out ; but envy is a radi- cated thing, and will not quench its thirst without blood, Prov. xxvii. 4., "Who is able to stand before envy ?"
(3.) Hatred. The Pharisees hated Christ, because he excelled them in gifts, and had more honour among the ])eople than they; therefore they never left till they had nailed him to the cross, and taken away his life Hatred is a vermin lives upon blood, Ezek. xxxv. .')., " I3eeause thou hast had a perpe- tual liatn'd, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel." Ilaman hated Morde- cai, because he did not bow to him, and he presently s(»ught revenge, he got a bloody ' warrant seaknl for the destruction of the whole race and seed of the Jews, Esther iii. 9. Hatred is ever cruel. All these sins are f»trl)idden in this commandment, which lead the van, and are oft the occasions of tJiis sin of murder.
Quest. How manrj ways is murder com' milted ?
Anft. We may be said to murder another, twelve ways: 1. With the hand: as Joab
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or THE S:XTH COMMANDMENT.
kill(d Al)iu'r and Amasa, 2 Sam. xx. 10., *' Jlc smote Iiim in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels." — 2. Murder is commit- ted with the mind. Malice is mental mur- der, 1 John iii. 15. " Whoso hateth liis brother is a murderer." To malign anoth- er, and wish evil against him in the heart, is a murdering him. — 3. Murder is com- mitted with the tongue, by speaking to the prejudice of another, and causing him to be put to death. Thus the Jews killed the Lord of life, when they inveighed against him, and accused him falsely to Pilate, John xviii. 30. — 4-. Murder is committed with the pen. So David killed Uriah in writing to Joab, " ve set Uriah in the fore- front of the hottest battle," 2 Sam. xi. 15. Thouffh the Ammonites' sword cut off Uri- ah, yet David's pen was the cause of his death ; therefore the Lord tells David by the prophet Nathan, 2 Sam. xii. 9., " Thou hast killed Uriah." — 5. Murder is com- mitted by plotting another's death. Thus Jezebel, though she did not lay hands her- self upon Naboth, yet because she contriv- ed his death, and caused two false wit- nesses to swear against him, and bring him within the compass of treason, she was a murderer, 1 Kings xxi. 10. — 6. Murder is committed by instilling poison into potions. Thus the wife of Commodus the emperor killed her husband, by poisoning the wine which he drank. So, many kill the chil- dren they go with, by taking such medi- cines, or strong purges, as prove the death of the child. — 7. By witchcraft and sor- cery ; a thing forbidden under the law, Deut. xviii. 10., " There shall not be found among you an enchanter, or a witch, or a consulter with familiar spirits." — 8. By having an intention to kill another ; as He- rod would, under a pretence of worshipping Christ, have killed him. Mat. ii. 8, 13. So Saul when he made David go as captain against the Philistines, designing thereby that the Philistines should have killed him, 1 Sam. xviii. 17., " Saul said. Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him." Here was in- tentional murder, and it was in (iod's ac- count as bad as actual murder. — 9. By consenting: to another's death ; so Saul to the death of Stephen, Acts xxii. 20., " I