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III. HAters of others (especially of the god∣ly) they are murderers, 1 Job. 3 15. He that hateth his brother is a murderer. Every act of hatred is a mortal wound given to a god∣ly man. Some think, St. John speaketh by way of allusion to Cain, who was an actual murde∣rer of holy Abel, and that God accounteth all haters of godly men, as hainous sinners, as dam∣ned Cain is, and their hatred as abominable a sin as his actual murder. Dost thou see a man ha∣ting,
scoffing, opposing, persecuting godliness, for godliness sake, Thou maist point at him, and say, yonder goeth a Cain, a murderer of a righteous man!
1. Malice and hatred is murder, affectu & desi∣derio, in affection and desire; it makes a man to desire, wish, and rejoyce in the death or destru∣ction of those whom he hateth. This the Hea∣thens saw by the light of Nature, therefore one of them said, Quem oderunt, periisse expetunt, whom men do hate, his death they do desire. Now what is this but murder? It is true! that in respect of the person hated, the hurt done to him by hating him is much less than when he is actually murdered, and his blood spilt. It is true also, that the actual commission of murder in outward act doth add much to the guilt of his conscience that hateth his brother, because there is both the inward hatred or murder of the heart, and the outward cruel act of murder added to it; there is the beginning, and the consummation, the accomplishing and finishing of this bloody sin. But yet the inward malice and hatred of the heart, which maketh those that harbour malice in their hearts, to wish the death and destruction of those they hate, or to rejoyce in it, is murder in the sight of God. Men that have malice festering in their hearts against others, causing a desire of their destru∣ction may hold their hands from shedding of
blood for want of opportunity, for fear of the Law, for fear of infamy among men, yea out of a slavish fear, left their own conscience, as a revenger of blood should pursue them with restless horror and terror, and never let them enjoy merry hour in this life, besides the dismal effects of it in the life to come. And on the o∣ther side, they are not restrained from murther by Love in any degree. That appeareth by this; that though themselves are loth to shed blood, yet they that are malicious, generally could be content that those whom they hate, should pe∣rish by the hands of others: they have a secret d••sire of this, and are well enough pleased with it in the retired thoughts of their hearts, if such a thing happen by the hands of others.
2. M••lice is the root of Murther; and there∣fore it is murther virtualiter et eminenter: Mur∣ther is conceived in the womb of Malice; Ma∣lice is the Seed of which this foul and bloody Monster of Murther and Bloodshed is hatched. As the Child is in the Fathers Loyus ere it be born or conceived, so murther is in the Bowels of Malice before it is brought sorth. As poyson is in the young Brood of the Viper before it is able to put forth the sting; so murther lyeth a breeding in the womb of Malice and Hatred be∣fore it break forth into Blood. Malice maketh a bloody Heart, and Murther maketh bloody hands. Murther is oftentimes the effect of Ha∣tied
and Malice: first Cain did hate Abel, he was wroth with him, then he killed him. Absa∣lom's Hatred made him to kill his Brother Am∣non. Thus Persecutors hating the Professors of Truth, took away their Lives from them: They set their Wits on work to invent Torments for the painful death of Gods Saints: Hatred of godliness did kindle the fire of Martyrdom.
3. The Scripture calleth it Murther, to shew how great a Sin hatred of Godliness is. Aquinas disputing what was the greatest sin as a man man could commit against his Neighbour, his resolution was, that Odium proximi est gravissimum peccatorum, it was Hatred of our Neighbour. Much more grievous it is, when a man shall hate any one, because he followeth the thing that good is, and hateth a man because he laboureth to be like unto God. To shed mans Blood, who was made after the Image of God, and to do that murther that ever was committed with the least degree of malice that any was, is a most fearful and damnable sin: but I conceive, that there may be a greater sin committed in harbouring abundance of malice and bitterness in the heart, though without Bloodshed, than in some Cases, when Blood is unlawfully spilt. In the malice of our powder-Traytors, this is apparent, which though by the Providence of God, it was restrained from shedding of Blood, was far more grievous than many an act of
murther, which hath been committed. But besides this, when men do neither actually shed Blood, nor purpose and plot bloodshed, I con∣ceive their malice may be more sinful than some acts of Murther. I doubt not, but that many a man sinneth far more in malice against his Neighbour, than David in killing Ʋriah, though it was a grievous sin: for, what is sin, but the Transgression of the Law? 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Now there may be a more strong bent of the heart against the Law of Love in deep-setled malice long continued in the heart and soul, full of impla∣cable rage and bitterness, than in some acts of murther. The hurt done to a mans Neigh∣bour is incomparably greater in murthering him, than that which is done by meer malice concealed, and kept close in the heart, be it never so great. But the greatness of sin, (I suppose) though against the second Table, is not always to be measured by the hurt done to a Neighbour, but by the greater or lesser op∣position to the Law of Love. And I am per∣swaded, that some men going on with restless malice and bitterness of spirit against their Neighbour, may be more guilty in the sight of God, than some others that have committed that fearful sin of murther; so great and hai∣nous a sin is the sin of malice before the Lord, who is Love.