Neither doth the Law of the Gospel, nor nor the Law of Mofes in this cafe before us, reverfe the Law of Nature; and God is fo refolute, that the Magiftrate fhall punish fuch Of fenders with Death, that where they do not, himself sometimes takes the Sword in hand and executes the prefumptuous Destroyer of his Image: Nay, many times makes the Wretch that did the Fact, and efcapes the Magistrates Sword, his own Executioner: Alphonfus Diazius, a Spaniard, and a Roman Catholick, having kill'd his own Natural Brother for turning Proteftant, for which he receiv'd the Praises and Applaufes of confiderable Men in the Church of Rome, haunted and hunted at laft by the Furies of his own Confcience, defperately hang'd himself at Trent, de callo Mulé fue, faith the Historian, upon the Neck of his own Mule.

It's true, there are thofe, who guilty of fuch Crimes, do yet escape the revenging Arm of God and Man here, but the more tertible will be their Cup of trembling hereafter; and God lets fome, like ftall'd Oxen, grow fat on this fide the Grave, that with greater Terrour they may fall a Sacrifice, when they die, to hellish Furies. Nor can Duels and fingle Combats upon an Affront receiv'd, and Challenging one another to fight, be excufed from fharing in the Heinoufnefs of this Guilt for whatever fine Names, and plaufible Defcriptions, the Law of Honour may have made of fuch Actions; he that kills another in a Duel, though he gets a Pardon of his Prince,

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will be Arraign'd in the laft day among the Murtherers, who fhall have their Portion in the Lake which burns with Fire and Brimftone.

I do not deny, but that in the dark Times of Popery fuch Combates have been allow'd of, and publick Prayers have been faid for fuccefs in fuch Duels, but what Credit can a Cause receive from Ages, in which to understand Greek was a Crime, and Hebrew next to Herefie? We need not wonder, that Babylon the Mother of Harlots fhould permit fuch things, whofe Garments have been died Red with the Blood of the Saints of God, and which hath Tricks and Ways to Canonize Affaffins, to confecrate Murther, and to Chriften Maffecrees, Services of Religion. To call upon you to take heed of having a hand in Blood, were to difcourage you from drowning or poisoning your felves, or running a Sword into your own Bowels, for indeed this is no better, and whatever varnish may be put upon it, it is precipitating your felves headlong into the Gulf of Perdition. There is in this Sin, all that can aggravate a Deed; it is to raife a Hell in your Bofom, and the thing it felf speaks fo much abomination, that to name the Sin, is to give you a thousand Arguments against it. But then that ye may not be under any temptation to this Sin; let bitternefs, and wrath, and anger be put away from you with all Malice, which leads me to the third Propofition:

III. That

III. That Wrath and Anger without a juft Cause have their Degrees, and according to them, the Punishment in the next Life will be proportionable, For whofoever shall be angry with his Brother without a caufe, fhall be in danger of the Fudgment; and whosoever shall fay to his Brother Raca, fhall be in danger of the Council; but whofoever shall fay thou Fool, fhall be in danger of Hell-fire.

That fome anger is lawful, is evident, from hence, because Chrift himself was angry, and very angry fometimes, and fo were the Apoftles; and we are permitted to be fo, but with this Caution, be angry and fin not, i. e. fo as not to Sin, Eph. iv. 26. So that all Anger is not a mark of Damnation. But then when the Author and Captain of our Salvation, Chrift Jefus, and his Holy Apoftles were angry, it was only against Sin, and out of a Zeal to Vertue, and when Men were obstinate and would not be perfwaded to do their Duty, and a Senfe of God's Glory kindled the fire of their Paffion; in which Cafe to be angry is a Perfection, and to be passionate, a Chriftian accomplishment; provided still that the bounds of that Anger be observed; and it's heat do not turn into Wild-fire; that it be not attended with unfeemly Expreffions, nor accompanied with furious Geftures and Actions. I do not deny but a Man may be angry with his Servant, a Father with his Children, and a Mafter with his Scholars, and proceed even to Correction; but then it must be, because they neglect their Duty, or

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Vol. II. will not hearken to wholfome Admonitions and when gentler Addreffes will do no good and the Anger must be more upon the account of their Sin, than out of any Defire to revenge; and it must be an Anger mingled with Pity and Compaffion, and which ends in Prayer for the Offenders; and it must be free from Fury and reviling Language: And being kept within thefe Bounds, I find no fault with this Anger. But this is not the Anger my Text fpeaks of, and againft which Chrift levels his Commination here, for that's Anger without fufficient Caufe, even Anger because our worldly Interest is not promoted, as we expected, or because our Honour and Reputation is touch'd, or because fomething, which gratifies our Lufts, is with-held from us, or because our vain Defires are not cocker'd and flatter'd, or because fuch a Perfon hath not given us the Title and Refpect we look'd for or because we cannot digeft a Reproof, or becaufe we are crofs'd in our Designs, or becaufe fuch a Man is not of our Opinion, or because he will not conform to our Humour. These are the things which commonly provoke to Paffion; and this Anger, the farther goes, the worse it grows; if from Thoughts and fecret Grudges, it proceeds to contumelious, reproachful, and reviling Language, to calling the party ill Names, Fool and Rogue and Villain, and Rafcal and Knave, and Cheat, and Hypocrite, and fuch other Titles, as Modefty will not fuffer us to Name, it becomes greater; and if from Words and Expreffions

it

preffions it goes farther yet, even to Actions of Revenge, and fettles in Hatred, in Rancour, and inveterate Malice; it then shuts out the Righteousness of God, and lets in the Devil, and invites evil Spirits to come and Lodge in that House, and the last Estate of that Man grows worse than the first.

And is not this the Cafe of abundance of you? Do not you fee fomething in this Glafs that's very like you, and refembles your Temper? and do but confider, what weaknefs, what impotency of Reafon and Spirit you betray and difcover by fuch doings? Is not this an inlet to confufion and every evil work, Jam.iii. 16. Is this the Chriftian Spirit? Is this to know, what manner of Spirit you are of? Is this treading in your Masters steps Is this following his Example, who when he was reviled, revile not again? Dare you ap pear before the Son of Man in the last day, with fuch a Difpofition of Soul, never yet seriously repented of? Is this to refift the Devil? Is this to purifie your Hearts? Have you fo learned Chrift? Is this to be Children in Malice, as you are bound to be by your Profeffion? Is this to crucifie the Flesh with the Affections and Lufts, upon the leaft Provocation, presently to be in a huff, presently to let your Tongues loofe, and to break forth against your Brethren in Language fitter for Turks and Indians, than for Chriftians? Is this to be meek as Doves? Is this to love one another with a pure Heart fervently? Is Hellfire nothing but painted Flames? Hath our

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