A profitable and necessarye doctrine with certayne homelyes adioyned therunto / set forth by the reuerend father in God, Edmunde Byshop of London ...

Thexposition or declaration of the sixte com∣maundement which is.

Thou shalt not kyll.

ENtendyng nowe consequently to de∣clare vnto you thys syxte commaunde ment, we thynke it good, fyrst of all to note vnto youe, howe aptelye and in howe dewe place it foloweth immedi atlye vpon those goynge before, for in the commaundementes of the fyrst table, we are tau∣ght and instructed of our hole duetye towardes god whyche of all dutyes'is pryncypall at mannes han∣des required, and in the fyrst commaundement of the seconde table (whyche is nowe last expounded vnto you) we are taughte oure duetye towardes oure pa∣tentes both naturall, spirituall, Cyuyll, and other, to whome next vnto God, before al other men we ought to haue respect to perfourme our dutyes. And in this syxte, and the fower other that doe folowe, we are in∣structed, & warned that by no maner of meanes, we hurte or endamage our neygheboure. And bycause of all hurtes and displesures that maye of man to man be done, the greatest in some dewe respecte, is murder therefore or all hurtes that thyng is in the seconde ta∣ble, fyrste and chyefelye forbydden vs in these wordes Thou shalte not kyll. In whyche wordes we are not onelye restrayned from Actuall murther, and vnlawefull kyllynge of the Bodye, but also we are forbidden from commytting the same

in worde or, thought yea and all the meanes leadyng or disposyng vs towardes the same, as malice, wrath enuye, disdayne, and other lyke euyl affections of the harte, and as they are prohibited so also is all sclaun∣der backebytyng, scoldynge, bannyng, raylyng, skor∣nynge, or mockynge, and all other euyll behauiour of our tounge, agaynste our neyghboures, which all be forbydden by thys commannemente, as beynge the rotes and occasiōs of murder and other bodely hurt.

And by the rule of contraryes (spoken of before) lyke as these thynges are forbidden and prohybyted vnto vs, soo are theyr contraryes implyed and com∣maunded to be fulfylled and perfourmed of vs. It is to wytte. To loue our neyghboures lyfe and healthe wyth all our hartes, and with oure tonges to wyshe the same, and wyth our actes and dedes, to mayne∣tayne and defend it. Of thys commaundement, and the duetye of vs chrysten men by the same requyred, our sauyour Chryste dothe speake in the fyfte of Ma∣thewe sayinge. You haue harde how it was sayd vnto them of the olde tyme. Thou shalt not kyll, he that kyllethe shalbe in danuger of 〈◊〉〈◊〉, but I say vnto you, that euery one whyche is angry with his brother shalbe in daunger of iudgement, and he that say∣eth to hys brother Racha shalbe in daunger of Counsayle, and he that sayethe vnto his brother thou foole, shalbe in staunger of hell fyre.

By these wordes of oure Sauyour Christe ye do vn∣derstande that hatred wrath, and Enuy, are as gret∣lye forbydden, and as greuoussye punyshed in vs Chrysten men, as was emongeste the Jewes verye bludshed and murder. For he that is wrathe or angri agaynste his neygheboure in hys harte and desyre, doth kyll him. And here doo you consyder well the wordes of thys precepte, for God dothe not saye, thy hand shall not kyll, or thy sworde shall not kyll, or thy gonne, or thy Crosbowe shall not kyll, or commyte murder, but he sayeth Thou shalt not kyll, That is to saye. Thou thy selfe, what soeuer thou arte, and which is properlye thyne, and of the as all the partes of thy body all thy inwarde thoughtes, thy affection thy wordes and thy dedes, shall not kyll. But some man maye heare saye, whye then, what shalbe done with theues, traytours eyther agaynst God, or theyr Prynce, and other suche wycked offenders, shall they not, nor maye they not lawefullye be putte to death. Yes, so it be done by magistrates therto 〈◊〉〈◊〉: for whan accordynge to iustyce, they do ponyshe of∣fendoures, they doo not exercyse theyr owne Judge∣mente, but the iudgemente of God. For of Magistra tes it is wrytten in the thyrtene to the Romaynes. Non 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 gladium portat dei enim minister est, uindex in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ei qui male agit. That is to say: For he (the magistrate) caryethe or bearethe not the sworde in vayne he in dede is the minister of God, an auenger vnto wrathe, to hym that dothe euyll. And thoughe the magistrate maye doo that, yet yf anye o∣other

