5. It is a wrath-procuring sin, 2 Kings xxiv. 4. (1.) It procures temporal judg- ments. Phocas, to get the empire, put to death all the sons of Mauritius the emperor, and then slew him ; but this Phocas was pursued by his son-in-law Priscus, who cut off his ears and feet, and then killed him, Charles IX. who caused the massacre of so many Christians at Paris, blood issued out at several parts of his body, of which he died. Albonia killed a man and then made a cup of his skull to drink in : afterwards his own wife caused hmv to be murdered in his bed. Vengeance as a blood-hound pur- sues the murderer; " bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days," Ps. Iv. 23.
(2.) It brings eternal judgments. It binds men over to hell. The papists make nothing of massacres ; theirs is a bloody re- ligion ; they dispense with men for murder, so it be to ])ropagate the catholic cause. If a cardinal jtut his red hat upon the head of a murderer going to execution, he is saved from death. But let all impenitent mur- derers read their doom, Rev. xxi. 8.. " ^lur- derers shall have their part in the lake which burnetii with fire and brimstone ;" this ' is the second death.' We read of " fire mingled with blood," Rev. viii. 7. Such as have their hands full of blood must under- go the wrath of GckI. Here is fire mingled with blood, and this fire is inextinguishable, Mark ix. 44. Time will not finish it, tears will not quench it.
OF THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT.
311
ExoD. XX. 13 Thou shall not hill.
3. WE must not injure anotlicr's soul. This is the greatest murder of all, because there is more of God's image in the soul than in the body. The soul, though it can- not be annihilated, is said to be murdered, because it misseth of happiness, and is for ever in torment. Now, how many are soul-murderers ?
1. Such as corrupt others by bad exam- ple. The world is led by example ; espe- cially the examples of great ones are very pernicious. We are apt to do as we see others before us, especially above us. Such as are j)laced in high power are like the pillar of cloud ; when that went, Israel went ; when great ones move in their sphere, others will follow them, though it be to hell. Evil magistrates, like the tail of the dragon, draw the " third part of the stars after them."
2. Such as entice others to sin. The har- lot by curling her hair, rolling her eyes, laying open her breasts, doth what in her lies to be both a tempter and a murderer ; such an one was Messalina, wife to Clau- dius the emperor : Prov. vii. 7, 10, 13., " I discerned a young man, and there met him a woman with tlie attire of an harlot; so she canglit liim and kissed him." Better are the reproofs of a friend, than the kisses of an harlot.
3. Ministers are murderers, who either starve, or poison, or infect souls.
(1.) That starve souls, 1 Pet. v. 2., "Feed the flock of God which is among you." These feed themselves, and starve the flock ; either through non-residing, they do not preach, or through insufficiency they can- not. There are many in the ministry (a shame to speak it) so ignorant, that they had need to be taught the " first principles of the oracles of God," Heb. v. 12. Was not he fit to be a preacher in Israel, (think ye) who being asked something concerning the decalogue, answered he never saw any such book ?
(2.) That poison souls. Such are heter- odox ministers, who poison people with er-
ror; the basilisk poisons herbs and flowers, by breathing on them : the breath of here- tical ministers, like the basilisk's brcatli, poisons souls. The Socinian, that would rob Christ of his Godhead, — the Arminian, that by advancing the power of the will, would take oflF the crown from the head of free-grace, — the Antinomian, who denies the use of the moral law to a believer, as if it were antiquated and out of date, — tliese poison men's souls. Error is as damnald j as vice, 2 Pet. ii. 1., " There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them."
(3.) That infect souls, viz. by their scan- dalous lives, Exod. xix. 22., " Let the J)rie^l3 which come near to the Lord sanctify them- selves." IVIinistcrs, who by their places are nearer to God, should be holier than others. The elements, the higher they are, the pu- rer; the air is purer than the water; the fire is purer than the air. The higher men are by office, the holier they should be , Joim Baptist was a shining lamp. But there are many who infect their people with their bad life; they preach one thing, and live another, — Qui curios sininlaitt ct bacchann- lia vii'unt. They, like Eli's sons, are in white linen, but they have scarlet sins. Some say, that Prester John, the lord of Africji, caused to be carried before him a golden cup full of dirt, — a fit emblem of such ministers as have a golden office, but are dirty and polluted in their lives. They are murderers and the blood of souls will cry against them at the hist day.