For I am able to stay a Man in my wounding, and a young vigorous Man, while I stagger in my Hurt and am never so deeply wonded.

This was Hectoring Language, and Hellish in the next words.

Whosoever Kills Cain shall have vengeance seven fold, bus whosoever Kills Lamech, seventy times seven fold. Thus he took heart to proceed in Revenge, as if God had spared Cain out of Clemency, but would punish Lamech's Death with greater severity: But Cain Survived with a mark of Infamy, he went about as a Vagabond, trembling. This discovered his Guilt, and was an Hell upon Earth worse than Death.

Yet some commit Murther when they have no Provocation given, who our of a cruel humour, make it their disport to try their Valour, or Madners rather, on such who pass innocently by them.

A sad Instance of this was that person, who was hang?d on Hounslow-Heath, for Murthering an innocent Man, as he was fitting of Furniture in Hampton Court; he told me he did not commit the Murther to rifle the person slain, not out of Malice, but that being drunk on a Sabbath day, he wish?d himself Damn?d if he did not try to Kill a Man, any one indifferently who came in his way. The Devil he said, never suffered him for a Fortnight, to take any comfort in his own Life, till he had fulfilled his wicked Vow, otherwise he should surely have his Wish and be Damn?d. This Satan suggested, that he might add sin to sin, and so ripen the faster for Eternal Destruction, if he did not repent, he said he might have escaped, but lingred about the place out of consternation of Spirit.

Here the Ordinary showed the Heinousness of the sin of Murther, that it is a Violence to Nature in common, there being but one common Nature in all Men. Man is the Epitome of Heaven and Earth; the rational Life is a spark of Divinity, therefore, he who Murthers a Man tho? never so wicked, destroys the Image of God in him, and highly usurps Gods Suprmacie.

Murther is the worst fort of Sacrilidge, the Forfiture of Mens Lives by the Apostacy of Adam, is vacated for a time: A short Reprieve is purchased by Christs Death, wherein, to make, a Mans peace with God, and to work out his Salvation. Now the Murther seeks to make void Christs purchase in this respect, yea, the Bodys of Men are the Temples of the Holy Ghost, therefore, being sacred, whosoever defiles or offers violence to the Body, him will God destroy.

The Heavens reveal Murther, when unpunish?d by the Offices of Justice, 20 Feb 22. They punish it by their Malignant Infectious Influences, yea, they are made as Brass. to avenge with Famine, the cruelty of the hard hearted Men. The Lord will make Speechless Creatures speak, rather than Blood shall be concealed: It is transcendent in the breach of the whole Moral Law of God. It tends unto, or results from the Violation, or Contempt of all the other Ten Commandments.

1st. It includes Atheism, as if God could not discover, nor bring Murther to condeign Punishment: Now, while Men falsly conceive of God, and divest him of his Divine Perfections, to the Encouragement of their Lusts, they debase and deny him.

2dly. Falle Worship is attended with cruelty to spred it. False zeal blinds and hardens the heart, to make the Chirstian World a SlaughterHouse. Some have thought that Coin flew Abel for asserting the Divine Providence, and a future Judgment of Reward or Punishment.

3dly. They who accustom themselves to prophane Gods Name, and wound his Honour, will soon destroy hi Image in Man, a Fellow Creature, and yet show little Remorse, because they dare villifie the Lord of Life and Glory, swearing by his Blood and Wounds in the imprecating Damnation on themselves and others.

4thly. Sabbath breakers first destroy all Fear and Reverence of God himself, and thus frequently run into the sin of Murther, 22 Ezek 8, 9.Thou hast prophaned my Sabbaths, What follows? In thee, are Men who carry Tales to shed innocent Blood. What Snares doth the Devil lay for Men in Sabbath breaking? Most Murthers have been committed by excessiveness of drinking on the Lords day.

5thly. Yorkless disobedient Children Proceed from the contempt of their Parents, to violate their persons, or commit Murther on others, so dying a shameful accursed Death; they sometimes lye unburied, till the Ravens of the Vallies pick out their Eyes, because they first overlook?d and dispised their Parents.

6thly. Lascivious persons, whose Liver a Dart stick thorow, in corrupting their own Blood, strike not to shed the Blood of another. The Harlot hunts after the precious Life of the unconstant Lover; if the blab how he had her at Command, or grow beggarly, and cannot maintain her, after an excessive rate as formerly.

7thly. Stealing, Murther, and Adltery are joined together, 4 Hos. 2 Thus Men break out in all Lewdness, till Blood toucheth Blood running down in a full Current, to conceal Adultery, and violent spoiling of others, that the Co-partners in such sins may not live to shame them, not bear witness against them.

8thly. The murthering of an innocent person palliats it self sometimes, under a pretext and and form of Justice, by adding solemn Perjury to the false Accusation. This springs form Covertousness, which is the Root of all Evil. Hence the Jews in Badylon were charged to love the Truth and Peace, Zac, Because they falsely swore one another out of their Lives, to ingratiate themselves with their Oppressors; but to conceale any Circumstance of Truth which might serve to clear the the Innocent, is virtually to condemn and murther him.

Here were showed Eight degree of murther, which some being Guilty of, yet conceite themselves to stand clear of this horrid sin.

Also the occasional motives which excite to murther.