shall presume without lawful 〈◊〉〈◊〉, or 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to kyll, or bodely to hurt or greue any man, the same vndoubtedlye doeth breake thys commaunde∣mente, and is to be iudged a manqueller, accordinge to the saying of Chryst, in the. xxvi. of Mthew, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 qui acceperint gladium, gladio peribunt. That is to say: Al they that take the sworde, shall peryshe wyth 〈◊〉〈◊〉 swoorde, meanynge hereby, that whosoeuer of pry∣uate 〈◊〉〈◊〉, shall vse any maner of meanes to en∣damage other shall by iust iudgemente peryshe hym∣selfe. And all that we hytherto haue spoken, is specy∣ally by vs ment, of suche dammage, as by our woor∣des, thoughtes, or dedes, maye come to oure neygh∣boures body: but because the soule, beynge the cheyfe parte of man, dothe incomparablye 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the bodye, therfore ye shall here note, that, by thys commaunde∣ment we are muche more forbydden to kyll or mur∣der our neyghboures soule: whiche kynde of murder and slaughter of the soule, they doo commyt, who by pernytious, heretycall, and vngodlye doctryne, or by euyll counsayle, seduce the soule of theyr neyghboure, causynge it thereby to dye euerlastyngly in hell. And speciallye they herein doo offend, who not onely in theyr lyfe tyme, with theyr teachynge by mouthe, do infect theyr hearers, but wyth theyr moost vene∣mous bokes lefte behynde them, doo styng to death the soules of as manye, as by the reading therof doo consente to theyr deuelyshe doctriue, and so long as such theyr bookes or wrytynges doo remayne, infec∣tynge other, so long doth the dampnation of the auc∣thours of suche bookes, and heresyes, continuallye

more and more increase. The example whereof is put speciallye concernyng the dampnable and perni∣cyouse heresy of Arrius, the payne of whom shal not be fully determinate, vntyll the daye of Iudgement, but euer styll doth and shall vntyl that daye, increase more and more. And here is not to be omytted, that they also are manquellers, and moste myserably, and lamentably offende agaynst thys commaundement, who in worde, thought, or dede, desperatly doo mur∣der them selues. And hauynge thus declared vnto you three seuerall kyndes of murder, forbydden by 〈◊〉〈◊〉 commaundement, it is to wyt, the murderynge of our neyghbours body, the murderyng of hys soule and fynally of the murder wherby one doth kyll hym selfe, it shalbe conuenient to recyte here vnto 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the terrible paynes whiche are in sondry places of Scri∣pture, manaced for murders, and vpon seuerall mur∣derers. And the fyrst shalbe taken furthe of the. iiii. of Genesis, where it appeareth that whan Cayn hadde murdered hys brother Abell, almyghtye GOD sayd vnto hym in thys maner. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 voyce of thy bro∣thers bloude, doeth crye vnto me frome the earth, wherefore thou shalte be accursed vpon the earth, who hath opened her mouth, and receyued thy brothers bloude of thy hande: when thou shalte laboure or tyll the earthe, it shall not geue to the her fruytes. Thou shalte be a wanderer and vagabunde vppon the earth. And in the. ix. also of Genesis it is thus writtē

Whosoeuer shal shed the bloude of man vpon the earth, his bloude shalbe shedde, for man is made to the symilitude of God and in the, xxi, of Exodus, almyghtye God doth saye. He that shall strike a man, willinge to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 him, shall dye the death.

Moreouer in the thyrde booke of the kynges, and the. xxi. Chapyter it is wrytten, howe that when kynge Achab by the deuelyshe counsayle of his wyfe Iefabel had procured the death of Naboth for coue∣tousnes of hys vyneyarde, god sent the prophet Elias vnto hym, and bad hym saye these wordes.

Thys doth the Lorde say: Thou hast killed yea, and moreouer thou haste taken possessy∣on. And shortly after foloweth howe God bad hym saye. In this place in the whiche the dogges haue lycked the bloude of Naboth, they shall lycke thy bloude, and shortly after there foloweth Thus sayth the Lorde, I wyll brynge vpon the euyll or miserye, and will cutte downe they posteritie, aud wyll destroy of Achabes, euery one that pysseth against the wall. &c.

And touchynge wycked Iesabell hys wyfe, it there foloweth, Dogges shall eate Iesabell vn∣der the walles of Iesraell. And of Achab likewise is there sayde.

If Achab die in the citie the dogges shall eate him, and yf he die in the fielde, the fowles of the aire shall deuoure him. Moreouer in the se∣conde booke of the kynges, and the. xii. chapyter, al∣myghtye God sayde vnto kynge Dauyd by the Pro∣phete Nathan in thys maner. Thou hast stricken with the sworde or killed Urias the Ethyte, and hast taken his wyfe to be thy wyfe and hast slayne him with the sworde of the chyl∣dren of Ammon, wherefore the sworde shall not departe from thy house for euer.

These terrible threatnynges and punyshmentes ought to moue all men to be delygente and warye in obseruation of thys cōmaundement, and in no wyse eyther in thought, worde or dede, to commytte anye kyude of murder, beyng assured, that althoughe they may chaunce to escape the due ciuyll punyshement of magystrates, yet in no wyse shall they escape the gre∣uous punishement at Goddes handes for suche theyr murder: yea they shalbe most well assured, that (vn∣lesse they, by due meanes, doo repente, and be recon∣cyled to God) they shall haue after thys lyfe (for theyr trangression) euerlastyng dampnation.